Chapter 83 - Carrier of Fortune
The second attempt at creating an artificial magic sword resulted in the "Crawling Magic Sword." After a careful check, it was placed in a box along with an ice magic stone. The yellow slime solution was thoroughly frozen with water, and later removed.
Dahlia, somewhat nervous, proceeded with the task, and the sword was returned to the form of the "Dagger of the Demon King's Minion."
With a sigh, she placed the now motionless dagger into the magic-sealing box.
On top of the box, she carefully stacked the inventory of metal plates.
"Dahlia, do you still want to go for a drink?"
"Yes, let's do that."
She responded immediately to Volf's suggestion.
During their work, they had been excited about celebrating the partial completion with a drink.
But, in the end, it turned into a double failure.
It was probably a good idea to step outside for a change of pace. Fortunately, it was still afternoon tea time.
"Right, how about we head to the southern district and buy some Eastern liquor glasses? After that, we can go for a meal. I think the timing would be just right."
Thanks to Volf's suggestion, they finally decided to go on the long-postponed search for Eastern liquor glasses.
The southern district of the royal capital had a harbor. There were many shops dealing with both domestic and imported goods, including those selling glassware and ceramics.
There should be some glasses suitable for Eastern liquor.
"Do you think small glass cups would work for Eastern liquor?"
"That might be the case. I also think ceramic might suit it well."
As they spoke, they switched carriages twice and headed towards the shopping area in the southern district.
It was another hot day. Although there was a Cool Wind Fan in the workshop tower, there was little breeze outside on this summer day.
Volf looked up at the sun through his fairy crystal glasses.
"Is something wrong?"
"Looks like it's going to be hot this year, so I'm just hoping there won't be too many expeditions."
Indeed, expeditions in high heat would be tough. Not only would the battles be difficult, but traveling and sleeping at night would be challenging as well.
"During expeditions, do you sleep in tents with sleeping bags?"
Dahlia casually asked a thought that had crossed her mind.
"We do sleep in tents, but during the summer, we either sleep without a sleeping bag or with just a blanket. In colder seasons, instead of regular sleeping bags, we use 'wearable sleeping bags' that let you move freely. The sleeves are movable, and the legs are more open. I’ve heard that back in the day, they used to cut sleeping bags to get out in an emergency, but that was wasteful. Over time, they started having them redesigned by craftsmen, and that’s how they came to be."
The transition from a "sleeping bag" to a "wearable sleeping bag" seemed like a necessary evolution.
Indeed, if a monster came when you couldn’t move while asleep, it could be disastrous.
"Senior comrades often tell me that expeditions have gotten easier compared to the past. Now we have wearable sleeping bags, waterproof cloth, and even more horses. But they mention that the meals haven’t changed."
"I hope the compact magic stove will help. It’s still in progress, but I’m testing to make it smaller and lighter than before."
The design book that Fermo had given her had been very helpful.
She was currently experimenting with various modifications, such as changing the materials, altering the shape from rectangular to round, reducing the curvature of the edges, and lowering the height.
"How much lighter than now?"
"The ideal weight would be about the weight of a wine leather pouch. The magic stone efficiency would drop, but I’m thinking of removing the pot holder part and attaching the pot directly to the heated surface."
"If it's about the weight of a wine leather pouch, it sounds like one could be carried by each person. Oh, and don’t worry about the fire magic stone consumption. If needed, someone who can use fire magic can replenish the stones. Those skilled in fire magic often say that they have surplus mana because it’s difficult to use it in a forest."
"Is that so? In that case, I’ll keep the magic stone efficiency to a minimum and focus on reducing weight."
As they spoke, they walked from the carriage stop to the entrance of the shopping district.
As they neared the area, the bustle and heat of the crowd increased. The faint scent of the sea began to fill the air.
The sounds of street vendors shouting, exchanges between customers and shopkeepers, and the chatter of people walking blended together like music.
Upon entering, they found shops lining both sides of the street as far as the eye could see. The central street was crowded with people.
Amidst the crowd, there were no couples walking with just a light touch like an escort. Most of them held hands or linked their arms tightly.
However, for nobility, as a general rule, only close family members or intimate couples could walk arm-in-arm.
Volf hesitated to suggest linking arms with Dahlia.
"... Dahlia, could you hold onto the sleeve of my jacket until we get out of this crowd?"
After some thought, Volf chose the "sleeve grab" as his solution.
Fortunately, he was wearing long sleeves, not short ones. If he lowered his sleeve, it would serve as his "handle."
"Then, I'll borrow it... somehow, it feels like I'm a child being taken care of like this."
Dahlia said this with a bit of embarrassment, and Volf suppressed a laugh at her words.
"I think it's better than getting lost, so just hold on."
"Understood, I'll make sure not to get separated."
As Dahlia entered the crowd, she realized something.
With Volf's height, she could easily spot him even in a crowd. She could have simply followed behind and wouldn't have gotten lost.
But now, she found it hard to mention that. She couldn’t help but worry that the sleeve she was holding might stretch.
"Oh, if it isn’t Dahlia-chan."
A robust-looking man with sandy-colored hair stopped in front of them.
"Marcella-san, hello."
"Hello. Um, who is this?"
"Oh, this is Volf, my friend, and the one who became my company's guarantor, as I mentioned before."
The conversation seemed likely to continue, so the three of them moved to the side of the street to avoid blocking the crowd.
"I'm Marcella Nuvolari, my wife and I are friends of Dahlia-san. I'm also a guarantor for her company. Pleased to meet you."
