531 - - Episode 529 Value of the labyrinthine City Workshop

I invited Mel and Meral on a trip as a rest for the weary, but somehow the trip ended up turning into a training trip. It was not the trip I had expected, but it was a productive trip since Meraru was able to sign a contract with Merrill Serio and learn the basics of minerals and foundry. Maybe .......

"Master, thank you very much for inviting me. I will do my best to make the most of this experience!"

"Yeah. Just try not to push yourself too hard."

After the trip, I dropped Mel and the others off at the workshop, but it looks like I'm going to start practicing blacksmithing and foundry work.

Perhaps I should not have refused their invitation to tea. But I was away for a long time, it was only natural for me to be considerate. It seems to have backfired, though.

"Yes. Please give my regards to Mr. Nomos and Mr. If."

"Yes, I'll let them know."

I'll make sure to tell Nomos in particular. After the training was over, Nomos returned to his normal state and, as Sylphy had expected, went into hiding and did not even show up to see us off.

Mel must have been disappointed not to be able to greet him. But it's all right. It's going to be interesting, and I'll make sure to convey Mel's feelings to Nomos together with Sylphy.

By the way: .......

I'm getting a lot of attention.

I know I'm the center of attention in the labyrinth city, but the kind of stares I'm getting are different from usual.

Is it ...... me who is being watched, or is it ...... Mel?

"...... Hey Mel. What's up with you and your uncles over there?"

Three men, about 30 years old, are looking at me from a little distance with strong eyes. Their eyes look more like they are holding something back than eyes of hatred.

If they have feelings for Mel, should I remove them as a master?　It's hard to judge Mel's character because he is an adult, even though he looks like a loli.

"Oh, those guys are ......."

Apparently, he is an acquaintance of Mel's. But the troubled look on his face and his words were cut off, and it didn't look like a very good relationship.

"Yeah, what about them?　Are you being bullied or something?"

If those men are picking on Mel, let's hope they're prepared to soar to the heavens.

"No, I'm not being bullied. It's just that I've been asked several times to sell this workshop, and I'm having a bit of a ...... disagreement."

You want to buy Mel's workshop.

But Mel would never sell his workshop. I don't have to ask, I've seen Mel work hard to protect his workshop.

"You've said no so many times, but you won't give up?　Could it be a landscaper?"

If he is a vicious landscaper, would it be more appropriate to bury him in the ground rather than send him soaring to the sky?

We're not going to kill them so they can breathe, but if we bury them in the ground until they're traumatized, they won't even think about buying the land. That's where the nomos come in.

"No, not land grabbers, but, you know, those are blacksmiths from the Labyrinth City."

Hmm?　This is not what I thought it was going to be.

"So you're a blacksmith and you want a workshop?　But if that's the case, since they refused, why don't we look for another workshop? Maybe you want the furnace where Meral resides?"

But then you could just explain to them that it doesn't make sense if you don't have the talent of a genie magician. .......

"No, that's not how it works."

There's something going on. It's going to be a long story, so let's go into the workshop and talk over a cup of tea.

We end up going into the workshop, but we should at least gather some information if our apprentice is going to get into trouble.

Just to be safe, I ask Sylphy to keep an eye on those men and go inside the workshop.

****

"I see, so that's what's going on."

It's a bit of a hassle, but it's not hard to understand how those men feel. It's annoying.

It would have been easy if they were bad guys, but when they just keep coming back to negotiate to buy the workshop, you can't just let them soar high into the sky or bury them in the ground.

Let's rearrange what we have heard in order to think of countermeasures.

Let's see, those three men are blacksmiths who are skilled enough to be granted independence by their respective masters.

Now that they can be independent, they want their own workshop.

So far, so easy. Then they can buy a workshop on their own.

But it seems to be very difficult.

First of all, even though the labyrinth city is huge, it is surrounded by walls, so space is limited.

The location of facilities that handle fire, such as blacksmithing, is strictly regulated, and there is not the slightest place left to build a new workshop nowadays.

One might think that it would be better to just get a new workshop in another town or country, but it seems that this is not an option for blacksmiths.

As the name suggests, a labyrinth city is a city revolving around a labyrinth. In other words, many top adventurers who specialize in battles gather there.

Naturally, weapons and armor are necessary for battle, and it is a blacksmith's honor to have his weapons and armor used and maintained by top adventurers.

Therefore, blacksmiths who are skilled and have been granted independence do not want to leave the labyrinth city. But there is no place to set up a new workshop.

If the timing is right, it is possible to purchase a workshop from a blacksmith who has no heir or whose dreams have been dashed in the competitive labyrinthine city, but unfortunately, there are no such convenient workshops at the moment.

So the men turned their attention to Mel's workshop, a female blacksmith who is not only prosperous but also sparsely populated.

They want her to sell it to them since there is no way out.

