Disclaimer: Since the website cannot use numbered footnotes like it does in Word, for reader's convenience I will replace them in format 'novel text (NOTE 1: actual note)'. Please tell me if it is not distracting, otherwise I can think of something else.

Chapter 1

Money surely is a universal problem solver: when you have it, pretty much any trouble you are facing can be resolved. Now, if only it could relieve me from a burden of babysitting my troublesome trio every single day...

I routinely strolled through the afternoon Axel streets, while thinking about such trivialities. That's where I spotted Wiz near the entrance of her magic shop; she was holding onto something with a troubled expression.

It didn't take me much effort to piece it together from a single glance.

"Trying to save something from Vanir's cleanup again, eh, Wiz?"

I casually threw her a question as a greeting while approaching the shop owner.

"Ah, Kazuma-san! I didn't see you there... You are right as always; sometimes I cannot help but think Kazuma-san has the same foresight abilities as Vanir-san."

Wiz turned to me with surprised expression, but quickly composed herself and replied with a weak smile.

It has nothing to do with the foresight; it's just not my first time experiencing this particular situation.

"So, what brings you here today, Kazuma-san?"

"Nothing really, I was just hanging around. Anyways, what's that you're hiding there?"

I leaned forward, looking at the item Wiz was holding. It was a simple, yet elegant ring with a small amethyst and slightly engraved pattern around the stone.

(NOTE 1: That ring description has a reference to a well-known video game. See if you can figure it as you read future chapters, and before finishing the story)

"A-ah, this? N-nothing really, I just thought this ring looked cute, and..."

"…Huh?"

Something was off about how Wiz reacted. Normally, she would proudly introduce and show off her newly acquired item(s) for sale (before being mercilessly shot down by her ever vigilant assistant(?)).

But now she was trying to hide that ring, as if she wanted to protect her precious from me. Naturally, it only made me more curious about it.

Seeing that her weak excuse does not work on me, Wiz gave up on her facade.

"...I sensed an extremely rare magical enchantment from it, so I..."

"...Never mind."

I sighed before even letting her finish.

This shop keeper has a genuine desire to make her magic shop flourish; however, I feel like she keeps forgetting that Axel main residents are beginner level adventurers. Most of them (excluding me, obviously) simply cannot afford items like manatite stones of the highest grade or that ring with a supposedly very rare enchantment.

Just when I was about to give up on this whole ordeal and move on...

"Um, Kazuma-san... If it wouldn't trouble you too much, could I ask you something?"

"Sure, what is it?"

...I instead gave up on my plans to spend the rest of the day uneventfully in my mansion.

I've been through this scenario enough times to know exactly where this was going the moment Wiz said those flag-raising words. I was about the get dragged into another 'adventure' against my will; and no, that last bit was not a question, but a definite statement.

Wiz threw a quick glance towards the shop entrance, probably to make sure Vanir does not overhear what she is about to say. Then, she leaned closer to me and…

"Could you please keep what you saw a secret from Vanir-san...?"

…asked me something like that out of the blue with a tone barely above a whisper. Not to mention, she held her hand close to her mouth, as if to prevent words from flowing into a certain direction.

"...Eh?"

Seriously, what is wrong with her today? That ring she is hiding strikes me as the most obvious cause of distress.

Now that I think about it, Wiz was treating that ring differently from how she would normally treat her merchandise. More like, that little trinket had a personal value to the shop owner. A precious memento from her adventuring past, perhaps…?

Regardless, I can think about it later; right now, I need to reassure troubled Wiz and ease her worries.

"Don't worry, your secret is safe with me. Is Vanir at the shop right now?"

I followed her uneasy gaze at the store entrance.

"Vanir-san is currently at the back of the shop. He looked angry, talking about 'purging' and 'foul inventory', so I don't think it would be wise to bother him right now."

Well, I cannot blame him here.

Wiz, while having an admirable hard-working attitude, has an absolute zero merchant sense; as such, she always ends up getting a full inventory of useless magical items, negating most of Vanir's efforts to earn profits. Such antics constantly irritate magic shop apprentice(?), since he is the one who is forced to get rid of both useless inventory and red digits…

Ah, now I think I get what's going on. Vanir is already in a bad mood, having to clear 'foul' inventory as is; if he finds out that Wiz spent even more money on a ring with a questionable value, shop owner would end up receiving a new dose of assistant(?)'s infamous Murder Ray.

