Chapter 214: The Road to the Commercial City

In Gerhardt’s enchantment workshop inside the castle, Josel, Gerhardt’s only disciple, sat in front of the enchantment table with a serious expression.

On the enchantment table lay a brand-new sword, surrounded by several gems arranged along a magic array. Inside the table flowed mercury, serving as a catalyst for magic.

Adjusting the flow of mercury and changing the position of the gems by manipulating a lever, Josel heard a crisp sound as one of the gems shattered, and the ancient characters engraved on the blade faintly emitted light.

If he became too bold, the blade would be burdened and crack. If he became too timid, the magic power would be insufficient, resulting in a foolish blade that only glowed.

It was a task that required concentration, and even finding a moment to catch his breath was challenging. It felt like working at the bottom of a deep, deep sea.

Eventually, all the gems shattered into sand-like particles, and light dwelled in the second and third sets of ancient characters.

The three-word magic enchantment was complete. Josel was sweating all over his body. Rather than the joy of success, he felt relieved to be released from this tension.

Applause could be heard from behind. Turning around, he saw his mentor Gerhardt with a gentle smile.

“Well done, congratulations.”

With his mentor’s words, Josel finally felt the realization that he had succeeded in the three-word magic enchantment. He felt fortunate to have studied under this person.

“Once you can reliably engrave three words, you’ll be a full-fledged enchanter. You won’t have trouble making a living.”

“Reliably, you say…”

Josel could only force a wry smile. He was still exhausted from the excessive tension and concentration. He felt that the success of the magic enchantment was almost a miracle. Doing this repeatedly and reliably made him anxious.

“Now you just have to do it in quantity. Get used to it.”

Gerhardt had walked the same path. Understanding Josel’s feelings, he spoke with a smile. He reached out from the side, picked up the sword, and lightly swung it within the narrow workshop.

“A sword with a three-word enchantment for improved sharpness. Not bad. If you put it up for sale, it’ll fetch 25 to 30 gold coins.”

“This isn’t the work of Sir Lutz, is it?”

Josel had developed an eye for weapons even without checking the inscription. It was a decent sword. There was no other way to describe it, but it somehow lacked a sharp tension.

“It was made by a blacksmith from the guild. It’s not in full-scale production yet, but we’ve finally produced something that can sell as a flagship product for the count’s territory.”

“That’s good news to hear after a long time.”

Although it was a story of the count’s territory becoming prosperous, Josel’s expression seemed somewhat gloomy.

Curious, Gerhardt asked if there was something worrying him. Josel shook his head solemnly.

“It has nothing to do with the current conversation, but the fact that I did nothing in the monster subjugation still lingers in my mind. The sense of powerlessness and guilt has gradually grown on me…”

“That, huh? It’s a mistake, but there are some parts that can’t be helped. The count had already declared the end, and you had other jobs to do. If Lutz-dono had mentioned the possibility of the monster evolving, it would have been fine to report it at that time.”

“Well, yes, but…”

“You should just reflect on the fact that you lacked initiative and use that knowledge for the next time. It’s necessary to reflect, but there’s no point in regretting it. What are you worrying about so much?”

“If I did nothing, I’d be no different from the members of the knight order. When I think about it, a sort of self-loathing keeps welling up…”

“Ah, that, huh…”

Gerhardt lost his words of comfort.

The Count Zander’s knight order accepted the second and third sons of lower nobles who couldn’t inherit their houses, but they had no hope for the future and didn’t seriously fulfill their duties.

Even if they were evaluated poorly, they blamed the world and their parents. An assembly of people with high pride. Incompetent, useless, and worthless. Elites who had only learned how to take bribes from their parents. Even with all kinds of insults, it was still an understatement.

Even if they joined with the ambition of becoming respectable knights, the people around them were lazy, and rather than encouraging those who tried to work seriously, they considered them enemies. Eventually, their ambition and ethics were stolen, and they were dyed in a way that could only be described as scum cultivation.

Although they were such hopeless knights, they were reluctantly kept because crushing them would cause resistance from the lower nobles.

Such thoughts shook Josel’s identity significantly.

“Wait, wait, Josel. It’s a bit extreme no matter how you look at it. You’ve been a high-ranking knight, you’ve earnestly fulfilled your duties, you’ve slain the leader of the kidnappers targeting the princess, and recently, you’ve even jumped to the Baron’s territory to participate in an orc subjugation. The count’s territory’s development rests on your shoulders. Don’t keep dwelling on past failures.”

“Your words, as my mentor says, I understand them, but it’s challenging to fully accept them from the bottom of my heart…”

Josel muttered with a pained expression.

This man was too serious. His seriousness was leading him in the wrong direction. Gerhardt, who managed to balance a moderate ethical sense with a lack of seriousness, wanted to somehow persuade and encourage his beloved disciple.

“Hey, Josel. The count’s territory is gradually heading in a better direction.”

“Is that so…?”

“The count said that if the sword sales pick up, and tax revenue increases, he wants to establish a second knight order and entrust it to you. The development of the count’s territory depends on your shoulders. Don’t keep wallowing in past failures forever.”

“What a surprise, to be evaluated so highly…”

Without any other decent talent around, Gerhardt started to say, but then he closed his mouth. It was not the right time to say that, even if it wasn’t wrong.

The fact that the First Knight Order couldn’t be disbanded here indicated the instability of the Earl’s position.

“However, even if swords start selling well, would that alone significantly increase tax revenue?”

“It should.”

“Well…”

Josel frowned at Gerhardt’s casual remark.

“Don’t make that face; I’m in my right mind. The sword is just a flagship product to attract people. What’s important is the increase in people coming and going.”

If traveling merchants come from various places, they might stay at inns, eat meals, and perhaps use taverns and brothels. They might even buy various things besides swords while stocking up. The count’s expectations were focused on such comprehensive economic effects.

“With more people, crime will also increase. Your presence is indispensable for the future of the count’s territory.”

“I see,” Josel nodded in understanding, but his expression clearly showed that he only grasped about half of it. Even though he knew that, Gerhardt didn’t bother to explain in detail. As long as Josel understood the point that the prosperity of the Earl’s territory depended on him, there was no problem.

Besides, it was too much trouble to explain further.

“By the way, Josel, if you don’t have urgent work, can you go on an inspection of the highway from tomorrow?”

“An inspection, you say?”

“There’s no specific clear purpose for now. I want you to actually see the highways that merchants will use, check if the roads are not too narrow or crumbling, see if there are any issues in the villages along the road, and make sure there are no problems like bandits settling in.”

“It’s part of the plan to enrich the count’s territory.”

“That’s right. It’s good to attract customers, but if the road is in disrepair, it won’t work. On the other hand, leaving it to the useless knights to take a nap and come back saying there were no problems won’t do either. It’s a simple task, but it’s a role that can only be entrusted to someone reliable.”

“Leave it to me. I’ll start preparing right away!”

With a firm nod, Josel immediately rushed out of the workshop. The door slammed shut with a bang, and dust fluttered in the air.

Left alone, Gerhardt sighed heavily with a bewildered expression.

“As busy as ever. Honestly…”

To be honest, he didn’t care much about inspecting the highway. Nevertheless, he ordered Josel to help him clear his mind a bit.

Josel was not the type of person who, once he started worrying, could settle it with a simple “oh well.” Mistakes in work could only be made up for by doing more work. Gerhardt thought that if he moved his body a bit, Josel might feel a bit clearer. So, he gave him a task.

To the non-divine Gerhardt, there was no way he could predict the events that would happen next.

Here was the  Count’s territory, the monster’s trading post. There was no shortage of troubles and nuisances.

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