Marina’s Side
“My, my, it seems Mina’s engagement to Yamato was successful, which is wonderful news. Now, All that’s left is Flam, and it looks like that engagement will also go smoothly. Ever since Mina got engaged, Yamato seems to have embraced his fate, and I’m sure a few more people will join them. High-rank hunters usually have several women by their side, and I’ve heard of one hunter who has taken all the women from a raid as his wives; it’s incredible!
‘Speaking of which, Marina, aren’t you going to marry Fiana, Ed?’
‘Hmm, it’s complicated. As you know, Fiana is a bought slave, so it won’t be easy.’
I wish Fiana could become Ed’s wife too, and Ed seems to be of the same mind, but Fiana, being a bought slave, cannot be freed until she earns back the amount spent on her purchase, and I don’t even know how much that is. If I asked the Crafter’s Master, he might tell me, but it’s definitely not an amount that can be earned easily, and there’s no way I could cover it.
‘While Lapis Laz cannot be announced, surely Jade Silver, Blue-Gray Iron, and the new magic, Melting, would help a bit?’
‘It’s a bit borderline. It’s true that I received a good sum when Melting became a Craft Magic, and I’d likely receive more for Jade Silver and Blue-Gray Iron if they were announced, but that’s about it.’
Admittedly, Melting, Jade Silver, and Blue-Gray Iron are all incredibly amazing, and Ed’s reputation would surely soar. However, for a crafter, that’s the highest honor. If he monopolized the production methods and charged exorbitant prices, he could make a fortune, but that would lead to his own ruin, and more importantly, I don’t think Yamato would allow it.
Melting can significantly reduce Magic Power consumption, and since Ed will be the one making it for a while, he can earn from it. However, since the materials are Magic Silver, Crystal Silver, and Adamantine Steel, I doubt anyone who hasn’t evolved to High Class would place an order. Furthermore, the earnings could be spent on purchasing materials. Most importantly, as I don’t know how much Jade Silver and Blue-Gray Iron will sell for, we can’t even accept orders until that’s decided.
For reference, a standard-sized ingot of Magic Silver costs 3,000 El, Crystal Silver costs 5,000 El, Adamantine Steel costs 8,000 El, and Divine Metal is a staggering 500,000 El. If I were to sell them, I’d price at least Jade Silver at 20,000 El, Blue-Gray Iron at 30,000 El, and Lapis Laz at 100,000 El. If I priced them too cheaply, it would affect the sales of Arms and Armor made from Magic Silver and Adamantine Steel, and low-rank hunters and crafters wouldn’t be able to afford them, so I have to set them at a certain price. I am a B-rank Crafter, but also a C-rank Trader, so I’m more knowledgeable about product demand, supply, and prices than Ed.
‘I see. In that case, will Fiana get married to Edward after she’s freed?’
‘That’s how it looks like it’s going to be. I was hoping Fiana could join us for a joint wedding reception, though.’
I should probably ask her sometime.
‘Marina, have you finished listening to Mina’s requests?’
‘Yes, I have. Here you go.’
You might think I was just chatting with Prim and Mina, but I was actually working. Anyone can do this much as a crafter. Of course, it’s better to concentrate, but still.
‘Let’s see… this is rather eccentric. It looks less like hunter armor and more like a famous order.’
I thought so too. However, Orders don’t even wear armor like this. For Orders, armor represents their affiliation and rank, and the designs vary by branch of the Order’s Guild. The Feel branch wears leather armor layered with Preciser leather, with Magic Silver chest and shoulder guards, hip guards, gauntlets, and greaves. It looks like Magic Silver half-plate armor, but the abdomen appears to be covered by thin, blue leather from Preciser, which is its distinguishing feature. The Polal branch in Count Bernstein’s Territory, bordering Retisencia, uses thin, green leather from Wyvern, and the Franco branch in Count Crystallos’s Territory, guarding the border with Valentia, uses light brown leather from Grantpus. As for the Royal Order, I hear it’s plate armor using Magic Silver, Crystal Silver, and partially Adamantine Steel. The Order’s Master’s armor is said to be this plate armor with added features specific to their branch.
Looking at Mina’s design, the overall design is similar to Yamato’s and Prim’s, a long coat extending below the knees, but with some armor plating attached, giving it a plate armor-like appearance. It’s also to be paired with Battle Dress-style skirt armor, so it’s a design that female Orders would likely find appealing. Order armor is unisex and has a rugged design, so it’s not very popular among female Orders, and I often hear complaints about it. This might even be coveted by the Royal Order, so I should try selling it to Sub-Order’s Master Rosemary next. Of course, I’d shorten the hem and reduce the armor plating, but even so, it would look better than the current armor, and using Jade Silver would improve its defense, so Orders would likely be pleased.
‘My wishes are included too. In fact, as Wing Crest, we’re planning to make this coat the standard.’
‘I see. However, won’t that lead to everyone being equipped with similar gear, like the Order’s Guild?’
‘By varying the placement and design of the armor plating, we can create variations that look similar but aren’t identical, right? And then there’s the color.’
