SRS 45

“Oh, the weapon shop.”

Suhyeok quickly noticed one store. He was like a curious animal that went into or stopped in front of every shop he saw. This one was a weapon shop. Kylus’ stride widened.

“Let’s go in.”

He had already gone far ahead of them and reached the shop entrance alone, urging the rest to hurry.

“You’re really fast.”

He wasn’t a slow person normally, but his speed when heading toward a weapon shop was on another level. Wondering how much he liked these things, Yohan quickened his pace and entered the shop with the others.

“Welcome.”

An old man wearing a white cloth over his head greeted the four of them. He was short, muscular, and had the presence of an experienced craftsman. He didn’t look ordinary. While Yohan guessed that, Suhyeok and Kylus immediately walked to the wall covered with weapons. Their eyes drifted along the long swords.

“Oh…”

Suhyeok exclaimed in awe. It was a small sound but with bright eyes, he seemed impressed with the quality even though this was the first weapon shop he had stepped into.

Yohan awkwardly looked at the weapons. Even to inexperienced eyes like his, they all looked sharp and spotless, but he didn’t use swords, and he had even been told by the Phantom Sword Master that he shouldn’t touch one. There was nothing here that he wanted.

“Mm? You don’t need weapons. You need something else.”

“…Are you speaking to me?”

While he was looking at the display of daggers, the old man spoke. Yohan pointed to himself. The shopkeeper with the headcloth put his hands on his waist, scrutinized Yohan for a while, then gestured.

“Come here. Let me check something quickly.”

“……”

“Go on. It’ll be fine.”

“It might be good for you.”

As he hesitated, Mikael and Suhyeok gently pushed his back. Yohan stumbled forward and ended up standing in front of the old man.

The old man suddenly took out a measuring tape and measured Yohan’s height, then his arms, legs, shoulder width, hip circumference, and more.

Yohan felt like he had wandered into a tailor’s shop and quietly watched him work.

“Hm. You’re definitely not a combat type, right?”

“…Yes.”

“You’re too weak for armor. Not enough muscle.”

“……”

“Then something simple you can wear is better. Good. Follow me.”

With a rough wave of his hand, he pushed aside a curtain in the back of the shop and walked inside. He ordered Yohan around and didn’t even ask his opinion.

“Do you want me to go with you?”

Since Yohan hesitated, Mikael asked from behind. After the strange conversation earlier, Yohan felt uncomfortable and reacted slower than usual.

“…Aren’t you going to look at weapons?”

“There’s nothing here I want.”

“You use a sword too.”

“I don’t use it well.”

They exchanged empty words just to avoid awkward silence. Yohan realized that talking to Mikael felt more difficult now.

“Are you coming or not?”

The old man shouted angrily from inside.

“…If you don’t mind, come with me.”

Since the situation was getting urgent, Yohan pushed aside his hesitation and asked. Mikael readily followed him behind the curtain.

“Catch!”

The moment Yohan stepped inside, the small old man tossed several bundles of light gray cloth at him.

“Uh…”

He hadn’t handed them over, he had thrown them. Yohan hurriedly caught them and gave him a questioning look. The old man put on small glasses, climbed onto a footstool, and swept everything off the workbench.

Crash!

Everything on the table clattered loudly as it fell. Kylus and Suhyeok leaned over, peeking in with curiosity.

“Um…”

Yohan stared at the old man, who had suddenly cleared the workbench and begun taking the cloth from Yohan’s arms one by one, measuring, cutting, and adjusting. The man’s attitude was so calm and solemn that Yohan found it hard to speak.

“What are you doing right now?”

“Making armor that suits you.”

“…If it’s that, I’m grateful . But I didn’t ask you to.”

“I’m not telling you to buy it, so stay still. I am just feeling inspired.”

His speech swung between disrespectful and commanding polite form, and Yohan froze in place. The old man told him to keep quiet, then went back to cutting and sewing.

…We came to buy Kylus’s sword, so how did this happen?

“He’s a dwarf.”

Mikael whispered as he noticed Yohan’s discomfort.

“A dwarf?”

“They’re a race with amazing craftsmanship. They’re known for having such strong artisan instincts that once they get inspired, no one can stop them. I think he got inspiration from you.”