Marcella bowed in a tone and manner quite different from his usual self.
Dahlia had never seen how Marcella behaved when handling a noble, but it was incredibly smooth. He must have been used to interacting with nobility due to his work in the Courier Guild, which involved visiting noble estates.
"I’m Volfred Scalfarotto. It's a pleasure to meet you as well."
Volf responded in a business-like manner.
It was their first meeting, so the subtle tension between the two was clear.
"Uhm, this is the friend I mentioned before, the one who was talking about going drinking together."
"I see."
Volf was the first to ease the tension, turning to Marcella with a well-groomed smile and speaking to him.
"My family is noble, but I live in the barracks, so I’m closer to being a commoner. Feel free to talk casually, since we’re both involved with the same company."
"If our schedules align, we could drink together at the tower, then."
"That’s fine on my end... but both Irma and I aren’t exactly experts in etiquette, so there might be some awkwardness.""I don’t mind. After all, I was the one who enjoyed the 'Green Tower Exclusive Wine Steamed Clams.'"
"Huh? Wait a second, could it be that you were that guest..."
"Thank you for the meal. Those clams were so delicious..."
Volf spoke with deep nostalgia, causing the man in front of him to burst out laughing.
"Well, if that’s the case, it’s all good. Next time, I’ll bring twice as many clams to the tower."
"Then I’ll bring some good wine to the tower."
"Hey, both of you, the tower isn’t a meeting spot, you know?"
At these words, Volf and Marcella laughed in unison.
Seeing that the two seemed to be getting along well, Dahlia felt relieved.
"Marcella-san, are you here shopping?"
"Yeah, a colleague of mine just got married, so I’m here on behalf of everyone to buy a gift. I won in a game of rock-paper-scissors, so I’m the 'Carrier of Fortune.'"
It seemed Marcella had already completed his shopping. In his right hand, he was holding a fairly large white wooden box. The string tied to it was taut, and the box looked heavy.
"So, winning at rock-paper-scissors gives you the right to buy the wedding gift?"
"In a way, yes... The person who wins the lottery or the most rounds of rock-paper-scissors is considered lucky, so they take on the role of the 'Carrier of Fortune' and go buy the gift, as a kind of good luck tradition."
"Is that so? I didn't know that."
It seemed to be a commoner’s tradition that wasn’t practiced by the nobility.
Dahlia hadn’t realized it until now, since she had grown up seeing those around her practice that tradition.
"Marcella-san, what did you get for the gift?"
"I was asked for dinnerware, so I got flat plates, soup bowls, cups... pretty much the whole set. I'm about to deliver it now."
"Working for the Courier Guild and being the 'Carrier of Fortune'—sounds like a lot of luck is headed their way."
"Perfect, right? Well, I’ve got a carriage to catch. You two, I’m looking forward to our drinking party soon."
"We’re looking forward to it too."
Marcella and Volf parted ways, laughing casually as if they had known each other for much longer than just a few minutes.
・・・・・・・
"These days, even Primary Academy students hold hands... "
As Marcella walked away from Dahlia and Volf, he couldn’t help but smile.
Both of them were probably in their twenties, but to him, they looked like a couple in their teenage years just starting to date.
Dahlia had been holding onto the man's sleeve. It was a hesitant grasp, and if he moved too much, it seemed like her hand would slip off.
The man, however, adjusted his pace to match hers, walking slightly ahead in the crowd to avoid collisions. His eyes were always focused on Dahlia’s path ahead, ensuring she wouldn’t bump into anyone. When he called out to Dahlia, the man made sure to check for any potential danger before anything else.
Marcella couldn’t bring himself to tease the man, who was so desperately protecting the woman.
It reminded him a bit of when he and Irma first started dating. He felt his back itch a bit at the thought.
He had seen Dahlia with Tobias many times, but he couldn’t recall them ever linking arms.
Even though he thought it was impossible, no matter how much he searched his memory, all he could recall were moments of Dahlia looking after Tobias—helping him when he was drunk or fixing a button that had come off. The expressions she wore were those of someone caring for a family member.
The reverse was true too.
He couldn’t remember Tobias ever giving Dahlia any passionate looks or words.
Even when they were drinking together, Tobias only ever talked about how he was worried because Dahlia was doing something dangerous while testing out a prototype, or because she was escorted by a business partner. He had the same concerns as Carlo-san.
He had once jokingly said, "Are you her brother or something?"
Though Tobias and Dahlia had certainly been engaged, perhaps their relationship was more like that of a brother and sister that had simply evolved over time.
There was neither the passion nor the madness of love—just a mutual intent to become family.
Marcella thought back, and realized that, had he won at rock-paper-scissors back then, he might have been the "Carrier of Fortune" for Dahlia and Tobias.
They parted ways before even discussing gifts, but perhaps that itself was a stroke of good fortune.
"... He doesn’t seem like a bad guy."
The tall man with black hair who was standing next to Dahlia.
He had a calm expression and a soft yet clear voice.
And even through his glasses, Marcella could see the warmth in his gaze directed at Dahlia.
Honestly, Marcella didn’t like nobility, and he was uncomfortable around them. Still, he wanted to believe that this man was different.
It had only been a month since the broken engagement.
He didn’t want to see Dahlia getting hurt again.
He would need to carefully assess the "stone bridge" of her potential romance, just in case.
"I’ll poke around a little at the next drinking party..."
The "Carrier of Fortune," with his wooden box cradled carefully, climbed into the carriage.
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