The Water Magician

The clothing store introduced by the daimyo's office had a rich assortment.

Next door, there was also a tailor of the same chain, which seemed to accommodate both ready-made and made-to-order items.

“Are you sure a ready-made cloak is fine? I have plenty of money, you know?”

“I don’t know how long we’ll be in this town. Besides, as long as the cloak is sturdy, that’s all that matters, right?”

“Being too extravagant would be a problem, but Abel doesn’t spend much money for a king, does he?”

“Does that matter?”

In Ryo’s mind, the image of a "king" was someone who would splurge money like water… if not that extreme, at least someone who wouldn’t spare any expense to acquire good things.

“No, I understand that if you want good things, it costs money. Well, I don’t really want to buy anything too extravagant…”

“Abel is a swordsman, so he should get a good weapon… that sword has a certain presence, so I guess it doesn’t need a replacement.”

“Oh, this one? I just picked it up from a corner somewhere, but… I’ve grown quite attached to it.”

As Abel said this, he tapped the hilt of his sword with his right hand.

Since becoming an adventurer, they had faced life-and-death situations together.

It was only natural to feel that attachment.

“By ‘corner,’ you mean the corner of the kingdom's treasure vault, right?”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

“I’d love to go in and see it one day. There must be incredible alchemy tools in there.”

“Yeah, there are probably some. But I won't be giving you any, Ryo.”

“Why not?!”

“Because it’s the kingdom’s property. Unless it’s something significant, it won’t be granted. It’s not something I can decide on my own, right?”

“Even though you’re the king?”

“A king is just a manager of the country. Not everything in the kingdom belongs to the king. In fact, the royal property and the kingdom’s property are separate. If it’s royal property, there’s some flexibility, but even then, I have responsibilities to my descendants, so I can’t just do as I please.”

“You really don’t have any freedom as a king…”

“Well… that’s just how it is.”

Ryo let out a small sigh, and Abel responded with a wry smile.

However, for now, it was about purchasing a cloak for Abel.

Abel was going to buy it with his own money, earned since being in the City of Manyamia, so there was no need for hesitation.

“A black cloak is cool, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, that one, right?”

Seeing Abel pause and admire it for a while, Ryo pushed him from behind.

In fact, the black cloak was very practical while also looking somewhat stylish.

Cloaks like that can be seen all over the world and throughout many eras.

That shows how versatile and useful they are.

What is the utility of a cloak for adventurers?

First of all, it serves as a warm garment.

Just having that one piece can keep you astonishingly warm.

Secondly, it serves as armor.

A sturdy cloak can deflect weak arrows.

In fact, there are techniques that use a cloak to swat away multiple arrows.

Of course, Abel was wearing it…

Moreover, it’s also valuable for protecting against dirt.

Most cloaks used by adventurers can easily be washed with water.

As long as you wear a cloak underneath, you can wear fancy clothes when in front of nobles without worry.

The black cloak that Abel was staring at didn’t seem to have a hard fabric.

The fastening under the neck was silver.

But more than that, the tailoring from the shoulders to the back was very distinctive.

“This is a cloak for someone like Abel who carries a sword on his back, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, that’s right. Even while wearing the cloak, you can grip a sword and draw it without any hindrance.”

That might have been the main reason Abel was so captivated by it.

To prevent cutting the cloak while drawing the sword at high speed, it was reinforced with a layer of leather or something similar.

Furthermore, the reinforcement was done so carefully that it would go unnoticed unless you looked closely.