Benefactor
It was the same old nostalgic back alley I remembered.
I’d constantly be going through the shops looking for good items for cheap.
Compared to then, my equipment was of great quality, and now I even had the first hero’s sword on my waist as well, so we were constantly getting eyes from our surroundings but, we continued walking straight towards [Shichifukya].
“Thank god! The shop’s still where it always was!”
“And it’s as worn-out as it once was as well. I felt this way for Kevin-san’s shop as well but [Shichifukuya] is quite frankly, in an even worse state.”
“It’s at the very edge of even the back alleys after all. It’s probably been here for far longer than most of the back alleys.”
While giving our impressions on the store after seeing it in a long while, we opened the door and went in.
Even though it was noon, the interior were still dark, and the items on display were unorganized as always.
It was dusty as well, which gave it a mysterious feel but, the nostalgia we felt trumped everything else and it made us relaxed just being in this place.
From the looks of it, the old man wasn’t here. Probably resting inside the store I imagine.
“Hey old man? You in here? It’s me, Chris!”
I shouted loudly enough that my voice would reach all the way inside, and when I said my name……..
From the inside, I heard the noise of something big falling to the ground. And I could tell with the sound of a walking stick tapping on that he was coming outside.
“Is it really Chris!? Oh and Ralf and Esta as well! You lot came back to Realzard!?”
“Sorry for showing up announced like this. But it’s nice to see you’re still doing well.”
“I was honestly worried you might have died while we were away you know?”
“As you can see, I’m healthy and in tip top shape. That aside, what made you lot come back so suddenly? Is everything finally done then?”
“No, we made a stop here before heading to the capital that’s all.”
“Is that so. Well, regardless of your reasons, I’m happy to see your faces once again.”
He genuinely seemed to mean it as he showed a wide smile on his face.
And I too was glad to see him still being his energetic self.
“Uncle, once again, thank you for giving me your magic staff.”
“As long as you are treating it with care, don’t worry about it. Esta, mind showing me the staff for a minute?”
“Of course, it’s yours after all.”
Esta quickly handed over the longstaff to the old man.
The old man began to observe the staff like he was looking at his child, and nodded to himself a couple of times with a satisfied look.
I never paid much attention to Esta’s staff but, I could tell from his reaction that she had been using it with utmost care.
Although there were small areas where the staff had taken damage, everyone could still tell that she had not been careless with its use.
“You really have been treating with love eh. I’m sure it’ll make this staff very happy as well. I should be the one thanking you.”
“But of course. No need to thank me for it.”
“No no, if I had kept it with me, this staff perhaps would have never had the chance to function as a staff again. I really am thankful, truly.”
“No no, I should be the one thanking for giving me such an incredible staff…….”
It would seem Esta and the old man had become stuck in a cycle of thanking each other over and over.
At first it was a very warm moment but now it felt like it had become a competition on who could say thanks more, which made me laugh out loud.
“if you’re both happy, that’s good enough no? That aside, I have something I want to give to the old man as well.”
“To me? Did you get me a souvenir?”
“Well, actually no, my bad for that.”
Apologizing, I brought out a book from inside my bag.
Of course it was——-[The Botanist Otto’s Exploration Records].
The book that changed my destiny. My very own bible.
“Ooh, now that’s a nostalgic book. I was really shocked when you actually bought this book.”
“No, if anything, I was the one who was surprised that you sold it to me on deferred payments.”
“I mean I have been working here for many years you know? I tend to be a good judge of a person’s character. And as you can see, Chris you did properly pay me for it and even became a valued customer of mine, didn’t you?”
He’s right that things ended this way but, back then it wouldn’t have been a surprise even if I had run away with it.
But well………thef act that he seemed to trust me even back then, really made me happy. There’s no doubt about that.
“So, what do you want to do with that book? You’re not gonna tell me to buy it back now that you have no use for it or something right?”
“I’m not gonna make you pay for it, but I do want you to take it and put it back on display in the store again. I have no use for the book now, and who knows, maybe someone like me might show up here once again, right?”
“Well, if you’re giving it back for free, I have no reason to refuse but, you sure about that Chris?”
“Yeah. Just be sure to put it on sale for the same price you sold it to me for.”
A part of me wanted to keep it with me forever but, it would be waste for me to keep such an amazing book with me forever.
While I don’t think it’s the same as the old man giving Esta her staff, I could only hope that one day that the book Otto wrote will be as useful to someone else like it was for me.
“Very well. If you say so Chris, I will put it back on display in this store.”
“Thank you.”
I’m glad I was able to do one of the main things I wanted to do in Realzard already.
I feel like I had a weight lifted off my shoulder and so I decided to relax and have a long chat with the old man about all the things that happened since we left, as I take a look around the store.