An Unimaginable Identity
The pickaxe swung down with a resounding clang!
The hand gripping it was thick with calluses. The scrapes never had time to fully heal before new ones appeared, leaving ugly scars behind. They were the hands of a laborer.
The morning air cooled the sweat running down his forehead, but even that wasn’t entirely welcome. Once afternoon came, the blazing sun would turn his whole body into a furnace.
Still, Conrad had no choice but to keep swinging his pickaxe without pause.
If he kept hammering away like this, the hardships of reality would fade from his mind. He wouldn’t go hungry. But eventually, one question always rose in his head.
‘How long do I have to keep doing this?’
Conrad had been working as a laborer for the Blue Flame guild for over three years now.
He’d picked up some tricks, and his treatment had improved somewhat.
But at the end of the day, he was still just a laborer. Unwelcome anywhere he went.
“Where should I move this stone?”
“Ah, over to that site there.”
“My pickaxe keeps slipping. Am I holding it wrong?”
“Yeah. You’ll get used to it eventually.”
A newcomer had arrived.
His name was Karl, he said.
Most people dragged into this kind of work had families to support or debts to pay. That usually left them with a gloomy, heavy air about them. But Karl was different.
Despite being new, he tried to stay ahead of everyone, never cutting corners. If he didn’t know something, he’d come straight to Conrad and ask to be taught.
Conrad didn’t like it one bit.
It was like looking at his younger self.
No matter how hard you tried, you’d only end up as a bitter old man like him.
“Do you actually enjoy this kind of labor?”
“Hm, I wouldn’t say I enjoy it, but it feels rewarding. The cold water after a long day tastes especially good.”
“Yeah. That’s how it is at your age.”
“Do you dislike the work, senior?”
“I…”
Ding-ding——
“Everyone gather up! It’s lunchtime!”
The noisy clanging of the bell made Conrad close his mouth.
“My mouth is already watering.”
“It’s the same food every day. What’s so great about it?”
“That’s not true. Every single meal is delicious. Each time feels brand new.”
The two of them went to collect their lunch.
Karl dipped the rationed bread into his stew. The bread they handed out was so hard that eating it raw could break your teeth.
So the normal thing to do was to soften it in hot stew like this.
“Mm. Looks like mutton stew today.”
Watching Karl happily spoon up his stew, Conrad felt a small, petty urge. He wanted to drag down that cheerful expression.
“Hey, Karl. You know something?”
“Yes?”
“We’re all about to become unemployed.”
“What do you mean?”
Karl looked at him in confusion. Conrad gave a dry chuckle and answered.
“Because there’s no way the building we make could ever be better than the Golden Hammer’s. Our guild master is desperate not to lose the Great Cathedral project, but the outcome is already set in stone.”
“Shouldn’t we at least compare them first?”
“This kid really doesn’t know anything.”
Conrad looked at Karl with a frustrated expression.
“Other people might not know, but do you know who’s coming to evaluate this time?”
“Who?”
“Askal Debré, the empire’s hidden dragon.”
Conrad pronounced each syllable with emphasis. As expected, even a country bumpkin newcomer couldn’t help but recognize that name. The moment he heard it, Karl looked stunned into silence.
“Other officials might have eyes like knotholes, but Askal Debré will evaluate the architecture with cold precision. We have no chance of winning.”
“You never know. Maybe this Askal person is just lucky and actually a completely incompetent…”
“Watch it!”
While he might badmouth other rotten officials, Conrad genuinely believed Askal Debré was a true public servant who cared for the citizens. He would never tolerate such slander!
“Ha. You really don’t know how the world works. People like you and me? One wave of that man’s hand and our heads would fly right off.”
“Is it really that bad…”
When Karl fell silent, seemingly lost in thought, Conrad felt satisfied. He must have finally realized what kind of mistake he’d made.
A short while later, a group of laborers approached the two of them.
A plump-cheeked man who seemed to be their leader greeted them warmly.
“Oh, Conrad. And the newbie. Now that your belly’s full, how about a round of dice to pass the time?”
“You and your dice games can play among yourselves.”
“Really? Too bad. Then, newbie. Karl, was it? How about you?”
“I…”
At that moment, Conrad whispered into Karl’s ear.
“They’re con artists. If you go with them, they’ll just take all your day’s wages. Tell them no.”
The chubby man seemed to have overheard the whisper. He spoke with an exasperated look.
