"Be a little more careful."
"...Sorry."
Aiz, who had been hunting monsters in a frenzy, had eventually injured her leg.
Thanks to that, I had to carry her on my back as we made our way out of the Dungeon.
"Where is the Loki Familia?"
"To the left from here."
After leaving the Dungeon and following Aiz's directions, I arrived in front of Twilight Manor, the headquarters of the Loki Familia.
"You can walk on your own now, right?"
"Yeah."
"Then I'm off."
I set Aiz down in front of Twilight Manor and prepared to head toward the Hephaistos Familia, but a thought occurred to me.
"Ah, come to think of it, how much do magic swords go for around here? Is it the same as in Lacia?"
I found myself curious about the market value of magic swords in this city.
"Hmm..."
Where was the Witch's Hideout again?
Orario was vast.
Accordingly, it was home to a dizzying array of shops.
The Witch's Hideout, tucked away in an alley off the main street in northwestern Orario, was a shop that specialized in items for mages and the repair of staves.
"Do you buy magic swords too?"
"Ho... Let me see them."
When I produced a few magic swords left over from the Dungeon, the shop owner, a woman named Lenoa, wore a look of keen interest and began to examine them with a discerning eye.
The swords I had presented were crafted with meticulous care.
"Where did you get these?"
"I made them."
"You did? Wait... are you a Crozzo?"
"I am. Is there a problem?"
"So you actually managed to escape the Kingdom of Lacia. There have been rumors that the magic swords of Crozzo had returned... so it was you."
"...So, how much will you pay?"
"For a child, these are remarkably well-made. I'll give you one million valis per blade."
"One million..."
"Are you dissatisfied?"
"No. I have no complaints."
It's similar to the prices in Lacia.
"Here are ten magic swords."
As I brought out ten different magic swords, each with its own unique characteristics, Lenoa scanned them with a flustered expression.
"I'm sorry, but something has come up, and I don't have ten million valis on hand."
"I see. Then I'll be going."
I'll just try somewhere else.
"Wait, wait! Let's do a barter instead of valis!"
"Sure. What are you offering?"
"I will give you a grimoire."
"...Isn't that worth around a hundred million valis?"
A grimoire was an incredibly expensive magic tool that granted a spell to whoever read it.
She was offering me one of those just like that?
Has she gone senile?
"In exchange, you must bring any magic swords you create in the future to me."
"Does that include custom orders?"
"...Exclude those."
After Bellf left the Witch's Hideout with the grimoire in hand,
"Was the delivery successful?"
"Yes."
A figure clad in a robe appeared and questioned Lenoa.
"Crozzo... how nostalgic."
"Do you know him?"
"I met him once, a long time ago."
...I don't know how things ended up this way, but since this is fate, I shall help him.
"It really is... nostalgic."
Because of the robe, it was difficult to determine the figure's appearance or build, but one thing was certain: human skin was visible beneath the folds of the black fabric.