Chapter 61: 60

“…Hmm. Well, it doesn’t really matter to me. Let’s exchange it for money, then.”

Hansa’s merit rested in refraining from futilely prying into things like this. Well, perhaps his professional background enabled him to recognize that meddling in such matters would result in disastrous consequences.

After fumbling around on the counter, Hansa eventually retrieved a stack of gold coins.

In this country, a gold coin was worth 10,000 Fanta, the equivalent of 10,000 JPY in Japan. Above the gold coins, there were also platinum coins, which were worth 10 gold coins, or 100,000 yen apiece, but since these coins were not available to ordinary households, I had all my money exchanged for gold coins.

“You see, eleven of them are worth 440,000 Fanta. Check it.”

“No, it’s all right. I have trust in you, Mr. Hansa.”

“…Hmm.”

Flattery of this level wouldn’t necessarily engender trust, but an accumulation of compliments was the key to everything. I, on the other hand, was considerably more displeased that Hansa was receiving 60,000 gold for each piece simply for selling these magic crystal stones.

At least he won’t divulge my information to his clients, and even if the Garrison Guards or another party apprehended him, he would probably buy me some time to escape from the city. I forced myself to believe that I was paying more for that kind of privacy protection.

Under ordinary circumstances, this would have been the end of my business, but unfortunately, I had other matters to deal with today.

“Oh, Mr. Hansa. Can I see your products today?”

“Why? It’s very uncommon for you to be shopping, isn’t it?”

“I have a nasty feeling that something complicated is about to arise. Besides, I don’t think I will be here again for a while.”

“H-Hold on, you! What do you mean you won’t be coming back for a while, then when are you going to bring the next magic crystal stones!?”

Disregarding Hansa’s panicked exclamation, I browsed around the store. Whoever the transferees arriving next week may be, I must be prepared for the fact that another series of powerful magicians will be piling up in this city, which will hinder my movement even more than before. Furthermore, my own intuition was whispering to me that these siblings would pose a threat to me. Such intuition, which cannot be rationalized, was something I valued tremendously. During my time in Japan, I escaped a number of dilemmas by relying on this intuition and acting on it.

“…The prices are as usual rip-offs, but this store has a lot of fascinating products.”

The most distinctive feature of “Cuffs” was the presence of products made by Hansa himself, a mechanic from a neighboring country.

The Republic of Chronos, where Hansa originated, was a country with a highly developed scientific civilization in contrast to the Kingdom of Ortesia, where magic predominated on the continent and life was inexorably magic-oriented and the realm of science did not develop substantially. Aside from Hansa’s creations, merchandise from the Republic of Chronos that he was able to access thanks to his connections also streamed into this store.

“…Hmm. Well, the people of this country are all committed to the supremacy of magic, and because of that, this store is deserted every day.”

Hansa snorted, and a snicker could be heard to which I responded with a mild voice.

“―But I like this store, you know? This type of craftsmanship is more appealing to me than magic, which is something I frequently find curious… Well, since I work at a school of magic, I suppose I shouldn’t expect you to take my word for it.”

Surprisingly, though, Hansa didn’t dismiss my words.

“Hmm. I do realize that. Most of the people who frequent such a store would be like that, and so was that guy―Matthias too. Well, that guy, in particular, was different so it was only natural.”

“…Is that so?”

Somehow, speaking with this man or Matthias drove me out of tune. My thoughts began to stray, or more accurately, superfluous emotions began to spark. I didn’t need such irritations; they were simply unnerving thoughts.

“―Ngh? What is this?”

“Oh… Ah, that stone impedes the utilization of magical power. Apparently, simply by holding it, you can obstruct the magical power of the magicians around you.”

“…What’s with that fishy name?”

At last, the day has come for this store to sell genuine rip-off products.

That was the thought that struck me, but Hansa’s voice carried a note of gravity.

“No, this is what’s circulating in the city now. It seems that a merchant who is a drifter is dealing in them in this town. If true, of course, the product is too dangerous, and since the merchant has a name nobody has ever heard of, no one believed it at first. When I tested it out, to my amazement, no magical power really appeared to be generated. Well, against a powerful magician, its effectiveness seems to diminish.”

The magical power was, indeed, of poorer quality than normal when I experimented it out, and I had trouble controlling it. The magical power, which ordinarily flowed like a liquid, was as dense as mud.

This product was of excellent value. With this, the majority of magicians would not even be capable of exercising magic that was relatively easy to control. The impact of the stone would also be experienced by the user, which was a downside.

“This is remarkable. I might as well buy this one too.”

“That’s nice, but a single piece costs one platinum coin, you know?”

“That’s exorbitant.”

A single platinum coin equaled ten gold coins, which meant the same price as my blend of magic crystal stones. The price was undoubtedly high-priced, but when I gave it some thought, I realized that it may be offset by the value in a sense.

If such a thing were mass-produced without hesitation, this city would swiftly be transformed into a criminal city.

“I won’t stop you from buying it if you want to, but I don’t recommend it. This is my advice as an acquaintance.”

