Chapter 28

Episode 28. I’ve Shown You Everything (2)

It’s common knowledge that a lock won’t open without its dedicated key. Especially a lock designed by Vulkanus, which has a double-complex structure, making it impossible to pick with just a wire.

*Click. Clank!*

But it opened.

The lock crafted by Vulkanus, a master blacksmith, was defeated by a mere wire. Ultima clicked his tongue.

“It’s clearly a lock designed to resist wires, and you picked it in 10 seconds? If you ever decided to become a thief, you’d be the greatest bandit on the continent.”

Hans, with a dumbfounded expression, picked up the fallen lock with both hands.

“Are locks supposed to be this easy to open?”

Ignoring Hans, who had just had his common sense shattered, Keter and Ultima entered the bow warehouse.

“Oooh! Truly magnificent! Is this… a composite bow made from a Minotaur’s horn?!”

Ultima couldn’t hold back his admiration as he looked at the neatly arranged bows. Even to Keter, the bows here were all of exceptional quality, far surpassing the ones Vulkanus had tried to deceive them with before.

“Can I touch one?”

“I’ll allow one.”

Why Keter was the one giving permission instead of the creator was unclear, but Ultima picked up the bow that caught his eye the most.

“Oooh! Ohoho! This elasticity, this color! It’s far superior to the bows made by the Empire’s masters!”

Ultima, though a merchant, was also a warrior. Thanks to that, his eye for the value of weapons and armor was unmatched in the kingdom. While bows weren’t his main weapon, he could easily recognize their worth.

‘This is a near-new secondhand bow. At the very least, it’s worth 100 gold.’

Considering that bows used by civilians for hunting cost 1 silver, the price difference was staggering. And there weren’t just one or two of these bows—there were hundreds. Depending on whether the bow was made of wood or metal, the price could go even higher. Just the contents of this warehouse alone were worth at least 10,000 gold.

After finishing his calculations, Ultima took a deep breath. It wasn’t just about the money; selling Sephira’s bows would also bring him immense ‘fame.’

The House of Sephira had operated its own blacksmith for centuries and had never once sold bows to outsiders. Being the first merchant to distribute Sephira’s bows would be a title of immense power.

Ultima, having returned the bow to its place, looked at Keter with a serious expression.

“If I can buy Sephira’s bows, I’m willing to cover all additional expenses.”

Additional expenses referred to transportation and escort fees. Normally, these costs were split between the seller and buyer, but Ultima was offering to cover them entirely.

Hans, who had joined them at some point, was about to say something, but Keter covered his mouth and spoke.

“There are more bow warehouses like this. Some have slightly lower quality, and some are decorative. If you’re willing to buy those too, House Sephira will provide manpower support.”

“Even if Sephira’s bows are old or failed attempts, their performance is still reliable. Their artistic value is also high, so the nobles will love them. I’m willing to buy them all.”

“This is why I like you. You’re lightning-fast when it comes to profit calculations.”

“Haha, thank you for the compliment.”

The two got along famously, even though just an hour ago, they were trying to kill each other at the front gate.

Then, it happened.

“Who dares to sell my bows without permission?!”

A booming shout echoed from the entrance, and the three turned around.

There stood Vulkanus, his face red with anger, gripping a hammer in both hands.

* * *

Vulkanus had been making bows for nearly 200 years. He took pride in the fact that bows were far superior to other weapons. Except for the very early days when he was learning metallurgy, he had never made any weapon other than bows.

But after meeting Keter, he changed.

He started crafting daggers instead of bows, believing that even archers needed to seriously consider close combat.

“This one’s blade chips too easily.”

*Crack!*

“This one’s unnecessarily heavy.”

*Snap!*

Vulkanus spent the entire morning making and destroying daggers, repeating the process dozens of times.

By lunchtime, he wiped the sweat from his brow and told his assistant blacksmith, “I’m going to cool my head. Melt down all the failures.”

What kind of dagger would suit an archer?

Vulkanus tried to figure it out by making them himself, but it wasn’t coming easily, and his head was starting to hurt.

“If I make the blade thin for cutting power, it breaks too easily. An ideal dagger shouldn’t lose its edge easily… but if I make the blade thicker, the balance is ruined. If I make the handle heavier to balance it, it’ll end up as heavy as a longsword.”

It’s common knowledge that daggers are fragile and break easily. After all, daggers are meant to kill unarmored humans or beasts.

They’re not meant to block attacks; the thin blade breaks too easily. But Vulkanus wasn’t bound by common sense. He believed he could make a dagger that was both durable and retained its characteristics.

The problem was how to make it.

The real answer was to use expensive minerals. There are minerals that meet all the requirements. The problem is they’re ridiculously expensive, making them impractical.

Given Sephira’s financial situation, Vulkanus was trying to overcome the limitations of cheap materials with skill.

*Knock knock.*

While deep in thought, his assistant blacksmith came to him.

“What? Keter took an outsider to the bow warehouse?”

Already frustrated, Vulkanus was furious.

No matter how extraordinary Keter was, entering the bow warehouse without his permission was unacceptable. And if an outsider was involved, it was even worse.

Grabbing his hammer, Vulkanus rushed to the bow warehouse.

