Then, one of the trio of blacksmiths planning to smash the customer’s Dragon Fang Spear spoke up. He seemed to be the leader, a miner.
“We are the Golden Hammer! Our belief lies in how much gold we can squeeze from our customers!”
“The worst shop.”
It was truly the worst introduction. I seriously thought about leaving. But when Ur’s reaction made them say “outrageous!” to the trio, the dwarf among them growled.
“You idiots! We’re not going to rip people off like that!”
“Gold is the most equal measure in this world. Paying more means recognizing the work!”
Another man passionately continued.
“Well, I can understand that, but…”
It made sense logically. But it was still a strange shop. And if it were that simple, wouldn’t they be satisfied with just paying the gold?
“If this Dragon… To call it that is obscene!! I can’t forgive such an indescribable thing!”
“Oh… Three gold coins for this disrespectful substance!? Damn it!”
“If this object X is worth three gold coins, our weapons are worth a hundred billion gold coins!”
“We’re being insulted in various ways.”
Before those who had two facets, love for gold and craftsmanship, the existence of Ur’s Dragon Fang Spear seemed to have turned into an intolerable drama.
“So, can you fix it?”
“Throw away something like this!!!”
“I want to, but there’s no time.”
Ur had no particular attachment to the Dragon Fang Spear. If there were more time and a better weapon, Ur would choose that without hesitation.
But there was no time now. The Hunt Festival was less than two weeks away. Already, Ur was desperate to control his body’s abilities, which grew daily by absorbing magic. On top of that, resetting weapon skills would be suicidal.
“I have no sense of acclimating to a completely new weapon in less than two weeks.”
“Mortal.”
“Mediocre.”
“Trash.”
“Shall we punch them soon?”
They made fists and kept their distance, despite being novices. Apparently, they didn’t have the courage to fight adventurers.
“So, can you just fix it for now?”
“What do you mean ‘fix it’? How far should I fix it?”
“My acquaintance already criticized it harshly… But what exactly is wrong?”
It was natural that Ur had no knowledge of the Dragon Fang Spear. He had no knowledge of a crude club recognized by himself and others as a fake Dragon Fang Spear.
“Do you know that the Dragon Fang Spear is a hybrid weapon of spear and cannon?”
“Well, of course.”
“And basically, it’s divided into three parts. Handle, blade, and the magical core.”
This time, the part of the blade that was damaged was broken in two. It was no longer usable and had to be repaired. However, according to the “Golden Hammer,” there seemed to be a problem with the other parts as well.
“The handle is also worn out, and it’s just haphazardly attached to an old spear… Well, at least it’s still usable…”
“The problem is the magic core.”
“Is it broken? “
When Shizuku asked, the dwarf man pointed to Ur’s dragon fang spear and shouted as if he couldn’t bear it.
“There’s not even a magic core to begin with! It’s just a shoddy thing made from scraps!”
“Well…”
Shizuku was surprised, and Ur rubbed his temples as if enduring a headache. If they were told that such a thing cost three gold coins, they would be speechless.
“If the magic core doesn’t work, of course the ‘original function’ won’t work either. It’s just a crude spear.”
“Well, if we just replace the blade, it’ll at least be usable as a spear.”
“Hmm…”
Indeed, considering the current situation, it seemed reasonable to spend a little money to update the blade. It would be an improvement if it could function not only as a blunt weapon, but also as a large spear. However, considering that they would be facing a gem puppet next…
“If possible, I’d also like to have the magic core repaired…”
When he said that, the three craftsmen all made bitter faces.
“…I’ll do the blade, at least.”
“Yeah. To be honest, I don’t want to fix this thing properly!”
“I don’t want to get involved either!!”
“You hate it too much.”
They seemed to genuinely dislike it.
However, if they were to look for another craftsman now, it would probably take time. Time was precious now. If possible, he wanted them to cooperate…
“Everyone,”
As he was thinking that, Shizuku stepped forward. In front of the three men who had grim expressions, she put her hands together and made a fleeting, sad expression.
“Your pride as craftsmen is wonderful. It pains me to ask you, but…”
She whispered as if pleading.
“Please, will you help us?”
“Leave it to us.”
The request for cooperation was accepted.
“You’re good people! I’m glad!”
“…I see.”
Shizuku said happily. He pretended not to see the faces of the craftsmen who had stuck out their noses.