Yamato’s thought a lot about this. In fact, the colors Yamato desires are a dark, lapis lazuli-like blue, Prim wants a deep crimson, and Mina wants a lustrous lily-white. It’s quite a chore for the actual crafters, but color is also very important, and it’s often specified for custom orders, so I’ll do my best to dye them using Craft Magic coloring.
Coloring is a magic that can only be used on materials with Magic Power, allowing for free dyeing. It doesn’t consume much Magic Power, but some people have extremely specific requests, which wears down my nerves more than the Magic Power. Yamato says he won’t be that meticulous, but the colors he desires are apparently his world’s way of referring to them, so I intend to confirm them again before dyeing. It’s also helpful that using an artifact called an Engraving Tool allows me to see sample colors.
‘I’m starting to think teaching you about coloring was a mistake. It’ll probably be known eventually, and I’m not going to say I can’t do it, but…’
‘If you say that, you’ll complain later. Anyway, when are you going to win Fiana over?’
Oops, Yamato changed the subject here. I can tell he’s completely teasing me, but I feel like he’s getting revenge for what I said earlier.
‘Win her over? Fiana is a bought slave, so there can’t be any marriage without her being freed.’
Ed’s reply with simple logic is irritating. Why not say something like, “I’ll free her soon,” or “I can win her over anytime.”
‘So, you mean you’ll marry her if she’s freed?’
‘…What are you thinking, you bastard?’
‘Nothing. So, what about it?’
‘Well, it would be a lie to say I haven’t thought about it, but I haven’t even married Marina yet, so if I’m going to think about it, it will be after that.’
He’s carefully choosing his words to avoid giving a binding commitment. I’m getting annoyed too.
‘That’s fine. Later, after things settle down a bit, we’re planning to have our wedding reception.’
‘That sounds extravagant. And you’re inviting us?’
‘Actually, it’s going to be a joint reception for you and Marina, and Fiana.’
Ed completely fell backward. He hit the floor headfirst, which must hurt.
‘Are you alright, Edward?’
He doesn’t look it. He’s writhing on the floor, holding the back of his head. But only Mina is looking at him with concern; the rest of us take this as an opportunity to continue our conversation.
‘You’re going to have our reception together too. We appreciate it, but are you sure?’
I pretend to hear it for the first time, going along with the flow. It was only a little while ago that I heard about it, but since they invited me, I’ve wanted to have a wedding reception.
‘Of course. It will be on our schedule, but if that’s okay with you.’
Prim also chimes in as if she’s hearing it for the first time. Everything was decided in a brief moment just now, so all that’s left is for Ed to win over Fiana and for Yamato to win over Flam.
Ah, what dress should I wear for the wedding reception? I could make them myself, including Prim’s, but I’m swamped with work from requests by Yamato and the others, so I might need to ask the Crafter’s Guild. Given Fiana’s involvement, the Crafter’s Master might handle it.
‘Wait! Why are we talking about this!?’
‘It’s a special occasion, and it will be a good memento of our marriage. Plus, it will be a commemorative event for Melting, Jade Silver, Blue-Gray Iron, and even Lapis Laz, which, though unannounced, will be completed.’
Yamato has reached a state of enlightenment. Well, in Yamato’s case, he has to have a wedding reception for various reasons, so it’s understandable that he might reach enlightenment.
Lapis Laz, which rivals Divine Metal, is still unannounced—or rather, cannot be announced—but even Jade Silver and Blue-Gray Iron surpass Magic Silver and Adamantine Steel, so they are revolutionary enough. Does that mean they will be announced by the wedding reception?
‘I think that’s for the best. With new magic and a new alloy, you won’t be dwarfed by Yamato, even if he reaches P-rank.’
That’s certainly true. New magic hasn’t been presented for decades, and the very concept of an alloy was unheard of, making this a great achievement worthy of praise not only from the Crafter’s Guild but also from the nation. While the direction is different from Yamato’s solo subjugation of a Catastrophe Species, their positions could be considered equal.
‘And Yamato, did you actually reach P-rank?’
‘No, I reached level 60, but I haven’t ranked up yet.’
Why are you leveling up so fast! You were 59 just the other day!
…I need to stop. If I get surprised by everything Yamato does, I won’t be able to keep up, so I should just gracefully ignore it.
‘Reaching level 60 means you’ll be promoted to P-rank soon, Yamato. Your evolution to Ancient Class is also just a matter of time.’
Evolving from High Class to Ancient Class is possible, but very few people, either now or in the past, have ever reached that point. In fact, the current Helios Orb only has one such individual, and it’s rumored that neither the current P-rank hunters nor even the G-rank hunters have leveled up in years, so it’s been said that no one will evolve to Ancient Class for decades to come.
But Yamato isn’t just within reach; he’s already got one foot in the door. It seems you can potentially evolve to Ancient Class upon reaching level 61, so I wouldn’t be surprised if you were an Ancient Human the next time I see you.
‘That’s unlikely. The average level for evolving to High Class is 45, and it seems to become easier to evolve as your level increases, but I think it’s pretty much the same for Ancient Class.’
That’s true.
But Yamato, that’s a flag. In fact, some people have reached High Class at level 41, so you can’t say you’ll never evolve. A flag, in the context of proverbs brought by guests, means that what is said becomes reality, and it often turns out to be true. Since it’s a term from Yamato’s world, he surely knows it, right?”
