Chapter 18

Nord, having returned to the capital, quickly finished his report and hurriedly made his way to the armory.

Since he began his life as an adventurer, Nord had visited this weapon shop many times and had become a familiar face to the shopkeeper.

The bell attached to the wooden door of the armory jingled loudly as he entered.

The shopkeeper, who had been in the back, came out at the sound and, recognizing Nord, greeted him in his usual manner.

"What is it? Need something?"

The shopkeeper's greeting to the customer was as unfriendly as ever.

Nord believed that when the shopkeeper had learned to read, the dictionary he used must have lacked the entry for "customer service." Ignoring this, Nord stated his business.

"Here are the specified materials, and take a look at this."

"Huh?"

Nord placed three bags on the table.

Two of them contained the armor materials he had ordered in advance, and the third was an additional bag.

The old shopkeeper, who was about to inspect the materials, raised a puzzled voice.

When he peeked into the bag, he immediately recognized its contents.

"Hmph... Jade ore, huh."

"How much will it yield after refining?"

Of course, the metal used for weapons and armor cannot be used in its raw ore form. The desired metal must be extracted from the ore by melting it in a furnace and then processed into a high-purity metal ingot.

The jade ore Nord brought in was about the size of a hug, but he had no idea how much usable material it would yield.

"Well, we won't know for sure until we try, but with this quality, it should be enough to make a set of weapons for one person."

The old shopkeeper picked up a piece of ore from the bag, weighed it in his hand, and examined its surface. He then split one of the pieces with a hammer and inspected the cross-section before saying this.

Regarding the jade ore, Nord had followed the adventurer's code and split it equally with Elsa, then bought her share.

Jade steel, refined from jade ore, is a popular material for swords and spears, but Elsa had given Nord the opportunity to make a weapon from jade steel.

Elsa was apparently planning to make a spear from a monster-derived material as a replacement for her current spear.

Thus, Nord had received the jade ore from Elsa and, in return for helping him gather materials, had agreed to take on requests to obtain the materials Elsa aimed for in the future.

"Hmm... Hey, boy, show me the sword on your hip."

After inspecting the quality of the armor materials, the old shopkeeper stroked his beard, thought for a moment, and then said this.

Nord obediently drew his sword from its sheath and offered the hilt to the old shopkeeper.

The shopkeeper, who had handled the sword several times for sharpening, now examined it as if appraising it again.

"If you're thinking about your next weapon, why not reinforce this one?"

During this adventure, it hadn't been used much, but Nord had been considering getting it sharpened again. While thinking about this, he was caught off guard by the shopkeeper's suggestion.

Nord had only been considering making a new weapon from jade steel.

Sheathing his sword, the old shopkeeper continued.

"I thought the same thing when I sharpened it last time. The blade is made of ordinary material, but the smith who made it wasn't bad at all."

"Well, not as good as me, of course."

The old man handed the sword back to Nord. As he sheathed it again, Nord recalled when he had bought this sword.

It was when he was a bit younger. As a child of a warrior family who was expected to become a knight, Nord had naturally received sword training from his father, his teacher.

One day, he received an allowance and was told he could have his own sword. He was told to choose it himself, as selecting weapons was part of a warrior's skill, and Nord went to the armory to buy a sword.

At the time, he had fewer younger siblings than now, but the Felis family was still poor. The amount of money he was given was small, enough only for a cheap, mass-produced sword or a student's practice piece.

When he showed the coins in his palm to the clerk at the counter and said he wanted a sword, the clerk silently pointed to a corner of the shop.

There, barrels lined up, filled with swords and spears haphazardly stuck in them.

From among the cheap swords sold for a pittance, young Nord tried his best to pick the best one.

After about an hour, when the clerk had almost forgotten about Nord, he found a sword.

He carefully examined the blade he had drawn from the sheath.

Compared to the others, this sword was clearly of a different quality.

It wasn't flashy, and the hilt and fittings were cheap, but the dull gleam of the blade made him feel that it was different.

When he asked the clerk, he paid for it indifferently, and Nord hurried home before the clerk could change his mind.

He remembered his father praising it as a good sword during a later training session.

It had been years since then.

What had seemed as large as a greatsword to the young Nord was now the perfect length to wield one-handed with a shield.

So, what will you do?

In response to the old shopkeeper's question, Nord immediately requested the sword's reinforcement.

§

After commissioning the armor and the sword's reinforcement, Nord wandered through the capital's streets for the first time in a while.

The shopkeeper had lent him a substitute sword, saying, "You'll feel naked without a weapon," but unfortunately, it was not of good quality.

