The man came flying out of the shop without warning, but Rei didn't look particularly surprised.
It had been a close call with Maruka standing right in front of the door, but Nicky had pulled her back in time — which was likely the main reason Rei remained so unfazed.
(A man getting thrown out of a weapon shop... From the looks of it, he's an adventurer. If this were a tavern, it wouldn't be unusual.)
As Rei was thinking this, the man who'd been sent flying began coughing violently on the ground.
Gathering that the man fortunately had no serious injuries, Rei called out to Nicky.
"So, what do we do? Are we going inside as is? I've got no idea what that guy did to end up like that, but I'd rather not get dragged into unnecessary trouble."
Rei was already caught up in more than enough trouble in Egginis as it was.
...Well, when it came to Golias's disappearance and the vanishing bandits, he'd stuck his nose in of his own accord, so "caught up in" might not be the most accurate phrasing.
But the fact remained that an assassin had been sent after him for reasons unknown.
In that sense, it was only natural for him to not want any more unnecessary entanglements.
"Well, uh, that's... h-how about it?"
In response to Rei's question, Nicky called toward the shop door — or more precisely, toward the man on the other side of it.
Both Rei and Maruka had already sensed the presence inside, so Nicky's words didn't surprise them in the least.
Only Seto, standing a short distance away, watched with what seemed like mild interest.
"That guy pulled some stupid stunt, so I socked him. If you're not here for the same, then you're customers. Suit yourselves."
The speaker was no heavily muscled giant — just a man of about 180 centimeters whose build showed no obvious signs of heavy musculature.
He hardly looked like someone capable of punching a man and sending him flying.
...That said, the world had its fair share of wiry people possessed of monstrous strength.
Rei himself was proof of that. Despite his small frame, he could easily send a man flying with a single punch.
Of course, in Rei's case, his body had been created using the Zephyle Clan's technology to the fullest, so having that degree of strength wasn't particularly surprising.
"Sounds like that settles it? Come on, let's head inside. I'm curious what kind of weapons they carry."
Looking as though he were forcing himself — no, in truth, he was simply terrified of Maruka's promised "punishment" — Nicky led the way, and Rei and Maruka followed him into the shop.
Nicky's claim that this was a reputable weapon shop was no exaggeration. The interior was lined with a substantial variety of weapons.
"Now this is something else... A lot of fine blades in here."
Rei's Appraisal Eye wasn't all that exceptional.
When it came to artwork and antiques, he was a complete amateur. But with weapons, having survived countless battles, he had developed enough of an eye to roughly gauge a piece's quality.
It wasn't something he'd deliberately cultivated through study or training — more of a sense that had developed naturally over time.
Just as there were many fine blades, there was also a fair selection of standard weapons alongside them.
"You've got a good eye. The gryphon outside means you must be Crimson Rei?"
The owner, having overheard Rei's murmur, spoke with evident satisfaction.
But the next moment, his expression soured with irritation.
"Compare that to the bastard just now — no skill to wield a fine blade, yet he demands I sell him good weapons? Hmph. Sell a fine blade to a man like that, and the weapon ends up using him instead of the other way around... at worst, he'd just wind up hurting himself or his comrades."
Rei gathered this was the reason the man had come flying out of the shop moments ago. He nodded in understanding, appreciating what amounted to the owner's personal code.
(Still, as a businessman, is that really the best approach?)
He could understand the principle, but wouldn't that severely limit the pool of potential customers?
He wondered how the shop's profits held up — but since Nicky had heard good things about this place, it must do reasonably well.
In fact, from what the owner said, he would sell his goods to anyone who demonstrated genuine skill. So for those who honestly understood their own abilities, this was likely a very welcome kind of weapon shop.
"Yeah, I'm Rei. Mind if I take a look at what you've got?"
"For someone of your caliber, no problem at all. ...If anything, I'd think the weapons in my shop would be beneath you."
"You're probably right. That's why today I'm mostly browsing. I would, however, like to buy any spears you're planning to discard, if you've got some."
"Discarded spears? ...Why on earth for?"
The owner apparently couldn't fathom why anyone would want such things, and he asked with a puzzled look.
"One of my attack methods is spear throwing. The Twilight Spear — the one I normally use — has the ability to return to my hand, so that's never an issue. But there are times when I need disposable spears I don't mind breaking."
"I see."
The owner's expression turned complicated at Rei's explanation.
From a craftsman's perspective, treating weapons as disposable wasn't the most pleasant thing to hear.
But then again, a weapon being used until it broke might be the happiest outcome for both the weapon's maker... and the weapon itself — or so the owner likely reasoned.
Whether that was actually true, even he couldn't say for certain.
That was probably why he offered only a brief reply and retreated to the back of the shop.
(Did I make him mad?)
Rei gathered as much from the owner's demeanor, but since he hadn't been sent flying out the door like the last guy, he figured there was no real problem and went back to browsing the weapons on display.
"My, this is quite fine indeed. The craftsmanship is exquisite, and the tip is made of mithril."
As they wandered among the displays, that voice reached them.
Maruka, who had initially dismissed the idea of visiting a weapon shop, now stood transfixed by a rapier on display.
