Nipping the Apocalypse in the Bud
"What's that? It looks like a chalice, but I didn't think there was anything like that on this island."
Roan, feeling the vibration of his fragment, questioned Zaraxia.
"Ah, this? It's just an ornament I made to clear my head. All that's left is to engrave a pattern on it."
"A pattern?"
"Yes. It's too plain like this, isn't it? No aesthetic value. So, you should probably head back now. I need to concentrate to engrave an intricate pattern."
"...I'm sorry, but I can't let you do that."
Roan stopped her finishing touches.
It was because he had realized the connection between Rowell's impending crisis and this chalice.
The Rusted Apocalypse.
A colossal golem made of iron tools.
It was transcendentally massive and powerful.
After absorbing the continent's ironware and ballooning in size, it had eventually grown large enough to crush a mountain underfoot.
And it had put Rowell in grave danger, too.
Subsequently, a crisis had arisen because the monster coveted Rowell's unique armor.
Though they had somehow triumphed, the party's losses had been devastating.
And the core of that monstrosity was none other than that chalice.
If he had been even a moment later, the Rusted Apocalypse would have been born right here.
To think Zaraxia was the one who made it... Even in my past life, she didn't seem to know.
Knowing her personality, she had probably tossed it aside and forgotten all about it.
And a soul had eventually inhabited the discarded object.
Well, none of that matters now. That's not what's important.
Preventing the seed of ruin and the threat to Rowell's life.
Both were tragedies that could be nipped in the bud.
Though Zaraxia, whose crafting had been interrupted, looked thoroughly disgruntled.
"...I told you, inspiration just struck me. Why are you stopping me?"
"Ah, sorry. I didn't explain."
Roan explained the situation.
An iron golem would be born around the chalice she made.
That golem would cross over to the continent.
It would absorb the continent's iron, grow even stronger, and plunge the land into crisis.
...As his explanation went on, Rowell began to massage his temples.
It sounded like the wild ravings of some doomsday eccentric.
But his interlocutor was an eccentric easily on par with Roan.
"Is that so? Understood. Well, if the continent might be in danger..."
—Clang!
Without a shred of hesitation, she brought her hammer down and smashed the chalice to pieces.
A low resonance echoed beneath the anvil before being swept away by the sea breeze.
It was the moment a seed of ruin was annihilated before it could even open its eyes.
"...Every single one of them is insane."
Beside Rowell, who muttered those words, Roan—the ringleader of these lunatics—let out a deep sigh of relief.
"Phew, what a relief. Thanks for understanding!"
He then extended his hand to her.
It was a gesture inviting her to take his hand and join them.
Yet Zaraxia merely stared blankly at the outstretched hand.
"...What is this?"
"What do you mean? We're comrades now. You're coming back with us. I'll introduce you to the others—"
"Huh? Comrades? Since when were we comrades?"
"...What are you talking about? You just accepted his proposal."
At Rowell's words, Zaraxia tilted her head.
"Did I? I don't recall..."
A truly magnificent memory, forgetting something that had happened mere seconds ago.
Actually, it wasn't that she forgot; it had never registered in the first place.
She had simply nodded along to his proposal because her concentration had been at its absolute peak.
After hearing Roan's explanation once more, Zaraxia finally reacted as if she understood.
"Ah, so you want me to join your party? I'm afraid that will be difficult."
"What kind of bullshit is this? You literally just agreed, and now you're suddenly changing your tune..."
Unable to hold back any longer, Rowell bared his fangs.
It wasn't for Roan's sake, but his own.
Having a blacksmith in the party would provide an immense advantage in securing and maintaining gear.
"Calm down, Rowell. I already expected this."
"What did you expect? Did you expect her to show such an insolent attitude too?"
"Of course! This is just how recruiting comrades goes. It wasn't smooth sailing with you or the others either."
Rowell shut his mouth.
He seemed to recall his own far-from-smooth recruitment process.
Taking advantage of Rowell's silence, Roan offered terms to persuade her.
It would be much easier for her to get the materials she wanted.
They could gather rare materials while going on expeditions with the rest of the party.
At an offer any blacksmith would drool over, Zaraxia's eyes briefly gleamed.
But only for a split second.
The light in her eyes quickly faded.
"It's a tempting offer, which only makes it more suspicious. Aren't you just throwing out sweet words to use me as a personal crafting shuttle?"
Her suspicion was understandable.
And such suspicion naturally called for a test and an evaluation.
"For starters... I think I need to verify your party's capabilities. Is that acceptable?"
"Of course it is!"
"Well, your enthusiasm is commendable. In that case... there are some materials I've had my eye on. Can you fetch them for me?"
With those words, Zaraxia began listing the items one by one.
The core of a Forest Golem.
An ore known as Adrosen's Greed.
The tusk of a Magma Boar.
Three items that even seasoned adventurers would struggle to find slipped effortlessly from her mouth.
"Hold on. Do you even know what you're asking for?"
Unable to listen any longer, Rowell cut her off.
"The materials you just listed would fetch at least three gold coins each if commissioned to adventurers. They aren't things you can just casually tell someone to 'go fetch.'"
