Chapter 148
In the end, there was no bandit attack, and just as planned, we arrived at our destination, Izbel, a little past noon on the fourth day.
This is just my guess, but…perhaps one of the five men we crushed on the first day was meant to act as a messenger. If they successfully lured only the caravan as planned, he would report back to their main group, and only in that case they would launch an attack.
Recently, Melt and Letty-san have also been wiping out a lot of bandits, so maybe from now on they’ll start using slightly more elaborate methods like this time.
I should probably report this to the guild in Izbel.
“Arriveeed! Seimu, this is the town of Izbel! It’s big, right! The whole way around the base of the mountain, all the way around, it’s all town!” (Melt)
“It really is big…and that’s probably a mine, isn’t it…?” (Shizuma)
The mountain itself isn’t as large as the one near Lindblum, but even so, the massive mine, which looks like it’d take a full day to climb, is at the center, and the town seems to stretch endlessly around it.
“Let’s head to the guild. Please receive your reward there.” (Koyan)
“Understood. Let’s go together then.” (Shizuma)
Escort missions generally follow the format of “advance payment + the remainder paid at the destination’s guild.” The reason is…to prevent all sorts of problems like adventurers committing robbery, faking attacks, killing their clients, and so on.
The client pays the full success reward to the guild in advance, and the guild at the destination pays that amount to the adventurer. That’s how it works.
This time, it happened to be a plot involving bandits, but it’s entirely possible adventurers might try similar schemes.
And so, we walked through Izbel, a town with a somewhat industrial feel, and arrived at the guild headquarters, which was a bit more modest compared to Lindblum’s.
“This isn’t a General Guild, it’s the main Adventurer Guild. I heard that the General Guild is unique to Lindblum! Here, aside from this, there’s also a Merchant Guild and various others!” (Melt)
“Oho. So once we finish up here, everyone from Konkon Company is heading there then.” (Shizuma)
As expected, Koyan-san and I approached the guild reception, where our request was recognized as completed and the remainder of the reward was paid.
Actually, this is my first time using this system. When I moved from Golda to Lindblum, it was a cross-country request, so they paid the full reward upfront when I accepted it.
Which means escorting someone across countries is a fairly risky request for the client.
That’s why originally, escort missions can only be accepted by those of Emerald Rank or higher; people with a certain degree of achievement and trust.
“Well then, we will now head to the Merchant Guild. Seimu-san, we are staying at an inn called Kinkon Inn, so please drop by if you need anything. We plan to stay here for seven days, so if we could talk sometime during that period, that would be ideal.” (Koyan)
“Understood, Kinkon Inn, right? Then how about we have dinner together tomorrow night?” (Shizuma)
“That sounds good. I’ll look for a good place while we’re doing business.” (Koyan)
“Ooh, that helps a lot.” (Shizuma)
And so I parted ways with the members of Konkon Company, whom we had been traveling with for four days.
…But you know, now that I think about it? A foxkin merchant company called Konkon Company, with a caravan representative named Koyan. Like, seriously…is someone intentionally giving them these names!?
It’s so incredibly on-the-nose!!!
And Kinkon Inn… I mean, sure it’s a blacksmithing city, but isn’t that a bit too simplistic!?
Maybe giving quirky names to inns is just common practice…?
Come to think of it, Hamstey Inn was also a pretty unique name…
“Well then, shall we go pick up Melt’s armor?” (Shizuma)
“Yeah! Once we get it, I’ll show you around the town!” (Melt)
Melt was practically bursting with excitement, walking with a bounce in her step and a big smile, and the people around us were watching her with warm expressions.
—————–
Izbel had an atmosphere similar to the Artisan Street in Lindblum.
Small shops were scattered all over town, faint sounds of metal being struck echoed from afar, and if you looked up at the sky, you’d see smoke rising from various places.
It truly gave the impression of a blacksmithing town.
“It’s sunny today, but when it rains in this town, everyone puts out their fires at once and the smoke disappears.” (Melt)
“Hm, maybe uneven heat would affect the quality of their work.” (Shizuma)
“Hmm hmm… This town has tons of weapon shops, so everyone must be competing on quality, right?” (Melt)
“Could be. And wasn’t there going to be a tournament soon? Should we watch it? Apparently, each participant completes their work within a month, and even ordinary people get to review and rate them.” (Shizuma)
I heard from Koyan-san along the way that the blacksmithing tournament held in Izbel is an event where “skilled craftsmen create outstanding weapons and armor, and have them evaluated by residents, adventurers, mercenaries, colleagues, and collectors.”
