After the ruckus caused by the departure of the third supervisor abated, I engaged in conversation with Aserro. Though it was brief, the expression on Aserro's face bore the marks of the violence he suffered at the hands of the supervisor named Buku. I used my healing magic to help him recover, and Aserro looked at me in surprise and asked, "Are you a magician? But I have no relatives who are magicians..."
"I was just being vague so that people would back off; I thought he'd get the hint. But it seems that supervisor has been regularly disrespecting you, Aserro."
"Well, such things happen often in the Plenus mine. Oh dear, oh my…"
"I will help you." Aki, who had coincidentally brought some ointment, applied it to Aserro’s sore wounds. Aserro seemed unaccustomed to such kindness and had a slightly uncomfortable expression. It was understandable. Here, where every blacksmith spent their days sweating in the mines and drank themselves into exhaustion at night, caring for someone else was something that might only exist in dreams.
Before continuing the conversation, I checked Aserro’s condition.
[Aserro – Lv. 25]
[Strength: 47]
[Stamina: 45]
[Magical Power: 0]
[Wisdom: 11]
[Agility: 15]
[Charm: 31]
[Physical Resistance: 3]
[Magic Resistance: 3]
[Special Affiliation: Forging S / Alchemy A / Weapon Production – Sword A / Weapon Production – Spear B / Weapon Production – Shield B / Basic Artifact Crafting D]
[General Affiliation: Research, Family, Stability]
[You have gained Basic Artifact Crafting due to a powerful synergy effect from your special affiliation.]
"Oh, interesting." I internally cheered as I saw Aserro’s condition filled with so many details. It was clear that a future name-worthy figure had a completely different foundation right from the start. Along the way from the entrance to here, I met countless blacksmiths, scanning their stats without finding anything special. Most were ordinary blacksmiths who diligently performed the tasks given to them, lacking a pursuit for change or challenge. But Aserro was different. Despite enduring hardships like the beating from Buku moments ago, it seemed he had found time to conduct the research he wanted.
"Aserro."
"Yes? Ah, that title, 'Mister,' is too much. You seem to be the son of a noble family, calling me that."
I'm not a particularly famous person, so not many recognize me. Aserro seemed similarly unaware of my identity. Well, it's not entirely wrong that he is from a noble family. In any case, only people in my territory or in the Kingdom of Cinderis might remember my face. Therefore, Aserro likely didn’t know who I was. This worked out well; if I were more recognized, too many people would have noticed me from the entrance.
"No worries. I can extend that much respect to a craftsman. Aserro, let's get straight to the point. How about leaving this mine and moving to a new place with your family?"
"What? Leaving the Plenus mine? Now that you mention it, I did hear from Supervisor Buku earlier…"
"I had him prepare a notice of termination for you. I am Lord Jared from the Crivian Barony. Aserro, I truly want you to come to my territory."
I spoke to Aserro with complete sincerity, free from any pretense. As a result, his gaze began to shake intensely.
‘The lord from the barony wants me? Why would it be me? I'm just an ordinary blacksmith from the mine…’
Aserro felt immense joy at Lord Jared's proposal, but at the same time, it was hard to understand. He thought briefly, could it be that he wanted to kidnap him and do something terrible? But it didn’t take long for him to realize that such thoughts were misplaced. No one would use the salary of a supervisor for such tricks!
"I will promise you three things, Aserro. First, I will build you the best forge equipped with the latest facilities. While I can’t claim it will be the best in the continent, I promise it will at least be the finest in the north."
"Wow…"
Aserro’s jaw dropped. His heart felt like it might burst right out of his chest. Who is this noble man before him to promise such an incredible investment? Frankly, if he guaranteed good facilities, equipment, and support, he would have countless research projects he wanted to pursue. He had already accumulated enough knowledge, but lacked the proper facilities and support to make progress.
"Secondly, if needed, I will also provide magical devices. Anything I can craft myself, I will create and link with.
"Is that what the lord means?"
"Indeed. Despite appearances, I am a magician, and I have some experience in fine processing of magic stones. Hahaha."
"Fine processing is not an easy task, though... That's impressive. Truly."
Aserro nodded. As I looked closer at him, I began to recall stories I had previously ignored. There was a noble lord in the northern continent who developed magic stone lamps and video devices, allowing his people to lead a prosperous life. Now I realized that lord was Jared!
"Thirdly, I will provide a mansion for you and your family to live in. It is a building used by a different lord in the past, now left vacant and cleaned up."
"A, a mansion for me?”
