第二十三話 説得
「怒鳴って悪かったのう。最近、厄介な冒険者に目を付けられとる。また奴かと思ったんじゃ」
鍛冶師ベルガは、言葉とは裏腹に悪びれる様子はない。
......機嫌を損ねれば、鍛冶をしてもらえなくなるという話だ。
穏便に、下に出てミスリル剣の製造を頼もう。
「腕利きの鍛冶師だと聞いている。冒険者は荒くれ者が多い。評判を聞きつけた妙な奴が、無茶な仕事を押し付けようとすることもあるのだろうな。ご心労お察しする」
どうにか機嫌を取って気に入られなければならない。
相手の落ち度を責めるような真似はすべきではないだろう。
俺は顔が引き攣るのを感じながらも、必死に笑顔を保つ。
「いいか、小僧。仕事の依頼に来たのじゃろうが、儂には気に喰わんものが二つある! 思い上がったガキと、おべっかばかりの軽薄者じゃ! 今の冒険者はこのどちらかしかおらん!」
だんだんとベルガの声が大きくなってきた。
「おかしくなってきたのは、ラコリナが冒険者の都だのと大仰な呼び名がついてからじゃ! 力に溺れたガキと、都市の繁栄に寄生して甘い汁を啜ることしか頭にないような、未熟者ばかりになってしまったわい! 儂に依頼を持ち込んでくる者もな!」
......なぜ俺は鍛冶屋に訪れて、たった一言社交辞令を口にしただけで説教を受けているのだろうか。
ちらりとルーチェを見ると、眉根を寄せ、困った表情を浮かべていた。
「ベルガさん、冒険者の方に付き纏われているんですか? 大丈夫ですか?」
ルーチェがすっと話を変える。
「あんなガキ、どうってことはないわい! あの魔剣士め、態度が気に喰わんと説教してやったら、『金ならあるからとっとと黙って自分に見合う剣を用意しろ』などと宣いおって! 儂が金で動くなら、こんなところに住んでないことくらいすぐにわかるじゃろうが!」
......俺もいざとなったら、金でどうにか依頼しようと考えていた。
話を聞いていなければ、同じ轍を踏むところだったかもしれない。
しかし、魔剣士か。
攻撃力と魔法力が高く、デメリット付きの高火力スキルで一気に短期決戦に持ち込むのが基本戦術となるクラスだ。
〉攻略にはやや不向きなはずだが、レベルはかなり上げやすい部類に入る。
「思い出しても腹立たしいわい! 怒鳴って追い出してやったら、ここがどうなっても知らないぞだのと、捨て台詞を吐いて行きよった。だがこのベルガ、脅しに屈するような男ではないわ!」
ベルガが握り拳を作り、そう吠える。
どうにも虫の居所が悪いらしい。
これは仕切り直した方がいいかもしれない。
「あの、俺達はこれで......」
「年寄りに長々と立ち話させるでないわ! 気が利かんのう......ついて来い!」
おいとましようとしたところ、ベルガが鍛冶屋の奥に引っ込んでいった。
俺とルーチェは状況が呑み込めず、しばし店の入り口でぽつんと突っ立っていた。
「ルーチェ、これは入っていいのか?」
「......あの人もしかして、話し相手が欲しくて寂しいだけなんじゃ」
「小僧共、聞こえておるぞ! 話だけでも聞いてやろうかと思ったが、その気もないならとっとと帰るがいい!」
ベルガの怒声が聞こえる。
「い、いえ、すぐに向かいます!」
俺とルーチェは慌ててベルガの後をついて、鍛冶屋の奥へと進んだ。
......中に入ってミスリルの話が始められるかと思ったのだが、ベルガの説教はまだ終わらなかった。
「今の若造共は、己の実力から目を背け、武器や環境に頼って下駄を履こうとする! まずは人が先なのだ! 持っただけで誰でも英雄になれるような武器など儂にも打てんし、そんなものがあってはならんのじゃ!」
いつまで続くんだこの話は。
ルーチェもぐっと口を閉じ、欠伸をしまいと堪えている。
