◇005 Store Summoning
"Is this a store? It's a place I've never seen before..."
"You! The cold air is coming from this box...!"
While I stood there, dazed, in the candy store, I could hear my father and mother outside making a commotion.
Apparently, they were surprised by the cold air that leaked from the freezer when they opened it.
I picked up a square 10-yen chocolate in front of me and tried to unwrap it, but I couldn’t. Why?
The plastic case containing the vinegar squid next to it wouldn’t open either. The gum and jelly weren’t opening either. Wait, are these things not edible? Are they just decorations?
"Sakauraile, is this a store? There don't seem to be any employees, but are these small items the products?"
"Um, I think these are food... sweets, I believe. I don't know why, but I can't eat them..."
As I said that, I suddenly realized something.
—Products.
If the things here are supposed to be for sale...!
"Father! Do you have any money?!"
"Huh? Money? I have some donation money for the church..."
I received a gold coin from my father. A gold coin. This was the first time I had ever held one.
Back in the slums, most of the currency was either copper or iron coins. For reference, one iron coin could buy a small loaf of bread, which I guess would be about 100 yen.
From there, the value goes up in decimal order—copper coins, silver coins, gold coins, platinum coins, and royal gold coins... So, one gold coin would be worth about 100,000 yen.
Spending 100,000 yen on candy? What kind of celebrity would do that... I thought, but then again, my family was definitely the real deal.
Anyway, I placed the gold coin on the dish at the counter by the register.
Then, I tried opening the 10-yen chocolate again. This time, I was able to open the wrapper.
There was a clinking sound from behind me, and when I turned to look at the counter, I saw that the gold coin had changed into several silver coins, copper coins, and iron coins.
It must have been my change. When I counted, I saw that there was one less iron coin, which meant the chocolate cost about 100 yen.
Wait, it’s 10 times more expensive?! What a rip-off! But I’m eating it anyway!
The chocolate was sweet and delicious, just like it melted in my mouth. Yeah, it might be worth 100 yen...
After all, sweets were a luxury I didn’t get to enjoy much until I came to the duke’s household... Even so, nothing could compare to this sweetness.
"S-Sakauraile-chan?! Is it really okay to eat something so dark?"
"It's fine. It's sweet and delicious. See, Father, try it too."
I bought another 10-yen chocolate and handed it to my father. He wrinkled his face at the color, but after sniffing it a bit, he seemed to be drawn in by the scent, and after a moment of hesitation, he took a bite.
"...It's sweet. It certainly tastes like a sweet, but I've never had anything this sweet before..."
I handed one chocolate to both my mother and the priest, quickly drawing them into the sweetness. Both of them enjoyed the chocolate with melting smiles on their faces.
"So everything here is candy...? Is the 'Store Summoning' a 'Gift' that summons a candy store?"
"No, it doesn’t seem like everything is candy. If anything, this seems more like a general store."
In addition to candy, there were also model kits, super balls, magnets, and water guns for sale. These were items that boys often bought.
The store had a long history, with leftover toys from years ago stacked around. To someone with knowledge, these might have been rare collectibles, but to us kids, they were just old toys.
"Well, it seems you have successfully obtained your 'Gift' without any problems, congratulations."
"Thank you. Ah, this is the donation. Please take it."
"My, my... May the blessing of the gods be upon you all."
My father handed the priest a bag that was likely filled with gold coins.
The church needs money to maintain itself. It may seem harsh, but it’s probably unavoidable.
However, many people can’t receive their 'Gift' because they don’t have money. Even if you're not nobility, as long as you can afford to make a donation, you can still undergo the 'Revelation Rite,' so it's better than nothing, I suppose.
But 'Gifts' are varied, and many can’t be used, or are only marginally useful.
In a way, it’s a bit like gambling. Would commoners really want to spend large amounts of money for a 'Gift'? It’s a difficult question.
If you don’t have the money, you probably wouldn’t even consider receiving one. By the way, this donation is managed properly by the god of business’s 'Gift,' so embezzling is apparently impossible.
Also, though it's rare, there are some 'Gifts' that bring misfortune to the person who receives them.
In such cases, if you inform the church, you can have the 'Gift' sealed.
However, even if it is sealed, you cannot receive another 'Gift.' A person can only have one 'Gift.'
Sealing a 'Gift' is typically used for criminals.
I remember when Sakauraile was exiled in the game, her Beast Summoning was sealed.
"Store Summoning," huh... It's unfortunate that it’s not Beast Summoning, but this could still be useful... I think?
There seems to be a lot to test, though. Can I only summon a candy store, or...?
"Sakauraile-chan, is this cold stick a candy too? It’s got such a weird color..."
My mother took out an orange-colored, stick-shaped ice cream from the freezer. Wow, how nostalgic! I used to eat these all the time.
"It’s wrapped in a transparent film, but do we just bite into it like this...?"
"No, you do it like this... here!"
I took the popsicle from my mother and broke it in half. I returned half of it to her.
"The plastic... um, the film part isn’t edible, so be careful."
"Ah, thank you... You know a lot about these things..."
Oops. It was a bit odd that a girl who just came from the slums knew so much about the products in this store!
