Chapter 211: The Price of Honor

Having parted ways with his companions, Lutz returned to the workshop the next afternoon.

Upon opening the door and entering, Claudia immediately rushed towards him. She was silent, expressionless.

“Hey, I’m home…”

Without responding to Lutz’s greeting, Claudia pressed her forehead against Lutz’s chest and hugged him tightly.

She still hadn’t said anything. Lutz understood that he had truly caused her a lot of worry.

“Clau, I’ve just come back from the dungeon, and, well, I might still smell a bit, so maybe you should step back.”

“…You’ve been fighting in a place like that all this time, haven’t you?”

After releasing a deep sigh, Claudia continued.

“The discussion of why Lutz-kun has to fight is probably meaningless now. If you weren’t that kind of person, I wouldn’t have been saved, and I wouldn’t have fallen for you. But, still…”

She looked up at Lutz with teary eyes. Even at a time like this, Lutz couldn’t help but think that she was truly beautiful.

“I’m not calm; please don’t think that I am.”

“I’m sorry. No matter what happens, I promise to come back to you.”

“You won’t promise not to do anything dangerous, huh?”

Well, shaking his head, Lutz gently separated from Claudia.

“I’m not angry. I just wanted to be a bit selfish for once.”

“As long as we’re alone like this, this body belongs to you. You can say anything you want.”

“Is that so? Well said. Then, how about I thoroughly wash you for about two hours from head to toe?”

With a mischievous laughter, Claudia led Lutz towards the back of the forge. There, a bath in the form of a tub was already prepared. Claudia, wearing a beautiful yet mysterious smile, boiled water in the kitchen. She also seemed to have bought new soap.

“Prepare yourself. I’m going to make you perfectly clean, from behind your ears to your butt…”

Claudia let out a playful laugh. For two hours in the bath and then an entire day for other matters, Lutz continued to be Claudia’s plaything.

Several days later, after confirming that Lutz had recovered from his fatigue after the treatment, they headed to Gerhardt’s workshop. This visit was for reporting on the monsttr subjugation and selling the gem.

“I wanted to keep you captive for another month or so…”

Claudia’s murmurs were ambiguous, making it unclear how much was a joke and how much was serious. Lutz nodded with a vague smile, not knowing where to draw the line between seriousness and a joke.

“Hello, Lutz! It’s nice of you to come!”

Gerhardt, an elderly craftsman who served as the count’s advisor and the his official sorcerer, welcomed them. A bit late, the high-ranking knight Josel also arrived.

They had already heard the details of the monster subjugation from the hero Ricardo, but they were probably curious to hear about Lutz swinging the famous sword “Kyouka Suigetsu.”

As Lutz recounted the story, Gerhardt and Josel nodded with interest, occasionally asking a few questions. It was a friendly discussion, but for some reason, Claudia remained expressionless throughout. Despite her husband achieving heroic deeds, her attitude was not one of pride.

When the conversation shifted to the story of the gem that emerged from the monster’s body, Lutz glanced at Claudia. She nodded and took out a large, red gem from her pouch, placing it on the table. There were impressed gasps as Gerhardt and Josel were captivated by the gem.

“How magnificent… It has a similar atmosphere to the Union’s treasure, the ‘Eye of the Conqueror.'”

“Was that also obtained by defeating some mighty magic creature? Nevertheless, hmmm…”

Josel, who wasn’t particularly interested in gold and silver treasures, had developed a mindset as an apprentice sorcerer, thinking about what kind of amazing magic sword could be created with this gem. Even to him, this gem seemed extraordinary.

“Well then, Lutz, I’d like to purchase this gem. How about two hundred gold coins?”

“Let’s make it a thousand,”

Claudia said, speaking up for the first time. This surprised not only Gerhardt and Josel but also Lutz.

Eventually, after Gerhardt regained his composure, he gave Claudia a look that said, “Don’t say such foolish things.”

“Claudia-san, while I acknowledge that this gem is an exquisite item, there are limits to the amount we can offer…”

“No, I insist on a thousand.”

Claudia’s voice was cold and sharp. It felt more like a duel than a negotiation. 

