"Tiona, who was that blue-haired man we saw earlier?"
Lefiya, the elf girl, asked her companion as she walked a step behind, her voice thick with curiosity about the mysterious man.
Tiona answered with a bright, carefree smile.
"An? An is An."
"An? Is that his name?"
"Mmm, who knows? An is just An."
Baffled by the nonsensical answer, Lefiya turned to Tione, who was walking beside her, hoping for a more sensible explanation.
Ais, walking with them, also seemed curious, as her gaze shifted toward Tione as well.
Under the intense stares of the two women—neither of whom looked likely to accept a vague answer—Tione let out a small sigh and finally spoke.
"It's exactly what it sounds like. His name is An. Honestly, I suspect it's an alias or a nickname, but he refuses to talk about himself. That's why Tiona and I just call him An."
"Ugh, he won't even reveal his real name? That seems suspicious."
"I can't exactly deny that. But you don't need to worry too much. From what we've gathered, he's definitely not a criminal or some shady character. He's just... a bit of an eccentric who keeps a lot of secrets, I guess?"
"The trustworthiness of your description really plummets in the second half, doesn't it?"
"So what? We're not exactly agents of justice. As long as we can get along without becoming enemies, it's fine."
Tione simply shrugged in response to Lefiya's skepticism.
"But what kind of shop is that?"
"An's shop. You could call it a specialty store for mages, I suppose?"
"What? No way. It felt completely different from the shops I've visited with Lady Riveria. If anything, it felt more like a general store."
Lefiya tilted her head, her expression still unconvinced.
In her experience, a mage's workshop was typically gloomy, smelling of chemicals and clutter, filled with a bizarre and eerie atmosphere. Her reaction was only natural.
In contrast, An's shop was reasonably clean and ordinary.
The shelves were neatly organized, even if they were packed with items of unknown purpose, and the place didn't feel particularly chaotic.
No matter how she looked at it, the place seemed like nothing more than a souvenir shop selling mysterious trinkets.
Furthermore, An himself didn't possess the distinctive aura of a mage.
The only notable thing about him was his eyes—sharp and slanted, like Bete's... no, perhaps even more savage, as if he had an even worse temper.
"Huh? You didn't know? Everything in that shop is a magic item."
"What? No way! That's impossible!"
Lefiya gasped, unable to hide her shock at Tiona's revelation.
Ais, listening beside her, shared the same reaction.
It was only natural. A "magic item" was fundamentally different from common magic stone products; their value existed on an entirely different plane.
Unlike magic stone products, which anyone could learn to manufacture, magic items could only be created by a specialized mage.
Mages were rare to begin with, and those capable of such craftsmanship were even rarer.
Consequently, magic items were precious, expensive, and seldom found on the open market.
And yet, Tiona was claiming that the ordinary-looking junk in that shop were all rare magic items?
It was a claim that defied all common sense.
Had the words not come from a trusted companion, Lefiya would have dismissed it as a blatant lie.
"Then is that man An a mage too? B-but I didn't get that impression from him. If that's the case, does he just source them from elsewhere to sell as a middleman... no, that's unlikely, not with items that valuable."
"What are you talking about, Lefiya? An is definitely a mage. That bracelet Tione was wearing earlier was a magic item An made."
"A bracelet...? You don't mean... from that expedition?"
Lefiya remembered.
During a recent deep-floor expedition, they had been ambushed by a new species of monster.
The creatures possessed a highly corrosive acidic fluid; the more the party attacked, the faster their weapons were dissolved.
Frustrated by the inability to fight effectively, Tione had flown into a rage and eventually tore the monsters apart with her bare hands.
In the process, the creature's fluids had drenched her. Most of her body, including half of her face, began to melt rapidly under the intense acidity, creating a dire situation.
Just as panic set in, a brilliant light erupted from the bracelet she was wearing, enveloping her body. When the light faded, her injuries had vanished completely.
It was a level of recovery that surpassed even the effects of an elixir.
In fact, according to the respected high elf Riveria, it didn't feel like healing so much as restoration—as if time had been rewound to the moment before she was injured.
Though of course, there's no way that could actually be true.
That was merely Riveria's personal assessment.
To Lefiya, it was simply a miraculous recovery that outperformed an elixir.
That was the only conclusion she could reach within the bounds of reason.
But if that's the case, then that blue-haired man is on the same level as Lady Riveria... no, maybe not quite, but certainly above me. He would have to be at least a Level 4 mage.
And yet, she had felt nothing of the sort from An.
A powerful adventurer naturally possesses a certain presence or aura, yet An had none.
Moreover, Lefiya hadn't heard a single rumor about such a person recently.
If he were that powerful, there should have been news of his Familia.
"Um, Tiona. Which Familia does An belong to? Have you heard anything about that?"
"Hmm... no, I haven't."
"Me neither," Tione added. "The guy never talks about himself. I've never even seen another person or a god in his shop."
Lefiya pressed for more details, but neither woman could provide a convincing answer.
This only made An seem more suspicious to her.
"By the way, how did you two meet him?"
Ais asked about the connection between them.
Tione pointed to her younger sister and replied indifferently.
"Nothing special. I only know him because of her. I was worried he might be some piece of trash trying to scam my idiot sister, so I tagged along to keep an eye on things. That's how we ended up as acquaintances."
"I see."
"Then..."
The three of them naturally turned their gaze toward Tiona.
Tiona blinked, reacting with a clueless "Huh?" before realizing what they were asking. She paused to think for a moment.
Then, she spoke.
"We had a misunderstanding and ended up fighting. And I lost."
"Ah, I see. That's not a big dea—wait, what? You fought?"
"You lost? Tiona lost?"
"Yep."
Eeeeeh?!
Tiona answered with a casual smile, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
The reactions of the other three were beyond words.
Tiona's admission was a total shockwave.
"W-wait! Tiona! You idiot! You never mentioned this! Why didn't you tell me until now?!"
"Eh, I just didn't?"
"T-that man beat Tiona? Did he use some kind of bizarre magic? That must be it, right?"
"Nope. I just charged him head-on and got knocked flat."
"Tiona, more details."
After answering the others, Tiona paused at Ais's request, gathering her thoughts as she drifted back into the memory.
So, back then...