Third Outer World Story Series: Pumpkin Sorcerer - Chapter 35

Translator: MadHatter Editor: MadHatter

“There are a ton of people at this place…”

“It is only reasonable that this is happening first thing in the morning, but still, what a crowd.”

On the subsequent day after the negotiations with Hunting Bee concluded, Pumpkin arrived at the main street of Kunukihappy with Rio to conduct the shopping he had planned to do after leaving Lean Forest.

Of course, he also planned to do the shopping for Rio’s mother, who was still in poor health.

“…(Glance)”

“I feel like I am being taken advantage of these days.”

“Aren’t you a man? Carrying this much is nothing to be concerned about.”

Incidentally, Iris, who probably came here for the purpose of monitoring Pumpkin, was conveniently accompanied by Crave as a baggage handler as well as for the aim for Pumpkin to ask her about things between women that he was not familiar with.

To be frank, Crave was treated as a handyman but even the man himself seemed to be aware of it.

“So, Pumpkin-san, what kind of stuff are you planning to buy?”

“Mmm. Parchment and ink… or rather, proper writing tools. After that, it would be good to have something like an encyclopedia…”

At this point, he turned to Rio and Iris.

“I do know about writing materials but…”

“An encyclopedia is too costly for an individual to afford. Even the Association has an encyclopedia, but they go to the lengths of charging a fee for specialized-level books. In the first place, it is not something that can be bought in a provincial city like this.”

“I guess that’s to be expected.”

Pumpkin sighed as he spoke to the two individuals who had inferred his intention from the way he was staring at them.

It wasn’t really an issue for Pumpkin because, aside from the writing supplies, the encyclopedia was not initially intended to be purchased.

“Well, if that’s the case, then it doesn’t matter.”

“Let’s simply go shopping for writing materials while making purchases as necessary, shall we?”

“And why are you calling the shots here…?”

“Oh, well.”

And the four of them headed down the main street to a store that sold writing materials along with some groceries after Iris became irritated by Crave’s remarks.

—————

“Is this the place?”

For the most part, Crave was carrying the baggage, and they were in front of one of the stores, just off the main street.

“Yes. It’s the only writing supply store in Kunukihappy that also sells to the general public.”

“?”

“The only people who need ink and parchment on a regular basis are merchants and aristocrats outside the Association.”

“Our daily use of parchment is for diaries, memoirs, and request forms, but even those require a very small amount of it…”

What the other members said made sense to Pumpkin.

It was true that only a small percentage of individuals at this level of civilization would use it regularly, and they wouldn’t entertain the idea of using it for amusement or anything else.

“Well, anyway, it’s not appropriate for us to be talking in front of the store forever, so let’s go inside the store right away.”

“I guess so.”

“Shall we?”

“Hmm.”

They then went inside the store named “Umitsuki Stationery Store”.

But why is there a picture of a jellyfish on the side of the sign? It’s too mysterious.

————–

“Welcome.”

“Excuse me.”

When they entered the store, accompanied by a distinctive smell, they were greeted by a human appearance woman with light blue hair and vivid purple eyes, who appeared to be the owner of the store.

“This is…”

“Heh…”

Pumpkin was drawn to her not just because of the way her hair and eyes stood out, but also because of the color and amount of her magic power.

The color of the woman’s magic was a vivid purple, and despite the likelihood that the amount of her magic power was deceptive, it still appeared to be fairly abundant.

Even so, despite the fact that her purple tint—which on the color wheel sits between red and blue—indicates that it is a combination of the water and fire attributes, it is not immediately evident what her attributes are.

Well, regardless of what her attributes are, one thing is for sure.

This woman seems to harbor some sort of discomfort towards me aside from my outward appearance, she is undoubtedly not one of the five major races—human, elf, dwarf, lizardman, or birdman—and is, at the very least, of a different species.

“Hmm?”

“Huh?”

“What?”

“Well, nevermind. How may I be of service to you today?”

“I’m here to shop for a set of writing materials but is there anything else you’d recommend?”

The other three were a little uneasy about the drastic shift in the atmosphere, but Pumpkin and the shopkeeper disregarded them and began to negotiate.

Well, no matter who the other party is if she is cordial, there is no need for me to say anything.

I would simply proceed with the negotiation in a normal way.

“It depends on the purpose of the application, doesn’t it? Some materials are suitable for grimoires, others for preservation, and so on. Oh, the same goes for ink. I’d also want to know what your budget is.”

Before saying anything, the shopkeeper restored the atmosphere to its original state.

So I suppose I should likewise restrain my magic power.

“Hmm. The aim is to simply record the findings of my research, so if at all possible, I’d prefer to use anything that can be preserved. My budget is… ideally modest.”

“I understand. Then I would suggest something in this area. As for the price, it’s about this much in silver coins.”

Following Pumpkin’s words, the shopkeeper put out on the counter several sheets of parchment, ink, and a quill, all of which seemed to have been enchanted with some kind… of preservation magic, and indicated the price with her finger.

Yeah. It seems to be worth it, even though it’s expensive… two silver coins huh.

“I will buy those.”

“Thank you.”

And so Pumpkin plainly made the purchase.

For a bottle of ink with preservation magic and a dozen parchment sheets, the cost was reasonable.

“Um, shouldn’t all of these be out of the range of your budget?”

“Considering the magic that’s involved, I’d say it’s about as cheap as it gets, wouldn’t you?”

“If the person himself is satisfied with it, why not?”

Although there were a lot of mixed comments around, to be frank, it was cheap considering that it would be used in a forest with a poor preservation environment.

Or rather, it was truly inexpensive.

“Well then, I look forward to your continued patronage.”

“Of course, I will.”

With that, Pumpkin bought the parchment and ink, then left “Umitsuki Stationery Store”.

Hmm. I have a feeling that she and I are going to socialize with each other for a long time.

————–

A/N:

The “Umitsuki Stationery Store” will be emerging more in the future.