What should I do today~? It's my one day off each week, and it feels a little silly to just loaf around at the Familia headquarters... Maybe Rex and I should explore Orario.
"Hup! Shall we go?"
In case someone came looking for me, I hung a sign reading [Out] on my door before leaving. Maybe because it was a day off, everyone was quiet except for the faint sound of metal being hammered somewhere in the distance.
Well, it's only ten o'clock (?) yet, so maybe they're still asleep.
Hmm. An adventurer might come by to buy something while taking advantage of the holiday, so I'll stay planted at the smithy until lunchtime. Then, in the afternoon, I can wander around with Rex.
When I headed down toward the dining hall, I found rows of sandwiches laid out by the kitchen crew for Familia members who had slept in and missed breakfast.
These were a gamble... Whenever the members ate them, at least one person would be hit by a storm of diarrhea starting that evening. Apparently, the kitchen crew had made this trap because they resented people sleeping instead of eating the food they had painstakingly prepared while fighting off their own exhaustion. But the goddess of luck protects me. This one!
"It'll be fine... right?"
To be fair, I had a stockpile of preserved food in the workshop, but wasn't it better to replenish supplies elsewhere whenever possible? If I could fill my stomach without using my own provisions, I ought to take advantage of it.
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The young man goes to work.
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"I'm out~"
"Hiss!"
"Easy, easy. What's wrong? I'll give you more jerky today, so calm down for a second."
"Hiiiiss...!"
I'd arrived late because it was the weekend, so he must have gotten angry from being hungry. He looked like he wanted to keep being mad, but...
Rattle-rattle-rattle
...The jerky was too expensive to refuse.
"This is premium jerky that cost me a whole 500 valis for one bag. Now then, why don't you try getting mad some more?"
"Meeeow..."
Honestly, why tire yourself out when you know perfectly well you're going to lose? Hahahahaha.
Let's see, the door is locked properly... The only openings are the vent and the chimney.
"First, I should air the place out."
The little guy must really have been hungry, because he was too busy eating to answer. No, maybe it was just that the expensive stuff tasted good?
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The young man airs out the room and does some light cleaning.
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There. For a single guy living alone, this was more than tidy enough, wasn't it?
(Spoken by a certain blacksmith who had shoved every inconvenient thing into his workshop.)
It's... ten-thirty. I'll stay here until around two, then take Rex around Orario afterward.
"We're going out together later, so don't go anywhere. Stay here."
"Meow~"
"As expected, there's almost nothing money can't solve."
Grin
Even a guy who had been that angry could be handled with expensive jerky.
Hmm... Let's see what I have made right now...
From the Knight Run side—
Everything except Pardon had sold last time.
Hmm, from the Dark Souls side—
Two Lothric Knight Swords.
One Solaire's Straight Sword.
One Zweihander.
And the rest...
Five dismantling daggers, a crossbow and heavy bolts (I made them with Dark Souls in mind, but they were such basic weapons that they were no different from ordinary weapons, so I put them here), four shortswords, two longswords, two round shields, and two main-gauches.
Hmm... Is that about it? I should start restocking soon. Let's see... Next, I should probably make armor.
For leather armor, would that leather armor Arash wore be good enough? As for iron... Hmm... Ah, full plate armor that sacrifices mobility really isn't popular here in Orario... But I still want to make it... Hmm. I'll make a set of Black Knight Armor for myself and try it on first. If it's comfortable, I'll make Silver Knight Armor as well. If not, I'll just wear the Black Knight Armor myself.
While I'm at it, should I make a Black Knight Shield and a Black Knight Greataxe too? As for greatswords and ultra greatswords... If I enchant them properly, would they gain an advantage against those monsters in the middle floors that drop firestones?
"Hmm... If I add an anti-demon effect through magic, I need to find out whether it would grant a broad advantage here against fire-element monsters like Hellhounds and Flame Rocks, dragons that breathe fire, or ordinary demon-type monsters like imps and goblins..."
"Ahem... Shopkeeper?"
"I'm not high enough level to go test it myself... Hmm, what should I do..."
"Uh, you've got a customer..."
"Meow!"
"Yeah, huh? I got so lost in thought... Welcome, customer. Thanks, Rex."
"Meow!"
Whoops. I'd been so absorbed in thinking about enchantments that I hadn't even noticed a customer enter.
"What sort of weapon are you looking for?"
"It doesn't matter whether it's a one-handed sword or a two-handed sword, but..."
