I’m Not Good at Offensive Magic, but I’ll Do My Best With Support Magic!

「Looks like this is the place」

After leaving Illumina-san’s shop, we went to Zack-san’s shop. I was in a hurry to leave the shop as it was quite a distance from Illumina-san’s shop.

「Good evening」
「What is it? I’m about to close up shop」

The shop was still open. But the shop keeper didn’t look too happy as he was just about to close the shop. But fortunately, the shop keeper was someone I knew, so he would at least listen to me.

「Ah, Luida-san. Long time no see」
「Hmm……. Aah… Who?」

Oh, maybe he forgot about me!

「Um, it’s me, me!」
「Ah~, it’s you. I don’t know you」

Completely forgotten! If I do say so myself, he owes me a debt of gratitude for helping to protect him from the Orc attacks!

「What’s all the fuss about? Customers, can you please not make too much noise in the shop?」

Perhaps because of my noise, an additional person came from the back of the shop. I knew him too, or rather, he was the one I was after.

「Ah, Zack-san. Long time no see」
「Long time no see? …Ah! it’s Yuan, thank you for dropping by!」
「Eh, Yuan jou-chan!?」

Zack-san recognized me right away.

「That’s terrible, Luida-san!」
「I’m sorry. You were wearing a hood at that time, so that gave me a strong impression」

That’s what I thought. I always wore a hood to prevent people from knowing I was an abominable child. My hair is also of a different color, so it’s not surprising that she doesn’t recognize me.

「Zack-san knew me well」
「I owe you a lot. Of course, I’d recognize you」

I don’t think that’s all. It is surely a sign of good observation skills.

「I’m sorry, Yuan jou-chan」
「No, I should have known」
「Luida needs to work on her ability to see and learn more about people」

I think it would be better to put on my robe if I were to meet someone I’ve met before in the future. It’s possible that they won’t recognize me like Luida-san. Also, explaining the change in hair color is troublesome.

「So, what can I do for you? As I said before, I’ll give you a freebie」
「I’m looking for some magic tools and I think Zack-san might know them」
「Fumu, then, it’s not a good idea to talk in the shop, if you don’t mind, here」

With Zack-san’s guidance, we made our way to the back room.

「There is not much here, but please make yourself at home. I will have the tea ready in no time」

The room that Zack-san guided us to was, as he said, empty, with nothing but a table, a sofa and some simple decorations. However, the table and the sofa on which I sit have a luxurious feel, which makes me nervous. The simplicity of the space is so refined that it almost makes me feel daunted.

「No, not to that extent…」
「I am happy that you came by, Yuan-san is an important guest」

Zack-san kindly offered to serve us tea. Zack called in an employee… probably, but instead of the shop keeper, a maid of some sort brought us tea.

「Nice… scent」
「I’m glad you’re pleased」

I don’t know if the tea is good or bad, but I can somehow tell that it’s expensive… I’m lying, I don’t really know. I can’t smell it, I can’t taste it, I’m too nervous!

「Well then, let’s just take it easy and leave the joke at that!」
「Eh, joke?」
「Yes, this is a way to deflate the other side, which is used in negotiations. Negotiations are always about gaining an advantage over the other side」

I’m convinced. If it were me, I’d be willing to accept even slightly less favorable terms.

「Why did you do it?」
「Well, it seems that Yuan-san has formed a party, and I think that in the future, you will be dealing with a lot of merchants and nobles. I hope you will think of it as a preparation for that, a rehearsal. Did I cause you inconvenience?」

I was relieved to find out that this was a kind gesture on Zack-san’s part.

「No, thank you」
「It’s my pleasure. Thank you for that time. So, what can I do for you today?」

We explained what had happened. The “we” part is important, not only for me but mainly for Snow-san. If I explained some of it instead of Snow-san, it might come out wrong. We won’t tell him about the underground passages. Even if it’s Zack-san, he may not be on our side.

「That explains it. You want a magic tool to move through the water, or a magic tool to search for information in the water」
「Yes, when we face a monster in the water, if we know the situation beforehand, we will have an advantage in the battle」

「Yes, there is. Although it is impossible to go through the water, we have a magical tool to explore the water」
「Really!?」
「Yes, but there is a catch…」
「A catch?」
「Yes, it’s not available for sale!」
「Did something happen?」
「This type of magical tool is rare and hard to find, and we only have one in stock in kind. And it’s broken!」
「I-I see…」

It’s broken. That means that it is likely to be useless.

「As such, it is not acceptable for a merchant to sell broken goods」
「Can’t it be fixed?」
「It’s a magical tool. To be precise, it’s a magical machine, and it’s made up of all kinds of parts, not just magic letters, so it requires specialized knowledge, and unless you are an expert…」

If it was a magical tool, it could be fixed, but if it was a machine, it would be impossible for me. The most famous machine that can be moved by magic is the Golem… an artificial, non-monster Golem. I can make a Golem move, but if you ask me to make one, I can’t. In order to reproduce the movement of a person, it is necessary to understand the mechanism of the joints and to build it. I have tried to make one from clay when I was solo, but I gave up because I ended up with a Golem whose arms and legs were so elongated that it couldn’t move properly. In the same way, a machine is a combination of gears, screws and many other things that are very difficult to understand.

「I see…」
「So, I can’t sell it, but I can give it to you if you can fix it, but will you?」
「Eh, but it’s expensive, isn’t it?」
「Considering the cost of repair and the profit generated when considering the selling price, I’m not inclined to repair it」

It seems to cost a lot of money to repair.

「Then I’ll pay the original purchase price」
「In the end, it’s the same as selling it. Either way, it will become garbage or be disposed of, so I would be grateful if you would consider taking it!」
「If that’s the case, please」
「Thank you very much」
「No, it’s my pleasure!」
「I’ll have it ready for you in a moment」

Zack-san called an employee and explained the situation to the employee, who nodded and left the room.