Muria is the royal capital of the Kingdom of Shumuria.

　Although it can't hold a candle to Astilio, the capital of neighboring Arun, the divine capital, it's still a huge city with 300,000 people.

　In the middle of the city, a wide avenue runs through the center of the city to the Holy Shmulia Royal Castle, and in the commercial district that stretches around it, many people gather and various shops line the streets.

　And now, the four of us were in the commercial district.

(Great crowd, as always.)

　It wasn't even a festival, but there were a lot of people walking down the street.

　In order to avoid getting lost, Solstice and I were held hands on either side of Illtimina-san.

　The one walking in the front is Kilt-san.

　I was worried that a celebrity would make a scene walking in such a crowd, but

"Many people know the name Kirto Amandes, but not many know his face, except for the adventurers.

　He said.

(Come to think of it, there's no TV or photos in this world.)

　He had once appeared in front of a large crowd at the King's 50th birth anniversary ceremony, but that was a long way off, and he was wearing an unusual dress.

　Moreover, her current appearance wasn't the outfit of an adventurer, she was just dressed normally, with her silver hair in a ponytail.

　No one would recognize her as that 'Golden Mark Demon Hunter'.

(In fact, no one would even notice her.)

　I thought to myself, strangely impressed, that it's like that, not surprisingly.

　As I walked along like that, among the shops lined up, I could occasionally see shops with magic power measuring devices installed. Those are the shops that refuse to allow the 'Demon Blood People' to enter the stores.

(............)

　Discrimination against demon blood.

　It's an act that didn't exist in Arun's capital, the divine imperial capital Astilio.

　However, there are many shops where the 'Demon Blood People' can enter. On the whole, that's 70% of the total.

　We don't see the same level of discrimination that we saw in the Arun frontier, such as the town-wide refusal to enter the town or the life-threatening level of discrimination, at least not in Shumuria, at least not for me.

　It's sad and frustrating that there is discrimination, but

(But if anything, I'd still rather be in the Kingdom of Shumuria.)

　I thought so.

　The cost of living in the divine imperial city of Astilio is too high for those who can live there, and as a country, Shumuria still seems to be easier to live in.

　The three women of the 'Demon Blood People' who are with me must be living in this country because they thought so too.

　And so we continue on down the street.　

　First of all, in order to have my equipment examined, we aimed at the armor shop that Kirt-san is familiar with.

(It must be a great shop, since the Golden Mark demon hunter is taking care of me.)

　What kind of restaurant is this?

　I was a little nervous to follow Quilt, who was leading the way.

　However, she turned off the street, where there were fine shops and many people, and went into a somewhat unpopular alleyway.

''.........''
..........
..........

　We followed, and we couldn't help but look at each other.

　Eventually, Quilt-san stopped in front of one old house.

(Huh?)　Is this the store?

　I thought to myself.

　That's how normal ... or rather, rundown looking the house was. If you looked closely, you could see a handwritten board that said 'Benas Armor Store' nailed to the door. And at an angle.

(............)

　Honestly, I'm worried.

　The sisters had the same expression on their faces.

　But Mr. Kilt didn't seem particularly bothered, and opened the door as if it was natural.

'Benas, are you there?'
Oh?

　A rattling voice returned from a dark room in the back.

　Beyond the door was a store that looked like it had been converted from a private house.

　Various types of armor, such as body armor, chainmail, hand and foot armor, helmets, and shields, were appropriately placed in that small room. The smell of metal strongly filled the store.　

　At the back of the store.

　There is one old man sitting on a chair.

　He seems to be an elderly dwarf.

　His gray hair was tucked haphazardly behind his head, and he was short, but in spite of his age, his muscles were sturdy.

　However, his right eye was white and cloudy, and he was apparently blind.

　The remaining left eye was staring at the four of us who had entered through the open door.

　Among them, I spotted the figure of the Golden Mark Demon Hunter.

It's the Demon Princess Kilt. I haven't seen you around for so long, I thought you had passed away.
This is how I live.

　Mr. Kilt chuckles at the old man who speaks in a sloppy tone.

