Chapter 19
‘Gold Drakes are an upper-tier species among drakes…’
Among the many species of drake, Red and Gold Drakes were known to be the strongest.
Gold Drakes were especially rare, so the dwarf could hardly believe that one was being held in a human’s arms.
“H-How did you tame it?”
“Rather than tame it, our paths simply happened to cross.”
“Ahem! I’d like to hear the details.”
The dwarf’s eyes lit up.
Stories like this were bound to stir his curiosity.
Steven, who had been standing beside them, pricked up his ears as well.
He was just hiding it, but he was every bit as curious.
“I’m sorry, but that may be difficult. There are several circumstances involved.”
“I-Is that so?”
“Let me show you this instead.”
Jade took out one of the Black Drake’s teeth and showed it to the sorely disappointed dwarf.
As expected, the dwarf’s eyes immediately changed.
“Th-this!”
“It’s a Black Drake’s tooth. I’d like to commission you to make weapons with it.”
“Really?”
“Yes. That’s why I came all the way here.”
The dwarf’s face lit up.
By nature, he was a blacksmith, and he was helpless before any new metals, ores, or materials.
Black Drake teeth in particular were nearly impossible to obtain, no matter how much one wanted them.
Drakes themselves were rare, and even finding their habitat did not make them monsters one could simply hunt.
“To think I’d see a Black Drake’s tooth in my lifetime. Do you have any more?”
“I brought two more as spares. I was thinking of paying one as the workmanship fee…”
“Let’s sign the contract right now!”
They were the smallest teeth, but the dwarf did not hesitate for even a moment.
He was the finest blacksmith in the Kingdom of Arhan, not merely the capital, and he had plenty of backlogged work, but he did not hesitate.
That was because chances to obtain a Black Drake’s tooth were exceedingly rare.
“I’d like one longsword and one dagger made from the two teeth. They seem large enough to me. Is that possible?”
“Of course. What do you take me for? I can easily draw two swords from them. But the leftover pieces…”
Contrary to his first impression, the dwarf rubbed his hands together.
He spoke with a look of longing.
“I’ll give them to you.”
“Krahaha! Just as I thought—you’re a generous one! I like you!”
Bang bang bang!
Delighted by the answer he had hoped for, the dwarf thumped Jade on the waist.
He probably would have preferred to pat Jade on the back, but unfortunately, their difference in height meant the waist was the only place he could comfortably reach.
Unfortunately, that woke Whid.
When Jade’s body shook, Whid, who had been sleeping peacefully, began to fuss.
Crackle.
Whid slightly opened their sleepy eyes, and lightning crackled inside their mouth.
At the sight of yellow lightning, resembling scales, flashing within, the dwarf recoiled in horror.
He knew Jade was no ordinary fighter, but drakes were still frightening.
“It’s all right. Go back to sleep.”
Kyuung.
Whid, who had briefly woken up, buried their head against Jade’s chest and closed their eyes again as he gently stroked their back.
The warm touch had lulled them back to sleep.
“Whew!”
The dwarf was relieved at the sight.
His expression looked as though he had just escaped a close brush with death.
“How long will it take to make them?”
“I’m starting right away, so… three days, give or take?”
“That quickly?”
“I can do it. I’m Ralph, after all!”
Bang bang!
His large fists pounded his chest, comically out of proportion to his short, stocky frame.
Yet Ralph wore a confident smile, apparently feeling no pain at all.
“I’ll be grateful if you can make them quickly.”
“It could take another day. I’ve never worked with a Black Drake’s tooth before, so I need to do some research and processing. But I guarantee the finished goods will be worth it. You have my word.”
“I look forward to it.”
“Speaking of which…”
Rub rub!
The bold look vanished from Ralph’s eyes, and he rubbed his hands together once more.
He wore the look of someone hoping for something.
“Please, go ahead.”
“C-Could you obtain more Black Drake teeth? I’ll pay you whatever you ask!”
“I do have a few more, but not with me right now. Let’s trade when I come back next time.”
“Thank you!”
Ralph abruptly seized Jade’s hand.
Though Jade had said he had none available for now, Ralph seemed delighted simply to have opened trade between them.
“Please make my swords well.”
“Don’t worry! I’ll make them into my finest masterpieces! So please, don’t sell them anywhere else! I’ll pay you more than anyone else, no matter what!”
“Haha, all right.”
“Let’s see, the contract…”
Apparently that emphatic plea was not enough for him, because Ralph went looking for a contract.
He wanted to make absolutely sure now that the subject had come up.
“Um…”
At that moment, Steven, who had been quietly listening to the two of them, cautiously opened his mouth.
He spoke with an expression and look very similar to Ralph’s.
“Is something wrong?”
“Could you sell some to me as well? I’d like to study it.”
“Ahem!”
Ralph openly showed his displeasure at the sudden appearance of a competitor.
Since it was a material that could not easily be obtained, he did not want to share it with Steven.
But Steven had no intention of backing down easily, either.
The Black Drake’s teeth were just as precious to Steven as they were to Ralph.
“I’ll give you some. We can charge Princess Rainy, right?”
“Uh, I’ll have to ask her about that.”
Steven’s expression crumpled in an instant.
Though he was a court mage, he was by no means rich, so money inevitably made him shrink.
“Krahaha! A man’s worth is measured by his means! I can even pay up front!”
