Chapter 97: Trisha's Blade

"Hey! Don't just flash your sword like that!"

"Be careful when unsheathing!"

"Come on...!"

Trisha hurriedly turned and apologized to the passersby who complained about her sudden unsheathing.

As she did so, Rey noticed a thin wooden casing that hung behind her. It was placed so vertically that no one would notice it if she stood before them.

'A-ah! The hilt was behind her, huh?'

"It looks great, right?" Rey's attention returned to the blade as Trisha presented it to him.

'Hmm...' Rey's eyes thoroughly observed the blade, and a pleasantly surprised expression took over his face a moment after.

'This... this looks really nice!'

"May I...?" He asked, placing his hands forward to collect the blade.

"S-sure. Just be careful."

Rey nearly yanked the blade from the surprised Trisha, closely looking at the entire sword—from the hilt, to the edges, and everything else about it.

'It's not the best I've seen, and it doesn't have any Enchantment, but... the workmanship is really good!'

Rey wasn't an expert in swords at all, but after checking out a ton of weapons—from the ones that the Hobgoblins wielded, to the more sophisticated kind ... up to the most expensive ones in the capital—he had developed an eye for these things.

His developed taste told him that the blade in front of him was of high quality.

~WHOOSH!~

~SWOOSH!~

He flapped his hand slightly and swung the blade a few times, immersed in the weapon.

Once he realized how he was obsessing over the sword, Rey cleared his throat and handed it back to the stunned Trisha.

"A-ahem... This is a good sword."

"R-right?! I can't believe I got it with just one Gold." Trisha beamed as she stuttered.

When others talked about this, Rey had gotten mad. But the same couldn't be applied to Trisha.

'This sword is probably worth more than 1 Gold. If it was Enchanted, it would enter the realm of Platinum Coins...'

Rey wondered how Trisha was able to get the sword.

"Where did you buy it from?"

"Just a smithy in one corner before the road. I saw it on display and thought I just had to get it."

"Ahh... and how much was the initial cost?" Rey asked with even more intrigue.

"Three Gold Coins."

'Sounds about right...' Rey nodded internally.

"And? You haggled so hard he brought it down to one?"

Trisha shook her head the moment Rey asked the question.

"I didn't have the heart to haggle. The guy who was selling it made the sword himself, and both of us knew the value it had..."

'Well, I should have expected that.' Rey nearly leaked out chuckle

Trisha was a martial artist to the core. The kind that believed in chivalry, honor, and all that junk.

Frankly, Rey didn't care for any of it, but he still respected Trisha's continuous dedication to her ideal.

"So how were you able to get it for 1 Gold?"

"Well... I was going to go around and ask my friends to lend me their money, and I'd pay later. I told him I was definitely going to come back for the blade, but..." a warm smile radiated her face at this point.

"... He decided to sell it to me for the money I had on hand."

As Trisha finished her story, she sheathed the blade.

"I see..." Rey could only mutter.

'The guy must have sensed the true Martial Artist spirit that Trisha exudes, and decided to sell it to her at a great discount.'

Rey chuckled internally as he looked at the ebony before him.

'I guess it sometimes pays to have that kind of mindset.'

It was also possible that the guy knew that Trisha had the prospects of being a powerful warrior and would feel indebted to him for this act of benevolence, so she would patronize him in the future and even introduce others to his shop.

'It IS the place she bought her first sword. Martial Artists and Warriors dig that kind of stuff.'

Trisha could eventually lead a lot of customers his way through word of mouth, and the more her influence would grow, the more he was bound to have more people patronize him.

'In essence, it's a business strategy.'

Rey didn't know precisely what it was, since he hadn't been there himself, but he thought he was probably just overthinking it.

'There's nothing strange about a blacksmith giving out their prized creation to a Warrior they feel deserves it.'

This was the irrational part of business that Rey knew existed.

'It really is a good sword...' At this point, Rey didn't hide his smile.

As Trisha kept bragging about her sword and the other adventures she had in the town, Rey could see the excitement on her face.

... In her eyes.

'Seems like she really had fun. The more I listen, the less apprehensive I become of her.'

Rey began to see Trisha in a different light.

She wasn't just some girl-boss who sought after strength and nothing else. She also wasn't so stern that she couldn't be lighthearted—though Rey considered her attempt at humor to be a little too extreme.

He still felt a tingle under his pants once in a while.

Overall, though, Trisha was ultimately a girl.

A really nice girl.

'Still... I have to wonder...'

Rey glanced around him and saw that most of their classmates were already present. A lot of Trisha's friends were around as well.

'... Why is she talking to me about all this stuff?'

At this point, Rey's eyes caught Alicia, who seemed to be walking away for some reason.

'When did she arrive?' He thought, realizing he never saw her until just now.

'She looks a bit upset...' Alicia didn't glance in his direction even once.

'I guess she's mad that I ditched her.'

Rey knew he had to apologize properly later, and perhaps give her the gift he held deep in his [Inventory].

For now, though, he had to continue his conversation with Trisha.

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