Fifteen minutes later, after Elhart recorded all our enchantment requests for the armor, the girls put on their cloaks and went shopping for the items needed for the wave.
Meanwhile, after I took off my armor and handed it to the shopkeeper, I changed into my nobleman's outfit and stayed to help Elhart with melting the nuggets into ingots. My "Smelting" skill was level two, so in theory, I should manage at least as well as Elhart himself. He was already pressed for time with all our orders.
After Elhart demonstrated how to do it, I gave it a try myself. There was nothing complicated about it: put three nuggets into a special heat-resistant metal container, place it in the furnace, wait for the nuggets to melt, then pour the molten metal into the required mold. Wait for it to cool and solidify, and that's it — a skill. I doubt it was done like that in my world. Most likely, the metal would be filtered somehow to remove impurities. I'm not sure; I never really cared to find out.
When my turn came, things initially went a little differently. Color markers appeared before my eyes on the furnace and the container. The furnace glowed slightly orange. Under Elhart's curious gaze — he decided not to interfere and just watch — I added some coal and increased the heat until the furnace's glow turned greenish. Then I put two nuggets into the container, which also started glowing green. I added one more nugget, and the color changed to orange. I shrugged, removed the extra nugget, and placed the container into the furnace. An indicator appeared in front of me, showing readiness. After three minutes, when the indicator was full, I took the container out and poured the liquid "Light Metal" into the mold.
After waiting for the ingot to cool down, Elhart took it with special tongs and started inspecting it. He almost bit it to test it.
"Those Sacred Tools of yours are a trickster's device," the shopkeeper said, scratching his bald head and reproaching me. "I have no idea how you managed to get an ingot out of two nuggets when it usually takes three. And such quality! It's only slightly inferior to the one I melted myself. But I'm just nitpicking. It's a little frustrating — I've been doing this for years, and then you come along, seeing the furnace for the first time, and suddenly it makes me wonder: 'What was I even doing with half my life?'"
"Well, I guess I won't try smithing in front of you, then," I nodded understandingly.
"No, Pluto, quite the opposite. Watching your skill in action, I can improve my own craft," the blacksmith smiled at me with a slightly predatory grin. "Quickly and effectively! You won't refuse to help me, will you?"
He asked with such a manic expression that it was clear — if I refused, I wouldn't leave alive.
Seeing I was indifferent to his attempt to pressure me, he returned to his normal self.
"I'm not asking you to do it for free," he backed down.
"No need for money, it's not hard for me. Better make us the armor with the maximum craftsmanship you're capable of," I waved off his offer. "And I'll find time to help you — you're not a stranger to us. You've helped us many times already. Just after the wave, for now we need to focus on preparing for it. Work on the armor; that's why I decided to do the smelting myself, to free up your time."
"This… boy…" The big guy's eyes moistened, which made me a bit uncomfortable. "I will make the best armor! Especially since the materials from Cerberus are among the best for making armor!"
"I only have one request for you," I decided to change the subject. "I've got a stubborn skill called 'Concentration.' When I focus too much on something, I lose the ability to react to external stimuli and any sense of time, completely immersing myself in the process. If that happens, don't be scared — just bring me out of that state. A tap on the shoulder, for example."
"A strange skill," Elhart ran his hand over his bald head. "Alright. Can't you get out of it yourself?"
"No, I can't."
"I see… I'll try to come up with something. I guess such a skill can lead to unfortunate consequences. Is it at least worth it?" the shopkeeper said thoughtfully.
"Oh, I think you'll understand soon enough…" I smiled mysteriously.
Elhart went to the warehouse, and I resumed smelting. Increasing the profit from "Light Metal" nuggets by fifty percent was a pleasant surprise. If similar tricks work with ores, this could be quite profitable.
As always, I didn't notice the exact moment I slipped into "Concentration."
***
I came to from a sharp pain on my left cheek. A familiar feeling. And I could recognize that palm from a thousand…
"Admit it, you're deliberately snapping me out of that state with a slap," I said, rubbing my cheek, addressing Akira, who was the author of the slap.
"No," said the Shield Hero seriously, slightly agitated. "I just have no other way. My attack can't even penetrate your defense, and you don't react to anything else. Raftalia flat-out refused to harm you."
"Really? But I immediately disabled all the points in the slave seal," I was surprised. "She shouldn't be punished for that."
"It's not about the seal!" Raftalia protested. "Who would I be if I raised my hand against my benefactor?! The one who took a dirty, skinny, sick tanuki slave, raised her, healed her, and gave her a reason to live at all! Pluto himself, I would hate myself after that! I understand it's necessary for your well-being, but I can't force myself!"
"All right, all right, I get it," I was stunned by this, otherwise I wouldn't have said the next words. "But you don't have to wake me up with a slap only. Nobody thought, for example, about waking me with a kiss? At least try. It's a shame to get slapped when you don't deserve it!"
