Chapter 113: Punishment

“Could you elaborate a bit more on that?”

Upon seeing Yoo Han-beom’s reaction, Lee Hyun-seung had a hard time suppressing his smile. It was just as he had expected. However, naturally, he hid this feeling and calmly responded.

“Master Blacksmith Tak Woo-hyun came to Broad Academy to deliver the custom-made weapons I ordered. However, Yoo Hee-yeon, for reasons unknown to me, tried to seize the weapons halfway. The relationship between us wasn’t good back then, so I suspect it was some sort of retaliation, but I believe only she knows the exact reason. In any case, what I witnessed wasn’t pretty. She treated Master Tak Woo-hyun’s weapons as if they were junk, disregarding the pride and dignity of a blacksmith and calculating everything in terms of money. And then, at the scene…”

Lee Hyun-seung proceeded to explain everything that happened at the time—what Yoo Hee-yeon had done and said, including his own negative opinions sprinkled throughout. Yoo Han-beom, after hearing this, gritted his teeth and spoke coldly.

“Yoo Hee-yeon, while holding the position of successor, treated the Master Blacksmith of the Blacksmith Association like that? Even if she were a fool, how could she have done something like that?”

Tak Woo-hyun, the Master Blacksmith of the Association, was a person who wielded influence over all the blacksmiths in the country. To disregard and belittle him meant one had to consider the future consequences. Logically speaking, antagonizing him meant that in the future, when a large quantity of weapons was needed, things could go awry. But Yoo Hee-yeon, blinded by her need for revenge, didn’t account for such consequences.

Yoo Han-beom found it hard to believe, not because it was unbelievable, but because he didn’t want to believe it. How could someone who had grown up seeing the workings of the Artemis Guild and had been the successor make such a foolish mistake?

— Kruuuuuuuum

The room shook with a powerful vibration. Yoo Han-beom, unable to control his anger, had his mana spill into the surroundings.

“What exactly are we supposed to do? We need to purchase tens of thousands of items, artifacts, and consumables right now. But if it’s our fault, we have to bear the entire cost for all these purchases. Even if we have an abundance of money, it’ll still result in enormous losses…”

Yoo Han-beom ground his teeth with a troubled expression. The Master Blacksmith of the Association had overreacted and even promised retribution. But it turned out that it was their mistake. If Tak Woo-hyun were to find out that Yoo Hee-yeon was the one who had been the successor at that time, he might publicize it and change his stance. Instead of backing down, he would likely take a much harsher stance.

Seeing Yoo Han-beom’s grave expression, Lee Hyun-seung spoke up just in time.

“Guild Leader Yoo Han-beom, it’s alright. There’s still a chance to make up for her mistake.”

“Make up for it? How…? Even if I explain everything to him now and apologize, he won’t change his mind.”

“I’ll personally persuade Master Tak Woo-hyun.”

It was already done. Tak Woo-hyun, though too proud to speak of it, also thought he had overreacted. And even if it became known that Yoo Hee-yeon was the successor at that time, it wouldn’t cause a big problem. Because Lee Hyun-seung had something that Tak Woo-hyun wanted.

Double crafting slots.

If Tak Woo-hyun raised objections, Lee Hyun-seung would simply apologize and reveal the secret of the double crafting slots. For a blacksmith, the value of that information was astronomical.

“Do you really think it’s possible? I heard Tak Woo-hyun is a man of strong pride, and once he makes up his mind, he rarely changes it.”

“I can do it. I’m quite close with him.”

Yoo Han-beom looked at Lee Hyun-seung with a puzzled expression but eventually nodded.

“If you can do that for me, I’ll be truly grateful.”

Lee Hyun-seung replied,

“Of course, I will use my relationship to persuade the Blacksmith Association and lift the weapon supply restrictions to the Artemis Guild. But, they will expect something in return. I believe it would be best to pay them in a way other than money.”

Tak Woo-hyun wasn’t a man who valued money that much. If he needed money, he could easily produce his custom weapons, but he had refrained from doing so, which was telling.

“If not money, then how should we pay them?”

“Later, when the Blacksmith Association is in danger, it might be appropriate to offer Artemis Guild’s military strength for their assistance.”

“….”

Yoo Han-beom paused for a moment, considering it. Offering Artemis Guild’s military strength. Though it would be only once, it meant that the country’s top guild would be protecting them. The Blacksmith Association had wealth and production capacity, but they weren’t particularly strong in terms of military power. This offer, therefore, was priceless—more valuable than money.

From Yoo Han-beom’s perspective, since they had made a mistake, he readily agreed.

“Let’s do that. If he agrees to it, that is.”

Blacksmith Association. Lee Hyun-seung went to see Tak Woo-hyun.

“Master Tak Woo-hyun, I just had a conversation with Guild Leader Yoo Han-beom.”

Tak Woo-hyun responded with a worried expression.

“What did he say?”

