“I can inspect the spear part as much as you want, and for the right price, I can fix it too. But this core? No idea.”
“What a pain in the ass, seriously…”
It was one of the reasons dragon fang spears were so niche. But on the other hand, there was no doubt that this spear had saved his life in the recent battle. Even after the reckless act of jumping from a tower, it hadn’t broken and had protected him, completing its job. He had no intention of parting with it now.
That’s precisely why it’s even more troublesome if things go awry and it becomes unusable…
“Well, it’s just a guess, but I think it’s the growth of the Magical Core.”
“Growth?”
“The Magical Core inherently has that kind of property.”
As someone who uses the Dragon Fang Spear as a weapon, Ur has also acquired basic knowledge about it.
The [Magical Core] at the center of the spear is an extremely unique magical tool. Its nature is closer to that of a living being rather than a mere object. Just like how doll golems with the same [Magical Core] move like living creatures, the core absorbs magical energy and grows.
“If it consumes magical energy and grows, does that mean it can redirect surplus energy elsewhere?”
“Indeed. In the initial stages, it only activates protective spells for the spear itself. But depending on the new spells added, it can also exhibit various other functions… However—”
“However?”
Lenden shook his head with a hint of frustration.
“As I mentioned earlier, that’s not the job of a blacksmith. It’s the work of a mage. And not just any adventurer who’s only learned offensive magic—someone who’s properly educated in the field, you see.”
“I see.”
“We blacksmiths adjust the spear itself to match the changes in the Magical Core. In that sense, we can’t do much with it at this stage.”
It seems Lenden, as a blacksmith, finds this frustrating. Ur mostly understood the situation. While there wasn’t much progress, knowing where to take the conversation next was already a gain. With that in mind, Ur grabbed the Dragon Fang Spear and nodded.
“Well, got it. Thanks for checking it out.”
“Mm. Now then—”
“Now then?”
Ur tilted his head, wondering if there was more to discuss. Lenden leaned forward and clapped Ur on the shoulder.
“You took down those bandits, right? Come on, do some shopping! Spend your money!!”
“I haven’t even collected the bounty yet.”
“Then come back after you’ve got it.”
A truly unwavering man—or rather, guild.
“Is everyone in the Golden Hammer like that…?”
Ur sighed as he hurriedly left the shop.
Come to think of it, that was supposed to be a smithy unrelated to the [Golden Hammer], where Lenden taught. Yet, they still managed to start doing business there. They’re truly dedicated.
In that sense, you could say they’re reliable, but Ur wished they’d tone it down a bit.
“Now then…”
Ur raised his head and looked out over the satellite city-state of Alto as he headed to his next destination. It was a satellite city-state without any particular distinguishing features, and its inhabitants were no different.
Even after such a significant event had occurred, their expressions remained calm. While some were feverishly making a fuss, at least no one was brooding in the shadows. Everyone knew the incident had been resolved, and they were gradually returning to normalcy.
Ur felt a little proud that he had been able to help with that. Thinking this, he moved forward and arrived at the meeting spot.
“Sir Ur.”
Shizuku, who had been waiting there, waved her hand. Ur nodded in response.
“How did it go?”
“Somehow, his registration is complete. How about on your end?”
“It’s hard to say it went smoothly, but I’ll explain later. Now, as for the rest…”
Shizuku wasn’t the only one he was meeting. The two of them waited, and soon after, the other person arrived from across the street.
“Both of you!”
“Nina-sama, Laura-sama.”
The female adventurers Nina and Laura, who had fought alongside Ur at Canaan’s Fortress, waved their hands.
“Glad to see you’re doing well.”
“Well, my only strong point is my durability. So, where are we headed next?”
“Huh? Didn’t you hear?”
“At the Healing Temple, Shizuku-san just said, ‘There are various procedures, so I’d like us to gather once.’”
Ur looked at Shizuku, who simply smiled without elaborating. It seemed she deliberately kept the details vague. Ur could guess why—she didn’t want them to back out due to hesitation.
While keeping quiet might not be the best approach, Ur agreed that avoiding unnecessary trouble was important. So, he didn’t press the matter.
“…Alright, let’s go.”
With that, Ur and the others headed toward the building in front of them, which they had designated as the meeting spot. They stepped into the Adventurers’ Guild, Alto Branch.
The “various procedures” referred to completing the quest and receiving the bounty on the bandits.
