Back on earth, I was always watching TV whenever I don’t have any plans. Because of that, I learned about things like event flags on movies. Because it was drama ridden, I don’t think that would happen to me in real life.

***

Sora wandered around the shop while I waited for the shop owner to come back from the storage room.

It took a while for the small man to come back with a sword that has its blade wrapped in thick cloth. I called Sora for him to see, but he wasn’t interested.

“This is the best sword in my shop.” He said with proud smile.

After removing the cloth, I could see the full shape of the sword.

The sword has a crystal for a blade. The handle has a very fancy design and had some gold ornaments on it. But the most attractive part of it is the thing on the middle of the crystal sword. It has something illuminating inside it.

“This one has some great design.”

“I know I made that myself.”

I hate to break the bubble but—

“Isn’t the crystal too light? I feel like I’m just holding glass. I’ve never held a crystal before, but I can tell that this isn’t that judging from the weight. Moreover, the thing that’s glowing in the middle of it is a glow-in-the-dark gel. I’ve seen that thing before so I can’t be fooled by it. The only thing that’s good about this sword is its golden handle.”

After saying so, the short man’s eyes grew in surprise while having his mouth open during the time I was laying out the details of his product.

He wasn’t expecting that one was he?

Suddenly, I heard a laugh from behind me. It was just Sora though.

“You didn’t expect that one did you, Dishi?”

The small man fixed his shirt and cleared his throat. After that, he looked at me while looking impressed.

“You passed. This sword is nothing but a false magic sword, let alone a real sword. I only use this sword whenever some noble comes by. I hate selling swords to nobles who things of Magic Swords as tools. I apologize for this.”

So it was some kind of test huh. Good thing I knew about that glow-in-the-dark gel or I’d really believe that it’s real.

“You have some good eye for a new comer. Good thing you came here together with Sora.”

“Thanks.”

“You can just call me Dishi if you like.”

“Okay, I will.”

Then Dishi crouched on the floor. He hit a part of the wooden floor and a plank suddenly lifted. He raised it up and there, a sword wrapped in thick brown cloth was hidden there. After taking it, he put this in front of me and took the cloth.

“This sword’s name is [Vampire’s Reach]. It has the ability to regenerate the user whenever it manages to touch fresh blood. I made this by alchemy using the teeth of the Blood Wolves and Teizan Iron. The handle is made out of magic cores from Giant Vampire Bats and rewrote it for the swords function. It doesn’t rust if continued being used.”

--That’s amazing.

“If you pour mana on the sword, it will activate [Razor Sheath]. It will coat the sword’s blade with red colored magic so that it will not get damaged if you deal with monsters that have poison or acid attacks.”

--Even more amazing.

“Still, its power is still one eighth of the [Black Hermit’s Dagger].”

Suddenly, Sora butted in in Dishi’s explanation.

“Stop showing off your personal dagger, if I had enough materials and lots of Mithril, I can make a better and stronger magic sword that can break yours!”

Dishi scowled at Sora who was showing off his dagger in front of us.

“Anyhow, are you seriously buying this sword?”

“I think so.”

Sora reaffirmed what I told him before we went here. Seeing how resolute I am, he yielded. He does look like he wants to say something.

“So, Dishi, my friend here wants to buy it, how much?”

Dishi looks at me directly in the eye. Do I have something on my face?

“I’ll give you a hundred and twenty gold coins.”

“That’s overpriced! The magic core’s cheap these days you know, how about ninety?”

Haggling huh? Never thought I’ll see one live.

“Don’t be stupid. Magic cores from giant bats cost a silver per gram, but I can lower the price to a hundred and ten.”

“Come on, I’m bringing you wealthy costumers once in a while remember? Can’t you just lower it more too for just a hundred? If you like, I could refer you to a friend of mine who goes labyrinth hunting. He could give you magic cores in low price.”

Dishi’s composed face flinched when Sora spoke about the part where magic cores are involved. Seems like he really needs the supply of it, he yielded.

“Fine then, I’ll give it to you for a hundred.”

Sora looked at me with a victory smile. Then hit my stomach softly whispered in my ear, “Give him the money.”

I put my bag in front of me and go through the pockets taking the gold coins in it. However—

“Dude, I only have twenty.”

--I lack the amount of coins needed for it.

Sora looked at my sack of gold coins and muttered, “Only twenty huh…”

“Your face is telling me that you look like you don’t have the amount.”

Dishi looks at me while crossing his arms disappointedly. Although he’s disappointed, he looks like he was expecting this.

Then Sora patted my shoulder and gave me a face saying, “Don’t worry, I got this.”

“So, Dishi, as you can tell, he does lack the money. But don’t worry. He’s actually pretty rich himself.”

--I still don’t know if I really am though.

