Morcan.
It was a name he was well acquainted with.
He had worked in the iron mine for a long time and had heard that he was selected as the safety officer this time.
A person worthy of trust.
Moreover, if Jacob had gone out of his way to bring him, he was certainly suitable as a spokesperson for the iron mine.
Baron Romero spoke.
"So, you were with Roman on-site?"
"Yes."
"Tell me in detail what happened at that time. How did Roman act when the accident occurred, why did he show concern for the safety issues of the iron mine, and whether he found the solution on his own. I hope you will speak only the truth, without a hint of falsehood or exaggeration."
"Understood."
Morcan bowed respectfully.
He spoke as he had experienced it.
Like Hans, he shared his thoughts.
"The accident occurred a week after Lord Roman started working. Due to a ground collapse, a worker was injured, and I, being present at the site, ordered the rescue of the workers in a safe manner according to the accident manual. However, Lord Roman had a different idea. He believed that, given his abilities, he could take the risk and rescue the workers himself, and despite the objections from me and others, he went directly to the accident site. That is the truth. No one forced him, nor did anyone ask him; he made the judgment on his own."
It was the same as Hans's words.
Bearing the Dmitri family name, Roman took the risk.
Thinking of his son descending alone into the dark underground, Baron Romero unconsciously tightened his grip on the armrest of his chair.
"In fact, I did not know why Lord Roman came to the iron mine. However, after personally treating the injured, I realized how foolish and pathetic I was when I saw him saying he would solve the safety issues of the iron mine. Lord Roman did not have any special intention. As the heir of the Dmitri family, he intended to experience firsthand the difficulties people were facing, and having confronted the safety issues, he stated that it was his responsibility to resolve them."
He was moved.
As a worker, Morcan genuinely admired Roman.
Thus, even though Roman had proposed with a purpose, he believed that his sincerity was for the people of Dmitri.
"From beginning to end, the method of solving the safety issues was all Lord Roman's idea. If this gathering is to ask what kind of person Lord Roman is, I would like to say that he is the heir of the Dmitri family whom I sincerely trust and wish to follow."
He poured out his heart.
Even while bowing his head, his unwavering voice proved that there was not a hint of falsehood or exaggeration as Baron Romero had requested.
"…I see."
He had heard everything he wanted to hear.
Baron Romero dismissed the people. 'Not a single person says that Roman is unfit to be the heir of Dmitri.' The sentiment of the iron mine was once again on Roman's side.
He felt it while watching Morcan, who spoke carefully, as if afraid of becoming a burden to Roman.
To them, Roman was already the heir of Dmitri.
He fell into deep thought.
The tide had turned.
Everyone looked at Roman, but that did not mean he could make a decision yet.
Master Blacksmith.
There was still the opinion of the most important blacksmith to consider.
A few days ago.
The blacksmith was working in front of the hot flames of the furnace, just like any other day.
"Master."
"Speak."
"Items have arrived in the name of Lord Roman Dmitri. Should we accept them?"
Roman.
It was a taboo name in the blacksmith's shop.
After the last incident, they had tried not to mention Roman's name as much as possible, but since a request had come in, the master, Hendrick, had to be informed.
The blacksmith was tense.
However, Hendrick's reaction was different from what he expected.
"Accept them."
"…What?"
"Are your ears blocked? I said to accept them."
"Ah, understood!" The blacksmith hurried off.
Soon, he returned carrying a large amount of iron.
Since he could not carry it all by himself, several blacksmiths joined in, and the workshop was soon filled with iron weapons and armor.
It was not something that could be finished in a day or two.
Considering his personal feelings towards Roman, he should have refused, but Hendrick examined the iron without any sign of rejection on his face.
"This is really a mess. How much training have they gone through for it to be in this condition?" It seemed to belong to the soldiers following Roman.
In truth, he wanted to refuse.
However, his feelings towards Roman had changed a bit recently.
He had heard about the incident at the iron mine through Jacob, and the fact that Roman risked his life to save the workers made him see Roman in a different light.
Thinking back, the argument they had in the workshop was not entirely Roman's fault.
He had shown a complacent attitude as a craftsman, and it was natural for Roman to be angry from his perspective.
This time, it was strongly about repayment.
He wanted to make amends for the wrongs he had done to Roman by properly handling the task he had requested.
Thus, he carefully examined the condition of the items.
What problems were there? How could he satisfy Roman? However, while checking the mountain of iron, Hendrick's eyes widened when he spotted a sword that was set apart from the others.
"…W-What is this?!" It was certain.
This sword was a famous sword that could hardly be found on the continent.
