Editing Saijaku Muhai no Bahamut:Volume 9 Episode 4 (section)

===Part 5===

But, in the end Lux’s anxiety only ended up as absurd fear, after that they safely arrived to their destination, in front of a branch store at third block.

「……Amazing.」

Lux who entered inside the building spontaneously raised his voice seeing that sight.

It was a branch shop of Welled Company that was under the umbrella of Aingram conglomerate.

The building made from wood and brick looked conspicuous. It was bigger than he imagined.

A straight paved route was stretching from the closed gate that was a defense point against Abyss. The shop’s huge delivery entrance was connected on the route’s extension.

It was as though the building was the symbol of greed to quickly buy up the many articles that were brought from Ruin or the outside.

Inside the shop that had high class feeling in some respect, there was no wild hustle and bustle like in the market, but the eyes of the men and women of all ages who were exchanging business discussion at their respective table shared the same fierce light in their eyes.

Lux too had got involved several times with this world through his life of chores, and it seemed the characteristic aura that merchants possessed was the same anywhere.

Relie too, right after she lightly greeted the branch manager of the company who should be her associate, her expression immediately turned serious and they exchanged stories like the scrutiny of commodity, transactions talk, present market price, and so on.

Beside Relie who was having discussion with a smile that showed no opening, the female secretary who accompanied her was also taking memo with a serious face──,

「……Wait, eh?」

Lux couldn’t see Philuffy’s figure and thought of it as strange. Then he noticed the poking on his shoulder from the side.

Philuffy was standing beside him with her usual expressionless face.

「Lu-chan. Let’s look around together at various merchandise.」

「Eh……!?」

Philuffy was nibbling on a honey glazed donut while saying that.

This shop had three floors, and each floor was amazingly wide.

Certainly it was a place where they could look around without trouble but──,

「No, that’s bad right!? We are coming here……more or less as guard or for studying, that’s our position here!」

「Onee-chan told me it’s fine to study by observing around here.」

「We aren’t counted even as helper!?」

「Also, tell me if there is anything you want to buy? I received money from Onee-chan.」

「We were even given pocket money-!?」

What happened with being apprentice for being secretary and guard……?

And then, was it fine for him to not study for later?

He had known about Relie’s lackadaisical attitude since the past, but as expected this still made him felt exhausted.

Even so the public safety of Cross Field was good, furthermore a heavy security was laid out at the surrounding of this shop.

The possibility of problem occurring here was remarkably low.

Besides Lux’s mission in the end would be only to pretend in appearance, he wouldn’t be able to go as far as learning how to do business discussion for real anyway.

Then──perhaps familiarizing himself with the company atmosphere of this place was also a valid method.

「I get it, Phi-chan. Then, how about we look around for a bit?」

「Un. Let’s go, together.」

Lux observed around inside the shop together with Philuffy who made a faint smile.

A floor of the three storey shop was fairly wide, it was divided into several section.

It seemed the shop only dealt with few kind of perishable food, but things like bottled seafood or jerky were preserved foods that were liked anywhere.

Because those kinds of foods were also handy for Lux at the period of his life of chores, he was looking at them with nostalgic feeling. The shop assistant immediately prepared a chair for him, asking if he wanted to taste a sample.

「Ah, don’t mind me. We are only looking around so──」

「This is, tasty you know?」

「──Wait, you already eat one!?」

Lux who tried to act reserved made his retort, but Philuffy was chewing the jerky silently.

「Now now, feel free. Please sample the food freely. The result of this year is great as you can see.」

「Ye, yes……」

Urged by the shop assistant’s smile, Lux also sampled the jerky.

Compared to in the past, with the jerky that was only hard and salty that he chewed at his life of chores, this one had a special taste with nice aroma too.

「This, gives the aroma of oak.」

Philuffy who gulped her jerky and nodded muttered that with a small voice.

Then, the shop assistant reacted in delight.

「Oo, as expected from the little sister of Relie-sama. You have an expert eye there to be able to notice that. Now now, how about the dried grape here too?」

「I like, sweet things.」

「Ah, I’m sorry……. We also want to look around at other thing, so let’s stop with this for now──」

Philuffy’s eyes shined in excitement, but for Lux it would be awkward to stay here longer.

Because there was a saying among the merchants, there was nothing more dangerous than something free.

After that, they looked around even more at various things like coffee and tea, sword for self-protection, fur and clothes, and so on, but it appeared that being a daughter from Aingram conglomerate would cause one’s name to be widely known, because Philuffy was welcomed no matter where they went.

At first Lux felt awkward at that treatment, but after a while he was getting used to it.

And then, even for Lux too who had been doing various odd jobs for five years, he was having fun after so long looking at various utensils and merchandises that he recognized.

(Somehow, it’s nostalgic doing something like this……)

He wondered how long ago it was.

He suddenly recalled something. At time when Lux’s mother was still in good health, there was an offer if he was interested going to see the main office of Aingram company together with Philuffy.