I can understand why they would want to sell.

From the men's point of view, it's unforgivable that they have a monopoly on a valuable workshop because they are the heirs and not the most popular.

From Mel's point of view, it's unreasonable, but I can understand such a feeling when I see something so strongly desired not being fully utilized in front of my eyes.

He probably feels as if a rare item that he has longed for is being treated roughly in front of him without knowing its value.

Moreover, when we asked them to give us their money, they would not give it to us.

The three of them seemed to have no intention of resorting to violent measures at the moment, but they seemed to be very frustrated.

They will not give up Mel's workshop unless they can find another workshop, and they will keep trying to persuade him to sell.

Mel would never give up his workshop, so he would be turned down again and again. It is quite possible that he will run out of patience and commit a crime impulsively.

Well, even if Mel is attacked, his level is high and he has Meral and Merrill Serio.

I think he can easily get them back, but if he gets them back and sends them to jail, it will not make a good impression on the masters of those men.

The blacksmithing industry seems to be a small one, and if three master-class blacksmiths are against us, it would make Meru look small too.

I don't know much about blacksmithing, so I wondered whether I should get involved or not, but I guess I should just stick my neck out.

Otherwise, there is a possibility that Mel, who is very patient, will get sick and Meral will be enraged, or Mel will be put in danger and Meral will be enraged, and then the labyrinth city will be burned down.

At the very least, they need to be taught that it's high risk to take violent measures.

"I'll be there, so let's have a proper talk with those guys."

"What?　But we have discussed it many times, but they are not convinced. I don't think that discussing it again will change the conclusion, and it will only cause trouble for the master, don't you think?

"Maybe so, but maybe we can find a solution if we look at it from a different perspective."

Even if you don't give up the workshop, I want to nail you down so that you don't do anything reckless.

"Sylphie. Where are those men?"

"They haven't moved from where they were a few minutes ago."

It's a good thing we didn't have to go looking for him and bring him back, but maybe he's planning to negotiate with Mel after we leave. Vindictive.

Well, before we go to ...... to call them, let's take Belle and her friends outside to play with them, who are playing with all their free time after the long talk.

It's hard for me to maintain my expression when they are playing in a dumpling in the background of a serious discussion.

Let's ask Gina and the others to leave first and arrange a place to stay. Even though they have added more rooms, Toruku's inn is very popular, so it is better to make a reservation as soon as possible.

We have a quick meeting, I ask Mel to prepare some tea, and we go out of the workshop.

The men's eyes are on me, but I put them off for now.

I'm off..." "I'm off..." "Cue," "Tanken," "Coo," "It's a warm one!" ......"

He sees Bell and the others off to play in a good mood, and says goodbye to Gina and the others.

I turn around and see the men looking at me with a look that says, "Aren't you going home?

The men approached us cautiously, looking extremely cautious.

"Hey, what? We're just negotiating, we're not doing anything wrong. Even if you're strong, we won't give in to your threats, and we'll sue you!

You seem to know me. His words are both aggressive and timid, probably because of the bad rumors about me.

He is a little shaky and pale.

"If you're scared, you shouldn't even think about buying Mel's workshop. ......"

I couldn't help but say something unnecessary when I saw how pitying he was.

"You don't know how difficult it is to set up a workshop in a labyrinth city, so don't talk nonsense!"

I was still angry.

"No, but you know me, don't you?　Why are you bothering to mess with me?"

If I were you, I would look for another workshop.

"We were negotiating and you intervened!　If I hadn't done that, he would have eventually given up the workshop, but he went the extra mile with the apprenticeship and all that!"

...... Maybe you were negotiating with Mel before I made him my apprentice?　Was it me who intervened?

I understood that Mel had said many times that they had been negotiating for quite a long time, but I didn't think it was before I made him my apprentice. I wish Mel would have told me sooner .......

"No, even if I had intervened, wouldn't you have given up if you heard the rumors about me?"

I'm sad to say it myself, but the rumors about me make me look pretty dangerous. To fight me like that would be a suicidal act from the outside.

"That's why!　This workshop is the pride of Labyrinth City!　The rumors may have included some misunderstandings, but I still wouldn't trust a girl who became an apprentice of a stinker like you!"

Oh, so my bad rumors are being spread as misunderstandings too. Well, I knew that since the reactions of people around me have changed, but it's nice to hear it directly from others.

Also, "stinky" is superfluous. I'm supposed to be a nice ...... guy. Maybe.

......?　Pride of the Labyrinth City?　...... Huh?　I think there is a slight discrepancy between Mel and I's perception and that of the three of us.

I think we need to talk this over a little more. No, that's why I called you here. Why are they talking to each other outside?

Just come on inside, please.

"...... we're going inside, people are watching. If you harm us, we will sue you immediately."

...... are very vigilant. Can we even have a proper discussion before we find a way to drop the matter?