Chapter 17: Nia, the Town of Lamps

Cael Horais Sirius POV

“Ray is back,” Fragarach said.

Talya gulped the last drop of her tangerine juice and quickly stood up.

“Cael, we should go now. I’ll feel bad if the weapon shop closes and you miss buying your training sword,” Talya said as she looked in the direction of her father.

“Let’s go,” I said as I offered my left hand.

Talya then instead grabbed my left arm and linked hers to it.

Uncle Ray just smiled after seeing us together.

“Cael, you need to hurry. The weapon shop is about to close. I did ask the owner to keep it open for a bit,” Uncle Ray said.

“Should we run for it?” Talya asked.

“It’s just three blocks from here, no need to run,” Uncle Ray said as he started walking at a quick pace.

As usual, Talya is dragging me around as I carefully follow her walking pace.

“Talya, are you happy?” I asked.

“Of course. It’s my first time checking around a town inside the wall, and to top it off, you’re with me,” Talya replied.

“Cael, we’re here,” Uncle Ray said.

Talya slowly let go of my arm and walked beside her father. They seemed to be whispering about something.

I guess she’s being considerate on her own.

I entered the weapon shop, and an old, buff person was sitting on one of the chairs in front.

“What can I do for you, young man?” the shop owner asked.

“I’m looking for a large wooden training sword, about this big,” I said as I showed him how wide and long the wooden sword I was looking for should be.

“Oh! So you’re the one I’m waiting for,” the shop owner said.

“But are you sure? Wouldn’t it be too heavy for you, young man?” the shop owner added.

“Yeah, I’m sure. The heavier it is, the more perfect the training sword will be for me,” I replied.

I can’t blame him for doubting me. What kind of child wants a heavy training sword?

“I think I have one in the back, but it’ll cost you, since it’s made from Dark Wood that only the elves can harvest,” the shop owner said.

“Wait here. I’ll just grab it,” the shop owner said.

The shop owner then headed to the back room when Uncle Ray and Talya entered.

“Does he have what you’re looking for, Cael?” Uncle Ray asked.

“The shop owner just left to grab it,” I replied.

The shop owner then showed up with a giant wooden sword that he was barely able to lift with both of his hands.

“That looks heavy,” Talya said.

“Young man, if you can really wield this thing, I’ll give you a fifty percent discount,” the shop owner said.

“But if you can’t even lift it, you’ll pay me twice the price,” the shop owner added.

“Okay,” I replied as I grabbed the hilt with my right hand.

“Eh!?” the shop owner uttered in surprise as I inspected the giant training sword.

“Kid, what’s your name?” the shop owner asked.

“It’s Cael,” I replied.

It’s not as heavy as Fragarach, but definitely a lot heavier than ordinary training swords.

About maybe three to four times lighter, I thought.

“Shop owner, I’ll take this,” I said.

“You can call me Pike, Cael. I feel like you’ll be a regular customer of mine,” Pike said.

“How much was it?” I asked.

“It’s one gold coin,” Pike said.

That’s a pretty hefty price tag for a heavy stick. Talya’s cakes would be a lot cheaper, I thought.

“But since you can swing it like it’s nothing, you can have it for fifty silver,” Pike said.

“I’ll take it,” I said as I handed him one gold coin from my small coin pouch.

“And Pike, can I have training clothes, if possible within fifty silver coins?” I asked.

“You’re dressed pretty well, you’re strong, and you have gold coins... are you a noble?” Pike asked.

“I’m not,” I replied.

I could see Talya trying not to giggle.

“If you say so, Cael,” Pike said.

“I think I have a couple that will fit you. Wait here for a moment,” Pike said as he looked through one of the drawers.

Pike then pulled out some clothes from it.

“These look like they fit perfectly,” Pike said as he held the clothes near my body.

“That’s ten silver each,” Pike said.

“I’ll take two,” I said.

I looked at Talya, who had been looking around the shop for a while now.

“Is there something you want, Talya?” I asked.

“I’d like this one and one of those clothes,” Talya said as she held a wooden sword that was a lot smaller but definitely the right size for a ten-year-old.

“How much is that, Pike?” I asked.

“Ten silver coins,” Pike replied.

“I’ll take two of those training swords and another one of these clothes,” I said.

“That’ll be one gold coin altogether,” Pike said as he started to wrap our purchases in brownish cloth.

Pike then handed me the giant sword, and Uncle Ray took the two smaller ones while Talya held the clothes with her small hands.

“It’s a pleasure doing business with you, Cael. Come back whenever you need a weapon or armor,” Pike said.

