I Became the Strongest With The Failure Frame 02

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  I caught a glimpse of her seriousness on her voice.

  It’s just that, I feel that she’s too strict…

  [Well then, let’s go in.]

  I wonder what she had in her mind earlier.

  We entered the store.

  The atmosphere in here kind of reminds me of those shops that deals with outdoor supplies.

  There’s also that unique smell of wood wafting in.

  Mist bent down towards one of the products and checked its price tag.

  [They’re a lot higher than the market price.]

  The shopkeeper approached with a smile on his face.

  [I don’t know where you both came from, but it’s harder to acquire things in here compared to the capital. There are quite a few items that can’t be made in Mills. It’s just that the recent recruitment have increased the demand for these tools.]

  [If you had anticipated that there would be a demand, then why didn’t you just stock up on these items?]

  The shopkeeper shook his head.

  [There are professional circumstances in here as well. I don’t think amateurs would know about it. If you look at the state of the shelves, you would know that these tools are more demanded than expected and there aren’t enough stock at all. That’s why, I’m frantically waiting for when the goods would finally arrive. Do you understand? That’s why, the current price is reasona—]

  [There were some boxes that had same name as these items piled up in the back of your shop though?]

  [Y- You went to look at the back of my shop without permission?]

  [I just saw it when I was passing by before.]

  [Those were just empty boxes, you know?]

  [Is that so? Although they were empty, those were quite heavy for just boxes huh…]

  [Why do you touch other people’s merchandise without permission?]

  [I’m sorry. When I tried to pass through them, those boxes were blocking the back alley.]

  [Wha-?]

  [I’m sorry if I was being rude, moving them aside without permission.]

  [T- They were certainly blocking the back alley… But there are rarely any people who walks through that path…]

  [By the way…]

  Mist stands up.

  [You mentioned that it was merchandise before— I was just touching empty boxes right? Why were you so nervous?]

  [Nghh…]

  The shopkeeper looks like he’s in quite a disadvantage.

  The next thing that came out of his mouth though was a sigh.

  [You’re already used to this, huh?]

  Mist’s expression loosens up.

  [I was traveling right now, so I need to save up as much as possible.]

  [I understand… So in short, you want to have the price cut?]

  [Yeah, that’s right. If I had a bit more money, I would have been fine just buying it as is— but right now, my pouch is a bit desolate…]

  [Hmm…]

  The shopkeeper thinks about it.

  Mist glanced at me.

  [I went here today to get some luggage for two people. I think I had contributed a bit for some profits for this store.]

  [Tsk! It can’t be helped… then, how about I give you a discount if you purchase in bulk? But, I also have some terms I want for myself.]

  [What is it?]

  [Never tell this story to the other mercenaries. If they were to know what I’m trying to do, my business won’t rise. If they were to know how I handle my shop— Well, have you heard about that other tool shop who had stocked up on the items but failed, which is really unusual if you think about it. No matter how that happened, this is a great opportunity for me to earn. Do you understand? If a rumor about this were to come out, I would never sell my stuff to you two here in Mills. I would also make sure to have the other shops know about you two, being troublesome customers.]

  [Yeah, I swear we won’t leak it out.]

  [Okay, we have come to an agreement then.]

  The shopkeeper is grumbling while he goes back to the corner.

  [Damn it, I should have brought in those boxes when I had the chance… I slacked a bit after knowing the profit that I could yield from here.]

  I see, he’s trying to make it like there are shortage of goods.

  Currently, there are only Mist and I in this store.

  There are only two of us who had quickly returned after the registration in the plaza.

  There were no other customers.

  The first things that Mist had bought were the tools that she needed.

  After that were the tools that I have to buy.

  The price of what we’re buying after subtracting the discount was almost a third of what’s written on the price tag.

  He really was trying to overprice too much…

  The shopkeeper started to restock the products that were displayed on the shelves.

  I have a feeling that they were carefully lined up.

  It makes you think that there are only few of these products left if you had only seen them once.

  The price tag written on the products were also quickly rewritten.

  When we were about to leave, the door of the store opened.

  [Okay! Let’s buy our items!]

  A number of mercenaries began coming in the store.

  The storekeeper nodded a bit towards Mist.

  He’s probably trying to say “You must keep your promise.”

  Mist also nodded her head a bit in response.

  And thus, we left the first store on the list and went towards the other stores.

  * * *

  We already have all the tools that I will need in the ruins.

  Some spare clothes.

  A belt.

  Hanging on the back of that belt was a dagger and its leather sheath.

  I also bought a tiny hammer.

  I’m going to need it when I have to peel a monster’s skin or crush their bones.

  I’ve also bought some preservable foods.

  When I have trouble with my food, there’s also the transfer ability of my leather bag.

