41

Before leaving the inn, Benjamin asked the clerk about the location of the magic item store, and Lara asked for the location of a blacksmith’s workshop. Id followed Benjamin, and Sasha went together with Lara. Fortunately, both shops were located not very far from the inn.

As the restaurant clerk had already informed Lara, it was a dwarven blacksmith's shop. The weapons on display at the shop Lara and Sasha visited looked unusual. Lara was interested in the belt on which small leather pockets with daggers were attached. Her belt was worn out here and there due to the rough battles she had experienced in recent times, and she lost most of the daggers that had been plugged into it. Lara found a solid belt with twelve daggers attached and tried it on. The dagger's blade was twelve centimeters long, much shorter than a usual dagger. The dagger’s hilts were so well designed that they looked like ornaments on her leather armor. Though it was pretty expensive, Lara paid for the belt without hesitation.

Sasha checked on crossbows. Having been exposed to the quarrels shot by a crossbow a few times, he realized the power and efficiency of the long-range attack. A comparatively small black crossbow hanging on a wall caught Sasha’s eyes.

“May I see the crossbow hanging over there?”

The clerk said in an apathetic tone.

“Although our dwarf master made that crossbow, its string is too tough to load quarrels quickly, and its length is too short to hit the target accurately. Moreover, it was too expensive, so it hasn’t been sold in years. Why don’t you check on other crossbows?”

At that time, a dwarf, coming out of his workshop to get off work, heard the clerk’s remarks on the black crossbow and shouted.

“What the hell are you talking about? You have been introducing the masterpiece, on which I’ve worked so hard, in that way? You’re fired right now.”

The dwarf looked up and down at Sasha and said,

“You look strong. Why don’t you load a quarrel?”

Sasha received the crossbow and a quarrel from the pitiful clerk and loaded a quarrel. Since Sasha had never loaded a crossbow before, he could not understand why the dwarf and clerk looked at him with such surprised looks when he loaded a forty-centimeter short crossbow, even though the string was somewhat tough. But, it was astonishing for the dwarf and clerk since Sasha held the crossbow with his left hand and pulled its string with his right hand to load the quarrel while ordinary people loaded quarrels, putting an end of the crossbow on the ground and the other end on their abdomens, pulling the string with two hands. The dwarf spoke a little trembling voice.

“Shoot it, aim at the armor hanging over there.”

Because the blacksmith’s shop was so large, the armor on the opposite wall was well over thirty meters away. Sasha said, looking at the dwarf.

“The armor may be broken. Will it be all right?”

“I won’t ask you to pay for it. Don’t worry and shoot the goddamn crossbow.”

As Sasha pulled the trigger, the quarrel flew with a tremendous wind-piercing sound, penetrated right through the center of the armor and pierced into the wall. The dwarf asked Sasha with a surprised look.

“Did you aim for the center of the armor? Shoot one more time.”

Sasha reshot the crossbow, making another hole on the armor just above the spot the first quarrel had pierced. The clerk was drooling with his mouth open, and the dwarf made a pleasant smile.

“I’ll sell you the crossbow for the special price, fifty golds, and give you five quivers with twelve quarrels each for free. My name is Blackanvil. What’s yours?”

Sasha considered the price, fifty golds, was still very high and he was curious how much the original price was, but he did not ask the dwarf about it.

“My name is Sasha. Are you the blacksmith artisan who made Id’s sword?”

“Who is Id?”

Sasha briefly talked to Blackanvil about Andrew, Id and Id’s sword. He had heard about how Id had purchased his sword and had recognized Blackanvil's name.

“Oh, yes. That kid was Id. I’m sorry to hear that your master is dead. He seemed like quite the Knight. Where’s Id now?”

“He is at an inn located not far from here. We’d like to treat you to dinner. What do you think?”

Looking at Lara, Blackanvil asked,

“You chose good daggers. Are you a colleague of the boys?”

Looking at Lara nodding and smiling, Blackanvil continued.

“Why don’t you try to throw the daggers?”

Lara walked across the shop to the armor, at which Sasha shot the quarrels. Having stopped at about fifteen meters from the armor, she swung her hands three times consecutively. Twelve daggers were neatly stuck in a circle around the holes Sasha had made. Blackanvil was surprised by Lara’s dagger throwing skill, but, on the other hand, Lara was more surprised by the sharpness of the daggers. The daggers pierced into the armor so deeply that their hilts were barely seen.

“Huh, what a party of prospects. Is Id as good as you are?”

“It’s my first time to see these sharp daggers. I feel like they were made for me because the size of the daggers is comparatively small, and their balance is so good. You must be a great artisan. Id is our friend, but, at the same time, he is our swordsmanship teacher.”

At Lara’s comments, Blackanvil became desperate to see the remarkable young man using the sword made by himself.

“Let’s go. I’ll treat you to dinner tonight. I’ll give you a dozen more daggers for emergency use.”

Benjamin and Id found out the selling price of magic potions at a magic item store. They sold several types of magic potions depending on the quality, and the selling prices per bottle were between twenty and thirty golds. Benjamin asked the store manager for a meeting.

“I am the six-circle master from the Icarus Wizard Tower, Benjamin. I happened to have a pretty large amount of troll’s blood, and I’m going to make magic potions out of it. Do you want to buy them?”

The man in his mid-fifties replied quickly.

“Certainly. I can buy as many magic potions as you have. How many bottles of them will you make?”

“The blood I’ve got is enough to make more than a hundred bottles, but If I make them all, I’ll have to stay for quite a long time here in the Scandia City. So I’m about to make twenty bottles myself and sell the rest of the blood to the Sacandia Wizard Tower. How much are you going to pay for the potions?”

The manager said with a wistful glance.

“If it’s a potion made by a mage at your level, I can pay eighteen golds a bottle.”

“Good. I’ll bring the potions in several days. Can you tell me where I can find these materials written here?”

Benjamin showed the manager a list of materials necessary for manufacturing potions except for troll’s blood.

“We deal with all the materials listed here in this store. The total price is…… yes, eight golds and thirty silvers, but I’ll receive only eight golds.”

Benjamin returned to the inn with Id after purchasing all the necessary materials for magic potions. Benjamin ordered a beer first after sitting in the reserved seat by the window, waiting for the party. Id asked, looking at Benjamin drinking beer at once.

“How long would it take to make potions?”

“If I rent a lab and focus on the production, I can make thirty bottles in a week.”

“Didn’t you say you’re going to make only twenty bottles?”

“I’m to give you three bottles each and keep a bottle myself for emergency use.”

“You can give us just a bottle each…….”

“To go through a turbulent world, nobody knows what’s gonna happen. It’s better to carry sufficient potions. Although I still have not accomplished being a seven-circle Wizard, I believe I’m the best magic potion manufacturer at the Icarus Wizard Tower. The potions will be helpful to you.”

Lara and Sasha returned to the inn with Blackanvil. Id stood up from his seat and welcomed the dwarven master artisan, Blackanvil.

“I couldn’t meet you at the Nordburg blacksmith’s shop when I visited a few months ago. It’s so nice to see you after a long time.”

“You’re a grown-up now. I’m glad to see you again. I’m sorry to hear about your master's passing. I was tired of wandering around the world, so I took over a blacksmith’s workshop a few years ago and settled down here in Scandia City. I happened to meet your friends today and heard of you, so I came here to have dinner with you.”

“I’m glad you came.”