When I entered the room, the two people talking turned toward me.
"Oh, kid! It's been a while!"
"Oh my, Harold-san, you know Erik-kun? I was wondering if his equipment was made by you, and it turns out it really was."
"Yeah! The kid helped me out once. Though more importantly, Olivia, how do you two know each other?"
"We're master and disciple. I'm Erik-kun's mentor."
Harold-san's eyes widened with surprise at the news that Olivia-san and I shared a master-disciple bond.
"Well, I'll be. To think Olivia's apprentice would be this kid..."
"If you don't mind me asking, how do the two of you know each other?"
"Harold-san crafts and maintains my entire set of gear."
"Really?!"
Hearing that he handled Olivia-san's equipment, it was my turn to be shocked, and I looked back and forth between the two of them.
"What's with that look? Is it really that surprising that I made it?"
"Ah, no... It's just hitting me all over again that I received gear from such an incredible craftsman."
"Hahaha, is that all! Well, it was a recommendation from Ane-san, after all."
"For Amanda-san to introduce him, she must have taken a real liking to Erik-kun right from the start."
Hearing that from Harold-san and Olivia-san, I decided to take the opportunity to consult him about my gear.
"Harold-san, um, my current sword and shield are wonderful pieces of work, but... well, I was thinking it might be time for an upgrade."
"Hmm... Mind if I take a look?"
At Harold-san's request, I showed him my sword and shield, as well as the armor I was wearing.
"You've been putting them to good use... and there isn't a speck of grime on them. That's proof you've been taking proper care of them."
"I make sure to maintain my gear every day as soon as I get back to the inn."
"These pieces must be glad to have found an owner who treats them with so much respect..."
A gentle smile crossed Harold-san's face as he inspected the equipment.
"My, that's impressive. To earn praise like that from Harold-san... Meanwhile, I usually get lectured on how I treat my gear, you know."
"Is that true?"
"...Well, of course you do! Every time you bring your staff in, it's chipped somewhere. I keep telling you to maintain your gear properly, but you're always so careless with it. If you're going to be a master, at least set an example and take proper care of your equipment!"
Harold-san scolded Olivia-san with an exasperated scowl.
Olivia-san quietly looked away, doing her best to avoid making eye contact.
"Good grief. Anyway, you want to upgrade your gear, right? The armor still looks like it's in good shape, but do you want to replace that too?"
"No, I plan on keeping the armor for now. What I'm hoping to replace this time are the sword and shield. Also, my party members need to upgrade their equipment as well... Would it be all right if I introduced them to you, Harold-san?"
"Your party members, huh... I can't say for sure until I meet them in person. No matter how much I like you, kid, I refuse to lay a hand on gear for people I don't care for."
"If that's your concern, I'm sure you'll like Erik-kun's companions, Harold-san. I've met them before, and they're all wonderful kids."
With that, it was settled that we would stop by Harold-san's shop before heading into the dungeon, since he would be working there this afternoon.
Harold-san said goodbye to return to his shop, leaving just Olivia-san and me in the room.
"Come to think of it, what brought Harold-san here today?"
"He was dropping off the equipment I had left with him. It got chipped just a little bit the last time I used it, so I asked him for some maintenance."
Saying so, Olivia-san drew a staff from a long wooden box.
It was a full-length staff measuring around 1.5 meters.
Carved entirely of wood, its crown held a spherical, jewel-like orb.
"Is that your staff, Olivia-san?"
"Yes. It's a specialized staff crafted from parts of an Elder Treant that conduct mana exceptionally well. With this, even a Level 1 spell can be unleashed with far greater power."
"...Which means a Level 10 spell would be even more devastating, right?"
"Spot-on. Mind you, handling it is quite tricky. Because mana flows through it so effortlessly, the spell will backfire if you don't control your mana with absolute precision."
As she explained, Olivia-san slipped the staff into a small pouch.
As a Platinum Rank adventurer, Olivia-san possessed an item bag of her own.
I had heard before that it boasted an enormous capacity and that she kept all sorts of belongings inside.
"Well then, let's get started with our training. We didn't get around to it yesterday because we spent the whole time talking, after all."
"Yes! I look forward to working with you again today!"
I replied eagerly to Olivia-san's prompt, and our session began.
We decided that today's training would focus on actively exercising my [Appraisal] skill.
◇
Trained [Parallel Thinking].
Gained 1 EXP.
64/100 to next level.
◇
◇
Trained [Mana Control].
Gained 1 EXP.
49/100 to next level.
◇
◇
Trained Mana.
Gained 1 EXP.
87/100 to stat increase.
◇
◇
Trained [Appraisal].
Gained 1 EXP.
80/100 to next level.
◇
During today's training, both my mana and [Appraisal] saw significant gains in experience.
Olivia-san told me we would continue the same regimen tomorrow, so it looked like [Appraisal] would level up then as well.
With our training complete, I left the room, said goodbye to Reina-san, and stepped out into the city.