...... maybe .......

　There's no doubt about it. That was a mithril sword that I had [synthesized] created, sold by the White Wolf Store.

''Oh!　It may not be ideal for a weapons store, but it's the best looking thing to display like this. Don't be offended.
No, I'm glad you like it.
Thank you. If it were the weapon smiths I know, they would have told me not to use weapons I made for decoration, but to use the ones I made for decoration.

　Craig came next to me before I knew it and laughed vigorously.

　I wonder if that's what blacksmiths in their day jobs think.

　In manufacturing the Mithril sword, I didn't do anything typical of a blacksmith.
　I just used my skills to [synthesize] mithril into a steel sword.

''I'm not a blacksmith, I'm a weaponsmith. Maybe my thinking is different from my day job.''
No, they're just a bunch of bigots. They're just too proud to be true.

　While me and Craig, the owner of the shop, were having such a conversation in front of the swords on the wall, Garnett was looking at the precious metal ornaments on display with great interest.

　Today he was dressed in the same boyish attire as usual, but he always wears stylish clothes, so he didn't feel too uncomfortable looking at the accessories in that way.

''That's awesome and elaborate. ...... Is this guy made by that workshop manager too?''
'Yes. Half of the products are created by my father, and almost all of these high-end products are. Apprentices and other artisans like me are a notch below my father's products.
...... I guess you can't judge a man by his looks, can you?
I've been told that a lot.

　Garnett is observing the necklace in the glass case with admiration, not hesitating to say what I'd misrepresented earlier.

　Behind her, Cassie is giggling.

　Apparently, the gap between the products on display in this store and the appearance of Craig, the head of the workshop, has been noticed by people other than us.

It's time for me to serve you some tea. Since we have come all the way to the royal capital, we should treat them well or it will affect their reputation.
'Are we that famous? I don't know if I'm aware of it for the moment.
'In mithril processor circles. The rest of the industry is ...... haha, I don't know much about it either!

　Craig shook his shoulders in hearty amusement as he led us into the parlor at the back of the store.

　Strictly speaking, it's a parlor space separated from part of the living room by a divider (partition).

　As we sat down on the chairs, a boy who looked like Kathy came running in, looking impatient.

'Oh, Dad!　Let me get an advance on this month's paycheck!
Colin!　You wasted our money!　You have an important visitor here, so back off!

　Craig grabbed the boy's face with his big burly hands and pushed him straight out of the living room.

'Ouch!　Ouch!　Hey, please, Dad: ......!
You've got a bunch of traveling entertainers in your life, haven't you?　Augustus Troupe?　Marble Troupe?　Or is it both?
I'm not going to get into that ...... painful ...... thing, and I'm just paying for the privilege of watching it. ...... A little extra.
That's why we'll soon be out of money!　We'll talk about it later!　Okay?

　After shooing the boy, who he thought was his son, out of the living room, Craig sat down in his chair with a wry smile.

'Sorry, that's my son. He's also my apprentice, but he's gotten a little jaded lately.
Ha ha ......

　I got my mind back on track and continued chatting with them over tea and sweets, and they told me many stories about the work and management of a general mithril processor first hand.

　Stocking procedures. Commonly used processing practices. The union system.

　Having started my current job with a different background, Craig's stories are all valuable and interesting to me.

　On the other hand, I talked about many things as well.
　Of course, I didn't tell them what was forbidden by the royal court and the knights, and I didn't mind letting an outsider hear about it.

　I'm sure you've been listening to me with a smile on your angular face.

　It was so clear that he had invited me because he wanted to hear this kind of talk, even if he didn't say it in words.

'And yet, how did you know I was from the White Wolf Store in Green Hollow Town?

　With all the work-related topics out of the way, I ask him what was on his mind at the beginning.

'Yeah, I actually got one of these from a competitor,'

　Craig pulled out of his desk drawer a piece of paper, folded in quarters and the size of a palm.

　He opened it and peered in with Garnett, and then simultaneously let out an exclamation of surprise.

'The White Wolf Store and my drawing?　It's like a rough sketch: ...... How on earth did you get this stuff?
It's a long story. I don't mind.

　I gestured my agreement to an awkward-looking Craig.

...... This one was concocted by a competitor whose field of expertise is similar to yours. In short, a bunch of guys who want to make weapons out of mithril.
So that doesn't sound like a very good motive.
In conclusion, it seems that it was meant to be a persona non grata. Oh, don't get me wrong. I've been told that there are only two or three processors in the capital who don't think well of you. Other than that, they're just like me: ...... I'm thrilled to see a hell of a guy come out of the woodwork.

　Craig spoke up quickly and then went on to explain in more detail.

'The weapons smithing here used to be a big business,' he said. There was a lot of war going on for a long time. But now that His Majesty has become king, the weaponsmithing business in this city has become less and less profitable as the territory of the country has expanded.
'You could have procured weapons in the occupied areas close to the front lines, so there was no point in transporting them all the way from the capital to the long distance.

　Garnett quickly interjects with an explanation from a military perspective.

You're right. I'm sure you'll be able to find it in the future. The demand for weapons by adventurers can't even come close to the huge demand we had at the height of the war.

　Could it be that the reason why he used Mithril's sword in the interior of his shop is because he still has some feelings about his past as a weapons smith?

It's a good thing that you're not going to be able to get a good deal more than you think. I'm sure you'll be able to find it in the marketplace, and I'm sure you'll be able to find it in the marketplace, and I'm sure you'll be able to find it in the marketplace.

　Craig shook his head as if to say, 'Oh dear.

'Didn't work out?'
Yeah. That's because there simply isn't enough mithril in the world. It's enough for decoration purposes like us, but if you want to use mithril for a sword barrel or something, it's going to be tough.
...... sure. If you're going to go to the trouble of trying to get the amount of mithril to be enough to make it worthwhile, you'll have to pour a lot of it in.

　I can get mithril on my own, so I can spend it exclusively up to the mining limit specified by the royal palace.

　But that's not the case for ordinary processors.

'This is another part of those people, and they see you, who are mass-producing mithril equipment, as a rival without permission. It is said that your description was drawn on site for the purpose of scouting or something.
'I see, I see. I'll watch the roads at night until we get back to Green Hollow.
'Hahaha!　Please stop, I'm not talking about that. They understand reason, too.

　With that, Craig gulped down the tea poured into his cup.

'Most of the people who study Mithril weapons appreciate you, too. The number of people who want mithril equipment has increased dramatically thanks to you. Now it's up to them to do the rest.

　Craig finishes his story sullenly.

　As a weapons smith who once made a living.
　As a mithril processor, which is now the family business.
　To Craig, it's a story about people in the same industry in a double sense.

　Maybe it was impossible not to be concerned about what they were going through.

　Garnett, who had taken the physiognomy from me, whether he knew the mood or not, murmured in disapproval.

'But this drawing doesn't look much like the real one. The real one has a much better face.

　Craig and Cassie laughed with amusement in their voices, which I interpreted as a joke.

　I, on the other hand, could only smile affectionately to hide my embarrassment.