“It seems there was some misunderstanding between you two. After I explained things, we agreed that there wouldn’t be any talk of retaliation from the Artemis Guild. In fact, we decided to get along better, and later, when the Blacksmith Association faces difficulties, they will offer assistance.”

“What… what did you say?!”

Tak Woo-hyun asked in shock, his expression filled with disbelief.

“Is that true? Not only did Yoo Han-beom apologize, but he also offered to lend the guild’s strength?”

To Tak Woo-hyun, who didn’t know anything, the situation was completely incomprehensible. Just recently, Yoo Han-beom had been acting like a wild beast. How could he have changed his attitude so drastically after just one conversation with Lee Hyun-seung? Tak Woo-hyun was astonished.

‘This guy’s more impressive than I thought.’

Tak Woo-hyun reassessed his opinion of Lee Hyun-seung. Convincing Yoo Han-beom, the leader of the country’s top guild and known for being the harshest, with just one conversation was no small feat. Not everyone could pull that off.

“Truly, thank you.”

Tak Woo-hyun let out a sigh of relief and spoke to Lee Hyun-seung, who nodded politely.

“I’m glad I could be of help. And, Master Tak Woo-hyun, I have a request.”

“Anything. This incident was my fault, and other blacksmiths almost suffered greatly because of my rashness. Since you prevented that, I’ll grant you anything you ask. If you want a custom-made weapon, I won’t refuse.”

“I’ve already received one of your custom-made weapons before, and I know there’s a long waiting list. I don’t think it’s right to skip ahead in line this time, either.”

“Hmm… you really don’t need to consider my feelings like that. Ahem… but I must admit, I appreciate that you understand the value of my weapons. You even seem to consider others as well. So, do you have any other requests? Speak freely.”

Lee Hyun-seung, seizing the moment, replied.

“First, I should mention that I’ve recently become involved with the Artemis Guild, though unofficially.”

Crash!

Tak Woo-hyun jumped to his feet, shouting in surprise.

“What?! You’re an ideal candidate for the Blacksmith Association, so why would you join Artemis Guild?!”

Lee Hyun-seung spoke hesitantly.

“There’s a complex situation involved that I can’t explain in detail.”

Tak Woo-hyun stared at him with a serious expression for a moment before nodding.

“Hmm… it’s disappointing, but there’s nothing we can do about it. Maybe it’s thanks to you deciding to work with them that Yoo Han-beom became more considerate and even showed some goodwill in this situation… Perhaps, I should be grateful instead…”

Tak Woo-hyun misunderstood the situation, but Lee Hyun-seung didn’t correct him and simply responded.

“Since I’ve joined the Artemis Guild, and in order to help Master Tak Woo-hyun, I’d like to have my contributions acknowledged as well. When the official documents are sent later, would you be able to include the following wording?”

Lee Hyun-seung handed over a piece of paper he had written in advance, and Tak Woo-hyun nodded.

“This is easy enough. I’ll write it right away and send it. If it helps you, that is.”

“Thank you.”

Artemis Guild. A letter from the Blacksmith Association President arrived.

• Greetings, Guild Leader of Artemis. This is Tak Woo-hyun, President of the Blacksmith Association…

Yoo Han-beom, however, skipped the formal pleasantries and got straight to the point.

“Thank you for correcting the misunderstanding between us. After hearing Lee Hyun-seung’s mediation, we fully understand the situation. As a gesture of apology, we would like to offer additional compensation. We will lift the restrictions on the quantity of materials, and we will provide Artemis Guild with as much as you need. Furthermore, I will instruct blacksmiths across the country to offer the weapons, artifacts, and consumables supplied to Artemis Guild at a 10% discount from the average price.”

A short but concise statement. The material restrictions had been lifted, and they would supply items at a lower price than usual. These were impressive offers, but one line caught Yoo Han-beom’s attention.

• After hearing Lee Hyun-seung’s mediation, we fully understand the situation.

‘How on earth did he convince them? And it even seems like they’re more favorable toward us now.’

They had thrown the first punch, yet not only had they forgiven them, but they were also offering compensation. Was this even possible? Since Lee Hyun-seung had led all the negotiations, it was only right that his achievements were highly regarded.

‘To have such results right after joining Artemis Guild…’

As he pondered, a sound came from outside.

• Knock

• Knock

• Knock

“Who is it?”

“Guild Leader, as you requested, I’ve brought Yoo Hee-yeon.”

Yoo Han-beom pushed the papers aside and spoke coldly.

“Let her in.”

• Creak

A moment later, Yoo Hee-yeon slowly entered the room.

“Father… I was surprised you called me so suddenly. Are you finally going to forgive me?”

Yoo Hee-yeon asked innocently, but Yoo Han-beom responded sharply.

“Shut up.”

Yoo Hee-yeon stared at him blankly, but Yoo Han-beom didn’t pay her any mind as he continued.

“I’ve called you here to inform you of your punishment.”