"Do you normally fight with a shield? It looks like there are marks on your arm guards."
"You've got a sharp eye. I usually wield a shield and a one-handed sword, but I'm skilled and strong enough to swing a two-handed sword one-handed."
"If you don't mind my asking, what is your level and deepest floor...?"
"I'm currently Level 4, and my party has reached the forty-fourth floor. We have an expedition in a month, and I'm a little uneasy about the weapon I'm using now. I'm Kaniel Jo, captain of the Horus Familia, [Right Eye of the Sun (Wadjet)]."
"Hmm... Have you come to commission a custom weapon?"
A fact I had learned after hearing the rumor from the captain of the Astraea Familia and badgering both my goddess and captain for answers.
'Just about every second-tier adventurer or higher is waiting for an opening to commission a custom weapon. They're just playing a game of chicken.'
"Seriously, why is everyone watching each other so carefully?"
"You knew? Well, it would be stranger if you didn't."
"So, a custom one-handed greatsword?"
"That's what I'm considering for now. My old weapon is good, but I think it's about time to replace it."
"Hmm... A one-handed greatsword will lower your attack speed. Are you sure about that?"
"I have more than enough technique and strength for it in the first place."
"...Let's make a deal."
"A deal?"
"After you use the weapon I make to kill certain monsters, compare it with your old weapon to see whether your attacks are more effective. If you submit a reasonably detailed report, I'll refund part of the purchase price."
"What kinds of monsters?"
"Separate the report into demon types, dragon types, and fire-attack types. Dragons that breathe fire can simply be counted as dragon types."
"And how much is this partial refund?"
"Let's say five percent."
"Ten percent."
"Now, hold on. I need to make a profit too. Five-point-five percent."
"From the way you talk, it sounds as though I'll be the only one conducting this test. You should offer a little more. Nine percent."
"Who knows whether you'll remain the only one in the future? Six percent."
"What kind of man raises the price by a measly half percent at a time? Raise it by a full percent. Eight-point-five percent."
"Seven percent. I won't go any higher. Are you trying to fleece me?"
"Hmm... It's a bit disappointing, but I suppose this is where we stop. Fine, seven percent it is."
Tch, he got me.
So veteran adventurers really were different. He wasn't even comparable to Anne.
"So, do you have a design in mind?"
"Hmm... Please wait. I think I drew up a blueprint in the workshop."
After spending ten minutes rummaging through my workshop materials, I found a rather thick parchment scroll. I had no idea why it had been moved from the Dark Souls section to the Bloodborne section, but I took it out and returned to the smithy, where Kaniel was waiting.
Apparently there was nothing in particular to look at, because he was still sitting in the customer chair.
"Is that the blueprint?"
"I drew it at full scale, so it should be easy to look over."
As I spoke, I spread the scroll over the iron table.
"Ho, this is a sword with a structure I've never seen before."
"First, let me briefly explain this sword's origins. It was the sword of knights who followed a mighty King of the Sun and specialized in hunting demons of flame and monsters."
"Knights who followed a King of the Sun..."
As the vice-captain of a Familia serving a sun god, Kaniel seemed to like the phrase 'knights of the King of the Sun.'
"So, is there anything you would like to add or remove? Made according to this blueprint, it will be a second-tier weapon, costing around forty-five million valis, plus or minus five million."
"Can you change the color of this grip and crossguard to a bright color that suits the sun?"
"I can do that without any additional charge."
"How much do you need as an advance payment?"
"Hmm, I'll take ten million valis as a deposit for now. You were brave enough to step forward first in this game of chicken, so I should offer you at least that much consideration."
"Hahaha, well then. I suppose coming first was the right choice! The truth is, I lost a bet with a friend and had to come first!"
"...Hmm, should I raise the deposit?"
"Ahem, what are you saying? I'll bring the deposit by tomorrow."
"Then I'll see you tomorrow."
"See you tomorrow."
Huh... I'd planned to spend the whole day playing with Rex, but work had barged in like this... First, I'll eat the sandwich I brought for lunch and make some rough preparations.
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And from that evening onward, I was tormented by a storm of diarrhea... You fucking kitchen crew bastards...!
Side: Kitchen Crew
...Shiver
A: "Hey, sounds like someone ate a diarrhea sandwich and is cursing us out? That chill feels familiar."
B: "You too? Me too!"
C: "Hehehe, then he shouldn't have eaten it if he didn't like it."