Chapter 23. Reward (2)

“Gareth, a VIP guest has arrived.”

The inside of the smithy I was led to was similar to what I'd imagined.

It was a fairly large space surrounded by brick walls, with a massive furnace and various other equipment visible. One wall was lined with swords that looked to be his creations.

And then.

*Clang!! Clang!!!*

In the midst of it all, hammering away at iron, I saw the owner of this smithy, the man called Gareth.

“Have a seat and wait a moment.”

…He's bigger than I thought.

His hair is white and his face is full of wrinkles, but thanks to his burly physique, he looks closer to middle-aged than elderly.

The muscles in his arms are even more defined than mine, and though he’s bent over hammering iron, if he stood up straight, his head would probably touch the ceiling.

When I thought of a fantasy blacksmith, I pictured a short, stocky dwarf, but his appearance is completely different from what I expected.

Still…

*Whoosh– Bang!!*

Seeing him lift and swing that massive, long-armed hammer makes me think he could forge some damn fine weapons.

Furthermore, his speed and power are incredible, almost like some Aura User….

…Hmm.

He actually *is* an Aura User, isn't he?

And not just any Aura User, but one with quite a powerful aura…

Just as I was gauging Gareth's abilities…

“Seems you’ve noticed, young man.”

Gareth stopped hammering and stood up.

As expected, his massive physique became even more apparent.

He has a bit of a belly, but he gives off the impression of a powerful warrior rather than a blacksmith.

“Ah, was I being rude?”

Since he’s an older gentleman, and I thought gauging his strength might be impolite, I asked, but…

“It’s alright, I did the same.”

Gareth said so, pulled a chair over in front of me, and sat down.

His upper body was so built up that he looked 1.5 times bigger than me, and I'm not exactly small myself.

“You’re quite perceptive for a youngster. Which Family are you from?”

“…The Void Family.”

“A good lineage.”

Gareth said, briefly dusting his hands, then extended his calloused hand to me.

“Ticket.”

“Ah, here it is.”

I handed him the VIP ticket, and he took it and tucked it into his pocket.

“They're rare, so I have to get them back.”

“…Is that so?”

“Can’t just hand out VIP tickets like candy. Besides, this is Lowell’s. Are you his disciple?”

“I’m not.”

Am I Lowell’s disciple…? I don't think so.

I received guidance from him, but I don't think Lowell considers me his disciple.

“He wouldn’t give this to someone who isn't. You can be honest with me.”

“…I really am not.”

“Well, if you don't want to say, it’s fine.”

He said that and stood up.

“So, what do you want?”

“A sword. A sturdy sword that won’t break.”

“I’ve never heard of my swords breaking. You’ve come to the right place.”

Saying that, Gareth pointed to the swords hanging on the wall.

“You’d be satisfied with any of those… but, since you’re here with a VIP ticket, you’re looking for a custom order, right?”

“Yes.”

“Straight to the point. VIPs have two options.”

Holding up two fingers covered in scars and calluses, Gareth then pointed to the sword he was working on.

“Pay for a commissioned piece, or bring the materials yourself.”

“If I pay…”

“If you pay, I’ll make it with the materials from our smithy. It starts at 10 gold coins.”

“…”

10 gold coins?

That’s an amount I couldn't even dream of.

Should I try borrowing from Lowell? That old man might have it…

“The other option is to bring the materials. That’s the method I suggest for young people like you.”

“By materials, you mean…”

“Literally. I’ll tell you the materials I need to create a custom weapon for you, and you fetch them from the Kain Mountain Range.”

“Ah, yes… So, I hunt monsters in the mountains and bring back parts?”

“That’s right. I mainly require monster byproducts.”

…Is this the better option for me?

No, this is my only option.

Judging by how that old geezer Lowell sent me here without a single copper, he probably intends for me to choose the latter and suffer.

“If you bring monster materials, as a VIP service, our smithy will provide the metal needed for the crafting.”

So, the materials option is definitely more advantageous, then?

If it’s hard to get, I can just buy it at an auction house…

“However, you must acquire them yourself.”

“…Alone?”

“You can form a team, as long as you're there.”

“Then, some people might secretly buy them.”

“Doesn't matter to me if you’re confident you can get away with it.”

Saying this, Gareth approached me.

Is it because of his size?

Being this close, I feel less like I'm facing a person and more like I'm facing an Orc.

“Let me see your arm.”

“Here you go.”

He suddenly asked for my arm, so I offered it to him, and he examined it closely.

“Hmm?”

He let out a sound of surprise, then pressed his finger against my wrist.

“How old are you?”

“Huh? I'm 18.”

“What?”

He looked at me incredulously after hearing my age.

…Do I really look that old?