　The old dwarf grinned.

''Well, Miss Kilto, you're not going to go down so easily, are you? ........So?　What do you want with a lonely armor shop in the middle of nowhere like this, the 'Golden Mark Demon Hunter' of the world?
I have a job for you.

　Mr. Kilt replied that.

"Merle.

　And called me.

(Uh-huh.)

　I hurriedly stepped in front of the old dwarf.

'Hello,'

　With both hands, I bow my head, holding the 'fairy equipment' wrapped in cloth.

　His left eye, which seems to be the only one he can see, rolls up.

''Hey, what's with this brat?　
"Idiot.
So you've taken up with the young swallow. That's interesting.

　bang

　Mr. Kilt, laughing, punched a nearby armor.
　

　Ugh, it's for sale, but is it good?

"Benas?
All right. I'm just kidding.

　The old dwarf raises his hands in surrender.

'So what's the connection, really?'
New party buddies.
Party buddies?　Miss Quilt?　A kid like this?

　He looks at me with a jittery look.

　Mr. Kilt says to me, confused.

'Merle,' he says. The old man is a blacksmith named Benas Aldor. He is a foul-mouthed but skilled blacksmith, and he has been in the care of Warawa, Elle, and many adventurers beyond the Silver Mark of Shumuria.

　Elle, you mean that deceased Golden Mark demon hunter, Eldorado Rogue?

(He's actually a great guy, this old man.)

　At my gaze, the old dwarven man - Mr. Benas - cowered, "Heh," he said.

He's just a lazy old man playing with fire and iron.
..........
What?　What's the job?

　Oh.....

Here it is.

　I hurriedly untied the cloth in my hand and showed him the 'Fairy Equipment' that was inside.

　The glint in Benas-san's left eye becomes sharp.

''Hey........this is.......the sword and armor of 'fairy iron'?'''

　Thick, knotted, leathery fingers take hold of my equipment.

'Yes,'

　Mr. Kilt nodded.

'I'd like to ask you to repair this marl's equipment.
With this brat's equipment?

　Mr. Benas looked at her in dismay.

'Oh, come on, Miss Kilt. You're not really a young mistress, are you? It's not the kind of equipment you'd give to a kid like this.
Do you think so?
"An.
Do you really think so?

　Benas-san's face contorts quizzically at Kirt-san's nonchalant question.

　Then he looks at my face and again looks at the equipment in his hand.

''.........''
..........
..........

　I returned the blade of the sword I was looking at and checked the condition of my armor.

　All the while, neither me, Kirt-san, nor the sisters waiting behind me said a word.

"You've cut through a lot of things. And something of considerable hardness.
..........
Isn't this really what little Miss Kilt used to do?
No.

　Mr. Kilt shook his head.

'I have never waved the straw. I've been using this marl.
..........
..........
'You will know, Benas. From the voice of this sword's transmission, you will know how skilled Marl's sword is.

　Mr. Benas looked at me again.

　I felt like he was looking at me a little differently than before.

"Kid. Let me see your hand.
Yes, sir.

　I held my hands out to show him.

　He touched my left and right hands, stroking each of his fingers to make sure they were intact.

'That's a weird hand,'
..........
You got calluses right where you need them. You have the right arm," he said. And the octopus is so soft. It's like he's had years to get it right.
..........
There's just too much skill and experience between them.

　..........

　I was surprised.

　It's true that I have the skill to imitate Kirt-san's sword exactly, but it's only been about half a year since I actually started practicing the sword.

(How can you know so much just by touching your hand?)

Merle was a genius.
..........
"For swordplay alone, you're probably better at it than Kirto Amandes here.

　Huh...?



　I'm surprised at how well it's been received.

　Both Illtimina-san and Solstice were a bit surprised.

　And Benas-san was also stunned, staring at the 'Golden Mark Demon Hunter' in front of her.

''You say that much, missy?''
..........

　Mr. Kilt's expression remained the same.

　Confirming this, Benas-san nodded.

'I see. ........Boy. No, Marle. I'm sorry I underestimated you.''
No, no!

