Rei looked at Tris, a smile playing on his lips.
Wearing the hood of his Dragon Robe, the smile he wore was so vicious that it instilled a sense of foreboding in anyone who laid eyes on it.
The one subjected to that smile was Tris, dispatched from the Spiel Firm.
What was surprising was that Tris showed no sign of panic at the sight of Rei's smile — he even returned it.
Granted, standing before Rei as he was now was likely no simple feat for Tris. Beads of sweat had formed across his forehead.
"A rare material brought to Pamidor's shop, huh? ...That's a fascinating story, but may I ask where you got that information?"
"...No, unfortunately, I can't do something like leak my information sources to others."
Even while overwhelmed by Rei's aura, Tris somehow managed to reply.
Seeing Tris's composure, Vihera, who had been watching from a distance, wore an impressed expression.
It was only natural. Just how immense the pressure Rei radiated was — Vihera, who had fought alongside and, above all, against Rei, understood that more than well enough.
"Hoh? So you're saying it's a secret you want to keep even at the risk of incurring my displeasure?"
"Yes. It would go against a merchant's code of honor."
"...I see."
Rei had been staring intently at Tris, but eventually the pressure radiating from his body eased.
He judged that no matter what he said from here, Tris would absolutely refuse to talk, and more importantly, he could roughly imagine where the information had leaked from.
In the first place, the reason Rei, Vihera, Byune, and Set — three people and one creature — had come to Pamidor's shop today was because yesterday at dusk in the backyard of the Wheat Inn, when Pamidor had brought the weapon, Byune had said the grip was too thick.
And before Pamidor had arrived, Rei and Byune had been doing combat training, which several people had watched from the Wheat Inn at dusk.
Rei concluded that someone among them was likely part of Tris's information network.
He hadn't particularly tried to hide anything at the time, so getting a look at the dagger wouldn't have been difficult.
...Yes, that dagger with a white blade — something utterly unthinkable under normal circumstances.
"It seems I've stuck my nose into something I shouldn't have."
Perhaps because the pressure radiating from Rei had lessened, Tris murmured with evident relief.
He absolutely couldn't reveal his information source, which was exactly why he was relieved that Rei wouldn't take things any further.
To begin with, a major reason Tris had come to Pamidor's shop today was that he hadn't been able to identify the material the dagger from yesterday was made of.
If it was an unknown material, perhaps it could turn into a major business opportunity — or so he had thought.
...He never imagined that the material would turn out to be Silver Lion.
Given Rei's involvement, it wouldn't have been strange to arrive at that conclusion, but unfortunately, all Tris had been told was that a man named Pamidor possessed an unknown material.
Rei's name had never come up.
Considering that, he had a few choice thoughts about whoever had brought him the information, but even so, learning that a white blade could be produced using Silver Lion material was a significant gain.
What kind of weapons could be forged from Silver Lion material was completely unknown information.
As long as someone had seen Pamidor deliver the unknown weapon to Rei — or more precisely, to Rei's comrade Byune — perceptive individuals might catch on to that fact.
Even so, it was an undeniable truth that only a handful of people possessed that knowledge.
"Right. Stick your nose into strange things, and you'll end up getting hurt, you know?"
Perhaps sensing Tris's circumstances, Rei spoke in a somewhat softer tone than before.
"Yes. However, if you ever decide to wholesale weapons made from Silver Lion material, please do consider us."
Tris made the request with his usual smile that didn't reach his eyes, and Rei nodded.
"If the opportunity arises."
Rei currently had no intention of handing over Silver Lion material items to anyone else, but that might not always be the case.
He rarely had financial troubles, but the possibility of that changing was real enough.
Should such a time come, he figured it might be worth reaching out to Tris.
Of course, as one could tell from those unsmiling eyes, Tris wasn't someone to be fully trusted.
The Spiel Firm he belonged to was likely no different in that regard.
But... seeing how he had shown up at Pamidor's shop like this, there was no mistaking that he was a capable man.
Moreover, Tris knew of Rei's reputation and personality.
If he tried to deceive him, what kind of calamity would befall him and the Spiel Firm required no imagination.
Knowing that, Rei's judgment was that Tris, as a merchant, couldn't be trusted — but he could be relied upon.
Tris probably understood how Rei perceived him as well. Without pressing further for Rei to sell him Silver Lion materials or for Pamidor to sell him a weapon forged from them, he simply bowed.
"Then I'll take my leave here. ...Ah, Pamidor-san. I believe the weapons you forge are worthy of being called first-rate even without Silver Lion material. So next time, I'll stop by to purchase some of those."
"...Tch. Do what you want."
At Tris's words, Pamidor replied with only that, looking displeased.
His opinion of Tris had perhaps improved slightly, given that the man had withdrawn so readily upon learning the dagger was made from Silver Lion material. He still looked somewhat irritated, but he hadn't rejected him outright.
For Pamidor, that was likely the greatest concession he could offer.
Understanding that, Tris — still wearing his unsmiling smile — gave a small bow and left the shop.
(Does he not smile with his eyes even at a time like this? ...Maybe his eyes just don't smile as a habit or something? ...No way.)
After seeing Tris off, Rei mused on this for a moment, then confirmed that only his group remained inside the shop before speaking.
"Rough deal you got stuck with."
"Yeah. Tch, I hate guys like that — they're always so persistent. ...Well, at least he seemed to know basic courtesy, so I guess it could've been worse."
