Ch.261261. I’m not trusting you; I’m trusting myself.

“Have you eaten?”

If you travel a bit further down from the Estella territory by carriage, you’ll find the Altiera territory in a surprisingly remote location.

I barged into the oldest blacksmith shop there, plopped down on a chair, and was met with a confused young man.

After checking my appearance once, he bowed his head deeply.

“…Not yet.”

“It’s well past lunchtime and you still haven’t eaten? I thought that might be the case, so I brought food.”

I casually placed various meats I’d brought onto the table. The man’s eyes widened momentarily, then gradually narrowed with suspicion.

“Have I met you before, young master?”

This young man’s name is Lumina.

In the future, he becomes the blacksmith character who crafts magnificent weapons for Serion Lykus and his companions.

Originally, he wasn’t a character I necessarily needed to meet.

I smiled slyly and nodded toward the meat.

“Let’s eat first, then talk.”

“Um, may I really eat this?”

“Of course. I deliberately bought the most expensive meats just to feed you.”

Lumina stared at the glistening, steaming meat and swallowed hard.

Then, with words of gratitude, he began eating hurriedly.

There was something pitiful about how he fearlessly ate food given by a stranger, showing no concern for potential dangers.

With my arms comfortably crossed, I waited about ten minutes for him to finish his meal.

He had already devoured all the meat on the table and was wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

“I, I really enjoyed the meal. Now, what did you want to discuss?”

“Drink some water first. I’m not going anywhere.”

“…Thank you.”

Once again with words of gratitude, Lumina gulped down water so vigorously his Adam’s apple was fully visible.

It seemed bringing food had been the right decision.

Around this time, before meeting Serion Lykus who would recognize his talent, he was struggling to even have proper meals.

In the original story, it was said that each weapon he made was imbued not with soul, but with han [deep resentment].

Despite short production times, he created weapons superior to any other blacksmith’s, and most importantly, he continued selling to Serion Lykus, the first person to recognize his true worth, at extremely low prices.

As I mentioned earlier, I didn’t need to meet him.

Why?

Because I already had the Raiden Sword, and unlike Serion Lykus, I didn’t need to hunt monsters for a living.

However.

Now that I’m establishing the Guardian Corps, there will be quite a number of people.

Plus, there’s the academy that Lucien attends.

Isn’t it natural to want to provide good weapons to the flourishing students?

That’s why.

I sought out Lumina, who was the most famous blacksmith in the original story.

Since I would be connected to him anyway, I could also ensure that Serion Lykus would be able to acquire weapons at affordable prices.

“Are you ready to listen now?”

“Yes, I am.”

“I’d like you to make weapons for me.”

“Understood.”

Even if he’s the best blacksmith in this world’s setting and currently poor, he’s accepting without even asking what kind of weapons?

Indeed, meeting someone when their value is at its lowest seems to yield the best profit, both financially and time-wise.

“I need weapons in bulk.”

“How many, sir?”

“Staves for mages, swords for knights, and bows for mercenaries… let’s say about five hundred pieces to start?”

“F-five hundred pieces?”

“What, can’t you make them?”

“I-I’m sorry, but I can’t make that many weapons.”

At Lumina’s weak response, I adjusted my posture and tilted my head.

“You should have the skill for it, though?”

“That’s not it. To make weapons, I need materials, and my forge doesn’t have the financial resources to mass-produce that many weapons.”

“Ah, don’t worry about money. I’ll pay you in advance anyway.”

I waved my hand dismissively, and Lumina’s eyes widened again.

“You’ll pay the full amount for five hundred weapons in advance?”

“Yep, of course.”

“What if I run away?”

“You won’t run away.”

“You trust me that much?”

I laughed at Lumina’s question.

“It’s not that I trust you; I trust myself.”

“…Pardon?”

“Think about it. I came in and immediately ordered five hundred weapons. How many more do you think I’ll order later?”

“I-I don’t know?”

“You don’t know? Swords, staves, and bows are all consumables that can break, aren’t they?”

At this, Lumina bristled.

“My swords are NOT consumables!”

