“Keep the change. Never say I dine and dash.”
“I don’t care anymore. I’m going home.”
Fujiwara was feeling quite refreshed from this, but he still wasn’t quite done yet.
He needed to find a way to take out a harassment charge or something of the like.
“Dear customer. I do hope you pay the rest of the payment before you leave.”
“Yes, you paid for the biscuits.
“Previously, you received a detoxification charge due to the allowance used to cure the poison, the poison appraisal costs, and the Poison Resistance amulet still hasn’t been paid for.”
“It become a total of, well … a hundred thousand Gerun.”
“Hundred, huh… Hundred thousand!?”
Raising her voice, Miss “Footsteps of Death” toppled right over, falling grandly as though she had tripped outright.
“By the way, that’s the base price, with no inflation.”
The antidotes take up most of the expense. That deadly poison required a High Quality elixir to leave no after effect, which costs eighty five thousand Gerun. The rest of the drugs he needed total to twelve thousand Gerun, and the usage fee of the Amulet was three thousand. The rest would be for his injuries due to her flinging that blade around, of course.
Since she had used such expensive objects from the store, Fujiwara did have to charge her. If he didn’t, he’d be roared at by his Master.
“It’s… I only just found out… Because you treated me, I’ll pay.”
Fujiwara was relieved she understood. He expected for her to run wild and kill her, since she had more than enough ability and the right personality for it.
“…Hmm.”
Miss “Footsteps of Death” was clearly on a level where she was not handicapped by money based on their past interactions.
Though, he wasn’t particularly disappointed over the money. Even if she was the sort to have that much on hand, he didn’t plan on it being paid in cash.
“It’s no issue. Since dear Customer is a Seeker, shouldn’t payment be made from items collected in the Dungeon?”
“For example, that item you have there, perhaps?”
Fujiwara pointed to the large keychain hanging low from the large sword Miss “Footsteps of Death” was holding. He had kept his eye on it from the moment he carried her into the store. From the way she treated it he knew she only was using it as a decoration, not knowing its value.
It was undoubtedly a Full Moon Rabbit’s hind leg. From the hair gloss and color characteristics, Fujiwara was nearly certain. The animals became extinct in the “Era of Supreme Magicians”, as it was a popular material for Magic Tools to be made out of.
“It’s likely a Granting Tool. Some Granting Tools sell for more than a hundred thousand Gerun.”
“I don’t have any clue what you mean by that, but five thousand of them.”
“So much… I’m glad I brought it.”
She seemed to be convinced.
Fujiwara received the cute keychain with great care, and they decided to get the appraisal done immediately.
“It’s like so. Are you sure you want to exchange it for fifty five thousand Gerun of your debt?”
It was a Granting Tool which could call some fortune in exchange for magic.
However, the “Good Luck” was not necessarily in a way easily visible. Some examples, “Your foot stuck in mud comes out with no difficulty”, or “Your precision with a bow gets a little better”, or “You aren’t very hungry even though you should be”, and so forth. It isn’t quite as useful as one thinks, so it wasn’t a huge boon for a Seeker.
However, this item had quite a lot of demand, other than Seekers. “Rabbit’s Foot” brings good luck over a long period of time, so it was greatly desired by Merchants and your everyday villager. Because of how easy it was to make, though, it was the most common scam item, but real ones were rare.
‘Right, I’ll deliver it later’
“Unfortunately, it wasn’t that high quality. Just harvesting the Dungeon can lead to getting those easily enough.
“Why have you been so short on cash?”
“It’s dishonorable to loot the fallen.”
“But, then, the items will never be recovered.”
Seekers that couldn’t recover Drop Items were unusual. In the past, however, many parties would go deep for the thrill and honor, such as that “Capture Set” expedition, but she didn’t seem to be that sort after all.
“Guu… But, I don’t have the other forty-five thousand…”
‘It seems that she’s in dire straits, after all. Getting the money will be hard.’
Now, he was uncertain.
“Then, we’re fine for now. You can pay it later.”
“Yes. However, there’s a condition.”
She suddenly eyed Fujiwara with a suspicious glare, as if looking at a con artist, or something worse. From this alone Fujiwara considered retiring. ‘I’m sorry, I’m sincerely just doing my job.’
“…Mu. Is this really okay?”
Most appraisers charge for their services, so it wasn’t anything shady. It’s a rare skill, for the appraisal to be done as well as Master or Fujiwara did.
“You have a period of two months to get that done.”
“Yes. A customer who can pass through the tenth floor alone, so skillful, could likely do it easily.”
“Fine, I agree.”
Even if Fujiwara got her consent, it could be rescinded like smoke.
Fujiwara recorded down the contract and presented it.
“Okay, here you go.”
Fujiwara checked the parchment and nodded.
Truthfully, the contract was insignificant. He didn’t know who she was or where to send the militia after her, after all. Truly, it was miniscule.
He now looked at her signature.
As such, there was the name Anemone L. Amberlite there. No doubt, she was indeed Nobility, because her middle initial was there as well, and only Nobles maintained their baptismal name. He wondered if she was famous.
“Well, this is pointless now.”
Miss “Footsteps of Death” began to don her armor, even saying so. Most people would need a servant or friend to help put it on, but she covered the gaps one after another with familiar hand movements.
After a while she paused, seemingly thinking, before speaking aloud.
“Well, my name’s Fujiwara.”
Finally, she donned her helmet. With this, she went from the girl who happily chews biscuits in her underwear, to the hefty Seeker “Footsteps of Death”.
Although he didn’t know how she grew up, it was no joke to wear that large of armor as the daughter of a noble. Fujiwara was unsure how much of it was “Divine Protection” and how much of it was willpower.
With this, she made her way out of the store with a ‘Gashin, gashin’, but before the exited, she turned to ask
“Did you like them?”
“Do you know ‘Underground Tavern That Looks Up at the Sun’?” (tl: I’m going to try to write this consistently now… Alternative tl: ‘Respectful Mole’s Sun’. Yeah, this name’s a huge pain…)
‘How cruel’. Fujiwara wondered if she knew that the primary rumor was what her appearance was, and then considered it again and realized her making an appearance would be bad.
“Okay.” The Miss swung her helmet back down.
Therefore, Fujiwara decided that this degree of service would be okay if her feelings softened a bit, no matter how cheap the patronage was.
Hearing the sound of the door, he waited awhile before bowing his head low.
◆
Occasionally, she’d come back against her will due to poor condition or injury, and they’d have to decide the treatment method.
“This isn’t going to be free.”
“If I say so, you should be quiet.”
“Ah, which loot do you want to buy, or all?”
And that was how a lonely Full Body Armor and Fujiwara began their chats.
◆
“Thou faithless gambler, offer up five hundred and twenty drops- and, until the world is exhausted, it will carry and turn you, surrounding you and giving to you, like a wheel of Baden-Baden” (tl: Author decided to name the god of luck after a small German town…)
As most should know, Rabbits were hunted frequently in the old days, by many things.
It’s difficult to verify its effectiveness, because luck is something abstract and think. However, every time it is used, magic from your body will be used up. If the consumption is there, it is being exchanged for something as collateral. It can aide with precision, it makes itself hard to steal, and it makes you less hungry- various tiny aides that happen passively, ones you won’t even notice.
But, to put it into perspective, if you’re forced into the corner while in the Dungeon, it might just make it your lucky day.