Breakthrough with the Forbidden Master

Chapter 256 – Assortment

『The bag … hmm, tis a little weak, but… considering the budget, this should do. Pack your clothing into this.』

「Osu.」

『Also, cups, bowls, dishes… hygiene care products… also, a cloak… to wrap around your body and sleep at night. Tis the cheapest, so it should be fine. Tents are expensive. Hmm, this is about it!』

「Heh… that’s how cloaks are used… I thought they were used because they looked cool…」

『Also, string and a bit of cloth to patch torn clothes.』

「I can’t sew… ah, and don’t we need medicinal herbs and other stuff? Like potions…」

『A minimum amount of medicinal herbs with abdominal pain and antipyretic effects will suffice. Instead of buying potions to heal injuries, tis cheaper to collect materials in the forest and concoct them. You do not require magic recovery potions either, because you can use Magical Breathing.』

「Huh? Making potions… if I remember correctly, you need a qualification… and I also need the concoction recipe… ah…」

『Who do you think I am? If necessary, I can teach you the perfect recipe for concocting any potion.』

「Kuhaha, please do… is this all for portable provisions?」

『Hmm, what you need is something lightweight, compact, and protein-rich. Some sausage, cheese, a little condiment for cooking… and as nutritional food, a staple of the Demon King Army… tis a portable food called ‘Calorie Friend’.』

As instructed by Tre’ainar, I picked up various tools to buy to fit within the amount of money I had on hand.

I had honestly thought that all I needed to do when it came to adventure was to buy “weapons” and “recovery items” at an equipment shop.

So if I hadn’t been taught by Tre’ainar, I would have made errors from the beginning.

「Sheesh, we’re short… of money…… for a lot of things, right?」

『Not an issue. Tis all the cheapest. However, since you will be camping out for a few days, you will not be able to eat at a restaurant or stay at an inn, can you?』

「Oh~…… finally, I’m a survivor…」

I took the tools I was carrying and went to the checkout section.

Although the baggage was massive, the price of each item itself was not so high.

It was also a big reason that we didn’t touch expensive weapons or potions.

Well, thanks to that, I’m going to be throwing myself into survival from today, so I’m a little depressed because I’ll be saying goodbye to a warm bed.

『Even so, this was a surprisingly good equipment shop…』

「Hmm?」

Then, while heading to the checkout section, Tre’ainar murmured in admiration while looking over the store again by my side.

『I never expected Calorie Friend, as well as a Magical Survival Knife…. to be sold at such low prices.』

「Oh~, sure.」

『Besides…』

Well, another reason we didn’t go over budget was that some of our purchases were super cheap.

「Besides?」

『Hmm, neither this Calorie Friend… nor the Magical Survival Knife… seem to be imitations of those used by the Demon King Army… the materials, the raw ingredients, as far as they are concerned… they appear to have been manufactured in the Demon Realm.』

「Huh? The Demon Realm?」

『Uh huh, in other words, this equipment shop … it means that they are procuring products from the Demon Realm…』

「I, is that so?」

I don’t know, but if Tre’ainar says so, it must be so.

No, the war between the Surface World and the Demon Realm has already ended, and such deals are gradually emerging.

In fact, my parents were working to further promote that friendship.

So it’s not surprising that this store was stocking such products…

『Stocking products from the Demon Realm is inherently costly. There would be shipping costs and tariffs… despite that, how… are they sold at such low prices?』

「Heh… the shopkeeper…… must be an oddball.」

『Hmm, the point is this knife and portable rations are not so cheap. The fact that they would go through the trouble to obtain stock from the Demon Realm and sell at this price…… their sense for commerce… in some respect… involves some personal attachment, and I feel they are purposefully selling these to make an impression.』

I clearly thought, “No one buys it because it has a bad image, and it’s selling at a bargain”.

But if what Tre’ainar says is true, it’s certainly a little concerning.

Why stock expensive products that don’t sell and sell them at a very low price? What was the point of such a thing…

『Hmm?』

「What’s wrong?」

At that moment, Tre’ainar suddenly turned his gaze to a certain corner. It’s the grocery section.

We should have already bought what we need to buy, but what else? And it’s a shelf we didn’t go through.

On the shelves were bottles of various kinds. Some kind of seasoning?

