22
Chapter 22
I could avoid it, but since it's been a while, maybe I'll just put up with it?
Thump—
"Bio! It's been so long!"
The one who tackled me was a short but sturdy Dwarf.
"Long time no see, right? But get off me, you're getting iron filings everywhere. Hey Evan, do something about your wife."
"She's just happy to see you, so please understand. The Old Man mentioned you'd be visiting, but I wasn't entirely sure."
A man with a soot-covered face appeared from behind.
That's Evan. He was a Black Agent like me, but he retired long ago after losing a leg.
"In... Instructor... a D... Dwarf."
May looked completely shocked upon seeing the Dwarf.
"First time seeing a Dwarf?"
"That soot-covered guy over there is Evan, the shop owner, and this is Parma, the weapon smith."
"You married a Dwarf?"
"Why? Is there a problem? Age and race don't matter as long as there's love."
I got goosebumps all over.
Typical romantic.
They're quite the couple, and they're not even newlyweds.
Was it about six years ago?
Evan, who was on a mission in the Western Continent, lost contact.
His last message said the mission was a success, but he was severely injured in the leg and might not return; I was assigned to confirm his survival and rescue him.
The area where he vanished was the Krinis Great Desert in the South, spanning both continents, which made it difficult, but I found him after a month.
However, Evan wasn't alone; he was with a Dwarf girl, this Parma here.
Apparently, Parma found Evan wandering the desert after he lost his leg to pursuers and took care of him.
The situation was quite awkward.
A Black Agent's identity is a top secret.
It's secret even within the Intelligence Agency, so Black Agents don't know each other unless they were peers in the same class or worked on the same mission.
To maintain secrecy, the right thing would have been to eliminate Parma, but I intended to just leave her be out of gratitude for her care, though Evan opposed this.
Claiming that he and Parma loved each other.
He begged me, tears and snot streaming down his face, to just report him dead, but I couldn't do that.
Unless they lived hidden deep in the mountains, the Intelligence Agency would eventually find out.
Moreover, Parma's tribe regularly supplied weapons throughout the empire, making them frequent contacts with humans, so it was impossible to hide.
Actually, by the book, both Parma, who knew a Black Agent's identity, and Evan, who exposed himself for love, should have been eliminated.
But I'd shared many missions with Evan, and since he was so friendly and always followed me around calling me 'Senior,' I couldn't bring myself to do it.
Crucially, he had lost a leg, so even if he returned, he would have retired anyway.
In the end, I contacted the Old Man and coaxed him.
I suggested that since Parma was highly skilled among Dwarves, why not let them marry and have them supply weapons to the Intelligence Agency.
Fortunately, the Old Man agreed, and they've since opened a blacksmithy and have been living happily ever after.
Since I'm essentially their savior, they both really like and respect me.
Especially Parma; she was a wonderful partner who helped turn the weapons I imagined into reality.
She has a great personality, and the only flaw is that, though she's not a puppy, she can't contain her excitement and tackles me every time she sees me?
Come to think of it, I rolled around quite pathetically the first time that happened.
Now that I'm a Sword Master—even if a half-baked one—I can handle it easily.
"How are the Instructor and these two related..."
"Evan is a junior I worked with back in the South. This is May, a trainee I'm instructing."
"I'm May, a first-year at Belliard Academy."
"We can skip the formal introductions, right?"
"Oh, yes."
"But Senior, isn't the academy for kids? This young lady looks a bit..."
That jerk, Evan. He probably knows everything from the Old Man already, but he's doing this on purpose.
He must be a little salty that May was surprised to see Parma and asked if she was married.
May looked completely devastated, as if the comment about her looking old had delivered a critical blow.
"The Ranger Class accepts students up to twenty. Enough with the jokes, just show us the weapons."
"Exactly. It's rude to tease a lady about her age. Please understand; my husband is still a bit immature."
"Everyone's picking on me. You said the lady over there uses a bow and daggers, right? Follow me."
As Evan led May to show her the daggers and bows hanging on the wall, the gloom vanished from May's face.
It was a natural reaction.
My partner Parma's skill is undeniable.
I mentioned her being second best earlier, but that's not because she lacks skill; it's just that the Imperial Palace Blacksmithy uses only the best materials, like mithril, and has far superior facilities.
There are Dwarves at the Imperial Palace Blacksmithy too, but I believe Parma wouldn't be overshadowed if given the same environment and conditions.
"I think I've shown you everything we have. Which one do you want?"
"..."
What's with that reaction?
"Don't tell me my wife's weapons aren't up to your standards?"
Parma's expression soured.
Perhaps because she's a blacksmith, this seems to hurt her more than being surprised by her race.
"What? No, not at all! They're all wonderful."
After answering Parma, May huddled close to me and whispered that Dwarf weapons might be too expensive.
"Why are you worrying about money?"
'Oh, is he flexing?'
I don't know what 'flexing' means, but there's really no need to worry about money.
"He's a junior, so they might give a discount, but these are all so high-quality that they'll still be expensive even with a discount..."
"Senior, didn't you tell her?"
"Anything in our shop is free for Bio."
"What? What do you mean..."
'So it's not flexing, it's just shaking down a junior.'
What is this kid talking about?
"The Senior saved both me and Parma."
"We wouldn't be here if it weren't for Bio's help, so we promised he'd always get things for free."
'Hear that? Not a shake-down, just gratitude for a freebie.'
'Or did he tell them to say that?'
'Maybe I should go get a Special Blessing next week.'