“Thanks for not closing and waiting for me,” I said.

“See ya,” I added as I closed the door.

The sky is already shades of yellow with a hint of magenta as the Day Star is already fading on the horizon. Probably in just an hour, the Evening Star will be fully visible.

I forgot how fast time flies.

“We should head back to Sir Faust’s manor before the servants start searching for us,” Uncle Ray said.

We slowly walked toward Sir Faust’s mansion as the lamps around the street were one by one lit by the residents.

Talya then walked beside me as both her hands were preoccupied by the large satchel where we put the training clothes.

“Dad, what is the name of this town again?” Talya asked.

“It’s called Nía, the town of lamps,” Uncle Ray stated.

“This town reminds me of our village when there were hundreds of fireflies and there were no clouds in the sky,” Talya said.

“It’s bright and beautiful,” Talya added.

It reminds me that Talya doesn’t like darkness since she was lost in the Great Caligo Forest just as the Evening Star appeared.

Luckily, I found her thanks to her mom’s words that gave me a clue as to where she was, before she got deeper into the forest.

Although Mom gave me an earful, after all, I was still pretty young back then.

I could see Gavis in front of Sir Faust’s mansion, waiting for us.

“I’ll take those, Hero Cael,” Gavis said after we were several steps from the gate.

“It’s okay, it’s quite a bit heavy,” I replied.

“Can I try to hold it?” Gavis asked.

“Of course,” I replied.

“It’s indeed heavy, but I’ll manage to put it in your room without a problem, Hero Cael,” Gavis said.

The other servants then offered to take the items that Uncle Ray and Talya held.

But they insisted on bringing the items on their own.

“Ah, Cael, take this,” Uncle Ray said as he handed me a large pouch.

“This is for saving me and Talya and for letting us stay with you and your family,” Uncle Ray added.

I opened the pouch slowly, only to reveal a silver-looking thick thread that was connected to a leather-like thick cloth.

“A Sword Harness,” Fragarach said.

“You mean something that holds a sword?”

“Do you think it can hold you without breaking?” I asked.

“That’s not an ordinary sword harness. It’s an elven one. It can definitely hold me easily without breaking as long as it fits me,” Fragarach added.

“This is probably expensive, then,” I asked.

“About four gold coins, if I remember,” Fragarach said, which just confirmed that he was eavesdropping on Uncle Ray while he bought the sword harness.

“Fragarach,” I called.

Instantly, Fragarach deactivated the Mirage Cloak.

I really hope it fits, I thought, considering how many gold coins Uncle Ray and Talya spent on it.

Fragarach levitated as I put the Sword Harness on Aegis.

“Oh, it fits perfectly!” Fragarach commented.

“Thanks, Uncle Ray and Talya. I’ll make sure to take care of it,” I said as I strapped Fragarach onto my back.

“Still, you need to get a bit taller, Cael,” Fragarach said, as even though he was already slanted, the blade was just barely not touching the ground.

“I still prefer this height for a bit longer,” I replied telepathically.

“I’m glad it fit perfectly,” Talya said, looking at Fragarach strapped to my back.

“It does look great on you, Hero Cael,” Sir Faust said as he suddenly appeared behind us.

“Thanks,” I replied.

“But won’t that hinder you from drawing your sword?” Sir Faust asked.

“Of course not.” As I touched Fragarach’s hilt, the Sword Harness quickly released its binding, and in a split second, Fragarach was already in my right hand.

“An elven Sword Harness, I see. That would definitely work. No wonder it can hold Fragarach’s weight,” Sir Faust said.

“It also automatically adjusts itself to the size of the sword, so you can definitely use it even with your training swords,” Sir Faust stated.

“I’m glad Pike sold it, since it’s probably the last one in his stock. I got mine for ten gold coins,” Sir Faust said.

“So how much did he sell it to you for, Cael?” Sir Faust asked.

“Uncle Ray and Talya bought it for me,” I replied.

“I got it for four gold coins,” Uncle Ray said.

“Really? Pike must have really liked you, since he never sells things without profit, especially rare items that don’t come by very often,” Sir Faust said.

Ten gold coins? Is that expensive? I’m glad Uncle Ray got it at a cheaper price, I thought.

“Hero Cael, Talya, and Ray, you three should go to your rooms and rest since dinner will be served in an hour,” Sir Faust said.

And just like Sir Faust said, the three of us headed to our rooms to rest for a bit.

Now that I’ve learned about Sir Faust’s late wife, I began to slowly believe that there are nobles that genuinely want to help.