Fairyrose ②
Rose began to tell Margine her life story.
“My family originally came from a lineage of woodcutters. When the kingdom was founded, they apparently made a great contribution by providing timber, and as a result, they were elevated to nobility.”
“If it’s been around that long, then it’s a prestigious family.”
“Prestigious, huh.... It's true that our family has existed since the founding of this kingdom, but we are undeniably a poor baronial family without territory. Even 1,000,000 G, which a hunter can casually pay, is a huge sum for me."
“So not all nobles are rich, huh?”
"That's right. I do receive noble stipend from my family, but it is by no means substantial. Besides, those who are not the heir will eventually have to become independent from the family. Unless we rise in rank, our monthly income is not much different from that of commoners."
“I see....”
Except Misty and me, the other members of the Hero Party were nobles and very wealthy, but I guess not all nobles are like that.
“The timber business, which was our livelihood, is now handled by various lords, so our family’s reason for existence has already been lost. Instead, many of us became skilled in handling swords rather than axes, and took up the profession of knights. My second older brother and my younger brother are both knights.”
“Is that why you became a knight, too?”
“That's a part of it. I became a knight apprentice at the age of fifteen, and while my peers, or even male apprentices who joined later were promoted to knights one after another, I remained as an apprentice for a long time. But last year, I was promoted to a knight at last.”
"Did they surpass you in terms of skills?"
“No, I think it was because I’m a woman….”
“That must be frustrating.”
“But I'm a knight now.”
“That’s great.”
“However, now that I’m actually a knight, I find it hard to compete with male knights.… I thought I remained as an apprentice for a long time because I’m a woman, but maybe I just wasn’t skilled enough….”
Rose lowered her eyes, perhaps realizing the difference between herself and male knights, after having previously thought she was discriminated against because she was a woman.
"Well, it's certainly true that women would be at a disadvantage if they compete in strength against men who are worked just as hard."
"I knew it...."
"However, battles aren’t decided by strength alone. Are knights only allowed to use long swords?"
"No, there are those who use spears, too. There’s no strict rule, but long swords are common.”
"Are there other female knights?"
"Yes, but we are mainly assigned roles like bodyguards or attendants for female nobles. Those with good looks are sometimes used to improve the image of knight among the common people."
I guess it’s something like knight’s public relations team.
"In short, you want to be a knight with real skills and not just appearance, correct?"
"That's correct."
Rose is beautiful, but she probably refused to become a mascot for the group, which might be why she had a hard time getting promotion.
“If there’s no rule about weapons, why not use a rapier or saber?”
“You don’t seem very familiar with weapons, so let me tell you this: it’s impossible to block a long sword attack with a rapier. Furthermore, the longer the blade, the harder it is to handle. If the enemy is wearing armor, a rapier will be even less effective.”
"Does Rose ride horses?"
"No, I'm not a member of the cavalry unit. I'm a member of a unit that specializes in VIP protection."
"Then how about this weapon?"
Margine took out a slightly unusual rapier-like sword from his item box.
"W-Where did that come from...?"
"That's not important. So, if it's okay for a knight to use this kind of sword, I'll give it to you."
"Umm, this is...."
"This is something I used to use a long time ago. The sword's center of gravity is at the hilt, so it feels lighter than it actually is. Only the tip is double-edged while the rest is single-edged. When using this sword, the basic tactic is to dodge or deflect the opponent's attacks rather than block them. But if you absolutely have to block attacks, you can use the blunt side of the blade."
"It's so light...."
"Right? This was forged by combining different types of steel, so it cuts well and is hard to break."
Margine had this sword made during his time as a member of the Hero Party. Magic had higher attack power, but even if he couldn't use a sword, wanting one was a typical behavior of someone during their chuunibyou phase.
"What a beautiful sword...."
"Yeah, the pattern on the blade is called hamon and it varies depending on the blacksmith. In addition...."
Margine proudly rambled on as if this knowledge from a certain blacksmith from the past was his own theory.
"Umm, Shopkeeper...."
"Margine. My name is Margine."
"Then, Margine, I'm afraid I can't accept such a precious sword."
Rose said this as she tried to return the sword to Margine.
"You don't have to worry about it. I have other sword, and this sword is something I used before I had a grown-up body. I was about your height back then, so this sword should be a good fit for your build.”
"However...."
"I said it's fine. The sword would be happier in the hands of someone who would use it, rather than just gathering dust. Especially if that person is a beautiful woman."
"Can I really have this?"
"Yes, it's a reward for your hard work all this time."
Their fields are different, but the way Rose continues to strive for her dreams despite being ridiculed by her surroundings reminds me of Misty.
Rose then lightly swung the sword.
"This sword feels like it was custom-made for me...."