Seeing Steven wilt, Ralph shouted triumphantly.
At the same time, he made sure Jade knew he could buy as much as necessary.
“Let’s just draw up a preliminary contract. We might be heading straight to the Kingdom of Polstein soon.”
“What a shame. I wanted to run all sorts of experiments.”
Ralph had heard something separately at the Royal Palace of Arhan, so all he could do was click his tongue.
He knew well that he had no right to meddle in human affairs.
Instead, he grabbed Jade’s hand and gave him an earnest warning.
“I know you’re not someone who can be killed easily, but still, be careful—very careful! Even if you die, you have to fulfill our contract before you do!”
“Hahaha.”
Jade laughed in disbelief at Ralph, who had not included even a trace of a joke in his words.
Silestin and Elestra felt the same way.
Silestin, in particular, reacted the most strongly.
-Kyahaha! He’s completely insane!
-Dwarves are a little strange by nature, but this one is really strange. Can we really entrust Jade’s weapons to him?
Elestra watched Ralph with her brows knitted.
He looked utterly untrustworthy.
“I’m joking. Look forward to it. I’ll make you two excellent swords. And I’ll throw in some useful equipment, too.”
“That sounded like a serious statement.”
“That’s the art of people who are good at telling real jokes. Krahaha!”
Ralph laughed heartily as he ran his hands over various parts of Jade’s body.
Like a true craftsman, he had measured Jade’s size with nothing more than light touches.
Jade had remained still because he understood that.
“I’m looking forward to it.”
“I always make only the best. That’s why I’m the most famous in the Kingdom of Arhan. You’ll probably get works that exceed your expectations.”
“Then please contact the palace when everything is finished.”
“I will.”
“Then we’ll be off.”
As if unwilling to take up any more of Ralph’s time, Jade turned away without hesitation.
Ralph likewise hurried back into the workshop as soon as the two turned around.
He carefully cradled the three Black Drake teeth in his arms.
“Heh heh! Krahahaha!”
A strange laugh soon burst from the workshop.
Knock knock knock.
“I’ve brought the guests.”
“Bring them in.”
Following the siblings, Jade entered the room at the sound of the soft, beautiful voice coming from inside.
Yet he showed no sign of tension.
This was a meeting with the former queen of the Kingdom of Arhan and the grandmother of the two siblings, but Jade did not find it particularly special.
It was not as though he had never had royalty by his side before.
“Welcome.”
Following the siblings inside, he saw a beautiful woman standing in a modestly decorated garden.
She looked far too young to be Rainy and Lloyd’s grandmother, but Jade did not find that strange.
Half-elves lived long lives, befitting the “elf” in their name.
They could live several times as long as humans, so there was nothing surprising about her youthful appearance.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you. My name is Jade.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you. Please call me Clora. I’m no longer queen, and this is a gathering with my grandchildren.”
“Understood.”
“As I’d heard, you truly are an extraordinary spirit mage. Especially…”
Clora’s gaze shifted toward Jade’s shoulders.
Usually, people looked at Whid in his arms, but she was different.
With slightly fearful eyes, she stared precisely at where Silestin and Elestra were.
-You can’t see us.
-She can still guess. As a half-elf, she can probably sense some of our presence.
“I’m not that exceptional.”
Jade replied modestly, letting the spirits’ chatter go in one ear and out the other.
He saw no reason to reveal his full strength.
Of course, he had revealed less than he had concealed, but personally, he felt this level was just right.
“How astonishing. I don’t mean to disparage humans, but at least when it comes to spirits, I didn’t think there was anyone who could rival the elves.”
“Am I really that exceptional?”
“Yes. You’re not inferior to the elves—in fact, you’re even better.”
Rainy looked at Jade with renewed amazement.
She had known he was highly skilled, but she had not expected her grandmother, Clora, to be this surprised.
But she did not know.
She did not know that even Clora had failed to properly gauge Jade’s abilities.
“The elves?”
“Being too humble isn’t good, either. Shall we sit down first?”
Smiling, Clora invited Jade to take a seat as he lightly waved his hands in denial.
She had belatedly realized that she had kept him standing while they exchanged greetings.
Unlike Jade, who was visiting for the first time, the two siblings seemed familiar with the garden and naturally took their seats.
“You’ll get to taste tea unlike anything you’ve had before.”
“Is that so?”
“Grandmother grows it herself. It’s a tea you can taste only here.”
“What a rare tea.”
Despite the pride in Rainy’s words, Jade remained nonchalant.
Just as when she had revealed her identity, he showed no particular reaction.
“Hehe!”
Clora knew about the exchange between the two and smiled strangely at the sight.
Lloyd, meanwhile, fidgeted as he looked between his sister and Jade.
Rainy had not said anything, but he seemed to have figured it out from her expression.
Kyuuuu?
When a maid brought out a simple tea spread, Whid’s eyes flew open.
They reacted instinctively to the smell of food.
They were still young and somewhat greedy, and always wanted to try anything they had never seen before at least once.
“Want to try some?”
Kyuung!
Unable to take their eyes off the assorted fruits, cookies, and salad on the elegant plate, Whid watched as Jade chuckled and placed a little of each onto the plate before him.
He then fed them each item, one by one, and Whid eagerly gulped them down.
“How is it?”
Kyuuuu!