Right after that, Lux’s grandfather Wade remonstrated the emperor that was carrying out a despotic administration, then Lux’s family was banished from the imperial court. Because of that, in the end he was unable to accept the offer──.

「Ah, this one, perhaps it looks quite good──」

While Lux was thinking such thing, he muttered his impression about the knife in front of his eyes.

Perhaps it was made from a good steel that was heated and hammered well, the sharp edge part and the balance of the blade’s thickness were nice. And then, the shortness was suited for his chores too.

But, at that moment, a young man merchant beside him suddenly approached beside Lux and Philuffy.

「Oo. Do you like that one? That is a knife I procured from neighboring country, a skilled blacksmith made it. But──, I have something better this way.」

The gentle looking man with wide physique seemed to be a merchant who came from foreign country and not someone from the Welled Company.

The moment the merchant looked at Philuffy’s face, he took out a scabbard attached with leather belt that was applied with splendorous ornament from the bag he was carrying and showed it.

「This is……it’s a bit of antique, but this is a short blade that was forged by a famous smith at Wam province ten years ago. Its sharpness and solidness are guaranteed.」

「Is──that so?」

Lux took that short sword and gazed at it.

He remembered hearing such rumor several times when he was doing chores at blacksmith workshop, but this kind of showy ornament wasn’t really Lux’s preference, and it looked expensive.

「How about it? This leather belt is without a doubt the real thing. If it’s now I’ll give you discount──」

What to do?

Most likely the price would be outside of Lux’s reach, but perhaps it would be better to at least show it to Relie?

「Perhaps that’s……a fake.」

「Eh──?」

The moment Lux and the merchant tilted their head open mouthed, Philuffy held the short sword over her eyes and stared at it. She then muttered that.

「I saw something like this before, this one’s smell isn’t really old, also, it looks like the iron’s quality is bad, so it’s also smelly there, that’s how I know.」

Philuffy turned her gaze toward the merchant with her usual expressionless face and bland tone.

「N, no, such thing, you will understand from looking at that sword belt──」

「The leather is genuine. But the inside is different──is, what I think.」

「Ueh……!?」

It appeared to be bull’s eye. The merchant who came from the side suddenly showed uneasiness and acted flustered.

His gaze constantly darted around to the surrounding, confirming whether attention was gathered on him.

From that action it was clear whether what Philuffy said was the truth or not.

(……Shocking──)

This traveling merchant surely saw Philuffy who was looking absentminded by herself and tried to sell her a fake, but he met an unexpected counterattack like this.

If it got exposed that he was trying to sell a fake intentionally and got caught here, it would be the same as having his future as a merchant severed.

「Thi, this is truly an inexcusable thing that I have done! Du, due to some mistake it got mixed up with a different merchandise it seems──, I, I beg you to please keep this a secret!」

「…………」

Philuffy was staring fixedly at the face of the earnestly apologizing merchant with an expression without emotion.

For someone who didn’t know her, this silence from Philuffy might felt scary instead.

「The knife before, I want it. The first one.」

「……Eh? Eeeh!? Of course. If it’s right now I will give it for cheap!」

The merchant made an awkward business smile and brought out the knife without any decoration before this.

「Make it free.」

「Eh……!?」

It appeared that the knife was of a good quality, because the merchant said 「No, as expected that’s……」 with twitching face.

「Is free okay?」

In the end, the merchant was overwhelmed by her pressure and folded.

While Lux was staring at that event from beginning to end in mute amazement, Philuffy accepted the knife wrapped in cloth before she presented it toward Lux.

「Here.」

「Eh……?」

Lux tilted his head at this sudden act.

「For Lu-chan. It’s thanks, for helping me, at the morning.」

Philuffy pressed the bundle on him with a serious face.

「No need to hold back, it’s free after all.」

「Ahaha, thank you……」

When Philuffy who was obstinate despite her appearance was like this, he could do nothing except shutting up and accepting it.

Lux said his thanks with a wry smile and suddenly a footstep came from nearby.

「How’s that, Phi too is unexpectedly pretty good right?」

It appeared that the business discussion was over. Relie approached along with the female secretary.

「If it’s food ingredients than Phi can sort out which one is good or bad by smell, even though she look like this but she is reliable you know?」

Reiri puffed up her chest proudly before she then added 「But, she is still not there in grasping the market price and regarding knowledge though」.

「…………」

The sharpness of her sense of smell might be the influence of the Abyss seed Ratatoskr that was dwelling inside her body, but in the first place Philuffy seemed to look absentminded, so she excelled in in seeing through something’s true essence.

All things considered, Philuffy who obtained the knife for free might unexpectedly be a big shot.

「Lu-chan, you see me in better light now?」

「Yes. That was amazing, Phi-chan.」

When Lux showed a smile, Philuffy too made a faint smile.

The atmosphere of ordinary days where he played together with Philuffy.

Lux and Philuffy shared the nostalgic and gentle atmosphere together.

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