Chapter 454: People and Secret Stone

"Ah, Shii." (Eris)

"Eris-senpai! Do you need anything-ssu ka?!" (Shii)

"...Yeah, there's a bit of Lime mixed in it, but the dedication to imitate the way of speaking and attitude of the people you admire, as leader, I will permit it despite being slightly embarrassing." (Eris)

"??"

"It is okay to ignore her. It is almost noon, right?"

"Yes!" (Shii)

The Kuzunoha Company's store in Rotsgard.

The one in charge of looking after the store today is the Forest Oni Eris who was talking to the junior Forest Oni Shii who is also on duty today.

"Sorry, but can you delay the lunch time for a bit. There will be a guest coming, so can you please guide him to the place of Waka? Counting on ya." (Eris)

"Me, guide a guest of Waka-sama?! -ssu ka." (Shii)

"Yes-ssu yo." (Eris)

Shii is originally a more diligent type than Akua, but the one she admires is Eris.

She is trying her best to learn from the lawless Eris, but as one can see, she is having trouble.

"It is nothing special. It is just checking the cargo that was brought to the basement, so Waka is on standby there too... You can do it, right?" (Eris)

"! Understood! I will show you that I will perform my duties splendidly!" (Shii)

"I am counting on you~. Ah, there's no need to ask for his name since he's got his circumstances. If a slim handsome guy with heterochromia comes in, that's the guy." (Eris)

Eris makes a thumbs up and goes down to the basement with light aloof steps.

Shii was originally off-duty today.

However, Eris said that this is to learn in the actual workplace, so she had the shift of Akua switched forcefully.

The reason is simple.

It is to confirm whether Shii has truly completely recovered from the customer that will be coming here.

To see whether there's any faint remains of Charm left.

Eris was trying to confirm this.

Shii was waiting expectantly with burning zeal for the moment when the customer will be coming to meet the company representative.

Of course, she was also attending the customers with her all while doing so.

It truly was the sight of the successor of Akua.

And then, the time finally came.

"Excuse me, I am the person that has an appointment with the representative Raidou."

Heterochromia.

Coming in with a woman.

A handsome man that one can tell his sturdiness, kindness, and elegance instinctively.

Shii had judged in an instant from his outward appearance that there's no doubt it was him.

She wasn't told that he would be bringing a female student that looks like a noble lady, but it flashed in Shii's mind.

There was one other hint in Eris's words.

"We have been waiting for you. Will you be confirming the goods?" (Shii)

"Yeah."

"Raidou is waiting at the warehouse. Will your partner also be coming? She can wait in the reception room..." (Shii)

Aside from the times when they are sorting and cleaning, the warehouse is not a place they normally let a customer come in.

It is of course not made in a way to receive a noble.

Complaints surfacing from that would only be a loss for both sides.

That's why Shii proposed the plan of waiting at the reception room, but the noble lady shook her head elegantly to the sides.

"Don't worry. I have been in contact with the general knowledge of commoners at the academy."

"...Sorry for the trouble. Please guide us, ah..."

"Apologies for the delay. My name is Shii. Then, this way please." (Shii)

Truly natural.

In a way that Shii would normally interact with a customer.

And...

The small shadow behind the pillar, Eris, breathed a sigh of relief and showed a satisfied smile as she silently watched her state -without anyone seeing her.

The Empire's Hero stepped into the Kuzunoha Company's warehouse.

◇◆◆◆◇◇◆◆◆◇

"O-Oooh...!" (Tomoki)

The admiration of Tomoki leaked out from his mouth.

Yeah, he is actually surprised.

Right right.

Behind me, there were shelves crowding the place, and there were mostly fist sized stones of varied types lined up.

This is a bit of a mineral museum that was made after researching and gathering the stones of Tsige, Asora, and every place in the world.

...Well, even though we did our best burning with the passion of a merchant, our business partner Tomoki came with a woman.

Just how does he take a promise? Good grief.

"Stones from the whole world. I have the confidence to say that we have gathered a great deal here. You could call it the serious face of the Kuzunoha Company. Ah, me explaining the goods wouldn't be the most efficient thing to do, so I will have 2 people assisting me here. Please don't mind that." (Makoto)

I don't want Tomoe to be in the same space as Tomoki.

I don't want him to take an interest in Mio either.

And so, I had the eldwa armor craftsman Rugui-san who I could expect specialized knowledge of stones and things revolving around it, and the Forest Oni Eris for the instinct department.

The two follow my words and bow to Tomoki and the female student.

"This is truly impressive. They are all normal stones that I don't feel magic power from." (Tomoki)

"Our explanation will come after you have checked it out yourself first but...Tomoki." (Makoto)

"Hm?" (Tomoki)

"What's with that student? The promise was to not use your Charm here, right?" (Makoto)

I have to make this clear before showing him the goods.