  The rest of what I bought would be tiny tools that can be easily carried.

  I also bought a sleeping bag.

  I have also purchased one backpack.

  The space in the bag would roughly be divided into two.

  One side is where I would likely store the monster materials.

  The other side would be where I would put the things that I had bought.

  There was still some space in the bag.

  In the first place, I don’t have that much luggage.

  I had scoured through the Disposal Ruins with just my leather bag.

  Food, water, and an appropriate bed.

  If I have these three, I can pretty much survive with just the basics.

  An experienced person like me is saying so.

  [Thanks for the help. This is the fee for the advice, just as I promised.]

  I hand over three silver coins to Mist.

  [Eh?]

  Mist’s eyes widened after she received the coins.

  She looked up towards my face.

  [Isn’t this too much?]

  [If I were to calculate the things we had bought, I could save more than three silver coins with your help today. Especially at that first store we went to, I would have lost more money if I had went there without knowing anything.]

  Mist grasps the silver coins in front of her chest.

  She had this somewhat unwilling expression on her face.

  [Then, I’ll be taking these silver coins just like you said. Umm… I haven’t expected to get this much when you told me about this advice fee, that’s why I’m a bit dumbfounded. I planned to ask just around this much…]

  This idiotic honesty of her really resembles my aunt.

  Their voice and the language they speak were certainly different, but…

  [Don’t worry about it
.]

  Anyway, 80% of the money I have were taken from those four-people group.

  There’s also the jewels that I had yet to sell.

  [Well then, I’ll be going now–…?]

  Thud~

  Mist is about to collapse.

  I hastily went close and caught her body.

  Pofu~

  […………]

  She’s light.

  There is certainly the weight of a person.

  But, she’s too light.

  I peek at her face.

  Her eyes looked like they can’t focus.

  […………]

  [Are you alright?]

  Mist raised her face.

  [Ah—]

  Mist’s face was almost before my own face.

  Now that I can see it closely, I can see the eyelids under her eyes.

  [—-!!!]

  Fwoosh~

  Mist quickly got away from me.

  I remember that time when the slender macho tried to touch her.

  At that time, she looks like she really disliked it.

  Is there some reason why she doesn’t like to be touched by a man?

  Mist quickly arranged her hair.

  […Phew.]

  A sigh leaked out from her mouth.

  [Are you alright?]

  [—Eh?]

  [I saw bags under your eyes but… did you lack some sleep?]

  [Y- Yeah. There were days where I couldn’t sleep well.]

  I remembered her words from earlier.

  “I can’t sleep without being in a single room.”

  Mist wants to sleep on a single room.

  However, she still can’t sleep.

  Insomnia?

  Or, there must be another reason—

  [A- Anyway, I’m fine. It’s just that I’m a bit tired. You don’t have to worry about me. Well then, I’ll be going now. I’m happy that I could provide some help.]

  Turning around, Mist walked away.

  As if she’s trying not to get others involved with her.

  […………]

  [Pii?]

  Pigimaru cried out a bit.

  [Hmm? What are we going to do now?]

  [Pii.]

  I walked again, aiming towards the plaza on the outskirts of the town.

  [Of course, it would be to start the raid in Mills Ruins.]

  Chapter 52

  Mills Ruins Raid Begins

  The entrance of the ruins were surrounded by fences.

  It seems that the most of the ruins everywhere were managed like this.

  Mills Ruins is managed like this by the marquis too.

  There was a building erected near the ruins.

  It looks like a tiny fortress.

  The people who looks like they’re the ones managing the ruins is going in and out of the building.

  Most of them were armed.

  It is said that they also are preventing monsters from breaking out of the ruins.

  [Speaking of which, isn’t the Marquis going to send his own soldier to raid this ruins himself?]

  Before I entered the ruins, I asked that question to the officer who is in-charge of checking of luggage.

  [There are some mercenaries that may be recruited by Creed-sama as his private soldiers. For the mercenaries that had went here, this ruins raid is a great way for them to appeal for him to recruit them.]

  A rootless mercenary.

  The private soldier of a noble family.

  If people would get to choose, most of them would want the latter.

  [Most of all, raiding the new floor of the ruins is also accompanied by danger. Creed-sama doesn’t want to lose his private soldiers that he’s already familiar with as much as possible.]

  That means that these mercenaries that they’re sending were just disposable pawns, huh…

  I was honestly impressed.

  [You’re a man who sees through what’s hidden beneath the surface huh.]

  [W-Well yeah.]

  An officer who doesn’t have a remarkable face.

  He’s trying to suppress his face from slacking.

  There are some people who act sloppy after being praised.

  Just like Oyamada when he was praised by the goddess.

  The check officer glances around the surrounding area.

