Chapter 52

Three days had passed since the riding on the wagon .

I was on top of the wagon, letting Mae carve Ortem on the wagon .

“There’s a split right there! Ah, no! When you put the knife around the corner, it’s not held that way… like this…”

“Yes! Yes! Master Abel!”

Mea didn’t look very handy, but she was keen so she was improving fast .

At first, she was bored or quickly lost focus, but ever since I cut off the garm’s, she’s been like this .

She was lifted up oddly as if she was really scared of Garm, so he hid his embarrassment and said, “Since I was little, It’s thanks to the Ortem carving . ” Maybe she really took it to heart when he said, “Most of the Marren’s can do it . ”

Well, it’s true that Ortem carving is the foundation of magic improvement .

“I can finally see it . That’s the city of Lomarn . ”

James called out to me and I shifted my gaze from Mea to the city .

I could see the city surrounded by waterways .

Beyond the city gates, the wagons stopped near a square with a fountain .

In the plaza, bright white tiles were laid out underneath . That’s very well maintained .

It was quite a beautiful sight, with a row of stone buildings . There is no sign of trash being thrown away .

I read in the book that it is a lawless street, but it seemed to have changed completely .

“Ehhh~! James-san, we’re going to split-up?!”

“Haha, no, I had to run some errands too . I know you guys aren’t familiar with the city, so I’d like to accompany you, but…”

We’re splitting up here .

Of course, we are . James is traveling for the sole purpose of peddling .

I don’t think Mea and I can be of any help to him .

“I’m going to be in town for a while, so if I ever feel like I’m in trouble again, I’ll give you a call . ”

“Thanks for your help, James-san . ”

“No, I’ve been saved too . If it hadn’t been for Abel-san, the Garm’s would have eaten me to death . ”

James quickly reaches out to me .

I squeezed his hand back and we laughed at each other .

……This guy, his smile is kind of scary . It’s not like I have anything to do with it .

“Ehh, but … but …”

Mea still seemed confused .

Maybe she was going to follow James’s lead the whole time .

“Oh, yes! Mea will buy you all the wheat with this! Now you’ve got some free time!”

Mea said as if it was a good idea, and took out a sachet from his pocket .

You’re not sure if you have that kind of money, but you can see a goldwork collar and ring peeking out from inside the sack .

I don’t know the market price of such things, but I’m sure they cost about a hundred million yen .

Even though you’re just a runaway……!

If my village had something like that, I would have traded for it .

Is that some kind of savings that Mea’s parents grabbed when she left the village?

I think they’re looking for it very carefully .

There’s no way James would take it, and he gets into the wagon with a wry smile .

Finally, he said, “Well then . I’ll see you later” and waved as he left .

With a gulp, Mea kneels down on the spot .

”H-hey, don’t be so depressed…”

When I called out to her, Mea shook with a jolt and got up with a start .

“Abel-san isn’t going to disappear, right? Look, Mea’s Ortem carving hasn’t improved at all!”

She grabs my shoulders with a gulp and moves her face closer to mine .

“What? Oh, yeah, yeah . I don’t have any acquaintances over here either, so that would… help?”

“Are you sure? Tha-, that’s right, is there anything you want? Mea have the money! Here . look look, this, if we sell this somewhere……!”

I thought she had grown up in a tough environment, but she’s a bad girl .

“No, I don’t want that kind of thing to affect our future relationship…”

I guess I’d better stick around for a while and see what happens .

She’s vulnerable to being tricked by a bad guy and taking all my money in an instant .

An hour later .

I was glued to one of the products at the ‘Chimera’s Tail’ store in the shopping arcade .

‘Chimera’s Tail’ focuses on products that can be used as alchemy materials and magic catalysts .

Metal, which is the general main material for the core of a golem, and jewels that attract fire spirits when they are charged with magical power .

The latter is probably used to raise the power of magic by attaching it to a staff or something .

I want it . Of course, I want those too .

But it’s something else that really caught my attention .

“Wow, Customer, you have a keen eye . I’ve had them for a long time, but I’ve never been able to find anyone who was interested in them . Especially those who would be the first to jump at it, you know . In fact, it’s something that no cheap shop like ours would ever carry . ”

A person who looks like the owner speaks to me .

She was a blonde woman with a large pointed hat .

She was dressed like a typical witch, except that the hat was a little too big and bushy .

In my line of sight was a large log .