“Well, even if that’s the case, you still can’t run away.”

“And why is that this time?”

“Because I’ll kill you.”

With those words, I stood up and swung the Raiden Sword through the air.

With an invisible shockwave, a strong wind blew, and a distant tree split in half in the blink of an eye.

Lumina rubbed his eyes in disbelief and then opened them wide again.

“…I’m convinced.”

“Good, then.”

“May I ask one more question?”

“Sure, go ahead.”

“My earlier question—have we met before?”

“No.”

“Then why would you trust someone you’ve never met before with such a large order of weapons?”

This was the moment I had been waiting for.

The exact same question Lumina had asked Serion Lykus in the original story.

I quoted Serion Lykus’s answer verbatim.

“Because I’m someone who recognized your worth at first glance.”

A moment of silence.

Lumina’s face turned bright red, and tears welled up in his eyes.

Then he stood up abruptly and bowed.

“I am Lumina. I look forward to working with you.”

*

“Young master, don’t you have something to tell me?”

After returning to Lake territory from commissioning weapons from Lumina.

As expected, Federicks was waiting in the study when I returned.

With a very sullen face.

I sat down in the chair and let out a short sigh.

“What now?”

“You clearly told me you would return after finding professors for the academy.”

“I did.”

“But not only did you suddenly pay off women’s debts, but why did you bring them to Lake territory?”

“There’s, um, a reason for that, isn’t there?”

“I just managed to relocate Evalin and the other women you brought last time… and now eleven more people…”

I showed my palm to Federicks, who was sighing in resignation, telling him to calm down.

“Don’t worry about that. I’ll have them stay in the mansion.”

“The m-mansion? I’ve investigated, and though they’re ruined now, they were originally nobility. If rumors spread, it could be a disaster.”

“What rumors could possibly spread?”

“What if these rumors reach the princesses’ ears?”

For a moment, I flinched as I recalled the princesses’ faces, but I continued speaking nonchalantly.

“It’s fine. The women I brought this time are all mages I’ve recruited, and I’ll be establishing the Guardian Corps soon. Besides, the debts I paid in advance will be deducted from their salaries.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes, do you think I’d pay off women’s debts and bring them to Lake territory without any plan, just because I’m crazy about women?”

“No, but how did you manage to gather so many mages at once when it’s difficult to find even one?”

I was lucky, indeed.

Of all the people I’ve met since being possessed as Selden Alphonse, mages were extremely rare.

Even among Serion Lykus’s companions, apart from Saint Claudia, Rebecca was the only proper mage, wasn’t she?

This was like stumbling backward and catching a cow.

Moreover.

Among them, those with exceptional abilities could start as assistants with recommendations from academy professors, killing two birds with one stone.

Building experience that way, they could eventually become professors themselves.

I gently pressed down on my rising shoulders and cleared my throat.

“Haven’t I demonstrated this level of ability many times before?”

“Haha… So, has there been any progress in finding the academy headmaster and professors?”

“I’ve found the headmaster, and the professors will be secured soon.”

I answered with a confident voice, and Federicks shook his head as if he couldn’t deal with me.

“Sigh… Very well. Also, the Miracle Forest is almost ready to be unveiled to tourists.”

“When?”

“As soon as you give permission, it could be as early as tomorrow.”

“Really?”

“There are already quite a few tourists waiting for the Miracle Forest to open in Lake territory. It seems Riden Solis’s timely distribution of information to various networks has been helpful.”

“Oh, things are falling into place without me even having to give orders?”

Despite my praise for Riden Solis, Federicks raised his shoulders and spoke up.

“It was actually completed earlier, but safety concerns were the main obstacle. If monsters from the Forest of Death were to appear, no one would visit the Miracle Forest again.”

“Hmm, then I shouldn’t be sitting around here, should I?”

As I energetically pushed against the desk and stood up, Federicks tilted his head.

“Where are you going now?”

I flashed a wicked smile at Federicks’s questioning face.

“I’m going to enchant the tourists so they’ll come back to the Miracle Forest again and again.”