Level up with swords (112)
Jugend.
It is a renowned powerhouse in the southeastern part of the continent, better known as the Steel Kingdom or the Dwarf Kingdom.
Compared to other countries, the Clyde Empire had weapons, machinery, and construction technology that were several levels superior in quality, so there were times when even the Clyde Empire took notice.
Each and every one of them was an excellent craftsman and a powerful warrior at the same time, so the power of the dwarves who formed a nation was bound to be enormous.
Of course, just because it was Jugend, the dwarf population did not exceed that of humans. If we were to look at the ratio, dwarves would be 30% and humans would be 70%. Even to that extent, it was a union of two species at a level that is difficult to find any precedent for.
“The city doesn’t exist?”
When Leon, surprised by the incomprehensible words, asked again, Hamel grinned as if he had said the same thing himself.
It was an explanation that surprised everyone from outside the country at least once.
“Yeah, that’s one of the unique things about Jugend. “Instead of cities and lords, there is a division called ‘area.’”
“Area… .”
“For example, if there are iron ore mines and steel mills in Area 8, Area 9 is lined with hundreds of iron works that process the iron extracted there. “The roles performed by each area are clearly separated.”
Only El Cid understood the point immediately.
It was a story that Hamel, who was explaining it, was not familiar with.
[Is this division of labor at the city level? That’s great, isn’t it? 300 years ago, those guys whined that they would work alone even if they beat them to death.]
‘Is division of labor that great?’
[It’s amazing. It is a form of labor in which work efficiency increases several times, or even tens of times if done well. If you make a sword, the person who extracts the molten iron, the person who hardens the molten iron into the shape of a sword, the person who beats the hardened sword to forge it, the person who sharpens the blade, and the person who makes the handle are all separate.]
Leon didn’t understand at once and had to ask again.
‘It seems like it’s gotten more complicated, doesn’t it?’
[It has become simpler. All you have to do is do your job well. If you try to make a finished product by yourself, you will waste time and concentration while handling the entire process, but if you divide the labor, you don’t have to worry about that. You can quickly increase your proficiency in one skill.]
But, El Cid said with a sigh.
[Productivity and average quality will increase explosively, but it is difficult to create a masterpiece. Weapons classified as ‘special’ will probably still be handmade.]
It was an insight that was hard to believe I had seen from just one sitting.
It was just as El Cid said.
The Jugend Kingdom’s proud weapon, ‘Jugend-Steel’, was said to have been produced in large quantities even if only one or two pieces were released per year. According to the numbering, there were a total of 258 ‘Jugend Steel’, and considering that Jugend boasts 350 years of history, it averaged less than one sack per year.
[Even if I were to hold it in my hands, I wouldn’t be able to hold on to even a single ounce of it.]
With the same scathing words flowing from one ear as always, Leon followed the merchants through the entrance to the checkpoint.
Beyond that was Jugend’s border area, Area 13.
“and… !”
As soon as he entered the castle gate, the heat tickled his skin and the strong smell of iron tickled the tip of his nose.
Steel Kingdom.
One of the nicknames of the Kingdom of Jugend suddenly came to mind.
The entire city was stained a gray-white color like steel. Buildings, walls, roads, everything. It was a color that could seem desolate, but to someone who saw it for the first time, it was an exotic and unique landscape.
“Leon.”
And Luzon, the top performer who arrived at the destination, approached and bowed.
“It may not be much compared to the favor I received from Leon, but I put in as much as I could. Please accept it.”
“There’s no need to go that far… .”
“no. “I can’t be that guy who puts his life on the line.”
Even merchants who are said to be money demons have morals to keep.
Among them, those who cheaply throw away the grace of life are trash who cannot be treated as human beings even among their peers.
Only after hearing the story did Leon accept the bag.
It was heavy.
My companionship with Normand Danang ended there. Garlond gave them a gold plate, saying that he would compensate them later, and then moved to the guild in Area 13 with the rest of the team.
Hamelman waved as he followed Luzon.
“Oh, I’m a round-trip hire, so I’m over there. See you again, master! “I’ll treat you to something when you come to the fortress city later!”
“Let me remember that.”
“then!”