"Uh… but after a kiss… you can get pregnant…" Raftalia said, her eyes wide with horror.
There were two simultaneous light smacks. Akira and I both facepalmed at the same time. Although the tanuki has the intelligence of an adult, she hasn't yet acquired some knowledge, which is why she sometimes behaves a bit childishly. We didn't rush to enlighten her much.
"Not me to explain this!" Akira and I said in unison, exchanging looks.
"It's better if a girl explains everything to her," I argued.
"But I only have theoretical knowledge on this!" Akira was quick to respond. "You have experience, so you'll explain better and clearer!"
"That's a poor argument," I disagreed. "You don't need to show, you need to tell!"
For half a minute, we stared each other down. It's not that it was difficult; Raftalia was just very sweet in her innocence, and none of us wanted to take away her 'moral virginity.'
"Let's flip a coin?" Akira suggested.
We flipped a coin, and Akira lost. I decided to keep the coin for luck. It's not often I win such bets.
"What are you even talking about?" the tanuki looked at us, puzzled.
"You'll learn from Akira, a little later," I replied with a huge smile.
Only then did I look around. It was strange that Akira was the one who 'woke me up,' not Elhart. But judging by the sounds of hammer hitting anvil, he had also gone into his own kind of "Concentration."
Next to the furnace was a pile of ingots of various metals. Apparently, after the nuggets ran out, I had started melting the ore the shopkeeper had, and I had already smelted more than half of it into ingots.
"What time is it now?" I asked the girls.
"Already evening," Akira answered. "We suspected something like this, so we came here right after shopping."
"Do you think the bookstore is still open?"
"I don't know."
"Then I'm running — maybe I'll still make it," I said, wrapping my cloak around me and heading for the exit. "Or are you coming with me?"
"No, I still have a talk to have with Raftalia-chan," Akira said resignedly. "We'll be waiting for you at the inn."
The shop was still open and the light was on inside.
I felt nervous as I entered the store. Whether I could copy higher-level grimoires depended on a lot. Although I hoped my level would be enough, many details worried me, and I couldn't stop thinking about them. What if to use those grimoires, I needed to unlock some intermediate grimoires I didn't have? What if my level wasn't even enough to copy them?
And other questions of the same sort. I wasn't this nervous even facing Cerberus.
Once inside and seeing no other customers, I dropped my hood.
"Good evening, are you still open?"
"Good evening! Welcome! How can I help you?" the shop owner's voice came from the back of the store, and she quickly came out to me. "Ah, it's you? Haven't seen you for a while!"
"The capital is unpleasant to be in. You know the rumors about me and the Shield Hero."
"I've heard…," the woman looked at me appraisingly. "I take it you didn't do what they say?"
"If I answer 'no,' will you believe me?" I asked skeptically.
"If I didn't know exactly who you supposedly 'raped,' judging by the rumors, I wouldn't believe you. Forgive me, but I trust the King more than a person who came from another world. Who knows, maybe in your world that's normal?" she replied, taking off and dusting her pointed witch hat. "But I also know the princess's reputation she's quite capable of horrible things. So why have you come? Decided to study other branches of magic?"
After what the shop owner just said, I didn't want to lie at all. So I told her that at our last meeting, I copied all the grimoires and also bought two magic books to not leave her with no profit.
"Well, after what you just told me, I'm completely sure the rumors about you are utterly false," the woman said with a smile. "In any case, I don't blame you — the books are still with me, so I lost nothing. If I were you, I wouldn't talk about this but would use the advantages your Sacred Weapon gives you. Young man, magic requires you to be merciless both to yourself and the world around you. Until you learn this firsthand, you won't become a true mage." — The shop owner scolded me but then her face softened into a motherly kindness. "But you're not even a mage — you're a Grimoire Hero. And maybe if you weren't, the Grimoire wouldn't have chosen you as its owner."
"So what shall we do about the books?" I asked. I had enough money for one of the volumes anyway. "How much profit do you make selling one mid-level magic book?"
"Even so?" the woman was surprised. "Two hundred silver coins per volume. But we'll do it differently. I'll only charge you fifty silver coins per volume. How does that sound? I must also do my part in saving the world from the waves."
"Agreed. You could have let me copy them for free — after all, I'm going to save your world, not mine," I answered directly.
"That's true, but that way I would be breaking the Mage's Guild rules. If I didn't know anything, that would be another matter. But now it's impossible."
"I've never even heard of such a guild," I admitted.
"What? Our country's guild system has existed for many years! There are Guilds of adventurers, alchemists, mages, mercenaries, assassins, rangers… even miners and a small bakers' guild," the shop owner explained. "But you have no business in the Mages' Guild, headed by the royal court mage, as you understand why. Especially since they are very close to King Oltkre the Wise from his youth."