「儂もこの都市で長く鍛冶をやってきたからわかるわい。お前達のような、防御型クラスや速度型クラスは、レベルが上げにくい。歳もまだ若すぎる。まだお前達は、儂の打つ武器を使い熟せるような域におらんわ! 金頼みで攻撃力を補おうとしたのだろうが、不相応な功を焦れば、命を落とすことになるぞ!」
ただ、その言葉は確かに正しかった。
ベルガの目には、重騎士と道化師が攻撃力不足を装備で強引に補おうとしているのだろうと映っていたらしい。
しかし、装備でステータスを補おうにも、どうせ本職のクラスには同じ役割では遠く及ばない。
無理をして命を落とすだけだと考え、鍛冶屋の奥にまで呼んで説教をかましてやろうと考えていたようだ。
その考え自体は間違っていない。
一流の鍛冶師として多くの冒険者を見てきたということだけはある。
「少しこちらからも話させてくれ」
「なんじゃと? 儂は忠告してやっておるのだぞ! それを遮って......」
「まず俺は、依頼の話も聞いてもらってはいない。それからまず、あなたの信念として受けられないのかどうかを判断してもらいたい」
「フン、だが、聞いたところで儂の考えが変わるとは思えんがな」
俺は〈魔法袋〉から〈ミスリルのインゴット〉を取り出し、机の上へと置いた。
「これで剣を打ってもらいたい」
「ミスリルの剣を......儂が......! か、鍛冶師として、これは挑まねば......! い、いや! 力なき者に不相応な武器を渡すような真似は、儂の信念に反する! 引き受けんぞ!」
ベルガがぷいっとミスリルから顔を背ける。
だが、明らかに表情に未練があった。
「爺さん、これは俺とルーチェが、ミスリルゴーレムを倒して手に入れたものだ」
「な......なんじゃと!? 嘘を吐くでないわ! ミスリルゴーレムは、B級冒険者でも手を焼くような恐ろしい魔物であるぞ! お前達のようなひよっこがどうにかできるわけが......!」
俺は薄い、金属のプレートを取り出した。
冒険者証である。
丁度、ギルド長のハレインから直々にB級冒険者として認めてもらったところだ。
「俺とルーチェはB級冒険者だ」
「そんな馬鹿なことが......」
ベルガが冒険者証を受け取り、顔を近づけて確認する。
「むぐ......まさか、最下級鎧を装備したB級冒険者がやってくるとは」
......やはり〈鉄の鎧〉は舐められる原因になるようだ。
鍛冶師のベルガからしてみれば尚更か。
ミスリル剣に合わせて、とっとと黒鋼鎧を造ってもらいたい。
「ま、まあ、実力の方は多少はあるようじゃな。儂の話を真面目に聞くだけの落ち着きもあるようじゃ。ギ、ギリギリ......合格といったところかの。ギリギリな」
俺はほっと息を吐いた。
一時はどうなることやらと思ったが、無事に依頼することができそうだ。
「そうだエルマさん! ミスリル剣を造ってもらうついでに、〈破壊の
埋め込んだ武器の攻撃力上昇値を【30%】上昇させる。
一つの武器に一つまで埋め込める
クライからドロップしたアイテムである。
「こ、こんなレアアイテムまで持っておったのか......。思いもよらぬ、大仕事になってしまったわい」
その後、黒鋼の装備を手渡して鎧の製造も無事に依頼することができた。
ベルガはぽつりと『よかった......この先も〈鉄の鎧〉で戦うつもりではなかったのだな』と漏らしていた。
ミスリルを用いた剣に、黒鋼の鎧の製造、そして
三つ合わせて四百万ゴルドで引き受けてもらえることになった。
武器の鍛冶にはなかなか金が掛かる。
材料は渡した金属だけではなく、ベルガが鍛冶屋に置いている細かい素材アイテムも用いることになるため、その分の金額も乗るのだ。
Volume 2 - Ch 23
"Sorry about shouting at you like that. A troublesome adventurer was bothering me recently. I thought that one came back again."
