--Engraving .


　This is a technique that uses magic silver to engrave magical characters (arts glyphs) on objects to produce various effects.
　The material of the object to be engraved does not matter.
　Wood.
　Leather.
　Resin.
　etc.
　In many cases, engraving is performed on metal materials like carving with a chisel.


　Arts glyphs to be engraved need to look like a pattern, unlike the typeface used in ordinary writing.
　This is a matter of personal preference, and varies from person to person.
　If you are not a good craftsman, you can't even call it a pattern because you just engrave the letters together as they are, but if you are a famous craftsman, you can make it beautiful and gorgeous, and it is even treated as a work of art.


　All you need is magic silver, of course.
　Colorants of mineral origin that affect the effect.
　Small knives, chisels, and hammers for digging grooves in the object.
　Sandpaper to finish the surface, and many other things.
　Most of the engraving is done so that the object will last for a long time, and rust-proofing and other corrosion-proofing processes are often required.


　However, if the engraving is for a weapon such as a knife, the degree of difficulty rises dramatically.
　It is not particularly difficult to improve sharpness or to prevent rust, but such items tend to require sturdiness.
　If the blade is simply engraved for toughness, it may be too tough to be ground when sharpened.
　Therefore, the engraving must be applied with care in mind, and the combination of the two becomes difficult.


　Anyway, this time, the work was not so difficult, and consisted mostly of a few engravings and maintenance of the original engraving tools.
　Since we didn't have to do any complicated engraving, it was a relief in terms of time and materials.


　In the living room of the village chief's house, we checked and repaired the chipped and grazed marks. After a short break for lunch, he is now working on the engraving.
　While the master is hard at work, the two squires are not ...... idle. They are busy tending to their horses, preparing their beds, and negotiating for supplies from the other merchants who have stopped by. They are working hard.
　Kazi, in particular, seems to know a lot about rural areas and is aware of the unwritten rules of the community.


　In the earthen room, the villagers, who had gathered to see the curiosity of the grinding stone, were cheering like children who had been given a toy when they saw the high performance of the grinding stone that had been produced earlier.


　Then, the village chief came to bring tea.


Thank you very much.

Most of the work we do is inspections and repairs, so it's not like we're being thanked for anything.

"Not at all, sir. We're all very grateful.


　The village headman said this, and thanked us for the first time today.
　And then.


"My wife will prepare a delicious meal for you today.


　I followed the mayor's gaze and saw that various ingredients had already been brought into the kitchen.
　Wild vegetables.
　Eggs.
　There was even a duck that had been crushed in the morning.


You can't ask me to do that much, .......

"No, please let me do that. No, let me do that much. I'd rather pay you for what you've done.


　The village chief said this, but I didn't understand it.
　The difference between the cost of a night's lodging and the cost of inspecting and maintaining the imprinted equipment is a little more than the cost of a night's lodging, if not more. It could even be said that the village's expense is more than the sum of the cost of the dinner.
　So, you see.


"......, is it also expensive?


　The village chief nodded in annoyance, "Yes ......".
　If the price of magic silver rises, the price of the mark made from it will also rise.
　If so, it is not hard to imagine that this place is also affected by it.
　However, it seems that my prediction was correct.


Before ......, I used to buy engraving tools and have them engraved from time to time, but nowadays, I have to pay eye-popping prices just to have them serviced.

So much for .......

The prices of other items have also suddenly risen, and we've been suffering.


　The price of wheat and salt has gone up," he told me.
　I can't help but feel the weight of the village chief's sigh.
　This is the case even in the silver-rich territory of Rastinel.
　Apparently, this problem is quite serious.
　I was discussing this with the village chief.


"Oh, hey, hey, hey.


　Suddenly, a voice called out to me.
　I turned my head toward the voice and saw a young man wearing a tulip hat.
　A young man wearing a tulip hat appeared through the crowd of people on the dirt floor, followed by a middle-aged man with a small frame, breathing hard.
　He seemed to have some business with the village chief. His appearance suggests that he is not from the village. Since he is dressed as a traveler, he must have stopped by the village like us.


　The man in the tulip hat is about the same age as Noah, or maybe a little older.
　He wears a cloak, a large curved sword at his waist, and a small backpack on his back.
　His eyes are as thin as threads, and he looks like a fox mask from the world of men pasted on.
　That's about it.


　The other is a man with a merchant's appearance, an ordinary-looking man with no particular features to be mentioned except for his small stature.


　The village headman noticed them and called out to the man in the tulip hat.


"This is Mister Gills.

"Mr. Mayor, I'm going to interrupt you for a moment.


