The Lazy Blacksmith's Request
The woman stretched out a languid yawn. "Haaaaahm... Who might you be...?" She spoke as though she had just woken from a deep sleep. Ah. She really had been sleeping until now. At any rate, this person appeared to be the owner of the workshop. Nothing looked organized in the slightest, and above all, the furnace seemed to have gone unlit for so long that nothing remained but cold ashes.
"Are you not open for business?"
"Haaaaahm... Hmm...? Ah... it's not that..."
She claimed she was open, yet the place was in this state of total disarray?
"By the way... you must be a mercenary, sir? Those compact muscles and that sharp face... You're rather handsome, aren't you?"
"This...!"
Grind—! Grind—!
It must have been from the lack of cleaning; the place seemed overrun with mice.
"Sigh... So is that why you're not conducting business? If that's the case, we'll take our leave."
"Hmm... How should I put this... It's not that I'm refusing to work so much as I can't~?"
"Then I would appreciate an explanation."
"It's such a bother, though..."
"If you explain the situation, we may be able to help."
The moment I offered assistance to the woman who looked too lazy even to speak, interest sparked in her eyes.
"Hmm... It's not a long story. Simply put... I've run out of every last material needed to craft and forge armor. That's all it is...?"
That was it? Could she not simply purchase more materials? Unless she had no money. Or perhaps there was another reason?
"Do you lack the funds? Can you not simply buy the materials again?"
Cerise asked the woman with genuine puzzlement. Since I had wanted to say the exact same thing, I refrained from interrupting.
"Hmmm... It's not that simple~ Of course I have money..."
"Then has a problem arisen with the material supply?"
"Oh~? Correct~ Exactly right. The ores I work with haven't been delivered lately, so I've had no choice but to close up shop."
—Oh, by the way, my name is Spin~ That's why it's called Spin's Workshop.
Spin explained that the lack of supplied ore had left her with no option but to halt her work.
"As far as I know, ordinary materials have not faced any supply disruptions."
"That's true. But the ore I use is... rather rare, you see?"
As commander of a mercenary company, all sorts of information reached me whether I sought it or not. I naturally knew everything occurring in Leria Village, and I could gather a fair amount of intelligence on empire-wide affairs. Being far better informed than the average person, I understood that ordinary ores faced no significant supply problems. There was only one exception: a single special ore.
My guess was that Spin was a blacksmith who dealt exclusively with that particular ore.
"You there. The ore you seek... would it happen to be mithril?"
"Oh! Yes, yes! I am a blacksmith who works solely with mithril!"
Just as I thought. My prediction had been correct—Spin was a blacksmith capable of handling mithril.
Mithril. The most commonly used ore in this world. Lighter than iron yet far stronger. Yet the means of obtaining it remained unknown, and blacksmiths skilled enough to work it were exceptionally rare.
To think Spin was one of them. My intuition was spot on!
As expected, the old cliché that one could discover something extraordinary in a run-down workshop held true even in this world.
"So, can you help me?! If you do, I'll give you a very special discount!"
"Hmm."
The prospect of resuming her work as a blacksmith must have ignited hope, because Spin, who had been utterly listless, suddenly brimmed with energy. The change was so abrupt she seemed like an entirely different person.
"Won't you help me just once? I'll make it worth your while..."
She gave my left arm a caressing stroke, her expression turning seductively alluring.
Griiiind—!
"...Remove your hand from that arm."
Slap—!
Cerise, who had been watching, stiffened and struck Spin's hand away.
"Aww. It's not like it'll wear out from a little touch..."
"....Do not touch him."
Cerise instantly flared her mana and spoke in a commanding, oppressive tone.
"Vice-Commander Cerise."
"Understood."
At my warning, Cerise promptly withdrew her power. Only then did I begin to seriously weigh the proposal.
"Hic. I-I get it... It was only a joke. Why get so angry...?"
"I warned you beforehand."
"Are you two lovers? Or... is it that early fluttering stage?"
"....Hic! Th-that's not it at all...!"
What had she just said? I had been lost in thought and missed the exchange. Well, it couldn't have been important. If it were serious, Cerise would have handled it appropriately.
"When you say you'll accept our help, could you explain exactly what that entails?"
"Oh! Naturally! It's simple! Just bring me mithril ore!"
"Was there not a supply issue with mithril?"
"Hmm... I'm not entirely sure. The supplier only said they could not deliver at present... When I went to the mine myself, they refused to let me enter."
"Is there only one supplier?"
"Yes! In all of Leria Village, the only place handling mithril is the Mithril Mine!"
