Chapter 26: Shopping Trip

After we finish scheduling the specially made dress, we brainstorm on the next place we should go. 

The princess asks, "Do you have everything you need for your trip?" 

I groan in response, "Though I've done some camping before, I don't think I'm ready to camp out in a forest on my own. I only took what wasn't buried in the earth the day I was separated, so I don't have many of the essentials for travel."

'Not to mention I don't really remember what all is useful, if I knew anything.'

A hand lands on my shoulder, Lejer appearing out of nowhere. "Then we should head south from here. There is a general store with all the essentials for travel there and best of all, it's along my patrol route so I can come in to check for contraband." 

My spine shivers from the feeling of him touching me, but before I can say anything, his hands are in the air as Emeri steps forward, a sharp glare in her eyes as he keeps a 3-meter distance between them.

She huffs, "Fine. But don't touch Veda like that again, got it?" 

"Loud and clear Keeper of the Hunt." 

Serci and Princess Maridia both look exhausted watching Lejer and Emeri have difficulty in trying not to fight in public. I, on the other hand, have started noticing that Lejer seems to know he's pushing people's buttons and backs off when he's pushed the wrong one quickly enough to avoid trouble, as though he's trying to test any and everyone's limit. 

We all head for another section of the city, from an area of polish and taken care of buildings to more average-looking shops visited by people who can't pay for everything they desire. 

Again, everyone's eyes were on us as the princess was the center of attention, the Keepers acting as the barrier between the average citizen and royalty, with me being the only exception as a friend of the princess. 

'Or at least that's the common rumor being gossiped about through the loud whispers of the people.' 

Finally arriving at the store Lejer suggested, it wasn't the most eccentric on the outside. And the inside wasn't much different considering everything on the shelves appeared to be items put without rhyme or reason.

Pots and Ropes, bags and objects of varying purpose. Nothing was truly placed correctly as if it were placed where it would fit without obstructing what was beside it. 

'At least it all seems to be in good condition. Some items are polished and things like the ropes look new.' 

Though I don't remember much about what purpose every item has, the Keepers all have knowledge from either using it themselves or from word of mouth from those who have. 

The shopkeeper was just as welcoming as Mr. Morian, though lacking elegance like that store owner. He nearly trips over himself to greet the Princess of Siltria, "W-w-welcome to my store Princess! Is there anything this servant could do for you? K-Keeper of Trade!?"

He freezes up at the sight of the Keeper but Lejer answers the shop owner's question himself, waving it off. "She's just on a shopping trip with friends. So don't worry, I'm just here as an escort." 

The shop owner gives a hollow laugh. "I-I see... That's good to hear. Please do look around and call out if you need anything." He steadily goes back behind the counter while look around the store.

We all move about the shop, looking at the different things on the shelves. Emeri has experience living in nature and Serci has a bunch of knowledge she's gotten from reading books but Lejer has been sitting back near the counter.

The princess seemed to know very little about living in nature, though her curiosity was easy to see as she looks at almost every item on the shelf in great detail, Serci sometimes coming over to tell her what the thing she's holding would commonly be used for.

Emeri walks over beside me and mentions, "If there is anything you want to know, just ask. I know plenty of tricks I can tell you about many tricks for surviving in the forests if you'd like." 

I gave her a smile in return, "Thank you. There is a lot I'd love to know about."

I look at the shelves nearby and spot a rope three times longer than the one I currently have stashed in Uldrei's knapsack back in my room before bringing it to Emeri's attention. "I learned from Serci that you can use rope to help keep you tied to the tree tops when forced to sleep alone in a monster infested forest." 

I could tell Serci's was feeling bashful as she stopped speaking for a moment before her head leaned forward. Emeri smirks as she begins give me a lesson on other capabilities. "Correct, but that knowledge is a little basic, rope is essential for almost any and every situation. Be it climbing down a cliffside, keeping yourself up right in a tree, or simply to ensure crates don't fall out of an overflowing wagon, extra rope is never truly a waste." 

After Emeri's tutorial on rope, Lejer pokes his head around the corner and proceeds to put in some of his own information. "It can also be used for traps against animals or used as an important piece for an alarm system against bandits trying to sneak up on your campfire when traveling not alone. Just add some iron equipment close together and whatever disturbance to it can awaken you quickly enough to be prepared for a battle. It can also be a makeshift weapon, especially for a caster that learns the Control Rope spell. It allows you to launch it up a cliff or string it around an enemy's neck as needed." 

