A week had passed since then.

In the end, the trip to Lucraella was still pending.

While I spent the time making various preparations—or rather, ordering necessary items online—the schedule ended up getting extended leisurely.

Well, it wasn't an urgent trip to begin with, so there was no problem. The purpose of going to Lucraella was roughly split into 30% sightseeing, 40% equipment hunting, and 30% progress on Guidance. None of those were things I needed to panic over or deal with immediately.

Traveling in "another world" is completely different from traveling in Japan.

There are no convenience stores, and having money doesn't guarantee you can get what you need.

In fact, it's probably more accurate to say there are far more things you can't get.

Amenities provided by hotels—or rather, inns—can't be relied on either. Even the highest-class inn in Erishe where I stayed before didn't have things like yukata. In a rough mining town like Lucraella, I'd be lucky if they even had the bare minimum. There would probably be beds, sure, but I wouldn't expect baths.

Therefore, I had to prepare with those realities in mind.

It would be the worst possible outcome to arrive at my destination and suddenly realize, "Oh crap, I forgot spare underwear!"

"...Okay. I bought a travel bag in Erishe. Next, everyone's underwear and changes of clothes for the number of days we're staying... This actually takes up more space than I expected. Towels... toothbrushes, soap—shampoo would be good too. The walkie-talkies have already arrived, so next is..."

That morning, while I was sitting in the mansion's living room listing items for the trip in my notebook, Marina—who had been helping Aurica in the dining area—poked her head in.

"Master-dono, Master-dono. Do you have a moment, de arimasu?"

"Sure. What's up?"

I looked up from the notebook.

With a silly ehehe grin on her face, Marina was hiding something behind her back.

At the mansion, Marina naturally isn't wearing armor. She spends her time in clothes I prepared—things from brands like Uniqlo, or random secondhand clothes I picked up—and she looks naturally cute in them.

Wearing a faded white blouse, her figure stood out more than expected...

It's honestly hard to tell whether she's doing this on purpose or if she's just that oblivious.

She’s reached a point where even the most basic clothes look incredibly bold on her. It’s a level of natural charm that’s honestly a bit distracting.

"Master-dono, it's finally finished, so I wanted you to see it, de arimasu. Ta-da~!"

What Marina revealed with her old-fashioned ta-da~ was a corsage with a flower-and-moon motif, knitted using the lace from last week whose purpose had finally been decided.

In other words, it was the insignia for the Knight Order.

We had decided that everyone could design their own insignia and wear it on their chest like a corsage. Apparently, Marina had made this together with Aurica.

"Oh! That's really well made. You're surprisingly skilled, Marina."

That's right.

Despite giving off clumsy-girl vibes, Marina is actually quite dexterous. She even cuts fabric cleanly at the shop.

"It clearly looks like both a flower and a moon—it's a solid piece of work. I outsourced mine, but maybe I should've asked you to make it instead. Even if it's from a craftsman, your handmade version looks better than something an old man would make."

"T-Then I'll make Master-dono's too, de arimasu!"

"Well, I've already placed the order. I appreciate the thought, though. In that case, why don't you make one for Diana? She's clumsy anyway, so she probably gave up after about ten minutes."

"...Marina is already halfway done with the Princess's, de arimasu."

"I-I see... Well, I suppose that's also part of a retainer's job... probably."

Seems she'd ditched it ages ago. I expect nothing less from our disappointing elf.

Incidentally, Princess Diana herself was out in the garden, doing something akin to sunbathing—something she called "spirit bathing."

Apparently, she needs to store up plenty of spirit power before the trip, but no matter how I look at it, it just seems like she's taking a nap.

Mumbling in her sleep, even drooling... She's definitely just napping, right?

"Then Marina will work hard to finish the Princess's too, de arimasu!"

"Yeah, do your best. But remember, we're leaving tomorrow after noon, okay?"

"Roger~"

Alright. I need to firmly decide on my own luggage too.

I also have to prepare Diana's and Marina's belongings...

Somehow, preparing travel items—like underwear—for people other than myself feels less like a master-servant relationship and more like something else entirely... Well, whatever. They're both my princesses.