“How about this, Sir Dishi--”

--So you’re calling him sir now huh…

“We will give you the twenty he has now--”

“No down payments allowed!”

Dishi immediately cuts him off, but it seems that Sora has something else in mind.

“No, no, no. I didn’t say down payment. I’d like you to personally deliver this to his mansion to get the rest of the payment. That way, you could gain PERSONALLY the favour of the household. It might gain you some good profit if you’re talking about long-term business.”

Please Sora… Don’t look at me with expecting eyes. There’s a limit to being decisive you know.

“Hmm… I think I could do that, might as well deliver the other orders from other houses.”

Looks like Dishi didn’t mind and accepted Sora’s offer.

Come to think of it, I don’t think there’s a place for me to put that sword if it arrives at home. I need to ask Petal for a room to turn it into an armoury. Leaving that aside, I’m glad that I got the sword.

“Now, what’s your household name? I know where every household in this capital.”

After telling Dishi my household name, I didn’t expect him to fall silent and have his jaw dropped leaving his mouth wide open. To put it bluntly, he looks dumbstruck.

“Chardelier… If I’m not mistaken, you meant the villa of Godfre Chardelier!?”

--I knew it was a villa!

“Y-yes, the villa of Godfre Chardelier...”

He got off his long chair and stood in front of me. Unexpectedly, he dropped on the floor in prostrating position.

“It’s an honor to meet the descendant of the late Legendary Alchemist!”

Huh!? I didn’t expect this kind of development. Moreover, Sora, don’t get too surprised also! Control the situation.

“P-please stand up. I don’t know how to react to this.”

“No sir! I was being rude earlier. I can’t express my apology enough.”

Then he looks at my face from the floor with sorry eyes.

“Now that I look at you, you resemble him quite a bit.”

Leaving the details about his barrage of questions, he told me that he was once an apprentice of my grandfather. He told me a lot of things about my grandfather whom I never met. He also told me that this sword was inspired from grandfather’s creations. He wanted to give the magic sword to me as a gift. But since I felt a little bad having it without giving him anything in return, I paid for it for half the price turning his weapon into a 50% discount product.

Since I’m still thirty gold coins short, I’ll just give it to him once he delivered it to my villa.

I’m still feeling a little awkward in calling it “My villa.”

****

Sora and I left the old man to his shop and proceeded with the touring.

Every time Sora and I turn to a street, one or two people that are acquainted with Sora would wave at him. Apparently, he’s quite known.

“Yo Key, do you have some big copper coin with you?”

“Yeah I do. What of it?”

After answering Sora, I took three big copper coins from my bag. After that, he took—err… borrowed two.

“Come with me, I’ll show you this streets specialty.”

Guiding me through the thick crowd, we arrived at a small stall across the street.

It’s amazing how he managed to spot this from the thick crowd.

“Riri, can I buy one of your specials!?”

“Mah—oh, it’s just you Sir. Please don’t surprise me like that.”

The girl was surprised when Sora suddenly yelled that she hit her head on her stall’s table. Luckily her products didn’t fall off. To my surprise, this girl is cute too.

Does this word ever run out of cute and beautiful girls? They’re the ones I’ve seen so far.

“Okay! Super special cave crawler, coming right up…”

After saying so, the girl started taking ingredients from the storage box beside her and at the same time, lit a small stove-like magic circle on a board with her magic and put a kettle on top of it.

It looks like an electric stove to me.

Putting out the ingredients one by one, she cheerfully started her cooking which I didn’t notice that it already started. However, I was intrigued from one of the ingredients.

“Dude, what the heck is that?”

“Heh, that’s called a [Cave Crawler]. It’s the main ingredient.”

This [Cave Crawler] looks almost like a cross breed of lobster without claws and squid without the body. Moreover, it spans for over twelve 19 inches and has a green color which makes it look very disgusting.

It surprises me enough that the girl who’s handling this horror like it’s nothing even though it’s squirming alive.

--Please, don’t be green!

SMASH! The girl hits the hard shell on the back of the [Cave Crawler] making it crack. After taking a few pieces of the broken shell, she takes knife on her waist and stabs the exposed innards of the horrifying creature then spurts red blood a little then stops moving.

--Thank god it’s not green.

After the creature died, she drained the blood by putting it upside down.

“Here comes the best part.”

Sora shakes with excitement while putting a passionate gaze on the boiling kettle beside the girl.

I think I noticed the girl putting some ingredients earlier.

The girl takes the kettle and poured the sauce on the huge crack on the back of the dead creature. While slowly putting the special sauce, the scent tingle my nose from the unfamiliar smell. It actually smells good.

“Here you go.”

The girl gives the horrifying—no, food while wrapped in banana-like leaf to Sora who is looking at it passionately. After that, Sora gave it to me.

