Midir looked at the shop in front of him with some surprise; it was the same dwarf shop named Ironheart where he had previously purchased his Magic Intelligence Book.
Aila jumped lightly off Kiteclaw’s back while holding Rosal. She pushed open the door and walked straight inside, leaving Midir to quickly follow after them.
The person greeting the three was the same young dwarf named Ronald. From his expression, it seemed he and Aila were old acquaintances, as the two greeted each other with familiarity.
Seeing Midir enter behind them, Ronald immediately recognized him and gave a slight nod of acknowledgment.
“Listen, Ronald, we’re heading out to the Azure City-State for a mission. It might be dangerous, so I’ve come here to get some gear for her protection,” Aila said, pulling the wide-eyed Rosal, who was still looking around, in front of her.
Seeing Aila’s uncharacteristic seriousness—gone was her usual clever and mischievous demeanor—Ronald immediately understood and didn’t say much more.
He quickly circled Rosal, using a professional eye to scrutinize her carefully.
“Oh, you must be Miss Rosal. Is that weapon of yours easy to use?” Ronald smiled and nodded to Rosal.
“Given Miss Rosal’s height and build... dwarf-made gear doesn’t seem quite right. Let me think.”
After roughly gauging Rosal’s height, he turned and entered a warehouse to the side. Soon, the sound of clattering and rummaging came from within.
“You came here just to get Rosal some defensive gear? Is it reliable?” Midir asked Aila in a low, doubtful voice, remembering the massive, multi-pound glove he had seen that day.
“It’s not just for her gear; there are other things... You bought your Magic Intelligence Book here, right? If you’re asking that, you must have seen their strange inventions,” Aila explained, glancing at the odd equipment on the surrounding shelves and then at Midir’s confused face.
“In truth, they don’t just invent those strange things. They have plenty of truly excellent items. It’s just that, in this shopkeeper’s eyes, those things are too... ‘traditional.’ He isn’t very willing to display them in the storefront windows.”
“It seems this shopkeeper’s tastes are truly unusual. Instead of promoting things that sell better, he focuses on selling these impractical items?” After hearing her explanation, a strange expression appeared on Midir’s face.
“That might just be the stubbornness of my uncle as an inventor. Miss Rosal, come and try these on.”
Ronald had already emerged from the warehouse pushing a small cart. On the cart sat a crate taller than himself; he had clearly overheard their conversation.
Midir looked into the open crate and saw that it was indeed filled with various exquisite pieces of traditional equipment, which allowed him to relax slightly.
Ronald first pulled a small, feminine inner armor set from the crate and handed it to Rosal.
“This is an inner armor crafted from mithril. It’s thin and tough with excellent flexibility, allowing it to be slightly adjusted to fit one’s figure. The lining is made of magical beast leather, and several small beneficial spells have been inscribed on it, including Lighten, Heat Resistance, Impact Resistance, and Piercing Resistance.”
“This cloak is tanned from the hide of a Shadow Leopard. It can mask most of your presence, and if you’re moving at night, you can use the Shadow Leopard’s skill, <Vanish>, to blend into the darkness.”
“These bracers use scales from a Shield Lizard. They have a counterattack enhancement effect and can block most damage from bladed weapons.”
...
As Ronald continued to pull piece after piece of equipment from the large crate, Rosal tried them on one by one like a dress-up doll.
At that moment, Midir suddenly looked at the Arms Crafter hanging at Aila’s waist and asked, “That bag wasn’t made here, was it?”
“Sharp intuition, sir. The Arms Crafter was indeed made by my uncle, the Great Inventor Stark Ironheart. It is one of the works he is most proud of.” Hearing Midir’s words, Ronald poked his head out from behind the crate and confirmed the question.
“Ronald, can you contact Uncle Stark now? I suspect we might need his help this time,” Aila added.
“Probably not right now. You’ve known him long enough to know that once he gets focused, he forgets everything else. I haven’t been in contact with him for a long time myself. Why? Is this commission that troublesome?” Ronald turned around, looking quite surprised at Aila’s request.
“Yes. At least based on the intelligence we’ve received, the entire Azure City-State is in a very bad state. Without considering other external factors, I believe we might need Uncle Stark’s help this time,” Aila said with a serious face, voicing her concerns.
“If that’s the case... Alright, let me think of something. If all else fails, I’ll ask my father to make a special trip to deliver the message,” Ronald mused for a moment before giving Aila a firm answer.
A short while later, as the three prepared to leave, Rosal was armed to the teeth with various pieces of equipment. She looked as though she had grown a size larger from all the gear, prompting even Aila to tease her.
“Look at our Rosal. You look like a little fortress now. At this rate, even if you stood still and let Blake hit you, he probably wouldn’t be able to hurt you.”
Rosal turned her body, seemingly adjusting to the weight and feel of the new equipment. Although her movements were still a bit clumsy, the excitement and confidence shining in her eyes were unmistakable.
Because of the suddenness of the situation, Aila hadn’t brought much cash with her. She could only have Ronald go to the Duke’s estate later to collect the payment. After hastily signing a receipt, she hurried Midir and the others back onto the griffin.
As they were parting, Ronald took three thick goggles made of an unknown material from the shop and tossed them to them.
“Since you’re traveling by griffin, you probably won’t even be able to keep your eyes open without these. Take them; they’re a small invention I made recently. They might come in handy. I won’t charge you for them; just remember to tell me your thoughts and give me some data on how they worked.”
The three of them put on the goggles Ronald had made. After thanking him again, Kiteclaw took to the sky once more at Aila’s command, this time flying toward the south.
As they approached the southern wall of the inner city, Aila made a point of landing near the city gate. First, she explained the situation to the city guards, and second, she had them relay the three’s planned route to the main army that would soon be setting out.
At first, the guards looked quite tense seeing a massive griffin descend from the sky, with many taking defensive stances. However, once Aila revealed her dual identity, they immediately put their weapons away with great respect and readily agreed to her request.
“Miss Mars, we wish you success in battle!” With the guards’ blessings, the three urged Kiteclaw to take flight once more, rushing in the direction where Duke Rowena’s vanguard had departed.
With the griffin’s speed, they quickly flew out of Lionheart City’s territory.
Aila controlled Kiteclaw to fly at a moderate altitude directly above the official road leading to the Azure City-State, allowing her to observe the road conditions below at all times.
“This speed... it really lives up to its reputation.” Midir marveled inwardly. For the first time, he felt the thrill of lightning-fast travel and the exhilaration of soaring freely in the high heavens.
This was also Rosal’s first experience flying on a griffin. Her eyes sparkled with excitement as she gripped the saddle tightly, experiencing this unprecedented speed.
Ronald Ironheart had been right. With the griffin traveling at full speed, the headwind felt like small knives scraping against one’s face, let alone being able to open one’s eyes to observe the surroundings. The goggles were indeed proving their worth.
To make the journey more comfortable for the group, Midir condensed the wind element around Kiteclaw, forming several small wind walls. This allowed the three to remain unaffected by the high-altitude turbulence. Although it didn't completely enclose them like a carriage would, their movements and communication were no longer hindered.
Rate on N.U.