It seems like no one can guess my age correctly.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Huh, I thought you looked younger. Your level of attainment is astonishing for your age.”

“Ah.”

Right, Aura Users recognize each other, so he probably thought I was older because of my aura level.

“Huh, I gotta be careful when making this weapon, then.”

“Is that because it’s in its growth phase?”

“Yeah, balance is important. Or I could make it for you in two years.”

“...That’s a bit…”

Lowell will have more missions for me.

I don’t have time to fuck around until then.

“Just make it a little bigger.”

“Is that alright?”

“Yeah, I’ll adapt.”

The weapons I’ve used were either swords from the Colosseum or ones I snatched from enemies. Adapting to the weapon is more familiar to me, so the whole ‘custom-made’ thing means less anyway.

“Alright, I’ll write down the materials first.”

True to his word about getting the materials, Gareth brought a large piece of paper and wrote them down.

“...Are all of these really in the Kain Mountains?”

“Would I ask you to get something that isn’t there?”

I was dumbfounded looking at the list.

“I might not be able to make this until I'm an adult.”

What kind of bizarre materials are these?

The very first item is a troll’s molar.

What the fuck is that for? Is he going to grind it up and mix it in?

“Or you could just pay for them.”

“...I’ll get them.”

Yeah, whatever. Gotta do what he says.

I roughly folded the paper and put it in my pocket.

“Then I’ll be going.”

Just as I was about to leave for my next destination, the Mercenary Guild…

“Hold on.”

“Yes? Is there something else?”

“You don’t have a weapon right now, do you?”

Gareth, who had called me back, picked up a rather large and long longsword hanging on the wall.

“Made this recently, but I don’t like it.”

*Whoosh-*

He tossed it to me. It felt quite heavy as I caught it.

“This is…”

“Heavy, isn’t it? It packs a punch, so use it while gathering the materials.”

“Are you giving it to me?”

“Are you crazy? I’m lending it to you. If you lose it, I’ll add more materials to the list.”

“Oh, yes…”

I didn’t ask to borrow it, but…

*Woosh-* *Swing.*

I lightly swung it. It felt good in my hand.

No, it felt completely different from any weapon I’ve used before.

“I’ll put it to good use.”

I’ll gladly borrow a sword like this.

“By the way, there’s no scabbard, so just carry it like that.”

“That’ll attract attention…”

“You look like you swing swords for a living anyway, so what’s there to worry about?”

“Oh, yeah…”

Right, I do look like a swordsman.

Dressed up, a knight. Stripped down, a gladiator.

“Thank you.”

“Yeah, get those materials, and bring them as soon as you get them.”

"Yes, I'll make sure they're fresh."

And so,

I properly secured the sword at my hip and left the inner part of Gareth’s smithy.

“To exit…”

“You go that way.”

Following the woman’s guidance, I exited through the proper entrance, the terrace. Looking down, I could still see people waiting in line.

*Thud!*

Seeing that, I jumped straight down to the first floor.

“You’re…”

“Is that sword perhaps…?”

Ignoring the envious stares directed at the sword at my hip, I headed straight for the general commercial district.

Next stop is the Mercenary Guild.

***

The Capital Branch of the Adel Kingdom’s Mercenary Guild.

As befitting the Capital, it was the kingdom’s transportation hub, and with the monster-and-material-rich Kain Mountains nearby, this place was always packed with mercenaries.

And among those mercenaries, the ones strutting around with extra swagger were the Silver Rank mercenaries.

Jebeon, a fairly famous Mercenary Leader in the Capital, commanding fifteen Silver Rank mercenaries and even bearing the alias ‘Rapid Strike’,

was currently trembling and fidgeting at a table.

“Leader, try to calm down.”

“Shut up, Hans.”

Fucking hell, I got on the wrong side of some crazy bastard.

He looked to be in his twenties, maybe early thirties at most considering he’s an Aura User, but why so damn scary?

And the Guild staff specifically warned me to be careful, so he’s probably some Noble’s kid.

Why the hell did such a guy want a fake identity made?… I did make a proper one, but Jebeon kept sweating bullets.

It was my fault for being tempted by the reward. Should I have just run?

But the chance to learn Fleet, even if it was a slim chance, I thought I had to take it. Just then…

*Ding-dong-*

A doorbell, sounding like a death knell, rang from the entrance.

“Je- Jebeon.”

Following that, a terrifying voice called his name, and he quickly turned his head.

"I came as promised."

“Oh, shit.”

The crazy bastard brought a sword.

And he wasn’t even bothering with a scabbard.

Jebeon immediately jumped up from his seat

and slammed his head on the ground.

“Please spare my life!”

Trying to start a sword fight in the Mercenary Guild…

I really messed with the wrong guy.