　The man, called Gills, gives the mayor a lighthearted greeting and winks at him.
　Then he smiled at me.
　I wondered what was going on.


I heard there was a nobleman here, so I thought I'd say hello. I've heard it's polite to show your face in situations like this. I don't know.



Oh, yeah.


　What came out of her light-hearted mouth was a very local accent.
　The way he spoke without asking me was just like an old lady in a local city in a man's country.
　When I looked at the village chief, he too seemed to be unable to adapt to the energy of the tulip hat man, and his eyes seemed to be black and white.


　The other man, who could not see this, called out to him to warn him.


"No, Mister Gills. It's not polite to talk to a nobleman like that. ......

No, no, no. I was born in Imeria, so when I speak, I tend to sound familiar like this. Please don't worry about it too much.　See?　See?


　I can't help but nod at Gills, who smiles at me with his threadbare eyes and asks me in a pushy way.


"Well, well, ......

"There you go!　I'm not sure what to say.　It's all good now!


　"Well, that's the nobleman's seal of approval! He has a thick skin, but strangely enough, I don't feel it's rude. He has an amiable smile and somewhat over-the-top gestures. Perhaps it was the combination of these factors that made me feel less uncomfortable.
　As I was about to drink the tea that the village head had brought, I stopped for a moment.


　When he turned his eyes toward the earthen floor for a moment, he saw Noah.
　Perhaps he had come to see me out of caution.


　When I looked back, I saw that Gills was sitting in the chair in front of me, and the other was sitting next to him in a modest manner.
　The other one sat down next to him in a modest manner, shaking his backpack.


"I'm a gildsman. I'm what you call a traveling merchant. I travel east and west, north and south, all over the country doing business. And what's your neighbor's name, ......?

"My name is Pirocolo. I have a few businesses of my own. Please have a look at ....... Uh, miss?

"Ugh. ......


　I'm sure you'll be pleased to know that I'm not the only one who has a problem with this.
　It's not that I don't like it.


"I'm still a man. ......

That's so rude!


　I'm not sure what to make of that.


"No, thank you, Pilocro. I didn't know which one it was either.

"What?　Mr. Gills?

I thought you'd ask me first if I took you with me, since you seem so serious. Forgive me.


　Pilocoro's mouth watered at Gills' words. Eventually, he started to hold his head in his hands.
　It sounds like a duo exchange. ...... But it's not quite a duo.


You two don't know each other, do you?

"No. I'm a stranger who just met Pirocolo.

Yes. When I was preparing my tent, Lord Gills came to greet me and asked me if I would like to go and greet the nobles. He asked .......


　For some reason, Pirocolo clammed up.
　In other words. I'm guessing from what you just said.


"...... dragged me here with or without asking.

Yes.


　A small fat merchant with fatigue on his face.
　Gills' energy and pace of speech would certainly be fatiguing.


No, no, no. Pilokolo was also bored, so it was perfect.


　I think it was Mr. Pirocolo who thought of it, but Gills wants to make it that way.


...... I'm Arx. I know it's a short time, but it's nice to meet you.


　When I greeted him blandly, Gills said.


"Should I call you Master Arx, then?

"You can call me whatever you like.

Oh, really?

There's no one here who'd blame me for that, no one who'd think less of me.


　You'll only get into trouble if you pretend to be something you're not.
　In any case, since we're only meeting them here, there's no need to be too overbearing.
　When Gills said, "So, you're Arx-kun, right? I replied with a simple affirmation, "Yes.
　On the other hand, Pirocolo seemed to be afraid to be called by such a name and seemed to shrink.


Are you two coming from the mountain road?

"Yes. "Yes. I'm fine with being alone and light, but you've got a big group and it must be hard for you.

"Yeah, well, ......


　That phrase rings a bell.


I'm sure you'll be able to understand why.



"Yes, sir. That's our cargo.

"Is that so?


　Then Gills gave a wry smile to the pilot.


I'm wondering what they're carrying. If they're using such a sturdy cart, it's got to be something good.

That is refined silver that we are transporting from the nearby silver mines to our lord.

"Huh!　Silver!

"Silver. ......


　I was more than a little surprised by his words. I didn't expect that he was carrying what I was looking for right now.
　It seemed like a strange connection, but there was something else that bothered me.


"Aren't such things carried under the jurisdiction of the lord?

"Yes. Of course that cargo is under the control of the lord. We are also in the business of transportation, and we are doing this transportation under the order of the lord.

"Oh, I see. ......