“Hey now, Conrad. You shouldn’t badmouth people just because you lost money. You were just having a bit of bad luck, that’s all. What do you say, newbie? There’s still one spot open if you want in right now.”
“Hm. Sounds fun.”
“Hey, Karl!”
Conrad stared at him in frustration. These guys were infamous swindlers on the labor site. They used loaded dice to fleece clueless people out of their money.
No matter how much he tried to stop him, Karl wouldn’t listen. Conrad could only sigh. Some people had to get burned before they learned fire was hot.
“Alright, alright. This new guy’s got real spirit. Come this way.”
The man threw an arm around Karl’s shoulders and led him off to the gambling circle. Feeling a sense of responsibility, Conrad followed after them. At the very least, as his senior, he had a duty to watch and make sure they didn’t pull any obvious scams.
1, 1, 1!
“Does this even make sense!? How can the best hand come out three times in a row!? This is obviously rigged! Check the dice!”
“There’s nothing wrong with them…? …Wait, what’s this? Taben. There’s something strange about your dice, isn’t there?”
“N-no, that’s just…”
“You cheating bastard!”
In the end, Karl cleaned out the entire fortune of the con artist gang. And once their scam was exposed, the swindlers were surrounded by the other laborers and beaten black and blue.
“Were you a professional gambler or something?”
“No. It just kept coming out like that.”
Conrad stared in a daze at the shiny silver coins in Karl’s hand. He was jealous. With that much money, he could laze around for a whole month…
As Conrad licked his lips, Karl walked over to him. He was carrying an armful of venison jerky, soft bread sprinkled with spices, and fruits drizzled with honey.
“Let’s eat together.”
“Karl… are you a god?”
It was touching. He even felt sorry for how coldly he’d treated Karl until now. Conrad bit into a piece of jerky. Even though it was thoroughly dried, some kind of processing had made it surprisingly tender. Above all, the rich meaty aroma was incredible.
“It’s good… so good… I’m not the type to cry easily, but the tears are coming anyway.”
“Indeed! These honey-glazed fruits just melt in your mouth!”
“?”
Out of nowhere, an old dwarf with a white beard had joined them and was happily munching on the snacks.
“You looked hungry, so I invited him to join us.”
“You really are…”
What a good-natured fool. Conrad swallowed the rest of his words. This naive newcomer would be in trouble without someone looking out for him. It was like watching a baby duck left by the water’s edge.
‘I have to take responsibility for this kid… and help him become a self-reliant laborer.’
Conrad clenched his fist, making up his mind. Even if this construction project failed and they all became unemployed, he would take this boy with him and look after him.
“The day has finally come, Robenharf.”
“Ha. I can already see your legs shaking from nerves, Seventer?”
“Don’t make me laugh. I can see your shoulders trembling.”
“It’s because it’s cold. Cold, you idiot.”
The promised time had arrived. The guild masters of the Golden Hammer and Blue Flame were already sizing each other up. It was a battle of pride between two short dwarves. Neither could afford to yield an inch.
“So you finished a grain warehouse? Did you really think you could win the Great Cathedral project with something as small and cute as that, Seventer?”
“It’s state-of-the-art design, you moron. Size isn’t everything. Did you waste your entire apprenticeship?”
“Ha! Have you even seen the new village hall we built? We used marble. Marble.”
“That thing you just wasted money on?”
The two had studied under the same master. Having competed against each other since childhood, they were now famous as bitter rivals even after going independent. The dwarves who had been hurling insults at each other suddenly fell silent. They had sensed something.
“It’s about time for Askal Debré to arrive.”
“You mean the one with the Perfect Eye that can discern any object without the slightest error?”
“I’ll admit, I’m nervous.”
On this one point, the two completely agreed. There was nothing more nerve-wracking than waiting for the person who held your fate in their hands.
“I can finally see the face of that Askal Debré. Where did he go? Karl? Did he run off to take a shit or something?”
Conrad looked around for Karl, but the young man had been missing since a while ago. He had been there that morning.
‘He must have had some urgent business.’
Anyway, this was his chance to see the famous head of the Evaluation Department in person.
In the distance, he could see a carriage approaching.
‘So that’s the imperial carriage…’
It was unmistakably luxurious at first glance.
And then.
A person began to step down from the carriage.
Whispers, murmurs.
After barely pushing his way through the crowd, Conrad looked at the man who had descended from the carriage and froze.
“……Karl?”
Askal Debré. He was the same man who had been shoveling dirt alongside Conrad just that morning.