Shut-in Magician - Chapter 40

Chapter 040: Afternoon on the Third Day of the Birth Festival

Emina persuaded Agricola many times.

“It’s not your fault! You shouldn’t get caught up with such a stupid woman!”

She said as if she was brainwashing him and then smiled.

“My father’s a farmer. That’s why he gave me this name. I thought that it would be alright to succeed him and live in hiding. But sometimes I did miss working as a blacksmith.”

“Then you should just do it. Farming is also a great job, but it’s a waste of your skills.”

“…… Is it?”

“Someone I know has spatial magic but ―――. Ah, it’s the person who created that magic bag. Isn’t it a blasphemy against God if he has the ability and doesn’t use it? Isn’t it a discourtesy to 『the people who can’t use it』? He said. So he decided to use it if it’s within his range.”

Shiu’s face felt like it was about to twitch and he desperately tried to remain expressionless.

“It’s fine if you hate your power. But it’s a part of you and if you don’t hate it but actually like it then ―――. You should use it.”

“…… You’re right.”

Emina continued persuading the serious Agricola.

“You wanted to take a long break, didn’t you? Hey, why don’t you make something as practice first?”

“No, I…”

“I can introduce you to a workshop. Even though I look like this, I’m still the heir of a tool shop!”

“Emina, you’re so amazing.”

Kiahi whispered, “You shouldn’t go against Emina anymore.” Shiu nodded in agreement.

Laetitia poked Gladius, but he was still in shock.

“I, I, for the first time I want to do it ―――. If I’m going to do it then I want to try and work on my friend’s weapon.”

“Friend? Did someone leave you with a weapon?”

Emina tilted her head in confusion and Agricola nodded. Then, he looked at the flabbergasted Gladius.

“It’s been awhile, so I don’t know if I can do it or not. But, I want to fix your Tonitrus.”

This time, Kiahi karate chopped Gladius on the head.

“Return to your senses!”

“Ah, no, you know, that.”

“You don’t want me to fix it anymore?”

“NO! That’s not what I meant. I thought you were being sneaky by saying it’s your friend’s request.”

“…… I did doubt you at first, but everyone has greed within them. It’s not a bad thing. With my fiancée too, I realized this after paying more attention to her. That’s why I have a lot of friends. I know that you want to get Tonitrus fixed. This will benefit both of us. There’s nothing sneaky about it.”

“…… Agricola!”

They hugged each other and deepened their friendship, but it looked like Shiu wasn’t the only one who thought the scene looked stuffy. Laetitia looked into the other direction and shrugged her shoulders, Kiahi and Kirch pretended that they couldn’t see anything. Emina also finished talking and was gulping down her juice.

But anyway, all’s well that ends well. So Shiu also pretended like he didn’t notice anything and fed Feles a snack.

The scene of a big man and a small man hugging while weeping attracted many eyes.

When their late lunch was finished, Shiu went his separate way and returned to the merchant block.

He looked at used books and bought things that were a bargain. He used his money freely at places like these.

It was fun to just look at magic tools that looked interesting.

Magic tool shops that people couldn’t normally enter attracted a lot of attention when they set up stalls to display their wares. It was a good highlight since he could encounter and discover many things.

Recently, he hadn’t used any other 《APPRASIAL》skills except for《PERSON APPRAISAL》, but he had been using his magic since morning to prevent crime since this was a festival.

Thanks to that, his magic decreased an incredible amount because he wasn’t just appraising people, but also the products that were lined up at the magic tool stalls. At the moment, it could still be maintained with Shiu’s MP, but if he hadn’t applied conservation techniques then his MP would have ran out again.

He found out there were a lot of counterfeit items thanks to appraisal.

They didn’t have any mana stones or monster cores even though they were magic tools.

No matter what kind of item it was, he could understand the structure as long as he took it in his hands and looked at it, so it made appraising it faster.

Shiu had high spatial perception in his previous life. He was good at 3d puzzle games and also at origami. This might have been a result of his long stay at the hospital.

Anyway, if he understood the structure of something then he could understand what kind of item it was.

“This is hollow inside, isn’t it?”

“Huh?”

“Does it even use a mana stone?”