Hmm... The sole supplier claiming they could not provide mithril. Had some trouble arisen at the mine itself?
"Then it seems we must visit the mine."
"Yes! That would probably be best?"
"How much of a discount will you offer?"
This was the truly crucial part. A so-called cheap price would hold little merit if the reduction proved insignificant.
"Hmm... Thirty percent?"
"Very well. We will return shortly. Wait here."
"Thank you for deciding so quickly! Here, take this map!"
I had been expecting fifteen to twenty percent at best, yet she offered thirty? This was an opportunity we could not pass up. A chance to acquire mithril equipment at thirty percent off might never come again.
"Vice-Commander Cerise. Are you agreeable to this?"
"If it is your decision, Commander, I shall follow without question!"
"My thanks. Let us depart at once."
"Yes!"
It had been a unilateral call on my part, so she might have offered some rebuke, yet Cerise only gazed at me with eyes full of boundless trust. I felt nothing but gratitude toward her.
Good. Shall we go procure materials for some armor?
It was material gathering for armor, but the end result would be the same. Mithril armor... Just wait for me. I am on my way!
"According to the map, this should be the place, Commander."
"It appears we have arrived correctly."
After entrusting Cerise with navigation and simply following along, we reached our destination. It sat squarely in the middle of a mountain, and a large sign boldly proclaimed Mithril Mine, so we had clearly come to the right location.
"Outsiders are forbidden from entering."
The moment we stepped onto the mine grounds, a man with a thoroughly exhausted face addressed us. He looked exactly like someone who had pulled consecutive all-nighters. Some hardship must have befallen them.
"May I ask what trouble has occurred at the Mithril Mine?"
"To outsiders... Wait. Are you two mercenaries?"
"We are."
The instant I confirmed we were mercenaries, color flooded back into his face. He resembled an office worker finally granted leave after endless overtime.
"Have you come in response to a request?! I beg you, please save our mine!"
"Explain the situation."
"My name is Iron. I am the manager of this Mithril Mine! Haah... I will be direct. A monster has appeared inside our mithril mining tunnels."
"A monster..."
So that was why they could not extract mithril ore. It explained the supply failure. Ordinary laborers would have no means to confront such a creature. Among the requests I had reviewed in Leria Village, there had indeed been one concerning a monster at a mine. The compensation had been mediocre and the monster's identity unknown, so no one had accepted it.
"Do you know what manner of monster it is?"
"The tunnels are so dark it is difficult to be certain, but... the creature I glimpsed in the dim light had mithril ore embedded within its body. That much is definite!"
"A monster embedded with ore..."
A monster with ore embedded in it. Only one possibility came to mind.
A golem.
A staple monster in many games, frequently composed of various ores and known for being exceptionally tough and powerful. Yet in the monster compendium I had studied, no entry for golems existed. Hmm... Perhaps it was not a golem after all. Still, no other creature came to mind.
"P-please, I implore you! Ordinary blades and spears cannot even scratch the thing! At this rate our mine will be ruined...!"
"Understood. The monster resides within the mine, correct?"
"Y-yes! Since its appearance, it has not taken a single step!"
A monster with a hard outer shell that had absorbed ore. If my conjecture was right, it was almost certainly a golem.
Then this is an opportunity to discover a new monster?!
In this world, discovering a new monster species and submitting proof along with it earned suitable compensation from the Mercenary Guild. In other words, we stood to gain both mithril and additional capital.
Things had been flowing smoothly of late. In that case, let us head inside at once!
"Let us go, Vice-Commander Cerise."
"...Yes? Commander. However, we did not bring our weapons..."
We had not brought our usual arms. There had been no need to carry them simply to walk about the village. At Leria's level, most problems could be resolved without weapons anyway.
"Will you trust me?"
"If that is your will, Commander, then I shall trust it."
"My thanks. Then take this."
"A pickaxe...?"
Cerise accepted the well-forged pickaxe I handed her and wore a bewildered expression. It was only natural to be dumbfounded when sent to fight a monster armed with a mining tool rather than a proper weapon.
But there is no rule stating a pickaxe cannot serve as a weapon, is there?
There was even a game like that—one in which a single pickaxe allowed one to conquer the world. Moreover, history had long proven that pickaxes were more effective against golem-type creatures than ordinary arms.
Well, we could enter, assess the situation, and withdraw if it was not a golem.
"Then let us enter."
I picked up a clean pickaxe from the ground as well and stepped into the gloomy cave. A still-bewildered Cerise followed close behind, gripping her pickaxe tightly.