It didn't take long for Rei and his companions to find a Magic Item shop in Anesis after they began their search.
Of course, that was simply the closest Magic Item shop to where they had been standing at the time. In reality, several others existed throughout the city.
(Well, there are multiple Magic Item shops in Gilm too, so I suppose it's only natural that Anesis would have several as well.)
Rei pondered this, though the reason Gilm had so many Magic Item shops was largely tied to its status as a frontier settlement.
Monster materials obtainable only in the lands surrounding Gilm, plants that grew nowhere else, ores found exclusively in the frontier—such resources were abundant, drawing Alchemists who studied them to gather in Gilm in large numbers. As a result, shops selling Magic Items proliferated.
Moreover, Gilm was currently undergoing Expansion Construction, and once complete, it was all but certain that even more Magic Item shops would spring up.
At any rate, Rei and his party had successfully arrived at one such shop.
"Welcome. Oh my?"
The shop clerk was a woman in her mid-twenties.
The female shop clerk seemed to realize immediately who had just walked through her door.
A look of surprise flashed across her face for just an instant before she broke into a radiant smile.
"I never expected the Princess General and Crimson to visit my shop. So, what kind of Magic Item are you looking for?"
Even after recognizing that her customers were the Princess General and Crimson, the clerk's demeanor remained entirely unchanged.
Thinking that this particular shop might have been a lucky find, Rei voiced what he was looking for.
"I'm looking for ornamental Magic Items. Do you have any recommendations?"
"Oh my? That's..."
At Rei's words, the female clerk shifted her gaze toward Elena.
It was only natural. The person standing beside Rei was Elena, and here he was, asking about ornamental Magic Items in her presence.
Even if he'd said he'd come to buy a Magic Item as a gift for Elena, she would have had no reason to question it.
...Not that buying a Magic Item for Elena would have been incorrect, either.
"What should we do? Should we pick something for Elena first? Or should we choose for Marina and the others first?"
The moment the female clerk heard those words, she froze.
Living in Anesis, she naturally knew what kind of relationship Rei and Elena shared.
But while she knew of Rei and Elena's relationship, she had no knowledge whatsoever of people like Marina or Vihera.
Under those circumstances, the words Rei had just spoken seemed almost fatal if interpreted as being directed at Elena.
(Please, no lovers' quarrels here!)
She knew both Rei and Elena—and both were Alias Holders.
If such individuals were to start a lovers' quarrel right here, the Magic Items in this shop would inevitably be caught in the crossfire.
...No, it might not stop there. Even her own life could be in danger.
A chill running down her spine at the thought, the female clerk desperately hoped they wouldn't start quarreling, but...
"True. Mine can wait. We came here to buy souvenirs, after all, so it would be better to choose for Marina and the others first."
"Eh?"
What came from Elena's mouth was not a rebuke, nor a voice laced with jealousy—just an entirely ordinary tone.
(Ah, maybe it's not a romantic rival at all, but a small child or something?)
Entertaining that possibility, the clerk opened her mouth to resolve the question.
"Ornaments, is it? Approximately how old are the intended recipients? There are naturally quite a few differences between children and adults."
Fully expecting an answer of around ten years old, the clerk mentally cataloged what ornamental Magic Items for children she had in stock, but...
"There's one child around ten, and two others about the same age as us."
"...Eh?"
The presence of a child was expected, but the existence of two adults beyond that was apparently completely outside her predictions, and a bewildered sound escaped the clerk's lips.
In this world, taking multiple wives or multiple husbands was not particularly unusual.
But to think that even after obtaining a beauty as stunning as Elena, he would still reach out to other women... The female clerk cast an amused glance at Rei.
(I wonder if he's also incredible at night?)
While entertaining such vulgar thoughts, keeping them from showing on her face was second nature for someone in the customer service business.
Moreover, as someone who sold Magic Items, factoring such considerations in was simply par for the course.
"I see, understood. I'll show you several items, then. Which would you like to prioritize: appearance or effect?"
"Ah... which do you think would be better?"
Rei thought for a moment but, unable to arrive at an answer, turned to Elena.
If he were buying an ornament for himself, he would have prioritized effect without hesitation.
But this time, he was choosing gifts for women of unparalleled beauty like Marina and Vihera. ...Byune was among the recipients as well, of course.
Given that such beauties would be the ones wearing them, it went without saying that appearance would matter just as much as the Magic Item's effect.
No matter how powerful a Magic Item might be, if it was terribly misshapen—or even if it wasn't, but simply didn't suit Marina or Vihera—the fact that they were beauties would only make it stand out more and draw unwanted attention.
To prevent that, appearance would need to carry significant weight in the selection.
"True. It depends on the Magic Item's effect, but fundamentally, it would be better to prioritize appearance. If the effect is truly extraordinary, that would be a different matter, but..."
Elena paused there and directed her gaze toward the clerk.
The meaning behind that look was clear without needing to think twice.
In other words: was there a Magic Item with an effect powerful enough that, as a woman, its appearance could be overlooked?
The female clerk, on the receiving end of Elena's gaze, hastily shook her head.
There were no Magic Items with the kind of effect Elena had described in stock at this shop.
Well, there were a few Magic Items with powerful effects among the merchandise, but those were not ornamental types.
They could by no means be presented as ornaments.