　We are also in the business of transportation, and this transportation is also done under the order of the lord. It takes a lot of manpower and money to carry a heavy load. Therefore, it would be more cost effective to outsource it to a specialized company.


　With that, he took out a permit from his pocket and showed it to Pilokoro.
　Gills took it and replied vaguely, "Hmm .......


So, it must have been hard when you got to the mountain road, huh?

"Yeah. When I heard that bandits had appeared, I was not in the mood for .......


　He didn't look very good, probably because he was afraid that his cargo might be stolen.
　The child merchant must be a very timid person because he looks very frightened.


But silver. I want to sell it to you. There are plenty of people who would love to have it right now.

As I said before, that cargo is for the lord, so we can't sell it. And even if we could sell it, Mister Guilds would have no means of transporting it, would he?

"Hahaha!　That's right!　That's right! You got me!　Oh my God!


　Gillz is laughing to himself.
　As for me, I'm curious to see what's nearby, but the purpose of this trip is to buy.
　Of course, we can't just negotiate with the Piloceros here, make a purchase, and call it a day, and if we were to purchase the lord's goods here, it would obviously get complicated.
　Since we have a letter of authorization, we could push through, but then we would have a problem between the royal family and the Rastinel family. If we are going to do this, we should make a proper offer to the lord and then go through the proper channels to purchase it.


So, what exactly are you doing, Arx?

The Mark. It's called ...... and you'd know it if you saw it, wouldn't you?

It's just a conversation starter. You're pretty handy at your age, though. You've worked on the details.


　Gills lifts up the grinding stone and starts scrutinizing it. "Is there anything else?" he asked. When asked if there was anything else, he showed them the lighter.


When I showed him the lighter, he replied, "...... Oh?　That's pretty cool.


　He groaned as he lit it. And then.


The engraved pattern is beautiful, and the fixation and effect are perfect. If you can do so much with such a simple tool, you must be pretty good.

Are you a connoisseur of engraving, Mr. Gills?

I've seen a lot of things. But I've never seen that kind of pattern before. What school are you from?

I'm not a member of any school.

So you're self-taught.


　But I'm basically just referring to geometric patterns.


By the way, Arx, do you do any other engraving work?

Basically, I make small parts and daily necessities like the lighter I just mentioned.

"Oh, yeah. Well, well, well. ......


　Gills opens his narrow eyes for just a moment and gives me a sharp look. After receiving that somewhat cautious gaze, he smiles and says, "Well?


"Well?　Mr. Arx. I'm wondering if you'd be willing to let me handle the imprinting tools you make.

Even so...


　That was the vague reply I got from him.
　It's hard to tell from his words whether he was being sincere or flattering, and it's customary not to take a chance with people like him.


　Then, a thoughtful smile suddenly appeared on Gills' face.
　What came out of his mouth was.


"Arx Raytheft.

"What?

"Oh?　Did I hit it right?




　Gills shows his smug face.
　This one, on the other hand, turns a little pale because he even guessed the family name.


"How did you know my name?

"That's just a rumor.


　"That's just a rumor," said the man with stringed eyes, trying to distract me from the point.


You can't guess someone's name from ...... rumors, can you?

It's not that hard. It's not that difficult. It's not every day that you find a silver-haired family member in the kingdom, so why don't you just eliminate the ones you can think of?


　It is true that the Raytheft family is famous for producing silver blondes.
　If you know in advance that they are a noble family, it makes sense that you would be able to reach them.


"I heard that he was disinherited for incompetence, but no, rumors are unreliable.


　I wonder if the story has spread to the traveling merchants. For the first time in a long time, my anger toward my father Joshua rises.


"Well?　So, if you're here, what do you want with the silver?

"............


　This time, he didn't show it, but remained in a sulky mood.
　How could this man have known that?
　When he didn't reply, but only looked at him warily, Gills felt that he had stepped on a minefield, and suddenly showed signs of impatience.


It's not that hard, is it?　If you're doing the imprint, you'll need magic silver. That means you'll need silver as a material, right?　So, so.

"I see. ......


　I'll give you a blank reply.
　On the other hand, Pirocolo felt uncomfortable because of the swashbuckling atmosphere, and tried to change the subject.


"Master Arx. If you are in need of silver, I may be able to offer you some after we reach the capital.

"Ah, ......, I see. I'd like to thank you for your help then.


　I'll give you a bland reply, although I don't need to, since I have a letter of authorization.
　Then Pirocolo bows his head and says, "Yes, sir.


Well, I'd better be off.

"Yes, sir.

Well, I'll be in my tent, so if you need anything, just let me know.


　With that, the strange man left the village chief's house with Pirocolo.