Chapter 23: Blacksmith Street

When Ren returned to Elendil’s mansion at night, he surprised Lessard and the others.

It was impossible for them not to be surprised by his sudden and noteworthy war results.

Licia, however, was different, smiling at his exploits and wondering if Ren would be any different —-.

The meat of the berserk fish was so delicious that Ren said it was worth the effort, and it was decided that it would be served at the mansion. The thick scales were also good for sharpening blades, so they weren’t sold.

After dinner, Licia visited Ren in his room after taking a hot bath.

“By the way, I heard you didn’t make it to the blacksmith district.”

“Yes, I didn’t. I had a lot of things going on, so I didn’t have time to do anything else.”

“What happened?”

“…… Still a secret. I’m sure you’ll will find out soon enough. I’m a little frustrated to be honest with you, so let me be a spoiled brat just for today.”

“Spoiled?”

Licia said and sat down on the bed.

Ren, the owner of the room, was sitting in a round chair beside her. Licia patted the bed next to her and urged him to come closer to her.

When Ren, who was stunned by this unprecedented gesture, remained silent, Licia tapped the bed again. Ren, who didn’t understand her aggressiveness, sat down next to her, wondering what was going on.

Then.

“This is from Edgar-san.”

Licia hands Ren an envelope.

Heartily, their physical distance is closer than usual.

Upon receiving it, Ren wonders, “What is it?” He opened the seal and checked the inside. He opened the parchment and found Ulysses’ words, “See you in the Imperial Capital next week”.

“We will meet with Ulysses-sama next week in the imperial capital.”

“With Marquis Ignat? Are we going to have dinner with him?”

“No. I think you discussed Asval’s horns before, and he’s going to introduce us to a blacksmith about it.”

Introducing a blacksmith would mean that the discussion would be about Ren’s armor.

Ren is excited about that.

Licia saw his cheeks relax and gave him a big sisterly look, “Ren is a boy too, right?”

“I’d love to go with you, but as you can imagine, I’ll hold back. Instead, let’s go to the blacksmith district together next time.”

Then Licia clapped her hands as if she had just remembered.

She reached into her pocket and pulled out the vial, and her voice burst out.

“Look, look! It looks like I have a talent for hard swordsmanship too!”

Her hardworking nature is innate.

Licia, however, is equally blessed with natural martial arts prowess.

Although the hard sword technique was influenced by Ren, and the problem of suitability arose, she still showed her talent.

In addition to her swordsmanship, Licia also showed great dexterity in the handling of the magic power that is connected to the cloaking technique. The crystal ball, which was broken in half, could be described as an exceptional talent, to borrow Edgar’s words.

“It’s true. I thought it would be fine since it was Licia-sama, but I’m as happy as if it were me.”

“Fufu—- That’s right! I’m certain you’ve already cracked it too.”

“Eh, no. As for me……”

“Let me see. Please.”

In response to Licia’s slightly sweet voice, Ren got up and went to the desk in this room. He opened a drawer and took out a small vial that had been tucked in there.

He hands the vial to Licia with a hint of discretion.

“……”

Licia gives a twitchy smile.

“Not just cracked, but shattered!”

“…… Actually, it did, right after I finished today’s hunt.”

For Licia, who was happy to see her crystal ball broken, the shattered crystal ball was nothing but a shock.

But at the same time, she was happy.

It’s not that she didn’t feel frustrated at the difference between she and Ren, but she was used to being overwhelmed by him and, truth be told, she didn’t dislike it either.

“…… Haa, that’s enough. It’s you after all, so it can’t be helped.”

“I’m sorry. I was so surprised that I calmed down.”

“Yeah, I thought so. But I thought I wasn’t too far behind when it came to the amount of magic power I had, but now that you’ve shown it to me, I don’t know if that’s true either.”

“I think that’s a misunderstanding. It’s not as if the amount of magic power had a big effect on the outcome of the training.”

The magic power that has been kneaded is passed through the vial and influences the crystal ball inside. The emphasis is on the handling of the magical power, and not just the amount of magical power that is available.

In fact, Ren believes that Licia may have more magic power in her body than he does.

The crystal ball this time means that Ren was just better at handling the necessary magical power.

“Is that what it is?”

“Yes. So don’t worry about it.”

“I understand —- Let’s go to the lion sanctuary together next time when the time is right. Edgar invited me to come with you if I wanted to.”

The letter of introduction for Licia will be delivered to Elendil’s residence soon.

