第二十四話 魔剣士ヒルデ
ベルガに依頼した鍛冶が終わるまでの数日の間、俺とルーチェはラコリナでの観光を兼ねた情報収集に専念していた。
ルーチェの今後のキャラビルドに必要となる〈死神の凶手〉の〈
もっとも今は〈死神の凶手〉が購入できるような金銭の当てがないので、見つかっても歯痒い想いをしただけなのだろうが......。
割かし使い勝手のいい〈
〉の売買はグレー行為である。
店主が捕まることはあっても客への処罰は行わないことが多いのだが、転売で荒稼ぎしていた冒険者がいたとわかれば、まず放置しておいてくれるとは思えない。
買って売ってが癖になれば、いつか衛兵に捕まることになるだろう。
ラコリナで捕まって俺が貴族の子息だと分かれば、ハウルロッド侯爵家はこれ幸いと俺の実家を詰って大事にするはずだ。
ギルド長のハレインも、俺が〈
〈気合の拳〉は格闘の基礎スキルの習得、そして防御力の小アップが手に入るスキルツリーである。
ただ、格闘スキルの基礎はほとんど習得する意味がない。
格闘スキルは徒手が条件となるため武器の恩恵を得られず、リーチと攻撃力に欠けるためだ。
格闘系も極めれば強みがあるのだが、〈気合の拳〉では基礎スキルしか習得できない。
防御力アップも、ステータス上昇の中でも最も人気が低い。
だが、〈気合の拳〉を伸ばせば、終盤で〈スタン耐性〉と〈混乱耐性〉が得られる。
この二つは地味ながらに強力なので、〈マジックワールド〉でも〈気合の拳〉をキャラビルドに組み込む上位プレイヤーは一定数存在した。
特に死ねば終わりのこの世界で、〈スタン耐性〉と〈混乱耐性〉を得られるリターンはそれなりに大きいはずだ。
ほとんど市場価値に等しい、捨て値の一千万ゴルドで売られていたのを見たときは心が躍ったのだが......。
「もう転売の話は諦めましょう、エルマさん」
「いや、俺もリスクとリターンが釣り合っていないのは冷静になった今はわかるんだがな......」
ただ、元プレイヤーとしての血が騒ぐのだ。
アイテムの価値を見極め、資産運用して所持ゴルドを増やすのは、〈マジックワールド〉プレイヤーの嗜みであった。
「ただ、あれをちょっと売買しただけで、余裕で千、二千万ゴルドは入っただろうと思うとな」
「二千万ゴルド!?」
ルーチェが目を見開いた。
〈気合の拳〉が叩き売りされているのを見つけたときには心が躍った。
都市ロンダルムの〈破れた魔導書堂〉の婆さんが金に汚かったのも少し理解できた。
もはや大金を動かすのが趣味になっているのだろう。
「エ、エルマさん、売るかどうかは別にして、やっぱり一応買っておきませんか......?」
「さすがにリスクがな」
今度は俺が苦笑しながら答える番だった。
話をしている間に、ベルガの鍛冶屋に辿り着いた。
「さて......黒鋼鎧はもう少し掛かるはずだが、これでミスリル剣とのご対面だな」
足取りが軽い。
新しい武器やスキルツリーを手に入れるときが一番ワクワクする。
「あれ......扉、開いていますね。いつも閉めていますのに」
「わからんジジイだ。何も寄越せと言っているわけじゃない。その剣を売れと言っているだけだ。その〈ミスリルの剣〉を扱えるのは、冒険者の都でもこのオレ様くらいだろうよ」
鍛冶屋の中から声が聞こえる。
「おどれに売る武器などないわ! そもそもこれは依頼品じゃ! さっさと出ていくがいい!」
「材料費分の金でも握らせておけば納得するだろうよ。それくらいの色は付けて買ってやると言ってるんだ。あまりオレ様を怒らせるなよ? オレ様はギルドに顔も利く、上級冒険者様だ。ちょいと下級冒険者に呼び掛けて、取引してる周囲の店に圧掛けりゃ、キサマが大事にしているこのオンボロ鍛冶屋もそれまでだぜ? こっちは別に、手を汚さなくたってキサマなんか潰せるんだよ」
何やら剣呑な様子であった。
「これはまずそうだな......」
「い、行きましょう、エルマさん!」
俺とルーチェは鍛冶屋の中へと急いだ。
すぐにベルガの姿が見えた。
「無事か、爺さん! おい、魔剣士、いい加減に......! うん?」
魔剣士の姿が見当たらない。
確かに今さっきまで、ベルガと言い争いをしていたはずなのだが。
「ほう、キサマが依頼主か。なんだ、どんなヤツかと思えば......こんな弱っちそうな奴らだとはな。仕事を選ぶだのなんだの偉そうに言っておいて、こんなヤツらに〈ミスリルの剣〉を打ったのか。ぷはは、笑わせてくれるじゃないか。鍛冶師ベルガも、貧困には抗えなかったか」
「声はすれど、姿がない......スキルか?」
「エ、エルマさん、下、下です......」
目線を落とすと、剣を担いだ背の低い女がいた。
紫の髪を後ろで束ねている。
「キサマ......このオレ様を馬鹿にしているのか?」
「子供......いや、〈加護の儀〉を経ているなら十五......」
「十七だ」
きつい印象の三白眼を細め、俺を睨み付ける。
声に苛立ちが込められていた。
まさかの年上だった。
ラコリナで情報収集をしていたときに聞いた二つ名だった。
〈黒き炎刃〉......このラコリナでも片手で数えられる程しかいない、A級冒険者の一人である、と。
ラコリナ出身の冒険者ではあるが広範囲で活動しており、最近久々にラコリナに戻ってきたところだと聞いていた。
A級冒険者の目安はレベル九十以上だ。
あまり自制心の利くタイプにも見えない。
今揉め事になれば、物の弾みで殺されかねない......。
「何を隠そうこのヒルデ様は、あの高名な冒険者......〈黒き炎刃〉の一番弟子だ」
女魔剣士......改めヒルデは、俺達を威圧するように、得意げに自身を親指で示してそう口にした。
「そ、そうか......それは凄いな」
......とりあえず、本人ではなかったらしい。
Volume 2 - Ch 24
Luce and I spent the few days it took Berga to complete our commission with sight-seeing and gathering information in La Colina.
We even tried looking for a [Reaper Assassin] Skill Book that will be needed for Luce's future build in underground shops, but we had no luck with that.