Of course, there are evaluations by professionals as well, but since they also need the attention of regular visitors, naturally not only high quality and performance, but also visual beauty and impact are required.
I definitely want to see such masterpieces at least once in person.
“Mmm, that does sound interesting… I’d like to see pretty swords and armor and stuff like that.” (Melt)
“The dagger you’re using now was something I gave you because you didn’t have a proper weapon for combat. It’s not that great a piece. So as a celebration for your promotion to Ruby Rank, if we find a nice sword for sale during the event, I’ll buy it for you.” (Shizuma)
“Ooh! Then I’ll stay here! Let’s stay until the tournament ends!” (Melt)
“There we go. So what should we do while we’re here? Sightseeing? Or maybe take on some nearby guild quests? We do have plenty of money though…” (Shizuma)
Honestly, I already have enough money to live without working for the rest of my life.
But I doubt I’d ever spend all of it, and that could end up slowing the economy.
I do want to use it for something like investments, donations, or something beneficial for the country.
“For now, let’s do sightseeing, and once we’re done, we can decide then?” (Melt)
“Right. For now, let’s go get your armor.” (Shizuma)
Sightseeing resumed. Seems like even I’m feeling a bit excited in this unfamiliar town.
—————–
“Here, here. Frentz & Mace High-Grade Armory. To call yourself a ‘High-Grade Armory,’ you need to have at least two craftsmen who have won the tournament at least once! Letty-chan recommended this place.” (Melt)
“Oho! The storefront and the size really are on a different level from the other shops.” (Shizuma)
She led me to a dignified-looking shop located on a higher section of the district, built into a slope near the mountain, with a large workshop behind it.
“Hello!” (Melt)
When we entered the shop with the bell ringing, the chilly outside air switched to a warm -almost too warm- temperature inside.
This wasn’t from heating; the heat from the workshop must be reaching here.
“Welcome. Are you here to place an order today? Or are you buying or selling? Currently, the craftsmen are all tied up preparing for the tournament, so new custom orders will take quite some time.”
“Uh…”
Melt took out a document from her pocket and handed it to the clerk.
“Ah, here to pick up an order. Please follow me to the exhibition room.”
The clerk walked up the stairs to the second floor. It seemed the first floor was for reception, access to the workshop, and administrative space.
“Fufu, I feel like a special customer. They gave me an order sheet when I placed the request last time.” (Melt)
“I see. Let’s head up then.” (Shizuma)
On the second floor, various weapons and armor were tightly arranged in glass cases.
However, there was an iron gate between the staircase and the display area, preventing entry.
“What is this iron gate for?” (Melt)
“This area holds custom-ordered items, so customers cannot enter unless accompanied by staff. But by letting people see these masterpieces through the gaps, regular customers think ‘Someday I want to buy something displayed in there,’ which maintains their motivation and nurtures future patrons. You could say it creates a sense of aspiration.”
“I see… That’s pretty clever…” (Shizuma)
This shop’s owner must be no ordinary person.
The iron gate was unlocked for us, and I examined the equipment on display.
…At times like this, maybe I should’ve come in my original form.
In that form, I could use Divine Eye.
I could’ve analyzed the details of these pieces…
“Waaah… So many amazing weapons! Waaah… waaah…” (Melt)
“They definitely look…noticeably different from ordinary swords…” (Shizuma)
None of them looked like they were made from ordinary metal.
A long sword with a faint bluish sheen, as though imbued with some power… Twin blades that seemed to tremble subtly, as if releasing something… Gauntlets that looked like they were shining brighter than just reflected light…
Every piece seemed infused with some kind of magic.
“Melt-sama’s armor is this one.”
“Oooh!!! Wow, everything is so beautifully arranged!” (Melt)
Further in was a wooden torso mannequin, and mounted on it was what appeared to be Melt’s light armor.
Silver and ash-silver plates covered the chest, while the rest was made of a chainmail-like material woven from thin wires; armor that looked easy to wear, almost like clothing.
The chainmail portion was incredibly fine… Perhaps made from ultra-thin wire?
It feels like it would fit perfectly even while doing extreme movements. The delicate craftsmanship reached every corner, making it look like a fine piece of art.
