episode_0044

The week after exams is usually relatively relaxed.

Some professors cancel classes, saying they worked hard on the exams, and some just lecture for about an hour and end the class.

So, there’s a lot of free time in between. Today, I went to the lecture hall only to find out that class was canceled.

-Chirp!

At that moment, a bird flew down from the sky. It was Lana’s summoned creature, Nene.

The creature hovered in the air for a moment before landing on Elheim’s arm. Then, it handed her a note in its mouth.

Even though I saved its owner, it still discriminates against others.

“What does Lana say?”

“She says class is canceled, so she’s coming right now.”

“Really?”

I was just about to go pick up Lana, so that’s good. Ah, I remembered something I had to do beforehand.

“I have some business at the student center, so I’ll stop by for a bit. Go meet her and come together.”

“Understood.”

We parted ways at the student center.

The reason I came here is none other than to use the academy’s storage.

As I said before, the items stored in the warehouse are precious, so you can’t just open it carelessly. That’s why I only got permission today. Just this morning, in fact.

As I entered the first floor, I noticed more glances than before. The whispering, too. That’s because the retake exam had spread to other departments as well.

Originally, talk about the retake exam was only circulating in the Department of Knight Arts, but thanks to the notice board installed there, it spread even more widely.

The guy who was already infamous in a bad way was now being talked about with support and praise instead of wrongdoing, so there was a lot of interest.

It’s also because of the story about the punishment.

The rumor is going around that I stopped Kyle Arden from being expelled, so he ended up with just a suspension.

Professor Mylon must have been blabbing on his own. Saying that if it weren’t for me, you all would have had to pack your bags and leave Trianis.

‘Well, it’s all intentional, though.’

Thanks to that, the gazes directed at me are complex and subtle, written all over their faces. Did that scoundrel really do that?

In fact, perhaps because of that influence, some students thanked me as they passed by in the last few days.

‘This is how you do reputation management.’

Reputation doesn’t improve just by doing good deeds.

It’s only when you prevent desires or wishes, or things like that, from becoming futile that the evaluation is reversed. In Trianis, that is graduating from the academy.

Of course, my grades might have dropped, but not to the point of being comparable to expulsion. Rather, they should be grateful to me. If I hadn’t stopped it, all the effort and results they had accumulated would have gone down the drain.

Unlike me, who is a noble, Trianis was their whole life.

For the record, I have all A+’s with bonus points.

In the meantime, I arrived at the 1st basement floor. This is where the warehouse begins.

The starting point is nothing special. Just a floor and walls covered in white tiles, and lighting. The entire area is designed as a passageway going downwards.

I walked down the hallway. Then, before long, I saw someone. It was the warehouse manager.

“Hello.”

I gave a light greeting, and he nodded in return.

Next, I handed over my exclusive card key, and he took it and gestured for me to follow him. I followed behind him.

After walking down the white hallway for a while, we finally reached the end. There, there was a staircase leading to the next floor. However, multiple layers of barriers blocked the way.

As it stores valuable items, 10 layers of barriers surround the 9th basement floor. To get through them, you need a card key and the manager’s encrypted mana pattern.

The manager placed the card key and his hand on the barrier, and after a moment, the barrier disappeared. Then, he handed me the key and spread out his fingers.

5 and 2.

“Up to the 5th floor, for 2 hours. Is that right?”

He nodded and gestured for me to go in. The barrier will be recreated in 30 seconds, so I had to enter quickly.

“I’ll see you later.”

I didn’t forget to say goodbye to the end and went down the stairs.

Thump, thump.

The stairs, like the hallway, were empty. Just light shining down from the ceiling. When I see things like this, I think the design is very modern.

I had already decided on my destination, so I went straight down. I skipped the 2nd floor, and also passed the 3rd and 4th floors. The grade of stored items varies by floor, so the lower you go, the rarer they are.

The warehouse has rooms divided by subject. Weapons, armor, materials, elixirs. And even within that, it is subdivided.

I went into the materials room, specifically the room where metals are stored.

“It should be around here…”

The warehouse doesn’t have things scattered around. It’s well organized and stored on shelves. But the metal I’m looking for is a hidden element, so it must be buried in some corner.

Just as my eyes were starting to hurt.

“Found it.”

I was finally able to find the metal in the form of a stone. Even a blacksmith would take one look at it and curse, saying I brought a useless stone.