And Tre’ainar…

『Nuh, oooooooooooh, are these not spice!』

「……?」

『T, this is, nunuh, and such a wide variety… why do they have so many spices in an equipment shop? Basic turmeric, cumin, coriander… and…』

It looked like a spice section. Anyway, there was certainly a wide variety.

As expected, I can’t tell which one is what, even if I look at the color of the spices in the jars, but Tre’ainar’s eyes were shining.

And at the same time, he was grinding his teeth.

『Nuh… tis a splendid sort… if only there was this… even the “Great Demon King Curry” that I developed through trial and error… ugh… however…… with the budget… w, we could cut down a little… no, no, tis impossible… nuh…』

「Oh… are they that good?」

『Fool! You are unaware of how beneficial spices are for your health! Digestive system, liver function, brain function activity, appetite enhancement, nourishing tonic, fatigue recovery, metabolism…… ah~, anyway, this is … if only… nuh… Curry…』

It’s rare that Tre’ainar was seriously worried.

I mean, what the heck is curry?

No, no, no, everything I’m about to buy was the bare minimum.

We can’t cut any off to add spices, right?

But Tre’ainar seems to know that too.

That’s why he looked so frustrated…

『Eeei, no choice. Child, that is all we will purchase for now, and then we will earn a little more money on top of that! Or better yet… uh huh, you still need to register as a Hunter…』

「Hey, hey, hey —」

Hey, how badly do you want it! I mean, registering as a Hunter …

“Hey there young man… won’t you buy it?”

『”Huh?!”』

At that moment, we turned around with our backs to the spice corner and saw a man standing in front of us.

“…… Huh?”

“Aren’t you going to buy it?”

A handsome young man wearing an apron.

Then, he looked down at me with a blank expression and doll-like eyes that showed no emotion.

Even so… this guy…

“Ah, erm… are you… the clerk here?”

“Hmm? Oh…… you don’t know me?”

No, no I don’t. What is it? This guy…

“But you’re going to buy this, aren’t you? This spice… you need it, don’t you?”

“Ah, no, I just picked it up…”

“No. You need it, right? So why don’t you buy it? I don’t get it. Why won’t you buy it?”

And then, he suddenly closed the distance and asked me. No, no, scary close. What the hell?

“No, I just, I don’t have enough money~ I think.”

“Money? What about the money? If you’re short, why don’t you negotiate.”

“Ha, hah?”

“Why give up before you do anything… I don’t get it… why is that?”

…… I don’t understand. I mean, what is this guy really about?

『He is an odd fellow…』

Oh, Tre’ainar seemed to think so too.

He suddenly appeared, crowded on me, and said things that I didn’t understand… when Shinobu first fell in love with me, she suddenly closed the distance and talked to me about various things like this, but well, that was because she fell in love with me, and besides, I looked past that because she was beautiful, but… when an older man does it… honestly, it’s unsettling.

And then……

“Hey, shopkeeper! Give me some advice on slaying monsters next time!”

“Oh, there’s the shopkeeper! Hey, shopkeeper ~, it’s about time you join our party as a helper!”

“Kyaaaaa, it’s the shopkeeper

The moment the people around me noticed the presence of this man standing behind me, the whole restaurant started to make a commotion.

The women were going kyaa-kyaaa. No, that’s right~, he’s handsome, but…

But the guy was cool ……

“How noisy… I’m talking to this young man right now, aren’t I?”

Brushed aside. But, even with such a cold attitude, the smiles of those around him never cease.

What is it…? Besides……

「Hey, Tre’ainar…」

『Hmm…』

「This guy is weird, I don’t know if he’s crazy, but… just…」

Tre’ainar was also looking at this man with sharp eyes.

From the way he talked, he seemed to be the manager of this store.

He was probably about the same age as Sadiz and the Prince.

But……

『Tsuea… this man…』

「Hmm… who is he? He doesn’t look like just a young manager of an equipment shop, but…」

Even though he’s just standing there, I can tell. He’s pretty strong, isn’t he?

At the very least, I can see that this shopkeeper was much stronger than any of the Adventurers or Hunters in this store.

“Geez, ‘Slayer Shopkeeper’ is ~, as cold as ever~ na~”

“But he’s cool and strong, so I love his attitude…”

At that time, Tre’ainar reacted to the laughter and words spoken by the people around us.

『…… Slayer? The name… certainly…』

At any rate, it seemed that he was far from an ordinary man …

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