SRS 136
Unexpectedly, the old dwarf didn’t keep Yohan for long. The artisan heard Yohan could only stay in the commercial district today and had other plans, therefore he worked very quickly. About an hour later, he gestured for Yohan to leave and said the shape was mostly set for now. It was a relief that Yohan could stand up before his butt stuck to the chair.
“Um… when’s the right time to pick it up?”
“Hmm… when’s your next visit?”
“It’s hard to say. We’re still first-years, so we can’t come to the commercial district very easily.”
“You seem to come quite often for that.”
“…….”
That was true. Yohan’s visits for Professor Will’s request over the past month were quite frequent. He scratched his cheek awkwardly. The dwarf craftsman stroked his chin and waved his hand again.
“I’ll send it by courier when it’s done. Now go!”
He kicked Yohan out even though he’d held him back earlier. Yohan thought a dwarf’s whims were truly impossible to understand. Regardless, he bowed and thanked the craftsman for his hard work before he left the weapon shop.
“I don’t think we need to visit other weapon shops.”
Kylus spoke calmly. He found a usable sword at the first shop and was satisfied. He’d liked the dwarf craftsman’s weapons before, so maybe this shop was his perfect match.
“Hey, check out at least one more place if you see somewhere interesting. They say a weapon is a destiny you meet by chance.”
“…I’ll do that.”
Kylus nodded without hesitation to Suhyeok’s playful remark. He seemed to be in a very good mood. Suddenly, Suhyeok nudged Yohan.
“Yohan. Don’t priests use weapons?”
“Weapons?”
It was the first time Yohan received that question, so he thought of the Divine Studies students. Yohan didn’t use anything in particular, and the rest of his friends were the same. If there was something, it was more like…
“They use necklaces or rings sometimes. Usually, they’re artifacts that can store divine power or divine items from their own dimensions.”
“Don’t you have one, Yohan?”
“I don’t have anything, as you can see.”
The Yuphir continent had the Three Divine Items. However, Yohan didn’t use any of them. To be precise, he couldn’t use them. All three were used as sealing devices to block the continent’s impurities.
Yohan smiled bitterly as he thought of his home dimension. He made eye contact with Mikael who was watching him.
“Do you want one?”
“Huh? Well… it’d be nice to have one. But it’s not a big problem if I don’t.”
Yohan waved his hand with an embarrassed expression.
Yohan hadn’t felt very powerless since he fell into the Nameless Realm, except in front of the rift. He thought he could always force himself to cast Descent if necessary. Mikael looked around and felt displeased for some reason.
“Are you looking for a specific shop?”
“I think there was a shop that handled divine accessories.”
“Are you going to buy something?”
“I’m going to give it to you.”
“Me? I’m fine.”
Yohan declined quickly. He didn’t want to owe any more debts, but Mikael refused to budge.
“I want to give it to you.”
“But…”
A mediator appeared during the short argument.
“Just take it, Yohan. It’ll hurt his feelings if you keep refusing a gift. And Mikael wouldn’t just say he’d give you one for no reason. He probably has a plan.”
“…I guess so.”
Yohan felt too embarrassed to refuse further when Suhyeok joined in. He glanced at Kylus, who also nodded.
Mikael’s plan…
Yohan honestly had no idea. He tilted his head because he didn’t know why Mikael wanted to buy him a divine accessory. Then he turned around when he heard Mikael’s sudden exclamation. He looked where Mikael was looking. A shop stood at the end of his gaze. Its exterior walls were pure white, and it looked like a place that sold holy things at a glance.
“Let’s go.”
He grabbed Yohan’s hand without hesitation and headed for the shop. Yohan moved with him.
Ding.
The shop owner wore a white veil and greeted the customers when the door opened.
“Welcome… Oh my.”
The owner looked at Mikael and Yohan for a moment before gently laughing. It was the kind of laugh that made even a stranger feel at ease.
“Precious guests have arrived. I’ll give you one item for free, so please look around.”
“What?”
Yohan was surprised by the unexpected luck. Unlike him, Mikael thanked the owner and examined each displayed item carefully. He picked up a necklace with an impressive yellow gem. The shop owner approached and explained as she looked at the necklace with him.
