Hero's Coffin Chapter 94

Chapter 94

Though he thought it was good he had disguised himself considering this situation, he felt oddly embarrassed that his eyes appeared pink. He didn't particularly dislike the color itself, but the workshop owner was smiling too happily, making him feel uneasy.

The workshop owner greeted him while wiggling her fingers.

"Feel free to look around."

After examining the workshop owner with mixed feelings, he quickly moved on. He needed to just find protective magical tools and leave.

Serena and Jade's eyes also sparkled, saying they should look around since it had been a while since they'd visited Lara Workshop. However, they were looking for potions, so they were on a different floor from him. Since potions were on the first floor and magical tools on the second, he went up alone.

As each floor had looked different from the outside, the interior scenes also varied. While the first floor had wood-based maximalist interior design, the second floor was urban and clean with a stone-like feel. It felt like visiting different countries one by one. With such different interiors, he wondered if it got boring from a worker's perspective.

Though it was visually easier with things organized more orderly than downstairs, there was still a problem.

"There are too many display cases..."

"What are you looking for?"

Just as he was feeling overwhelmed by the items densely filling the space, someone suddenly spoke beside him. The workshop owner Lara was right next to him without warning. As he flinched in surprise, not having sensed her presence at all, she smiled brightly and tilted her head.

Taking it as a salesperson's goodwill since the gesture suggested she wanted to help, he decided to accept.

"I'm looking for something that can protect people..."

"Aha, something like this?"

The workshop owner lifted a nearby shield with one hand. Though it was a large shield big enough to cover the whole body, she lifted it as lightly as a feather. Had she manipulated its weight? Perhaps alchemists were like modern materials engineering graduates.

Though the shield engraved with elaborate red patterns was interesting, it wasn't the type he needed. He shook his head.

"No, do you have any protective gear that can be used in very dangerous places where you need holy power to wrap around your body? Like wearing a holy relic to block unholy energy..."

"Aah, if that's what you want, follow me."

The workshop owner cheerfully led him. Though he felt uneasy as they went up to the third floor, he decided to trust and follow her since she was said to be famous.

The third floor had a more pastoral scene. The tables were full of various materials, perhaps a space the workshop owner used as a laboratory. She rummaged through a table drawer for a while before pulling something out with a "ta-da". It was a ring that looked like twisted leaves.

"Here! A ring that protects the wearer from unholy energy! A shield operates constantly, and just wearing it lets you feel the surroundings become more pleasant, now let's try..."

Before he could react, the workshop owner slipped the ring onto his index finger. Though its diameter was wider than his finger, it smoothly adjusted its size automatically, and then he was surprised to feel the air around him actually become clearer as she had said.

Is this... a portable air purifier?

As he looked around with wide eyes, the workshop owner smiled brightly. Her face was full of pride, as if knowing he was very satisfied even though he hadn't said anything out loud. She emphasized the ring's performance again.

"How is it, good right? Actually this ring even has stealth capabilities, so it's good for hiding in dangerous situations!"

"Oh, it's really a good item..."

"This should be safe enough even when exploring Encroachment Zones!"

He froze. Though her mix of formal and informal speech was odd enough, the word "Encroachment Zone" came across as very unexpected.

Was "Encroachment Zone" used as a representative term for dangerous places in this world? Like "this weapon is effective even in Encroachment Zones" or "this fruit maintains its vitality even in Encroachment Zones" and so on. Hmm, though it didn't seem entirely impossible, a strange uneasiness raised its head. The empire's citizens were all said to fear the Great Catastrophe, so could they casually mention Encroachment Zones, which were traces of it?

Though uncertain, there was still much he didn't know about the empire. He had been acting based on carefully observing his companions' reactions until now, but he was alone now. Finally, he just slowly nodded and answered.

"...It's a good item. I'll buy—ah."

He froze mid-sentence. Wait, he had no money? Until now his companions had paid whenever buying anything, and his only experience paying directly had been at the night market, first and last. The experience of trying various foods when Haren had given him money.