That being said, we have no hope of getting enough money for the [Reaper Assassin] in the short run, so even if we did manage to find one, we could only gnash our teeth in frustration at most....
I almost went on to buy some moderately useful Skill Books that were pretty cheap with the purpose of selling them somewhere else, but Luce ended up talking me out of it.
The trading of Skill Books is kind of a gray area.
The customers don't really get punished if a shop owner gets caught, but if the authorities find out that an adventurer made a lot of money with business like that, then they most likely wouldn't just leave them alone entirely.
If I get into buying and selling too much, then I would most likely get caught by the guard sometime in the future.
If I get caught in La Colina and they find out that I'm an offspring of a noble, then the Howlod Family would take advantage of the situation and include my former family and make it into a big incident.
I don't even want to think about what face Guild Leader Hallein would make if she'd find out that I was caught for dealing in Skill Books.
The [Spirit Fist] Skill Tree allows you to obtain basic hand-to-hand Skills, and also gives a small boost to your Defense.
However, getting those basic hand-to-hand Skills are virtually meaningless.
The reason is because those Skills only work if you don't use any weapons, which means that you don't get the Attack bonus or reach advantage they could provide.
The hand-to-hand style also has some advantages in later stages, but [Spirit Fist] only lets you get the basic Skills.
The Defense boost is one of the least popular stat increases too.
However, if you keep investing in [Spirit Fist], then in the end you will get [Stun Resistance] and [Confusion Resistance].
And although those sound quite plain, they are also pretty powerful, so in Magic World there were a number of top players that included [Spirit Fist] in their builds.
Especially in this world, where death means the end, [Stun Resistance] and [Confusion Resistance] should provide a great pay off.
I was excited when I saw it going for a cheap price of 10 million gold, which was almost at its Market Value, but....
"Please stop with that resale topic already, Elma-san."
"Ah, I now know that the risks don't outweigh the possible gains, but still...."
Just, as a former gamer, I'm itching to do something with it.
Determining the value of items and trading them to make more gold is a basic skill of a Magic World player.
"It's just when I think about the fact I could've made 10 or maybe even 20 million gold just from reselling it...."
"20 million gold!?"
Luce's eyes were wide open.
When I saw the [Spirit Fist] on sale for such a discount I was excited.
