"I wonder what it’ll be like."

It was the morning after. We decided to at least visit the castle gates. Sometimes, you just have to see things in person to understand. While it’s said that anyone can approach the gates, it wouldn’t hurt to try talking to the guards. I couldn’t think of a better plan anyway. Worst-case scenario, I could ask the guards directly about what I wanted to know.

By the way, last night, I experimented with some magic designed to seal other magic. It didn’t go well, but it felt harder to control than usual, so maybe it wasn’t a complete failure.

"Let’s take our time walking there."

"Yeah, I guess…"

Rio seemed reluctant for some reason. Don’t tell me she wants to just fly straight to the castle?

"I’d like to try riding a carriage at least once, but walking and sightseeing sounds nice too."

Ah, so that’s it. She’s mentioned wanting to ride one before, and I’m a bit curious about it myself.

"Tourists apparently visit the castle gates, so maybe there’s a shared carriage service heading there."

"That’s true."

"Well, we can think about it while walking."

"Alright."

There’s this nagging feeling that I’m forgetting something, but without realizing what, we started walking toward the castle.

After breakfast at the inn, we set out north. Since the inn was already near the noble district, the entrance to the district wasn’t far. The guards at the gate didn’t stop us, letting us pass through easily.

"Huh, they let us through pretty easily."

"It looks like regular people can enter unless they’re suspicious or causing trouble."

"Yeah… And wow, this place is something else."

The quality of the buildings changed dramatically. The wide streets were lined with mansions, and the foot traffic thinned out. Not a single piece of trash was in sight, and the area was lined with neatly maintained trees.

"This feels like the fantasy version of a luxury residential area."

Exactly. The deeper we went, the grander the mansions became. The gardens grew larger, the buildings more imposing, and the number of guards increased.

"Oh, look, a shopping district."

Among the occasional high-end stores, we stumbled upon a plaza filled with luxurious shops.

"Wow, there’s even a magic tool shop. Wanna check it out?"

"Let’s take a look."

Rio’s suggestion led us toward one of the stores.

"What… is that?"

"Huh?"

In the shop’s display was a gun.

The sleek black design had a short, chunky barrel, and beside it was a 30mm bullet radiating a notable amount of magical energy. It wasn’t using gunpowder to shoot lead; it seemed like it would fire magic instead.

"That’s so cool."

"But look at the price."

Rio’s words drew my gaze to the price tag, snapping me out of my reverie.

"Whoa."

The listed price was an eye-watering 100 million flons. The bullets alone cost 5 million each, with some going as high as 10 million depending on their attributes.

"Yeah, this isn’t really practical for us."

Rio brought me back to reality with her pragmatic assessment.

"Your magic casting speed is pretty fast, right, Shu?"

Ouch. Rio cut through the allure of the gun with cold logic.

"Uh, yeah, I guess…"

She had a point. Thanks to my skill for casting without incantations and Master’s training to make magic second nature, we were both fast casters. Even if pulling a trigger activated magic instantly, the fixed trajectory of a bullet made it easier to counter.

Master, after all, used delayed remote magic—who knew when or where something might hit you with her around.

"Are you looking for something in particular?"

The shopkeeper, a refined man dressed like a noble, approached us while we were examining the gun.

"This caught my eye."

I pointed to the gun, prompting the shopkeeper to smile warmly and start explaining.

"This is a magic gun. It activates the magic stored in its bullets, functioning as a magical tool."

As I suspected. The quality of the bullets determined the level of magic they could hold—basic, lower, or intermediate tiers. Some bullets were reusable, while others were single-use.

"Interesting, but it’s way out of my budget."

"I see. We do have more affordable items available. May I ask your budget?"

Wow, he’s pushy. I guess that’s just how merchants are.

"I’ve got about 9 million flons on hand."

"I see. Our items start at 5 million flons, excluding bullets for the magic guns. The relevant products are over there. Please take a look."

Upon hearing my budget, the shopkeeper gestured to a corner of the store before retreating into the back. He didn’t make it obvious, but the message was clear: Poor people should just leave.

"Ugh, can you believe that guy?"

Rio wasn’t thrilled either.

Still, the shop layout told us where to look for the cheaper items. That’s all the info we needed, so I decided to let it go.

"Hmm, but everything here is pretty standard."

"Yeah, it’s like they just took common magic tools and made them fancier."

The discounted section was full of tools we’d seen before. They might’ve been high-quality versions, but there wasn’t anything particularly novel.

"Well, we’ve seen enough. Let’s head to the castle."

"Yeah, let’s go."