Life as an Adventurer with the Banished Marquis' Daughter - Chapter 32: Shopping with the Exiled Marquis’ Daughter, Part 4

Chapter 32: Shopping with the Exiled Marquis’ Daughter, Part 4

Tepe and I apologized to Erika together, saying “Sorry,” and somehow managed to get her forgiveness.

We nodded to each other as our eyes met. For some reason, I felt a strange sense of sympathy.

Erika was scary when she got angry. 

Experiencing the same fear seemed to create a sense of camaraderie.

“Um… judging by your muscles, I take it you’re a pure swordsman with a focus on physical enhancement, is that right?”

Tepe, after being scolded by Erika, confirmed this with me. 

Her assessment was accurate; I was very bad at using magic.

To be precise, I couldn’t use any offensive magic at all. For some reason, I couldn’t release magical power from within my body.

I could construct magic circles without any problem, but the magical power generated from them wouldn’t leave my body. This was equivalent to being unable to use offensive magic.

It’s not that it couldn’t leave my body at all; I could use purification magic and small sparks, the so-called life magic.

Instead, I was good at magic that didn’t require releasing magical power outside, like physical enhancement, and I was a bit proud of its strength.

Tepe nodded thoughtfully as I nodded in agreement.

“So, what kind of skills do you have?”

“I have a bit of detection skill, and my mentor thinks I might have some swordsmanship skills.”

“Might have? You haven’t been appraised at the church?”

“I have my reasons for that.”

Skills.

If magic is an imitation of God’s miracles, then skills are gifts from God. 

At least, that’s what the church claims.

Unlike magic, skills can’t be learned through study.

Most people are said to acquire skills through practical experience.

Some skills are immediately usable once acquired, while others require a clear awareness of having them to be used. Some people continue using skills unconsciously once they have them. 

Similar to magic, skills require magical power to use, but they don’t need the construction of magic circles.

The required amount of magical power varies, but it’s typically much less than what’s needed for magic.

Some skills can surpass standard offensive magic, leading some adventurers to constantly research ways to deliberately acquire skills.

As for these skills, for some reason, a church appraisal can reveal what skills one possesses. 

This appraisal itself is said to be a skill, but curiously, it only manifests in the clergy of the church.

This is one reason the church insists skills are gifts from God.

While I felt I had acquired skills during my time as an adventurer in the Kingdom of Faltar, I never felt the urgent need to get appraised, so I never did.

It’s not that I was reluctant to pay the appraisal fee.

For various reasons, I never got my skills appraised. Then, I got involved in this farce, making it impossible for me to go to the church.

At least Erika can’t go. To the church, she’s a suspect in the attempted assassination of the Maiden of Light. 

Stepping into church grounds would be dangerous for her.

For me, it’s not as severe, but it would still be foolish to approach a risky place.

For an adventurer, not knowing one’s skills is more than foolish; it’s a matter of life and death.

As things stand, we have no choice but to accept this situation.

So, we don’t know our skills. 

I just shrugged at Tepe, who seemed curious about my “circumstances,” showing no intention of explaining.

“I see, circumstances. Well, that’s fine. Just seeing your muscles makes me want to sell you a sword.”

Tepe said with a strange expression.

I tilted my head at Tepe’s odd remark, as if she was choosing her customers.

When she saw my puzzled look, Tepe clapped her hands.

“Did you come here without knowing about my shop?”

When I explained that I was referred by Lana, an adventurer’s guild staff member, Tepe nodded in understanding.

“I’m sorry, she’s a bit clumsy sometimes and probably forgot to explain.”

I didn’t think of her as clumsy, but she did seem easily scared. 

So, she’s clumsy on top of that, huh.

“In my shop, I personally assess the person before selling them a weapon. Of course, I might refuse to sell based on that assessment.”

“Can you do business like that?”

Erika asked honestly. 

Tepe smiled at her question.

“Thankfully, yes.”

Her face was full of confidence. 

It wasn’t a face I disliked. 

It was hard to believe this was the same person who said they were so bored due to a lack of customers.

“I believe you. You could tell just by touching my arm.”

At my words, Tepe bowed with a calm demeanor, very different from our first meeting.