Chapter 37: The Forge's Flames (2)

Trash.

At the remark that touched on Hendrick's pride as a master, his eyebrows shot up.

"Dmitri Mountain iron boasts the best quality in the Kingdom of Cairo, I can say that with certainty. And yet, you, who know nothing about how a forge operates, you, who have never shed a sweat in front of a blazing furnace, dare to evaluate Dmitri Mountain iron!"

His voice rose.

The items Roman had evaluated.

They were indeed trash, not even considered low-grade in Dmitri.

However.

The fact that Roman was the one making the remarks did not sit well with him.

In Hendrick's memory, Roman was an incorrigible person, and his face flushed with private emotion.

"If it weren't for the request of your father, Lord Romario, I would not have given you anything. Roman Dmitri, you are the eldest son of the Dmitri family, who has dedicated their life to blacksmithing. When your younger brother, Rodwell Dmitri, worked under me for years to take over the family business, you spent your days on the streets lusting after women's fair skin, wasting your life without any meaning. Do you understand what that means? It means that you, Roman Dmitri, are an incorrigible piece of trash, even more so than the items scattered on the ground. While these items, though of poor quality, can still serve their purpose if they find an owner, you, as the eldest son of the Dmitri family, are a piece of trash who knows nothing, or rather, can do nothing."

It was a scathing rebuke.

The foundation of the Dmitri family lies in the forge.

The eldest son, who denied and ignored this, could not earn the respect of the workers who had built the family with their blood and sweat.

'Is it this situation again?'

Hendrick.

He was a man he had never seen before.

Though his face was unfamiliar to Baek Jung-hyuk's memory, he was venting his anger towards Roman Dmitri based on his own experience, not prejudice.

It was familiar.

Although he had not spent a long time as Roman Dmitri, he had never encountered anyone who showed friendly feelings from the start, no matter where or whom he met.

There was only one exception.

Hans was the exception.

Hans had shown Roman genuine care, and thus took him into his fold without any special reason.

'I can understand Hendrick's reaction. As the eldest son of the Dmitri family, if you show no interest in the forge and then come to evaluate items for a specific purpose, it's only natural to feel upset.'

He understood.

The other person's thoughts.

The other person's feelings.

Hendrick's anger was entirely justified, but for Roman, who faced that anger, there was something that grated.

'Master Blacksmith. The real power in Dmitri, the master who oversees the forge. He deserves respect, but in the current situation, things are different. He is not denying that the items I evaluated are trash, but is angry because the one evaluating them is Roman Dmitri.'

Regardless of the relationship between Hendrick and himself.

This was a separate issue.

Thud.

Roman picked up the sword lying on the ground.

Then, he walked outside and held the sword up to the sunlight.

"I do not fail to understand Master Hendrick's anger. However, this sword, when held up to the sunlight, shows uneven shadows, indicating that the force was not evenly distributed during its creation. It is likely the result of an inexperienced blacksmith's poor hammering. Therefore, it cannot be called Dmitri Mountain iron. Master Hendrick, you cannot deny this fact, so you chose to criticize me rather than point out the word 'trash,' isn't that right?"

"What do you mean!"

"Master Hendrick."

He cut off his words.

Roman swung the sword a few times in the air, then looked at Hendrick with a stern expression.

"Just now, one of my soldiers died because this trash of a sword could not cut through the enemy's flesh. The uneven edge failed to make a clean cut, and the soldier, unable to pull the sword out of the enemy's muscle, was killed by the enemy's sword in a panic. How unjust is that? He did his best to survive, but because a trashy lord gave him trash, he had no choice but to die."

Thud!

He threw the sword down demonstratively.

This time, he picked up a suit of armor and showed it to Hendrick.

"What do you think armor is for, Master Hendrick? If it can protect you from even one enemy attack, it is worth bearing its heavy weight. However, the soldiers who wore the chain mail I supplied were betrayed by the armor they trusted and died. The iron links, which were supposed to protect them, failed to block the enemy's attack. Holes were pierced, flesh was torn, and entrails spilled out through the gaps in the chain mail."

