After leaving Marty behind, the inner section of the shop felt far more like a proper weapon shop compared to the outer area.
No, it wasn’t just a shop; it felt more like a place where weapons were crafted.
Inside, they measured my height and weight, checked the length of my arms, and even tested my grip strength. It felt as if I were undergoing a medical examination.
It was clear they intended to create a sword tailored specifically for me, and for some reason, that made my heart race.
Since I had only ever used wooden swords before, I had no idea what kind of sword I would end up holding, which made the anticipation all the more exciting.
“Hmm, you mentioned you usually used a wooden sword, right?”
“Yes.”
“Do you still have that wooden sword?”
“Oh, yes. It’s in my dormitory.”
“Bring it here.”
Huh? Bring it? All of a sudden? What was this about?
“We could test using any sword from here, but it’s easier to gather accurate data if we use the one you’re used to.”
So, to create a sword that fits me better, it made sense to use the one I had been using previously.
“If there were a record from when you had a sword custom-made before, we could just measure the changes since then and base the new sword on that. But since you don’t have one, we need to start from scratch.”
Apparently, if a record existed, they would save it and use it the next time you needed a weapon made.
Moments like this really drove home that this wasn’t a typical medieval fantasy world but rather a modern fantasy one.
Honestly, a weapon shop that uses smartphones to input custom measurements into a hologram?
It was kind of absurd, yet amusing at the same time.
“Alright, I’ll go grab it and come back.”
“Good. The shop closes at 6 p.m., so make sure you’re back by 3 p.m. if you want it finished today.”
It seemed like making the sword would still take some time, but not an excessive amount.
Finishing in just three hours… This world really was convenient.
If it were a medieval fantasy, they’d probably say it would take days.
When I returned to the main area of the shop from the backroom, for some reason—
“Sir Theo!”
“Sir Theo!”
It wasn’t the chatterbox Marty who I expected to see waiting, but rather Iris and Estelle who caught my eye.
“Huh? Iris and Estelle? What brings you two here?”
Of course, since they had shown up without a word of notice, I couldn’t help but look a little surprised.
“Oh, I just happened to hear that Sir Theo was heading to a weapon shop, and I wanted to see you… If I upset you, I’m really sorry.”
For some reason, Iris blushed slightly as she apologized.
“Huh? Oh no, it’s not upsetting at all. If anything, I should be the one apologizing for coming here without saying anything. It was kind of a spur-of-the-moment trip. My dorm roommate suggested we come together.”
For someone like Iris, it was only natural that news of her whereabouts or the people around her would spread easily.
After all, this was the Ermunt Academy of the Ermunt Empire.
Most of the people here likely wanted to stay on good terms with Crown Princess Iris.
And if there was a guy she addressed with respect and hung out with?
Of course, someone would jump at the chance to inform her of his location, hoping for even the smallest benefit in return.
They didn’t even need direct orders from her to do it.
But knowing Iris’s personality, it made sense that she would feel apologetic about something like this.
In fact, a similar scenario had happened in the game. There was an event where someone informed Iris about Estelle’s location.
Iris had happily gone to find Estelle after hearing the news but had later politely asked them not to do it again.
“Ah, so the person outside was someone who shares a dorm with Sir Theo?”
Estelle who had been quietly listening suddenly spoke as though she realized something.
“Oh, yes, that’s right. Did he leave already?”
“Um, when he saw us, he looked flustered, greeted us hurriedly, and disappeared like he was running away.”
Well, that made sense.
The combination of Crown Princess Iris and Saintess Estelle.
If he made a bad impression on them, it could be disastrous, so wanting to flee was understandable.
But that guy was the one always talking about climbing the social ladder through noble connections.
Wasn’t this a golden opportunity for him? And yet, he ran away without seizing it.
“I’ll have to apologize to him separately next time. It seemed like he was waiting for Sir Theo, but because of us, things ended up this way. I’m sorry.”
Once again, Iris apologized but I shook my head.
“It’s fine. Honestly, I was just thinking I wished he’d leave soon anyway. That guy’s so noisy.”
Marty was noisy.
Of course, his noise could be entertaining when you were with him, but it was enough to make you wish he were just a little quieter.
Today, I had already heard more than enough of his chatter.
“Anyway, I need to stop by the dorm for a bit. What about you two? What do you want to do?”
“I’ll go with you!”
“I’ll go with you!”
The two of them answered in unison as if they planned it, and I simply nodded my head, then started heading toward the dorm.