"Unfortunately, we don't carry Magic Items quite that powerful here. Of course, if you absolutely must have one, we could place an order or have an Alchemist craft one, but... that would require a considerable amount of time."
"I would expect so."
That much, Rei could understand.
Thinking back to the matter of the Twilight Spear, it was obvious without even needing to consider it.
Elena, too, as someone who herself used multiple Magic Items, offered no contradiction to the clerk's words.
Once she confirmed that both had accepted this, the clerk smiled and spoke again.
"In that case, I'll bring out several ornamental Magic Items. Please wait a moment."
With that, the clerk disappeared toward the back of the shop.
Several Magic Items were displayed at the storefront as well, but those were likely items meant to be handed over in an emergency—when robbers or the like came in—cheap goods that wouldn't be a devastating loss if stolen.
Of course, while they were cheap by Magic Item standards, they were still valuable items as far as ordinary people were concerned. If they were stolen by robbers or anyone else, the damage to the shop would undoubtedly be substantial.
"For Marina and Vihera, we need to choose something solid. Byune... would probably appreciate something with a reliable effect more than jewelry or the like."
"You think so? ...Well, I suppose you're right."
Rei briefly questioned Elena's words, but if Byune were still struggling financially like when he'd first met her, that would be one thing. The current Byune, however, was not particularly in need of money.
Especially after she started adventuring as part of Rei's party in Gilm, she had come to earn rewards that made her previous lifestyle seem like another world entirely.
Thinking about it that way, even if Byune received an ornament, she certainly wouldn't try to sell it somewhere. She would use it herself.
Given that, a Magic Item with a solid, practical effect would be far more appreciated than something that could fetch a high price.
As Rei nodded in agreement with Elena's assessment, the clerk returned from the back of the shop carrying several boxes.
"As for Magic Items where both appearance and effect are appropriate, how about these?"
What the clerk presented was an array of ornaments: rings, bracelets, necklaces, and earrings.
As she had promised, regardless of their quality as Magic Items, every one of them was satisfactory as an ornament.
At the very least, even to Elena's discerning eye—let alone Rei's—there was nothing that could be called shoddy craftsmanship.
"Each one is truly splendid."
At Elena's voice of admiration, the clerk broke into a beaming smile.
She had brought out only items she had confidence in, but even so, being acknowledged by Elena—by the Daughter of Duke Kerebel—was without question a source of genuine delight for the clerk.
"Hearing you say that makes it well worth bringing them out. They're all pieces I'm proud of. ...Naturally, as first-rate goods, the prices are also somewhat on the higher side, as you'd expect."
Even as she said this, the clerk wasn't worried about the price.
Rei, who would presumably be paying, was an Alias Holder adventurer.
Given that, it was entirely unthinkable that he wouldn't have enough money to purchase Magic Items of this caliber.
...Among adventurers, there were many who spent everything they earned without saving a dime.
But for an Alias Holder adventurer, the income they commanded was proportionately substantial, and it was hard to imagine they could burn through it all on food, drink, and women.
Moreover, since Rei was accompanied by Elena, the clerk couldn't exactly imagine him being in a position to buy women.
"Do you have a recommendation?"
At Rei's question, the clerk indicated one necklace.
"Yes. This necklace has water magical power infused within it, and it grants the wearer resistance to Flame-type Magic. However..."
The clerk paused there and directed her gaze toward Rei.
"It would be ineffective against powerful magic like the kind used by Rei-san, who bears the alias of Crimson and is also known as the Child of Flame Magic."
"Child of Flame Magic... honestly, that's the first time I've heard that one."
Until now, he had been called Crimson on account of his alias, or Bandit Eater for his habit of proactively hunting down bandits, but Child of Flame Magic was a name even Rei was hearing for the first time.
Of course, he couldn't say he didn't understand the reasoning behind it.
To anyone who had witnessed the Fire Whirlwind born from his combination of skills and magic, thinking of him as a Child of Flame Magic would hardly be strange.
"Is that so? It's actually said quite often, though. ...At any rate, it can reduce damage from Flame Magic below a certain threshold through its resistance."
"...So it doesn't nullify it entirely."
At Elena's murmur of mild surprise, the clerk offered an apologetic nod.
"Correct. This necklace can't quite manage that. We do have items with stronger magical defense, but those aren't the ornamental type—they're designed to be installed in a fixed location and used..."
"That sounds like it could have its own uses, but we'll set that aside for now. ...Doesn't this necklace seem like something that would suit Vihera?"
At Rei's words, Elena pictured Vihera wearing the necklace.
It was, without a doubt, a sight that could accurately be described as suiting her perfectly.
"It would suit her magnificently. Honestly, enough to make me jealous."
What slipped from Elena's mouth was praise tinged with just a hint of envy.
Hearing that, the clerk failed to keep the surprise off her face.
It was only natural. Elena—a woman of peerless beauty—had just declared that the necklace would suit Vihera so well it would make her jealous.
As a woman herself, the clerk couldn't help but wonder just how many people in this world possessed beauty that could rival Elena's.
Thinking along those lines, the clerk could feel nothing but awe toward the man known as Crimson—a man who had not only won over Elena, but apparently several other women whose beauty matched hers.
All the clerk could manage was the extraordinarily difficult task of explaining her Magic Items while making absolutely sure her reaction didn't catch Rei's eye.