But this is not something to be treated that way. With a little processing, it can be transformed into a material that is better to use than any other.

Of course, the option of picking a sword from the warehouse would save effort and time rather than doing that, but since I got the [Orange’s Smithy] voucher anyway, it’s better to make it myself.

And although the weapons on the 7th and 8th floors are something, the 5th floor is a bit ambiguous. It’s definitely a top-class weapon, but by my standards, it’s at the level of breaking after a few uses.

I have nothing more to do here. I left the warehouse without looking back.

The manager looked at me suspiciously, wondering if that would really be enough, but I said I was okay and strongly declined his offer to give me another chance.

***

Orange’s Smithy.

If you don’t know anything about ‘Aka-cheonma’, you’ll think it’s strange. Why is there a color attached to the name of the smithy?

It would be better to attach a place name or a specific person’s name, but a color has no impact. Of course, it will be easy to remember.

But in ‘Aka-cheonma’, color is not a simple meaning.

Just as green means the World Tree, orange also has a related god.

The god of blacksmiths. That’s what orange refers to. And orange is the god who created the dwarves, a race with excellent craftsmanship.

Therefore, [Orange’s Smithy], which bears the color of God, can be seen as a directly managed store run by the god of blacksmiths.

Of course, the actual operation is done by dwarves. Dwarves dispatched from the Ustia Holy Kingdom directly handle sales and production.

So, you can trust them more than ordinary blacksmiths. Dwarves have tremendous pride in their work and ability, so they never sell defective products.

Instead, the price is incredibly expensive. The base price is 1,000 gold. Depending on the material and performance, the price increases exponentially. Some weapons can buy an entire castle.

“Orange’s Smithy… a dream place for a knight.”

“Dwarf-made weapons are so famous. And wipe your drool.”

Elheim was drooling. She’s a knight, so she’s very interested in weapons and armor.

“Have you ever been there, sister?”

“No, Lana. Even though the Arden estate has an Orange’s Smithy, it’s difficult to support all the knights in the family. Even if I try to buy it myself, the price is not easy….”

Elheim scratched her cheek.

Even though the Arden family has a lot of money, they can’t afford to supply dwarf-made weapons to all the knights. So, it is only given to knights who are Master or higher.

Of course, she will become a Master next year and get the perfect sword.

“What about Kyle? Have you ever been there?”

“Of course, I haven’t.”

The family gives Orange’s weapons to the direct line of the head of the family. Arden unconditionally reaches Master with his innate bloodline, so he gives it to him in advance to get used to it.

So, Vale also visited Orange’s Smithy when he was young and had a sword made. On the other hand, I’m not. I don’t even get support for elixirs, so what would they give me?

In some ways, it’s a bitter treatment. My first dwarf-made weapon is obtained through a professor, not the family.

“Someday, the young master will be able to receive it from the head of the family.”

“It’s okay, what am I going to do with it now.”

Elheim said words of comfort, knowing that. But I pretended not to care and answered that way.

“It’s okay. Kyle is doing well.”

“Why are you doing this to me too….”

Lana patted my shoulder. She’s been getting close to Elheim, so she’s been doing this more often lately.

“Hehe, do you hate it?”

“…It’s okay.”

I turned my head. When I look at that bright face, the complaints disappear.

In the meantime, we arrived at Orange’s Smithy.

“It’s big….”

“Yes, it’s big….”

It’s a one-story building, but the smithy is wide, almost the size of a neighborhood.

I’ve seen it in the game, but the impression of facing the real thing is different. It has the same magnificence as when I first entered the Land of Contracts.

“I’ll guide you. Follow me!”

Lana led us, so I stayed still. I know the smithy’s structure, but it’s better to leave it to her this time.

She first headed to the sales office next to the smithy. There was a sign that said “Resting,” but she ignored it and went inside.

“Hello!”

Lana scattered her lively voice into the air. Then, someone hurriedly ran out.

A small height that would come up to my chest, strong arms and leg muscles, and a bushy beard. It was a dwarf.

“Who is this? Isn’t it Lana!”

The dwarf greeted her in a rough voice. Then, he said in a resentful voice.

“Why haven’t you come these days…. How long have they all been waiting?”

“Hehe, I was busy with school and exams.”

“Don’t do that, come in quickly, quickly.”

The dwarf led her with his short, thick arm. It was like seeing a grandfather meeting his granddaughter.

