Ch.16Chapter 16 – To Glesius Academy (3)

About three days had passed since I began my journey to Glesius Academy in a carriage prepared by the Bleas Merchant Guild.

Judging by how I barely felt the shock I experienced on the first day of riding, it seemed the coachman had become somewhat accustomed to driving the carriage.

The carriage that I and others were riding in wasn’t one where we could view the outside scenery.

So all we could do was check our belongings or chat with each other.

‘Couldn’t something exciting happen?’

To think I’d be hoping for something lively to occur after traveling in a carriage without incident.

Someone once said that humans are truly fickle creatures, and perhaps that statement is correct.

—Crack!

“Whoa~whoa.”

At that moment, everyone in the carriage, including myself, raised their heads at the sound coming from outside.

The cracking sound of something breaking and the coachman hurriedly calming the horses.

It seemed like something had actually happened.

“Bandits?”

A man with a bald head and a full beard, who looked like a seasoned adventurer, was the first to exit the carriage.

Seeing this, the rest of us also got out to prepare for any possible situation, and upon exiting, we saw people gathered around the carriage ahead of ours.

‘What happened?’

Curious about what had occurred, I pushed through the crowd toward the carriage that had been moving ahead of the one I was in.

“Ah, damn. This is bad.”

“Why did that suddenly break?”

As I approached the carriage, I could see guild members clicking their tongues and looking bewildered.

From what I could hear about something breaking, it seemed like a wheel had been damaged.

When I reached the crowded carriage, I saw that the rear wheel and axle of the cargo-laden carriage were completely broken.

For a wheel and axle to break like that, I wondered just how much cargo they had loaded.

“What exactly was this carriage carrying that caused the wheel and axle to break?”

“Hmm? This carriage? It’s carrying various metal ingots to be supplied to the blacksmith contracted with Glesius Academy.”

Ah, so they were transporting heavy items.

I examined the back of the carriage with the broken wheel and axle, and sure enough, there was a fairly large hole.

Looking carefully at the road, I could see that just ahead, the path curved to the right.

It seemed the front wheels had managed to avoid the hole, but as the carriage turned the corner, the rear wheel caught in the hole, and the impact caused the already old wheel to break.

To make matters worse, the axle that helped the wheel roll had also snapped.

“This is quite serious.”

“Indeed. Sigh, I even mentioned that the carriage was acting strange and needed maintenance…”

Leaving behind the guild employee who was complaining about the unmaintained carriage, I approached the head of the Bleas Merchant Guild.

“Hmm? What is it?”

“I heard something breaking and came out of the carriage to check.”

“Ah, yes, I just realized your carriage was right behind this one. As you can see, the wheel and axle of the carriage carrying various ingots are completely damaged. And these happen to be the most expensive goods in this trade caravan…”

According to the Bleas Guild Master, the ingots loaded on this carriage were all specially ordered by Glesius Academy for crafting equipment for their students.

Moreover, this time the order quantity was 1.5 times larger than before, so they had loaded more cargo than usual.

Additionally, he explained that because the delivery deadline was tight, they loaded goods as soon as they collected them, and in that process, safety checks for overloading were likely overlooked.

“This is a serious problem. Since we can’t repair the wheel right away, the guild’s entire schedule will be delayed.”

“Don’t you have spare parts for repairs?”

“With limited space and time for goods, where would we find room for spare parts?”

“I see.”

After listening to the Bleas Guild Master’s explanation, I realized a golden opportunity had presented itself.

Creating a debt with a merchant guild trusted enough by Glesius Academy to place special large orders?

Anyone could see this would bring tremendous benefits in the future.

And what ability did I possess?

‘The ability to fix anything.’

If I used this ability to repair the carriage wheel and axle?

‘The Bleas Merchant Guild would be very grateful to me.’

Merchant guilds make their living through financial gains, and where do those gains come from?

From connections and credit built over time.

Trading goods happens because both the buyer and the supplier trust each other.

The person seeking goods trades because they believe the supplier will provide what they want.

The supplier trades because they trust the buyer will pay the correct amount.

In other words, trade is based on mutual trust, as I learned in high school economics.

And if I helped them now, my name would inevitably spread to Glesius Academy and elsewhere.

Therefore, I had no reason not to help them.

“So you just need the wheel and axle fixed?”

“Hmm? Do you have some good solution?”

The Bleas Guild Master began showing interest in my words.

He was probably willing to grasp at straws in this desperate situation.

“Could you ask people to step back for a moment?”

“Can you actually fix the wheel and axle?”

“Yes, I can.”

“Oh, wonderful! Thank you! If you can fix the wheel and axle, I’ll reward you handsomely.”

Having secured a promise of substantial compensation from the Bleas Guild Master, it was now time to fix the wheel and axle.

He did as I asked and had everyone step back.

Though everyone’s eyes were on me as I approached the carriage, I deliberately ignored their stares and took out a hammer from the sack I was carrying.

When I pulled out just the hammer, the Bleas Guild Master’s expression began to change in real-time.

He seemed to find it strange that I only took out a hammer, but remembering that I said I could fix it, he simply watched quietly.

Alright, now it begins.

I planned to fix the broken axle first.

The axle, broken along with the wheel, was completely twisted.

It was so twisted that from a distance, one might mistake it for a twisted pretzel.

‘I should fix the axle first so the carriage can stand properly.’

I swung my hammer toward the broken axle under the carriage.

—Tap, tap, tap.

After three dry sounds, like tapping dried pollack, a faint light began to form around the broken and twisted axle.

“W-what is that?”

“Light on the carriage axle?”

“T-the axle is being repaired!”

The carriage axle that I had struck three times with my hammer began to repair itself with a creaking sound.

Simultaneously, I swung my hammer toward the broken wheel.

—Tap, tap, tap.

Once again, three dry sounds like hitting dried pollack rang out, and this time light began to form around the wheel.

And then something amazing happened.

As the light around the wheel and axle disappeared, the collapsed rear of the carriage slowly began to rise.

When the light completely vanished, the previously devastated wheel and axle were gone, replaced by shiny new-looking ones proudly displaying their magnificence.

“Impossible…”

“The wheel and axle are fixed…”

As I repaired the wheel and axle, expressions of disbelief and admiration began to sound from those around us.

“Ha, haha, uahahahaha. You truly are a guest with extraordinary abilities.”

In particular, the head of the Bleas Merchant Guild began speaking to me with honorifics and showing a respectful attitude, unlike before.

“Thank you, esteemed customer. Thanks to you, our trade caravan won’t be delayed.”

After confirming there were no issues when the coachman moved the carriage back and forth, the Bleas Guild Master came to express his gratitude.

“When we arrive at Glesius Academy, I will certainly repay this debt. I, Markus Bleas, head of the Bleas Merchant Guild, pledge on my name to reward you generously.”

Satisfied with the repair of the wheel and axle, the head of the Bleas Merchant Guild, Markus Bleas, repeatedly expressed his gratitude to me.

“I’ll hold you to that promise.”

I decided to trust his word, given on his own name.

As I returned to the carriage to resume our journey…

—Crack.

“Oh dear.”

This time, the rear wheel of the carriage I was supposed to ride in broke.

“…I’ll do this one as a service.”

“Thank you very much. Thanks to you, our caravan won’t be delayed. We are truly grateful!”

“Since I’ll be riding comfortably in the carriage, I can at least do this much.”

Although there was another unfortunate incident requiring carriage wheel repairs, thanks to this, I was able to receive excellent treatment without any issues during the journey to Glesius Academy.

And so, Glesius Academy began to appear in the distance.