If the condition that was cooperation has crumbled, there's the need to reconsider this after all.

"As you can see, she is a student of the academy. She is a noble lady of the Empire, and as the future emperor, she is an important subject of mine. I brought her here because I wanted to hear her opinion." (Tomoki)

"What I am asking is about the Charm—" (Makoto)

"I haven't used the demonic eyes. No skills or magic either. It is not like I used some kind of trick here. If you doubt me, I don't mind you confirming it. Of course, I am not thinking about doing something that would dirty today's transaction, and won't be doing it." (Tomoki)

Tomoki wasn't trying to dodge my question here.

He wanted to hear her opinion. It probably means in the sense that he wants her to appraise the items.

And just as promised, he hasn't used the Charm and other skills.

"Eris." (Makoto)

"Yus, Boss." (Eris)

I had Eris come to the front with the recovery potion just in case. She stood in front of the student and looked up at her.

It is kinda irritating that she is moving so efficiently despite the way too informal response.

"This is a pretty valuable potion that drives away any abnormal status effects in one go." (Eris)

""?!""

"There's no problem with the Hero-dono there since it is the person himself, but you, lady, are a completely unexpected factor for us. Therefore, I would like you to gulp this thing down in one go." (Eris)

Now that I think about it, the buddy of Eris today was Shii.

Akua is normally together with her, so what brought that change?

"You are...proposing quite the rude thing, Raidou-sensei."

"..."

The female student narrowed her eyes at me without looking at Eris.

From my experience, nothing good will come out from responding to this, so I just ignore her gaze.

"!"

"I am well aware this is rude. That's why I will be giving you one of these potions once you have drunk it." (Makoto)

Eris brings out a similar bottle from her pocket.

But her complaints didn't stop there.

"Not only that, but 3 more of them as service. Isn't there plenty of reason for nobles to have stuff like this in reserve?" (Eris)

Eris shows off several potion bottles she holds in between her fingers.

That way of holding it reminds me of a clumsy guy somewhere, so I would like her to not do that.

"..."

The girl glances at Tomoki.

Tomoki nods and she takes the potion from Eris and gulps it down in one go.

"! This is..."

Did the Charm go away?

It is true that, at a glance, there weren't any abnormalities on her just as Tomoki said.

But the Charm can remain and nest in it.

It is my honest opinion that there's no knowing unless we deal with the abnormal effect outright.

I observe the state of this girl who seems to be absentminded.

By the way, Tomoki himself is not agitated at all.

"SO tasty!!"

"It was that?!" (Makoto)

I ended up retorting out of the stupidity.

"Of course. The base of the taste is from the currently in season muscat. Can be preserved for 3 years at a fixed temperature. By the way, it works wonders even when used as a cocktail ingredient on the rock or straight." (Eris)

Eris, that's not a sale pitch for the potions, but for booze.

"Hoh, make potions tasty, huh. The Kuzunoha Company is impressive. I will buy them at double the price, so send me around 100 crates." (Tomoki)

Tomoki gulps down the potion that the shrewd female student gave him.

He must have taken a liking to the taste, or he has confidence in its effects, he ordered a massive amount of it.

He didn't go 'please make it cheaper since I am buying in bulk', but 'I will be buying in bulk and will pay you higher for the trouble'. It is a sight you see often in negotiations between merchants of this world.

Shutting someone up with money might be unexpectedly normal in Japan as well.

"Didn't I tell you? I haven't broken the promise. I haven't done anything strange to her." (Tomoki)

"...So it seems." (Makoto)

"It is not like we made an unreasonable promise like 'don't sleep with women and don't let them fall in love with you' after all. It is normal to end up in that kind of relationship with 5 or 10 in a few days, right? That's just how it is." (Tomoki)

...In other words, he seduced them the regular way and they fell.

Tomoki is handsome after all.

He is tall and well-built.

His position is that of a Hero, and the daughter of the Emperor is his supporter.

He has looks, money, and political power.

Aah, I see.

My only impression of him is the Charm, and that has become super big inside of me.

I see, this guy is naturally popular.

Looking at it objectively, it makes sense.

No way he wouldn't be popular.

Even if he didn't have his Charm power, his appearance, wealth, and political influence are charming enough.

It is true that I told him not to spread his Charm.

But I didn't tell him not to seduce women or sleep with them.

...Hmm, for some reason, I feel like I have lost here.

"Ma—Raidou, can I see them already?" (Tomoki)

"Yeah, I will guide you." (Makoto)

I exchange glances with Rugui and Eris.

The two nod.

They are already concentrating on their respective field which is Tomoki and the stones.

Now then, I wonder what kind of reaction it will bring to a Hero, a human, or a resident of the Origin World, if they were to hold a stone with no magic power.

