episode_0092

As soon as I entered the store, I was greeted by designs to help customers with many concerns make choices.

Although I was considering Hera’s request positively, I couldn’t shake off the burden of having a permanent mark on my body.

“Are you a guest?”

The store owner asked me exactly the same thing as before.

“I don’t know yet.”

“Is that so.”

She laughed and let out a loud sound.

“Everyone who comes to the store is a customer, right.”

Suddenly, I heard the door open behind me. It was Hera.

“Are you a customer too?”

Hera nodded roughly.

“Good.”

The owner clapped his hands.

“Welcome to Zenith’s Atelier, the capital’s best tattooist.”

hmm… .

The best tattooist in the capital. Isn’t that too much of a braggart?

I don’t think I’m that old. At most, it’s probably a little more than me.

There were times, like Professor Bella, that he looked younger than his actual age, but for some reason it didn’t feel that way.

It would be nice if it wasn’t just a bunch of nonsense.

“What kind of tattoo do you want? Size and shape don’t matter. Not only regular tattoos but also magic tattoos are possible.”

“Magic tattoo?”

I saw it in a book. Did you say that it is a technique to create special effects by adding magical treatments to tattoos?

There was no information about the price, but of course it will be more expensive than a regular tattoo. Anything related to magic was quite expensive, unless it was cheap.

I felt it, but the bitch called Magic was a master at lightening people’s wallets.

Janice’s eyes sparkled.

“Yes. How about a tattoo of a dragon shooting fireballs from its mouth? Or blocking an opponent’s attack with a turtle’s shell?”

Zenith expressed her explanation physically with exaggerated movements.

“Do you want to be strong enough to beat an orc in an arm wrestle? Don’t you want to run as fast as a horse?”

… Is business not going well?

The way he explained things so passionately seemed like an expression of his will not to miss a customer who had been visiting for a long time.

If we left without doing anything, we might be very upset.

In a droopy voice, he says, ‘What was the problem?’ and seems to be analyzing the reason why the customer left.

Complaints and lamentations about his situation were a bonus.

Of course, it’s not something I care about.

“E… Thank you for the explanation, but we don’t want something grand like that.”

“Ah.”

“I just want to do something small.”

“That’s right.”

Zenith stuttered, looking embarrassed. However, he quickly regained his original tension and asked a question.

“What specifically do you want? Unlike simple tattooists, I can draw elaborately even if it is small. Just say anything.”

I was curious what kind of reaction they would get if I asked them to draw just the first letters of Hera and Velen.

But before that, I had one thing to ask.

The moment I heard that magic tattoos were possible, a thought crossed my mind.

“Is it possible to use invisibility magic?”

“Invisibility magic?”

“Yes.”

“So you are saying that the customer cannot be seen?”

“No. It’s not me, it’s the tattoo.”

“Can’t you see the tattoo?”

“Yes. Can’t we?”

Perhaps because this was an unexpected request, Zenith’s eyes widened slightly. I don’t think it was a common request.

What good is it if you draw a tattoo and make it invisible?

“Of course it is possible. Even though it’s rare, it’s not like there aren’t requests like this.”

Janice continued her explanation.

“Sometimes people who want to get a tattoo but want to do it in secret, like children from rich families who feel burdened by the attention of their parents or people around them, or people who want to get a tattoo in secret even though tattoos are banned in their group, sometimes come to us.”

“You can show or hide what you want, right?”

“Of course. Of course, you should be able to do whatever you want.”

“Then please do so.”

If I can hide my tattoo whenever I want, the burden is much less.

To be honest, we will always remain transparent. I don’t think I’ll ever reveal my tattoos.

“Is the effect permanent?”

It would be difficult if the magic wore off over time. This part needed confirmation.

Janice nodded vigorously.

“Of course. The magic will remain until the guest enters the coffin.”

… It’s good to be confident, but I don’t have much confidence. You must be really talented, right?

“First of all, I understand. I’ll talk to my group for a moment.”

“Should I step back?”

“Yes.”

Zenith glanced at us but obediently entered the room inside the store.

“How about it?”

I asked, looking at Hera.

“It’s hard for me to give up more than this.”

After a short silence, the answer came.

“Good. Instead, keep it the same without changing the location.”

That’s it. Anyway, as long as the magic was done correctly, the location didn’t matter much.

“Okay. Well then, let’s just do it like this.”

Hera no longer complained.

It seemed like he knew this was the limit. Pushing further was counterproductive.

Now that I know that there is an option called a magic tattoo, there is no reason to choose a regular tattoo.

