-- The next day's business day ended without incident, and we proceeded to prepare to close as usual.

'Good work today. How did you feel about the new product?

　After locking up and cleaning up the place except for the kitchen door, he asked a few simple questions to everyone who was ready to leave.

　The first to answer was Alexia.

''I've had quite a few inquiries about the prototype of the projectile. A non-combatant like Leila was able to play an active role in that battle, so it was still very much in the spotlight.
Speaking of which, did that usability report you asked Alexia to write for you, was it helpful?
Of course!　Because feedback from the field is a valuable treasure!　We've found some improvements, and I'm sure the next one we make will be even easier to use!

　Alexia put her arm around Layla's shoulder to hug her, smiling a few times and tapping her lightly.

'A-ranked Travis also appreciates Leila's success!　I made a sales pitch that said, "I'm going to be a big hit.
'What ......!　When did you do that!　I mean, what do you want Mr. Travis to say!

　The throwing spell armor bullet - officially named the throwing spell armor bullet - was a new joint creation of Alexia and Noir that was tested during the last battle in the Demon King's Castle Underground Labyrinth.

　Conventional spell-loaded bullets were miniature versions of spell scrolls reduced to the size of the palm of one's hand, which were strapped to the tip of a bow or crossbow arrowhead and fixed in place so that they would fly far away.

　The spells were naturally made of paper, so they were difficult to throw far away, and unless you could manipulate the wind or use the flow of magic, the only way to use them was to activate them at hand or stick them on.

　The selling point was that you didn't need to be a wizard to easily use a minimum amount of magic, but if you weren't a wizard, the effective range was shortened.

　The spell-loaded bullets overcame this disadvantage, but there was a disadvantage here as well.

　Simply put, the more spells you added, the more their mass and volume would get in the way, and their range and hit rate would decrease.

　Just as a thick encyclopedia is incredibly heavy, the weight of a bundle of paper can be quite heavy.

''But you've thought about it. But you've thought about it, making a conglomerate filled with spells. The fact that you don't even need a crossbow and can project it as long as you can move your arms is also a great tactical advantage.''

　Sakura picked up a sample of the curse armor that was placed in the store and looked at it from various angles with admiration.

　Incidentally, today Sakura is in the position of having come as a customer, not as a shop assistant.

　She said she was going to stay in the store for a while after finishing her shopping and dropping off Leila and Erica, who were staying at the same inn, to go home.

''At first the concept was to complicate the structure of the spell-loaded bullets to create a large firepower. It's like stuffing the tip with fire-attribute explosive magic spells, planting wind magic in the back, and then accelerating the wind pressure right after firing to send it far ....... It's too complicated and unsuitable for mass production, so we rejected it.

　Alexia waved her hand in the air with a wry smile.

　Working with Noir, Alexia has devised a number of weapons and tools that combine finesse and magic tools, but not all of her attempts have been successful.

　Behind one successful project, there are many times more failures.
　It's not uncommon for a reasonably well-funded attempt to be frozen in development because of problems that are currently difficult to solve.

　I can't help them with my knowledge and skills, so I have to use [repair] or [analysis] at their request, or even provide research funds as a budget.

''Besides, it was Noir who came up with the prototype of the projectile.

　Alexia switched the brunt of her statement from Sakura to me.

'When we were researching combined spell armor, Noir got mad at me for not balancing the two magics well at all. It's like he got a flash of inspiration when he crushed the spellbook together like this with both hands gingerly and crushed it and threw it in the air.
'Ki, did you lose your temper ......?　Noir?
A little more on that story: ......!

　Me and Erica, by the way, get bitten by the oddest thing.

　I've never seen or even been able to imagine Noir, who even feels quiet, exploding with emotions in such a direction, though not very well, but I couldn't even imagine it.

　I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to make it work for you.

''That ...... isn't the kind of thing I'm talking about, so ...... isn't ......!　No, from ......!　It's better than ...... ....... ......

　Noir, doing her best to distract the conversation, adds her own opinion about the projectiles.

"This is useful, but ...... powerful, but ...... too big, too ...... head office, so... ...I'm not going to sell it, I might as well .......
''So it's beyond the reach of ordinary residents and low-ranked adventurers.

　Noir nodded with a chuckle.

'Leila, there was ...... in ...... report, too. Throwing ...... loss, when ...... risk is ...... big and ...... large.
That's why I think we should sell it to the local chapter, where there are more experienced people. I see. What do you think, Alexia?
'I agree with you. Even if the people of the town want it, it won't sell. It would be unbearable if they started it by mistake and blew up the whole house.

　I wasn't able to be present at the scene of Leila's use of projectiles in the previous battles, so I still haven't figured out with my own eyes how destructive that was specifically.

　However, if Noir and Alexia are willing to say that, then I should accept that opinion with an open mind.

''Alright. We'll sell the offensive projectiles in the branch alone. Maybe we can talk to the head of the chapter, Florence, and say that we need the permission of the guild chapter.
''Oh, that's good, permission only. If the Guild or the Knights or whatever is responsible for biting off a piece of paper, the dangerous ones will be able to get it in the store without worry.
'Are you comfortable with that, ......?　Well, that's about it. I've got one suggestion for you, too.

　Based on what we've been talking about so far, I'm going to ask the experts for their opinion, which I just came up with just now.

'The reason projectiles are so dangerous is because they are too powerful for their ease of use. If that's the case, if they're good enough to be used for self-defense, why don't we put them in the head office (here)?
'Hmmm, what exactly do you envision?'
'Like, enough to scare away a predator we encountered in the mountains. It wouldn't do any damage if it malfunctioned, if you could just chase it away instead of taking it down.
Yeah, that sounds good!
"...... flashbullets ...... no ...... beast avoidance, specialized ...... it, and also ...... on ...... smokescreen.
I also thought of this, but it could be used to raise the smoke signal.　In this case, rather than throwing it, the advantage is that it's easier to use--

　The exchange of ideas is inevitably lively, and I'm immersed in an exchange between just me, Alexia and Noir.

　Although I'm far inferior to the two in terms of skill and knowledge, I don't think I'm losing to them in terms of my experience as an adventurer in a variety of fields.

　As I was doing this, Sakura interrupted the conversation with a sense of reserve.

''I'm sorry. It's almost time to go, so I'll take Erika and Leila back to the inn.
I'm sorry, I was talking to you on the phone. Could you do me a favor?
I'll take care of it. I'll see you tomorrow.

　Sakura took them towards the kitchen door, then stopped and looked back.

'Since you're here, I'd like to take one from me. The guy from Nagi said that he was wondering if you could plant the A(⋅)are-(⋅) into a shuriken ...... throwing dagger.