“Really…?”

It was flattering to have caught the interest of a craftsman, but Yohan still was confused. He whispered, “ Does inspiration came that easily?” and Mikael clarified that it wasn’t that simple, which was why the dwarf was concentrating so intensely.

“What’s going on?”

After Yohan and Mikael had stood side by side watching for a while, Suhyeok and Kylus joined them. They must have finished looking at the weapons. Both young men’s were empty handed.

“You’re not buying anything?”

“It’s our first weapon shop. We thought it’d be better to check other places too.”

“That’s smart.”

It was a good decision, so Yohan nodded, but then felt stuck. Since the others were finished, it felt like they should leave, but the dwarf didn’t look like he would stop any time soon.

“Ahh, he’s making something for you.”

Understanding the situation, Suhyeok cleared his throat loudly.

“Shopkeeper!”

His voice rang through the store, and the intense sound of scissors finally stopped. The dwarf turned his head.

“What?”

“We’re going to look around a bit more. If you plan to show Yohan what you’re making, can we come back later?”

“Do as you want. I already took his measurements.”

The dwarf waved them away like they were bothersome. Thanks to that, Yohan was spared from being stuck in the workshop until the end of the work. He felt grateful enough to bow to Suhyeok.

“He’s an unusual one.”

Suhyeok shared his impression of the shopkeeper. It was definitely the strangest shop they had visited so far. Yohan memorized its location carefully with the others before they moved on.

After that, Kylus and Suhyeok visited two more weapon shops, but none of the weapons captured their hearts.

“The first weapon shop was still the best.”

“Yes… This place wasn’t bad, but my standards became higher.”

People always said the more eccentric a crafting specialist was, the better their skill tended to be. The first shopkeeper really did act eccentric, so he might really be a master.

With the weapon browsing done, it was time to visit the bookstore Yohan had wanted. Since he memorized the location earlier, he led the group there. It was a small shop, but the shelves were full, and the number of books impressed him. Yohan’s eyes sparkled.

“Good for you, Yohan. You always ended up reading the Spirit Studies textbook because you didn’t have anything else.”

“…Wait. You were reading that because you didn’t have books? Not because you wanted to study?”

Hearing this, Suhyeok stared at Yohan like he was looking at another species. Yohan flinched and cleared his throat.

“…You knew?”

“You showed interest in my books a lot. You could’ve asked to borrow one.”

“…Lend me something next time.”

“Sure.”

Yohan hadn’t asked because it was embarrassing to borrow Mikael’s books in front of Suhyeok or Kylus, so he always chose the Spirit Studies textbook instead. He didn’t think Mikael had noticed.

“You’re so devout it’s almost frightening.”

“That’s why I didn’t ask, because I knew you’d say that.”

Yohan frowned and muttered irritably at Suhyeok, then relaxed and continued browsing with a lighter heart. Running his fingers along the book spines and searching for something that caught his attention, he felt Kylus step closer and hand him a book.

“Recommend.”

“Hm?”

Yohan lowered his gaze.

<A Beginner’s Easy Guide to Knight Training>

“…Thank you, but I’ll pass.”

Yohan quietly rejected it. Kylus stared at him like he couldn’t understand why, then shelved the book again.

“Yohan, Yohan, look at this too.”

This time it was Suhyeok.

<What Is a Cult?>

“Suhyeok. Do you dislike my behavior or something?”

Yohan asked seriously. Suhyeok apologized that it was a joke and put the book back.

None of his friends seemed capable of giving him a proper recommendation. Yohan sighed and continued walking through the bookstore, fingers brushing the shelves.

Tap.

Yohan heard footsteps behind him and assumed it was Mikael and continued reading the titles.

“Are you looking for a book about divinity?”

But the voice wasn’t the one he expected. A sense of alarm that had already etched itself into his body made him flinch. He got goosebumps as he very slowly turned his head in disbelief.

“A first-year lamb entering the commercial district is …unusual. I heard about the barrier. They said your blessing performed a miracle. …An excellent ability. You have the talent to become a professor.”

Even without seeing the face, he knew who it was. Yohan looked at the angel professor with an expression full of weary dread.