--I've promised Garnett that I'll make the armor that she wants, but the first priority is to complete the work of the shop.

　Sakura will help me with the work in the morning, and in the afternoon it will be me, Garnett, Noir and Erika.

　In addition to our normal duties, I teach Erica, a newcomer, how to do her job and explain to visitors about the new products we have on trial.

　The magic items Noir created are still being asked by many customers what they are, and the small scrolls - a western magic version of the Eastern-style spell - are also attracting strong interest.

　And the potions that Erica brought as a hand-me-down gift were sold out in no time at all, and there was no shortage of requests for more to be sold.

''Was it made by a medicine man from the Huomo Road?　That's great!　Stock up on more.
Oh my gosh, isn't that Erica the Walnut? You're a big girl. I think it's a good thing you're out of the house.
I'm always taking care of the recovery potions, but they really do work.
I tried mixing that same herb myself, and I got a stomachache. That's why you're so skilled.

　Strangely ...... or should I say predictably, Erica's concoction of potions was received outstandingly well by Green Hollow Town residents.

　Green Hollow Town and Walnut Town are neighboring towns, albeit some distance apart.

　As evidenced by the fact that Sylvia and Erica, who are from each town, are friends, the two towns must have had a long history of communication.

My family supplies materials from the 'Sundial Forest' as well. We also received orders from Green Hollow for the products we mixed.
Yeah, right. A runaway stealing customers is just good medicine for a bunch of violent parents.

　Garnett seemed to enjoy listening to Erica's personal stories about her life while she was working.

　However, as Garnett says, whether Erica's activities are a painful event for her parents' family or not is something we can't determine.

　If they were prepared to leave town to pursue their dreams instead of the damage they would have done if they tried to interfere with their daughter's independence, they're willing to give up their Green Hollow customers - and there's no chance that they think so.

　Right after I became an adventurer, I wouldn't have come up with this hypothesis either.

　But as the years went by and I approached my parents' age at the time, I began to feel that it wasn't just a matter of giving them a straightforward push back.

(...... Let's not do that. It's just vain to think about it. There's no parental love or anything, not even a potential partner. ......)

　I broke off my vague thoughts and raised my gaze.

　Then there was the neat face of a garnet tilted sideways in front of me, almost touching the tip of my nose.

'Whoa!

　I almost slide off the chair, screaming strangely.

'Pfft!　Hahahahaha!　What was that!
You... ......
Sorry, sorry. You didn't answer my calls. I thought you were asleep at work. I've got a guest that wants to take care of you.

　Garnett tapped me on the shoulder as I was about to sit back in my chair and pointed with his thumb towards the entrance of the store.

　Standing there was a man carrying two magic spears sealed with cloth dyed through the spell crest - Dustin, an A-rank adventurer.

''You don't look like you're here to buy ...... weapons, do you?
"Luke of the White Wolf Forest. There is something I need to tell you and something I need to ask you. As soon as business is over, I want you to come to the Spring Young Leaf Pavilion.
Well, I guess that's not a reason to talk about it right now. The thing is, you can go to .......

　I cut off my words there and gave Garnett a sideways glance before turning to Dustin and continuing my statement.

'...... Is this something I have to go through alone?'
I don't care how many people you bring to the inn. But only you, you, and Travis will be in the room with me.
Travis?

　The face of a man who looked like a big dog in a lion's skin passed through my mind.

'Just as well. I had to run some errands for Travis, too.
It's settled. I'll be waiting for you.

　As he walked away, Dustin cast a ghostly glance at Noir, who was working on paperwork in the corner of the accounting counter.

　He didn't understand his intentions, but it was apparently too much to frighten Noir, so he bent down behind the counter and hid his figure.

　And Erica, too, seemed unable to hide her confusion at the suddenness of the situation.

'Oh, what the hell is that man?'
''Dustin the Two Spearman. I'm one of the A-ranked adventurers helping the Golden Fang Knights defeat the Demon King.
'What?　They even come to people like that: ......

　I don't know what Dustin is going to tell me and what I'm going to get out of him.

　However, I had faith that it was not a trivial matter, and I was certain that it was something related to the defeat of the Demon King.

　Both were obvious from the character of the man called Dustin.

　He has always disliked exaggerated behavior.
　There was no doubt that he had a good reason to do so, since he had gone to the trouble of arranging a private meeting with the three of us.

''At any rate, there's nothing we can do about it without meeting him.

　Then we wrapped up the day's business without incident and made our way to the Spring Wakaba-Tei as planned.

　We were accompanied by all three of us.
　Garnett, as usual, and Noir and Erica, who are staying at the Spring Wakaba Tei, are also working with me on their way home.

''Welcome!　Oh, Luke. I've heard of you. Come in this room.
Well, I'm off then. You'll have to stick around for a while.

　Leaving the three of us in the dining room space, Sylvia leads us to a room at the back of the first floor.

　The atmosphere is more like a room for talking without being interrupted, rather than a room for lodging.

'Oh, you're here, Luke?'

　Travis was the only one waiting in the room.

　He was sitting in a two-person chair, but it looked like there was only about half of the available space left for one person.

'Looks like the person who made the call hasn't arrived yet.
I don't know where the hell you're going with this.
All right. Travis, I need you to do one thing for me.

　Sitting down in the chair across from Travis, I cut to a personal errand that was separate from Dustin's case.

'I'm looking for the highest quality scrap of armor possible. I want someone who is one rank higher than the ones I'm buying through the guild. I want to use it as a base to [synthesize] with Mithril, do you have any idea of a route I can purchase it through?
What, you're talking about purchasing materials for your products?
Well, that's about it.

　Travis stroked his chin as he leaned his weight on the back and began to think about the answer to my question.

'Hmmm ...... When it's a rank above the scrap that gets traded in for the guild, I don't have any idea what the stones are.
Well, it's no use.
But I have an idea why it's new.

　Then Travis chuckled.

'The man who left my party and took over the blacksmith family business has also become a blacksmith of considerable reputation. I'll be happy to mediate if you, of all people, ask me for a favor.'
'Really?　Thanks, can you do that?

　This is a step forward in the matter of the armor I will be making for Garnet.

　The products we carry in the store are armaments that were traded in by the Adventurer's Guild.

　The ones of outstanding high quality are seldom, and if you're aiming for a more powerful armament, it's still inevitably lacking.

I'm sure you'll be able to find it. The other person has arrived.

　Just then, Sylvia's voice was thrown through the door.