“It’s the Eye of the Sun. It’s a good accessory for a priest with a lot of potential. This necklace’s gem absorbs and stores divine power whenever the user’s power exceeds a certain amount. It’ll be useful when you can’t use divine power or when it’s exhausted.”
“Does it store divine power?”
Yohan looked interested after he heard the explanation. It was very attractive. It might be hard for a priest with little divine power, but Yohan was different. It didn’t affect his life or combat much even if he had less divine power than usual.
Ding.
“Oh, what’s this? You already picked one?”
The bell rang as Kylus and Suhyeok entered. They gathered around and looked very interested in the necklace Mikael chose.
“It’s nice. It suits you, Yohan.”
“The gem’s color is the same as your eye color.”
“Exactly! It’ll be perfect as a fashion item, too.”
“Ahaha…”
The praise made the necklace stand out even more. Yohan’s eyes sparkled as he looked at the Eye of the Sun again. Mikael noticed the change and handed over the necklace.
“What do you think, Yohan?”
He asked as he pushed the necklace toward Yohan so he could see it better.
“It suits you.”
The words felt a bit ticklish. It wasn’t just a saying; Yohan’s ears actually felt itchy. He rubbed his earlobes and glanced at Mikael. The latter said such ticklish things sometimes…or rather, quite often. Yohan felt strangely excited when he heard them.
He cleared his throat and looked at the shop owner. He was determined when he saw the owner nod. Yohan opened his mouth.
“I want to buy it…”
“Really?”
Mikael’s lips curled into a smile at Yohan’s trailing words. The headmaster’s words were true. He said Mikael would be in better shape than before once he woke up because he took away the divine punishment. Mikael looked healthy and energetic today, which made Yohan happy.
“I’ll still buy it.”
“No…”
“I want to give it to you. Here’s the payment.”
Mikael rejected the owner’s offer of a free item. He placed a gold coin down before Yohan could stop him. Yohan looked at the necklace with wonder. It was his now. Mikael called Yohan when the owner asked if they wanted it gift-wrapped.
“Do you want it wrapped, Yohan? …I’d prefer it if you wore it right away.”
The question was actually a request.
“The effect’ll be better the longer I wear it, so I’ll wear it now like you said.”
“Then I’ll put it on for you.”
He smiled as if he’d been waiting and approached Yohan. He put the necklace on him. Their posture became similar to a hug because he helped from the front. Yohan flinched every now and then because the breath and touch on his neck felt ticklish. He watched Mikael’s features out of the corner of his eye.
“Don’t use Descent often, Yohan. Your vessel is bigger than other priests’, but your body is human. Trust yourself, not a god, in important situations.”
Mikael’s whisper reached Yohan. It was barely audible to others. Yohan was a bit surprised by the worry that was made of pure sincerity. Mikael stepped back after he fastened the necklace and smiled softly.
“Yes, it suits you.”
Suhyeok, Kylus, and the shop owner all added that the necklace found its owner. Yohan would’ve blushed with embarrassment normally, but not now. He had a lot on his mind because Mikael’s advice was echoing in his head. Yohan touched the necklace’s gem and took a breath.
“…Thank you.”
It was a sentence with multiple meanings. Mikael smiled with his eyes when he realized the implication. Yohan turned around and looked for the shop owner. He covered his mouth and whispered.
“Do you have any accessories for the purpose of sealing divine power?”
“…Oh my.”
The owner covered her mouth with a fan in surprise. She brought out a thick silver ring after she nodded.
“It’s a binding accessory. The item’s ownership transfers to another person only when the owner declares they’ll give it up. You can remove it without restrictions. The stored amount isn’t very large, but this is the only item in the shop that fits your request.”
The shop owner was quick-witted. She explained by replacing “sealed amount” with “stored amount” even though Yohan hadn’t told her to. Yohan thanked her with a glance and showed the box with the ring to Mikael.
“I always receive things from you, so I want to give you a gift, too.”
Mikael’s eyes widened slightly when he recognized the ring’s purpose.
Then he smiled weakly. It was a smile that looked like resignation.
“You know the effect won’t be that great, right?”
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