"Co in, co in." The lady dressed like a typical witch waved us inside. "It's a bit cramped, work's in full swing."
"You really think we'll find clothes for Filo here?" Naofumi asked, clearly skeptical.
"I asked around this morning, and they told that Auntie from the magic shop has exactly what you need."
"Is that so..."
"Well, to be precise, I only have the materials to make suitable clothes. Here." She pointed at what looked like the most ordinary spinning wheel. "With this thing, you can spin special fabric that disappears when the wearer transforms into a monster and reappears when they shift back to human form."
"And how does that even work?" Naofumi looked intrigued now.
"The fabric is spun from the wearer's mana. By their will, the fabric can either disappear or take physical form as clothing."
"I see... Sounds kinda cool."
Filo walked up to the spinning wheel and began monotonously turning the handle. A thin thread imdiately started to appear.
"Mmm... I feel weak..."
"Like I said, the fabric's made from your mana. That's why you're feeling drained."
"This is sooo boring..."
Yeah... This definitely wasn't a quick process. Especially considering what happened next...
Pop
The crystal embedded in the spinning wheel simply shattered. And with that, Filo's spinning stopped producing thread.
"Oh... Guess that's the end of that..."
"You don't have a spare crystal, I assu?" I crossed my arms with a grin.
"Ack!" The woman clutched her chest dramatically. "No... That was the last one. Without it, we can't do a thing."
"But we can buy another one, right?"
"Sure, but... it'll cost you."
"How much?"
"I think you can find one at the market for around five gold."
I let out a low whistle. Pricey, but not outrageous.
"I've heard they mine those crystals in lromarc..."
"Whoa, hold up." I waved my hands. "Let's just buy one. You can keep the crystal afterwards. Call it a thank-you for your help and work."
"But... I should be the one thanking you." The witch awkwardly fidgeted with her hat.
"Don't worry about it. I value my ti and I'm not thrilled at the thought of crawling through so cave for one lousy gem. Besides, everything I've done so far wasn't for gratitude anyway."
To be honest, those weren't just pretty words. Sure, I was hoping for a little thank-you gift, maybe a magic book or two, but my real motivation was always self-interest. Even helping Naofumi was sothing I did simply because I wanted to. Maybe because of that old fondness I had for so of these characters back when I read the novel. If I really thought about it, I barely even knew the real Naofumi. Sa went for Raphtalia.
"You sure?" Naofumi looked at . "That's not exactly a small amount of money."
"How do I put this delicately..." I thought for a mont. "Yeah, it's not cheap, but for ..." I vaguely waved my hand in the air.
"Oh... right, I almost forgot how different things are between us..."
"Don't exaggerate. You just got unlucky with your weapon, and they keep throwing obstacles at you. But even so, you're doing pretty well."
"Thanks... I guess."
Next on the list — buying the crystal. Nothing was going to stand between and Night in a dress. Nothing.
Following the witch's directions, I headed off with Night to find the right rchant. Turned out to be the town jeweler, who sold not just magic stones but regular gems and crafted jewelry too.
"Welco! What can I help you with?"
Huh... Copying weapons really was a handy trick. Until I changed my scythe's form from a sickle to an actual scythe, barely anyone recognized . Not like many folks knew my face anyway.
"I need a dium magic crystal. For a spinning wheel." I decided to clarify.
"Ah. One mont." The man rummaged behind the counter. "Here." He produced a crystal, even slightly larger than the witch's one. "Seven gold."
Slightly more expensive than expected, but nothing critical. And at that price, the witch definitely wouldn't dare refuse to help make more dresses for Night. Maybe even more than one...
After paying, I didn't rush off. Jewelry-making had piqued my interest. Wouldn't hurt to make myself so trinkets with attack boosts and the like. Who knows what this craft could offer at its peak?
Honestly? I had no clue.
The jewelry was displayed behind thick glass, faintly radiating magic. Basic accessories with modest "attack boost" enchantnts started at forty silver.
The bonuses varied — attack, defense, speed, potion quality, mana growth, mana regeneration, and much more.
The gems in the cheaper stuff didn't look too impressive. But the high-end pieces, starting at two gold... whole different story. The stones were better quality, the bonuses higher.
"Sothing caught your eye?" The rchant perked up at my curiosity.
"When do these accessories activate their effects?"
"As soon as they touch your skin."
"Huh... And how does one learn jewelry-making?"
"Ho-ho." The man chuckled warmly. "Interesting question, young man." I shrugged in response. "Depends what you're after. You can be a basic jeweler making shiny trinkets... or turn those trinkets into actual magical items."
"The latter sounds more my style."
