Chapter 46

* * *

"……Who are all these people?"

Veborg, who was holding a hammer, stiffened and asked, looking at the men surrounding me.

On one side, there were piles of monsters, or rather, the things that were once thought to be minerals.

Talroom and his clan seemed moved to meet their master, clutching their chests.

Perhaps feeling uneasy about their gaze, Veborg adjusted his grip on the hammer.

He looked ready to strike Talroom and his group if anything went wrong.

I deliberately put on a frightened face and whispered to Veborg.

"If it seems like I'm being threatened, please wave your hammer."

"……!"

At my words, Veborg swallowed hard and slowly waved his hammer.

"Phew!"

It seemed quite adorable, as Jerit burst out laughing.

"Miss Eli, you are truly mischievous."

The viscountess also covered her mouth and laughed along.

Realizing he had been tricked, Veborg's expression hardened instantly, and he lowered the hammer he was holding.

"……Sir Jerit."

Veborg's sharp gaze turned to Jerit.

I noticed the veins on the back of Veborg's hand, which was gripping the hammer, standing out.

With a fierce look demanding an explanation, Jerit hurriedly stopped laughing.

"That…… I don't know what's going on either, but it seems Miss Eli has made new friends."

"Friends?"

"It's hard for an uncle to make a sword alone, right!"

At this, Veborg's face was filled with emotion.

"Alright, Miss Eli. It's not hard. I just need to reduce my sleeping time a bit……."

"Reduce your sleep?"

"……."

"You haven't slept?"

With a worried look, Veborg flinched.

I could see the dark circles under his eyes.

'Could he have been working while reducing his sleep?'

Sleep was crucial for someone who was just starting to receive proper treatment. Nothing was more harmful to health than overwork.

"Royna said that getting enough sleep is important for good health."

"……."

"Uncle, your skills are important, but you need to regain your health first."

I slumped my shoulders dejectedly.

"……!"

Veborg, who seemed about to make an excuse, nodded slowly with a grunt.

"I understand."

"You promised."

"Yes."

Nodding in satisfaction, I turned my head, feeling a burning sensation at the back of my neck.

Talroom was looking at me with a pitiful expression, as if asking why I hadn't introduced him yet.

"Oh, right. Let me introduce you. This is my friend Talroom. He's a bit proactive……."

[Master!]

Before I could finish, Talroom grabbed Veborg's hand.

[I have waited so long to meet you, Master!]

[Master!]

[Our Master!]

Talroom's clan then surrounded Veborg.

Veborg, rarely flustered, blinked in confusion.

"What are you saying…… Is this another prank Miss Eli set up?"

He seemed to think I was still playing a trick on him.

"Well, Talroom's clan regards weapon-making as their destiny. They can understand our language, but they aren't very good at speaking it."

"Are you saying you can understand this roar?"

Veborg looked back and forth between me and Talroom, clearly puzzled.

To others, Talroom's words sounded very peculiar.

'Well, with such an intimidating stare, it's understandable they'd find it strange.'

I glanced at Talroom and his clan, who were sticking to me, and said,

"It's because they're not familiar with imperial etiquette. They want to learn your skills and have asked to be your disciples."

"Right, disciples!"

"Disciples! Disciples!"

Talroom and his clan repeated my words like parrots.

"Disciples……"

Veborg frowned, looking disbelieving.

Because of Quintar and Dierne, he seemed hesitant to trust Talroom easily.

[……It seems our master is doubting our qualifications.]

[That's what I think too.]

After a brief consultation, Talroom and his clan lifted their heads in unison.

[Benefactor, may we use this?]

Talroom pointed to the pile of monster minerals.

[Our clan has always shown through action rather than words. We have been praised for generations for keeping our mouths shut and working silently.]

"……That sounds like an insult."

Talroom didn't react, not even blinking.

[So we will show through action.]

"What are you going to make?"

[The thing you were holding.]

That thing? I followed Talroom's gaze and looked down.

Perhaps because Talroom had held it, the arrow shaft was slightly bent.

[We will make something better than that.]

Talroom confidently picked up a hammer and an axe from the side.

[Bring it over.]

When Talroom nodded, one of his clan members picked up the monster mineral.

"Hey, touching that with bare hands is dangerous……!"

Jerit's warning was cut short.

The monster mineral, which should have clung stubbornly to human hands, showed no change.

[As I said, Benefactor.]

Veborg and Jerit's faces were stunned.