“Pluck the shell beside the crack and use it as a spoon. Don’t worry, the shell doesn’t absorb heat.”

--That’s actually pretty amazing of a shell.

I reluctantly receive the food and followed Sora’s instruction. Next, I scooped the freshly-cooked-meat of the cave crawler.

Please, Sora, don’t look at me like that.

After having a taste of the cave crawler, I was taken aback. It tastes really great.

“So, does it suit your taste?”

“It’s good. It tastes like chicken mixed with mashed sweet potato. Moreover, it also has a banana aftertaste which makes it fresh.”

“--And~???”

I took a second bite to find the answer. This time, the flavour is better.

--It has the perfect mixed flavour of—

“Gin…”

“Wrong, but close enough…”

Sora and I went to a bench and sat down there while sharing the cave crawler. He told me about what the final flavour is.

“In my hometown that flavour came from sake.”

“Sa-ke?”

“Yeah, sake, it’s made from fermented rice.”

Skipping the details of our talk, we finished the late lunch and continued touring around the capital. This time, he brought me around many places I don’t know and haven’t seen before.

After that, he guided me to the last stop before we go home since it’s already getting dark.

Time goes in a flash when you’re having lots of fun… dang it!

We stood below a tall tower which was as tall as the castle in the middle of the capital. This tower is located north east of the capital which is totally opposite of my home.

We walk such a distance huh…

“The town’s people named the bell on top of the tower as [God’s Bell]. There’s a legend about it.”

Apparently, the bell came from the time before this capital was founded. It says that the bell only rang when a great calamity was about to befall the world. For example: the arrival of the demons from the underworld, and when the humans almost lost their faith to the gods. It said that this bell was made by a merciful god that got forgotten by time.

“That’s some crazy story.”

“I know right.”

Then he walked towards the shadowed part of the tower. He touched it and then made a short chant.

“## >”

The shadow turned into a water-like state. When Sora’s finger touched the shadow, it reacted like water getting touched.

“Want to see the bell?”

-Isn’t this trespassing? Ah well, no one’s around anyway.

At first, I got hesitant on stepping into the shadow because I might hit my face on the wall, but it was just an unfounded fear. The moment I walked into it, I got directly transported in front of a huge golden bell.

“It’s huge.”

The bell’s radius is the same with the tower. It is 4 meter wide and 6 meter tall. I thought that this thing was hanging on the high ceiling. It turns out that this bell has a floating function and is above ground for only half a meter. Moreover, the bell’s body is full of mysterious carvings like the ones I see on ancient Egypt movies although it’s not the same.

“Hey, Key. Watch this.”

Sora picked up a small rock, judging from his stance, he’s about to throw it.

“Hey wait!”

Even though I tried to stop him, he threw it without hesitation while smiling.

I thought my heart was going to stop; however, the bell did not ring even though the stone hit it.

“Amazing right?”

“Amazing? You almost gave me a heart attack!”

Then Sora walked towards the bell and wiped off the dust that was left by the stone.

“This bell is made from ancient magic. It doesn’t ring no matter what I or anyone does. Let alone vibrate.”

“I-I see. This is quite the amazing bell.”

For some reason, Sora became melancholic while looking at the bell. Suddenly, I heard him mutter “Not today again?”

“Dude, are you alright?”

“I’m fine.”

Though it may be my imagination, I think I saw his left eye glisten, but he turned his head away from me.

Just when I was about to ask him, something interrupted us. His pocket was glowing bright blue. He pulled out a piece of folded paper that had a magic circle written on it.

“What is it?”

-I see this is this world’s phone huh.

[Sir, there has been an emergency. Princess Merthyr ran away again.]

“What, Isn’t this the fourth time? What are the Royal Guards doing in the castle?”

[We’re really sorry sir, but the princess has her unique way of escaping our sights.]

“I’m going to listen to the rest of the report later, for now, spread a platoon to look for her around the vicinity. I’ll join the search to quicken things up. His majesty would be furious if he finds out.”

[Affirmative, we’ll send them right away.]

After talking, the blue light on the paper disappear and Sora folded it back and put it on his pocket.

“I heard. You can go.”

“Sorry Key, the princess is on her rebellious stage. We can’t keep her down.”

One swing from his dagger on the wall, it became water-like just like the time we entered here.

“This is a gate to near your place. Since I’m in a hurry, I can’t come with you.”

“It’s ok, I understand. It’s your job anyway.”

I immediately entered the shadow gate, after that, I ended up in a dark alley.

It’s quite a surprise to see a fun guy like him make a very grim face. It’s probably because it’s about a royalty.

However, this is something I should not get my nose into.

One the other hand, I was having so much fun that I almost forgot that I almost died in the morning. Fantasy life sure is crazy.