"Most beginners start with books. The enchanting process requires insane focus and delicate work. And talent, of course. Can't do without that. Books teach the basics — the rest cos down to practice and, well... your wallet."
"My wallet?"
"Different stones give different enchantnts." He explained with a shrug.
Naturally, no one was going to hand over trade secrets for free. Naofumi got lucky in the original story, eting so big-shot jeweler willing to share knowledge. No such luck for .
So, after buying a decent ring with a modest attack boost, I left the shop.
I considered getting sothing for Night too, but quickly realized any accessory on her would simply break during transformation. Yeah, there were special enchantnts for that, but they cost way more. And I'd already spent quite a bit.
"Oh, there you are, kiddo. We've been waiting." The blacksmith greeted .
"Here." I placed the purchased crystal on the table. "We good to go?"
"We're good." The witch lady nodded. "Go on, sweetheart. Keep at it."
"Ugh..." Filo let out a dramatic sigh but resud spinning.
"So, what's your plan after this?" I casually asked Naofumi to pass the ti.
"After this, huh..." He paused in thought. "I still think becoming a traveling rchant sounds good."
"So, riding around, trading... yeah, not a bad plan. But not for ."
"You going off on your own?"
"Yep. Once Filo and Night have their clothes, I'm heading my own way. Got a few ideas..."
"Hmm..." Naofumi looked thoughtful, glancing between the blacksmith and . Then he seed to decide sothing. "You know... I'm kinda sick of all this madness lately. A day off sounds good. And I owe the blacksmith a al anyway..."
"And what exactly are you suggesting?"
A day earlier or later didn't make much difference. A little extra downti never hurt.
By that point, Filo finished spinning her thread and Night took over.
"Let's have a little picnic. Call it a farewell lunch. Who knows when we'll cross paths again. If ever..."
"Naofumi-sama... what's with the gloomy mood?" Raphtalia frowned at him.
"Now that's the kind of thinking I like!" I clapped the Shield Guy on the back.
That's life — different perspectives for everyone...
In the end, Naofumi sent Raphtalia to buy food, Elhart went to grab cooking supplies, and we headed to the tailor to get proper fabric made from the thread. After that, all that was left was to take asurents for our bird girls and finally relax.
"Oh my goodness, what are these adorable creatures?!" A girlish squeal echoed as soon as we stepped into the tailor's shop.
The seamstress was a young woman, probably around twenty, dressed in a stylish outfit with a scarf around her neck. Not surprising for soone running an atelier.
"We need to take asurents and make dresses for these two ladies. Dresses that disappear during transformation." I made sure to add the important detail. "The material will be delivered later."
We'd already worked things out with the weaver. The amount of work ant the fabric wouldn't be ready until evening, and then he'd bring it to the seamstress himself.
"Clothes for transformation, huh? Oh my, oh my... Light and Darkness themselves!" The girl energetically spun circles around Night and Filo, admiring them with obvious excitent. "Day and Night, Little Angel and Little Demon... Adorable! I need to see their other forms!" She was suddenly nose-to-nose with .
"Uh... sure. Night?"
"Okay." Night nodded blankly, looked up at the ceiling, then down at the floor, paused to think for a mont, and sat cross-legged on the floor. After that, she transford. "Here."
Sitting down, she nearly reached the ceiling. Good thing she didn't do it standing... Smart girl.
Filo, wasting no ti, followed Night's example.
"Oooh... even their feathers match! Simply perfect!"
Spinning around them with excited muttering, the seamstress finished taking their asurents in about thirty minutes. I didn't expect it to take that long...
"If the material arrives by evening, I should be done by tomorrow. Maybe even by morning. But better co back in the afternoon. You can't rush quality work!"
I wasn't about to argue. I wanted Night's dress to look as perfect as possible, after all.
Our to-do list was getting shorter. All that remained was to regroup and enjoy food and company.
Elhart was already waiting for us at the city gates, just like we agreed, carrying a large sheet of thin tal. A bit later, Raphtalia showed up with bags full of food. Though with her level, I doubted that weight even registered for her.
After that, Naofumi led us into the woods. And yeah, maybe I should've thought twice about that... But thinking's never really been my thing.
"Uncle, Raphtalia, you handle the fire."
In the end, Naofumi brought us to a pretty decent spot by the lake. I couldn't even sense any monsters nearby.
Speaking of which, my awakened sensory abilities were a whole other topic. Studying magic had brought so unexpected results. After I "tasted" magic once, I could sowhat sense it everywhere, especially when its amount stood out from the background.
"And ? What do I do?!" Filo complained, feeling left out.
"You keep an eye out so no monster sneaks up and steals the at."
"Eh?! I'm not letting that happen!"
