Chapter 10
The earnest knight introduced himself as Matthew.
With his guidance, we were able to find the slave traders.
“I'm sorry. I have patrol duty soon···”
As soon as we arrived in front of the slave traders, Matthew went off to perform his duties.
‘No matter what domain I go to, patrol duty always falls to the youngest.’
That was because the senior knights dumped their work on them, claiming that training time for advancing their tiers was too precious to waste.
The same went for checkpoints and other duties.
Then how were they supposed to advance their tiers?
‘Somehow, I have to.’
It was unreasonable, but that was how the world worked.
Remembering that, I naturally thought of something I could do to repay this earnest young man.
I got Rex's permission by text and made Matthew an offer.
“If you have time, I’ll teach you the sword someday.”
Of course, it wouldn't be for life—just the basics—but even that would be a fortuitous opportunity for this young man.
‘I’ll get you up to level 29 with this.’
If my method suited him, he might even be able to aim for the third tier.
Of course, if he reached the second tier, there was also a chance that his seniors would threaten his life.
But teaching someone was also a declaration that one cared for the student afterward.
Therefore, attacking Matthew would be tantamount to declaring hostility toward me.
‘My senior disciples only sat on their hands until my master tried to kill me.’
I wasn't a narrow-minded person like my master, so I wouldn't do that.
Perhaps realizing my intentions, Matthew repeatedly bowed his head.
“Thank you!”
Thus, after sending off Earnest··· no, Matthew, I spoke to Rex.
“Lord Rex.”
[···]
“Lord Rex? That young man is gone.”
[I’m listening!]
Phew.
I held back the sigh that kept trying to escape and said what I had been thinking about for a while.
“Lord Rex. Do you have enough gold coins?”
[Yeah. My inventory is packed with nothing but gold coins.]
“Good. Then I’ll go get us some equipment, so you can search for A inside in the meantime.”
Clunk.
As expected, Rex was already preparing to vibrate.
Apparently, he was afraid to head to the slave traders alone.
But this time, I couldn't give in.
‘I can’t ruin his first meeting with the heroine.’
Was this what they called imprinting?
The effect by which animals recognized the first thing they saw as their parent.
I wasn't sure whether that expression applied to A, a full-grown adult, but in any case, Rex had to be the first person A met.
‘I can’t forgive NTR.’
No matter how I looked at it, it was wrong to hitch a ride on the protagonist's success story and then make a move on the heroine as well.
A would probably fall for Rex, but to leave not even the slightest possibility to chance, I had to act separately this time.
‘Your first impression with A is your responsibility, Rex.’
This was both the devotion of an original novel fan and the last shred of conscience Duke had left.
“Lord Rex. You needn't worry about your safety. If you call, I’ll protect you wherever I am.”
Naturally, Rex, who had no idea what I was planning, vibrated at 200 Hz.
But I knew very well that this man had been capable of heading to the slave traders alone even in the original story.
In fact, Rex had been even more desperate then, because he had had nowhere to turn.
Remembering that, I hardened my expression and persuaded him like a loyal subject offering candid advice.
“Once we rescue A, I’ll have to protect both of you with all my strength. What am I supposed to do if I don’t have equipment then?”
I seized Rex's vibrating shoulders and met his eyes.
“Even now, A is waiting for you, Lord Rex.”
You should be the one to save your own wife, shouldn't you?
Perhaps my heartfelt plea reached him, because determination appeared in Rex's eyes.
Yes, those were the eyes.
He was utterly unreliable in everyday life, but at heart, he was the protagonist.
He was the sort of person who got things done when it mattered.
Having steeled his resolve, Rex spoke in his own voice for the first time in ages.
“Sorry. I was being too spoiled.”
After that, Rex left me in front of the slave traders and boldly headed inside alone.
‘Hmm. Now I too···’
[Duke! Help! I can’t talk to the shopkeeper-]
Ignoring the message for now, I set off.
‘Time for some long-overdue dress-up.’
It was time to transform into the appearance I had planned for two hundred years.
***
A shabby forge.
Duke, who had parted ways with Rex, set foot inside.
“Welc···”
The dwarf blacksmith, Albrek, flinched the moment he saw Duke.
The clothes he wore were some decent ones he had picked out in the doctor's research city, but in the end, they were still the sort worn by commoners.