He expected the lock to still be in place, but knowing Keter, he might have broken in. Half of his prediction was correct—the lock was open, but it wasn’t broken. Even more humiliating, it looked like it had been opened with a key.

‘How the hell did he do that?’

Every lock used by House Sephira was made by Vulkanus himself. They were not only sturdy but also had incredibly complex internal structures, making them impossible to open without the dedicated key.

But that wasn’t the end of it. The conversation coming from the bow warehouse was enough to make Vulkanus’s blood boil.

Keter was planning to sell the bows.

Not just one or two, but all of them.

‘Keter, you’ve lost your mind.’

Sephira’s bows were Vulkanus’s pride and Sephira’s blessing. They were never meant to be used by anyone outside the House of Sephira.

Gripping his hammer so tightly that veins bulged on his arm, Vulkanus stormed into the warehouse and shouted, “Who dares to sell my bows?!”

At Vulkanus’s roar, Hans flinched, and Ultima looked awkward. Keter, on the other hand, just scratched his ear with his pinky.

“Did you eat coal for breakfast? Why are you shouting so loud?”

“You brat, Keter! No matter how much I’ve acknowledged you, I never said you could do whatever you want in my forge. Get out of my warehouse now!”

Vulkanus, thoroughly enraged, thrust the head of his hammer forward.

*Tap.*

Instead of leaving, Keter held up three fingers.

“Old dwarf, there are three reasons why you should sell these bows.”

“What nonsense are you spouting now? I’m not falling for it. Get out!”

“First!”

Ignoring Vulkanus, Keter continued, folding his fingers as he spoke.

“Bows are ridiculously high-maintenance weapons. Do you know how much money and manpower goes into their upkeep? These bows you’ve been hoarding to save money are no different from trolls that guzzle money like water!”

“You brat with a big mouth!”

“Old dwarf, let’s talk like civilized people instead of resorting to violence. Even the arrows here aren’t backup bows, are they?”

“You’re the one who’s good at violence… Ugh! Fine, I admit it. The backup bows are stored separately. But if we sell these, Sephira’s combat strength will be exposed!”

Vulkanus put down his hammer and logically explained why selling the bows was a bad idea. Hans nodded in agreement.

The reason Sephira didn’t sell its bows was to prevent the enemy from analyzing them.

But Keter scoffed.

“Technology? What technology? Bow-making technology?”

“These bows are specialized for Sephira’s Zodiac Twelve Palaces technique. A skilled person could deduce Sephira’s techniques just by looking at the bows.”

“Like how you can tell if a swordsman uses quick strikes or heavy strikes just by looking at their sword?”

“Exactly!”

“If that’s the case, then all swordsmen should hide their swords. Our Sephira archers should wrap their bows in cloth so they’re not visible. But they don’t, do they?”

Vulkanus realized his mistake. He had agreed too quickly, thinking Keter was on his side, only to be outmaneuvered.

“It’s possible to deduce Sephira’s techniques by looking at the bows. But so what? Are we some kind of secretive family? Everything that can be known about us is already known. What exactly are we trying to hide?”

“Ugh… Fine. I’ll admit that.”

Dwarves are proud but not unreasonable. Vulkanus conceded defeat.

But Keter had brought up three reasons, meaning Vulkanus still had two chances left.

“But tell me this. Why is this outsider eavesdropping on our conversation? Can’t he leave?”

Vulkanus pointed his hammer at Ultima, who bowed respectfully.

“It’s an honor to meet the legendary blacksmith Vulkanus. I am Ultima of the Ultima Merchant Group.”

“Hmph. I have no interest in outsiders. Get lost. This is no place for you.”

Vulkanus’s words were justified. Outsiders had no place in family matters.

But Keter stepped in.

“Ultima can stay. I brought him here for this.”

“What good could come from blabbing family matters to an outsider?”

Vulkanus roared, but Keter shouted back just as loudly.

“Ultima isn’t just any outsider! He’s a comrade who shares Sephira’s fate! A brother who’s shared his heart with us!”

“What?”

“You might not care about external affairs, but all the merchants have turned their backs on House Sephira. They refuse to trade with us. Only Ultima here is willing to take all the risks to trade with House Sephira!”

Keter’s passionate speech made Vulkanus hesitate. Even though he was a blacksmith who didn’t care much for the world, he still understood basic ethics.

Vulkanus glanced at Ultima and said, “I apologize for calling you an outsider. I didn’t know you were such a person.”

“No, I…”

Keter cut Ultima off.

“He cares more about Sephira’s safety than anyone else.”

Vulkanus looked at Ultima with a slightly moved expression.

In that situation, what else could Ultima do? He awkwardly smiled and agreed.

“Yes. That’s right. Young Master Keter is correct.”

“…Alright. Merchant Ultima, I’ll allow you to stay.”

“Thank you.”

“That aside.”

Vulkanus glared at Keter again.

“Keter, go ahead and tell me. What are the second and third reasons I should sell these bows to Ultima?”

“Well, you see.”

Keter’s hand rested on Ultima’s shoulder. Ultima reflexively turned to look at Keter, who smiled kindly and said, “He’ll explain it.”

“……!?”

Ultima’s pupils dilated at Keter’s statement, which he had neither discussed nor heard before.