“I'll take it, how much do you want for it?”

the man snapped out of it

“ Err...Considering the time and materials invested, this sword is worth at least 200 gold coins. Even if no one uses it, it's still a top class rare weapon!”

Ran was shocked, the price was way beyond what he could afford, he just had to hope that no one would buy it until he had collected enough. He put the sword back on the counter with a loud *thud*.

“Sorry, it's beyond my means, please keep it for me, I'll come back with the money sometime.”

“Wait, wait, kid, we can work something out, you know? How much do you have on you?”

“104 gold coins…”

“...Well, let's make a deal, I'll give you a discount, and in exchange you'll let me take a closer look at your armor, what do you say?”

That old fox... Ran understood what was going on, ever since he had arrived in town, many people had been intrigued by his exo, after all, the materials used would not be invented for hundreds of years at the very least, so the owner had probably raised the price to be able to make this deal.

Still, the quality of this weapon was undeniable, and he didn't want to wander around looking for another.

“Alright, but I'm not taking it off…”

“Sure! Sit there and don't move.”

The blacksmith dropped his business-like expression the moment he touched the exo, he began his examination and looked intensely concentrated, Ran had no doubt that he was an expert in his field.

He tested the armor with various tools, looking at it from all angles and scribbling a few notes from time to time, then he returned to Ran.

“It's really impressive, it's light and strong at the same time, you could stop a heavy crossbow bolt with no problem I think. What is this material?”

His eyes shone with interest and Ran saw no harm in giving him the information. Not like he could do anything with it anyway.

" It's a composite material, carbon fibers agglomerated in successive layers and a special layer on top to increase hardness, the principle is not so different from what you did to this sword. But don’t ask me how to make it because I have no idea.”

" I see, I see..."

The owner seemed to think for a moment, then grabbed the sword and threw it at Ran.

"Here, take it, free of charge"

It was Ran's turn to be surprised to the owner delight

"Don't think too much about it, it's not like anyone else would want to buy that chunk of metal anyway, but in return I only ask you one thing, swear that you won't go anywhere but to me for repairs or if you get something interesting to work on. I get the feeling that things won't get boring with you around. Ah, the name is Galvan by the way."

Ran smiled.

"Ran, Thank you Galvan, I'll remember that."

Galvan chuckled

"You better, kid. Now get out of here if you don't want to buy anything else."

Ran left soon after, Galvan was interesting and talented, he will make sure to call to him in the future and who knows, maybe he would be able to re-create some of his equipment with local materials and some magic, not that he knew much about it.

After meeting up with Era, they headed to the main street to watch the royal parade to Era insistence. The closer they got, the denser the crowd got, more and more people poured in from adjacent streets, the sound of musical instruments grew louder as well and echoed in the air giving a pleasant and festive atmosphere.

Era gave him a meat skewer, dripping with juice and with a powerful aroma.

" Thank you, so, do you know when this princess is supposed to appear ?"

Although Ran was not really interested in the parade, he was curious to see what Era was so excited about.

"Shouldn't be long n..."

Suddenly, the sound of trumpets rang out, and Ran heard the warm cheers of the crowd as the procession moved forward. He did not know this princess, but one thing was sure, she seemed to be loved by her people.

Two rows of soldiers stood on either side of a magnificent white carriage without a roof, pulled by two white horses decorated with many flowers, Ran could finally see her:

Tall, with long brown hair and brown eyes, dressed in a beautiful immaculate dress, she was standing and waving to the crowd with a smile. Her beauty was nothing to write home about, but she exuded an aura of kindness and compassion.

Era spoke in Ran's ear to be heard over the crowd.

"Princess Elisa is the second daughter of the current King, she has always been very involved in the affairs of the state and has always fought for the rights of the people."

"No wonder she is so popular."

When the procession reached them, Ran felt a chill run through his body. Something was wrong. He scanned the crowd with various sensors and finally spotted an individual in a black cloak who was not shouting, not smiling, and not showing any apparent emotion, what made Ran more wary than anything else was the faint glimmer he saw in the man's eyes, like a hunter seeing his prey. Apparently the princess wasn't all that loved.

'OH COME ON !’ Ran thought.

‘After saving a village now I have to save a princess ? What's next ? Killing the demon lord ?'