The level he gave off was also only that of the first tier.
Therefore, an ordinary blacksmith would have thought Duke was merely an apprentice knight or mercenary with a massive frame.
But Albrek was different.
He was the blacksmith who made weapons for the lord and his close aides in this domain.
Over the decades he had held that position, the ability he had developed most was not appraisal magic, but the instinct to estimate someone's tier.
And his instinct told him···
‘At least level 60.’
It informed him that Duke was at least sixth tier.
That was because Duke gave off an aura far more powerful than the lord, who was fifth tier.
Albrek immediately changed his attitude.
From eccentric dwarf blacksmith mode to servile merchant mode.
‘From now on, that man is the law.’
That was Albrek's way of surviving in this domain.
“Welc-ome, sir. Is there something you're looking for?”
Albrek greeted Duke with an ingratiating attitude.
Duke didn't respond and quietly looked around the forge.
He soon picked up a helmet from a shelf and said,
“I’ll take this.”
He placed the helmet back on the shelf and spoke solemnly.
Albrek immediately tried to recommend armor that would go with the helmet, but···
“I don't need armor. Just the helmet.”
Albrek clicked his tongue inwardly.
‘Tch, what? Was he a beggar?’
Of course, Duke had said that because armor didn't suit the look he had in mind, but it was enough to make Albrek misunderstand.
Albrek revised his impression of Duke.
A knight with skill but no money.
Of course, because power was the law, this did not make Albrek's attitude any less polite.
“Would you like an explanation, my lord?”
Duke nodded.
Albrek explained the helmet's abilities in detail, hoping to raise its value somehow.
According to his explanation, the visor, which appeared to have no gaps at first glance, was enchanted with vision magic, allowing the wearer to see clearly from inside without any blind spots.
“What about eating?”
“The lower half opens separately.”
It was an option intended for knights who might be ambushed even while eating.
It was also a high-end item with effects that concealed the wearer's identity, such as mildly interfering with recognition and casting a shadow effect.
Duke nodded in satisfaction.
“Excellent. How much?”
At Duke's question, Albrek's lips began to dry out.
The knights Albrek knew acted as though they were noble, but were actually penniless thugs.
‘He’ll haggle again.’
He would probably rely on his fists and sword and offer half the price.
The helmet's original price was fourteen gulden.
When other knights offered half, Albrek could plead and argue until he raised the price to seventy-five percent.
Therefore, he usually quoted prices so that the amount after raising it to seventy-five percent would become the original price.
‘But haggling is impossible against this monster.’
Albrek boldly gave up on haggling with Duke and decided to ask for twenty-eight gulden.
Of course, there was a risk of being found out.
He could simply quote the list price of fourteen gulden, take a loss of seven gulden, and avoid the risk. That was one option.
But···
‘Losing seven gulden would be too much.’
If Duke offered seven gulden, the blacksmith's family would starve to death.
Ironically, taking the risk gave him a better chance of surviving.
‘I have to hold the line at fourteen gulden.’
Albrek squeezed his eyes shut and quoted twenty-eight gulden.
“Twenty-eight gulden.”
But the response he received was different from what he had expected.
“Twenty-eight gulden. That’s ten nobles and three gulden, right?”
“Huh?”
He wasn't going to haggle?
While Albrek was flustered, Duke thought with an impassive face,
‘I have my dignity. Haggling in a blacksmith shop is a little beneath me. It’s not my money anyway.’
The money Duke currently possessed was not money he had earned through sweat and toil, but money looted from the doctor's fortune.
He had stuffed an entire city's budget into his inventory, so there was no reason to be stingy.
‘It’d be lame for a Demon King to haggle at the forge in the Starting Village.’
At times like this, conducting a cool and sexy transaction suited his image better.
Unaware of Duke's thoughts, Albrek fumbled in confusion.
‘Huh? This isn’t how it was supposed to go.’
He had thought Duke was an ignorant knight without any money.
But in reality, he was simply a knight who only needed the helmet.
The fact that he could even calculate the price meant he was a knight who had received a proper education somewhere.
With his mind gone blank, Albrek nodded without even checking the calculation.
‘If he finds out, I’m dead.’
Albrek extended his hand in fear.
