Ril’s recovery had proven just how effective the "Malice-Purifying Clean" could be. Spurred by that success, I’d put in some extra effort to craft several "Trait Clean" enchanted magic tools. My hope was that if I could get these into circulation, I might be able to help others suffering under the influence of the Evil God’s Voice.
Distributing them for free was an option, but that risked drawing the ire of the Mage Guild, given they made a profit selling scrolls. I decided to bring the matter to Kepner-san at the Merchant Guild instead. He already knew about Garnalava’s Voice, making him an easy person to talk to.
“Now this is an excellent product! Please, you must let me handle the distribution!”
After thanking me profusely for helping Ril yet again, Kepner-san jumped at the sight of the magic tools. It was a heartening reaction.
However, when the conversation turned to the logistics of mass production, his expression clouded over slightly.
“Tort-kun, I know you want to see these tools spread far and wide, but that might be difficult. The primary issue is the price. As you feared, selling them cheaply would spark a major backlash from the Mage Guild. We’ll almost certainly have to market these as high-grade luxury items.”
I’d hoped it wouldn't be an issue since scrolls had the added benefit of allowing a user to actually learn the spell, but apparently, it wasn't that simple.
Wait, what about enchanted magic tools?
If using them repeatedly allowed a person to eventually learn the magic, that would be a massive selling point—and it would definitely put me in the Mage Guild’s crosshairs. Even if they could be used for study, would the user learn my specific "arranged" version of the spell or the base magic it was built on? I probably should have tested that more thoroughly. So far, I hadn't heard of anyone learning magic just by using a magic tool. Oh well. I could worry about that if a learner actually turned up.
That aside...
“Are you really going to sell these as luxury items?”
I felt a twinge of hesitation. I called them magic tools, but they looked like nothing more than little wooden sticks. I’d made them the same size as the staff I gave Reire, which meant they were about the size of toothpicks. If they were going to be high-end products, I would have enchanted a slightly better material... though, knowing me, the end result probably wouldn't have looked much different regardless.
“Ahaha, don’t you worry. We’ll give them a finish befitting a luxury item.”
Kepner-san laughed off my anxiety. Right—there was no way he’d sell them as-is. Function might matter more than form, but anyone paying a premium for a magic tool would be pretty let down if they opened the box to find a wooden stick. I’d just have to trust a professional like Kepner-san to handle the aesthetics.
“But I digress. The other issue is the penetration rate. 'Clean' is a convenient spell, and the scrolls are relatively inexpensive, so quite a lot of people have already mastered it. Those people aren't going to go out of their way to buy an expensive magic tool. Unless the difference from a standard 'Clean' is obvious to the eye, sales won't take off.”
He was right. "Clean" was so useful that almost every adventurer party had at least one user. Even those who didn't were usually in the middle of trying to learn it via scrolls. An adventurer would have little reason to shell out for a high-grade tool.
I could probably boost sales by claiming it could purify an Evil God, but there was no guarantee people would believe me. Besides, I wanted to handle this quietly so the Evil God’s side wouldn't catch on.
Hmm. My 'Evil God Cleaning Project' via magic tools is already hitting a wall. I’d thought it was a brilliant plan, so the setback stung a little.
“If your goal is simply to help people, Tort-kun, you don’t necessarily need to focus on selling the tools, do you? Why not consider offering a free cleaning service instead?”
Perhaps my disappointment showed on my face, as Kepner-san offered the suggestion encouragingly.
He was right; it was too early to give up. If I couldn't flood the market with the tools, I just had to create opportunities for people to use them for free. I decided to give that some thought.
After wrapping up my business with Kepner-san, I met up with the others and headed toward the Adventurer’s Guild. I didn't have a specific goal in mind, but I figured I’d see if there were any interesting requests. If not, we could always head down to the 20th floor for some monster hunting. You can never have too many magic stones for status enhancement potions, and I’d managed to secure a decent supply of Goldidilla in the Fairy Realm.
Mostly, though, I was worried about Rache-san. I wanted to see if there was any news regarding her missing comrades.
The moment I stepped through the doors, my eyes met Rache-san’s. She didn't look dazed like she had the other day, but she wasn't her usual self either. There was a desperate, fierce intensity radiating from her.
As soon as she spotted me, her eyes practically caught fire. She vaulted over the counter in a single leap, closing the distance with startling speed. She grabbed my shoulders and began shaking me violently.
“As I thought, just waiting around doesn’t suit my nature-nya! Tort, I’m begging you-nya! Take me to the 30th floor-nya!”
“W-Wait, please calm down! I’ll listen, just stop shaking me!”
“I’ve already told you everything-nya!”
After I managed to settle the frantic Rache-san down, I got the full story. It seemed her comrades in the ‘Great Busters’ still hadn't returned. Unable to bear the stress of waiting at the guild any longer, Rache-san had finally snapped.