That’s because Lana was a regular here, and they liked her because of her abilities. The dwarf’s tenacity worked well with Lana’s characteristics.

Well, because of that, he didn’t even look at us.

“Uncle, I came with my friends….”

“Huh?”

When Lana said that, he finally looked at us.

“Welcome.”

That was the end of it.

Dwarves are generally like that. They treat anything roughly unless it’s someone they recognize. Of course, Lana is a special case, so she was loved at once.

“What business does Lana’s friend have here?”

“He came to make a weapon! Not me, but Kyle here.”

Lana answered instead and grabbed my arm, leading me forward. I followed without resisting.

Then, the dwarf frowned and made a face. He didn’t seem to like Lana’s friendly attitude.

“Lana. What’s your relationship with this guy?”

“He’s a friend. For now.”

“For… now?”

His mouth fell open and his eyes widened. He looked shocked. The dwarf soon trembled.

“How dare… how dare you, you dare to… our innocent Lana…!”

“Uncle! Why are you being so embarrassing!”

Lana quickly covered the dwarf’s mouth. She can put up with a lot, but she can’t listen to this.

“You’re a funny person.”

“I know….”

I sighed inwardly, but Elheim seemed to be enjoying the situation.

Lana somehow calmed the excited dwarf down. Of course, the glare remained the same.

To get to the point, I handed over the metal plaque, which is the [Orange’s Smithy] voucher.

“I came with Professor Mylon’s introduction.”

He roughly snatched the metal plaque and examined it in detail.

“It’s definitely what we issued.”

After confirming, the dwarf put the metal plaque in his arms. Then, he looked at me and said quietly.

“But kid, do you think I’m just going to make it for you just because you have this?”

“Is there a problem?”

“Problem? Of course, there are many.”

Then Lana intervened.

“Uncle, Kyle….”

“Lana, be quiet. Even if it’s the professor’s introduction or your friend, this is our pride. We can’t give ours to just anyone who doesn’t even know how to use a weapon properly.”

He answered in a solemn voice.

“Besides, the knight next to you is from the Arden family. Then this guy must be the famous Scoundrel. Make a weapon for that kind of guy? Ha!”

Lana didn’t know what to do at the dwarf’s words.

“Then what should I do?”

I asked in a polite voice.

“Do you want a weapon? Then prove it. That you are qualified.”

He led us to the inner space.

“Kyle, I’m sorry…. The uncle is usually not like this….”

“It’s not your fault.”

And I know why he’s like that.

“The young master wouldn’t have committed any atrocities against the dwarves….”

“You too, stop it. I’m okay.”

After passing through the entrance, a hot heat covered us. The reason we haven’t felt this until now is because it was blocked by magic.

“I’ve been here several times, but it’s too hot….”

“Yes, it is. With this level of heat….”

“Don’t hold back, protect yourself with mana.”

This is residual heat from the furnace. Nevertheless, it’s incredibly hot. If you’re not a mana user, it’s hard to endure even for a moment.

Besides, another energy is transmitted along with the heat.

‘Hoo, you awful divine power….’

I hurriedly blocked the invasion of divine power.

[Orange’s Smithy] is a sanctuary in itself. It is full of divine power. This becomes denser as you approach the furnace, which is important and sacred to the blacksmiths.

‘I don’t like it, but I have to endure it.’

I don’t like the unique energy of divine power. But for the sake of weapons, I can endure this much.

Of course, the two seemed to be fine with the divine power surrounding them.

Following the dwarf, the dwarves gradually become visible. But they were not hammering iron. They are still young blacksmiths. In other words, they are trainees.

The blacksmiths called Meisters can only be met in the basement.

After moving for a long time while being watched by the dwarves, we arrived in front of a scarecrow.

“Now, break this.”

The dwarf tapped the scarecrow. It was made of solid iron, and a metallic sound rang out.

“I understand.”

I stood in front of the scarecrow and tried to swing my sword. But the dwarf stopped me.

“Who told you to do it with that sword.”

He took the sword and handed me a blunt and crude sword.

“Why, are you dissatisfied? If you don’t want to, go.”

“…No. I will do it.”

I received the sword and took a stance in front of the scarecrow again. And the timing when I was about to swing the sword.

“Oh, hyungnim? What brings you here?”

“Haa….”

As soon as I heard that voice, I lost all my strength.

I don’t know why he appears every time at times like this.