“Amazing! I can really wear this, right!?” (Melt)
“Of course. Melt-sama paid at the time of the order. Eight large gold coins, all at once. It is quite rare for someone so young to purchase our products upfront.”
“I’m surprised… That was a pretty big purchase.” (Shizuma)
“Yeah! Remember when I joined the monster subjugation team? The parts from the monsters Shilent and I defeated sold really well, and my share of the reward was deposited! Fifteen large gold coins!” (Melt)
“Aah, that. You made a good investment. If you’re going to keep fighting, good equipment is a must.” (Shizuma)
“Right! I was thinking I’d keep using my dagger for a while but…Seimu keeps saying a new one would be better, so what should I do?” (Melt)
“Hm… Clerk-san, are all the items here already claimed by buyers?” (Shizuma)
I walked over to a showcase containing a pair of daggers: one gold and one silver.
“Yes. Some customers pay part upfront and complete payment upon finishing, but if they do not purchase it within one year after completion, these items become available to the general public. However, the pair known as Moonlight and Sunwheel have already been fully paid for.”
“Too bad. They looked like excellent pieces.” (Shizuma)
The daggers had beautifully crafted blades and detailed guards and grips, and even through the glass, I could sense a mysterious power.
A golden dagger and a silver dagger… Beautiful.
“No need to get something that fancy for me…” (Melt)
“But I want to give you something good since you became Ruby Rank.” (Shizuma)
“My, I thought you two looked young, but Ruby… You must be rather accomplished adventurers.”
“Eh~? Not reallyyy… Ah! I can try on the armor now, right!?” (Melt)
“Of course. Please use that changing area.”
Melt disappeared behind the curtain, and I asked the clerk a question.
“If I place a new custom order, when would it be completed?” (Shizuma)
“Well…including the tournament and our already heavy workload…if you want a high-grade craftsman, the earliest would be six months. This armor did not use particularly rare materials or techniques, so it barely qualified to be made by a high-grade craftsman.”
“I see… Understood. And no possible way even with extra payment, right?” (Shizuma)
…The ultimate technique: bribery.
“That would be…difficult…”
“I thought so. Sorry for asking.” (Shizuma)
Yeah, no way they could delay other customers’ orders.
I glanced at a flyer for the blacksmithing tournament posted on the wall while waiting.
[New Year Blacksmithing Tournament! March 3rd to April 2nd! Entries now open. Walk-in craftsmen are also welcome. Register at the Blacksmith Guild.]
[Entry fee: 3 large gold coins. Workshop rental fees range from 5 to 20 large gold coins depending on the workshop rank.]
[Grand prize: Quartz Dragon Heart-Silver, Elder Bark of the World Tree, plus 50 large gold coins.]
Oho… Those are some grand-sounding materials, plus a big cash reward.
And craftsmanship titles like High-Grade Craftsman or Meister are also awarded.
“This tournament sounds incredible. There’s even a Meister title?” (Shizuma)
“Yes. Even in our shop, we’ve only produced two high-grade craftsmen so far. Actually…even if you win, you generally only receive the high-grade title. The last time a Meister was granted was decades ago. Only one person, the blacksmith from Hamsterdam known as the Golden-Thread Maiden, has ever received it.”
Again!? This mysterious nation, Hamsterdam…! And that name, “Golden-Thread Maiden”… I heard that from Shuris-san before.
She was the one who crafted Shuris-san’s ceremonial armor…
“I’m done! Look! It fits perfectly! And even if my boobs get bigger, it’s fine! The mesh on the sides stretches!” (Melt)
“…Melt, don’t talk about your boobs in public.” (Shizuma)
See!? Look, you’ve made the clerk feel awkward!
Melt emerged from the changing area, wearing the light armor beneath the coat she bought recently.
The beautiful silver and ash-silver breastplate bore delicate engravings, and the rest was perfectly fitted chainmail made from ultra-fine silver wire with a special weave.
Areas that would rub against the skin, around the sleeves and neck, were protected with white leather.
Anyone could tell this was first-class armor. Melt suddenly looked every bit the upper-tier adventurer.
“It suits you amazingly well. You look cool, like a real top-class adventurer.” (Shizuma)
“Really!? Ehehe… I feel all tensed up now.” (Melt)
And so, we successfully obtained the light armor -the reason we came to this city in the first place.
Now then… What should we do next?
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