That said, she was admiring it as a piece of craftsmanship — not because she wanted one for herself.
(I think Maruka could stand to carry a rapier as a backup attack method alongside her magic.)
While Rei was musing on this, the owner reappeared from the back of the shop.
In his hands were five spears.
Each one had a chipped tip or a slightly bent shaft — not entirely unusable, but not something anyone would willingly choose to fight with.
"If these are good enough, they're yours."
"You sure?"
Rei asked because he understood from the owner's earlier demeanor that his words hadn't been entirely friendly.
The owner gave a small nod.
He probably wasn't fully convinced, but he must have decided Rei's reasoning had some merit.
"How much?"
"Three copper coins."
"That's cheap."
The price the owner quoted was enough to surprise Rei.
Logically speaking, even spears in this condition could be reforged, or their intact tips and shafts swapped onto new handles, producing serviceable weapons.
Naturally, the result would be inferior to the original... but even so, they could fetch silver or even gold coins.
At three copper coins, the price was clearly a bargain.
"I don't mind. If it's Rei putting these spears to use, they'll be satisfied."
The owner wasn't selling cheaply because Rei was the alias-holding adventurer known as Crimson. Rather, having met Rei in person and judged him a man worthy of trust, he chose to let them go at a low price — practically a giveaway.
Rei appreciated the gesture and paid three copper coins for the spears.
Watching this exchange, Nicky wore an expression bordering on exasperation.
From Nicky's perspective, Rei should have at least bought proper spears instead of those.
They might not have been Magic Spears, but standard spears were also in stock.
Even for disposable throwing purposes, a normal spear would clearly be easier to use than one with a chipped tip.
A chipped tip meant air resistance could alter the spear's trajectory mid-flight.
A normal spear, by contrast, would sail straight to its intended target without issue.
Which was the better choice was obvious without even thinking about it.
...Of course, even if Rei had tried to buy normal spears after announcing they were disposable, whether the owner would have agreed was another matter entirely.
"I'm satisfied for now with these spears. What about you two? ...Though even if you're not buying, just looking is entertaining enough, so feel free to keep browsing."
"This is a shop, you know."
Hearing Rei's remark, the owner muttered under his breath.
But while his words carried unmistakable complaint, the expression on his face was equally unmistakably a smile.
Having his merchandise praised apparently pleased the owner a great deal.
Rei had said what he said precisely because he understood this — though in truth, it had been half accidental.
"It's fine. Looking at weapons like these is fun in its own right."
"Hmph. Suit yourselves."
With the owner's blessing, Rei once again surveyed the weapons displayed throughout the shop.
Longswords, short swords, and spears — widely used weapons made up the bulk of the inventory, while harder-to-wield arms like halberds were few in number.
There were also some hammer-type weapons, but given how heavy they appeared, few people would be able to wield them effectively.
Other weapons included something resembling a naginata and blades with extreme curves, but...
"That curved blade looks pretty hard to use."
"Hm. That is said to be a weapon used by the People of the Desert."
When the owner mentioned a weapon of the People of the Desert, what came to Rei's mind was something like a shamshir.
But the curved blade Rei was looking at curved far more sharply than any shamshir.
It was undoubtedly a similar type of weapon, but whether one could actually fight with it... it wouldn't be impossible, but it would certainly be awkward.
"Then what about that rapier over there... Actually, it feels a bit out of place here."
Rei directed his gaze toward a rapier set apart from the rest, as if it had been deliberately isolated.
It was different from the one Maruka had been admiring, but it was decorated with such intricate ornamentation that calling it a work of art rather than a weapon seemed far more appropriate.
If anyone actually tried to use it in combat, those ornaments would be destroyed almost immediately — that was the kind of rapier it was.
Rei could appreciate its value as a work of fine art, but having such a piece in a weapon shop felt somehow incongruous.
"Ah, that one. That's what you'd call a Magic Sword. A cursed one, even... well, calling it cursed is a bit much, but it's a Magic Sword with highly dangerous abilities."
"Oh?"
That the shop stocked Magic Swords and Magic Spears was something Rei had expected based on what Nicky had told him, and scanning the displays, he could spot a few likely candidates.
But for some reason, that rapier alone had been set apart from everything else, as if given special treatment.
"What manner of abilities does it possess?"
Maruka, who had been listening to the conversation between Rei and the owner, asked with evident interest.
Having admired a rapier earlier, the prospect of a rapier that was also a Magic Sword was more than enough to stoke her curiosity.
The owner shook his head at her.
"Don't even think about it. That Magic Sword has extremely dangerous abilities, like I told Rei. I can tell you're a strong girl, but it's still too dangerous. Nobody in their right mind would go out of their way to use a weapon like that."
"Mmm."
Evidently not expecting to be turned down, Maruka wore a dissatisfied look — but the owner, even when the one asking was a girl like Maruka... no, precisely because she was a girl, had no intention of letting her anywhere near the Magic Sword rapier.
As this exchange was going on, Nicky hurried over.
As Maruka's appointed guard and caretaker, he couldn't permit her to act willfully here.
Had this been anything other than a Magic Sword, he might have let it slide to some extent... but regardless, there was no way Nicky could allow her to lay hands on something the owner himself called dangerous.