"What are you saying!"

"Still don't understand my words?"

People's prejudices?

He understood.

He knew that because his former master lived a trashy life, he had to endure prejudice.

However.

Hendrick had crossed the line.

Driven by personal feelings, he did not realize what he had done.

"I asked Master Hendrick to provide weapons and armor for my soldiers. If he had not recognized that the items scattered on the ground were trash, my soldiers might have entrusted their lives to trash without knowing anything. This is not a matter of personal revenge. It was a matter of 30 lives, and Master Hendrick turned a blind eye to the truth, even though he knew the facts. Can you still proudly call yourself a Master Blacksmith, a representative of the Dmitri family, when the items you gave me due to personal feelings almost caused innocent people to die?"

"…!"

Hendrick was taken aback.

Roman's words.

They were true.

But Hendrick had not thought that far.

He simply did not want to give Roman good items and did not expect that it would lead to the death of soldiers.

"I had no such intention!"

"Intentions are not important. Weapons and armor have a clear purpose, and anyone can predict the consequences of giving out such trash. That's why I asked for the best weapons and armor in the name of my father, Lord Romario, not in my name as Roman Dmitri. The result is the trash you see before you now."

Thud.

Clank.

He kicked the iron items scattered on the ground.

Seeing the iron items collapse, Hendrick finally realized his mistake.

"Can this action be considered insubordination to my father?"

Insubordination.

For a moment, Hendrick felt dizzy.

The line Roman had in mind.

Hendrick's attitude was not the problem.

The Master Blacksmith, who held significant power in the Dmitri family, crossed the line the moment he gave Roman "trash" despite the request made in the name of Lord Romario.

Roman respected Hendrick.

He was a diligent worker, and for the future of the family, it was necessary to maintain a good relationship with him.

However.

"I know how Master Hendrick feels about me. I don't think you intended to be insubordinate to my father, but simply did not want to give me good items. The problem is that this itself constitutes insubordination. Master Hendrick, I came here with my father's permission. It was not a personal request, but an order from the lord of this land to provide good weapons and armor."

Thousand Horses.

Baek Jung-hyuk had lived his life as a ruler.

He governed various people and, in any situation, adhered to one principle above all.

'Hierarchy. The moment the line between lord and vassal becomes blurred, the hierarchy and order collapse.'

Loyal vassals.

Vassals who were like friends.

The moment they crossed the line as vassals, Baek Jung-hyuk would mete out strict punishment with a cold face.

It was no different now.

Despite knowing how important Hendrick was, the moment he crossed the line, Roman spoke the truth to him.

Snap.

That's it.

Roman pressed Hendrick's head down.

"I'll ask again. Can my actions be considered insubordination to my father?"

"…Insubordination! Absolutely not!"

Hendrick shouted in desperation.

Master Blacksmith.

He had worked for decades to earn that title.

Lord Romario was his friend before he was the head of the Dmitri family, and they once shared a passion in front of the forge's flames.

Hendrick respected Lord Romario as a master.

Though he could not visit the forge as often now due to his noble duties, Lord Romario was still the best master Hendrick recognized in Cairo.

Therefore.

Hendrick pledged his loyalty.

He thought it was worth pledging loyalty to Lord Romario, who truly understood and cared for blacksmiths.

At that moment.

Roman's outburst drew the blacksmiths.

At first, they did not understand what was happening, but as Roman continued, their expressions turned grim.

"Insubordination? Explain then. Why did you give me such items?"

"You brat."

"How dare you to Master Hendrick!"

The blacksmiths were enraged.

The sight of a young upstart pressing Hendrick was infuriating.

They were ready to pounce.

With a dozen burly men surrounding Roman, the atmosphere became tense, as if a violent incident was about to occur.

There is a saying.

Even a group as vicious as the Blood Gang does not mess with the blacksmiths of Dmitri.

Blacksmithing is a physically demanding job, and handling weapons like knives can lead to the disintegration of an organization if a fight breaks out.

A tense situation.

Roman's attitude was calm.

He did not panic or react sensitively to the blacksmiths' threats.

He just