It was a little awkward to see each other again after three days since it had been so long, but it was a common occurrence among mercenaries.
Leon turned around, feeling somewhat sad.
The two men were following Garlond, and he said:
“This way. Do you know that in the Kingdom of Jugend, the mercenary guild and the adventurer guild are not divided into two buildings?”
“I didn’t know. “Why?”
“It’s because the requests within the kingdom are all similar.”
The body of Garlond, who was leading them in front, stumbled occasionally, but he refused to be helped and continued walking under his own power.
Is this a whipping for oneself?
The voice that answered Leon’s words did not waver.
“More than 90% of Jugend’s territory is a mining area, so many of the requests given to the guild’s adventurers and mercenaries are related to the mining area. Extermination of monsters living inside the mine, tracking and security of those who illegally mine minerals and try to escape… .”
“Oh, it would be inefficient to take care of just one thing separately.”
“I understand well. If you assign tasks to mercenaries and adventurers separately, it is easy to neglect one role under the excuse that it is not my request. For that reason, the boundary between the two occupations has collapsed.”
An adventurer who mainly deals with monsters.
A mercenary who specializes in dealing with humans.
There were significant differences between the two occupations, from daily life to combat methods. Mercenaries lacked the knowledge or skills to deal with monsters, and adventurers lacked the experience to deal with criminals.
However, in Youth, the two occupations had to cooperate or make up for each other’s shortcomings. Otherwise, the request you put so much effort into would fail, and your reputation among the dwarves would suffer greatly.
“The concept of ‘creditworthiness’ has emerged.”
It was something that could only be seen in the Kingdom of Jugend.
“If you want to buy high-quality weapons from Jugend, you must secure a corresponding level of credit. Otherwise, you would have to purchase it at several times the price, making it difficult to touch unless you are a wealthy person or noble.”
“if… ?”
“Well, that’s it.”
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In response to Leon’s cautious gaze, Garlond nodded without denying it. He, too, had stayed here for several months to purchase a high-quality sword.
The sword I bought with so much effort was a magic sword.
A forgotten sense of loss scratched Garlond’s stomach.
“Whoa, we’ve arrived.”
Garlond, barely able to hold back his heartburn, stopped in front of the guild building. He didn’t know that he would be back in a few weeks, but he was bitter and immediately put his hand on the doorknob.
I’m sorry.
The large door split to the left and right, welcoming guests.
“uh?! “Isn’t that Garlond?”
“It’s called ‘Gale!’ Didn’t he leave?”
“You’re really hurt? “Who were you fighting with?”
“What are the guys following behind?”
Regardless of whether those gathered in the guild were murmuring or not, Garlond and his party walked straight to the window.
The sudden appearance of A-rank was enough to make new employees very nervous. As he exchanged his lips with the words, “Above,” the guild master, who was passing behind the window, entered the window.
Since I was quite familiar with Garlond, I didn’t have any hesitation.
“I think you said you were going to leave Jugend, but did you change your mind in the meantime?”
Ryan, the guild master of Youth Area 13, greeted him with an exaggerated attitude.
On the contrary, Garlond reluctantly answered with a smile.
“Unintentionally, that is.”
“hmm?”
The corner of Ryan’s wrinkled mouth became crooked.
The tone wasn’t good to begin with.
An A-rank mercenary unintentionally changed his schedule? There was no doubt that a corresponding disaster had occurred.
“… “What’s going on?”
Ryan quickly lowered his voice and leaned forward.
The life of information is speed.
If it’s good news, it’s okay to be late, but if it’s bad news, you have to hear it even by a second.
But Garlond did not answer right away and shook his head.
“Change your seat. “Not here.”
“understood. “Who are those two?”
“They are witnesses to this incident and the benefactors who saved me.”
“You, Garlond?”
After looking around at them with distrustful eyes for a moment, Ryan moved to his room with the three people.
Sitting on the soft sofa, the three of them faced each other.
Ryan asked.
“Can you explain now?”
Garlond first winked at Leon and Karen, then leaned forward and opened his mouth.
“As for how that happened… .”
* * *
After hearing the whole story about the magic sword, Guild Master Ryan looked confused for a moment.
It wasn’t something he could handle.
