One day later, three people dressed like mercenaries appeared at the entrance of Herndon City in the Ais Empire. Needless to say, it was us.

Gabriel looked like a battle priest, with gray hair and a whitened robe, and a cross hanging around his neck. He looked quite authentic. But that was to be expected, considering he used to be a priest.

Oyado, on the other hand, was dressed like an assassin, with black leather armor and dual daggers at his waist. His black hair, which I had changed the color of, was spiked at the back of his head. Fortunately, the bandits had prepared many different clothes for Oyado, which made it convenient for us.

As for me, I had many options to choose from, as disguising myself had become a daily routine. For convenience, I changed my hair and appearance to look like when I was in the academy, but I wore the gray light armor left by the bandits. After all, these armors had various signs of damage, making them look like they had been through many battles.

I also found that I was quite proficient in using melee weapons, so I had a long sword strapped to my back.

"Not bad at all," Gabriel commented. As for the actual situation, I had no idea.

But... the actual situation was that we entered the city directly, and the guards at the gate didn't even spare us a glance.

"I've told you before, this is a chaotic border city. People like mercenaries are completely ignored here."

"That's true..."

Since we entered the city earlier, I had already noticed the condition of the city. The outer walls of the city seemed to have been repaired many times, with different colors indicating different periods. It was truly a border city.

Furthermore, compared to the royal capital, the city seemed completely different, with its dilapidated buildings and layout. It felt like a city that had just been hit by a tornado.

"Due to being closer to the outside, this area has suffered more damage. The buildings inside should be in slightly better condition," Gabriel explained, probably noticing my expression.

"I think the number 19 on East Street is part of the inner city," I said.

"Huh? Number 19 on East Street?"

Gabriel thought for a moment, then pointed to the other side of the street.

"That place should be there, if I remember correctly."

"Huh?"

Looking in the direction he pointed, I saw... a weapon shop! Wait a minute, are you sure this address is correct? Such a rundown weapon shop... is actually the next location for our mission? At least give it a good renovation!

"Could it be that the relevant location is there?" I asked.

"Well, that's what the instructions said," Gabriel replied.

"That makes sense... After all, it seems highly unlikely that the main headquarters would be in a place like that. It's more likely to be used to hide something important."

"I hope so. So what should we do now?"

"Well, even if you ask me, I don't know. Besides, we can't attack them head-on in broad daylight. If we want to do something, it has to be at night," Gabriel said.

"That's true. What about Oyado?"

"Brother is asking me? I'm so happy~ Well... I think the current situation is indeed like that. But there are still ways to gather information. After all, it's a weapon shop, and if it's open, we can just go in freely," Oyado said.

"You're right. So what do we..."

"But, brother, you need to change your weapons first. Although the armor you're wearing is a regular product, that long sword is a special weapon from the Simu family's weapon shop. It has the Simu family's emblem on it and a hidden compartment," Oyado interrupted.

After saying that, Oyado walked behind me and pressed a button in the middle of the sword's hilt. With a snap, the blade of the sword moved forward, revealing something hidden inside the hilt.

"This is... a scroll?"

"Yes, actually, each weapon comes with a scroll of wind mist, which is convenient for escaping," Oyado explained, taking it out and handing it to me.

"That's right."

"Well, in that case, I have a good reason~"

I replied with a smile as I tucked the scroll into my ring.

"Welcome, guests. What kind of weapon are you looking for?"

As the three of us entered the shop, the shopkeeper immediately asked.

"Haha, my sword broke during an adventure, so I'm looking for a replacement weapon. I'm a novice mercenary, and I don't think a longsword suits me well this time, so I'm looking for something better."

"Is that so? Then please feel free to browse. We have all kinds of weapons here. Over there are models that perfectly replicate the weight and feel. You can try them out as much as you like, as long as you don't disturb other customers... Haha, but there aren't any other customers at the moment, so feel free."

The shopkeeper replied with a smile.

He seemed like a friendly shopkeeper at first glance, but... upon closer inspection, I could instantly tell his true identity.

Raims

Male

24 years old

Humanoid Mage LV14

Neutral-Compliant-Gravekeeper Butler-Combat Humanoid Mage-Housekeeping Humanoid Mage

It's really just an ordinary introduction, but it completely confirms the identity of the other party. This place is indeed the base of the Gravekeeper Household.

In that case...

"Well, let's take a look first then."

I walked over to the weapon rack and surveyed the store from top to bottom.

Hmm... the overall space seems smaller than it appears from the outside. It looks like the walls are quite thick. No wonder it looks dilapidated from the outside but there are no visible openings. Those dilapidated marks must be just for show.

And... the floor is actually made of marble slabs. Although it's cheap, it gives off a very heavy feeling when stepped on.

A store that can afford to use large blocks of marble must be quite extraordinary, and this construction is probably to disguise the possibility of an underground basement.

However, there are also magic seals on the windows of the room. It wouldn't be easy to sneak in without any skills.

Well, I've got a good idea now.

With that, I pulled out the models of longswords and shortswords from the weapon rack and swung them a few times.

No feeling at all!

"Kid, you seem completely uninterested in these things, don't you?"

"Yeah, I feel... kind of powerless."

"Powerless? Are you really a mage?"

The last sentence was said in a quiet voice, apparently directed specifically at me.

"Why do you say that?"

"Because if you feel powerless, it means those weapons are too light for you. You need heavier weapons to balance your power, but you're clearly a mage..."

"Well, you can just consider me a freak. But when you say heavier weapons... how do you measure weight exactly?"

"Like me, I have two crosses. One is a light-based magic medium around my neck, acting like a magic staff. The red cross is a magic sword, and the weight of the blade increases according to the input of magical power. Only when the weight reaches a balance point, can my attacks be most effective because the blade itself also carries weight."

"But for ordinary weapons, heavier means higher density materials, right?"

"Yeah, you can't adjust them freely, so maybe... what you need is a weapon that can be assembled."

"Assembled?"

"A weapon that can be pieced together according to your needs."

"Oh, are you interested in assembled weapons, guest?"

The shopkeeper seemed to have overheard our conversation and promptly said.

"Well, what types of assembled weapons do you have here?"

"All sorts, but the most popular ones are combinations of a spear and a greatsword, and a dagger and a longsword."

After saying that, the shopkeeper took two weapons from the shelf next to him. On the left was a greatsword, and on the right was a longsword.

Seeing our puzzled expressions, the shopkeeper smiled satisfactorily and inserted the two weapons into a wooden board next to him, then pressed a button on top.

The sides of the greatsword opened up and revealed a spear handle underneath. As for the longsword on the other side, it had shed a section both front and back, turning into a dagger.

"It feels strange, but it looks amazing!"

Wasn't the original intention to make the weapon heavier? But does such a component change really make a difference in weight? Shouldn't we use heavier materials for weapons in such situations? However, even if I know that...

"Boss, give me one of each of this type of weapon!"

How can I not buy such a cool and awesome weapon?