Castle Town of Renalute
“Wow, it’s even more impressive seeing the town up close than from inside the carriage!”
“Lord Reed, please try not to draw too much attention since you’re dressed as a maid.”
“Ah, my bad.”
I got a bit too excited looking at the streets of Renalute Town and Diana gently scolded me. I had consulted with Farah about really wanting to visit the town outside the castle while talking to her at the castle keep. However, before I knew it, I ended up having to change into a maid outfit for some reason.
But thanks to that, I was able to come to the town outside Renalute Castle. On the way to the castle, I had gotten a glimpse of the scenery from the carriage window. Seeing it up close in the town itself, I was struck again by the Meiji era-like townscape. By the way, while Diana and I were dressed as maids, Farah and Asna wore a fusion of Japanese hakama pants and boots. As a quartet of a maid and hakama wearers, we definitely stood out.
I decided not to dwell too much on it. After all, there might be clues in Renalute Town about herbs that could be ingredients for medicine to treat my mother’s Mana Depletion disease. I couldn’t afford to worry about little personal details. Additionally, I was considering secretly scouting engineers from Renalute to bring back to the Baldia family estate. I had thought that combining the Empire’s and Renalute’s technologies could lead to all sorts of possibilities. As I looked around thinking about this, Farah curiously asked me:
“Come to think of it, why did you want to come to the town outside the castle, Lord Reed?”
“Well, I’ll tell you, Princess Farah.”
I explained to Farah and Asna that my mother suffered from the terminal Mana Depletion disease, and that I was searching for information on herbs needed to treat it. I also honestly told them that I was looking to recruit engineers to the Baldia family estate to further technological development. They seemed a bit surprised, but Farah soon had a worried look.
“So your mother was afflicted with such an illness, Lord Reed. I understand. I’ll do whatever I can to help.”
As Farah responded to me, Asna pondered something with a stern expression.
“Recruiting engineers directly under our nation may cause issues. However, I know of one Armory that isn’t directly under us, so it may not be as problematic.”
“Really?! Then let’s go there first!!”
I eagerly latched onto Asna’s information. While the “not directly under us” part was a bit concerning, I couldn’t afford to pass up any opportunity right now. Asna smiled and said “Understood,” before taking the lead to guide us there.
The place Asna took us to was quite a ways away from the town center. After walking for so long, I became worried for Farah and spoke up as we walked.
“Princess Farah, the distance is a bit far. Are you alright?”
“Yes, this is nothing compared to my usual training.”
Her usual training? Does she do physical training in addition to studying? Seeing my puzzled expression, Farah noticed and gave a smile.
“Fufu, looks can be deceiving. I do get quite a bit of exercise. So I’m fine. But…”
“But…what is it?”
She looked at my face and shyly murmured,
“Could you…drop the formal speech when we’re out like this? If it’s alright with you, please just call me…um…Farah…”
As she finished saying that, her face gradually turned beet red. Prompted by her demeanor, I felt my own face redden, but her request seemed reasonable. If it’s just with close company and she’s fine with it, then it should be okay. After taking a deep breath and making up my mind, I gently smiled.
“Understood. I can’t in public settings due to our positions, but in private company like this I’ll address you that way. Is that alright…Farah?”
“…!! Yes, Lord Reed.”
An awkward yet exciting tension filled the air between Farah and I as we walked. However, part of what she said made me want to make a request as well.
“Farah, please just call me Reed too. No need for ‘Lord’.”
“Y-Yes, I understand…Reed.”
Once again, Farah and I both blushed, and her ears twitched up and down. I was gradually starting to understand the meaning behind her ear movements. With reddened cheeks, she covered her face with both hands, closed her eyes in embarrassment, and shook her head slightly side-to-side, likely trying to compose herself. I took some deep breaths to calm down too.
Diana and Asna, who had been watching our exchange nearby, seemed to be suppressing smiles and giving soft “kukuku” chuckles. Then, as Asna walked slightly ahead, she pointed forwards and spoke up.
“There it is. You can see it now.”
Looking where she pointed, there was indeed a shop. But it didn’t seem very lively or have many people around. Was it something of a hidden gem shop? Finally arriving in front of it, I muttered in surprise.
“This is…the right place?”
“It should be, but…”
The sign Asna had led us to read “Gemini Armory.” However, a smaller sign hung on the entrance door said “Going Out of Business Sale.” The whole place also had a rather run-down feel. With a troubled look, Asna turned to me and bowed.