* * *

For the trip to Lucraella, I ordered walkie-talkies and steel materials.

Even though Diana's spirit communication allows limited contact between elves and is quite convenient, I figured proper communication equipment was still important. Unlike mobile phones, walkie-talkies should work just fine in another world. Probably.

I ordered two overseas models that aren’t restricted to Japan’s domestic frequency standards. They were cheap, so I went for them.

In another world, regulatory restrictions like this don’t really matter.

I’m no expert, but just like radio stations have assigned channels, wireless devices also operate on designated frequency bands. Normally, devices are designed so you can’t access protected bands—such as those reserved for public or safety use.

However, that mainly applies to Japanese-made or officially approved foreign devices. Parallel imports sold online don’t necessarily follow the same compliance rules. As a result, they may technically support bands that are prohibited for use in Japan. Because they lack domestic certification, they’re sold at much lower prices—often around a quarter of the cost for similar performance.

Modern walkie-talkies are impressive... I thought their range would be a few hundred meters at best, but the specs claimed up to fifty-nine kilometers (probably exaggerated). At the very least, if I give one to Etowa for emergencies, we should be able to communicate between the mansion and Erishe.

If they're easy to use, I might buy a few more. The fact that they run on batteries is also reassuring.

Then there were the steel materials.

Steel plates—exactly what they sound like.

The mining town of Lucraella is also famous for blacksmithing. That's precisely why I'm going there to look for equipment. If I find good items, I might buy them in bulk to open another shop in Erishe, or have custom orders made. It really tickles my heart as a blade enthusiast.

And since I'm going all that way, I thought it would be interesting to bring my own materials and have something made for me. Japan's steelmaking technology is among the best in the world. It may not rival magical metals, but in the ordinary category of "steel," it won't lose. I can't get tamahagane, but steel close to it is easily available.

By the way, although I haven't done it recently due to being preoccupied with the other world, my hobby is knife-making.

When people hear "knife-making," they often imagine it's difficult, but in reality, it isn't that hard—well, depending on the method. For the method commonly used by custom knife enthusiasts, it's accurate to say it's not that difficult.

The method we use is called the Stock Removal method, developed by R.W. Loveless, often called the father of modern knives. Simply put, it involves carving a knife out of a steel plate. In extreme cases, all you need is the material and a file. Even today, over ninety percent of custom knife makers use this method.

What Japanese people typically imagine when they hear "blade-making"—a swordsmith hammering iron, known as forging—is generally not part of this process. Of course, knives made using that technique do exist (commonly referred to as Japanese knives), but it's not something an amateur can easily do. Still, as a blade lover, I'd like to try it at least once.

So, thanks to that hobby—and connections through a middle school teacher who's also a custom knife enthusiast—I'm in an environment where I can acquire steel materials relatively cheaply.

That's why I ordered them: steel plates for forging—the kind I don't usually work with.

Ordering enough steel to make several swords may have been excessive, but I have no regrets. After all, though I tend to forget, I do have the [Blacksmith] vocation. This might be my chance to finally try forging myself!

Since the destination is a mining town, I also bought masks and bottled water from a pharmacy. Primitive mining and refining methods sound like a pollution nightmare. The masks are just simple activated-carbon ones, but if it looks dangerous, we shouldn't stay long. Burning massive amounts of charcoal and coal, dust filling the air—it sounds like a great way to ruin your health. Honestly, I probably should've bought professional-grade masks.

As for water, surely they don't draw drinking water directly from rivers. I can only hope even well water isn't contaminated. Just in case, I prepared five two-liter bottles... and the luggage keeps increasing.

I did a bit of research, and water pollution from mine drainage often involves some nasty substances, so I'm genuinely concerned. I'll definitely choose an inn with a "Water Jar"... I might even buy one myself.

Water Jar is a magic item that produces an infinite supply of water, typically found in high-class inns. The inn I stayed at initially had one, but I haven't seen them elsewhere. They must be quite expensive.