The man really did look suspicious and tried to sell a [BARGAIN: A telescope enchanted with distance view]-like thing which Shiu appraised.

Shiu had just bought a large quantity of books a while ago, so the man must have thought it would be a good opportunity.

The books were expensive even if they were used.

A kid buying those things must have stood out.

I should be more cautious, he thought and said as he returned the item, “Even children won’t believe you if you tell them to try to use the magic tool after purchasing because the mana stone is worn out.”

Then, the man grinned and stood up. He dropped the item on purpose.

“Oh dear! What are you doing? That was an important merchandise! Kids are troublesome because they act like this!”

He said in an obnoxious tone. Shiu was amazed and laughed.

“What are you laughing at?!”

“Uncle, you’re a really bad actor. And ―――.”

He approached the man and beckoned at him. The man looked doubtful, but Shiu put his face to the man’s ears and whispered, “Stolen Mantidae, thief Damontes-san. It’ll become a serious matter if it’s found out that you’re selling stolen goods. Do you understand?”

The man looked at Shiu, startled and began to quickly scan the area around him.

It seemed that he decided to obediently obey.

“Don’t worry. I won’t tell the patrol about you if you don’t hurt anyone. I was just wondering what you were thinking when you tried to sell something to a child.”

“…… Fine.”

“So, you’ll pay me a fee for being troublesome, won’t you?”

“Don’t be stupid! Ah, no, mm.”

Shiu smiled at the man while he was panicking.

“If the Mantidae is destroyed, then you wouldn’t even be able to pay for it with your savings.”

“Ar-Are you threatening me?”

“Nope. I’m talking about not thinking about revenge. My companions have already marked you, Uncle. If anything happens, you’re the only suspect. After all, we have appraisal, an assassin, thief and sniper!”

“…… O-okay. I get it so enough already!”

The man seemed as if he was really panicking and Shiu left because he had already given his warning.

Shiu had really marked the man, but the man had already closed shop and returned to a place at the very back of the commoners block. He went in and out of the Royal Capital with a few of his comrades and then returned by night time.

Shiu thought that the man would come back since he had rushed off, but he saw that the man was in the next city already with 《SEARCH》and concluded that he was probably running away. He stopped using search.

Once he marked something, he can find out where his mark is with 《EVERY DIRECTION SEARCH》.

However, he thought that the man didn’t have to run that far away.

At this time, Shiu didn’t realise how much of a threat person appraisal was.

In the evening, Shiu walked along the main road thinking that he should return home soon. He continued to watch the festivities at the Royal Capital and felt somewhat fluffy inside. Feles also wasn’t going to sleep and was having fun watching the scene from his shoulder.

Shiu glanced at the park as he walked passed it and noticed that playground equipment had been set up. It was like a moving amusement park. He felt nostalgic and peeked at it.

The amusement park was set up in a lovely scale and it was something that he only saw on TV in his previous life. It had a merry-go-round, a big seesaw that could fit several people on it and tea cup rides. It even had animals. The children were accompanied by their parents and were screaming in excitement.

There were glass lamps everywhere and they lit up the park together with the street lamps. It was a fantastic scene. There was a young man dressed up like a clown dancing happily in the park. Bands strumming music and parading. He followed them and reached the middle of the plaza. There was a theatre there. The first act had just finished.

Everyone could watch the play, but if they wanted to sit down on one of the reserved seats then that required money. The seats near the stage were filled with middle-class people and the commoners stood around them. The play was 『The Tale of Loire’s Seven Greatest Heroes』. They had took out a portion of the book and adapted it into a drama.

Shiu watch from the third act until the last; it was very exciting. He was extremely excited since this was the first time he’d ever seen a play. The song that played during the last act was stuck in his mind.

That feeling stayed with him as he rushed home because it was late.

Shiu began humming the song without realising and Emina showed up and said while laughing, “So there is something that you’re bad at, Shiu-kun.”

Shiu tilted his head in confusion and she continued, “You’re pretty tone-deaf. Oh, it’s already dinner time, isn’t it? Hurry up!”

Emina laughed happily and went home.

Shiu was shocked that he was 「pretty」tone-deaf and stopped on the spot.

Translator: Blushy
Editor: HSM