I see, so that's why Wiz was acting so troubled, and even asked me to keep the ring a secret; it all makes sense now! I couldn't help but feeling proud of myself for piecing all puzzle parts together.

"Well, let's not provoke him any further then. Mind if we walk for a bit?"

I mean, if I take Wiz further away from the shop, where Vanir could show up at the worst possible moment, it should put her at ease, and she might be more willing to talk about the ring.

By this point, I was genuinely interested in that trinket. Like, you can throw those cliched vague descriptions on the item to surround it with some veil of mystery; keeping that mystery for too long, however, only makes me annoyed and disinterested in uncovering the big secret.

Wiz threw last quick look at the shop before she hesitantly agreed to join me on a casual stroll.

We did not go very far, since Wiz might've needed to return to the shop on a short notice. So, after a brief walk, we occupied one of the city plaza benches that were facing a fountain.

Wiz still had a clouded expression on her face, so I needed to distract her somehow.

"So, what is this ring, anyway? Do you know what it does?"

My interest in the ring seems to get Wiz back into her comfort zone. Her face has brightened, as she turned to me with a smile of gratitude.

Then Wiz took the ring out of her robe pocket and placed it on her palm to show me.

"It can restore anything, no matter how much it was destroyed or aged."

...

"Anything...?"

Wiz nodded with a serious expression.

...

It took me some time to fully process that information. A ring that can restore any item regardless of how severely it was damaged...

So, if I find a withered painting or a shattered gemstone, I can restore it, and then resell at the good price, and…!

Wait, calm your head down, Kazuma, think this through! For starters, all these restoration talks and whatnot already sound WAY too good to be true. Plus, let's not forget that this is an item from the Wiz magic shop…

"So-o, what's the twist?"

"There should be no twists here; please have some faith in me, Kazuma-san!"

I would, but you have been saying the same thing about every item from your store!

Still, I was glad to have old Wiz back, being oblivious to the downsides of her merchandise and all.

I have learned (mostly the hard way) that all her seemingly useful magic items always have some unexpected side effect(s); some of them were severe enough to endanger our party. As a result, being cautious with her goods became a matter of our survival and well-being in this cruel world.

"He-eh, someone surely sounds much (un)livelier now. Are you feeling better?"

"Thank you very much for your concern, Kazuma-san. Indeed, I am feeling much better now. Vanir-san has ceased using non-stop work practices, but I feel refreshed after that little break, so thank you for taking me for a walk!"

Such a polite and dignified lady. Honestly, she deserves to be treated with care and respect. Yet, I feel sorry for Wiz, when her normal surroundings consist of Vanir (who is not shy of exploiting her physical labor) and the useless self-proclaimed goddess (who treats her like a personal tea maid).

(NOTE 2: Kazuma knows that Aqua is the actual goddess, but he calls her self-proclaimed on purpose and out of spite, since she normally does not behave like a goddess should)

"Glad to hear it. Seriously, when I saw you earlier, I thought there was a funeral or something…"

"Ah! I'm so sorry you had to see such an undignified sight of mine, Kazuma-san! I promise, I will work hard to improve myself…!"

"N-No, that's not what I…"

Her emotional reaction caught me off-guard; our conversation was drowned in awkward silence.

Honestly, I only meant it as a joke, but Wiz is just that kind of person who takes everything so seriously.

This is probably why it is hard to have a small talk with her; much harder than with Megumin, Darkness, or Aqua, where our conversations just flow naturally and you don't have to think hard about 'proper' wording.

So, I think I should just forget all about the small talk and go straight to the point of interest.

"Say, you said earlier that this ring can restore things no matter how badly they got damaged, correct?"

Wiz nodded again.

"Mind I take a look at it?"

Now that things with the shop owner are slowly going back to the way they normally are, I focused my attention entirely on that trinket.

With Wiz's permission, I took the ring out of her palm, and started examining it by rotating with my fingers at various angles.

…

"Um, Kazuma-san…?"

…

"…K-Kazuma-san, is something wrong…?"

…

"Kazuma-san, are you feeling okay?! Your face looks… frightening…"

…

I made up my mind.

"I'll take it."

I said to seriously concerned Wiz.

"...Huh?"

"I'll buy that ring."

"Eh…?! W-wait, Kazuma-san, I'm not-!"

"Shh, it's okay, Wiz, no need to act so humble. If you are in that much trouble, I'll even add some more on a top."