Aside from that, I exchanged the gold—Pucelle Spirit Coins—received as a reward from the magic map quest. I entrusted the exchange to Shello-san at the Chamber of Commerce. Bringing them in myself would've been suspicious, but for Shello-san, the excuse of "a strange monster we'd never seen appeared, we struggled but defeated it, and this dropped" worked fine. It wasn't far from the truth.

Apparently, Tobias-shi at the guild looked quite suspicious, but he still complied. Since the amount was large, he exchanged them into spirit stones, which was a bonus.

One spirit stone is worth about twenty gold coins, so they're often treated as substitutes for gold, or even as de facto currency. Either way, I had planned on buying spirit stones, so it worked out perfectly. Five Pucelle Spirit Coins were worth 250 gold coins, which became ten spirit stones and fifty gold coins. I briefly considered exchanging only three and keeping two, but decided against it. If I can trade them for spirit stones, nothing beats that.

As for auctions, I temporarily pulled all my listings. I thought about leaving them up during the trip, but I wouldn't be able to respond to questions, and that feels insincere.

For my shop in Erishe, I put up a notice last week reading [Closed Next Week], so that should be fine. I'm also taking Etowa along on the trip—it's a company trip, after all—and I already got permission from her parents. Even though she's an apprentice, she's still only thirteen.

As for transportation to Lucraella, we don't have enough horses for everyone. We have three of our own, plus one at Shello-san's place. Since Shello-san isn't coming, there's the question of whether it's okay to borrow his horse. Even with four, some people would have to ride double. Lucraella is close, but it still feels a bit reckless. I'll consult Rebecca-san about this later.

And so, step by step, the trip preparations steadily moved forward.

Planning and preparing for a trip really is the most fun part, isn't it?

* * *

The next day, we spent the entire morning on our usual combat training.

The trip is scheduled for three days and two nights, starting tomorrow. Calling it a "final training session" would be an exaggeration, but everyone's motivation has been high since the battle with the bear monster.

Even without that, the Hitotsuzuki (Monster Wave) season is approaching.

I've also been asked to help by Shello-san, and if I'm going to do that, I can't afford to let monsters get the better of me.

Elepipi participates in training almost every day as well.

I wonder if she ever gets muscle soreness? But thinking back, even when I trained, probably due to vocation effects, I never got sore either. She must be the same. Maybe it's the Great Spirit's way of saying that with five-times efficiency, there's no time for sore muscles.

After training, during lunch.

It was our usual casual chatter, but naturally, the topic often turned to Lucraella.

"Well, I heard blacksmithing is thriving in Lucraella, so I went ahead and procured some steel for blades. I wonder if they'll forge a sword for me using materials I bring?"

"You're bringing your own materials to an iron mining town?"

"Yeah. It's partly about fulfilling a dream... and I imagine dwarven blacksmithing skills must be something else."

This is a world with Vocations, after all.

No matter how skilled Japanese craftsmen are, it's hard to compete with someone trained at five times the efficiency.

"Jirou, whether the dwarves there will forge a sword for a first-time customer is uncertain," Shello-san said.

What? That's not something I can just ignore.

"Lucraella is technically a state-owned mountain. While there may be abandoned mines or newly opened veins accessible to the public, most mining and refining is handled by officials. Naturally, skilled dwarven craftsmen are likely employed by the state."

"I-Is that so...?"

Damn. My plan derailed already! And after I bought a non-trivial amount of steel—so much I can't even lift it with one hand!

"It might be different if you had a referral. Should we ask Toby?"

Tobias-shi is a bit... Hmm... That's a problem.

"Other than that... let's see. Maybe the old man at Meeker Trading Company could introduce you."

"Meeker Trading Company... you mean the one that bought my knives a long time ago?"

"That's the one. Aside from the blacksmiths here in Erishe, they should have connections in Lucraella as well. When I asked them to reforge my sword, they said it was done there. Apparently, there's a particularly skilled craftsman."

"That sounds promising..."

'A skilled craftsman'.

A phrase materialistic boys can't resist. Just hearing "custom-made, one-of-a-kind, crafted by a master" has a magical pull that makes you want to surrender immediately.

And so—

After lunch, before heading to my shop, I decided to pay Meeker Trading Company a surprise visit.