"Understood. Okay, give me all the mid-level magic books you have," I began counting out six hundred silver coins. The price she offered suited me perfectly. Actually, that was what I expected. In the worst case, this wasn't the only shop with such books in the capital.
[Weapon copying activated.]
[Requirements for Fire Grimoire (mid) completed.]
[Requirements for Water Grimoire (mid) completed.]
[Requirements for Earth Grimoire (mid) completed.]
[Requirements for Wind Grimoire (mid) completed.]
[Requirements for Lightning Grimoire (mid) completed.]
[Requirements for Light Grimoire (mid) completed.]
[Requirements for Dark Grimoire (mid) completed.]
[Requirements for Support Grimoire (mid) completed.]
[Requirements for Healing Grimoire (mid) completed.]
It felt as if a mountain-sized stone fell from my shoulders.
Without delay, I found the first new grimoire in the tree and tried to transform my grimoire into it. With a slight glow, the grimoire transformed, and my heart relaxed.
The Wind Grimoire (mid) differed from the lower ones with a more beautiful cover, featuring silvery metallic elements, and occasionally small swirls of light blue energy would ripple across it — somewhat resembling wind. Opening its status, I checked its characteristics:
Wind Grimoire (mid) 0/5 C
Magic Attack +25
Wind Magic Enhancement +25%
Wind Magic Cost — 10%
Equipment Bonus: Magic Attack +5 (unlearned)
Equipment Bonus: MP +100
Special Effect: Accelerated Wind Magic Comprehension (small)
Mastery: 0
For the first time, my grimoire had magic attack. Now it could be considered a weapon. Most of Akira's shields have their own defense stats, like armor. Not always very different from zero on non-specialized shields not meant for defense — but it's something. Now, if I upgrade this grimoire to the next rank, the first three stats after the name will increase by twenty percent. And if I raise mastery to a hundred, it will add two more points to magic attack and, most importantly, fifty more mana points to my stats.
Looks like I became mana-dependent…
All these thoughts rushed through me at once, and I swallowed the lump forming in my throat.
"Did it work?" the woman asked, watching the transformed grimoire in surprise.
"Yes, thank you," I sincerely thanked her.
"You're welcome. Unfortunately, you might have problems with high- and top-level books. You can only get those with the royal family's approval at the Mage's Guild."
"What about searching in other countries?" I asked. "Merlomark isn't the only country in the world."
"Yes, in other countries, the situation is probably better," the woman agreed. "If you have enough money, you can go to Zeltbul. That country is famous for being able to buy anything. As for other countries, I can't advise you."
"Thank you! I'll be going. Have a good evening!"
Pulling my hood up, I walked back to the inn with a smile and quick steps.
***
Opening the door to our room, I was met with an odd sight.
All the exposed skin of Raftalia was bright red, and her tail was bristled and motionless — something I had never seen before. I understand people's ears might blush or cheeks pinken, but to turn red from head to toe… I saw that for the first time. She stared into space, pressing her hands to her face.
On the second bed opposite the tanuki sat the Shield Hero, with a puzzled expression.
"Are you done already? Or should I wait downstairs?"
"Done already…" Akira answered quietly in a broken voice.
"Has she been like that long?" I nodded toward Raftalia.
"No, we just finished."
"Raftalia, sweetheart, are you okay?" Hearing my voice, the tanuki even reacted, turning toward me but keeping her posture, shaking her head as if to say, "No, I'm not okay and never will be!"
"What did you tell her to put her in this state?"
"Want me to repeat it for you?" Akira replied sullenly, shooting me a sharp glare.
"No thanks! Only if you show me in practice…" I teased the girl.
"Don't act like Motoyasu! The world couldn't take another idiot like him!" Akira snapped. "We met that moron at the temple when I was syncing with the clocks. Can you imagine, he started hitting on us right away! But he left me alone when he found out I was the Shield Hero, but as for Raftalia — I barely got her out of his hairy paws."
"Really an idiot… didn't even try hitting on you. I think he has selective blindness."
The girl didn't answer, but the corners of her lips hinted at a suppressed smile.
"Well, Raftalia is lost to us for now," I said, hanging my cloak on the rack by the entrance and sat on my bed. "I made it to the bookshop in time. Copied the grimoires, and my hands are already shaking with impatience to see what spells they have."
"Oh, that's wonderful! Let's look together?"
"Sure, I could use your help. First, help me decide which magic branch to start with," I asked Akira because I really was confused. I wanted everything at once.
"Let's start with this," she pointed at the transformed Wind Grimoire. Somehow that idea hadn't come to me.
"Alright," I opened the grimoire and began reading aloud the spells inside.