Hendrick was a craftsman.
Having worked in the blacksmith's shop for decades, he could recognize the brilliant form of a famous sword at a glance.
"Where did you get this?" He held the sword up to the light.
The shining light glided smoothly down the blade, and the gently curled grip felt like a work of art.
The hardness of the blade he tapped was also very appropriate.
While it could not be called the best sword on the continent, it was certainly hard to find a sword of this quality even in Dmitri, the stronghold of blacksmiths.
Above all, there was a point that truly impressed Hendrick. 'The mana responsiveness is extraordinary.' When illuminated by the light, the sword shone with a radiant glow.
This indicated that its ability to absorb the natural energy, or mana, was on a different level compared to other iron items.
Long ago, the standard for a famous sword was simply to cut well and be sturdy, but since Emperor Alexander opened the possibility of aura testing, the standards had completely changed.
The basic performance of the sword became a given, and the recognition of a famous sword depended on how well it could absorb mana.
Hendrick brought the sword to the flames.
Occasionally, weapons with excellent mana responsiveness would exhibit dramatic phenomena just by being brought to the flames.
Just like now.
Flame.
The flames wrapped around the sword.
To be precise, the flames that should have risen in all directions showed a tendency to rise around the sword as if drawn by a gravitational force.
It was not dramatic enough to be described as wrapping around it.
However, if this much effect could occur without infusing mana, it was certainly an item that aura testers would go crazy over.
'To think such a treasure exists.' His heart raced.
Hendrick prided himself on being the best in the continent when it came to handling iron.
However, increasing mana responsiveness was another matter.
How could such an item have been made? Driven by his bubbling curiosity as a craftsman, he approached the blacksmith who had just brought the weapon and asked, "Whose sword is this?"
He knew.
If it was a request from Roman, he could guess who the owner of the famous sword was.
Yet, he needed to confirm the truth, and as expected, the blacksmith spoke the name that Hendrick had in mind.
"…It belongs to Lord Roman. After collecting all the weapons and armor of the soldiers, he entrusted that sword to me separately. Is there a problem with it? If you command me now, I will return everything to Lord Roman."
"No, that's not necessary."
Roman.
That name struck hard in his mind.
Where could he have obtained such a sword? With the wealth of Dmitri, he must have paid a hefty sum for it.
Then who was the one who crafted the sword? Countless questions followed, and Hendrick ultimately reached one conclusion. 'I should ask directly where the sword came from.'
He was anxious.
Normally, he would not want to engage with Roman, but now he was eager enough to bow his head first.
To meet Roman, he had to quickly handle his request.
He could not just show up with a sword and no results.
Hendrick shouted, "Gather all the available blacksmiths right now. We must finish this work completely within a few days!" Here, Hendrick's word was law.
From that day on, the workshop was filled with the flames of the furnace until the sun set.
Clang, clang.
The blacksmith poured the iron onto the floor.
Seeing the iron shining like new, Chris looked genuinely surprised.
"Already done? I thought it would take at least two weeks for 30 armed men."
"…I thought the same. I expected it to be divided into about two weeks of slow work, but for some reason, Master Hendrick's eyes lit up, and all the available blacksmiths jumped into this task."
The blacksmith trembled.
The past few days had been nothing short of hellish.
Night work was too dangerous to carry on, but from dawn to dusk, they had to hammer iron in the workshop without rest.
They could not even fully enjoy the rest time that was usually guaranteed.
How could the blacksmiths below him rest when their master stuffed bread into his mouth in a minute and dashed back to the workshop?
After three days of relentless work, they produced the current results.
"Please be sure to ask Lord Roman later why Master Hendrick was so anxious."
"Understood."
Chris nodded.
Glancing to the side, he saw Roman and Hendrick engaged in conversation.
Hendrick's face was haggard.
Due to the excessive work, he was quite fatigued, but his eyes burned with strong enthusiasm.
"Roman. Where on earth did you get this sword? Who is the maker of the sword?" He shot the questions out, as if urging for a quick answer.
He could not hide his impatience even in front of Roman.
Seeing this, Roman smiled. 'Just as I expected.' From the moment he had given the request, Roman had anticipated that Hendrick would react this way.
Craftsmen were all the same.
When they see an attractive item, they cannot help but react like Hendrick, regardless of their relationship with the owner of that item.
Thus, Roman spoke the answer he had prepared in advance.
"It's not a sword I found somewhere. I made that sword myself."
"…What?!" Hendrick's face turned pale with shock.
It was an utterly shocking statement that he had not dared to imagine over the past few days.