Pamidor let out a slightly irritable sigh, and his face turned even more ferocious than usual. Rei thought that if someone with no context ran into him on the street at night, a scream wouldn't be out of place.
Whether or not Pamidor had read Rei's thoughts, he turned to address Byune.
"I'll go grab the adjusted dagger, so wait here a sec."
"Mm."
Perhaps Byune wasn't particularly bothered by Pamidor's ferocious features, because she replied with her usual brevity.
Maybe finding it refreshing that Byune wasn't frightened of his face, the displeasure Pamidor had shown moments ago vanished. A small smile crossed his lips as he headed to the back of the shop — the forge.
"His name was Pamidor, right? I've hardly spoken to him, but he's quite a distinctive person."
After watching Pamidor head to the forge, Vihera murmured softly.
"Hm? If anything, I'm more surprised you two had spoken at all. You don't have any connection, do you?"
"Oh, but we do? You know, that party we had a while back, where everyone ate the Silver Lion meat? I had a brief chance to talk with him there."
"Ah, right. That time."
Given the sheer number of guests at that party, it wouldn't have been unusual for Vihera and Pamidor to have spoken.
Rei accepted this, but he found himself curious about what topic they had discussed.
With combat and smithing being their respective interests — or hobbies — he couldn't imagine the conversation being very lively.
Then again, while the conversation might not have been animated, at least Vihera wouldn't have been frightened by Pamidor's face.
"Hey, sorry to keep you waiting. Here, this is it."
Just as Rei was about to ask what they had talked about — curious yet slightly afraid of the answer — Pamidor returned from the forge carrying the dagger.
From an outsider's perspective, the dagger in Pamidor's hand didn't look significantly different from the one they had seen yesterday.
But that was only natural. For Byune, a child, the thickness of the grip had been the only issue; the length of the blade hadn't changed at all.
Taking the dagger in hand, Byune silently drew it from its sheath.
What emerged was the same pure white blade she had seen yesterday — a snowy white, as if carved from fresh snow.
(More than a weapon, it's practically a work of art.)
Nobles and merchants with an eye for beauty would likely offer any amount of gold to own it — that was how striking the pure white blade was.
Captivated by its beauty, Rei's next thought was, as expected, about its length.
(Longer than a short sword, shorter than a long sword. ...A medium sword? A middle sword? No, it leans slightly more toward a short sword... a wakizashi, maybe? Something around that length?)
Rei pondered this while gazing at the pure white blade, though in truth he didn't know the precise length of a wakizashi.
It was merely an impression from period dramas he had watched a few times back in Japan.
"Here, try swinging it a bit. If there are no issues, it's done."
"Mm."
Prompted by Pamidor, Byune moved to a spot far enough away that swinging the pure white dagger wouldn't hit anyone, and swept the blade through the air.
A sharp sound, like slicing through the wind.
It didn't match the sound Rei — or any other high-rank adventurer — produced when swinging a weapon, but it was still a sound the previous Byune could never have made.
The results of the combat training Byune had undergone since they had decided to form a party in spring were clearly showing.
She continued swinging and thrusting the dagger several times... and eventually, several minutes passed.
"Mm."
Byune stopped her movements and nodded to Pamidor with satisfaction.
Her words normally required Vihera to interpret, but right now, even without a single word, her meaning was clear.
"I see. Satisfied, then?"
A smile spread across Pamidor's face.
...Even that could only be described as a ferocious grin, but Byune showed no sign of being frightened as she gave him a small bow.
"Mm."
She hadn't spoken a word, but everyone watching understood that Byune was expressing her deepest gratitude to Pamidor.
"I see. Glad you're happy with it. ...Though honestly, I was originally planning to make this for Rei."
Perhaps feeling bashful at being thanked by someone like Byune — expressionless, yet undeniably a beautiful girl — Pamidor's cheeks flushed faintly as he averted his gaze.
"Strengthening Byune's combat power was our biggest concern in forming this party. You have my thanks as well."
"Of course, I'm grateful too."
Hearing words of gratitude from both Rei and Vihera, Pamidor's face turned red not only on his cheeks but up to his ears and the nape of his neck.
Pamidor and Rei had known each other for quite some time.
That was exactly why Pamidor understood Rei's personality so thoroughly — which made hearing gratitude from Rei's own mouth both happy and embarrassing.
Also, even if he loved his wife, Pamidor was still a man.
Having a beauty like Vihera express her gratitude — there was no way that wouldn't make him happy.
(Is there a market for a tsundere man? ...Specifically, one who gives off bandit-boss energy? Well, I suppose there must be, since Pamidor managed to get married.)
Watching Pamidor, Rei entertained such thoughts.
If Pamidor knew what Rei was thinking right now, he probably — no, definitely — would have started a brawl on the spot.
"Mm."
As if to shatter that delicate balance, Byune held out a small cloth bag to Pamidor.
"Huh? What's this?"
Perhaps still feeling self-conscious about being seen with a red face, Pamidor took the proffered bag gruffly and peered inside.
It was filled with a large number of coins.
There were no gold or platinum coins, but counting the silver coins mixed in among the copper ones, they exceeded ten.
In other words, it was essentially the same as having a gold coin inside.
"Hey, hey, what's the big idea?"
"Mm."
"She says... it's a small token of her appreciation."
At Vihera's translation, Pamidor hesitated for a moment... and eventually, apparently judging it to be Byune's sincere sentiment, quietly accepted it.