Weapons Shop
Next door was the weapons shop that only Mr. Abe had gone into the other day.
Swords and knives were crammed on display across the entire wall.
"Hello!"
"Welcome. Oh? What’s up, Missy?"
The shopkeeper was a big, burly man with a rather intimidating presence.
He's about the same size as Mr. Abe, huh.
Not only is he huge, but he also has a scar on his cheek and a menacing face—definitely the type of person you wouldn’t talk to unless you had to…
"Um, I just bought a collar next door and was hoping to get it engraved."
"Sure, no problem… Huh? Vice-Commander? Are you Vice-Commander Stanley?"
"Ah, that’s right. Hm? You… Dan? Long time no see."
"Father, you know him?"
"Yeah, he used to be one of my subordinates when I was in the Monster Subjugation Unit."
"Oh, so you're the Vice-Commander’s daughter? I’m Dan. I took over this shop from my father, and the store next door is run by my little sister."
"That explains why Mr. Abe went in the other day. Oh, pardon me—I'm Joan, eldest daughter of the Lampail family."
"Nice to meet you, Young lady Joan. Unfortunately, I didn’t get a chance to talk to Captain Abe when he came in—I was with a customer at the time."
"I see… So, how’s your father doing?"
"Ah… same as before, really…"
"Mr. Dan, is your father unwell?"
"Yeah. He collapsed on the job, and even after resting, he still suffers from severe headaches and shoulder pain… He tries to dull the pain with alcohol and starts drinking from noon. When he’s drunk, he gets irritable and takes it out on Mom…"
"Umm, your father probably has high blood pressure."
"What? Really?"
"Mr. Dan, did your father have headaches, dizziness, and shoulder stiffness even before he collapsed? Also, does he like alcohol and salty foods?"
"Now that you mention it, yeah. I wasn’t home back then because I was still with the subjugation unit, but I heard about it from Mom and my sister afterward. And yes, he does like booze and salty dishes."
"High blood pressure is caused by excessive alcohol, too much salt, and being overweight. At first, it shows up as headaches, dizziness, and shoulder pain, and if left untreated, it can lead to collapse."
"But the temple just told us to have him rest."
"Resting is good, but without daily exercise, the weight issue won’t improve. And drinking while resting only makes the symptoms worse! Plus, stress is also a factor. He’s probably irritable because he’s cooped up inside all day."
"… I don’t mean to be rude, but Vice-Commander, is what Young lady Joan saying true?"
"Joan, is this from your past knowledge?"
"Yes, it is. Umm… may I offer him some of my dried sweet jagatoes? I believe they’ll help with his high blood pressure, just like they did with my grandfather."
Dan looked worriedly at Stanley and Joan as they spoke in hushed voices.
"Dan, Joan’s knowledge is sound. My own father had high blood pressure, but he got better thanks to her advice."
"R-Really? Then… if I follow Young lady Joan’s advice and improve his diet, my dad might get better?"
"Yes. First, in terms of diet, have him cut back on alcohol and salty foods. Also, make sure he gets about thirty minutes of exercise every day. Even just a walk is fine. Going outside will also reduce some stress. And… please have him eat this."
Joan pulled out her special dried sweet jagatoes from her storage and handed them to Dan.
"What’s this?"
"They’re dried sweet jagatoes, a local specialty of the Lampail territory. Have him eat a little each day. They’re nutritious and great for high blood pressure and dieting."
"Vice-Commander… may I really accept this?"
"Of course. In fact, after eating those, my father’s weight came down and his headaches disappeared. Just give it a try."
"Th-Thank you. I’ll feed this to my dad and make sure he gets some exercise. Oh… right, the engraving. What name should I put on it?"
"Please engrave it with ‘Pearl.’"
"Got it. Please wait a moment."
Dan went to the workshop in the back and completed the engraving in just five minutes. I took it and put it on Pearl.
As we were about to say our goodbyes and leave, Dan stepped outside with us and locked up the store. When we asked why, he said he lived upstairs and wanted to give his father the dried sweet jagatoes right away.
At that moment, a loud crash and a man’s angry voice echoed from above.
"Sigh… he’s drunk again…"
"… Um! May I come with you?"
"What!? But…"
"What’s Joan going to do? You’ll just get in the way."
"… That might be true, but if he stays angry like that, he might collapse again. My Aqua water should help improve his condition, at least a little."
"That water definitely works as a sobering agent… Dan, sorry to trouble you, but can you show us the way? No matter what happens, I won’t blame you."
"… All right. This way."
What do you think about this chapter?