I could now appreciate why the old granny at the Broken Grimoire Company was so underhanded about the money.
Moving large amounts of money must be a kind of hobby for her by now.
"E-Elma-san, I don't know about selling it, but how about we buy it after all, just in case, you know.....?"
"Ah, but the risks....."
This time it was my turn to respond with a bitter smile.
While we were talking, we reached Berga's smithy.
"Well then.....the Black Steel Armor will take a bit more time to be ready, so let's take a look at the mythril sword for now."
My steps were light.
I always get the most excited when it's time to get some new equipment or Skill Tree.
"Huh....the door is open it seems. That's strange, it's usually closed."
"You just don't get it, old man. I'm not saying to just hand it over. I just want you to sell me that sword. The only one who could handle that mythril sword in this city's adventurers' guild is none other than my esteemed self."
A voice could be heard from within the smithy.
"I have no weapons to sell to someone like you! This is an order-made weapon to begin with! Just get the hell out of my shop already!"
"I can simply take care of that by paying off their material costs. I'm telling you that I'm willing to fork out some bonus for it too. You don't want to make me too mad, you know? I'm a venerated high rank adventurer who's quite close with the Guild staff. If I call out to a few low rank adventurers to put pressure on the shops you are doing business with, then your cherished run-down smithy might just run out of business, you know? I can crush you without even having to dirty my own hands, you know?"
It seems something dangerous was going down.
"This doesn't look good...."
"L-let's go, Elma-san!"
Luce and I hurried inside the smithy.
We managed to locate Berga right away.
"Are you alright, old man! Hey, you Magic Swordsman, cut this out right.....! Hn?"
I couldn't see the Magic Swordsman anywhere.
Yet I just heard the two arguing with each other.
"Hoh, so you are the one who ordered this made. I was wondering what kind of person you would be, but....to think it was just a wimpy looking guy like you. You were oh so proud about choosing who to work for and yet you made a mythril sword for a loser like this. Fuhaha, how droll. Even the mighty Blacksmith Berga couldn't win against poverty."
"I can hear her voice, but I can't see anyone....Is she using some kind of Skill?"
"E-Elma-san, down, look down...."
When I lowered my gaze, I saw a short woman carrying a sword.
Her purple hair was tied in a ponytail.
"You bastard....are you making fun of me?"
"A child....no, since she must've been through the Divine Blessing Ceremony, then she must be at least 15....."
"I'm 17."
She was glaring at me with fierce, sanpaku1 eyes.
She was clearly irritated judging by her voice.
She was also surprisingly older than me.
It's an alias we heard about while we were gathering intel in the city.
The Black Flame Sword... an alias that belongs to one of the very few A rank adventurers here in La Colina.
We heard that this adventurer was from here, but frequently traveled far and wide, and only recently returned to this city.
A rank adventurers are usually at least level 90.
She doesn't look like some capable of self-restraint either.
If this becomes an argument, then she might kill me in the spur of the moment....
"Why hide it? My name is Hilde, that famous adventurer, the Black Flame Sword.....'s number one disciple!"
Trying to intimidate us, the Magic Swordsman.....or rather, Hilde, declared in a pompous tone while pointing at herself with her thumb.
"Ah, I see....Wow, that's amazing."
....it seems she wasn't the person in question after all.
The Reincarnated Heavy Knight Who Was Exiled After A Supposed Big Miss Is Unparalleled With His Game Knowledge
大ハズレだと追放された転生重騎士はゲーム知識で無双する
https://www.novelupdates.com/series/the-reincarnated-heavy-knight-who-was-exiled-after-a-supposed-big-miss-is-unparalleled-with-his-game-knowledge/
Action Adventure Fantasy Romance Shounen
Abandoned Children Adapted to Manga Adventurers Alchemy Arrogant Characters Artifacts Blacksmith Calm Protagonist Clever Protagonist Determined Protagonist Dungeons Fallen Nobility Fantasy World Game Elements Guilds Hot-blooded Protagonist Level System Love Interest Falls in Love First Lucky Protagonist Male Protagonist Mystery Solving Naive Protagonist Nobles Poor to Rich Previous Life Talent Reincarnated in a Game World Romantic Subplot Skill Books Strategic Battles Strong Love Interests Strong to Stronger Sword Wielder Underestimated Protagonist Weak to Strong
https://ncode.syosetu.com/n8465gx/
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