Lejer's mention of Control Rope reminds me that I had used the spell once before against hobgoblins, just after first letting Serci use Uldrei's Counter blade. If it were anyone else, that information probably would have been new to them. 

Emeri gives him the stink eye at his interruption but tries to move past it by throwing in small jabs in her words. "Well that's a surprise. You usually give messed up lessons that people didn't need to know. What's wrong? Nothing gory about a rope?" 

Lejer very clearly acts dejected after hearing her comment, but the grin across his face told the truth. "How dare!? I only give useful info that people could be used to save their life." 

The princess wasn't enjoying the current conversation and tried to bring attention to a pot that could make a stew for three. "I heard the size of the pot you take with you should be dependent on the number of people you travel with?" 

Both Female Keepers agreed with Serci answering, "If not just a little bigger in case you get extra company."

But Lejer appears to be the most into this conversation as he prepares information that could be considered 'a messed up lesson we didn't need to know'.

"In my opinion, two pots would be better. One to be used for cooking while the other would be used to make other things. Say monster bait made to lure in a certain creature into a trap. Or maybe you find all ingredients in the wild and wish to brew a potion you learned the recipe of before the ingredient spoils. It would be better for your health to keep two pots that separate food you consume and ingredients you don't want in your next meal." 

Everyone hears what he suggests and while not bad advice, it's odd advice to bring up considering I doubt there are many merchants or peddlers who would use that rule themselves, much less normal people. 

The merchant finally caught on that we were traveling for 'necessary items for travel' and tries to change the subject. "If it's supplies for a trip through dangerous lands. A Med kit is something you can't go wrong with." 

Med kits were a mass-produced kit of items for closing wounds. It's often bought by adventurers and the guilds for situations that would require medical care, such as having too little casters that can use healing magic.

'But as someone with magic, I don't think that will be necessary.' 

It was then that Serci interrupted my thought. "Med kits are very essential regardless if you can use healing magic or not. Having around five extra med kits can help tremendously in case you are running low on mana. You can also use the cloth and sticks inside for other purposes besides fixing up wounds, like patching exposed areas of the clothing or starting a fire in a desperate need for heat." 

Lejer waves his hand off the basic information taught to every knight. "Pssh, that's too basic information. Something more out of the box would be taking the anesthesia inside and adding garlic to create a poison that worsens the blood loss of wounds." 

Emeri was bewildered when she heard that, raising her voice at her fellow Keeper.  "You are telling her to buy a medicine for numbing pain and turn it into a poison that worsens the bleeding of others?!" 

Lejer shrugs his shoulders as he isn't surprised by Emeri's reaction as his eyes land on the merchant, appearing to be the most shaken when hearing that. "Of course. We are trying to tell her things that could save her life and one thing that can help save her is weakening the enemies that steal her stuff. And as a pretty woman, being taken prisoner when she's out of mana is not just possible but probable. So why not tell her how she could poison her enemies before making a great escape the moment she gets enough mana." 

Both female Keepers have conflicted looks in their eyes. What he said was very possible and is very true in what kind of process could free her if taken prisoner. But, to them, turning something meant to treat wounds into something harmful was a very morally wrong thing to do no matter the situation. 

That is when the Princess asks a question, thinking it to be a flaw in that scenario. "But wouldn't that be an easy way to get yourself poisoned, or even one of your allies? If one med kit were to be poisoned among your belongings and you accidentally pick that up in a rush to save a friend's life, that could end up making things worse." 

Lejer leans against a shelf, giving the answer to that issue. "Simple, keep things separate by adding a visual different. Be it placing a mark on the product, only you and close friends would know to be a sign of danger or color-coding certain containers to signify its tampering. Many Peddlers have done so and our fellow merchant here is no acceptation. Isn't that right?" 

The shop owner was shaking when brought into this conversation. 

At first, he didn't want to say anything but as the Keeper of Trade's eyes narrow, the merchant reluctantly answered. "Y-yes, all my green containers hold tampered merchandise in case thieves or bandits try to steal my products. B-but I haven't sold those to any of my customers!" 

Lejer waves off his plea. "I can tell. All containers behind the counter are green while nothing of that color signifying your poisoned products are present on the shelves. You won't be charged for possession of self-defense products meant to dissuade theft." 