Even then, Duke was mindful of his dignity. He neatly stacked ten large gold coins and three slightly smaller ones on the table.
It was not the arrogant, begging-like way knights tossed money at people, but a polite gesture that showed respect for the blacksmith.
That small action caused Albrek's mind to be dominated by fear and guilt.
‘I should tell him the truth now···’
But Albrek could not bring himself to spit out the truth.
That was because Duke spoke first.
“That sword.”
“Yes?”
“I was asking the price of that greatsword behind you.”
Duke pointed at the greatsword behind Albrek.
The greatsword embedded in the stone shelf.
Albrek wiped away his cold sweat and answered.
“My lord. That one’s for ceremonies. No one can wield it in actual combat.”
That sword had been made for people to draw at the New Year's festival and show off their strength.
Its weight distribution was the same as that of an ordinary greatsword.
The only difference was that its weight was utterly impossible to handle in actual combat.
It was a weapon made by compressing all kinds of metal in one place and enchanting it with weight-increasing and hardness-increasing magic.
Since even the lord could barely lift it, it was not a weapon made for actual combat.
But Duke did not take his eyes off the sword.
Instead, his eyes shone even more brightly after hearing the explanation.
“How much do you want for it?”
“Huh?”
“If you won’t sell it, name your price.”
What kind of logic was that?
Albrek was flustered once again, but Duke's thoughts were firm.
‘Pass up that sword?’
Duke could not tear his eyes away from the greatsword embedded in the stone.
Perhaps because it had been made as a ceremonial sword, its design was beautiful too.
It had to be that sword.
That sword was the one he would spend the rest of his life with.
Naturally, the perfectly normal Albrek could not understand Duke's thought process.
‘Is he just a weirdo?’
His fear and guilt subsided, and greed began to raise its head again.
‘The greatsword's cost price is five gulden···’
Then, if he quoted ten gulden, twice the cost···
At that moment, a man suddenly kicked open the door and entered the forge.
He was a scruffy young man with a large scar etched into his face.
Albrek knew that young man.
He was the lord's son, who had tormented Albrek for decades.
‘Why does that bastard have to show up now···’
Albrek asked Duke to excuse him for a moment and attended to the lord's son.
Of course, Duke was a frightening presence to Albrek.
But Duke was a customer who might come back, while the lord's son was someone he would have to face for the rest of his life, so he had to prioritize the son.
“Oh dear, Lord Kubel.”
Albrek approached the young man, rubbing his hands together.
The young man named Kubel was a typical penniless—or rather, nonpaying—thug knight.
“Yo, shopkeeper. I came to get my sword repaired. This one's on the house, right?”
Kubel, the lord's son, held out a rusted sword that was impossible to use.
Albrek recognized at a glance that he had not made that sword.
It had probably been found in some suitable ruin or dungeon.
And asking him to replace that sword meant···
‘Does he want a new sword with the same magic as the one on that sword···’
It was obviously an outrageous demand.
But Albrek could not bring himself to say no.
“Of course, my lord. Give me the sword and I’ll replace it right away.”
The moment he offended the lord, his family could become food for the crows in the plaza.
‘Because of that bastard···’
The reason Albrek had abandoned his pride as a blacksmith and lied about his prices was that the domain was full of people like that.
If he did not lie, he would flounder in debt and starve to death.
Swallowing his tears, Albrek replaced the rusted sword with a new one.
Unaware of the blacksmith's feelings, Kubel accepted the new sword and smirked.
“Hmm. Good.”
Without so much as saying good work or thank you, Kubel tried to leave the shop.
Then his gaze fell on Duke.
“Who are you?”
“?”
“?”
At Kubel's question, both Duke and Albrek displayed question marks.
Before long, Duke looked at Kubel as though he were an idiot, while Albrek looked at him as though he were a madman.
Kubel had never had to read anyone else's mood in his life, so he failed to notice their gazes and pointed toward the floor.
“Why aren’t you lowering your head when you look at me?”
Kubel pointed downward with his finger, as if telling Duke to bow his head.
While Albrek was horrified by the lord's son's typical spoiled behavior, Duke strode toward Kubel.
And then.
“Your eyes are set pretty high.”
Wham!
Duke kicked Kubel in the shin.
With a single kick, Kubel flew through the air and fell to the floor.