"...You really have gathered only gems and crystals with no magic power." (Tomoki)

"Yeah, that was the request after all. How does it look in your eyes?" (Makoto)

"This is...aah, is this what you were referring to as Power Stones, Tomoki-sama?"

"That's right." (Tomoki)

"I honestly can't tell. I think they have ornamental value, but to serve as protection or a trigger to open up paths...I can't see that at all."

"Figures. In this world where there's magic power and magic, wanting normal stones is weird." (Tomoki)

"However, Tomoki-sama needs it. You are finding worth in stones that have no magic power or history. It is most likely a world that only the chosen ones can see. I am jealous."

"It was just an oracle. It probably has no point for anyone aside from people who have come from another world. Right, since we are here, tell me which stone you like, Kuroe. I will properly send you an amulet with magic power in it. The least I can do to thank you." (Tomoki)

...

Non-stop flirting.

I am surprised from the bottom of my heart that she can spit out such sweet words when Tomoki is saying he has conquered 5-10 people.

I learned the reason why gems in this world don't have that high of a value for the residents of this world after this event, but hearing it from the mouth of an actual resident is great.

Nobles prefer accessories that have magic power and practical use instead of just being shiny; be it rings or necklaces.

I guide Tomoki and his partner in order while feeling slightly annoyed.

The zone where there were big lumps of gems that even in Japan had stories of being power stones didn't make Tomoki stop his feet.

The girl stopped her feet every now and then and showed surprise and admiration though.

Hmm.

He also ignored the birthstones.

This part was actually the one I thought would be a hit.

I myself didn't get any reaction when I touched a diamond, but I thought that a Hero would be different.

He even ignored the zone of the stones that can only be found in this world.

Rugui and Eris made questionable reactions to the soft emerald and a number of other gems, but Tomoki and Kuroe didn't react at all.

Tomoki must be touching each and every one of them because it is the key to finding the stone he is searching for.

In that case, what's left are the crystals, corals, ambers, and the slightly different category ones.

I might have messed up here. At the time when I was feeling discouraged wondering that this may be the pattern where there's no hits...

Tomoki's legs stopped.

""!!""

I could tell Rugui and Eris were strengthening their guards.

I could clearly tell as well.

The moment he took that stone in his hand, the presence of Tomoki increased by a step.

I don't know if a step or two is the proper way to describe this presence.

However, it was clear that it shot up.

That alone, I could tell.

He simply held the stone.

Oi oi oi.

Is this the benefit of a Hero?

It might not go as far as Root, but I would say he matches Zef-san plenty enough.

It might not be a completely accurate evaluation just from the impression I am being given here, but it is still a pretty horrifying sight.

Moreover, it is from the zone that I didn't have much hopes for.

That zone is...

Aventurine, tiger eye, and rose quartz, I think.

What Tomoki is holding is...a rose quartz.

It is called the deep crimson crystal or the rose quartz, but it is a stone that's not that expensive.

I think Nee-san had an amulet of that.

It gives me the image of a stone a girl would have, and it doesn't suit Tomoki...

At any rate, I should investigate in detail just what kind of stone it is.

Also...I might have a stone like that too.

...Ah, following that logic, Senpai must obviously have a stone too.

For Senpai, I think it would be a diamond, emerald, or sapphire; the classic ones.

"...Raidou." (Tomoki)

"Looks like that's the one." (Makoto)

The eyes of Tomoki were not separating from the rose quartz.

His blazing eyes were staring intently at the stone.

Kuroe is...aah, her face has gone completely blank at how Tomoki has obtained an abnormal degree of power just from holding a stone that doesn't have even a trace of magic power.

It is a natural response.

I don't know if it is a reaction only humans can get or if it is possible even for hyumans.

I won't be able to know unless I ask the Goddess or someone like that.

"That was a great help. I will take this pink one. Please send me the bill for the cost of all the stones here including the transportation cost, and your price for the work." (Tomoki)

"It was unexpected that it was a rose quartz. But I am relieved that we managed to get what you requested. Keep the war in moderation." (Makoto)

"Rose quartz, huh." (Tomoki)

"Yeah, it is also called the deep crimson crystal." (Makoto)

"You have my gratitude, Raidou. But..." (Tomoki)

"?"

Tomoki's grateful smile changed into that of a ferocious warrior as he looked straight at me.

"There's no moderation in war." (Tomoki)

"Right. That's why I hate war." (Makoto)

Killing and being killed with a straight face, every single one of them.

I am tired of that.

In that point, I feel the same for hyumans and demons.

We managed to see a part of the effects from Tomoki obtaining the stone he wanted.

We see off Tomoki and Kuroe, and thank Rugui and Eris for their good job.

Well, I would say the job has ended well.

In the evening...

I got a call from Hibiki-senpai requesting me to do almost the same thing I did with Tomoki.

Oof...