Chapter 653

Request From Mourou
“The next specimen I’m planning to turn into a mount is… a rather dangerous monster.”

“Wouldn’t normal armor be enough for that?”

Right, my equipment isn’t anything legendary.
Sure, I deliver fast, but the performance itself isn’t special.
And aside from internal-use enchantments like Automatic Repair, I hardly release powerful enchantments to the public.
No one would call on me for something that was only “a little dangerous.”

“Otto, why not tell her plainly? The craftsman who was originally supposed to make my gear ran away.”

“Mourou!?”

“That spider beside her is known among adventurers as a mind reader. The Trade Guild must have heard some rumors as well. It’s better for everyone if you don’t try hiding things.”

So that’s how it is.
I checked with the Kiblinki Saltas, and Mourou wasn’t lying.
In short, the craftsman really had fled.
… But would they summon me over just for that?

“Of course, that isn’t the only reason. The specimen I’m creating was meant to be a headline piece for the upcoming auction. If the armor isn’t ready and the work can’t be completed, the Catastie Trade Guild’s reputation will suffer.”

“Hm. Kiblinki Saltas, is that true?”

(That seems to be the case. But the reward is not bad.)

“Reward?”

“Ah, I should have said that first. A platinum merchant won’t accept money or treasure for such a request. So I hunted the reward beforehand.”

“And what exactly is this reward?”

“A monster called a Snow Crystal Fairy… cute in name only, but in reality a Gold-rank monster. I offer five of its taxidermy mounts and five magic stones as payment.”

Taxidermy of monsters, huh.
Curious, I asked Fanny about them.
Apparently, they’re stunningly beautiful—at least visually.
In reality, meeting one meant being frozen instantly and having your life force drained.
And they wanted to handle five of these?
No wonder the security here was excessive.
They probably wanted every guard they could get.

“Plum, should I accept this?”

“Hmm. We should see this specimen first. Given your current position, high-end furnishings are something you’ll want. But if it’s only pretty to look at and nothing more, that’s not useful. Best to judge after seeing it.”

“You’re right. May we see the specimen?”

“Of course. It’s in the next room, please follow me.”

Apparently, they were ready for this question.
Following Mourou into the adjacent room, I saw five enormous displays, like oversized ice crystals, lined up neatly.
Each sparkled a different color, forming vivid gradients.
So these were Snow Crystal Fairies?

“I see. These will certainly make magnificent decorations.”

“I’m glad to hear that. Snow Crystal Fairies only change color at the exact moment they cast magic. If you don’t defeat them at just the right timing, you can’t achieve this kind of gradient.”

“That so? Fanny, heard anything like that?”

“I’ve fought one once. It’s true they only change color when casting. Whether the gradient shifts, I don’t know.”

“So, you suspect they could be fake?”

“No need to suspect. I sense faint traces of magic. The material is genuine monster crystal, and the whole body is unquestionably Snow Crystal Fairy. If these were fake, that would almost make them even more valuable.”

If Fanny praised them this much, they were the real deal.
The Kiblinki Saltas also detected no lies, so no problem there either.
And, well… I liked them.
Given that I actually needed fine furnishings, I decided to accept the request.

What do you think about this chapter?