"Ngh... grumble... Damn it. They're just rubbing it in because they can enjoy their drinks... what a bunch of bastards. They're not fit to call themselves fellow drinkers."
Even as they left the guild and made their way toward Pamidoor’s Workshop, Brasso was still muttering complaints. Rei and Phron watched him with exasperated expressions, while Set followed behind the group, purring happily.
The reason for Set’s high spirits was quite simple. Since they had visited the guild during the busy evening hours, a large crowd of adventurers had gathered around the building. That meant more people to offer Set treats, and the griffon had enjoyed quite the feast while waiting for Rei and the others to come out.
Of course, not everyone was friendly. There were some adventurers who harbored a distinct prejudice against tamed monsters; one had even drawn his sword and attempted to attack Set, claiming it was dangerous to let a creature that should be hunted into the city. Set had simply swept the man’s legs out from under him with a single strike of its tail, and the other adventurers who had been feeding the griffon immediately swarmed the man—punching, kicking, and chasing him away.
...Incidentally, the first person to strike that adventurer had been a certain female adventurer—the leader of the Scorching Wind herself.
And so, purring contentedly, Set rubbed its face against Rei’s back as he walked.
"Hm? What is it?"
Rei stroked Set’s head and turned to speak to Phron, who was walking beside him.
"So, Phron. Where exactly is this Pamidoor’s Workshop? I only know it's somewhere near the library."
"Ah, it’s not hard to find. Look, over there."
Phron tilted her head toward a workshop tucked away in an alley just off the main street leading to the library. It was a small building, but its proximity to the main thoroughfare made it a prime location.
Still sounding a bit grumpy about missing his drink, Brasso swung the door open and called out.
"Pamidoor! You in there?"
"Hah? Who is it at this hour? I’m about to close up!"
A deep, menacing shout boomed from within the workshop. Brasso and Phron paid it no mind, stepping inside as if they hadn't heard the hostility.
Set lay down in a spot a short distance from the workshop as usual, while Rei followed the other two inside.
The first thing Rei felt upon entering was a wave of intense heat. Though the forge was located in the back of the shop, the warmth from the coals reached all the way to the entrance.
"What do you mean 'at this hour'? It’s about time your workday ended anyway," Brasso replied, his tone still slightly sour. At the sight of the dwarf, however, Pamidoor’s expression softened ever so slightly.
The man looked to be in his thirties. He was built with enough muscle to pass for a warrior, and his tall stature gave him a commanding presence. His head was completely bald, which only served to emphasize his intimidating features.
Rei noticed the slight softening of the man’s expression, not necessarily because of his own sharp eyes, but because the prickly, dangerous aura radiating from the man had perceptibly eased.
...Even so, the blacksmith’s face was fierce enough to be called villainous. If one encountered him at night in a deserted area, they would undoubtedly scream and flee for their lives.
"Oh, I wondered who it was. It’s just you, Brasso. With Phron and... who’s the brat?"
"This is Rei. He helped us with the Harpy Request. Brasso and I would have had a hard time dealing with flying harpies on our own."
"...Rei?"
At the mention of the name, Pamidoor knit his brows slightly. However, he quickly shook his head and spoke with a serious look in his eyes.
"So, being here means the Harpy Incident is settled? What about the mine?"
As he gripped Brasso’s shoulders firmly, the man looked less like a blacksmith and more like a thief... or rather, a mountain bandit who ruled the peaks or a pirate who prowled the seas.
Since both Brasso and Phron knew Pamidoor’s personality well, they simply nodded, showing him there was no cause for concern.
"The harpies are no longer an issue. As for the mine, operations should resume shortly."
"You're mincing words. Did something happen?"
"Well, it's not so much that something happened as we made something... happen. Rei, if you please."
Rei nodded at Brasso’s cue and withdrew a chunk of Flame Ore, larger than a man could carry in both arms, from his Misty Ring. Pamidoor gasped as he saw the magic metal. Even though he had just witnessed the use of an Item Box, his eyes were glued to the Flame Ore in Rei’s hands.
"............"
He stared at it in silence for nearly a minute. He observed it with a burning intensity until, finally, he spoke.
"Flame Ore... isn't it?"
"Yeah. This is the reason we had to pay a visit to the Lord’s Mansion."
"The Lord’s Mansion?"
"Indeed. To tell the truth, this Flame Ore was newly generated inside the cave the harpies made their nest in, created by some kind of reaction to the flame magic Rei used."
"...I see. That explains why it feels so fresh."
Pamidoor nodded at Brasso's explanation, then turned his gaze back to Rei.
It was a piercing look, one that seemed to peer into the very depths of Rei's soul. Rei knit his brows in response, but the intensity vanished as quickly as it had appeared, and Pamidoor slapped Rei on the shoulder with a grin.
"For a brat, you've got some spine. Not many people can look at my face without flinching. I like you."
"Heh. It’s rare for Pamidoor to take a liking to someone at first sight," Phron remarked, sounding impressed.
Pamidoor chuckled at her words.
"Actually, I’d heard rumors about this Rei before today. You’re the one who helped my boy when he was being harassed recently, right?"
"Ah, the Kumito Incident."