'Ah... right, probably not. I trusted you.'
This is like someone forcing me to give them a favor.
I wonder what on earth Ark thinks of me.
"But it's not for the Instructor, it's for me..."
"I heard the Senior is buying it as a gift for you. Then it should definitely be free. Don't feel burdened and just pick one."
May hesitated for a moment before picking the dagger embedded with a red cubic and the dark bow she had seen first.
"Yikes! Of all things, you picked the most expensive ones?"
"I'll... I'll pick something else."
"Just kidding. No matter how expensive, they're not more precious than your life."
I listened to a brief additional explanation after the initial showcase, and everything seemed high-quality.
I was slightly surprised to hear that the longbow was made of an alloy containing a small amount of mithril.
I thought he was just teasing May by saying they were expensive, but they actually were.
After all, mithril is a rare metal ten times more expensive than gold of the same weight.
Since he certainly wouldn't accept money, I should help him source some materials when I have some free time.
"Now that we've heard the explanation, let's head out."
"Bio, it's almost dinner time. Why don't you stay for a meal before you go?"
"Please stay and eat, Senior. My mother-in-law sent some dark beer, and the taste is absolutely divine."
Dwarf dark beer... I couldn't pass that up—well, I was tempted for a second, but I had no time, so I promised to return later and left the blacksmithy.
"Instructor, thank you so much."
May was beaming, constantly stroking her new weapons as if she absolutely loved them.
"You got them for free anyway. If you're really grateful, then in the selection trials... no, just work harder."
I didn't tell May about the bet with Instructor Amelia.
Amelia probably didn't tell her own students either.
It wouldn't be good for students to find out that their instructors were betting on the results of their fight.
But my reason was a bit different.
I didn't want May to feel undue pressure and fail to perform to her full potential.
I absolutely have to win this bet.
"Yes, I'll work even harder. With these weapons, I feel like I could even win the selection trials."
Confidence is good, but arrogance is poison.
"No matter how good the weapon is, its value drops if the wielder's skill is poor. Don't get overconfident."
"Ah, yes! Sorry. Since you teach so well, I didn't realize... Instructor?"
"What is it?"
"Where are we going? To get back to Belliard Academy, the fastest way is to take a carriage from where we passed earlier."
"There's somewhere I need to stop by."
I still have one more thing to do before returning.
****
The Instructor stopped at a shabby inn tucked away in a corner of the main road.
Maybe he's planning to buy me dinner.
Come to think of it, my friends from the Capital said there are plenty of hidden gems that look shabby but taste great.
If so, he should have just said yes when the others invited us earlier.
"If you were going to eat dinner here, it would have been nice to bring them along... Instructor?"
There were plenty of empty seats in the hall, but the Instructor didn't even glance at them and walked straight to the owner.
He must be planning to order first.
"Do you have a room? Just one."
Huh? We're returning soon, so why is he suddenly asking for a room?
"It's 4 silver for a night. Bath water is provided, but meals are extra."
"I'm not staying the night; I just want to rent it for two or three hours."
"Ah, a short stay? Hmm, I don't usually allow that in the evening, but since I have plenty of vacancies today, I'll make an exception. Two silver for three hours."
The Instructor nodded and handed the innkeeper two silver coins.
"How would you like the bathwater? The first one is free, but if you want a second..."
"Once is enough. I'll call you when I need it."
...Was he not here for dinner?
No, wait. Could it be?
"Excuse me..."
"What are you doing? Hurry up and follow me."
...I had thought it was a bit strange that he had been so kind to me from the start.
But I thought he just appreciated my determination and was taking care of me because he found it admirable.
Even when he gave me a huge sum of ten gold for travel expenses yesterday,
And perhaps when he stepped up for the fief today,
And when he bought me those high-quality weapons... the Instructor had an ulterior motive for all of it.
I know there is no such thing as a free lunch.
But...
"What are you waiting for? Get in here."
"Oh, yes."
As soon as I entered the room, I saw a shabby bed.
I expected it, but sure enough, there was only one bed.
Unlike the dilapidated exterior, it was reasonably clean and the bedsheet looked laundered, but there was a faint, musty smell.
I swear to heaven, I never imagined in my wildest dreams that the Instructor would do this to me.
Considering the kindness he had shown me, I shouldn't refuse, but still, in a place like this...
"Why are you just standing there blankly?"
"Instructor, but this place is just too... Couldn't we go somewhere a bit nicer?"
"We're not staying the night, so why waste the money?"
"Then, at the very least, please let me wash up first."
"You'll have to wash up after we're finished anyway. I'm fine."
I am not fine at all...
Since we didn't train today, I hadn't sweated much, but I'd walked around a lot, so I surely smelled.
"We don't have time. Come here."
The Instructor, sitting on the bed and patting the mattress, felt like a complete stranger.
"May?"
...Since he called my name again, I had no choice but to sit beside him.
"It might hurt a little—no, a lot. But your instructor will do his best, so don't worry too much and leave everything to me."
...I thought I might be mistaken, but it seems I really wasn't.
I've heard stories from friends who were precocious or already had fiancés.
"Answer me?"
"Huh? Yes..."
"You seem very tense. Relax."
I have no idea how I'm supposed to relax in a situation like this.
"I'll try, but..."
"Trust your instructor. The pain is only temporary, but if you endure it, the fruit will be very sweet."
"I... I'll trust you..."
"Good. Now, I'll make my own preparations, so you take off that robe first."