"Weapons also have compatibility. The scabbard is enchanted with Cleansing spell and Sharpening spell, so the blade is always clean super sharp."
"What!? You can do that!?"
"That's a secret. I sell Cleansing spell and Sharpening spell, but I don't sell enchanted items."
"Margine, just who exactly are you...."
"In any case, what option do you want to add to the spell?"
Margine returned the topic to spellbook before Rose asked more questions about himself.
"Ah, that's right. I'd like to add the temperature control option, but my budget is not enough...."
"If you do me a favor, I will add that option for free."
"A favor?"
"Yes. I'm not going to force you, and please don't feel pressured just because I have given you my sword."
Rose felt a little nervous as she remembered that they were alone in this closed shop.
"I-I'm not going to tell you to take off your clothes or anything!"
"Of course, there's no way you'd say something like that to an unattractive woman like me."
"No, I'd be happy if you took them off...."
When Margine corrected her, Rose glared at him.
"J-Just kidding. I was wondering if a noble like you has access to a map."
"Map? Of the royal capital?"
"No, I mean a map of the surrounding region, the continent, or even a larger map. I've tried looking for it in the commoner district’s library, but they don't have it."
Margin had no idea how he ended up in this kingdom after being turned into stone. He just wanted to know the general shape and location of the continent. Judging from the position of the stars, it shouldn't be much different from where he was summoned.
"There's a map of the continent in the noble district's library. However, it's classified as a military secret, so taking it out is prohibited. You'll also need a guarantor to see it."
"I see.... I guess it's impossible."
"No, if I become your guarantor, you will be able to see it."
"Will they allow a foreigner like me in?"
"I will come to pick you up in my family's carriage, so no one will stop you from entering the noble district. However...."
“Is there anything else?”
“Do you have more formal clothes or maybe something that looks expensive?”
Margine was currently wearing simple civilian clothes.
"They're old, but I do have some noble-looking clothes."
"You don't need to worry about fashion trends. As long as they’re clean and neat, you won't arouse suspicion."
"What if they asked about my identity?"
"I will tell them that you're a guest of the Baam Family, so there shouldn't be any problems."
"Understood. Please arrange it that way. I will add the temperature control option for free."
"Here is the payment."
Rose paid with ten large gold coins that common people hardly ever used in transaction. Despite calling herself poor, Margine thought that Rose was still a noble.
"Alright, done."
"Does that mean I can control the temperature of the water I create now?"
"That's right, but the spell needs some adjustments before it can be used properly."
Having said that, Margine poured water of different temperatures into five cups.
"These are boiling water, hot water, warm water, lukewarm water, and cool water. Put your finger in each to feel the temperature. The boiling water might burn you, but bear with it."
Rose dipped her fingers into the water starting from the cool water in order. Then, when she dipped her finger into the last cup of boiling water.
"Hot!"
Margine immediately cast a healing spell on her possibly burned fingertip.
"That’s it. Now you can produce water at different temperatures as you wish."
The fact that Soft Water was in English, while the chants to create water of other temperatures were not, revealed Margin's lack of English skill, having been summoned in his second year of middle school.
"Amazing...."
"Right? I also made it so you can create ice water and carbonated water, too."
"Huh?"
"I added the whole set. It's the same amount of work anyway."
"Is that okay...?"
"I sold two water spellbooks today alone. If sales increase any more this year, the taxes will be really high."
"In that case, I will gratefully accept it."
"By the way, one glass of cool water consumes 1 magic power, while the other waters consume 2 magic power. Magic power recovery rate varies from person to person, but most people will fully recover within 24 hours even if their magic power is depleted. If your magic power drop below 20%, you'll be so exhausted you won't be able to stand, and if it drops below 10%, you'll faint. Therefore, with your current magic power, you can create about 80 glasses of cool water, or 40 glasses of other waters at once."
"I see. Could my previous water spell create the same amount of water, too?"
"No, I think it could only create less than one-tenth of water."
"So it’s tastier and produces more than ten times as much?"
"Yeah. Considering that, even at ten times the price, it was a bargain, right?"
"Of course. I'm glad I mustered the courage to visit this shop."
"Courage?"
"Uh, well, given the location.... Oh, I'm sorry!"
"I don't mind. But for a foreigner like me, this is a good location to run a business. Just selling a few magic books now and then is enough to get by."
"You should be able to make more money. If you want, I can even advertise you to my friends."
"No, you don't have to. Standing out too much will only attract unwanted attention."
Rose immediately understood that being a successful foreigner would easily attract jealousy.
"But what should I do if someone asks me about the spell?"
"You can tell them about this shop if they are someone you trust. However, I won't give them a discount."
"Understood. I'll keep the discount a secret."
"I'll keep Rose's name a secret as well."
Hearing that, Rose's face turned bright red and she started playfully hitting Margine's shoulder.