  The officer then softly whispers.

  [I’ll only tell you this, okay? Actually, you could make lots of money if you sell something like a map of the ruins that you had created or the information on where the monsters live. Creed-sama will buy it later. Well, it’s basically first-come, first-served so you have to be fast when you want to sell these information.]

  He talked about a way to make money behind the scenes huh…

  I feel that I can now understand how their system works.

  They would first send mercenaries as the advance party in that new floor.

  They would then try to obtain the information about the new floor from the mercenaries.

  The strong monsters were being defeated by skillful mercenaries.

  These things would ensure the safety of the raid as much as possible.

  Later, the marquis would send his private soldiers to search for the next floor.

  And if they had found another new floor again, then another set of mercenary recruitment would happen again.

  A well done plan.

  [Hmm? What’s this?]

  The officer found Pigimaru in his crystal form.

  [It’s a tool for my business. Though I’d like to say that, I’m just in the stage where I still think that “It would be nice if I could get used to using this in the future.”…I’m still a novice when it comes to this.]

  I said it as shy as possible.

  [An apprentice fortune teller huh? You’re quite multi-talented. Good luck with that.]

  [Thank you very much.]

  The crystallized Pigimaru passed through the check easily.

  The last process they conducted is a body check from the neck down.

  I’ve also passed through this without any problem.

  By the way, a man is in charge of checking a man while a woman is in charge to a woman.

  It seems that they put some considerations in this.

  The officer in charge finally completes the process of registry.

  [Be careful in there.]

  [Thank you also for that valuable information.]

  While I was being checked, I’ve also gained some more information.

  When I asked about the other mercenaries, he said that most of them were impertinent people.

  Some of them just openly looks down on others.

  That’s why I feel that it’s a good idea that I acted low-key earlier.

  * * *

  I touched the walls of the ruins.

  [It seems that I won’t be needing the light from my leather bag while I’m here in the upper floors.]

  There are some stones that were buried in the walls that lightly glows.

  It seems that it wouldn’t be necessary to use a torch in this floor.

  An underground pyroxene.

  When you dig them out of the wall, they would lose their light.

  It is said that they would lose their light even if you remove all of the surrounding walls.

  I heard that they also don’t know the principle of why this happens.

  These pyroxenes weren’t even spread out through all the floors.

  Therefore, you would still need sufficient lighting in those areas and the deeper parts where these pyroxenes don’t exist.

  These were some information that I had also heard from that officer.

  [Burrgguuaaahhh!!!]

  A monster’s roar.

  Coming from deep within one of the passages, I saw mercenaries running away.

  [Hiiiii! It’s a Kogyuuki! There’s no information about this monster being here before! It probabl
y came out of the new floor!]

  [They have just discovered the new floor, it’s still disadvantageous to those who goes in first.]

  [Run away~!]

  A small monster that looks like it’s the mixture of a cow and a human chased those mercenaries.

  They kind of reminds me of those Minotaurus in the Disposal Ruins.

  This one looks like it’s a small version of that Minotaurus.

  They have the same golden eye.

  However, their intimidating aura was quite thinner.

  Compared to those Minotaurus that I had faced before, as expected…

  [Guaa— Bumomooooo?]

  It seem that this Kogyuuki noticed me.

  He turned his body in my direction.

  It seems that he switched his target towards me.

  [Bururuuuu! Buu— guuuauaahhh!]

  Nyorori~

  A protrusion came out from the side of my neck.

  [Pii!]

  “It’s coming!”

  Pigimaru cried out as if he’s saying that.

  [Yeah, I know.]

  Today’s Pigimaru looks fired up as he cried out while he’s acting as my lookout.

  Are you trying to make up for your loss at that time when I was intruded while I was bathing?

  I don’t think that focusing on loss is that good of a goal but…

  Well, it’s good that he’s fired up about something.

  [Burumoooooohhh!!!]

  The Kogyuuki is charging towards me.

  I reached out my hand on his direction in response.

  []

  Pishi~

  Piki—

  [Bubuuooo!? Bu… moomoooo…?]

  []

  Paralysis and poison successfully invoked.

  I pull out the dagger from my waist.

  I tried to stab the blade against the skin of the monster.

  Gusa~

  [Buuumooo!]

  I can feel that the blade as it buried through its flesh.

  It’s sticking through his flesh.

  I pull out the knife.

  [As I thought, it’s just that the skin of the monsters in that Disposal Ruins were too tough…]

  At least against a monster like this, the sharpness of this dagger is enough to pierce through their skin.

  It seems that I can use this to peel off its skin as a material.

  No other mercenaries appeared while I’m waiting for this Kogyuuki to die.

  After a moment, the Kogyuuki finally dies.