Episode 86

But well, if I can marry Alicia, this much is no hardship.

“Well, I don’t think it’s really for me to say, but Lord Goral is the kind of person who doesn’t much care for noble hierarchies, and that often causes problems among the nobility… so, I think you should be a bit more conscious of it.”

Indeed, as Reberto said, Lord Goral isn’t very noble-like.

From my commoner perspective it’s very grateful, but if you use Lord Goral as your standard when speaking with other nobles, you might get burned.

“Thanks, Reberto.”

“No problem. Even so, as a blacksmith you’re steadily gaining your position, aren’t you?”

“…Lord Goral told me to become the world’s best smith. It was my dream too, so I thought it was a good opportunity. I’ll work hard to become the best from here.”

“That’s aiming high. Well, you’ll manage somehow. I’ll do my best to become the world’s best swordsman. Let’s both do our best.”

“You too, Reberto, do your best.”

We shook hands and nodded.

“Well then, I’ll be off. I’ll drop by later.”

Reberto left, leaving a wink behind.

Alicia exhaled in relief with a “phew.”

As I thought, she didn’t like him.

“Alicia, are you really that bad with Reberto?”

“…It’s just, a long time ago.”

“A long time ago?”

“Yeah. Back when we didn’t care much about status. Reberto and I were childhood friends, but… he threw insects at me.”

“……”

…I see. So she had a bit of a history with Reberto.

So they were childhood friends, huh.

“What’s wrong?”

“No, it’s nothing. Let’s focus on the shop.”

“Yeah.”

I felt a little jealous. It’s unfair that he knew Alicia when she was young.

That’s lame as a man.

I need to act confidently.

About thirty minutes had passed since we opened the shop.

It wasn’t exactly overflowing with customers…

On the contrary, no one had come yet.

Well, that makes sense.

We did ask the Blacksmith Guild and the Adventurers’ Guild to post a notice that we’re opening today, but there probably aren’t many people who check those.

We also included easy-to-understand pictures and a map for those who can’t read, to show that the smithy is opening, but even so, it’s not like people would come the moment we opened.

With nothing particular to do, I was staring at a section of the merchandise when

Two young men and, behind them, a young woman entered the shop.

“Ivas, Weather, good morning.”

The ones who entered were Ivas and Weather.

The woman with them was a face I didn’t know.

She crossed her arms with a somewhat aloof expression.

She gave off a somewhat hard-to-approach vibe.

Judging by their adventurer-like outfits, I guessed she was probably their companion.

…Maybe they came to look at weapons? But she was dressed like what you’d expect of a mage.

“Good morning, Lord Faik! And Lady Alicia too!”

Ivas raised a hand with a smile, and Alicia returned a smile.

“Yeah. Good morning. What brings you here today?”

“Today we’re here for this girl—her name’s Erna—we’re looking for a weapon for her.”

I stared at the woman introduced as Erna.

She wore something like a robe.

She even had a hat like the mages of old times used to wear.

…Judging by appearance alone, she looked like an adventurer who fights primarily with magic.

Above all, she was holding a staff.

Staffs are also made using Magic Iron.

That’s because Magic Iron transmits mana well. Using a staff made of Magic Iron can boost the power of spells.

When making a staff, you combine it with other materials that transmit mana well.

I, as a blacksmith, can make them if commissioned.

I have several magical tools that assist the magic used by mages.

Those are designed to enhance abilities specialized against mystical beasts.

Erna glanced at me briefly and then looked over the merchandise.

I called out to her.

“Erna, you’re a mage, right? Sorry, we don’t have any Magic-Iron staffs in stock yet.”

“Can you make one?”

Her speech was polite, but there was a certain edge to her voice.

“It would be made to order, so the price would be a bit higher, but…”

“I see. We’ll discuss that later then. For now, I’m looking for a knife I can use for self-defense and for dismantling.”

“I see… in that case, how about these products over here?”

I led her to the corner where knives made from Irea Magic Ore were displayed.

“Here?”

“Yeah. I think something around here is a safe bet. What do you think?”

If she’s with Ivas and the others, something around the thirty thousand gold I suggested would be just right.

“…That sounds right.”

Erna bent over as if peering into the shelf of knives.

Although the knives were made similarly, their designs and quality varied slightly, so you really had to put effort into choosing.

Even the Magic Ore used as material is called Irea Magic Ore, but they’re not all the same quality.

For example, if you were to score Irea Magic Ore pieces, some might be a hundred points and some zero.

The same goes for me as a smith.

Just because it’s the same body doing the smithing doesn’t mean identical items can be made.

Quality fluctuates somewhat depending on the day and the moment.

Of course, each has strengths and weaknesses, but everything I put on the shelf is there because I believe it can sell.

“This knife, 30,000 gold, right?”

A price guide was posted on the display shelf.

At the moment, the staff is just Alicia, Refy, and me.

If we negotiated each time, we wouldn’t be able to keep up.

Also, today being the first day I’m at the shop, but basically I plan to stay in the smithy in the back.