Ais stared at Durandal, and the more she looked at it, the more she liked it.
On top of that, Loki had already sent people back to fetch money and materials.
Which meant—
This sword was already hers.
Right now, she could hardly wait to hold it in her hands and examine it properly.
Hearing Ais's request, Izumi nodded.
He gestured lightly toward Kanon, signaling her to bring Durandal over.
The moment the sword touched Ais's hand, her eyes lit up.
She swung it lightly, drawing several clean arcs through the air.
The balance was perfect.
The weight felt just right.
The more she tested it, the more satisfied she became.
"…Name."
She looked up at Izumi.
"Its name."
Right now, Ais desperately wanted to know the name of the sword she was holding.
"Durandal," Izumi replied.
"And from now on, this sword belongs to you."
"Your goddess has already paid."
As he spoke, Izumi also handed her the other weapon—
"Shining Light".
At his words, a flicker of joy passed through Ais's eyes.
A rare smile appeared on her face.
She already couldn't wait to take both swords into the Dungeon and cut down monsters.
Seeing this, Loki let out a satisfied chuckle.
"Ohhh? Ais-tan smiled?"
"That's great."
Just as she was about to rush over and hug her, the corner of her eye caught a sight that made her freeze in place.
Magic surged in Izumi's hand.
The next instant—
An identical Durandal appeared out of thin air.
Izumi casually handed it to Kanon, who placed it back in its original position.
The entire shop went dead silent.
"…Th-This…"
"…That's how the weapons are made?!"
Loki was completely stunned.
What she had just seen—
That was Authority.
Something only gods were supposed to possess.
Frowning deeply, Loki stared at Izumi with unusual seriousness.
"…Are you a god too?"
Only gods could wield Authority.
So why did this man have it?
Izumi shook his head.
"No."
"This is my ability."
"I can copy any object."
The moment she heard that, Loki's face turned green.
"So you're telling me…"
"You used magic to make these weapons and then scammed me out of twenty billion Valis?!"
"You damn black-hearted merchant!!"
Damn it!
This guy was a straight-up swindler, wasn't he?!
Selling magically replicated weapons for divine-tier prices?!
Izumi only laughed calmly.
"Worth the price, right?"
"So don't worry about the details."
"Once your elf brings everything over, our deal will be complete."
"There are plenty of other interesting items in the shop too—feel free to look around."
He clearly didn't care what Loki thought.
Loki was extremely unhappy, feeling completely cheated—
But she couldn't deny it.
As Izumi said, the value was real.
Without his ability, weapons like these would never exist in this world.
Even with her divinity sealed, she could still tell just how absurdly valuable they were.
Izumi's shop was filled with strange and powerful items.
Members of the Loki Familia began buying things one after another—
All out of their own pockets.
The quality of the weapons here was undeniable.
While the Loki Familia browsed the shop, other gods also began arriving.
The moment they saw the weapons, their eyes shone brightly.
Soon enough, money started flowing.
Not long after opening, Izumi's shop had already made a killing.
Before long, Riveria Ljos Alf returned.
Several members of the Loki Familia followed behind her, carrying large bags and packs into the shop.
When the bags were set down and opened, everyone present gasped.
"Wow… Loki, what did you buy?"
"This much stuff? That expensive?!"
A goddess who knew Loki couldn't help but step forward in shock.
Loki merely laughed dryly.
She didn't bother explaining.
Instead, she turned to Izumi.
"Well?"
"Is this enough?"
"Twenty magic books, materials, and fifty billion Valis in cash."
"Does all of this add up to two hundred billion?"
She sounded bold—
But inside, her heart was bleeding.
This single transaction had practically emptied her entire collection.
Still, when she glanced at the Boosted Gear already in her possession, the pain eased considerably.
…Yeah.
Worth it.
Izumi looked over the pile of items, gave it a quick evaluation, then nodded.
"That's enough."
"Thank you for your patronage."
As he spoke, he stored everything away in an instant.
All that remained were a few large, empty backpacks.
Izumi looked at them with utter disdain.
Who the hell still used things like this?
But that thought sparked another idea.
He smiled and looked at Loki.
"Hey, Loki."
"I've got spatial equipment. Want one?"
...
The entire Loki Familia stared at Izumi with complicated expressions.
Was this guy trying to bankrupt them?!
Even Finn couldn't help but twitch at the corner of his mouth.
At this rate, their familia really would go broke.
At that moment, Finn silently made up his mind—
They should come here less often.
Otherwise, no matter how many expeditions they went on, they'd never earn enough to spend here.
Loki's face darkened.
"We're broke."
"Spatial equipment sounds nice, but we don't have the money."
Blatant poverty declaration.
Even if the Loki Familia was rich, they couldn't keep burning money like this.
Tens of billions, hundreds of billions—
Who could survive that?
Izumi laughed and casually took out a wrist ring.
"This one's cheap."
"Five hundred million Valis."
"The internal space is about the size of a plaza."
"For expeditions, you could bring hundreds of these."
"You could even move your entire familia's supplies inside."
"Well? Cheap, right?"
Five hundred million for that much space was an absolute steal.
But Loki wasn't stupid.
She stared at Izumi with a deep frown.
"…That cheap?"
"There's a condition, isn't there?"
She didn't believe for a second that this merchant was being generous.
Izumi nodded.
"Correct."
"There is a condition."
"Lend me your Ais for a few days."
"Have her help me guide a few children."
The moment those words left his mouth, Loki froze.
Even Ais blinked in surprise.
…Children?
Only Hestia immediately understood Izumi's intention.
He wanted Ais to help those kids get familiar with the Dungeon.
Realizing that, Hestia's eyes lit up.
Ais Wallenstein—the Sword Princess—was famous throughout Orario.
If she guided those children for a few days, it might actually be a good thing.
Loki rubbed her chin, staring at Izumi with curiosity.
"Where are these 'kids' you're talking about?"
"I need to see them first."
"I'm not just handing Ais-tan over so easily."
She definitely wasn't comfortable lending Ais out without knowing more.
The others were curious as well.
Just what kind of "children" did Izumi mean?
Hearing Loki's response, Izumi didn't hesitate.
With a wave of his hand—
He released the little girls.