Kubel ended up sprawled facedown, as though bowing.
Still seeming unable to understand what was happening, Kubel gritted his teeth and tried to get up, but Duke sighed...
‘Sigh. Rex told me to lower my tier because he doesn’t want attention, but···’
Duke lamented that this was a world where, if one lowered oneself, bugs crawled all over them.
When Duke raised his tier to the fifth, Kubel understood the situation and prostrated himself on the floor again.
“I’m sorry-”
“No need to apologize. Leave, and leave that repaired sword behind.”
Duke wanted to resume shopping as soon as possible.
He had considered turning Kubel into a half-cripple, but···
‘Then the lord would retaliate and this forge would disappear.’
As someone who expected to rely on this place for equipment in the future, Duke wanted to avoid that situation.
Therefore, he decided to leave the punishment for the spoiled lord's son at that.
‘We’re going to conquer this domain anyway.’
He also calculated that there was no point in causing trouble here.
Duke lost interest in Kubel and turned his head back toward the blacksmith.
“So, how much will you sell that greatsword for?”
Blacksmith Albrek looked back and forth between Duke and Kubel, who was limping out of the shop behind him.
Duke called out to the dazed Albrek again.
“Shopkeeper?”
“Yes? Yes!”
“How much will you sell that sword for?”
“Huh? Th-that is···”
Albrek's mind began racing harder than ever in his life as a blacksmith.
Duke could do the math, and possessed the skill and tier to force a thug like Kubel to his knees.
In other words, he was a genuine knight, the sort one might see in a fairy tale, unlike the idlers who merely called themselves knights.
Could someone like that really not know the price of a helmet?
‘Of course not.’
Albrek naturally realized that Duke was being considerate of him. (No.)
After thinking it over, Albrek slammed his head against the counter hard enough to break it.
“I’m sorry, my lord!”
His desperate apology began.
He had overcharged people out of habit in order to make a living, but he had been unable to reveal the truth because the lie had come so naturally.
In the process, he even confessed that he had tried to deceive Duke, and begged for forgiveness.
“Even the sword and helmet together aren’t worth twenty-eight gulden!”
The helmet was fourteen gulden, and the sword was five.
“Together they’re only nineteen gulden! But as an apology for lying—”
He was about to say that Duke should simply take them.
But Albrek's lips refused to move.
He had thought of the loss he would suffer if Duke simply took them.
At that moment, Duke spoke to the top of Albrek's head.
“Then let’s make it twenty-eight gulden for the sword and helmet together.”
“My lord!?”
“This sword you made is worth fourteen gulden.”
“No, my lord! You may take them both for free!”
“Then consider this an apology.”
“Huh?”
“If the name of ‘knight’ gave someone like you fear instead of reassurance, then as a fellow knight, I ought to apologize.”
It was nonsense he did not mean in his heart.
He was merely showing off because it was someone else's money.
But the effect was undeniable.
“My lord···!”
For the first time in his life, Albrek looked as though he were seeing a proper knight, and tears welled in his eyes.
“It is an honor!”
Duke passed the bowing blacksmith and approached the sword embedded in the stone shelf.
‘Your name is Excalibur—no, that’s too traitorous.’
If he did that, for some reason, it felt as though he were calling himself a king.
After pondering it, he decided on a name for the sword.
‘Durandal it is.’
It was still a sword embedded in stone, but at least it did not give off a traitorous vibe.
Duke easily pulled Durandal from the stone shelf.
‘Hmm. It has some heft.’
But it posed no problem to swing.
Considering that the swords other people used were too light, this was actually about right.
After confirming the greatsword's weight, Duke naturally tried to sling it over his back.
Then he remembered that carrying the greatsword on his back did not suit the image he had planned and tossed Durandal into his inventory.
‘I’ll only take it out when I use it.’
It was an absurd reason, but carrying the greatsword on his back would keep the cloak he planned to wear from billowing properly.
Seeing Duke lightly lift a sword that even the lord could barely raise, then casually cast spatial magic, Albrek felt awestruck once again.
Meanwhile, Duke put on the helmet he had bought and called out to Albrek.
“Excellent, shopkeeper.”
“I’m glad you’re satisfied, my lord.”
“By the way, is there somewhere nearby where I can have clothes tailored? I’d like a special uniform.”