The weapons made in Jugend were mixed with a magic sword that could drive even the A-rank mercenary, Garlond, crazy? If other guys had come to report to me, I would have kicked them in the face and kicked them out, but their opponent was Garlond. He was a person who had nothing to gain by making a false report in this way.
“What is the evidence?”
“There is none. “As soon as it was broken, it returned to dust.”
“… “I’m going to turn around.”
Ryan massaged the back of his neck, which had already become stiff, and was lost in thought for which he could not find an answer.
If that story were all true, blacksmiths throughout Jugend had to be stopped and the church had to be called in from now on. Although we will suffer incalculable economic damage, we cannot allow the bloodshed that could ensue hundreds of thousands of people.
The question was, who would believe the conspiracy theory?
“I believe you. But it will be discarded as a false report without even going to the palace.”
We have to stop the blacksmith shop, which is the lifeline of the Kingdom of Jugend, without any evidence to be found?
Even if it was an edict from King Jugend, let alone an A-rank mercenary, it was obvious that there would be a backlash.
Dwarves say that if they miss hammering for even a day, hives will break out on their bodies. Even if he spoke at the guild level, there was no way he would follow what he said without providing proper evidence.
Ryan’s dark brown eyes looked back and forth between the two strangers.
“I don’t know if you are of a status that adds weight to those words, but it is difficult to move at this level even at the guild level.”
“… … .”
Unlike Karen, who acted like a well-trained assassin, Leon thought for a moment. Would it be efficient to reveal his identity here and quickly seek cooperation from the guild and the church?
Is it the right decision to reveal the hero’s identity to the world when he is not yet capable of taking down Drake on his own?
Leon, who was thinking so much, soon closed his mouth.
‘Not yet.’
It was a hunch whose basis was unknown.
No.
Leon decided to trust his intuition. El Cid’s silence also felt like support for his choice.
Ryan looked at the two faces in turn and let out a long sigh.
Then he said:
“Bring the evidence.”
His face looked like he had aged 10 years in 10 minutes.
“We will grant you qualifications as an investigator for our guild. It will be able to enter up to level 3 important facilities. “As quickly as possible, gather evidence that can persuade the higher-ups.”
“Ryan… .”
“This is the limit of my discretion. “Go quickly.”
Garlond said no more and only bowed his head once.
Leon and Karen also bowed to him once and left the room, leaving behind the guildmaster whose face darkened.
I can’t say it was the best, but it wasn’t a bad development.
The three people received the badge and documents proving that they were guild investigators at the window, and escaped out of the building to avoid people wondering what was going on.
“Ryan, I owe that friend a lot.”
Garlond looked back and muttered.
Ryan’s actions must have been quite burdensome even from the guild master’s perspective.
Karen spoke in a cheerful voice as if encouraging him.
“In that case, rather than just standing here, shouldn’t we reveal the truth of the conspiracy even a minute sooner? “If I could catch the culprit, I would be promoted for my accomplishments.”
“… “You are right.”
Garlond closed his eyes tightly, opened them, and started walking as if prompted by Karen’s urging.
If you went in that direction, it was Blacksmith Street.
Garlond softly clicked his lips, as if telling the group that was following him to listen. It was a method of using aurors to make the voice heard only by a few people.
“First, let’s go to the blacksmith who sold me that sword. “I will have to investigate to find out whether he did it knowingly or without knowing.”
Garlond knew, and both of them knew.
It was very unlikely that he did it knowingly.
Even Garlond, an A-rank mercenary and master-level Auror user, did not recognize the true nature of the magic sword until he saw blood.
However, since there were no clues other than Garlond’s sword, it was a natural place to start from the blacksmith shop.
The real problem started after that.
“what?!”
When Garlond shouted, the employee who was dealing with him pointed in one direction with an annoyed look on his face.
Area 1.
Toward the center of the kingdom where ‘Jugendstil’ is created.
“The craftsman who made your sword, Lombart, left for Area 1 last week with an honorable call. If you want to make a claim against him, please find Lombart in Area 1.”
The employee who spoke in a very polite manner and recited unkind words closed the store again.
At that moment, their destination was hundreds of kilometers further away.