“? What’s wrong?”

At my question, Hansa’s expression deteriorated slightly, seemingly from bitterness.

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“That stone is uncontrollable, therefore it continually sends out a signal that interferes with magical power. The effective range for a stone of that size is only about a hundred meters, but conversely, everything within a hundred meters of this location is susceptible to the effects of the stone. I assume you now comprehend what this entails.”

“…You are saying local residents could pick up on something suspicious?”

“Yeah, exactly.”

That would be vexing, for sure.

The Garrison Corps would undoubtedly be wary of this shady structure should a neighboring citizen alert the authorities. The challenge would be the other merchandise Hansa was selling since the stone itself was a seemingly unremarkable object and could therefore be deceptive. While he was still able to manage the items in this room, he was unable to fool them about the items hidden at the rear of the place.

Hansa’s expression, nonetheless, gave away that there was more to the tale.

This time, Hansa’s demeanor darkened when questioned about it.

“The merchant who came to sell me that stone… I couldn’t make out their face because of their hood, but I got a bad feeling about them. This is just a hunch I have had for a long time. And the merchant’s bodyguard, or whatever she was, was standing behind him all the time, a beautiful woman of about 5’5″. I could ‘smell’ it on her.”

“…I see.”

In the course of his work, Hansa has interacted with a number of first-class criminals.

The only time he has ever said this was when he first met Xenia. Since this was about Hansa, he must have honestly not wanted to buy the stone either. Nevertheless, it was the woman’s presence that compelled him to purchase the stone.

Anyway, if that was the story, there was no reason for me to buy the stone. A small-time villain should behave accordingly and do a modest job with a minimum of risk.

After looking around the store with the stone still in place, I eventually handed Hansa one of the items in his store.

“I’ll buy this one, please.”

“…Oh. As usual, your purchases are so strange.”

What I handed over to him was a pair of binoculars. The binoculars were compact enough to use with one hand, and the magnification was also adjustable.

“Also, please show me the guns. I would like to see a gun with a longer shooting range today.”

“All right.”

Hansa unlocked the iron door at the back of the room and I went inside.

Guns of all types and sizes were on display in that room, as if to inhabit the walls.

All of these were guns that Hansa had made himself.

Being a fervent gun aficionado, he used the majority of the money from his business to pay for the creation of these guns. Well, not many people in this country even know that guns existed, let alone that they were popular.

“So, when you say long range, what are the specifics?”

“Yeah. Anyway, it’s a long one.”

My own answer lacked concreteness. Sure enough, a sigh escaped Hansa’s lips, but even so, he pulled out one of the objects on the wall and showed it to me.

“‘Azrael’. A magic bullet can reach up to five kilometers, and since it has been enchanted to repel wind, it is impervious to it―”

“Oh, everything with magic on it is no good.”

“Are you afraid of the enemy’s detection of your magical power? If that’s the case, I’ll also apply an anti-magic coating. That way, there’s almost no chance of magical energy leaking outside, so the sniper’s location will not be known―”

“No, but the bullet itself will still contain magical power, right? Then, wouldn’t you agree that the other party will probably notice it and defend against it?”

“Hey, hey, even at a distance, a bullet can fly faster than the speed of sound, you know? The handgun you use all the time may be detected of magical power’s generation and blocked against, but with a sniper rifle, the speed of the bullet is different and the circumstances are also varied. Most snipers adopt a surprise pattern when they shoot. If someone doesn’t even know they’re being targeted, they won’t be able to avoid this.”

“…I get it.”

I was convinced by Hansa’s argument.

In the first place, the pistol I have been using all the time was intended to be employed in the event of a surprise attack. It would be convenient to use it for self-defense, but because of its range, I had to get close to the adversary, which frequently led to failure when dealing with someone of reasonable aptitude. However, there was practically no chance of failure with sniping, which was a one-sided surprise strike, did not need the usage of magical power, and could be completed in a split second.

It would appear that I likewise during the course of my long life in Selbeth may also have unwittingly developed a universalist view of magic. Perhaps the failure of my gun to have any effect in my previous battle with Aldar was also playing a part in my mind.

“I understand. Then, please use that… anti-magic coating? The sniper rifle with the best range, please.”

“That’s ultimately more significant than range, isn’t it? Well, that fits with who you are.”

Hansa, who laughed wryly, began to choose a sniper rifle. In the meantime, I also bought a scope to be attached to the sniper rifle.

Including the gun ammunition and binoculars, I totaled about 100,000 yen in expenses for the day. For a school nurse, that was around one-half of a month’s pay. Even so, the income was greater this month because I was able to produce a lot of magic crystal stones.

Since Hansa told me that the sniper rifle would be adjusted again, I decided to bring only the binoculars back home that day. The next time I come back, I will need a gun case to carry the gun. Even if I brazenly carried a gun case in this country, where guns were not a major problem, I may be able to get away with a little suspicion, but of course, attention would be drawn to me. I will figure out a smoother way to carry it by the time I come back to pick it up next time.

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