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“Phew… that was a harsh battle…”
“It was such a grand adventure, we could probably fill a whole book with it…!”
“What on earth happened in the back of that cramped shop?”

After spending enough time for the boiled water to cool, Momo and the old man finally returned, covered in dust and cobwebs.

Fortunately, it seemed their efforts bore fruit— the two of them carried several long, narrow wooden boxes stacked in their arms, each containing a staff.

“Here, I brought a good variety. Pick ones that feel right.”
“Oh… for the amount you brought, the materials are pretty decent. How much are they?”
“I’d say one silver coin apiece.”
“That’s cheap. I thought they’d go for at least one and a half.”

The staves laid out on the table were all wand types, carved from a diverse array of woods. Despite the range of materials, the lengths were standardized, making them easy for even a child to handle.

The craftsmanship was clearly skilled— at just one silver coin each, they were a bargain.

“Teach… what makes a staff… a good one…?”
“This is something only your own intuition can tell you. Staff compatibility is unique to each person. We can fine-tune it after you choose one.”
“…Okay.”

With a serious expression, Stell began carefully examining the staves, and soon the other students, eyes sparkling with excitement, eagerly grabbed ones that caught their eye, testing how they felt when swung.

It was such a heartwarming sight. I couldn’t help but wonder if I’d once had the same look on my face when I first held a staff.

“Momo, you should pick one too. Don’t worry about the money.”
“Huh? I can choose one too?”
“There’s no reason to treat you any differently. Of course, if you have no interest in learning magecraft, that’s another matter…”
“Yay, thank you! Hmmm, which one should I pick…?”

Barely listening to the latter half of the explanation, Momo eagerly joined the students, rifling through the selection to find one that suited her.

However, after picking up and testing two or three staves, she returned empty-handed.

“…Master, I think I’d probably snap them if I swung them around.”
“Yeah, I had a feeling that might happen.”

The wooden staves were far too fragile for Momo. It wouldn’t be an issue for casual practice, but in actual combat, there would likely be moments where adrenaline surged, and she accidentally put too much force into her swings.

Yet, if she had to constantly worry about her strength and lost focus on handling spells, that would defeat the purpose. Given Momo’s low magical reserves, a staff’s support was all the more vital…

“Oh? If that’s the issue, I’ve got something sturdier. How about this?”
“…Is this even a ‘staff’?”
“It’s clearly a ring… isn’t it?”

The shopkeeper pulled a wooden box from the shelf and handed it to us. Inside, a silver ring with a gleaming red gemstone sparkled under the light.

I picked it up and turned it over in my hand— it seemed to function just fine as a staff. I suppose with this shape, Momo wouldn’t accidentally snap it in half, but still…

“Hoho, it’s the latest trend. Apparently, clinging to the traditional staff shape is considered outdated these days.”
“The times are changing, huh… Momo, give me your hand. Let’s test it out.”
“Got it! Here you go!”

I slipped the ring onto her outstretched left hand, and it fit snugly.

Momo opened and closed her hand a few times, checking the fit. After a moment, she simply gave me a silent smile and nodded.

“Well, that settles it. Shopkeeper, we’ll take this ring too.”
“It’s a bit pricier than the other staves, are you sure?”
“It’s fine. It’s better to make a solid investment early on— it’ll pay off later.”
“Yay! Thank you, Master!”

The shopkeeper wrote the price on a piece of paper and held it out to me. It was definitely more expensive than a regular staff, but nothing I couldn’t cover.

Besides, I was planning to bundle the cost of all the staves and send the bill to the Guildmaster later. A small bump in the total wouldn’t affect my wallet in the slightest.

“W-wow… Teacher and Miss Momo are so… mature…!!”
“Miss Stell, get a hold of yourself! Your defeat is not set in stone just yet!”
“……She’s the first disciple, so I shall respect it.”
“What are you all whispering about? Have you made your choices yet? If you don’t hurry, we’ll be here until sunset.”
“ “ “Y-yes!” ” ”

I called out to the rest of the students, and one by one, they quickly decided on their favorite staves.

In the end, the only one left was Stell. She’d managed to narrow it down to two options, but it seemed like she couldn’t make the final choice.

“Sappanwood and andromeda, huh? Good choices. Sappanwood carries poisonous properties, while andromeda holds anti-magic power.”
“Teach… which one is better…?”
“That’s for you to decide, Stell. A staff is just a tool to support you— pick whichever one you prefer.”
“……Okay.”

Even so, she hesitated a little before finally choosing the staff made from andromeda.

Andromeda… A staff imbued with anti-magic properties repels external magic power, except for the wielder’s.

It’s a bit of a defensive choice, but considering Stell’s affinity for water magecraft, it wasn’t a bad match at all. Honestly, it was an impressive choice for her first staff.

“Alright, let’s settle the bill. It was one silver coin per staff, right?”
“That’s right, but do you not want any fine adjustments?”
“With this many people, it would take too long. I’ll handle the adjustments myself. It’d be tough work for an old man like you, wouldn’t it?”
“Hohoho, you’re not wrong. Truth be told, I was wondering what I’d do if you asked.”
“Why not hire someone? It’d be a shame for such a good shop to close down.”
“Unfortunately, all the young talent gets sucked into the flashy shops on the main street.”

We traded lighthearted banter as I finished paying for the staves.

Just as I turned to leave, ready to head back, I noticed Momo standing a bit away from the group, staring intently at something on display.

“Momo? What’s up? We’ll be in trouble if our pack mule goes missing.”
“Master… look at this.”

She pointed to what she’d been looking at— a thin metal plate with a transparent glass screen fitted into it.

It looked almost identical to one of those devices from her world. If I remembered correctly, she called it a “smartphone.”

“That’s something the magitech folks brought in. Supposedly, they modified it to run on magic power… but it’s a bit too complex for me.”
“You’re selling something you don’t even know how to use? And for three gold coins? That’s pricey.”
“Magitech, huh? Master, you’re not too familiar with it either, right?”
“Yeah, it didn’t exist in my time. If you’re curious, we could check it out next time.”

“Really? We can?”
“According to the schedule, there’s a two-day break after tomorrow’s class. And honestly, we can’t ignore it— we need to investigate your dragon gem anyway.”
“Oh, right! I totally forgot about that!!”
“You… You know what? Never mind. I’m too tired to deal with this. Let’s head back.”

Swallowing my headache along with any further scolding, I turned around and started retracing our steps, dragging the ever-cheerful pink-haired menace with me.

By the time we’d escorted everyone back to the dormitory, I had a nagging feeling that Stell had been in a sour mood.

…But that was probably just my imagination.

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