"I am aware."
Even so.
"But if you want me as a comrade, shouldn't you show at least this much sincerity?"
"You are completely out of your mind."
To be precise, she was utterly obsessed with her own craft.
But what was even more terrifying...
"Deal! If we bring these back, you're joining us. Got it?"
...was that Roan readily accepted the lunatic's terms.
How on earth did the others travel with this reckless guy?
Rowell felt a sudden surge of respect for Jane and the rest of the party back at the inn.
—Thud!
"Here, take a look."
Roan thrust a leather sack toward her.
It was heavy and bulging, looking very much like Santa's sack of presents.
"...It's barely been two days, and you've already brought them? I won't accept them if you just bought them with gold somewhere."
"You insolent little... Do you have any idea what kind of hell we went through to get those?"
"...? What are you talking about? Of course I wouldn't know."
Pop!
The sound of Rowell's sanity snapping.
Jane, who always flew off the handle, and Belgard, who nagged incessantly.
Both were annoying in their own ways, but this woman was on a whole different level.
"Right. Of course you wouldn't. But the important thing is that we got the materials, right? Just take them—"
Pop! Pop!
The sound of Rowell's sanity snapping twice more.
Finally unable to take it anymore, Rowell grabbed Roan by the collar.
"Del Roan, I know you cherish your comrades to a fault. But that shouldn't apply to someone who hasn't even joined us yet! Besides, we have an objective here. To increase our chances, we need to emphasize how much we struggled!"
"But we didn't struggle."
True.
They hadn't struggled at all.
The authorities of Tyramore, who hailed them as saviors, had happily procured the items for them through trade.
"I will never hide anything from my comrades. I'm never going to compromise on this, so don't even bother suggesting it, Cedric Rowell."
"Tsk..."
The unyielding conviction in Roan's voice as he addressed him by his full name made Rowell take a step back.
Or perhaps, he was slightly swayed by Roan's absolute trust and sincerity.
Well, traveling with him certainly won't be boring.
Rowell shook his head vigorously as if to brush the thought away.
Watching them, Zaraxia inspected the items and nodded.
"Excellent. This is more than sufficient. Now, what was it you said? Comrades?"
"Yes! We want you to join our expedition party!"
"An expedition party... Very well. Your capabilities are certainly proven."
Zaraxia shook his hand as if there was nothing more to discuss.
Just like before, she seemed to be the type to make decisions instantly without overthinking.
After concluding their second handshake, Roan's group brought Zaraxia back to their lodgings.
The rest of the party, who had been killing time with nothing better to do, welcomed them.
"Oh... You're a half-blood with very distinct features."
"You said you're a blacksmith, right? I suppose there is some soot on your clothes..."
"So? What's your name?"
Jane stepped forward, cutting through the noisy chatter of the others.
But Zaraxia didn't seem to have the slightest interest in what they were saying.
Her gaze was fixed entirely on the staff Jane was holding.
"Are you a mage?"
"Hey, I asked for your name."
"The materials are excellent, but the craftsmanship is utterly dreadful."
"...Do you want to die?"
"Would you mind leaving it to me? I can fashion it into a magnificent staff."
The eyes of a blacksmith excited by raw materials.
Seeing the manic gleam in Zaraxia's eyes, Charbun and Belgard began whispering to each other even more intensely.
"...I think we just recruited the weirdest person yet. Is she actually skilled?"
"Of course! I guarantee it."
Roan declared confidently.
Jane looked down at her staff.
The crudely bound materials. It was an appearance so embarrassing it was hard to even call it a staff.
But...
"Still, you're not touching my staff."
Jane decided to keep carrying her embarrassing staff.
It's not for any particular reason. It works perfectly fine as it is, and I only made it in the shape of a staff so it'd be easy to carry around anyway.
Jane made excuses in her head, though she wasn't sure who she was defending herself to.
If necessary, she was prepared to engage in a full-blown argument with this dragon-kin.
"Is that so? Understood."
But the other party gave up far too easily.
It was a deflating response that completely took the wind out of her sails.
"Well... we can get to know each other and bond while we travel. Shall we discuss our next destination?"
The moment Roan brought up the topic, three people flinched.
It was because those three hadn't just been resting at the inn.
Since he entrusted me with the role of scout, I had to make sure my investigation was flawless...!
Since my contributions have been lacking lately, I should at least be of help in this regard...
I can't just sit idle after receiving materials and even a staff.
Each of them had diligently gathered information during their downtime, driven by their respective motivations.
But when they were about to speak, they hesitated, realizing the others had the exact same idea.
A silent battle of glances ensued.
The one who broke the silence was none other than Zaraxia.
"If no one is going to speak, could you do me a favor? I happened to hear a rumor about an interesting material."
"Hmm? What is it?"
"The Blue Pulse. I heard it appears in the forest labyrinth near Tyramore. There's a piece of equipment I want to craft with it. Is that alright?"
"Of course it's alright! Let's go right now!"
...And so, the three of them completely missed their chance to speak because her suggestion was actually perfect!