The inn that Toya led us to was relatively close to the center of town, but was located in a little alleyway that was difficult to find.

　The restaurant was already crowded with people, even though we wouldn't have noticed it unless someone had introduced us. I wondered if there were a lot of regulars or if it was for the locals.

Come on, let's sit down. Dad, some ale for him, water for me, and something to eat.

　I sat down next to him at the counter, and a mug of ale was immediately placed in front of me.
　This is the ale. I'd been told that it wasn't good, but it still made my cheeks relax a little.

"Thank you.
"Oh. Drink up.

　I pick up the mug and take a sip.

　...... Hmm?　It's not that good, but it's not that bad, either.

　I'm not sure what to make of it. I'm not sure if it's because of the heavy drinking.

I'm not sure.
I'm not going to say it's good, but it's not undrinkable.

　I'm not sure if it's a good thing or not.

Seriously?　Give me some. Give me some. ...... I can't do it. What is it?　Is it a race trait?　Or is it just Tommy's taste buds?
"Tasteless is terrible. But what's a racial trait?

It's not a big deal, okay?　For example, elves have a good sense of balance on trees, and beastmen like me are strong and have a good nose, that kind of thing. I thought dwarves would find alcohol more palatable.

That's very likely.

　If there's alcohol in it, it tastes better.

Well, if you like it, drink it. It's not very expensive, and if you work hard, you can learn to drink. Personally, I think you should decide how much to drink beforehand. You don't know when to stop, do you?

I'm not sure if I'll be able to do it. I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to do it.
I'm not sure what to do. It's better if you can take care of yourself.
I'll be careful.

　"Dwarf at all costs! I'll take care of myself." "No matter what, dwarf!" Even if you can do that, it's not funny if you get acute alcohol poisoning from it. It would be nice if there was a race trait that made them resistant to alcohol, but I'm too scared to try it.

　I'm not sure what to make of it. I'm not sure what to make of it.

I'm not sure what to make of it.　I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to do that.　And I thought you had gone to another city.

Yeah, I did. I just came back as fast as I could because my business was done smoothly. You're still going to be based in this city for the time being, aren't you?

Oh, I see. ...... Speaking of which, Toya, do you know a guy named Yasue?　She's probably a classmate of mine.

Yasue?　Who is he?　--What's wrong with that guy?
Oh, no, it's just a near miss, but apparently he has a skill copy.

　I'm not sure if it's a good idea, but I think it's a good idea.

I don't remember his first name.　I don't remember his first name.
"Mr. Umezono?　...... I think so. You've met him before?　Come here.

Yeah. He copied our skills, then ran off to pick a fight.
Oh, you mean Haruka?　You've got some nerve.

　I'd be too scared to do something like that. I would be too scared to do such a thing, especially now that he smiled at me a few days ago when we parted and said he would never show mercy to his enemies.

I don't know.　But you can't use [Skill Copy] unless you know the name and level of the other person's skill, right?
That's right. He politely asked what our skills were.

"So I told them," he said. You know, at that point, you are almost certain that the other party has a copy of the skill, right?　Especially if it's Haruka-san.

Good answer. I'm sure you're not the only one.
And yet, you told her everything. And yet you told her everything, without explaining the disadvantages.


"Oh . No, I think I left out some things that don't have a skill level.
Even so, if you tell them that you have the ability to see through, they'll know that you know.

　I'm sure you're not the only one.　I'm not sure.
　I'm sure you're not the only one who has a problem with this.　I'm not sure what to do.

"Hmm, as Haruka, I think she tried it.　I'm not sure what to do, but I'm sure I'll be able to do it.

In fact, you copied it without permission and sold the fight?

　If I had apologized honestly at that point, he might have forgiven me and helped me.

　Hmmm, are you really that stupid?

　Didn't he realize that his lie was exposed? Did he not realize that he was being lied to, or did he think he could just copy it and be done with it?

I'm not sure what to make of this, but I'm sure it's a good idea. I'm not sure what to make of it, but I'm sure it's a good idea.

I'm not sure what to make of it.

　I'm not sure what to make of this.

I've seen her at the adventurer's guild, but if you're based in this town, you might run into her. If you don't want to get into trouble, you might want to be careful.

Okay, thanks. But it's a bit of a hassle. I have to go to the guild sometimes.
You've been good to me, and I'll do what I can to help.　I don't have a face, you know.

Oh, no, thanks for the offer, but we'll have to report for work ourselves.
That's right. It was out of line.

No, I appreciate the sentiment. Besides, even Umezono won't complain to us that he can't use the skills we copied without permission.

"I don't think that's true. If someone didn't tell him, he wouldn't know why he couldn't use it.

　I wonder if Mr. Umezono like that can honestly talk to any of his classmates who have [help].
　There is also the fundamental question of whether or not you can get to know each other.

Well, I'm here to help you with your business.
That's what I came to talk about. If you can wait a little longer to pay your debt, ......

　It's not impossible to pay it back with the money you have now, but it's pretty tough to pay it back.

It's not ...... good, but it's not urgent. The only reason I came to your place was to see how you work. In fact, I saw you yesterday.
What?　You did?　I didn't notice it at all.

　I didn't notice it at all. - There wasn't much room yesterday.

I was trying to be undetectable, you know. You seem to be working diligently.
Yes, in my own way.

　I'm just an amateur, but I don't think I've cut corners or slacked off at all.
　Because I was new to the job, I worked twice as hard as anyone else, and I thought I could do it as well as one person.
　The foreman's evaluation was not bad, and I think that was good.

I wouldn't have gotten involved if you were corrupt or cutting corners, but since you seem to be more serious than I thought, here's a suggestion.
It's ......, isn't it?
Tommy, would you ever consider building a shovel?