Looking ridiculously fired-up, Filo rushed off to patrol. Gotta hand it to Naofumi — he knew how to keep a kid occupied.
"Got a task for too?" I smirked.
"Uh... well..."
"You know, I can cook. My cooking skill is..." I quickly scanned my skill window. "Level three."
"Level three?!" Naofumi's eyes widened. "I only have level two, and most of my skills are crafting-based..."
"You're not alone. I barely ever get combat skills either. And when I do, they're rarely useful in battle." I shrugged.
"I see..." Naofumi paused for a few seconds, staring at the at. "Well then... Help cook."
"Yessir!" I gave a mock salute and started slicing the at.
Honestly? It was kinda fun. Debating the optimal size and thickness of the at, the cooking ti, spice amounts, types of vegetables, and the right heat level for the pan. We even got into a little argunt at one point.
But finally, everything was ready. The sll of roasted at was so strong that even Filo couldn't concentrate on her patrol anymore.
"Well, dig in." I gestured towards the picnic setup.
The first batch vanished so fast, poor Naofumi barely managed to grab himself a couple of pieces.
? Oh, you don't have to worry about . And never underestimate Night's speed and cunning, either. Turns out my birdie could be shockingly proactive when it ca to food. And the dead-serious look on her face as she snatched the biggest piece off the table... I almost lted right there and then.
"I can't believe plain grilled at can taste this good!" Elhart exclaid after his first bite.
"Mhm!" Raphtalia chid in more modestly, though she was still busy chewing her last piece.
"Legendary weapons do wonders. Thanks to their effects, cooked food around here ends up tasting like a literal drug. Honestly? I never cooked anything this good back in my world."
"Yeah. Sha my shield is still useless though..."
I didn't bother trying to change his mind. You could list the shield's pros and possibilities all day long, but objectively, it lagged way behind the other legendary weapons. And without party mbers, it really was useless.
After finishing our portions, Naofumi and I got to work on the next batch while everyone else finished eating.
"Hey, Nott..." the Shield Guy suddenly broke the silence.
"Hm?"
"So... where are you from? You never really said anything the day we got summoned. You're clearly not from Japan."
What's this? He feeling chatty all of a sudden?
"Hm..." I thought for a second. "Vodka, balalaikas, riding bears... Ring any bells?"
"...You're Russian?!" Naofumi exclaid.
"The one and only. So, that stereotype exists in your world too, huh." I chuckled.
"Huh... Didn't see that coming." He went quiet, absentmindedly flipping the at.
"Just ask already. I can see you've got more to say."
Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed everyone listening in. Even Night perked up her ears.
"Well... You're not like those three idiots, but..." He still hesitated, clearly unsure how to phrase it. "But... you treat this world like a ga too, don't you?"
"What makes you think that?" That genuinely threw off.
"Your actions. You act like you don't care about your own life. During the Wave, when you fought Motoyasu... You didn't hesitate for even a second. You never doubted yourself, not once."
"..." I froze, fork halfway to the at. "That... is a complicated question, Naofumi."
I set the utensils down, pausing to think. About how to answer. Whether I should answer at all.
"You know, Naofumi..." I took a deep breath. "My previous life... How do I even explain it... It had no aning." He stayed silent. "My mom abandoned before I could even rember her. My dad couldn't care less. I've always been on my own."
"..." Silence. Even the quiet clinking of utensils stopped.
"I never knew what was right or wrong. There was no one to praise . No one to scold . Society raised . Teachers, classmates, random strangers. What you see now, Naofumi..." I looked him straight in the eyes. "Is society's product. But even they couldn't help find a reason to live. When it really mattered, no one taught the values most people learn as kids."
"That's..."
"Unlike you, Naofumi, I have no reason to go back." I cut him off. "There's nothing for in that world. But here... Here, I found a goal. A purpose. But even so... After all those years, my apathy toward my own life runs too deep to shake off completely."
Right now... I realized my smile was... crooked. The first ti I could feel it, clear as day.
And honestly? I did feel sorry. Sorry for how it all turned out. And how it keeps turning out.
At that mont, I felt a tug on the hem of my clothes.
"Master, don't be sad." Night looked up at . "Night loves Master just the way he is."
"Oh, you little sweetheart." I couldn't help but smile warmly at that. "I love you too, birdie." Night pressed her head into my palm as I gently stroked her hair.
"Sorry. I... didn't an for my question to lead to all that..."
"It's fine. Maybe I needed to tell soone."
After that... it really did feel a bit easier. My own stance, my emotions... got clearer. Though honestly? I probably still hadn't fully accepted that I was living inside a novel. It all still felt a little distant. Detached.
But that's a matter of ti. At least, I hoped so.
For now... all I could do was keep living.
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