My Villains Episode 019
5-2. Maintenance (4)
I asked Ilton back at the unexpected answer.
“You don’t sell crossbows? why?”
“No, it’s not that I don’t sell it, I can’t sell it. If you sell the crossbow, me or Mr. Phoenix will go to jail.”
“what?”
Ilton refused to sell the crossbow, citing kingdom law.
Selling items such as spears, polearm war bows and crossbows to civilians required a special permit, he said.
I was dumbfounded and asked again.
“No, armor, swords, axes, shields… They sell all kinds of heinous things, but they don’t sell crossbows? What criteria are you using?”
“There’s no point in asking me, but… I’m just doing what I’m told.”
“I’m not arguing—then what do we do?”
I glanced back and Ellen let out a sigh of disappointment.
“After that, there is nothing you can do. Shall I buy a hunting bow?”
“Have you ever shot a bow?”
He answered my question with a confident expression.
“No?”
I want to hit people
“…But you’re going to use a bow in the dark sewer?”
In fact, even when I said I was buying a crossbow, I was worried that this wand holder would stick an arrow into my back, but what? bow? Is he going to kill me?
I don’t know, but I don’t think a bow is something that can be handled so easily.
Ellen must have run away from the palace and gained some experience in her own way, so why are you talking about this?
“But you can’t go into the sewer with your bare hands.”
“Why are you carrying a weapon you can’t even handle? I’d rather be bare-handed.”
“Can’t you just learn it from now on? Anyway, it will be necessary someday.”
What is he talking about?
Seeing the stubborn expression on his face, I laughed.
“Hey, if you use magic anyway, you won’t need a bow, so why learn it? Don’t waste your time…
“How do you know that?”
When he shot at me with a cold expression because he was stubborn, I let out a shrill voice in embarrassment.
“…uh?”
“How do I know if I will need it or not?”
“No, that’s right… if you use magic.”
At my words, he bit his lip and looked around. Then he sighed and spoke in a low voice.
“How many times have you seen me keep talking nonsense like that?”
“What are you talking about, ma’am. Bullshit.”
“That I could use magic? Are you going to become a wizard? Ha, don’t say anything comfortable without knowing anything.”
“I am not like that.”
“I’m a half-penny wizard who can’t even create magic sparks. Even if I practiced every single day from the age of seven until now. Even I don’t have a pedigree-”
He ended with a trembling sigh as if to calm himself down.
…ugh poor bastard.
In this case, I, as an adult, should bend over first.
“Hmm, I didn’t mean it with bad intentions, but it offended me. Sorry.”
“…No, I was a little excited. It’s not something to get mad at you for.” As Ellen and I paused our conversation, Ilton, who had been watching us, interjected with an awkward smile.
“Th-Are you looking for a weapon to use in the sewers?”
“…uh. however?”
“Then I have something I can recommend. How about a crossbow?”
What bullshit is this again?
“Why did you say you can’t sell crossbows because of kingdom law?”
“yes? No, you can’t sell crossbows. You can sell crossbows, right?”
“what’?”
After saying that, Ilton brought a strange-looking object from the back of the workshop.
“What’s this?”
The whole thing he brought looked like a small crossbow, with the front curved downwards and a leather pad or something attached to the middle of the string.
“A crossbow. Instead of arrows, we shoot with coal (stone) or iron rings (鐵九).”
As Ilton explained, the weapon he brought was a stone bow or crossbow, in other words, a crossbow that shoots stones.
“Wow, what is a slingshot? Do you have anything like this?”
When I showed interest, Ilton excitedly explained.
“It’s small, convenient to handle, and bullets are easy to get! Besides, the power is also very low. If you hit it right, it will break your head.”
“How do you write?”
When Ellen showed interest and touched the crossbow, Ilton wholeheartedly taught her how to operate it.
“Put the hind end against your stomach or thighs. pull your strings all the way yes you can hang it there Uh, you can’t shoot when the string is empty! Because it might break. Oh, you usually have to let go of the protests. I have to grease this place here and there sometimes… Ah, aiming is—”
The crossbow was a small object, no more than half the length of my arm, so even small Ellen could easily handle it.
Watching Ellen eagerly pull the crossbow, Ilton added with a smile.
“Well, it has a short range and no penetrating power, but you should be able to easily kill a ratman coming out of the sewer. Even if you accidentally shoot yourself… well, if it’s the armor that Mr. Phoenix is wearing, you won’t be seriously hurt. Of course, it’s best not to fit, right?”
…seriously attracted?
Ellen asked Ilton if he liked it too.
“I will live with this. How much is it?”
“Hehe, it’s something that hasn’t found its owner for a while… Please give me six silver coins.”
wait what?
“Hey, six coins? This little thing costs the same as my shield? Did you even get dragon tendons in the protest?”
I asked questioningly, and Ilton waved his hand in embarrassment.