　"Tommy, would you consider making a shovel?

"A shovel?　What, a shovel?　A very ordinary one?　Not like a power shovel?
No, it would be awesome if we could make a power shovel, but that's impossible, right?
No, you can't.

　You need at least a hydraulic system.
　I know at least the principle of hydraulics, but I don't think it's easy to make one because it requires pistons and hoses that don't leak oil.

You know?　It's just an ordinary excavator. Did you notice that there was no shovel used at the site earlier?
...... didn't have one, did it?

　The tool for digging holes is a hoe. The soil that was dug out was put on a kind of implement like a fern, but the implement used to put the soil on it was a shovel. Because it is a shovel, it is quite difficult to use.

　By the way, according to the JIS standard, a shovel is used for digging holes, and a shovel is used for shoveling snow or scooping up dirt, but there are many ways to call them depending on the region or industry, so it is a little difficult to understand.

Don't you think shovels would sell well if they were available?
Yes, I think they would be very popular because they would improve work efficiency. But how do you make one?　No matter how good your blacksmithing skills are, it won't be easy, right?

　In games, it's easy to pick up iron ore, process it in the furnace to make ingots, and then smash it to make items, but in reality, it doesn't work that way.

　You need a furnace and fuel to turn iron ore into iron, a furnace and fuel to process iron, and other tools. In the first place, iron ore itself would not be easy to obtain.

　Even if you can solve these problems and make a shovel, there is the problem of where to sell it. Do you think you can sell it at a street vendor?

You can't be that unthinking, can you?　I've talked to a blacksmith I know. I can borrow his iron and facilities.


"What?　Is it really that easy to rent a craftsman?

　Didn't you say it's not easy to rent?

It's not easy, you know.　It's not easy, because I had to negotiate with someone I have a good relationship with, and I had to put some conditions on them to get their approval.

　Toya didn't say it clearly, but it seems that he asked the blacksmith, who buys a lot of weapons and armor, for help.

　If the shovel turns out well, they've promised to sell it to you, but I'm not sure if they'll be flexible enough to sell it to you.
　Maybe they couldn't ignore a request from a client.

And, Tommy, you want to be a blacksmith, right?　Diora, the receptionist at the guild told me about you.

　The lady's name is Diora, right?
　I'm sure you've heard of her, and you've heard of her before.
　You didn't just casually come to see where I work, did you?

Yeah, but ...... doesn't have privacy protection, does it?

"Well, no. If you want protection, you'll have to be worthy of it. It's not so much that Mr. Diora trusts ...... me more than you, is it?　I've known him a long time, and it's not much information, so he'll tell me if I ask. That's all.

Ugh, it's a tough world.
Mr. Diola wouldn't tell me if it was really bad. Maybe.

Probably?
You don't give out anything you don't want people to know.
Ugh. ...... Yes. So, what's wrong with that?　I've been told it's almost impossible.

　At least for a few years. It's going to be very difficult to raise your adventurer rank, and it's going to be a long time before you'll be trusted enough to get referrals for jobs.

"Oh. Depending on your results and your work ethic, you might be able to get an apprenticeship.
"What?　Are you sure?

Yeah. He just said he'd think about it. If you take it seriously and show even a glimpse of your talent, you might have a chance.
Oh, thank you very much!

However!　Even if you get the chance to be my apprentice, if you don't do well or slack off, I told you to throw me out without mercy, okay?
I'm still happy to have the chance!

　It's not a done deal yet, but considering that I couldn't even get in that door, I'm grateful enough to be considered.
　Considering the fact that introducing someone to this world is like a guarantee, I can't thank you enough. Really.

Well, that's if I can make the shovel work. We'll work on it tomorrow morning, so drink and eat for now. The food here is good, right?
"Yes, sir!　--It's really good!

　I couldn't help but say that as I took a bite of the food that the innkeeper had brought and offered to Toya.
　The food at the stall and the inn was basically bad, but not bad if you got a good one. The food and the ale went well together, though I didn't have high expectations.

You know?　So far, I haven't found a better place in town than this. It's pretty cheap and it's a nice place.

　Oh, by the way, Toya and his friends are staying here, aren't they? Is it really expensive?
　The current lodging is cheap, but I don't think I can stay here for a long time.

Hey, Toya, how much does it cost per night here?
"Here?　Dad, do you have a single room here?　Is there?　And how much?　I see. Three hundred for the room, eighty for breakfast and dinner, and fifteen for a tub of hot water. That's about four hundred leagues in total.
You didn't answer my question, did you, Dad?

　The old man behind the counter didn't say a word when Toya asked him.

He doesn't talk much, you know. He just nodded and indicated the number three with his finger, didn't he?

　Oh, that's how you figured it out?　You knew about the food and the hot water, because you're staying here.
　Simply put, it's four times as much as where I'm staying now, but ...... it's an amount I can manage if I have enough work to last me until today.
　Do you think I should pay that much for a good night's sleep?

I'm sure you'll be able to figure out what you need to do.　It depends on whether you can get an apprenticeship or not, right?

"Oh, that's right. --If I do get an apprenticeship, will I have to live with you?

I don't know. ...... Even though I introduced you to Mr. Ganz, he's a blacksmith. I don't know. Isn't that a normal thing to do?

"Of course. He wouldn't trust me enough to let me stay at his house. Do you get paid as an apprentice?



"You can at least stay at this inn. I mean, if you do well, you'll be treated well, if not, you won't be able to become a disciple. I don't think there's a middle ground.

I'll do my best!
Oh, good luck. I'll buy you another drink to cheer you up.　Dad, another round of ale for this guy.

　That day, I enjoyed good food and good drinks for the first time in a long time, and I left Toya before the sun went down.