Aserro stumbled over his words. For someone who had been living in a makeshift building, the mere mention of a 'mansion' was overwhelming. It was an unprecedented proposal. His heart had already left this place, ready to embrace the embrace of the Crivian Barony. However, it still felt like something was lacking. Just a bit more reasoning would allow him to fully accept this shocking decision.
"It's not about creating something from nothing. I intend to support you in all aspects of this metal research and production. I can't tell you in advance what kind of metal it is, but I can assure you it is stronger than iron! And the reserves are ample enough for mass production."
Jared handed Aserro the Keldian sword he had obtained from Rakis. A metal strong enough to be produced in large quantities. Aserro had never heard of such a thing before. He had read numerous books about metals, but generally, metals stronger than iron were considered rare alloys. The fact that iron has remained the most excellent metal for weapon crafting for hundreds, no, thousands of years, was well-accepted wisdom.
"It can't be a rare metal, can it?" Aserro asked, with reasonable doubt. There were indeed a number of metals stronger than iron, with the most notable being rare minerals like Stellerad. However, Stellerad was so sought after that it could take a lifetime for a craftsman to find just one. One could not claim that Stellerad could serve as a substitute for iron since it was impossible to mass-produce.
"Not at all. The reason people don't know where it is buried is simply that they lack information about it. I know enough about the refining methods. You just need to focus on the mining and production processes."
"If you don't mind, could I do a small test?"
"By all means."
Aserro carefully grasped the Keldian sword. Then he took out a steel sword that he had set aside in the forge; it was the only possession he owned, a gift from his fellow blacksmiths to commemorate his ten years of service.
If the Keldian was not stronger than iron, then the steel sword would remain intact. After all, it had been crafted with utmost care and dedication by his companions. However, if it was indeed stronger… the gift sword would be shattered. Though the gift would be gone, the joy of encountering a revolutionary metal that could replace iron would be incredible.
"Haaaah!"
Aserro shouted and swung the Keldian sword down with all his might towards the steel sword.
Swaaaash!
In the next moment.
Thud!
The steel sword was cleaved in half. The cleanly severed blade was strikingly smooth.
"How on earth did you come across such a metal?! Lord, this is a tremendous revolution! If it can be mass-produced…!"
"The reserves are not different from iron. As for strength… as you can see, there is a huge difference." Jared beamed with pride. Having gathered every piece of knowledge from 'Paradiso' in his previous life had truly proven beneficial! If he began mass-producing weapons using Keldian, the landscape of the Nas Continent would change drastically. The gap between civilizations with weapons a generation ahead and those without would widen in an instant.
The time left for Jared until the Demon War was around eight years and six months. He wanted to complete all his preparations within that time and become the hero who would save the Nas Continent during that war. Even better, it would be amazing if he could unify the continent and ascend the throne above all mortals.
"This is... a revolution."
Aserro's hands trembled as he held the Keldian sword. Having witnessed the truth with his own eyes, he could barely contain his amazement.
"I will spare no support. Aserro, let’s go together. I truly need you."
"Ahh..."
He felt entranced. Despite having lived on passion for research, Aserro had grown weary of the hellish daily grind of life in the mine. More than anything, the ever-decreasing pay and the abuses of the supervisor weighed heavily on him, and he felt constantly sorry for his family.
So! Everything that Jared proposed felt like an opportunity that might never come again. Whatever the means, Jared had recognized the true value of his research and efforts, and Aserro was so grateful for that. It almost brought him to tears!
"I will go. If my limited skills can be of any help… I will go anywhere! Thank you. Truly, thank you!"
Aserro bowed deeply before Jared. The lord hurriedly supported him to get back up. He didn’t explicitly expect such respectful reverence, but Aserro’s bowing felt so natural. It was no doubt a lesson learned from the need to survive amidst the mine. Seeing the violence and tyranny from Buku was enough to hint at the kind of demeanor Aserro had developed.
Just then.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
The sound of heavy footsteps approached from a distance as Buku neared. In that moment, Jared turned to Arkienes and asked, “Aki, do we have any more gold coins?”
"Yes. I brought plenty!"
"Take out one more pouch."
“Are you going to give him more money?”
"Yeah. I plan to give him money and take a swing at him. He’s the kind of man who would sell his soul for gold, so I’m sure he would happily take a punch."
“...Lord, he might end up dying!”
Contrary to Arkienes' worried expression, Jared was smiling. Before leaving with Aserro, he wanted to offer a parting gift that could slightly ease the pain of having endured through violence and discrimination.
Chapter 101