Could he borrow from Jade and Serena? Say he'd pay them back after returning to the annex? As he tried to quietly remove the ring thinking he should take it off first, it wouldn't budge at all. As he panicked with it stuck tightly to his finger, the workshop owner smiled brightly.

"94 gold."

"No, this won't come off."

"Once worn, it won't come off until its power runs out. 94 gold."

You knew that and still put it on me without warning? This is forced selling! Though he didn't know this world's prices well, from his night market experience, he was certain that 94 gold was very expensive. None of the food he ate there had cost even 1 gold, and most of the very fancy jewelry he had seen by chance at a street jewelry shop was around 50 gold or less.

He looked between the ring and the workshop owner in shock. At this price he couldn't borrow from Jade or Serena either, and it would be difficult to ask his companions to pay for him after putting it on credit.

Though he was tempted by the item's capabilities, he absolutely couldn't buy it. Moreover, being forced to buy it made him even more resistant, and he looked at the workshop owner dully. Isn't this completely like a tourist trap scam?

"You put it on me before I even said I'd buy it."

"But you said you'd buy it before even asking the price? So it must be something you need."

"...That may be true, but you put it on suddenly before I said I'd buy it. Don't twist the order."

"Hmm, then shall I put it on credit? In exchange for leaving an item as collateral."

Whoosh, the workshop owner's gaze turned to his chest. He panicked as the black cat was curled up sleeping there. So that's why she had found the cat cute, was this her purpose from the start?

As he was about to question the workshop owner's character, something suddenly occurred to him. He carefully moved one hand to take out an item from his chest. The only item he possessed.

"Would this be enough?"

The flashlight, no, the thing that had been on the hand of Solnium's statue at the center of the sky island. An item with a long thousand-year history that had sparkled holding sunlight and moonlight for ages in a sacred space, the only one of its kind in the world!

Though he attached brilliant modifiers in his mind, he couldn't say anything. He couldn't mention the sky island to begin with, and he had just confirmed his terrible marketing skills from the bandits' reaction in the desert. Hmm, but still, packaging it a bit better than then...

"It was discovered at the place where the empire's history began, and it's an item that received the world's light first for many long years..."

"Th-this item?!"

Suddenly the workshop owner's eyes grew huge. She immediately took the flashlight from him, jumping up in surprise. She pressed the center of the rod very carefully to check if light came out, and kept looking it over while exclaiming in admiration.

Wh-what? Is this really a precious item? Does it look different to a famous alchemist? Just as expectation was creeping up, she looked at him. With her pink eyes sparkling brightly.

"Where on earth did you get something like this?!"

"From a place everyone wants to go but no one has stepped foot in until now..."

"How could you bring such a worthless thing?!"

Hey.

Was she putting on a show to mock him? He glared at her in disbelief, but this time the workshop owner narrowed her eyes instead. With an atmosphere that suddenly turned sharp, she sneered.

"You readily take a very expensive 94 gold ring, then offer this kind of item? To the owner of Lara Workshop? Do you know how many mercenary friends I have?"

"No, I didn't take this ring in the first place, you put it..."

"Well, if the customer answers my question honestly, I'll accept this ridiculous trade."

The workshop owner's mood kept changing rapidly. Just before she had been pressuring him, but suddenly changed to smile brightly. Though it was overwhelming to keep up with and quite absurd, could he get the ring just by having a conversation? But in this game, whenever something seemed easy it was definitely difficult...

As he was considering uneasily, the workshop owner smiled as if she had already determined he had accepted her proposal, or as if she knew he had no choice, and asked.

"Why did you cause that commotion?"

"...Commotion?"

"You overturned the event held in the plaza during the Holy Festival. I heard you caused chaos at an event longing for the hero and everyone ran away, I really couldn't understand it. I wondered why someone who's usually quiet unless provoked would do such a thing."

His face slowly froze. That question, surely not.

The light pink eyes staring at him as he stiffened glinted eerily.

"Why did you do it, Isaph?"