"When you receive a 'Gift,' you also sometimes gain knowledge about that 'Gift.' It seems your 'Gift' works that way too, young lady."
Nice job, priest! That’s probably it! Let’s just go with that!
It seemed like my mother accepted this explanation, as she took a bite of the ice cream and savored it.
"Mmm! It’s cool, sweet, and delicious...! I’ve never had a frozen treat like this before. We don’t have anything like this at the castle..."
"I agree... I’d like to offer this to my older brother too..."
Before I knew it, my father and the priest were sharing the ice cream. It was the blue one. Maybe it’s soda-flavored?
Wait, older brother? Offer?
"Father, you have an older brother, don’t you? My uncle, perhaps?"
"Huh? Oh, I see you’ve forgotten about that too... Yes, that’s right. He’s the king of this country. We’ll go visit him later."
...Wait, what?
The king? Wait, my uncle is the king!?
Oh! That’s right! The villainous daughter from Starlight Symphony, Sakauraile, was the fiancée of the crown prince of the empire... and my cousin!
Wait, hold on...! Could it be that I’m already engaged to the crown prince!?
"Uh, um, I don’t have a betrothed or anything... right?"
"Huh? What’s wrong all of a sudden...? You don’t have to rush into an engagement. You can stay at home for as long as you like, Sakauraile."
"Hey now... I think that might be a bit much. But don’t worry, someone wonderful will surely appear for you eventually."
From their tone, it seems I don’t have a fiancé after all. Phew. I was getting anxious there...
But the king of this country is my uncle... I suspected that royal blood must have been in our family since we’re dukes, but... I wish I could remember my character’s backstory more clearly.
Visiting the king sounds fine, but I really don’t want to meet his son, the crown prince. I can’t bear the thought of being engaged to him right there on the spot.
I need to think of a way to avoid that...
As I nibbled on the broken popsicle, I also brainstormed ways to dodge the impending disaster.
◇ ◇ ◇
A few days after returning from the church, I discovered a few things after testing the Store Summoning.
First, so far, the Store Summoning can only summon a candy store. Once summoned, it can exist for twenty-four hours. After twenty-four hours, the store and all its products disappear.
You can buy products if you pay. If you haven't paid, you can't open the wrappers or take anything outside the store. However, anything you've already bought doesn’t disappear after twenty-four hours.
Also, non-products can’t be bought. I tried to take a pen from the counter, but it didn’t work. Oddly enough, even though it wasn’t a product, I could use it inside the store. This part is still unclear to me.
I also can’t enter areas outside the store.
This candy store is attached to a private house, and I couldn’t enter any rooms beyond the counter. It’s as though an invisible barrier prevents entry. I assume it’s because it’s not part of the store, but the private home.
It seems like there’s electricity and water. Water, for example, flowed from a faucet outside the store. I remember drinking from that same faucet when I was a child. I wonder if that water is a free product? There are many questions, but since I can’t find the answers, I’ve stopped thinking about them.
I can also make the store disappear at will, even before the twenty-four hours are up. It uses magic when summoning, but it doesn’t seem to require any to dismiss it.
If I summon it again, everything inside the store resets. The products are replenished, and even melted ice cream returns to its original state. It always goes back to the way it was when first summoned.
However, with my current magic capacity, I can only summon it once a day.
Recently, I’ve been summoning the store in the duke’s mansion garden in the morning, where my father pays for the items, and the servants carry everything out of the store.
You may wonder why I’m doing this. Well, there’s a theory that magic capacity grows if you use it from a young age. Is that true?
Well, it’s better than doing nothing, so I’ve been going along with it.
The items bought are apparently kept at the mansion, but since things like ice cream melt, the servants have been getting some.
They were thrilled. Frozen treats are rare even for high-ranking nobles. Some ate too much and ended up with stomachaches.
For some reason, there were ice cube trays in the freezer, so I’ve been able to easily get ice, even though it’s not much. Normally, only people with ice-related gifts or ice mages can make ice. I’ve been using it to cool drinks.
Also, this candy store has a small refrigerator inside, and it sells bottled juice. There’s soda, cola, and a brightly colored sugary drink. Since I can’t take the bottle openers from the store, my father said he’d have a blacksmith make some. My father has become completely addicted to the soda.
I noticed something while looking at the calendar. Could it be that the candy store is in the exact state it was when I first visited?
I remember when I bought candy for the first time from that store, the ten-yen gum had a hole in the middle. I recall that as a child. Well, the same thing is happening now. The boxes of ten-yen gum are stacked with a hole in the center. I think it’s probably the same situation.
I do believe Store Summoning is a convenient gift. However... how do I use Store Summoning to avoid my impending doom?
Well, even if I get exiled, at least I’ll still be able to eat, right? Though eating candy every day might be tough…
I was pondering these things daily when, right now, someone was on the floor begging for my forgiveness. You’re wondering what’s going on? I’m wondering the same thing.
"...Grandfather, please, lift your head."
"No! I know I don’t deserve to be forgiven, but please, let me apologize! Because of me, you..."
A person was bowing down to the floor, their forehead touching the ground. This person was my mother’s father, and my grandfather, the Baron Zarbach On Einzatz of the Borderlands.
–
TFTC
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