[This is nothing to us.]

Talroom grinned and raised the hammer high.

* * *

Their movements were incredibly fast. It seemed like they hadn't even swung the hammer a few times, yet an arrow was quickly made.

[Benefactor.]

Talroom handed me the newly made arrow.

I nodded and took it.

It was similar to the arrow Jerit had made, but a bit lighter.

"Wow, amazing. You can make it so quickly?"

I feigned amazement and looked up at Veborg.

When I handed him the arrow, Veborg took it as if in a trance.

"How can you make it so quickly……"

"It's unbelievable."

Jerit, who had approached, also murmured in amazement.

"I've never seen anyone with such quick hands……. Wait a moment."

Jerit frowned slightly, as if trying to recall something.

"Long ago, I heard about a clan that made the empire's holy sword. They were said to have very quick hands and couldn't speak human language properly……."

At Jerit's words, Talroom finally puffed out his chest proudly.

"You didn't hear what they looked like, did you? Could you be that clan?"

[You finally recognize us.]

Talroom wore a smug expression, as if this reaction was familiar.

"Our skills. The best."

"The best! The best!"

"The best!"

The words that followed weren't particularly impressive, but Jerit's eyes widened in disbelief.

It was understandable. A windfall of fortune had just rolled in, and it was surprising.

I quickly stepped between Veborg and Jerit, gently pulling at their clothes.

"Why? Is there a problem?"

"It's not a problem, just a surprise. That you can handle those monsters without any issue is amazing."

"I see. What about you, Uncle?"

Looking up at Veborg, he said with a stern face,

"……Your skills are truly outstanding. In all the years I've held a hammer, I've never seen anyone with such quick hands."

Veborg also seemed unable to deny Talroom's skills.

"I thought you were going to scold my friends."

"Scold them?"

Jerit shook his head vigorously, as if the idea was absurd.

"Meeting a legendary race like this is an honor. I wish we could communicate with them. It's a shame we can't……."

Jerit sighed sarcastically and forced a smile, then suddenly paused.

Veborg and Jerit exchanged glances.

Their eyes sparkled, as if they had the same thought.

"Miss, Miss Eli."

Jerit looked at me with an expression he had never shown before.

"Miss Eli, if it's alright with you, would you help me?"

I smiled brightly, pretending to be clueless.

"Sure, what is it?"

"Could you ask Miss Eli's friends if they would consider working here?"

"Working?"

My wide-eyed surprise made Jerit quickly and quietly continue.

"Yes. As I mentioned before, we are short-handed. But if we can borrow the strength of Miss Eli's friends, we might be able to meet our production targets quickly."

"Um…… but I'm not sure if my friends will agree."

Pretending to be hesitant, Jerit's expression turned desperate.

"Please, just ask them. We can adjust the contract terms and compensation as you wish."

"Um…… alright."

Pretending to be reluctant, I nodded and approached Talroom.

Talroom and his clan looked at me with shining eyes.

[How about it, Benefactor? Is the master pleased with our skills?]

"One more procedure is needed."

With a serious face, I spoke, and their expressions hardened in response.

[What procedure? We are willing to do anything to become the master's disciples.]

"Very good attitude."

Lifting my head, I tried to look as serious as possible, even frowning.

[……What are you doing, Benefactor? Do you need to go to the bathroom urgently? Should I take you there?]

"This is the procedure. Just follow my expression."

[Alright, I understand.]

Talroom and his clan obediently followed my serious expression.

[Is this right?]

"Very good."

[But what kind of procedure is this? Isn't it too easy?]

"No, just do this. By the way, your hands are very quick. Do you have any secrets? Oh, keep the expression while you speak. It would be even better if you could puff out your nostrils. And if you could add an exclamation like 'Absolutely not!' in human language at the end of your sentences, that would be great."

[There are no secrets. It's just the innate skill of our clan. If I were to tell you when we first started holding hammers, it would be a long story…….]

Talroom began to speak seriously about his clan's history, not forgetting to puff out his nostrils as I requested.

I occasionally chimed in, listening to his lengthy history.

To those who couldn't understand our conversation, it must have looked like a very serious negotiation.

'Things can't go too smoothly, right?'

So this was a way to buy some time.

The longer the negotiation took, the more anxious they would become.

Incidentally, I wanted to emphasize that communication would be difficult without me.

'That way, I can secure my share.'

Interpreting and leading negotiations weren't free, after all.