Since women weren’t allowed inside the men’s dormitory, I left the two of them waiting at the entrance and went to check if Marty was back. But it seemed he still hadn’t returned, as the dorm room was empty.
When I grabbed the wooden sword I had been using and returned to the weapon shop with the two of them,
“Ah, welcome back.”
The shopkeeper, who had been speaking rudely and acting brusque earlier, suddenly greeted us with an overly polite demeanor.
Well, of course. The man had to keep his position, and no matter how much he looked down on a student, he couldn’t afford to act disrespectfully toward Iris and Estelle.
“If you’ve brought the wooden sword, please come this way. And you two, may I ask the purpose of your visit…?”
“I’m here as Sir Theo’s companion.”
“The same goes for me.”
“Ah, I see…! In that case, I’ll prepare some tea for you while you wait…!”
The shopkeeper’s face was a picture of confusion.
Well, that was understandable. I was clearly a commoner, no matter how you looked at me, yet these two kept addressing me so formally. It was enough to leave anyone bewildered.
But honestly, shopkeeper, I’m still confused about it myself.
There’s nothing to do but adapt; that’s all there is to it.
“Please take good care of Sir Theo’s sword. Not that I’m worried; after all, you’re known as a skilled craftsman here in Ermunt.”
“I’ll also leave it in your hands. Oh, and while you’re at it, could you customize a magic staff as well? Sir Theo is excellent with magic, so I’d like to gift him one.”
What was this about a gift all of a sudden?
Magic staffs weren’t exactly cheap.
“…Estelle, this is unfair.”
“Unfair? How? I just want to give a gift.”
“Then I’ll gift you the sword, Sir Theo.”
“Wait, both of you, calm down for a moment.”
I had no idea why the conversation had taken this turn, but the two of them, having already decided to spend money, started competing to see who could pay the shopkeeper first.
“Ah, y-yes…! I’ll process the payment right away…!”
“Wait, no, I’ll pay for the sword…!”
No matter how much I tried to step in, no one was willing to take my money.
In the end, I ended up with a sword as a gift from Iris and a staff as a gift from Estelle.
Seriously, those two. Why were they so desperate to spend their money?
If they wanted to splurge, they could just buy something for themselves.
But then again, whether it was in the game or now, they were always the same. They treated their friends generously.
“I’ll make sure to craft a perfect sword and staff that fit you exactly, so don’t worry!”
The shopkeeper made a bold promise, while Iris and Estelle clapped their hands in excitement.
Well, fine. It wasn’t like I could tell them to take it back at this point.
This was just how they were, so I decided I’d accept it this time and repay them with a small gesture later.
“Now, this way, please.”
When I went back inside with the man, he spoke to me in a noticeably more excited tone than before.
“You little rascal, it’s true that you’re close with the Crown Princess and the Saintess?”
It seemed that after the entrance ceremony, when those two had clung to me, rumors had started spreading everywhere. However, opinions appeared to be divided on whether those rumors were actually true.
I thought it made sense.
A commoner being associated with the Crown Princess and the Saintess?
It’s the kind of combination that feels like there’s something completely out of place, doesn’t it?
“But why do they add an honorific to your name? Are you secretly some kind of hidden master or something?”
“I don’t know either. They just call me that.”
“Hmm, I see. That’s quite strange. Anyway, take the wooden sword and give it a swing.”
Whoosh—
As soon as he finished speaking, I swung the wooden sword.
“Oh, not bad. Try standing there and swinging it a few more times. Do some thrusts as well.”
Following his instructions, I swung the sword several more times and repeated the thrusting motions.
“Well, you won’t be able to use aura anyway.”
“No, I can use aura.”
It was already widely rumored among the faculty that I had used aura during the entrance exam.
Since there was no reason to hide it, I answered honestly.
Besides, if I lied and said I couldn’t use aura and the man ended up crafting something not durable enough to handle it, that would only cause trouble later.
“What? You can use aura?”
“Yes.”
“With that wooden sword? Show me.”
It wasn’t a difficult request, so I infused aura into the wooden sword, causing the man to gape in astonishment.
“Wow, it seems the Special Excellence Award wasn’t just for show, huh? All right, let’s figure out which one suits you best. The measurement shouldn’t take too long.”
It seemed he could use a smartphone to determine the most suitable one for me.
Probably, the data from my previous swings and thrusts, along with the aura demonstration, had already been transmitted to the system.
Honestly, the times we live in are amazing. The circular device linked to the smartphone would process everything, and the data would be sent directly to the phone.
To be honest, this era was far more advanced than the one I had lived in before.
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