“So, it looks like we will be able to fulfill our previous agreement.”

This is what happened when the regular knight visited Clausel and Ren was told that he wasn’t suited for the holy sword technique. Both of them had once said that they would try to find a sword technique that suited them.

(I wonder if this was the right thing to do.)

Ren knew that Licia was suited to the holy sword technique, so it’s not that he did not have thoughts about what drew her to the hard sword technique.

But considering the strength of the hard sword technique, it would definitely be for Licia’s benefit.

Ren thought he should so his best and have a friendly competition.

“But before that, we have to study. After that, though, we have to train for combat against monsters. Speaking of which, Ren, have you tried going to the Adventurers Guild?”

“I showed up there in the morning. After all, the Adventurers’ Guild in the city is different in many ways.”

“I guess so. Unlike Clausel, they sell a lot of different things, and I think they have a lot of request forms.”

Licia was curious about this adventurers’ guild.

“What’s your guild rank, Ren?”

Like the ranks of monsters, those who register with the Adventurers’ Guild are also ranked.

However, it’s not all in proportion to one’s ability. There are several conditions that must be fulfilled in order to attain a higher rank, and if you don’t fulfill them, you will not be ranked higher, no matter how strong you are.

In Ren’s case, he was still ranked E because of this.

“It’s like…”

“Fuu……… but if it’s you, I think you’ll be able to raise your rank soon enough.”

“I don’t know. It might not hurt to raise it, though, because there are some good things that come with a higher rank.”

For example, if you reach a high rank, such as B or A, you will be given priority in receiving requests from the Adventurers’ Guild, and you may also receive a discount on the price of lodging in the capital.

If you become a member of the nobility, you may even be able to gain a certain amount of power.

Some are exempted from the documents required when traveling abroad, and in some cases, they have even become guests of honor.

(I think the latter part is rather unnecessary.)

The connection with Ulysses is more than just the power those adventurers can get.

That said, he didn’t intend to rely on that alone, and it would be counterproductive if the relationship were to break down, so it would still be worthwhile to raise his rank.

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

As per the letter Edgar had left, Ren visited the imperial capital the following week, as promised.

He went to the blacksmith district of the capital with Ulysses and Edgar, who came all the way to Elendil to pick him up.

This area, where steam rises everywhere, is a place where not only adventurers, but also knights, students aspiring to become knights, and cooks in search of sharp knives go.

The area is inaccessible by horse-drawn wagons due to the intricate alleys and many slopes.

Therefore, the three were on foot to reach their destination.

On the way, they mentioned the crystal ball that Ren had broken.

“I thought Ren-dono would have done it right away. But I didn’t expect him to smash it to pieces…….”

“Hahaha! I can’t help but laugh now! I was surprised at Clausel-san’s quality, and now you go even further!”

If it was the boy who defeated Asval, it may be natural to say.

The two of them here had never heard of such an accomplishment, and after a certain point their surprise turned to laughter.

“In any case, congratulations. It doesn’t look like it will be too long before you will be able to master the cloaking technique.”

“Oh, yes. I wouldn’t be surprised if you become a swordsman, or even a master swordsman, very soon.”

“Thank you very much. I’ll work hard to be like that.”

After talking about the hard sword technique, the next topic of conversation is the main topic of the day.

“What kind of blacksmith are we going to meet today?”

“He is a good blacksmith, but the problem is that he is eccentric and hates his job.”

Ulysses shrugged his shoulders as he walked through the crowd.

His somewhat theatrical behavior, combined with his outstanding good looks, made him picturesque.

“Wow….. that sounds like bad craftsmanship to me.”

“No, that’s an exaggeration. It’s true that the dwarf has a tendency to pick and choose his work. “

“…… Umm, can he really process Asval’s horns?”

“I don’t know. I’ve sent him several letters, but he hasn’t responded, as if he hasn’t cleared his mailbox. I thought I’d go directly to him anyway. Ha ha! He’s the only person I know who would ignore my letters!”

For Ulysses, who likes interesting characters, this must be a laughing matter.

But for Ren, who was brought in, it’s no laughing matter. I don’t care if it ends up being a waste of time and effort, but since I’m here, I’d like him to take on this job.

With a sigh of hope, he looked elsewhere.

(He could see the school zone.)

From this area, which has many hills, he could look down on a plot of land lined with academies.

The Imperial Academy of Military Science, which has a large presence in the area, was also there, as it was the other day.

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