Weakest Occupation “Blacksmith” Become The Strongest – Chapter 19

TL: NyX
ED: Onihikage

Enjoy~

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Chapter 19 – Material

 

I have a meeting with Klua-san at a nearby shop today.

…This was my day off, so is there something else she wanted me to make?

She showed up while I was wondering about that.

「I’m sorry, Relius-san. I’ve kept you waiting.」
「No, I wasn’t waiting for long… So, do you have some other piece of furniture for me to make or something?」
「N-no, that’s not it! We still have some inventory of the previous batch, after all!」

Klua-san shook her head in a panic.

「Is that so…」

Klua-san said it was selling well, but she might have been trying to spare my feelings. I’m not a furniture specialist myself, but I couldn’t help feeling a little sad if something I made went unappreciated. Even if a real craftsman works hard on a piece, it still might not sell very well.

It’s unlikely that a person like me could do any better.

「Everything made by Relius-san is highly rated, you know.」

I could tell from her expression that she wanted to cheer me up.

「…Is that true?」
「It’s selling so well, you know! But… as I mentioned before, if we flood the market, the price will fall, so I’m selling it while keeping an eye on demand to some extent. I’m here to give you your share of the revenue.」

Klua-san showed me the bill of sales.

The furniture I made was listed on it, with the number sold and the resulting revenue all sorted. The totals varied depending on the piece.

「My master let me place some of the pieces in their store. I also sold some things directly.」
「It’s not free to have them sold through a shop, is it?」
「Umm… well, yeah, it’s not.」
「If that’s the case, then the revenue split should be fifty-fifty, right?」

The bill of sales didn’t have a line for the store’s cut.

「No, that’s already part of my responsibility.」
「I was only able to work as a craftsman because of you, Klua-san. I can’t thank you enough for that.」

My earnings were roughly equivalent to three gold coins. It takes about five gold coins a month for an adult to support themselves decently.

I mean, the amount of money I get just from working at the inn is about three gold coins a month. On the other hand, Klua-san’s share is actually not bad, it’s equivalent to one gold coin.

However, if she was also renting store space while making sales, I was worried about whether she’d be able to eat that month.

「Well… that’s…」
「Until the income is stable, let’s cover the pay for each other, please. I’d hate for Klua-san to go through hardship on her own.」

I get the feeling she’s very short on cash from all this. If something happens to her, this effort will have been wasted.

With a serious look, Klua-san tightened her lips.

「…I understand. If I can earn more, I’ll give it back to you properly.」
「Alright, then.」

Since I’ve put it this way, I’m sure Klua-san will go along with it.

I accepted the gold coins and the bill and looked at her.

「Klua-san, do you need anything other than furniture?」
「Huh? What do you mean?」
「Well, what I mean is, there are many other things I can make.」

Klua-san was visibly surprised.

「Y-you can make things other than furniture!?」
「Of course. My occupation is technically “Blacksmith”, after all.」
「W-well, that’s right…..but, can a blacksmith really do so much?」
「My specialty is with weapons, but it’s also possible to make armor, accessories, even potions.」
「Po-po-po-potions!?」
「Yep.」
「Is it really possible to make a potion with just magic…?」
「It is for me.」

Klua-san stepped closer, having yet to pick her jaw up off the floor.

「Potions are exchanged at a very high price because its main ingredient, healing grass, is really scarce… did you not know that?」
「I had no idea.」
「That means, if you can mass-produce potions, you can sell them for a considerable amount of money.」
「I see…」
「What’s more, potions are something that anyone can use, so you don’t have to sell them through a merchant like me, you know?」
「You’re saying I can sell them directly to the guild?」
「That’s right.」

If my only goal was to make money, that would be better. However, I need Klua-san in order to rent space in a store, and an upfront investment is important for that. Specifically, raising Klua-san’s renown in her industry.

「In that case, I have an idea. May I ask for your help with it?」
「…An idea, huh?」
「Yep. Shall we discuss it somewhere else?」

We left the store after finishing our drinks.

「Can we go to Klua-san’s warehouse?」
「I’m fine with that.」

With her permission, we headed there immediately. There were plenty of tables and chairs sitting around, all covered with cloth to keep the dust off. For the time being, I made a box in one corner of the place.

Inside, a large amount of potions were made using magical power alone.

「S-so many…! In an instant!」

Klua was so surprised she looked like a gentle breeze might knock her over.

All of those potions were created with magical power alone, but their effects were identical to one that was created normally.

「How is it?」
「…it’s unbelievable! And this potion, it seems to be high-quality!」

Well, most of them were above B-Rank.

Then I took out my Divine Treasure while preparing a potion in my left hand. When I hit it with the Hammer, the potion shattered, and the medicinal herb was recovered.

I gave the herb to Klua-san.

「Did you just turn that potion you made back into the base materials?」
「Yes. If I use my hammer to destroy it, I can restore the liquid back to its ingredients.」
「…This is too much. That means you can create raw materials out of nothing!」

That’s exactly how it is. However, weapons and armor absolutely need magic stones. It’s not possible to create those from nothing, which is why I’d been hunting monsters.

If I had enough money, I could just buy the magic stones. I probably haven’t done that because I like to move my body.

「Relius-san. That power is so extreme, you should definitely keep it hidden.」
「…Do you think so?」
「Of course! You’d become a target if this got out!」

…I don’t like the sound of that.

Ahem, Klua-san cleared her throat to calm down.

「…Anyway, Relius-san, now that I know you can create raw materials, did you want to sell those too?」
「We’ll see. Right now, I want you to tell the guild we’ve secured a trade route for potions and ingredients.」
「Me?」
「Yes. If you do that, you’ll be able to improve your reputation as a merchant, right?」

Klua-san was shocked to hear me say that.

「…No way, you’ve already thought that far ahead.」
「It’s just something I came up with a while ago. Can you do it?」
「…I understand. Thank you so much.」

Klua-san bowed her head. Now, if Klua-san becomes famous, everything I make can be sold easily. This is an upfront investment for that.

 

◆ ◆ ◆

 

After I split up with Klua-san I went back to the inn.

…This is the first time I’ve gotten paid for a job that Oji-san and Oba-san weren’t involved in.

For now, let’s take them to dinner.

I spoke with the part-timers and there weren’t any problems, so I got Oji-san and Oba-san to take the day off. The dinner I treated them to was delicious.

 

 

 

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