The merchant sighs in relief by the Keeper of Trade's verdict of innocence but everyone else was shaken by this revelation. Emeri raising her voice at Lejer. "What the hell do you mean it's normal for merchants to do this immoral practice?!"

That's when Lejer speaks in defense of the merchant's 'immoral practice'. "All merchants that can't defend themselves have to use methods such as this to save their hide, mind over matter and all that. Keeping the valuable stuff closer to the center of their cart while the cheaper and/or poisonous stuff is close to the outer edges is a common trick of the trade, especially in these trying times." 

Serci recovers from the initial shock. "I haven't heard anything about this!" 

Lejer shrugs, finding that response to be normal if not the most foreseen one from Serci. "Of course you wouldn't. This is where my expertise lies. Only the patrons of Farengar understand even a fraction of these tricks of the trade, something I have to know all of in order to do my job as Keeper of Trade." 

I react to the name. "Farengar?" 

Lejer stares at me in confusion before moving to disbelief. "Man, you don't even know about one of the Main Gods? You really are sheltered... Farengar is the God of Fortune, ally to all tradesmen and punisher of thievery." 

Emeri steps up to Lejer and grips him by his shirt, not interested about a lesson on gods. "Why has there been no report of those actions Lejer?!" 

Lejer stares into Emeri's agitated eyes, before smirking. "I have. Though I never went into detail on how, only what. Be it poisoning opposition, selling fake merchandise or tampering with the product before delivery. All these crimes have been reported, just not the steps that lead to them. I shouldn't need to remind you that our position as Keepers is to discover wrongdoing and punish them accordingly. Not everyone needs to understand why the crime was committed so long as the right actions are being taken by the Keeper within his position."

"The only exceptions for who should know that is the Keeper of Right who decides the punishments and the Queen who can overrule the Keepers' judgement. Anything beyond that is overstepping our position, Emeri." 

Emeri was shaken. Whether he withheld information the other Keepers didn't need to know or she just didn't look close enough at the signs, she couldn't push any further because he was right. 

All Keeper's work is separated alongside their capabilities. The only thing another Keeper can do is accuse the other of doing their job poorly and the Queen makes the decision on whether or not they were. 

But Lejer isn't doing his job poorly. He is doing the job of the Keeper of Trade, his own way but still one with results. 

With Emeri's hand letting go of his shirt, Lejer moves away. "At this rate I might not finish my rounds so I'll be heading off on my own. I hope you all have a lovely afternoon." 

He takes one last look at me before giving a light smirk. "And feel free to ask if you have any questions about the market. It is what I do best." 

After he left, Emeri exhaled loudly. "He's always a piece of work." 

Serci also took a deep breath from the lingering tension. "That's Lejer, always inciting people. Always speaking in ways that aren't lies yet continues poking sensitive topics around those he speaks about." 

The princess shakes her head. "I've also seen him as being more trouble than he's worth myself, yet mother hasn't seen him as enough of a nuisance to excommunicate him from his position. I've asked her for reasons why but nothing she's said about it makes sense to me." 

'A good person is the last thing I see him as too. Especially how he willingly insights people to do things like with the Keeper of Arms to raid my home, yet it feels as though he has an objective every time he opens his mouth.'

'Though I may be imagining it, his objective seems to change on the fly. Inciting, tutoring, doing his job, it feels like every time someone continues the same conversation, he has a different response for a different reason. But why? I just can't figure him out.' 

Finishing up our shopping for necessities, Emeri pays for everything this time around, fulfilling the bet we made for getting Serci to join. I got a longer rope, med-kits, a pot, lantern, a non-torn sleeping bag and a brand-new backpack. All things that will eventually come in handy. 

After leaving the store, the mood was murky for the two Keepers due to the realization of their coworker only really telling the bare minimum in his reports. Even the princess was silent, looking to be lost in thought on something else.

If the mood was to be lifted, I have to be the one to say something. "Seeing as we still have time, how about continuing? I'm not ready to end this yet, especially seeing as we can finally have a girl's only trip."

I was glad to see the mood lightened through my words, everyone agreeing to continue our shopping trip now that the Killjoy had left. Now it was just a matter of figuring out what to get.

And thanks to the Frozen Sappires, I did think of something Veda could use too.