episode_0119

“Ha, haha… … . I haven’t said anything yet about the item the Count took out.”

“It’s all shown on your face?”

Count Art looked at me with a fresh expression. Still unidentified, he was carefully holding up a glass bottle containing an alchemic solution that, according to Count Art, makes iron even better.

I wondered if my expression was too blatant, but I couldn’t show that I 100% trusted the alchemy solution that Count Art had mentioned. To be honest, it was hard to believe that simply adding iron would make it stronger without any side effects.

Of course, it is not impossible as it is an alchemy liquid that is a by-product of alchemy, but it was strange to feel trust in someone who came to me for another reason and suddenly asked if I would like to buy an item with such efficacy.

“Ha… … .”

And, as if that was something that Count Arth also acknowledged, he fiddled with the glass bottle in his hand, put it down, and sighed.

However, as if he had not completely lost his motivation to sell, he returned to his calm posture, pushing the glass bottle away to a place where I could easily see it.

“First of all, we will talk about this again a little later. Now I have to solve the problems in my territory as well. It is said that we can somehow survive the reduction in the school’s budget, but if the territory’s situation is not good, we cannot afford to miss the right time.”

The feeling of a miscellaneous merchant trying to sell goods disappeared in an instant, and Count Art, who began to exude the air of a noble lady, began to talk about the situation of his estate.

It borders two fiefdoms, and both fiefdoms are said to be fiefdoms of the noble faction. Furthermore, it was added that the two territories were targeting Count Arth’s territory.

“So, I was gathering troops, and the royal family said they would provide support? What… … . It was obvious that the princess would make the blacksmith shop bigger, so I had her bring that to me to make a suggestion.”

After feeling like a miscellaneous merchant, Count Art returned to the mood of a noblewoman and began listing the items she needed.

Starting with the items that are most popular in our blacksmith shops, such as swords, spearheads, shields, and breastplates, we also requested items that can be used as consumables, such as arrowheads, or premium line items that will be used to arm knights.

“After saying this, it seems a bit much. Is it possible to place an order? First of all, the royal family gave a certificate saying that they could support this amount.”

Of course, the amount was quite large enough to arm the county’s troops. It wasn’t entirely new, so it wasn’t huge, but it was still more than three times the amount ordered by other barons and viscounts.

Perhaps because the amount was quite large, I was worried about the expression on Count Art’s face as he presented the token with the pre-arranged pattern on it. He seemed worried that he might be rejected because the amount was too large.

But there was no reason to refuse. Production had already increased tremendously through press processing of Death Knights. It was actually better for me if there was a lot of quantity. You can receive a lump sum at once, and the costs associated with producing large quantities at once are also saved.

In short, Count Art was said to be an excellent customer who placed large orders.

“Oh, it’s possible. You can purchase as written on the certificate.”

He told me that I could purchase the exact amount written on the voucher and calculated the price. If he had made an ordinary purchase, the amount would have been more than 20 million meds, but since there was support from the royal family, the amount that Count Art had to pay was a little over 10 million meds.

“How many times would you have to research this amount? … .”

“… … Count?”

“Eh, yes? ah… … ! sorry. Because the budget was cut, I’m a little sensitive to money… … .”

Count Arth smiled sheepishly and gently averted his gaze. Then, as I watched his hand slowly move towards the glass bottle, it seemed like he had the temperament of a businessman.

Of course, he still didn’t have the temperament of an excellent businessman, so he just ignored it and signed the contract. It was a contract that included details such as how much to pay as a down payment and how long the product would be manufactured.

Count Art, who quickly drew up the contract, had one of his knights bring the down payment. A bundle containing the down payment was placed in front of me, as if it had been stored separately in the carriage.

“The amount is correct. Then let’s start production right away.”

Now that the deposit has been paid, we decided to start production right away. I sent dark magic with my will to the skeleton mage who served as my butler. The Skeleton Mage who received exactly what I wanted would deliver it to the blacksmith, and then production of items would begin even if I did not go to the blacksmith.

“Now, wait a minute!”

But suddenly Count Art shouted as if to stop. I looked at Count Art, wondering if there was some problem.

And then, Count Art, who caught my gaze, lifted up the glass bottle he had put down.

“This! Won’t you make it using this?”

“… … You haven’t given up yet.”

“Once you see the performance, your mind will change. Because I’m not cheating.”

As if it was unfair, I sighed softly when Count Art said to check first.

Still, it wasn’t something I couldn’t listen to. It only required a few additional steps during the production process. As if that expression appeared on his face again, Count Art slowly lifted up another glass bottle.

” I would like you to use this as well. To be exact, only items that knights will use.”

“Do you mean only for articles? What effect does that have?”

“In some ways, it is a very great alchemy amount. In fact, all materials in the world have a limit to which they can accommodate the power called mana. The higher this is, the easier it is to drain mana into objects. The proof is that among the swords called famous swords, there are not many swords made using only iron. Our school began research on the acceptance limit of mana in materials based on the question that started from that point… … ”

“… … Please explain briefly.”