"Th-that's not what I-!"

"Think about it: if I buy it, your shop will stay afloat, maybe even have some room for growth. Vanir will have no reason to scorch you with his Murder Ray any longer, so you can take your mind off it. As for me, I will become the owner of an item with a very rare magic enchantment. See, it's a win-win-win for all three of us!"

"…"

Wiz looked like she wanted to say something else, but she just lowered her hand with resigned expression. No doubt, she was awe-struck with my convincing argument.

…

To be honest, my reasoning was only half the truth of why I wanted to buy that ring. I went through some intense brainstorming (while studying it) before I made up my mind; so, it was a cold calculated decision, definitely not a rash or spontaneous outburst, like it may have looked from the side.

…

Ever since I picked up on that ring's capabilities, aside from my initial caution (it's a Wiz shop item, after all), my first line of thinking was: what if Wiz truly lucked out this one time, and I am dealing with a legit relic item right now?

The ability to restore anything even beyond conventional means of repair surely sounds relic-like; even Wiz referred to it as extremely rare. And she used to be an experienced adventurer before becoming a lich shop owner (with both knees intact); so, I am inclined to believe her expertise on that matter.

When relics came to mind, I couldn't help but recall the ones I have seen so far in my adventures. A perverted suit of armor Aigis, and a cursed sword Gram that what's-his-name Swordmaster carries. Both looked like those fancy legendary/ultra-rare items you would normally find in MMOs.

The ring in question looked more simplistic though: small amethyst, light patterns carved around the stone foundation; nothing exquisite about it. But, I learned to look past initial appearances; my cute companions with rotten personalities made sure of that.

If I can get my hands on this relic, so many possibilities arise!

I could return it to Eris-sama. Ah, her innocent smile and her sincere gratitude are truly divine blessings for my heart! Compared to that nuisance I usually deal with …

"Um, Kazuma-san…?"

Or, I could grant it to my cute little sister Iris-chan! I did get her a ring already, when we went to Elroad. But having a relic as marriage ring sounds much more royal and majestic. And in private, she would thank me for it by calling me onii-chan and showing herself in a way only I will ever see…!

"…K-Kazuma-san, is something wrong…?"

Or, I could simply use that ring for myself! If I can restore valuables like historic artifacts, gemstones, or paintings, and then sell them back, I can secure the future of my dream for a lifetime!

No matter how I look at it, it's a win-win-win situation for me!

"Kazuma-san, are you feeling okay?! Your face looks… frightening…"

I made up my mind.

"I'll take it."

I said to seriously concerned Wiz.

…

Now that I convinced the shop owner with my decisive argument, one question was still lingering in the back of my mind: what if this ring ends up not being a relic?

I thought of that possibility as well, obviously. If so, I am dealing with a typical item from Wiz magic shop; meaning, there would be drawbacks.

"Restoration is only temporary" or "you have to wear ring constantly for effect to remain" were probably the worst-case drawbacks I could think of.

I mean, that spell sounds like a Restoration magic, right? How bad can a side effect from a ring with restoration spell be?

If that is the case, all I need to do is pawn repaired item before the restoration effect wears off. Then I can just demand a compensation to cover for irreparable property damage!

"Kazuma-san, that's-!"

I was so absorbed in my intense thinking, that I haven't realized Wiz was firmly gripping my hands, with deep concern written all over her face.

As it turned out, my entire non-verbal brainwork was followed by excessive gesticulations I was inadvertently making. And as a result, I did the most stupid thing I could do, given the situation.

I put the ring on my finger.

"…! Kazuma-san?!"

I had no idea what was happening. The world around me was swirling and crumpling like a piece of paper, Wiz's alarmed voice drowned in cacophony of other sounds, and I felt like I was being pulled somewhere.

Not like a gentle pull upwards, whenever Eris-sama opens heaven gates and sends me back to this world, but a violent, sharp pull into a nowhere.

And now all I see around me is the everlasting darkness …

"Kazuma-san! Kazuma-san…!"

Wiz, who was desperately trying to reach me, sounded like a distant echo through a thick fog.

Honestly, I had no desire to reply back to her; I was extremely frustrated with my own stupidity.

I kept telling myself over and over: be careful, this is an item from the Wiz shop, this is an item from the Wiz shop!

And yet again, I was reminded in a worst way possible that I ended up like this… because that blasted ring was an item from the Wiz shop…