　I shook my head from side to side, panicked.

　The old dwarven man laughed, somewhat amused.

I see. Iron does not lie. I'm really looking forward to the future.
..........
I'll fix that sword distortion in no time. Just leave it with me for a little while.
Yes. It's nice to meet you.

　I bowed my head.

　Mr. Benas nodded reliably, "Oh.

　Kilt-san, too, seems satisfied.

　Iltimina-san and Solstice also look at each other and smile, ''Good.

　But that awesome blacksmith's expression suddenly clouded over.

But the armor's a little worse.
Hmm?

(What...?

　To our surprise, Mr. Benas said.

I'm sorry, but this armor is already dead. It's all gone.
..........

　That's...

Are you sure you can't get it fixed?
No.

　He shakes his head.

'I'm sure replacing the broken armour and clasps will fix it.
..........
But I'm a bigot. I tend to think that weapons and armor have souls in them. That's what I mean by that. It's over. He died doing his job of protecting Merle's life, and now he's dead. Well, I'm sure he wanted this armor too.

　I couldn't say anything about it.

　It was the armor I'd been wearing all this time to protect me. It's a tool, but I'm still very attached to it.

　That's why I was so sad when I heard that he was dead.

(Armor-san....)　

　At my expression, Mr. Benas had a kind look on his face.

'It's nice to be able to wave your arms for someone who can make faces like that.
..........
Well, don't worry. I'll get you a new one.

　He nodded dependably.

...No, wait, what?

　The face suddenly remembered something.

　Mr. Kilt asks.

'What's up?'
I think this thing is called "fairy metal". I don't know if this is a good idea.

(Huh?)

　Benas-san looks at us with a frown.

I don't know if you guys know this, but 'fairy iron' is a very rare metal. It's not something that can be easily found in the local market. This sword and armor are not much more than 100,000 rides.

　

　Mr. Kilt sold me 50,000 rides.

(Maybe he was giving me an awesome discount?)

　I notice the concern now.

　But now there is something more important than that, says Mr. Kilt.

'Is it about money?　Then it doesn't matter if it costs a little more.
It's not.

　Mr. Benas shook his head and then said, "The material itself doesn't come to Shumuria now.

The material itself doesn't even come to Shumuria at the moment.
What?
Fairy iron is a metal that can only be found in the fairyland of the Teteto Confederacy in the north. But the amount of metal being mined is decreasing, so they stopped exporting it last month.

　Well, you know what I mean?

It's not gonna fix itself.
..........
..........
..........
..........

　All four of us were speechless.

　"Can you do something?" asked Mr. Kilt again.

"Can you do something?
I can't do anything without the materials. To begin with, fairy iron is a very sturdy material. There's no way we can keep some of that material for repairs. It's not something that should be destroyed by a hole in the ground like this.

　knock-knock

　Lightly tapping his fingers on the armor with a hole in it, Benas.

'Really, I don't know what could have happened to me to make me look like this...'

　..............
　

　Solstice, who had been silent until now, opened her mouth.

''If it's not there, then it can't be helped. In the first place, Marle, you were using the 'Armor of the Divine Armor', right?　What's wrong with that?

　Divine Armor Armor.
　That would be the full body armor, like the exoskeleton that wrapped around my whole body in the battle of the Cocudo area.

'I can't do that,'

　I said.

'That armour is too heavy to use unless you're in 'Godgu Mode'.
Hmm?
''And there's also the weakness of the 'divine Qi' that's too much wear and tear to be deployed all the time, so I can't use it for everyday use.

　In response to my answer, Iltimina-san let out a voice, "Is that right?

　Solstice nodded, "Yes.

So why don't you get a new suit of armor?
..........

　New armor, huh?

(Hmmm.)

　To be honest, I didn't feel like it.

　But alas, it may be the only way to go.

　Time doesn't wait, and the fight is going to continue. It is indeed too reckless to take on that battle without protective gear.

　I was troubled, but Kirt-san also had a reluctant look on his face.