“This incident is a misjudgment on the part of the Count and Gerhardt-san.”

“What…?”

The tension between Claudia and Gerhardt grew thicker. Lutz couldn’t help but lift himself slightly from the chair. While he couldn’t imagine Gerhardt harming Claudia, he assumed a posture ready to intervene instantly. Seeing this, Josel also positioned himself similarly, ready to protect his master, Gerhardt.

Claudia continued speaking without being intimidated by the tense atmosphere.

“First, the fact that you requested Ricardo-san to subjugate the monster when it appeared, tasked adventurers with investigating the movements of the monster that escaped into the labyrinth, and collaborated in the creation of Lutz’s sword ‘Kyōuka Suigetsu,’ up to that point, is commendable.”

She continued to fix her penetrating gaze on them.

“However, when it came to the monster that evolved to threaten the entire Count’s territory, you did nothing. You relied on Lutz and the others, thinking everything would be fine if they handled it. Wasn’t it a bit too detached for you?”

“You insolent…!”

Josel couldn’t tolerate this and stood up, kicking his chair. Even if she was a merchant, speaking freely with such insolence to the Count’s advisor was unacceptable. Even as an acquaintance, it was beyond reason. Seeing this, Lutz instinctively raised his posture, ready to intervene. Josel, however, was restrained by Gerhardt’s hand.

“Calm down, Josel.”

“Master, but…”

Gerhard shakes his head quietly. With his master doing this to him, Josel had no choice but to back down and reluctantly sat back down in his chair.

“Since you haven’t done anything, you should at least give me some money, that’s what you’re trying to say, right?”

“That’s what it is, to put it simply.”

Claudia answered clearly without hiding anything. While she wasn’t wholeheartedly supportive of Lutz meddling in various matters, she loved him for being a man who would do his best to help others when asked and felt proud of him for it.

However, being insulted and used by those in power as “a fool doing things on his own” was unbearable for her. At the very least, she couldn’t stand being used without fulfilling the minimum responsibilities.

“What will you do if we say we can’t provide the money?”

“Nothing special.”

“Hmm?”

“If you won’t buy it, I’ll just go to someone who will. Perhaps Duke Eldenberg, or maybe I’ll offer it to His Majesty the King. I could take it to the Allied Nations, or even present it to the princess.”

Of course, it wasn’t going to end with a simple purchase and sale. She was declaring that she would align with the buyer’s faction. Claudia had prioritized networking for situations like this. Having alternative options to go to when faced with unreasonable behavior was a way to protect herself.

“…Are you trying to threaten me?”

“Yes, I am threatening you.”

Claudia didn’t mince her words here either.

If Lutz were gone, they wouldn’t be able to create gift-worthy swords. Moreover, they would lose a valuable combat force when needed.

The remaining blacksmiths could create a sword with a few ancient characters, but it couldn’t compare to the swords Lutz forged. Losing such talent to another faction would be a shame for the Zander territory, especially given its reputation as a stronghold of weapon production.

Particularly, sending him to the Allied Nations was out of the question.

Gerhardt pondered for a while. During this time, everyone remained silent.

Eventually, Gerhardt let out a deep breath, leaned back in his chair, and raised both hands. It was a gesture of surrender.

“I give up. I’ll talk to the count to see if he can provide the money.”

“Yes, thank you very much.”

Claudia gracefully and deeply bowed her head, without hiding anything. 

“However, Claudia-san, we also have limits on what we can offer. Five hundred gold coins, no, six hundred. Will that satisfy you?”

“Hmm…”

“No, no, don’t pretend to be troubled. Claudia-san, you must have known from the beginning that a thousand coins was impossible.”

“Well, I can’t help it.”

The tense atmosphere from before seemed like a distant memory as Gerhardt and Claudia smiled at each other graciously. Lutz and Josel were left bewildered, not understanding what had just happened.

“Under my responsibility, I will make sure the money is provided. If, for some reason, it’s not enough, I’ll cover the difference from my own pocket. Is that acceptable?”

Claudia nodded deeply. It was a sincere expression, devoid of the anger and theatricality seen earlier.

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