Chapter 102

Milia’s shoulder was carefully patted.

“You must have gone through a lot, Milia. But don’t let it corrupt you.”

“Though, looking at your recent state, it doesn’t seem like that’ll happen.”

—

“By the way, Damien, what happened to that broken greatsword of yours?”

“You mean the black iron greatsword? It’s still in pieces. I gathered the fragments, but…”

Damien scratched his cheek.

“Why gather the pieces? Even if you try to fix it, it won’t be usable again.”

Once a sword breaks, it’s bound to shatter again from the repaired spot. Unless you melt it down in a furnace and forge it anew.

“It was a gift, after all. I couldn’t just throw it away after breaking it so soon. It felt like disrespecting Freide’s kindness.”

“Freide probably wouldn’t mind.”

It wasn’t a huge sum for her, and that weapon did save your life. Holding your ground against a Suin warrior means it served its purpose.

Anyway, it’s all good.

“Follow me. Let’s go to Asha. Milia, you too.”

“Huh? My rapier is fine though…”

“Not the rapier, your bow. It’s still just a regular wooden bow. Considering our missions, it’s time to upgrade it.”

How are you supposed to fight monsters with a bow that can’t even take down a troll?

Pulling the reluctant duo along, I headed deeper into the special quarters.

—

Asha’s room, which I hadn’t visited in a while, was even more of a mess than before.

Just as there’s always a deeper bottom, there’s no limit to chaos.

About a third of the room was occupied by tanned hides, while the other side was piled high with untanned hides, still in their raw state.

The desk was cluttered with various potions, emitting a pungent smell strong enough to sting the nose.

The bed was propped up against the wall, and the remaining space was filled with scattered mechanical devices.

A small sleeping bag next to it… must be her new bed.

She seemed to be wandering somewhere between a workaholic and a slave.

“This is… there’s no room to even step. Shouldn’t you get a separate workshop?”

Carefully avoiding the parts on the floor, I approached Asha and made a comment.

Damien and Milia couldn’t even enter and were standing outside the door.

“I’m actually preparing a workshop now. There are quite a few empty houses in the capital.”

Asha replied nonchalantly.

She must have been working through the night, as there were slight dark circles under her eyes.

“And the prices aren’t bad either. I’m thinking of buying a few with the money I’ve earned this time.”

Empty houses in the capital… that’s not something to say so casually.

It means the people who lived there are gone.

But then again, it’s too much to expect Asha, a demi-human, to constantly care about human deaths.

“So, what brings you here? Bringing two regular students… Damien and Milia, right? The ones who often train with Freide.”

Hearing their names, Damien and Milia awkwardly greeted her.

Asha smiled lightly and nodded.

“I thought you were busy working, but you managed to keep an eye on things?”

“I take breaks and air out the room sometimes, so I watch when I hear sparring sounds.”

So she must have been watching with the window open just a while ago.

Is this what she calls airing out the room? How strong is the usual smell she lives in?

“Right. Anyway, Asha, the reason I came to you is about their weapons.”

“Weapons?”

“Yeah. Remember that black iron greatsword? It’s his weapon, and it broke right after he got it.”

“What?! No way, that can’t be. I made it properly!”

Asha’s eyes widened in shock, like a scammer unexpectedly meeting a customer with a hammer.

Of course, Asha wasn’t a scammer. Demi-humans are always thorough in such matters.

In fact, since she and I were somewhat close, she often made equipment far superior to its price.

The armor I received this time was also very satisfying, aside from the raw materials.

It seems she misunderstood my words.

I thought about teasing her a bit but decided against it.

I wasn’t sure if my jokes would land well with a demi-human’s way of thinking.

“No, I might have confused you. There was nothing wrong with the sword. It broke because it was meant to break. It shattered in a fight with a great warrior.”

“Ah, so that’s what happened? I thought…”

Asha sighed in relief.

“Well, if you fought a Suin great warrior without being a master, even a black iron greatsword would break. So, should I make a new sword? That’ll be 30 gold.”

“Not just the greatsword, but I also need a bow… wait, Milia!”

