NBAA Vol. 6 Chapter 2 Part 1
CHAPTER 2
A dozen minutes passed as the carriage rocked along.
During the ride, Reito received an explanation from Ferris about the magical wares she handles.
Reito also had some magical wares in his possession, but apparently, her store carried several hundred kinds of magical tools.
She sold magic tools for use by ordinary people as well as adventurers.
“Um… Does Ms. Ferris manage all the magical ware stores in Adventure City?” Reito said, and Ferris nodded fervently.
“That’s right. After all, we are the official merchant of that Hailstorm guild master! I will not allow anyone who does not belong to our guild to open a grimoire store in this city!”
“I’m getting used to that accent…”
According to Ferris, all the grimoire stores that have set up shop in adventure city belong to her trading company.
The Dalton Trading Company, which Ferris is a part of, was originally created by a small-bearded dwarf tribe named “Dalton,” who lived hundreds of years ago. This person named Dalton apparently ran a general store in the days when the Kingdom of Baltros was still an empire, but an encounter with a certain person led to the acquisition of a large amount of money, which he used to establish a trading company that dealt only in magical tools.
The Dalton Trading Company is currently run by Ferris. It is not that she is a descendant of Dalton. Instead, she was originally just a merchant.
She happened to pick up a baby unicorn when she was a child and named it Yuniko. She raised it, and they traveled to various places. She then sold the goods she acquired during her travels, and before she knew it, she had become famous as a merchant and joined the Dalton Trading Company.
A few years later, after having distinguished herself among the many merchants, she made a grand announcement that she would take over the Dalton Trading Company after the then-president decided to retire. Since the Dalton Trading Company is a meritocracy, no one could stand against her, who was the most powerful merchant, and as such, she successfully assumed the position of chairwoman.
Ferris looked at Yuniko, who was pulling the carriage, and said affectionately, “I’m very proud of you.”
“We have come this far, thanks to Yuniko. She is our lucky white horse.”
“I see.”
“But for this year’s festival, we can’t rely on Yuniko. That’s why I’d like you to play a big role for the Dalton Trading Company.”
“What’s that?”
When Reito urged her to go on, Ferris began to speak slowly.
“The truth is, it’s a troublesome situation… Some of our merchant guards are unhappy about having adventurers participate in the arena as representatives of the merchant society in lieu of themselves. Most of them are pathetic and can’t do well in the arena, but there is one person who is… vehemently opposed to the idea.”
“And, who would that be…?
“He was originally a good enough player to be chosen as a representative for the pits, but he has some personality and age problems… so I hired Mr. Reito on short notice.”
“So you’re saying he’s not happy with me?”
“Well, yeah. That’s about right.”
It was easy to imagine the person would be frustrated with him. Reito said to Ferris, “I understand. Please let me see that person, and I will persuade him.”
“Really? That would be very helpful… Oh, but could you please avoid violence as much as possible?”
“I’ll do my best.”
Ferris hastily added that it was likely things would require hard measures. She did not believe that the issue could be resolved through discussion.
While they were talking, the carriage stopped and arrived in front of a large building.
Reito got off the carriage and looked at the building.
It was a building so large that it reminded him of a skyscraper. Although it was made of brick, the exterior of the building appeared to be constructed with a high rise in mind.
Ferris proudly explained, puffing out her chest, “This building was designed in response to a proposal from an otherworldly person who helped start the Dalton Trading Company many years ago. This adventure city was called the “Imperial City” during the imperial era, and this building is the only historical structure that has existed since the imperial era!
“Wow… from the imperial era.”
Reito learned for the first time that Adventure City was the capital in the days of the Baltros Empire.
Ferris pushed Reito, who was astonished by the building’s size, onwards.
“Come on, let’s go inside. First of all, let me show you around the various parts of the building.”
“Ms. Chairwoman! You’re back!”
Just as Ferris was about to give a cheerful tour of the interior of the building, a man wearing armor appeared from the doorway and approached her with a devilish expression on his face.
The moment she saw the man’s face, Ferris had a troublesome expression on his face. Looking at her face, Reito predicted that the approaching man might be the “escort” person who had just been mentioned.
“Ahh… Grohl, you’re up already? Also, at such an inconvenient time.”
“Ferris!!! Today is the last straw! I won’t let you get away with it! Why am I not representing you?!”
The man called “Grohl” did not hide his indignation as he approached Ferris.
