Appearance Matters in Equipnt
Despite their small size, fighting against nurous monsters inevitably wore down my gear over ti.
Continuously taking on the charge of Pikehoppers would bend even an iron shield, and my sword would either break or bend if I ssed up a thrust and gouged it into sothing hard.
No one wants to lose their trusty equipnt easily. We would try to repair it by relying on various craftsn for tal plating, sharpening, and other techniques. Still, so pieces were beyond saving, and replacing them was the only recourse. Such tis called for bidding a tearful farewell to beloved weapons... and then, the fun of shopping for new equipnt would begin.
***
「A rare piece of equipnt... what a find!」
「Again with this, Mongrel-senpai.」
「I heard sothing like this from you not long ago.」
I had revisited the market with Raina and Ulrika. Though we fulfilled our missions separately, we often ran into each other at the tavern or guild by the end of the day. I had known Raina for quite so ti, so naturally, my association with Ulrika deepened as well. Thus, it wasn't unusual for us to plan a trip to the market together on our days off.
「I worked and saved so money, so I thought today I'd buy sothing and satisfy my greedy desires.」
「Mongrel-senpai, you always seem to have those desires. Although... I could use a new pair of gloves, as the fingertips of my current ones are getting worn.」
「I'm thinking... maybe I ought to look for a new chest guard that doesn't chafe as much, teehee.」
Lately, more equipnt from allied nations had been flowing into the market. To keep up, high-quality dostic gear was now available too, and the town was bustling with new weapon shops popping up left and right.
Good equipnt tended to be snatched up by others quickly, so it was best to secure anything promising before it disappeared. Interestingly, designs not available locally were considered fashionable, and female guild mbers enjoyed perusing them. It might be akin to fashion trends in my past life.
As we wandered through the market, we saw not only townspeople but also clusters of burly guild mbers. Shops that sold just shield belts or undershirts to wear beneath armor seed particularly popular, often drawing crowds.
「Hey, Mongrel-senpai.」
「Hmm?」
「Is it true you got into another fight with other guild mbers?」
「Oh, I heard about that too! They were saying you got into a brawl with a party from Baysen's guild and won! The 『Sapling's Staff』 girl was shocked!」
Oh, are there rumors now?
I'm glad to hear that Artemis is now mingling with the 『Sapling's Staff』 crew as well.
「What, stories of my heroic feats are spreading?」
「I heard you took quite a few hits, Mongrel-senpai.」
「Tch. So you even heard that part, huh? Couldn't they have exaggerated it a bit to make it sound like I beat three people unscathed?」
「There's no way you could beat three people without a scratch.」
I myself had been spreading tales of the fight as well, subtly ntioning how much getting punched had hurt. Of course, if misinford rumors of a flawless victory against three opponents began to circulate, they could haunt
later on.
Nevertheless, I still wanted to project my strength as a deterrent. Balancing that was tricky.
「Oh, look, Raina! Aren't those gloves pretty good?」
「Huh? Which ones? I can't see.」
「These ones! Look, they're slim and stylish. The fingers look easy to move, and they're well-reinforced.」
The two of them earnestly inspected various bow-related equipnt. It seed that the bowstring wore out their fingers quite a bit, leading to a surprisingly short lifespan for such gear.
Despite the practicality, they wanted their equipnt to look good, too, placing equal emphasis on both practicality and appearance.
Being a guy ant practicality was important to , but as far as guild mbers' aesthetics went, I felt I had a fairly solid understanding.
I didn't want to equip weapons with great performance if they looked bad. Helts, in particular, were crucial for head protection, but those with dorky silhouettes were just off-putting. I would always hide headgear in various gas I played, a preference that held firm even after being reincarnated to make it a firsthand issue. It's diligently ingrained.
「Here, try these on.」
「Eh, no, I—」
「Hey, Mongrel-san, what do you think of Raina's? Cute, right?」
「Hm? Oh, yeah, they're nice.」
Raina had on new gloves and a leather belt with several small pockets fastened around her waist.
Her outfit was easy to move in, with shorts and a sleeveless shirt. While she used to don rather bulky gear in winter, her attire beca more body-revealing in spring. Slender leather armor snugly fit her slim fra. It looked stylish and suitable. I thought it was fairly nice-looking, a setup permissible only for a rearguard fighter.
「... Your waist is quite slim, Raina. You should eat more.」
「Well, there goes Mongrel-senpai with those comnts again...」
「... Sorry, Raina...」
I wasn't entirely sure what just happened, but I had an inkling that it was sohow my fault.
However, if I apologized without understanding what I did wrong, I might step on a mine, so I decided to keep quiet.
