Chapter 415: Déjà vu

「Oh no, not that jet-black ore again. That’s heavy, so I don’t like it.」

「It’s not like you’re going to carry it….」

I put the black magic stone on the counter while refuting Anita’s whining. The counter creaks considerably, but not as much as when the Doggan Staff was placed on it. That’s why Anita, you don’t have to step back like that. It won’t fall on your toes.

「You want swords this time, huh. So, who’s going to use them? Don’t tell me――」

「No, they are not for Nell. They are for Gobuo… the red goblin who bought a sword and helmet here before.」

「Hou?」

「Ah, I remember! It’s the goblin that Haruna-chan took with her, ain’t it? She said that it was the strongest goblin or something like that. Well, I didn’t take it seriously, though.」

「Yeah, that goblin.」

The strongest goblin, huh. Well, he may be the strongest of all goblins. I’ve never seen a goblin that’s stronger than Gobuo after all. In the future, he might become a part of the Great Eight Demons… or not.

「And this is the sword he bought at that time. I’d like to have the two swords made in the same shape as this one. How long would that take?」

「If the shape is the same as the existing one and at that size, I can make two swords faster than when I made the staff. Unfortunately, I don’t have any other work schedule. Let’s see…. How about three days?」

「I’m saved because your work is fast. Here’s the payment.」

I quickly handed over the money to Gan-san without letting Anita see it. After all, she will be annoying and troublesome if I take out a large sum of money in front of her.

「*Whisper* (Well, aren’t you generous? Now I have to make them with sincerity.)」

「*Whisper* (No, no. Gan-san, you’re always sincere, you know?)」

「Eh, did we receive a lot of money!? Show me! Also, raise my salary!」

…… What a blunder. She’s more sensitive to the smell and sound of money than before.

「Boss~, pretty please~ (Heart)」

「Shut up! The shop is always in a desperate financial situation, you know!? I’m paying you even though you’re just sleeping, so you should be grateful instead!」

「FUHAHAHAHAHA! What a lively place!」

「Haha, you’re right… wait, oi!」

I retorted to the full-body armor that was suddenly trying to join the conversation. It was one of the display armor in the shop, so Gan-san and Anita opened their eyes in surprise.

「Hey, Anita. Did I ever make armor that can talk? I don’t remember at all…」

「I don’t remember either. Even if you did, it would have sold out as a rare product.」

「Did my skill improve to the point where the armor has a soul? I mean, there’s a talking magic sword in legends, right?」

「Such a great blacksmith only exists in legends, y’know? You even said before that there’s no such thing in the land of the dwarves.」

「Fuha, sorry for the confusion! This is my own armor, so please don’t worry about it!」

The full-body armor forced its way out of the pile of products and denied Gan-san and Anita’s speculation. I guess he was trying to reassure them, but it has the opposite effect. What would be the normal reaction when a person sees armor that can speak and move on its own?

「Whoaa!? It’s a monster, ain’t it!?」

「Uoooh!? Has my blacksmithing finally surpassed the legend!?」

Of course, they would be surprised like this. Although the things they were surprised about were different, they reacted in the same way that their bodies jumped up reflexively.

「Gan-san, please calm down! Anita, stay!」

「Why am I the only one being treated badly!?」

Okay, it seems that she has regained her composure, enough to make a comeback.

「What’s this all about, Deris? Please explain so that we can understand.」

「Well, you see…. He’s actually an old friend of mine. He’s a bit, no, quite mischievous that he set up this kind of surprise.」

「Fuha, humor is important!」

I hid the fact that the full-body armor was the fifth rank of the Great Eight Demons, the 『Armor Emperor』 Zex Id. It was too abrupt, so I couldn’t come up with something better. I wonder if they will believe it…?

「Danna’s friend…. I see. That makes sense. When it comes to Danna’s friends, I’m sure there are two or three strange people.」

「Well, he’s Deris after all. Deris is a regular customer, so I will let you off the hook for trespassing.」

「Ooh, thank you so much!」

I’m sad that they are convinced without any doubt.

「Haa…. So, why are you here? I didn’t notice you at all until you started moving.」

「I was in a different body and this one was in sleep mode until a moment ago. So, it couldn’t be helped if you didn’t notice it. As for why I am here, I was waiting for you, thinking that I could meet you if I stayed here.」

「No, you could just come directly to Nell’s mansion….」

「I can’t intrude on the love nest of the two of you! Even if I don’t have a heart, I won’t forget to be considerate!」

「Hey, don’t talk like that! They will get the wrong idea!」

Now that he’s forgiven for his trespassing, this bastard is saying whatever he wants!

「Well… I feel tired if I’m here, so I’m going back to the workshop. Anita, I’ll leave the rest to you.」

「Roger! Ah, don’t mind me. Please continue your conversation. Just listening to it is enough for me.」

Gan-san returned to the workshop, perhaps he judged Zex to be a troublesome person to get involved with. Anita, on the other hand, seems to like this amusing conversation and she’s ready to use this to kill her time. Anita, he’s the Great Demon King even if he’s like this, you know?

Well, even though his appearance was abrupt, I already knew why Zex came to Adelheit. I mean, before visiting this shop, I contacted Al Nova using the crystal-type magic item in the castle. It was confirmed that Alezel and Zeta were stuck in Crocus. Furthermore, since this case violates the eight articles of nonaggression that Alezel proposed, Zex will help her since they are forming an alliance. And yeah, Zex replied immediately that he would cooperate. Well, he already has his body in Crocus and he has joined Alezel and Zeta. In other words, he has already taken action even before I called out to him. It’s annoying to say this after his prank, but to be honest, he’s reliable.

「No, this is a private conversation, so we will take our leave. I’m sorry for disturbing you!」

「Eh~, ain’t it fine? Tell me more interesting stories~. I ain’t gonna pay for it, though!」

「…… Deris-dono. For some reason, I feel a strong sense of déjà vu.」

Yeah, I knew the true nature of this déjà vu. After all, Anita is the downgrade version of Alezel.