“I was right,” Reito mumbled to himself.
Ferris shook her head in a good-natured way and turned to Reito to speak.
“I’m sure you’ve heard of him. This is the man I was telling you about earlier, the one in charge of the company’s escort team, Grohl.”
“What? This loser is… Excuse me, this gentleman, who is he?
When Grohl saw the look on Reito’s face, he had a quizzical expression on his face. He did not expect that the person she brought in as a representative of the company instead of himself was such a boy.
Ferris answered Grohl’s question.
“You should greet him, too. This is the adventurer who will be representing our merchant association.”
“What? This brat?”
“He’s a talented guy. Age has nothing to do with it.”
Grohl’s eyes widened in astonishment, and he immediately tried to grab Reito by the collar.
“You bastard!!”
“Hey, now.”
Reito took a step back to dodge him.
“Get back here!!”
Grohl blushed in embarrassment and tried to reach for the longsword equipped at his waist.
Seeing this, Reito activated his spatial magic and pulled out the Extermination Blade.
Seeing this scene, Grohl and Ferris looked up in astonishment. They were overwhelmed by the sharpened onyx blade and the size of the sword.
“What the hell? What is that?”
“Is it a Storage Stone? No, it’s…”
“It’s just Storage Magic.”
“Storage magic!?” Grohl and Ferris both shouted at the same time while Reito answered them coolly.
Grohl was momentarily taken aback when he heard the term “Storage Magic,” but then he realized that Reito was a “Support Magician” and burst out laughing.
“Ha-ha-ha! You’re a Support Magician, aren’t you? And you’re pretending to be some kind of swordsman?”
Ferris’s eyes also widened in surprise.
“Wow, what a surprise. I wish Maria had told me before…”
“Is there a problem with Support Magicians?”
“No, no. Not at all. It’s just…”
Ferris hurriedly shook his head at Reito’s question.
For Ferris, who had witnessed Reito’s ability firsthand in the arena, it did not matter if his occupation was “Support Magician.
However, Grohl, who was unaware of his abilities, yelled at him in a petulant manner.
“You are a disgrace! I don’t know what kind of tricks you’ve been using, but you’ve got the nerve to cheat the chairman of the board of directors and represent the company in the tournament! Get the hell out of here before I decapitate you!”
“I won’t be dictated to by someone who has been replaced by this disgrace,” Reito said.
“What the hell?”
“Mr. Reito, stop.”
It was too childish a provocation, but Reito gripped the hilt of his Extermination Blade, challenging his opponent.
Grohl smiled at him and slowly drew his longsword and held it at the ready.
“Let’s duel… for the representative of the company. You’ll have a fair and square fight with me!”
“Oh no~. I knew it would come to this.”
Ferris put her hand on her forehead and moaned.
Reito wanted to, but there was something that bothered him, so he asked a question.
“A duel. By the way, what do you mean by fair and square?”
“That’s obvious! It’s a pure contest of swordsmanship! Well, what does it matter if it’s someone like you that can’t even handle magic?”
“Don’t you think it’s possible that my second job is actually a Great Magician?”
“Hmph! I know that a Support Magician can only be a support magician as their main job! And that the secondary occupation of a Support Magician cannot be the occupation of a regular Magician!”
“Oh, I see…”
It was information that was new to Reito.
At that moment, Airis’s voice played in his mind.
『I forgot to tell you. A Support Magician is a primary occupation only. And that man is right. A person who is a Support Magician will never be a regular Magician with a secondary profession. Because Alchemist is not a normal profession…』
Having now learned the small talk about his profession, Reito was curious as to why Grohl was strangely familiar with the Support Magician’s profession, but he thought that perhaps it was common knowledge in this world that he just didn’t know about.
In battle, Reito often utilizes his abilities as a Support Magician and Alchemist, which puts him at a great disadvantage when it comes to pure sword competition. But for some reason, Reito did not feel threatened by the man in front of him, Grohl.
“I don’t mind. It’s a good opportunity to show Ms. Ferris what I can do.”
“Hmm! I’m not sure how long you can keep that composure. Don’t regret your cockiness!!”
“Oh… sounds good. Let’s make this quick.”
Ferris, no longer bothered to stop them, led the carriage away.
With a smile to spare, Grohl drew his long sword, and Reito clutched the hilt of his Extermination Blade still on his back.