In contrast to his words, Blacksmith Berga did not look the least bit contrite about it.
....they say if you manage to annoy him somehow, then he'd refuse to do any work for you.
Let's avoid making a fuss by acting deferentially for now and ask him about making a mythril sword.
"We've heard that you were a skilled Blacksmith. There are a lot of rough people amongst adventurers. There must be more than a few that would try to ask you to make something strange after hearing about your reputation. I could guess what happened."
I need to butter him up somehow and get into his good graces.
Saying that it might've been his fault would very much be a mistake.
Even as I felt my face twitch, I tried my utmost to maintain my smile.
"Listen here, kid. You must've come here to hire me for something, but there are two things I don't like! Brats that think too much of themselves and mindless sycophants! Nowadays all adventurers are either one or the other!"
Berga's volume kept rising higher and higher.
"It all went to hell when La Colina got that pretentious title, the City of Adventurers! Now it's all brats with power gone straight to their heads, or those lazy asses trying to leech off the city's prosperity; greenhorns, the lot of them! Everyone that comes to me lately is just like that!"
....why am I getting a lecture just because I said a few words of social pleasantries after entering a smithy.
Glancing to my side, I saw Luce looking mighty awkward.
"Berga-san, is an adventurer stalking you? Are you okay?"
Luce gently changed the subject.
"I can handle a brat like that! I was just in the middle of scolding that little Magic Swordsman twerp about her attitude when she dared to say that 'I have all the money you want, so just shut up and make a fitting sword for me'! It should be more than obvious that I wouldn't be living in this place if I was motivated by something like money!"
....I was also thinking that if there was nothing else, then I would try to persuade him with money.
If I didn't listen to him like this, then I would've made the same mistake.
But, a Magic Swordsman, huh.
It's a Class with high Attack and Magic stats, double-edged yet high powered Skills that are best suited to short and decisive engagements.
Since it's such a glass cannon Class, it's somewhat unsuited for clearing Dungeons, but it's also one of the easier Classes to level.
"I get irritated just by remembering it! When I threw her out, she made some threats about ruining my shop and left. However, this Berga doesn't yield to threats like that!"
Berga raised his clenched fist and roared out.
It seems he's quite irritated.
Perhaps we should come back at a later time instead.
"Umh, then we'll just...."
"Don't make an old man talk for a long time like this while standing! How inconsiderate of you.... Come with me!"
Just as we tried to excuse ourselves, Berga retreated back deeper into the smithy.
Luce and I couldn't quite keep up with the situation and kept standing in place at the entrance of the shop.
"Luce, should we go in like this?"
"....maybe he's just lonely and wants someone to talk to."
"Hey kids, I can hear you two! I thought that I would at least hear you out, but if you don't want to tell me, then get out!"
The angry shouts of Berga could be heard.
"N-no, we'll be right there!"
Luce and I hurried after Berga and walked further into the smithy.
....I thought I could start talking about the topic of the mythril ingot, but it seems Berga wasn't quite finished with his sermon.
"Kids these days ignore their own abilities and try to cover for it with weapons and other circumstantial things! You have to start with yourself first! I can't make weapons that make someone a Hero just by holding it, and a weapon like that shouldn't even exist to begin with!"
How long will he keep going with this?
Luce is even keeping her mouth closed by force, trying not to yawn already.
"I know this because I've been a Blacksmith in this city for a long while. Defense type Classes and speed type Classes like yours are hard to level. You are still too young too. You two are not at the level where you could make proper use of a weapon made by me just yet! You must've thought to make up for your lack of Attack powers with money, but if you try to rush into things you are not yet suited for, then you will just get yourselves killed!"
However, what he was saying was indeed correct.