"That's the one. He’s been talking about you ever since. He said you promised to stop by eventually, and he’s been looking forward to it. He’s out at the moment, but he should be back soon. You should wait for him."
Rei gave a small nod.
"So, what brings you to my workshop today? If you're looking to sell that Flame Ore, you're more than welcome. Right, Rei. Set it down on the work desk over there."
"Understood."
Following the instructions, Rei placed the ore on a nearby desk. Pamidoor gazed at it with enchantment.
"Are you really going to sell this to me?"
"No, first we need an appraisal. If you were to buy it, what would the price be?"
"Hmm, let's see. A chunk of Flame Ore this size... based on the market rate, it would be about 5 Platinum Coins... no, about 3 Platinum Coins and 5 Gold Coins."
Phron’s eyes widened at the high figure, but Brasso let out a sigh.
"Aren't you trying to rip us off a bit? By my appraisal, it’s worth at least 8 Platinum Coins."
"It would have been worth that much before the Harpy Incident became public knowledge. But as you know, there’s a serious iron shortage right now. Because iron has become so expensive, the value of magic metals like Flame Ore has actually dropped. Besides..."
Pamidoor trailed off, glancing at Rei for a split second. He shook his head and returned his focus to the ore.
Brasso looked puzzled by the blacksmith's behavior, but the conversation shifted back to the metal.
"The purity is certainly flawless. It's absolutely saturated with fire magic power. ...To create Flame Ore of this caliber, you must have used some incredibly powerful flame magic."
"Oh, it was something else. He created ten fireballs with enough heat to spike the temperature of the whole area and launched them right into the cave," Phron said, recalling the scene with a shudder.
Pamidoor’s eyebrows shot up.
Blacksmiths were specialists who manipulated fire to create weapons and armor. As a master craftsman, Pamidoor understood exactly how much power such a spell would require. Furthermore...
"Ten fireballs with that much heat launched into a cave? They would have triggered a chain reaction of explosions with nowhere for the heat to escape... ah, I see. That explains why such high-quality Flame Ore was formed."
In reality, there had been a second exit in the cave, so the heat hadn't been quite as contained as Pamidoor imagined. Nevertheless, the firepower had far exceeded his expectations. It was a feat that could only be achieved by someone with Rei’s staggering amount of magic power.
"...Seriously, won't you sell this to me?" Pamidoor asked, his eyes never leaving the metal.
Brasso shook his head.
"Actually, Rei wants to keep this Flame Ore for himself. He’s offered to pay Phron and me one-third each of the purchase price you just quoted."
"You want it? From what I can see, you don't have the hands of a smith... why do you want this?"
Pamidoor narrowed his eyes, staring Rei down as if he wouldn't accept a shallow answer. Rei didn't seem particularly pressured as he replied.
"I just finished a major request, so I'm not exactly short on cash. I might need a magic item for something down the line, so I figured I’d hold onto some materials while I have the chance. That’s the honest truth."
"..."
Pamidoor stared at Rei for another full minute. Finally, he let out an amused sigh.
"Hah! A brat who can look me in the eye for that long... you’ve got some real guts."
Knowing his own face was enough to scare most grown men, the blacksmith grinned and clapped Rei on the shoulder again.
"But Rei... you’ve gone and pissed off some big shot, haven't you?"
"What?"
Rei asked back, surprised by the sudden change in topic. It wasn't that he lacked suspects; he had far too many.
"Yesterday... or maybe the day before... word went around. If an adventurer named Rei comes to a workshop for repairs or gear, we aren't to do business with him. If anyone is caught trading with you, they’ll be blacklisted by every weapon shop in the City of Gilm. That was the threat."
A notice from the collective weapon shops. There was only one person Rei knew who would resort to such petty, high-handed nonsense. The old fossil who had demanded Rei hand over his magic items—and even Set—only a few days ago.
"Boruntar, I assume."
"Now that you mention it, he was saying something like that at the Lord’s Mansion too," Phron said with a scowl.
"Well, I said my piece there. I thought I’d threatened him enough... I didn't think he’d come at me with these kinds of schemes instead of facing me directly."
"It’s not so much a scheme as it is the standard operating procedure for the Chairman of the Azoth Firm. Haven't you heard about the adventurers who crossed Boruntar in the past and suffered the same fate?"
At Phron’s question, Rei recalled the warnings he’d heard from Mirene of the Scorching Wind.
"I think Mirene mentioned something like that."
"You've got a lot of connections for a rookie. Anyway, that’s the situation. Now that you've soured Boruntar's mood, you won't be able to buy weapons in this city. What’s the plan?"
"...Well, let's see. Honestly, it doesn't really trouble me that much."
"What?"
Feeling the surprised gazes of Phron, Brasso, and Pamidoor, Rei drew his Death Scythe from the Misty Ring to explain.
"As you know, my primary weapon is this Death Scythe."
"...This is..."
Seeing the weapon for the first time, Pamidoor let out a gasp of shock at the sheer quality of the magic item.
"The Death Scythe is powered by channeling magic power through it, so it requires almost no maintenance. As for my other gear, like my throwing spears or my skinning knives..."
Rei told them plainly that he had plenty of spares stockpiled inside the Misty Ring.