“My apologies. When I had last been here, it didn’t seem like this. It handled good quality weapons, almost like a hidden gem shop…”
“I see. But if Asna says they had good weapons, we might as well check it out.”
As I tried to head inside, Diana stopped me. What was the matter? I gave her a puzzled look. With a slightly exasperated expression, she responded,
“Tia, this isn’t your home estate. In situations like this, the attendants should enter first.”
“Ah, right. My bad.”
I let Diana go ahead of me. As she opened the door, the entrance bell rang with a “karankaran” sound. Then a surprised female voice came from further inside.
“Eh…? No way, a customer?!”
Shortly after, hurried footsteps could be heard approaching, and a young girl appeared behind the shop counter. Seeing her, Diana had a slightly surprised look and muttered just loud enough for me to hear.
“I see, so the reason Asna recommended this place is because it’s run by dwarves.”
I was surprised to hear this, as Chris had told me before that dwarves rarely leave their homeland. I peeked out from behind Diana to get a look at the girl. I couldn’t tell if she was a full-grown dwarf adult, but she was relatively short in stature and had a bit of a wheat-toned complexion, though not quite as dark as a dark elf’s. Her hair was reddish-black, her ears were slightly pointed and protruding, and her eyes were large and dark. Upon seeing us, her expression brightened and she cheerfully spoke up.
“Welcome, welcome to our Gemini Armory!!”
Our? I wondered, when another set of footsteps and a voice came from further inside.
“Sis, what’s going on? There’s no way we actually have customers. It’s probably just another prank, right?”
“Hey!! Alex!! These are real customers. And there are four of them!”
“You’re…right.”
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It seemed this was a shop run by dwarf siblings. Realizing I was seeing dwarves and their crafts for the first time in this world, my eyes sparkled with delight.
“Amazing…this is my first time seeing works made by dwarves!! Can I take a look at everything you have in the shop?!”
However, the dwarf siblings gave me puzzled looks. Why was that? Then I remembered my current outfit. I suppose it was rather odd for a child dressed as a maid to eagerly want to see all the weapons made by dwarves. Feeling embarrassed, I turned red in the face.
Soon after, the dwarf called Alex muttered with a slightly grimaced look.
“What an…eccentric maid you are.”
“But having an interest in dwarf crafts shows good taste, kid.”
The two dwarves seemed to be siblings, with very similar facial features and builds. Feeling a bit shy but still curious, I stepped out from behind Diana and looked around the shop. As I examined each weapon on display, I was amazed by the intricate and meticulous craftsmanship.
Eventually, I spotted an interesting knife, so after getting permission I picked it up to inspect it closer. Yeah…this is probably really well-made. I’ve seen some swords at the Baldia estate before. Those had a certain warped, uneven quality with minor blemishes that was unavoidable. Of course, it’s unfair to compare mass-produced knight corps weapons to dwarf handicrafts. Still, this knife seemed exceptionally well-crafted. As I went to return the knife, I realized I hadn’t gotten the dwarf woman’s name.
“Thank you for this. Um…”
“No need for formalities. I’m Ellen. That’s my brother Alex over there.”
The Ellen who took the knife from me gestured to Alex in the back. Noticing his sister, Alex gave me a friendly smile in response. Just this interaction alone gave a great impression of the shop. Yet why did they have a “Going Out of Business” sign up? I decided to ask about it.
“By the way, there was a ‘Going Out of Business Sale’ sign outside. Are you closing down the shop?”
“Ah, it was like this…”
Ellen began speaking with a somewhat melancholic expression on her face. From her demeanor, it seemed like she wanted someone to listen to her story. The two of them originally lived in the Dwarf nation of Galdorand. However, due to various circumstances, they ended up drifting to Renaloot.
They were nearly penniless, but since Dwarves are a rare existence, they had high value. So Ellen used herself as collateral to take out a loan and set up a store and workshop. At first, they had a good reputation, but gradually customers started staying away unnaturally. Despite the good reviews, the reason for the dwindling customers was unclear. Suspicious, Ellen asked an adventurer who had bought weapons from them. Apparently, if you carried weapons made by Gemini Armory, other weapon shops would refuse to serve you or overcharge you as harassment.
Ellen was outraged that such a ridiculous thing could exist. However, it was a fact that those who disliked the rise of outsiders were putting pressure on them, and unfortunately, Ellen and Alex did not have the power to resist it. Unable to repay the loan they took, they were left with only debt, forcing Ellen into a situation where she had to sell herself. After explaining this, Ellen showed a self-mocking smile with a playful demeanor.
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