It may have been a good thing for Hera. If it weren’t for the magic tattoo, I might have ended up rejecting it at the last moment.

“Oh, that’s right. Do you have money?”

I haven’t heard anything about the price, but I don’t think giving it a permanent (at least according to me) enchantment will cost a penny or two.

With such thoughts, I looked at him with suspicion.

Hera looked a little embarrassed. She said in a shaky voice.

“I have enough money.”

“Then I’m glad. I’m sure they won’t ask me to pay. No way.”

“… What are you looking at me for?”

“Damp pervert.”

“… … .”

After a short conversation, I called Zenith again.

“Have you decided?”

“Yes. Please do as I said earlier.”

Janice smiled brightly. It was a smile that conveyed the joys and sorrows of a small business owner.

“I have to ask you something first.” She said.

“What is it?”

“Have you awakened your mana?”

Why are you asking that? First of all, he answered willingly.

“Yes. But why is that suddenly… .”

“Oh, it’s because it’s related to tattoos.”

According to Zenith’s explanation, the magic contained in the tattoo was maintained by the mana I had.

Therefore, she said, as long as the tattoo is not damaged and there is enough mana in the body, the magic will not lose its effectiveness.

I was surprised because I didn’t know this part.

“Oh. This is my first time knowing something like this.”

Zenith smiled in satisfaction.

“Please tell us the shape and size of the tattoo. Which area do you plan on doing it?”

I said the first letters of Hera’s name and surname. Just two letters.

I don’t know if it was because of her mood, but Zenith’s expression became slightly glum.

“Small size is better.”

“If the tattoo is small, it consumes less mana. Where is the tattoo?”

“Here.”

I pointed my finger to my inner thigh.

Stop.

“Uh, I guess you’ll have to take off your pants to do that… .”

“… It’s okay.”

“Um, I understand. Come inside here.”

Zenith looked at Hera.

“Women, won’t you do it?”

“Only men will do this.”

“I see… .”

Janice and I entered the treatment room inside the store.

“Why are you coming?”

“Can’t I take a look?”

Hera stood in a corner of the treatment room with her arms crossed shamelessly. Is it okay for me to just come in like this?

“Can there be other people here?”

“Yeah, well, it doesn’t really matter… .”

“I will be quiet.”

It seemed like Hera had no intention of leaving here.

“Ugh.”

I took off my pants, receiving the attention of the two women.

As soon as the underwear was revealed, the gaze poured out to the point of stinging. I pretended not to notice and lay down on the treatment table with a calm face.

“Please spread your legs a little more.”

… This too is shameful.

Hera, even so, I showed my underwear to a woman I saw for the first time today.

And that too in an embarrassing pose that showed the inside of my thighs.

Although Janice pretended not to notice, she subtly glanced over my panties. Some people might think I was watching secretly, but it was all revealed.

“Is this your first time getting a tattoo?”

“Yes. I’ve never done it before.”

“It will sting slightly. However, it is small so it will be over quickly, so just be patient.”

Zenith held up a tool that resembled a thick pen (it appeared to be an enchanted object) and began tattooing her thigh.

For reference, I chose a decent font from the examples Zenith showed.

… … .

I frowned at the pain I felt in my thigh.

This hurts a bit.

No matter how much I thought about it, it wasn’t just a slight sting.

Of course, you can endure as much as you want, but… .

When I’m done, I’ll have to tell Hera to buy something to eat. You will definitely get something expensive.

I had a moment of patience, lying on the operating table and staring blankly at the ceiling.

.

.

.

.

“Thank you! Come again!”

I’m not going.

I wandered out of the store, following Hera.

The procedure was completed quickly. It was small in size and simple in design, so it wasn’t a task that would take a long time to begin with.

There was a magical process at the end, and it didn’t take long.

After everything was finished and the performance was tested, the magic was successfully activated.

It was definitely not visible to the naked eye, and it was only visible when the vision was strengthened with mana.

The mana burden was also small.

I could feel the mana being constantly consumed, but it was manageable.

Well, this was better than I thought. Hera seemed satisfied, and I also liked the magic’s performance.

The woman named Janice didn’t seem to be a needlessly pretentious person.

With that in mind, I went back out onto the bright street.

“It’s all over, let’s eat! I’m hungry because I’ve been going back and forth since morning.”

“Is there anything you would like to eat?”

“Yes. When I came here earlier, I saw that there was a two-story restaurant. It seems like a famous place. Let’s eat there.”

I added one thing.

“Of course, you buy it.”

“… … .”

Surprisingly, Hera willingly opened her wallet without saying anything.

So we ate lunch together and had dessert time before we parted ways.