When Nord drew it a little from the sheath, he immediately knew it was dull. It would be fine for self-defense, but he felt it was not reliable enough for fighting monsters.

Therefore, until his new equipment was ready, Nord decided to avoid taking on serious requests and to earn just enough for his meals in the area around the capital. He had just completed a casual request and received his reward, but it was close to evening, so he decided not to take on another one in succession. If he did, he would be locked out of the city walls at night.

Fortunately, the fishing request at the port had been a great success, and he received a bonus, leaving him with some extra money even after paying for the equipment.

(Oh, this comb looks nice, it would suit Lilia.)

What Nord was currently doing was looking at the merchandise in front of the shops on the commercial street. He was just browsing, with no intention of buying. To be precise, he strongly wanted to buy souvenirs for his younger siblings, but unfortunately, he didn't have the extra money.

Still,

(Someday, I'll buy them something.)

It had been more than half a year since Nord became an adventurer. The seasons had changed, and winter was approaching.

During this time, Nord had been working tirelessly.

He worked without rest and didn't waste money.

He invested in equipment and consumables, and everything else went into the family budget. Unlike his peers, who were around his age and spent their energy and money on colors, love, delicious food, and entertainment, Nord's life was extremely frugal and hardworking.

But thanks to this, Nord, as an adventurer, was finally at the stage where he could challenge the Crystal Rank, and he felt he was starting to have some leeway.

The Felis family's finances were still in dire straits, and Nord occasionally received requests for financial advice from Alec after the Rock Wolf hunt.

However, he was not taking on new debts, and the family budget had turned a slight profit.

If he advanced to the Crystal Rank, his income would increase, and eventually, the family's debts would decrease.

(I've been putting Alec and the others through a lot, so I need to increase their pay...)

The steward, who manages the servants and oversees the various affairs of a noble household, is a specialized profession that requires broad knowledge and high-level judgment.

Even if the job were different, only an excellent person could handle the role of a shop manager or owner. Alec, who had served the Felis family for many years, was a person who should have been treated with great respect.

However, considering the Felis family's financial situation, Alec had set his own salary at the minimum to reduce the family's expenses.

Even though he could have worked for another family and been paid properly, Alec had shown loyalty to the Felis family beyond his duty.

The same was true for the other servants. (There was also the matter of the maid being the lord's lover.)

If Nord could earn enough as an adventurer, he could certainly provide them with the proper treatment they deserved.

Also, his younger siblings, who wore clothes that were far from what one would expect of a noble's children. Especially Lilia, who was three years younger and at the age when a girl should be able to dress beautifully, deserved the right to do so, Nord thought.

Hair accessories, new clothes, delicious food.

Walking through the cobblestone streets of the capital as the shops were closing for the evening, Nord walked, thinking of his family's faces.

§

(…It's about time to go home.)

The sun had already set, and the capital's streets were bathed in the colors of the sunset.

While a typical adventurer might be planning to enjoy a drink at the guild's tavern (usually spending all their earnings), Nord avoided unnecessary expenses.

Therefore, he usually returned directly to the Felis residence, spent time in his room maintaining his equipment until dinner, or played with his younger siblings.

On this day, he was also walking home early, resisting the temptation.

(…Hmm?)

On the way.

It was unusual for Nord to play in the city (he hadn't spent a single copper coin), and he was taking a different route home than usual.

By chance, this route passed near the royal palace.

A river flows through the capital from outside. Naturally, it runs through the city, and there are facilities that utilize it.

One of these places, which Nord passed by, was a popular spot for cooling off during the summer, even though it was now deep into autumn.

There, he saw a familiar figure in the distance.

"…Sister?"

Nord, as an adventurer, had sharp senses to detect danger early, and his eyesight was particularly good.

What he saw at the edge of his vision was the figure of his sister, Hanna.

The second child and eldest daughter of the Felis family, she currently worked as a maid for another noble family.

She was wearing the clean, black and white maid's uniform she wore for her job.

It wasn't unusual to encounter servants like maids or butlers in the capital, where many noble families and merchants lived.

So it wasn't strange for Hanna to be outside.

(…Hmm.)

It seemed she was talking to someone.

The person she was talking to was hidden from Nord's view by a tree.

Nord couldn't see her expression clearly from a distance, and he couldn't hear their conversation.

(It doesn't seem to be a problem.)

Even without the bias of family, Hanna was a beautiful woman. She had long, wavy golden hair and a well-defined nose, and her beauty was not just in her appearance but also in her graceful manners, which were based on the proper education of a noble lady. She was a source of pride for her brother, Nord.

If she were being harassed by some ruffians, he would make them regret being born.