“Calm down Mr Phoenix. This is a very difficult thing to make. Besides, since it was originally meant to be presented to the lord of the castle, expensive juniper wood was used for the body and handle.”
Come to think of it, the crossbow seemed to have been varnished, and it had a luxurious look with maroon colors running through it.
If you look closely, you can see some kind of leaf pattern engraved on it.
“… Hey, is this for real combat?”
“Yeah-of course it’s for real combat.”
Once again, Ilton was a really good guy.
He was also an innocent guy who showed clearly on his face when he had something to worry about. Is it a laxity peculiar to a related company to have such a guy as a receptionist?
At my continued questioning, he sighed and confessed.
“In fact- I originally made it with the wife of the lord of the castle in mind. He said he likes hunting birds…”
“You mean it was for Mrs. Ha
?”
“yes. The city was suddenly surrounded and I missed the opportunity to present it… but it’s a well-made item. It has enough power.”
It’s for the leisure sports of nobles.
However, after hearing the story, Ellen seemed to like it even more. So, without much bargaining, he took over the crossbow for six pieces of silver.
Ilton complained that if he cut more, he would not be able to pay the material cost, and gave me a round-cut iron ring (鐵A) as a pocket bonus, so I accepted it as if I hadn’t won. Well, I hope Ellen likes it.
As soon as she left the workshop after completing the transaction, Ellen started picking up stones from the street.
The guy’s twinkling eyes were so cute that Uncle Gilius burst out laughing.
“Heh heh, I’m excited, but I’m excited.”
“Iknow, right.”
“Still, you have to be careful. He said that he made a mistake while running wild with excitement like that. If you do something wrong, the back of your head will break
.”
I nodded my head at the father’s worried voice.
“I will take care of myself. Whew, I’m glad it seems like the fraud has gone up.”
At my muttering, Uncle Gilius straightened his beard for a moment before opening his mouth.
“This may be far-fetched, but I mean it.”
“……2”
the old man asked with a slight gesture of his chin towards Ellen. The guy was whimpering with a bunch of stones in the front of his cloak.
“I can’t even use magic, so why are you taking me around as a colleague? Are you really a noble lady?”
“well. Not as far as I know.”
“okay? No matter what he looks like or what he does, he’s just an aristocrat…”
Then the man straightened his beard and asked the question again.
“So, is that a- ‘such a’ relationship?”
“…What kind of bullshit are you talking about, man? Can’t you see him? It’s a kid.”
“How big is the kid? If only I could get married.”
Uncle Gilius couldn’t take his eyes off Ellen, who was squatting. At first glance, it seemed that something shady had passed in his eyes.
…Did I see it wrong?
“Are you thinking of joining our gang?”
“…why suddenly?”
“I’m just saying this because the world is too harsh to walk around with a girl who can’t do anything.”
weird.
It’s the same voice, why are you suddenly in a bad mood?
I tried to answer by twisting the corner of my mouth.
“Old man.”
” ok?”
“If you know you’re out of the way, stop. It just sounds weird.”
“…Does that sound strange to me?”
Gilius turned to me with a wrinkled face.
Then, his eyes met with me with an expressionless face, and he swallowed dry saliva with a hard expression.
“Kuhmm uh yeah. Did I go too far?”
I stared at Gilius, who cleared his throat and looked away for a while.
Then Ellen turned around and shouted.
“Hey!”
“Huh?”
“Come and listen to this!” The guy seemed to have picked up all the stones around him, so he couldn’t even move his body properly and was moaning.
I was dumbfounded and clicked my tongue.
“Hey what are you doing? There are many stones around the inn.”
“You have to shoot this much to get used to it. Oh, listen quickly.”
“Grunt.”
I lowered the original shield from my shoulder and placed a pile of stones on it.
Hehe, it looks good, so I’ll adjust it to this extent.
As soon as Ellen arrived at the inn, she obtained some rotten wooden planks from Daria and set up makeshift targets.
Then, after shooting the crossbow a few times, he got used to it.
Tung Pak!
“oh!”
“You got it right!”
When the rotten wooden planks shattered, he leaped for joy. No, I actually liked it while jumping up and down.
It seems that the crossbow is really easy to handle.
Could it be that Ellen is on the talented side? I don’t know because I’ve never had a ranged weapon equipped in the game.
“Did you hit it exactly as you aimed it?”
“No, it was a little high. Should I aim a little lower?”
Ellen continued practicing with a serious face.
It was so nice to see a guy who had been blind and weak for the past few days excited like an elementary school student who got a toy.
It feels good. Even if he only serves 0.5 servings, my burden will be greatly reduced. Besides, I was glad that my morale seemed to have gone up.
I checked my equipment and supplies with a lighter heart and took a break.
Ellen shot the crossbow until sunset, and stopped practicing until her arm was so sore that she couldn’t use the string.
Apparently, this guy seemed a bit stupid.
And unfortunately, the next day we couldn’t go to the sewer exploration.