“Huh? Did you call me, Halshar?”

Milia, who was talking with Damien, turned to look at me.

“I’m thinking of making you a new bow, so I need your input. It’s time to decide whether to focus on rapid fire or power.”

An archer’s growth path is broadly divided into two.

If you prioritize the power of a single shot, you go for a bow with greater draw strength and larger arrows, ultimately…

They shoot arrows as big as parasols from bows taller than they are.

On the other hand, if you want to take down your opponent with rapid fire, you should use a bow and arrows that are easy enough to shoot repeatedly with your own strength.

You could say it’s the difference between a cannon and a machine gun.

Either way, when taken to the extreme, they eventually converge into one.

“It’s so sudden… What do you think, Ha-shal-leur?”

“Well… If we’re not dealing with people, then power would be better, right?”

A few quick arrows can incapacitate a person, but monsters with strong vitality will just ignore light arrows.

They either tough it out or regenerate completely.

“Then let’s do that. We’re going to fight monsters, right?”

“Yeah. Then come over here first. We need to check what draw weight would be appropriate.”

—

After I left the room, Milia followed and approached Asha.

Asha checked Milia’s strength with a few tools and then sent her back.

“How is it?”

“A steel bow is still too much, so we’ll go with a composite bow. Including the greatsword, it’ll be 45 gold.”

Of course, I didn’t have 45 gold right now.

But I had a solid plan.

I lowered my voice and subtly approached Asha.

“Listen, Asha. I have an amazing business plan.”

“A business plan?”

Asha tilted her head.

“Yeah, you’ll be surprised when you hear it. It’s called free warranty support.”

“You’ve just collected all the words half-people hate.”

“No, listen carefully. I’ve been looking into it, and it’s amazing that no one has tried this before.”

I lightly held Asha’s shoulder and continued.

“The core is simple. When selling something, it’s not over after the sale. If there’s a problem with the product, we offer free repairs or replacements under a contract. The term… about half a year should be enough, right?”

Asha’s expression changed to one of looking at a scammer.

“Why on earth would you do that? Just sell new products and be done with it.”

“It’s called a differentiation strategy. Think about it, Asha. People naturally like being treated well and getting something for free. If a merchant offers free after-sales service, what would everyone think?”

I spread my arms wide.

“Ah, that merchant is a good one who cares more about customers than profits! Even if it breaks, they’ll fix it without charging, so they must be really confident in their quality!”

I shouted in an exaggerated tone.

“Wouldn’t everyone think that? In short, it’s about gaining customer trust and goodwill. Just by not charging a little repair fee!”

Asha took half a step back, looking a bit flustered.

“Uh… uh, is that how it works? But what’s the point of that?”

I thought she’d understand by now.

“There are two merchants charging the same price. One is just a merchant, the other is famous for reliability and perfect after-sales service. Who would people choose? Of course, they’d choose you! If you start a guild later, an enormous number of requests will come rolling in!”

“I get what you’re saying, but… wouldn’t it be a loss if everyone comes asking for repairs? Some might even break it on purpose and come back.”

That was a sharp point.

Actually, that’s the problem with AS systems… but here, it’s not a big issue.

Because in this world, there’s a duel system in place to crack the heads of malicious buyers.

“Asha, how often would something you made break within half a year? And you can tell if it was broken on purpose, right? In that case, show evidence that it was deliberately broken and say free repairs aren’t possible.”

“Well, yeah…? But they could still keep pushing.”

“Then just challenge them to a duel. Half-people are famous for their pride. Few would push further without being ready to get their heads cracked.”

Asha held her head.

She seemed to be debating whether to trust this scammer or not.

“Uh… uh…! My father said that anyone who talks about a good business plan is a scammer and to be careful…!”

“Think about it. Would I scam you, Asha? We’re friends. This is advice for a friend. Think about the future, Asha. If the entire Red Copper Clan adopts this method, someday we could dominate the entire industry! It’s like becoming the Golden King!”

It was a very lengthy persuasion to turn 30 gold for a greatsword into free.

Asha’s eyes were spinning.

—