"But is there any other armor that's as light as the 'Fairy Iron Armor'?
..........
Mahr's body is still a child. The lightness of Marle's armor is essential if he is to use his swordsmanship. Without it, his sword would be dull with his current strength.

　Indeed..........

(The armor was so light that even I, as a kid, could fly and jump and move quickly, and I could swing my sword at will.)

　If my armor gets too heavy, I can't fight with what I have now.

　We look at the great dwarven blacksmith.

"We don't have that kind of metal.

　He clarified.

'If it were only light, I could handle it with leather armor. But the defenses would be too different.
..........
''If a situation like punching a hole in the fairy iron happens again, first of all, there's definitely no way Marl's boy is going to die.

　...........

(Hmmm, this is troubling.)

　We all frowned in annoyance.

　Looking at our grave situation, Benas-san opened his mouth.

If you insist, we'll just have to go directly to the Teteto Confederation to buy some 'fairy iron'.

(What...?

　Directly to the Tet Tetley Confederacy?

I've got a friend in the mines in Fairyland.
Is that so?
Yeah, well, if you insist, I'll write you a referral.

　The four of us looked at each other.

　We would like to go if we could, but right now we were not in a position to go to another country so easily in order to prepare for the Children of Darkness.

(The Teteto Confederacy...)

　As I recall, it's a confederation of twenty small nations north of the Kingdom of Shumuria.

'It's not as far as Arun, but it's going to take us three weeks to get there one way.

　Solstice muttered.

(I see.)　

　The round trip would take six weeks, or roughly a month and a half,

　Kirt-san puts his hand on his chin and thinks about it.

I'm sure the battle will be tough without armor. I'll have to ask Princess Reclear first.
Yes.
Yes.
Well, have at it.

　We each nodded our heads.

　In the end, we decided to leave the "Fairy Sword" with Benas-san for about three days to repair it that day, and we asked him to put the matter of the referral letter on hold for now.

''Oh, if you need it, you can always tell me.

　He graciously agreed to do so.

　Thank you, Benas-san.

　Also, although it's kind of a relief, it's better than nothing, so I bought the "Leather Armor" and the "Single-Edged Dagger", which weighs about the same, as a replacement weapon until the "Fairy Sword" returns.

(It's similar to the 'Marl's Fang' I used before.)

　But I heard it's a better item.

I thought it would be a good idea to use it as a backup weapon when I get my "fairy sword" back.

I'll see you in three days.
Oh, I'm on it!

　The old dwarven man smiled dependably at Kilt's words, creating a forceful hump that was unbecoming of his age.

　Then we left the Benas Armor Store.

　I was in the street in front of the store when I suddenly thought to myself.

It is a very good idea to be a armor shop, when you can also repair weapons.

　'Hmm,' muttered Mr. Kilt, looking up at the blue sky.

'I don't know the details either. I heard that he used to handle weapons as well, but he got tired of 'hurtful' weapons and concentrated on 'protective' armor.
..........
He has lived a long time. He's been through a lot.

　I couldn't help but look back at the shop.

　Mr. Kilt laughed.

I've heard that only those Benas has allowed to sell daggers and have their swords repaired in this way are now allowed to do so.

I'm....accepted?

　I stare at the dagger I just bought.

　But........I don't really know what I've been recognized for.

"So..........

　Seeing me in distress, Kilt-san says happily.

(???)

　I don't understand more and more.

　But I'm smiling and nodding repeatedly, as if Illtimina-san understands, too, and she smiles as if she's convinced.

　Solstice doesn't seem to understand, just like me.

　I can't help but ask.

'What do you mean?'
Don't worry about it. Merle just needs to be Merle as he is.

.................

　crumpled

　Mr. Kilt's hand stroked my head roughly.　

'See, the next step is grocery shopping, right?'
Uh-huh.
Well, let's get the hell out of here then.

　Showing his white teeth, Kilt-san starts walking ahead again.

　As I stand there, a smiling Ms. Illtimina comes up next to me and holds my hand and Solstice's to keep us from getting lost again.

　The afternoon sunshine pours down.

　Bathing in the early autumn sunshine, the four of us continue our shopping in the royal city of Mulia.