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“Yeah, this is impossible.”
“Why?”
Among the Golden Hammer, the only female dwarf craftsman who could handle magical machinery looked at Ur’s fake dragon fang spear and immediately gave up.
“This dragon fang spear… or rather, the circuit part that holds the magic core used in it is too old. There are almost no magic cores that match this circuit.”
“It’s completely broken, the circuit is…”
It was truly a troublesome item. He was tempted to forget all the various thoughts he had had so far and just throw it away.
“Well… it’s not that it can’t be adjusted, but it’ll take time. About two months, I guess?”
“That’s it.”
“And magic cores are expensive, you know? Each one is about five gold coins
or so…”
It was utterly out of the question, both time-wise and money-wise. The only option was to fix the blade. We had no choice but to go with that plan.
“You really want to repair the Dragon Fang Spear that badly? It’s quite an odd weapon.”
“There are circumstances. I need a strong weapon before the hunting festival…”
The female technician folded her arms and contemplated for a moment.
“…If you’re willing to take some risks, I might have a lead.”
“Really?”
Ur looked up desperately, but upon seeing the technician’s troubled expression, he quickly realized that this “lead” wasn’t something to be too happy about.
“There’s a mage named Magica. She’s known as the progenitor of modern puppetry and holds the title of Sage in the Mage Guild… Equivalent to Silver Rank, if that makes it clearer.”
“Can she fix it?”
“I’ve heard she might do it for a reasonable price, depending on the deal. But…”
“But?”
The technician hesitated before continuing.
“She’s a bit of a rogue.”
“There’s always something, isn’t there?
Lately, it seems anyone with ability has issues with their personality.”
The mage Magica’s residence was in the southwest part of the city-state of Greed. It stood alone on a small hill, slightly away from the densely packed residential area.
Apparently, this whole area was land that Magica had “bought.”
“Buying land is quite something.”
“Is it?”
“Only high-ranking priests can own land. It costs a ridiculous amount of money.”
In this world, a residence usually referred to a unit in a high-rise building. Land was limited, so it couldn’t be wasted.
Undoubtedly, Magica must be wealthy. This made Ur feel that the chances of her accepting their request were slim.
“Well, no use worrying about it now.”
This was their only lead. Ur rang the guest bell.
“Excuse me.”
“Is Lady Magica home?”
There was no response for a while. But after a bit longer, loud footsteps approached, and the door slowly opened. Ur and Shizuku straightened up, exchanging glances.
“Nice to meet you—”
From behind the door,
[ooooo……]
a puppet emerged, much to their surprise.
“Well…”
“Whoa—?!”
Ur drew a substitute spear he borrowed from the Golden Hammer and got into a defensive stance, but…
[ooooo……]
“…It’s not moving.”
“How cute, isn’t it?”
The puppet didn’t attack. Shizuku petted its head, smiling. The small puppet, just over a meter tall, looked up at them with a bit of charm, quite unlike the lethal gemstone puppets they had encountered before.
“That’s because I made it,”
said a woman emerging from behind the puppet. She was clad in something barely more than underwear, looking at them suspiciously.
“…Are you Magica?”
“Yep, that’s me. Who are you?”
Despite sensing her unusual demeanor, Ur braced himself and spoke.
“We have a request—” “Nope.”
The immediate rejection made Ur want to hold his head in frustration.
“…May I ask why?”
“You don’t look like you have the money or the skills.”
Her assumption was sadly correct. To someone like Magica, who could buy land in the city-state, the few dozen silver coins Ur cherished probably amounted to pocket change.
“I’m willing to do whatever it takes to manage the payment…”
“The effort of a poor man isn’t worth much… Oh, but…”
Magica peered into Ur’s face while patting the puppet’s head.
“By any chance, do you know Glenn?”
“…You know Glenn?”
“You didn’t come here on Glenn’s recommendation?”
Apparently, she knew Glenn, though he hadn’t mentioned her to Ur.
“Hmm… I see. Well then…”
Magica scrutinized Ur and Shizuku, as if assessing them, then knocked on the puppet’s head. The puppet stepped away from the door, retreating inside.
“Come on in. I’ll at least serve some tea.”
With a suspicious smile, she disappeared inside.
“I have a really bad feeling about this.”
“She did have a rather sinister look.”
Tea was probably the last thing they would be served.
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