20 – Curse weapon

"Eeeeh!!!?"

That was Clara's reaction when we brought back the dragon head. It was big for human standards and we did attract attention, so I guess it's only natural. But there goes my desire to go undetected. Lu-chan did her best to also shut up the 8 man party that tried assaulting us with questions… but eventually we just knocked them unconscious.

"You two… actually did it. Just… who in the world are you?"

"Mercenaries. Don't pry further. As for the reward now…"

"Umm… please wait. I need to discuss this with the higher ups. The reward was supposed to be offered by royalty. I need approval to withdraw that much…"

We waited for a while. Soon guild staff came and analyzed the dragon head. They were making sure it was the right dragon, and if it wasn't a fake. According to Clara, people try to fake quest completions quite often. The guild takes pride in its reputation, so it's necessary for everything to be perfect. Eventually, we got the ok, and Clara handed us the 200 gold coins.

The hard part right now… is ditching the fan base that formed around us.

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"Ugh, Yufi, my hand is sore after so many handshakes."

"And I'm tired of fending off sleazy men who tried to feel me up."

Maybe I should publicly announce that I'm a futa and men might leave me alone. Then again, I don't know how the general opinion would be. For all I know they might consider me a freak and drive me out of town.

"Yufi, now that we have acquired a large amount of money, might I ask for something?"

"What is it?"

"I request a staff."

"A staff?"

"Yes. I am a spell caster. I can cast spells with my hands alone, however it requires chanting and therefore it lengthens the cast time. If I were to have a staff, I wouldn't require chanting and my power would increase. I will be more useful to you."

Makes sense. In Phantasy Reverie Online there you could also cast spells without equipping a weapon but, the mana cost and cast time was extremely inefficient. In my case, it might look like I cast spells through my hands, but I don't need a chant because I have Aetherius equipped.

"What kind of staff would you like?"

"I don't think humans have one, but preferably a cursed staff."

Curse, huh? If I were to make an analysis based on the game, it would be a double edge sword. A curse weapon can grant considerable strength to the wielder. For example you can achieve mythical level gear damage, however curse weapons also come with a detriment. Like reducing your defense by 20%, slowly losing hp over time, increasing mana consumption, becoming more susceptible to status effects and so on.

"Yufi, if you are worried about me, I am flattered, but rest assured, I can handle curses quite well. Before becoming a demon general I had a different title. Curse Witch Luvia."

"If you say so, then I guess it's not a problem. I mean we have enough funds for now."

"Thank you, Yufi."

And with that we started asking around if there were some shops that had something fit for Lu-chan. And after a lot of walking around we entered the weapon shop with the giant board [Sifora Weapon company].

It was pretty huge. I guess this company must be backed up by someone rich if they can build a shop like this in a town that isn't that big to begin with. I still don't understand how the economy works, but I try not to think about it too much.

The inside of the store seemed to be bustling with people. A big muscled man was testing a battle hammer, dwarves were comparing daggers and knives, and a nervous looking magician elf was being troubled in deciding over the staff and wand in his hand. Honestly it's the first time I am seeing so many races in one place. Now this finally feels like a fantasy world I can get excited about! Yahoo!!

Further inside the store, a sharp-styled golem was swinging around a large sword and a storekeeper was trying to stop him somehow.

It was noisy yet, it had an energetic atmosphere which seemed suitable for an adventurer’s weapon shop.

I haven’t searched all over the shop but I did go through the wands and staffs corner and decided that it’d be better to ask the shopkeeper for advice and moved towards the counter. Cause so far these don't seem like something that useful for Lu-chan.

“Welcome! What are you looking for today?”

A normal looking man. On his apron, a pirate-like skull emblem was printed along with the words [Sifora Weapon Company].

No matter how much you guys are dealing with arms and deadly weapons, isn’t that logo a bit too straight?

But I don’t have any reason to mind that so I quickly conveyed my need.

“Do you have a wand or staff that specialises in black magic?”

“Well, that’s a rare type of magic you use. It almost sounds like you are looking for a cursed weapon. Unfortunately, we only deal with major common weapons here so minor demand weapons like that aren’t available here. You could have one order-made at the head branch but it will be expensive.

But… ladies such as yourselves might end up losing your life if you wield such a weapon.”

I was warned, but his face was hiding something.

"I don't think you're being quite honest, shopkeep. Let's clear this up. You have something here you don't want us to see?"

"Err… please… I don't want any trouble. It's best if you…"

"Enough. That's no way to talk to customers. My apologies, ladies. Are you interested in Cursed Weapons?"

A third guy cut into the discussion. I turned around to see a young elf with well built physique, green eyes and long black hair. He wore an extravagant white robe decorated with gold accents, a red cape and muffler and various rings on his hands. He truly gives off the feeling that he is rich.

"Once again, please pardon my employees. They don't mean any harm. It's just that most people go crazy from dealing with a curse. But maybe this chance encounter was destined. Allow me to introduce myself.

I am Sifora Aivis Lindin. Chairman of Sifora Weapon Company. Pleased to meet you."

Hou, so this man is in the top position of this company?

Well then, what would such an important person be doing in a town like this? Things are starting to get interesting. My f2p trader instincts are starting to tingle, fuefue.