Nord, who was inwardly bristling, forgetting that his sword was dull, calmed down when he realized she was just talking to an acquaintance and continued on his way home.

§

At the Felis residence, the family was gathered as usual.

The dining room, located next to the stairs in the main hall of the first floor, was designed to accommodate large banquets and had a spacious layout.

The large dining table in the room could seat over twenty people.

In the Felis family, with fourteen members including both parents, most of the chairs around the large table were usually occupied.

At the far end of the room, in the seat of honor, sat the head of the family, Albert, and next to him, his wife, Maria.

Normally, they would sit in order of age, but since the Felis family had many young children, the older members were scattered to help with the younger ones during meals.

Although the room had very few furnishings, there were no problems with eating, and the sounds of the meal filled the air.

It wasn't as noisy as the taverns where adventurers gathered, but with so many people talking to each other, the Felis household naturally became lively.

Nord was seated between his younger brother, Eren, and his younger sister, Helena. He ate a little of his own meal while taking care of his younger siblings, gently correcting their manners when they were about to spill something or behave poorly.

At that moment, Helena was trying to sip her soup by bringing her mouth to the bowl, so he was teaching her to bring the spoon to her mouth properly. Helena responded with a childish "Yes, brother" and ate her soup as instructed.

Nord watched her with a gentle gaze while eating his own meal.

Although Nord now had impeccable noble manners, he had been quite a troublemaker when he was young.

It was his older sister, Hanna, who was four years his senior, who had kindly taken care of him.

"Ah, by the way,"

In the Felis family, it was common to have conversations during meals. Of course, they avoided talking with their mouths full or behaving rudely, but they valued family interactions, and conversation was encouraged during meals.

Indeed, at that moment, Albert and his eldest son, Albiore, were discussing the topic of the army expanding the number of dragon knights. Albert was urging his son, "It's an opportunity for advancement!"

The Kingdom of Hamil has the "Royal Guard," the "Hamil Kingdom Knights," and the "Iron Dragon Knights" as its national military forces, in addition to the local knight orders organized around the major lords in the east, west, south, and north.

The "Royal Guard" is the direct force of the royal family, with the main task of guarding the royal family, and is composed of skilled nobles selected from the Hamil Kingdom Knights and others.

The "Hamil Kingdom Knights" is the largest knight order in the Hamil Kingdom, serving as the national army, and is composed mainly of warrior families like the Felis family, central noble families with land, and graduates of the "Military Academy," which is a training institution for knights.

Both Albert and Albiore served in the Hamil Kingdom Knights.

The "Iron Dragon Knights" is a knight order composed of dragon knights who ride flying dragons, and its members are selected based on their skills, often from the Royal Guard or even more so.

What Albert was saying was that if the number of flying dragons increased, the number of dragon knight positions would also increase, and he was suggesting that Albiore should try to get one of those positions.

Nord's great-grandfather had served in the Royal Guard, and Albert was planning for Albiore to follow in his footsteps.

Since the Royal Guard required personal trust from the king, not just skill, the Iron Dragon Knights might be a better option for pure skill. Indeed, Nord's great-grandfather had become a Royal Guard because he was a schoolmate of the king at the time.

"I saw Sister Hanna in the city today."

When Nord said this, everyone showed interest.

"Really? How was she?"

Albiore asked, as Nord's sister was his beloved younger sister.

"Was Sister Hanna doing well!?"

Lilia, his younger sister, jumped at the topic. Like Nord, she had been taken care of by her sister Hanna since she was young and was fond of her.

"Sister?"

Many of the younger siblings, younger than Lilia, didn't recognize who she was.

Hanna, the eldest daughter, worked as a live-in maid for another noble family, so she only returned home a few times a year. For the younger children, her memory was fading.

"I didn't talk to her directly; I just saw her from a distance. I thought about going over to talk, but she seemed to be busy with someone, so I held back."

She looked well, he added at the end.

Since becoming an adventurer, Nord had not seen his sister Hanna once. She had apparently visited the Felis residence, but unfortunately, it had always coincided with his expeditions for requests.

"Aww," Lilia muttered, disappointed.

After that, the family gathering continued happily.

The food on the large table was not luxurious, but Nord was more satisfied than with the feasts at the taverns where adventurers ate.

As mentioned in the first chapter, Albert, the father, is the captain of the guards. He is in charge of security at one of the facilities of the Hamil Kingdom Knights.

Albiore, the eldest son, is also a member of the Hamil Kingdom Knights and, as the heir to the Felis family, is aiming for advancement after graduating from the lower ranks.

By the way, the Dragon Knights are