It is surrounded by a thin blue light . It’s probably a ward for storage .

“Right! It’s not something you’d normally leave in a little shop on the edge of town like this!　It looks like it’s warded, but it’s not perfect . Oh, it must have deteriorated . Couldn’t they have spent more money to put up the warding? Well, that’s about as far as you can go in this store . ”

“Do you have a problem with my shop?”

“Ouch, ouch, ouch! Don’t pull my ears off! I’m sorry, I’m sorry! I just got excited!”

She said it was a cheap store like ours, she said it herself!

No, I know it’s not the same thing as being told by someone else and saying it yourself .

Mea, too, moves her face closer to the product I’m looking at .

“What is this? Is it that good of a tree trunk?”

“No, not a trunk . It’s a branch of the World Tree . ”

I rub my ears and tell Mea .

The World Tree is a huge tree located in the innermost part of the great forest called the Devil’s Forest .

Due to the magical power of the World Tree, I’ve heard that there are powerful magical beasts around the World Tree .

This is the first time I’ve seen a real one, but I’m pretty sure it’s a branch of the World Tree .

I don’t think there is any other tree in this world that has such a strong magical power .

”Where did you get this stuff from?”

”About five years ago, a famous party from this city raided the Demon Forest . There were four of them who entered, and only one of them came back alive .

It seems that one of them had a hallucination by a demonic beast on the way in, so he took out all his weapons and armor, and found a log naked and unarmed . He was walking through the shallow woods carrying it and was protected by another adventurer . He wanted to make some money right away, and he offered it to my store, which I knew, at a discount . ”

………What a pity .

If only they hadn’t been shown the hallucination, I’m sure they would have gotten other materials and things that have many more uses I’m sure you’ve done it before .

It is true that the branch of the world tree is not something that can be handled easily .

If the person has no use for it, it’s better to let go of it as soon as possible, even if it’s a cheap price .

In fact, if you consider that the owner of this shop has been leaving it for five years, it’s clear that she can’t have anymore .

Unless there’s a place where they can more aggressively promote it to the rich, but I don’t think they have the connections to do that .

…… I’m sure I could get an amazing one if I create an Ortem with it .

I stared at the branch of the World Tree .

I’m sure he was looking at it with eyes that were quite covetous . The owner of the store was a bit taken aback .

It’s obvious that the value of the tree is deteriorating and that it will continue to decline in value even if you leave it in the store .

The owner of the store wanted to sell them as soon as possible, but there was no way to sell them .

It would be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to have a branch of the world tree at such a negotiable condition .

If I let this one slip away, I’ll never get it again .

It’s a shame I don’t have any decent fortune right now .

If I had some money, I wouldn’t hesitate to negotiate .

If I had the house, I would have sold it without a second thought .

It’s worth it, and if you use it properly, you can definitely get your money’s worth .

I had that confidence .

As I bit my teeth, I got a thump on my shoulder .

“You want it so bad? Shall Mea buy it for you!”

“N-no, but it’s not a good idea to make a financial loan like that and…”

The branches of the World Tree must be quite pricey .

It’s doubtful if the parent’s savings that Mea has grabbed is enough .

I can’t take such a huge amount of money in the first place .

“No no, It’s not a loan . If Abel-san hadn’t been there, the wagon would have been in danger, James-san said it too!”

“No… But……”

I knew it would follow me later…

“Look, look, I’ve been told about the Ortem carving! I don’t owe you anything at all!”

“……… . ”

You don’t owe me anything…?

Okay, so we’re all rather equal now . So we’re even now, yeah .

No, no, don’t be swayed . That’s not possible .

“Hello . Is this enough?”

”Hmmm, well, I’ve been poking around in poor storage conditions and even if I compromise…… . . We can’t afford to not sell this stuff either . ”

The negotiations were coming to an end while I was fretting .

“Hey, wait!

“Hmm, what is it?”

Mea looks back at me .

“Well … in the form of debt, please . ”

I was weak at heart .

Hearing my words, Mea turned to the shopkeeper .

“Then, since Abel-san says so too . ”

The owner and Mea quickly negotiate with each other, as if to say that they were taking words .

I hate myself for keeping quiet about it, which is a good thing .

I can return it…… . . right?

Uh-huh . You can return it, maybe .

If you want, I can carve it and show it to someone who knows about magic, and I’m confident we can resell it . It’ll be fine .