「Oh, by the way, Mongrel-senpai, what do you think about Ulrika-senpai's gear?」
「Oh, it's fine.」
「Co on... Wouldn't you like to hear sothing similar about your gear, Ulrika-senpai?」
「Raina, that's kind of an.」
Were they using
as part of so teasing ritual?
「So, Ulrika's wearing a chest protector?」
She had an outfit tailored for female rangers with a cinched waist. It seed to be made of soft leather, probably a pricey piece. She wore a skirt with boots for outdoor use.
Over her clothing, she wore a chest protector made of smooth hard leather. Viewing closely, I saw it was partly hard leather, with tal underneath. They had covered the surface with leather for appearance.
「... All the archers tend to wear sothing like that.」
「Ah, well, it's partly because the string can sting if it strikes you. Once you're used to it, it rarely catches, but it still can. And when it does, having a smooth chest protector helps prevent string damage and doesn't reduce montum.」
「Ah, I see.」
「Of course, it's also for protection.」
I had thought it might hurt if their bosom swayed and struck sothing. Not so much a concern for Raina and Ulrika, I figured. But recognizing a glaring landmine, I wisely kept my mouth shut.
「This chest protector is a bit more padded than my previous one, so it doesn't chafe and feels softer against my skin.」
「Sounds good. With gear like this, comfort is key.」
「Exactly. Hard gear often cos with its drawbacks.」
The two were smiling, pleased with their purchases.
Getting new gear really was satisfying. I completely understood how they felt.
「Aren't you buying any unusual equipnt today, Mongrel-senpai?」
「Don't call it unusual.」
「Haha. They have all sorts over there; let's check it out.」
I was here to find cool gear. The strange stuff didn't interest .
「Welco! We've got all kinds of rare items here.」
... But seeing them displayed like this, the selection lacked anything outstanding. It made sense for a shop, of course... Eh?
「Is this... a chain sickle?」
「Oh, you've got a good eye, mister! This one's a new weapon we're testing out for sale.」
「I know how it works: you hold the sickle in your left hand and swing the weight around with your right, right?」
「You're well-inford! Is it famous?」
「How should I put it? I know just a bit about it.」
「Why do you even know about this, Mongrel-senpai...」
There before
was a peculiar weapon: a sickle handle attached to a chain, which in turn connected to a tal weight—an actual weapon from my previous life. And its origins were traced back to Japan. It was sothing a ninja might wield in historical dramas.
「Mongrel-senpai seems like he'd like this.」
「Are you really buying it? Are you going to?」
Oddly, this weapon barely triggered my interest.
「Alas... this chain sickle is no good.」
「N-no... but sir, this—
「I've got a pretty good idea of its rits. This weapon doesn't utilize the sickle for swinging; the focus is on the weight for its attack, correct?」
「... Go on. Seems you know quite a bit, Sir. Still, is swinging the weight so wrong?」
「That's where it fails. Swinging the weight is the problem.」
Certainly, swinging the weight added strength; swinging a bludgeon with such range implied power.
Yet...
「Why not use the sickle for swinging instead?」
「... Well, I'd guess it's because the sickle doesn't naturally point the right way, plus it's risky to oneself.」
「A chain-attached sickle, and all it amounts to is a diocre trap for 'slicing the ensnared enemy'? That's awful! Absolutely rock-bottom on the Mongrel scale!」
「What's that supposed to an?」
「Of course, I value practicality. But a weapon, aside from function, ought to deliver style on the battlefield.」
「Sir, please mind the casual talk.」
「Oh, sorry about that.」
Favoritism would not sway
for even a Japanese originated weapon from a past life. If it's unsightly, it's unsightly!
「Surprising. I thought Mongrel-san was a fan of anything ostentatious and elaborate.」
「Indeed. I figured you'd demand 'na your price!' or sothing.」
「Listen... I make my choices by evaluating the quality of gear. I don't like or seek gear just for being intricately accessorized; I'm precise about that.」
「Right, right.」
Raina, you're casual enough when responding with 'right.' It's not my imagination, is it?
「Well then... what about that, Mongrel-san?」
「That?」
「See, over there on the wall. Isn't that the sa as the ones the knights use? With a scythe on a halberd?」
The direction Ulrika gestured had a stunning weapon that glistened with axe, spear, and scythe lded together, a lone work of art.
That was... unmistakably the one adopted by mounted knights of Halperia, the legendary halberd known as the Great Halpe!
「Se-sell
that! I'll pay whatever you ask!」
「So he does love flamboyant ones!」
「Whoa... Mongrel-san, the price is staggering...」
That day, my weapon collection grew once more, and I found myself thrust back into a penniless lifestyle.
-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=
Mongrel likes unusual weapons, the flashier the better!
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