In Berga's eyes we must've looked like a Heavy Knight and a Clown that tried to compensate for our lack of Attack stat with a weapon.
However, even if we manage that, we would still be far from the Classes that are specialized for those things.
Thinking that we would just throw our lives away for nothing like that, it seems he called us to the back of the smithy to properly lecture us about it.
That line of thinking itself was not wrong.
It's something you would expect from a first-rate Blacksmith who's seen a lot of adventurers.
"Please let me explain our situation for a bit."
"What? I'm trying to warn you here! You would interrupt...."
"I haven't even told you what I would like you to make. I would like you to decide if it goes against your personal beliefs after I've done that if possible."
"Hn, I don't think I would change my mind even if I heard you out."
I took the Mythril Ingot out from my Magic Bag and put it on the table.
"I would like you to make a sword from this."
"A mythril sword....by me....! A-as a Blacksmith, I have to attempt this....! N-no! Giving unsuitable weapons to weak people is against my personal code! I won't do it!"
Berga tore his gaze away from the mythril.
However, he was obviously reluctant to do so.
"Old man, Luce and I obtained this by defeating a Mythril Golem on our own."
"Wha....what!? Don't try to lie to me! The Mythril Golem is a terrifying monster that even B rank adventurers have trouble with! It's not something two little greenhorns like you could....!"
I took out a slim metal plate.
It was my adventurer badge.
We just got recognized as B rank adventurers by the Guild Leader, Hallein.
"Luce and I are B rank adventurers."
"That's absurd...."
Berga took my adventurer badge and closely inspected it.
"Mmgh....who would've thought that a B rank adventurer would come here in a lowest grade armor."
.....as I expected, my Iron Armor makes people look down on me.
It's even more pronounced with a Blacksmith like Berga is.
I would like a Black Steel Armor made as soon as possible, together with the mythril sword.
"W-well, it seems you have some ability after all. You calmly listened to what I had to say too. I can give you a passing grade, but just barely. Yes, just barely."
I let out a sigh of relief.
I wasn't sure for a bit there, but it seems he will do the job for us.
"That's right, Elma-san! Why don't you have the Rune of Destruction embedded into the mythril sword while it's being made?"
It increases the embedded weapon's Attack bonus by [(30%)] .
A single weapon can only have one Rune embedded.
We got this one as a drop item from a Cry.
"Y-you even had a rare item like this on you.... I didn't expect this to end up being such a large job."
After that, I also managed to hand over the black steel items and put in a commission for making a Black Steel Armor.
Berga even muttered a few words of relief that I wasn't planning on fighting in this Iron Armor even after this.
Making a sword from mythril, a set of armor from black steel, and embedding the Rune.
He agreed to do all three tasks for 4 million gold.
Having a weapon order made costs quite a bit.
Aside from the metals I handed over, there are other materials that will also be necessary, which Berga has on hand in his smithy, but the costs for that are included in that sum too.
The Reincarnated Heavy Knight Who Was Exiled After A Supposed Big Miss Is Unparalleled With His Game Knowledge
大ハズレだと追放された転生重騎士はゲーム知識で無双する
https://www.novelupdates.com/series/the-reincarnated-heavy-knight-who-was-exiled-after-a-supposed-big-miss-is-unparalleled-with-his-game-knowledge/
Action Adventure Fantasy Romance Shounen
Abandoned Children Adapted to Manga Adventurers Alchemy Arrogant Characters Artifacts Blacksmith Calm Protagonist Clever Protagonist Determined Protagonist Dungeons Fallen Nobility Fantasy World Game Elements Guilds Hot-blooded Protagonist Level System Love Interest Falls in Love First Lucky Protagonist Male Protagonist Mystery Solving Naive Protagonist Nobles Poor to Rich Previous Life Talent Reincarnated in a Game World Romantic Subplot Skill Books Strategic Battles Strong Love Interests Strong to Stronger Sword Wielder Underestimated Protagonist Weak to Strong
https://ncode.syosetu.com/n8465gx/
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