Albrek's face lit up at Duke's words.
“My wife handles formalwear made from special materials!”
“Where is it?”
“Right next door! I’ll show you!”
The dwarf blacksmith hurried out with excited, waddling steps.
Duke followed behind him, carefully maintaining his gravitas.
Before long, the two of them arrived at the clothing store directly beside the forge.
“The lord’s family often comes here to have clothes tailored, so you needn't worry about the quality.”
Duke entered the shop, looking forward to Albrek's recommendation.
As he entered, the dwarf blacksmith's wife welcomed him.
She was an extremely flashy dwarf woman, bedecked with dazzling jewels from head to toe.
“My, my. What brings you here, my lord?”
She seemed to have guessed he was a knight as soon as she saw the helmet.
Albrek, who had been hidden behind Duke's massive frame, poked his head out and spoke.
“Dear, I’d like to have this gentleman a set of clothes made as an apology for what happened. That should be possible, right?”
At Albrek's request, his wife began tailoring clothes while chatting in the distinctive manner of a neighborhood auntie.
While Duke was in the fitting room trying on the finished outfit, she whispered to her husband.
“So who is that gentleman?”
In response to her question, Albrek told her the name he had heard on the way there.
“He said his name was Duke. I feel like I’ve heard it somewhere···”
“Huh? Duke Urwick, perhaps?”
“That’s right. That was the name.”
At that, his wife began smacking Albrek's back in horror.
“You fool! You should have told me sooner!”
“Ow! Why? Who is he?”
“Ugh! Try keeping up with the news!”
She listed Duke's exploits.
A noble knight! A wandering knight of justice who never tolerated the evil before his eyes!
He had been out of the news for about a year, but he was a famous knight among the minstrels.
While she hissed at her husband, Duke finished trying on the clothes and emerged from the fitting room.
He looked over his uniform from several angles and said,
“I like the color. Could you make the lapels notched and the buttons double-breasted?”
At the flood of technical terms that even the lord rarely used, Albrek's wife lit up.
‘A real knight really is something else!’
Thinking that he was in an entirely different class from tasteless upstart nobles, she recorded every one of Duke's requirements.
She was a dwarf.
Therefore, the fact that she could show off her skills excited her for the first time in a long while.
Albrek was also uneasy, since it had been a long time since he had seen his wife so excited.
His wife left Albrek to his own devices and continued consulting with Duke about the clothes.
“What material shall we use?”
“What do you have?”
“We just got some drake leather, and it would be perfect for the lining.”
It was leather she normally kept stored away to offer as tribute to the lord.
But to her, with her artisan spirit aflame, that was irrelevant.
As if determined to pour every last ounce of her soul into it, she recommended the finest materials she had.
Duke nodded in satisfaction as well.
“It’ll be finished by evening.”
“Could I get something off the rack to wear in the meantime?”
Duke placed gold coins on the shelf.
“Of course, my lord.”
She handed over the change and recommended a ready-made outfit as similar as possible to the custom-made clothes.
It was not as good as bespoke clothing, but with such a fine frame, it looked excellent on him.
Duke also checked his appearance in the mirror and nodded in satisfaction.
“A good purchase.”
***
Even after Duke had left, Albrek's wife could barely calm her excitement.
For dwarves, there were three factors directly tied to excitement.
Self-actualization, beer, and sausage.
With one of those factors now set ablaze, Albrek's wife called to her husband in a sweet voice for the first time in a long while.
“Honey~”
“!!!”
To her husband Albrek, that voice sounded more terrifying than the call of a demon rising from hell.
Hiding his fear as best he could, Albrek answered.
“Y-yes?”
“Close the forge early today.”
“Huh?”
“I’ll reserve beer and sausages at Billy’s over there. You get off work, send the kids to their paternal grandparents, and wash up. I’ll head over as soon as I get off too.”
She left with a breathy, excited voice without even waiting for his reply.
Albrek belatedly called after his already-departed wife.
“Wait? Honey? Why? What do you mean? Why sausages all of a sudden? And why the kids?”
No answer came back.
The blacksmith hurried back to his forge and put on his plate armor.
.
.
.
Meanwhile, Duke.
‘Hmm. Good.’
He celebrated the completion of his charismatic, mysterious knight persona.