I had a feeling that the explanation would be very long, so I quickly interrupted the Count. It may have felt rude, but it couldn’t be helped. For some reason, I felt like if I left him talking, a very long story would come out.

Still, Count Art did not feel particularly offended even though his words were interrupted. Although he seemed a little disappointed because he enjoyed talking.

“It is an alchemy solution that increases mana reaction rate. To be precise, it does not increase the response rate. It increases the mana capacity I just mentioned.”

“… … .”

Of course, I did not feel trusting in Count Art’s words. Just add it to get a dramatic effect! It was foolish to blindly believe that something would pop out.

But Count Art seemed to know it when he saw it, and held out two glass bottles.

“By the way, you said that the alchemy solution you showed me at first had to be added while the iron was molten, right?”

“That’s right. Both types of chemicals must be added in a molten state to properly mix with the molten iron to exert their effects. There is nothing we can do about it because it is a form of alchemy that transforms some of the properties of the substance. For reference, since most of the alchemy liquid is made up of mana, you should not melt the hardened iron to the point where it turns into molten iron again. If that happens, all the effects of the alchemy amount will disappear.”

Even though I nodded as Count Art briefly explained the precautions, I felt a little troubled.

The problem was the method of use, which was indicated as a precaution. Currently, in my blacksmith shop, even if production is not through press processing, most of the items produced are in the form of reprocessing iron plates made in a place with a blast furnace. Of course, the items Count Art wanted were also in the form of reprocessing iron plates.

And, that part of what Count Arth wanted became a problem. The alchemy solution had to be added to the molten metal, but in order to do so, it had to be added during the process of making the iron plate. In short, it meant that you had to go to the place where the blast furnace was, make additions, and then bring in the newly created steel plates to make things.

This part was bound to be a very important part of the contract. This is because if a new steel plate was to be made from scratch, a change in the delivery date was absolutely necessary.

I had no choice but to announce it. There will be a delay in time due to the process that Count Art wants, and the cost and time will increase because additional processes must be completed.

“… … So I need more time and money, is that okay?”

“Ugh… … .”

Count Art seemed to hesitate for a moment when he heard that it would add time and cost. However, perhaps because he was proud of the alchemy amount, he quickly nodded.

“It can’t be helped. I will pay the cost part. I’m willing to accept that it takes more time.”

Count Arta stared at me with clear eyes, as if he had decided to show me the results of the alchemy solution somehow.

I shrugged my shoulders at the Count’s unwillingness to change his mind and revised the contract as is. The required delivery deadline was extended and the overall transaction amount was increased. Of course, I also received the additional down payment.

“Then, use these alchemy liquids to make things.”

Count Art, who revised the contract and paid the additional deposit, handed me two glass bottles.

“What is the rate of use of this? The ratio between molten iron and alchemy solution.”

“When we experimented with blacksmiths in our school, it was most efficient to use it diluted about a thousand times. The effect is better if you add more, but the increase is less compared to adding more. If it is insufficient, it may have little effect. Ah, this is based on volume. Since you are a warlock, you know about the concept of volume, right?”

“Are they both a thousand times ratio?”

“That’s not true. The alchemy solution that makes iron harder is a thousand times stronger, and the one that increases the mana acceptance limit is about thirty times more.”

When I heard that I needed to dilute it about 1,000 times and 30 times, respectively, I nodded as I looked at the glass bottles the size of my forearm. It seemed like that would be enough to make enough iron plates to make the things the Count wanted.

“Any other precautions?”

“The disadvantage is that as the iron becomes harder, it becomes more difficult to process it, or if too much is added, the iron changes strangely to the point where it is unusable. Other than that, there is nothing to be careful about.”

Hearing that there was nothing worth taking note of, I immediately called the butler, the Skeleton Mage. The guy slithered out from behind the sofa I was sitting on and immediately approached me.

“Hike,” Count Art seemed surprised, but he didn’t care and handed over two glass bottles.

“Send this to the blast furnace. When making an iron plate, just pour it into molten iron to make an iron plate. Once the iron plate is made, it is immediately sent to the blacksmith shop.”

Passing over the glass bottle, he gave instructions to the Skeleton Mage. He told me to make an iron plate using the alchemy liquid contained in the glass bottle he gave me. Of course, I did not forget to give directions regarding proportions.

The Skeleton Mage took the glass bottle and disappeared in an instant. Since there is a dedicated truck that goes back and forth between the blast furnace and the blacksmith shop from time to time, they went to move it right away.

After sending the glass bottle towards where Goro was, I turned my attention to Count Art, who was holding his hand to his chest and gasping in shock.

“How are you going to wait until the items you ordered are completed? Or would you like to come back on the day specified in the contract?”

“… … It takes too long to get to my territory, so I’ll wait and receive the items. Once the items using the alchemy solution are completed, Baron Steel will also want to purchase the alchemy solution, so I can report it to the school leader on the way to my territory.”

I shrugged my shoulders at Count Art’s confident appearance and offered him some help in finding the best accommodation in my domain.