Chapter 264

We separated from Aeneus and continued then on while relying on the map from the guild. It was just around the corner.

“Harvey’s Potions. …Yeah, this is it.”

I compared our position to the map just to make sure. Yes, it was fine. This was the place that the guild had recommended.

“Let us go then.”

“Ah, wait up.”

Daniela already had her hand on the door. She never liked to talk with clerks, and yet she was often the first through the door… But all the negotiating would be up to me.

I followed after her. The interior was quite dark. I had heard of chemicals that change color under sunlight, so maybe it was similar to that… There were rows of shelves that went all the way to the back. And they were lined with a great variety of bottles in different shapes and colors. It was pretty crazy, but I liked it.

We moved through the narrow space between the shelves until we reached the counter. However, there was no one there.

“Hmm… What to do…”

“They must be in the back.”

“Huh?”

Daniela stared towards the back. How did she know? Then she looked at me and sighed.

“Did it not occur to you to use Presence Detection?”

“Ah.”

I had forgotten completely. I used to use it all of the time in town, back when the skill level was low. It was so I could raise it. But I tended to have it switched off now that I had caught up with Daniela. That was a huge waste. Really. And yeah, there was someone back there. One person. Maybe we could call out and be noticed. As for Daniela…she was cursed, apparently.

“Hello?”

I called out. After a few seconds, I felt the presence getting closer. That was good. I wouldn’t need to shout again. I didn’t like doing that.

“Yes-yes. What can I do for you?”

A kind-looking older man appeared. He had a white beard that looked very soft.

“Uhh, I want a few normal healing potions and some recovery potions for status effects.”

“What about quality?”

Right, quality. The ones with more vibrant colors were supposed to be better. Bright green was good for healing wounds and bright yellow for recovering energy. It was pretty weird that drinking something could close your wounds, but that was how things worked in this world.

“On the higher end, please.”

“Yes, certainly.”

The old man nodded as he came out from behind the counter and started to move around the store. We followed him to a shelf that was lined with particularly bright bottles.

“Hmm…”

He grabbed a green bottle and a yellow bottle first.

“Is this high enough for you?”

“Uhh…”

I tried to look like I knew what I was doing for a second, before deciding to ask Daniela.

“Is it?”

“I think it is rather good. The color is bright. It might even heal a limb that is about to fall off.”

It was a nice green, but that seemed insane… How much would it cost…?

“How much for one bottle?”

“Thirty pieces of gold.”

Woah. Well, I suppose it was cheap if you considered the price of the loss of a limb?

“Asagi, we should buy it. Buy a few.”

It must be a good deal for Daniela to make such a quick decision. And with that, I unloosened my purse strings.

In the end, we left with six yellow and green bottles each and three red ones that were good for burns. I also got six blue ones that healed frostbite and three purple restoratives. I even managed to get four of the white petrification potions I had been wanting. They were all expensive, but it was worth it. From what I heard from Daniela, there were other status effects like paralysis, but potions for them were rare to nonexistent.

However, there were a lot of potions that surprised me. Like the ones for illnesses. Luckily, neither of us had gotten sick so far. Even a cold would slow us down considerably. There were hospitals, but they were mainly for treating wounds. As far as I knew, this world didn’t have much in the way of anti-virus measures. So it was pretty great that we were able to get these potions.

“Thank you. We’ll feel much safer as we travel now.”

“No, thank you. And please be careful.”

And with that, we left Harvey’s Potion Store behind us. A nice man who sells high-quality potions. It was no surprise that the guild recommended him.

□ □ □ □

I suddenly started to feel cold as we walked back to the inn. And that brought back a memory of something Daniela and I had talked about. It was nearing the icesnow season.

“Indeed. Snow will fall and the temperature will drop. Our travels will be much harder when the lakes freeze and our limbs grow cold.”

So, we would need winter clothes. Well, Daniela did have her new cape from the Emperor, and I could use ice magic and also wore ice dragon armor. Still, I was worried. It seemed like a good idea to buy some, just in case.

“I do not need anything. I have my jade wind dragon cape.”

“Yeah-yeah. It’s very pretty.”

I said irritably as Daniela smugly pulled it out of her bracelet and threw it over her shoulders. I wanted a cape too. While my magic allowed me to adjust the temperature a little, it used energy. It would be best to not rely on it.

“I think I’ll buy something…”

“I hope you find something as good as my jade wind dragon cape.”

“There’s no way that I will…”

I’d be worried about the state of the world if I found one so easily. But even if my standards weren’t that high, I did want a good one. In this world, investing in the wrong thing could lead to grave consequences. So I wanted something that was warm but also effective in terms of defense.

And for that reason, we soon found ourselves in the Solitude store.

“I’m looking for a cape to keep me warm.”

“This is quite sudden.”

I just knew that I’d find what I was looking for here. It didn’t matter when I came. I knew it was a long shot, but surely it wouldn’t be a miss…

“Also, with high defense.”

“Ah… Uh, just wait one moment.”

Miss Amarilith said as she crossed her arms and disappeared in the back. I could hear her muttering to herself all the while. Good. It seemed like she had something. The fact that she had stuff left over when I had come out of nowhere was pretty impressive. I had assumed that many people would be buying capes in preparation for the cold season. Just like how air conditioners and fans get sold out during the summer. But then again, prices were pretty high here, so maybe that kept them at bay.

I considered all of this while looking at Daniela, who was thoughtfully staring at some cute clothes; and I waited for Miss Amarilith to return.