Chapter 27: Protect the Blacksmith’s Workshop, Part 3

“Our debt comes to five hundred gold coins. That should cover it, right?”

“What did you say…?”

The bald man’s face twisted in disbelief, as if the words themselves were impossible.

“This can’t be…! How on earth did you gather that much gold!?”

“I just closed a deal,” came the calm reply.

“…”

The bald man’s expression betrayed his dissatisfaction. Logically, getting the money back should have been enough, yet something about the answer clearly displeased him.

“Oh… I almost forgot. We still have to calculate the interest,” he said, a sly smirk creeping across his face.

“What?!”

It seemed the bald man had regained his composure, his grin growing wider and more menacing.

“Of course. You kept postponing payments over and over, didn’t you? Interest is standard practice for any lender.”

Then, he announced a new sum.

“One thousand five hundred gold coins.”

“What…? Three times the original amount?! Don’t joke with me! How did you even calculate that!?”

“Sorry, sorry. But that’s the correct amount of debt,” he said casually.

“…Ugh.”

One thousand five hundred gold coins—far more than the initial advance. Even that upfront payment wouldn’t cover it. Clearly aware of this, the bald man’s leering grin widened as he added:

“Still, fifteen hundred coins won’t even be enough for a run-down workshop like this.”

He glanced sideways at Shifa-san, his gaze lingering like a predator sizing up prey.

“That’s right. I’ll take that girl over there instead. That ought to match the value of fifteen hundred coins.”

“…You’ve got to be—”

“Don’t push me!”

“‘Huh?’”

Ah, no! I’d shouted impulsively from the side, right in front of my father… My face flamed red as I clamped a hand over my mouth, but it was too late.

“…I will never hand over my daughter!”

“That’s a problem for me, isn’t it?”

Suddenly, the atmosphere around the bald man shifted. Any hope of negotiation had never existed; clearly, he had never intended for the situation to be resolved peacefully.

Just then, the sound of multiple footsteps echoed, and a rough-looking group surged into the workshop like a storm.

“…You…”

“I don’t want things to get messy either, little lady. You don’t want your family and the workers getting hurt, right?”

The bald man ignored my father’s furious glare and directed his words at Shifa-san instead.

“You’re not ours for life. Think of it as holding a hostage until the debt is paid.”

“A hostage?”

“Exactly. Once the debt is settled, we’ll let you go. It’s not a bad deal, is it? With your talent, you’ll be able to earn far more in the future. Fifteen hundred gold coins? That’s nothing.”

Shifa-san frowned thoughtfully. But no matter how she considered it, she couldn’t trust a word he said. He had just raised the debt out of nowhere. He would surely do the same again, and there would be no escape for her.

It was even possible he had planned this from the start: targeting Shifa-san specifically, indebting my father’s workshop, and then setting a trap.

“….”

Yet, Shifa-san hesitated. If she miscalculated, my father and the other workers could be harmed. Even someone as skilled as her couldn’t protect everyone alone.

“Ah, yes!”

Through the tense, almost vibrating air, an incongruously cheerful voice cut through: Lilcarlia-san.

“I forgot to mention earlier, but the client for this order is actually…”

“The lord of the region!”

“‘Huh?!’”

Several voices overlapped in surprise. While everyone froze at the unexpected revelation, Lilcarlia-san continued in her usual calm, upbeat manner.

“The delivery of mithril armor is for the lord. Apparently, the equipment for the knights under his command has grown quite old, and he wishes to have it replaced with new gear.”

T—The lord!?

Even I was taken aback. I hadn’t been told who the client was yet.

But thinking about it, someone capable of purchasing such a massive order of weapons with such a large sum of gold could only be the lord.

Wait, does Lilcarlia-san know the lord personally? Or more importantly… is their relationship strong enough that she could handle such a deal on her own? She might actually be a remarkable merchant.

“By the way,” she said, holding up a contract for the bald man to see, “this is the agreement for this transaction.”

“…That crest… yes, it’s definitely the lord’s…”

The bald man muttered in a low groan. Once the lord’s name was invoked, he clearly couldn’t touch the workshop.

“…Five hundred gold coins will suffice.”

With that, he accepted the platinum coins corresponding to the original debt and, leading his underlings, slunk away in humiliation, defeated.