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT LOCALIZERMEERKAT.GITHUB.IO
Adventurers’ Guild, Alto Branch, Reception
“First, here’s the reward for the rescue quest involving the kidnapped Nina-sama and Laura-sama.”
What was placed before Ur and the others was a single gold coin. This would be their reward. Nina seemed surprised, muttering, “They actually paid for us…” but this wasn’t the main point. The important part came next.
“And here’s the bounty for the necromancer who attacked the Island Devouring Turtle.”
The receptionist, who gave off an inexperienced vibe, casually slammed down the bounty for the Island Devouring Turtle attackers—twenty gold coins.
Twenty gold coins—a fortune. It was more than what they’d earned from the Gem Doll incident. And then—
“Oh, and here’s the exchange value for the magic stones you collected!!”
Another twenty silver coins were tossed onto the pile. A mountain of gold and silver coins formed.
“Additionally, since the appearance of a third-class [Infant Dragon Dragonpuppy] was confirmed this time, the guild will award an extra twenty gold coins as a bonus!! We apologize for the small amount!”
More gold coins clattered onto the pile. The sheer weight of it was overwhelming.
Shizuku accepted it with her usual smile, but Ur rubbed his temples, feeling dizzy. Meanwhile—
“Wha… wow.”
“Eeek…!”
Nina and Laura seemed to share Ur’s sentiment. The two of them covered their faces as they stared at the glittering mountain of gold and silver coins. Probably to keep their eyes from being blinded. Ur understood the feeling all too well.
“…Alright. Both of you, is this acceptable?”
“Y-yes, yes…!”
“Then let’s proceed with the distribution.”
“Wait, what!?”
While the two were in a state of confusion, Ur first gathered the silver coins and divided them into two piles.
“First, since we handled the regular monster exterminations on our own, half of this—ten silver coins—goes to you.”
“W-wait, we can’t accept this much…!”
“Next, as for the gold coins, we’ve asked the guild to assess the contribution levels.”
Ur glanced at the guild receptionist, who nodded and stood in front of the pile of gold coins.
“Earlier, I gathered detailed information from each of you about your contributions in taking down the bandits! Based on that, we’ll proceed with the distribution!”
With that, she split the forty gold coins into two halves with her hands.
“First, half of the gold coins—twenty—go to Diz-sama, who contributed the most to this case… Although the contribution level would warrant more, the maximum for a three-party split is half.”
If Diz objected, the distribution would be left to the parties involved to negotiate. However, Diz had already made it clear that she’d leave the reward distribution to the Adventurers’ Guild.
As her representative, Ur nodded, and the guild woman smiled as she packed the gold coins into a pouch and tied it up. Then,
“Of the remaining twenty gold coins, based on contribution ratios, fifteen go to Sir Ur’s group, and five go to Nina-sama’s group.”
“…That’s how it is. So, here you go, Nina-sama, Laura-sama. Five gold coins and ten silver coins.”
“Just to confirm, are there any complaints or issues with this distribution?”
Asked this, Laura, who had been momentarily stunned, seemed to snap back to reality and shook her head, exclaiming,
“Complaints? No, we can’t accept this much!!”
“Why not?”
“Because we didn’t do that much! It was you two who took them down!”
“I think you contributed plenty. That’s why the guild decided on this distribution.”
This was the Adventurers’ Guild’s distribution—a guild founded on the principle of adventurers helping each other. It was unlikely they’d make a careless judgment.
“We might’ve died if it weren’t for you two. We’re grateful you helped us.”
“That’s… but sharing such a huge amount, wouldn’t you two dislike that?”
“Of course we would.”
Ur answered honestly.
This time, due to the lack of time, they’d spent money without hesitation wherever necessary, resulting in a significant loss. While Diz covered the cost of magical potions, several gold coins had still vanished.
Of course, it wasn’t as if those purchases were wasted.
Each one had been essential to their survival. Even knowing that, the life of an adventurer was terrifying.
It was a job where you spent money like water and then had to earn even more. Frankly, it wasn’t a sane way to live.
So, it was true that having as much money as possible was better. However,
“Because it’s important, we shouldn’t fool ourselves. If we don’t handle it properly, we’ll regret it.”
At Ur’s words, Shizuku also nodded solemnly in agreement.
During the Gem Doll incident, they’d forcefully gathered money, and as a result, they’d needed even more to avoid escalating the situation. Ur hadn’t forgotten that.
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