In the Bronze Class waiting room in the arena's basement, Roks downed a glass of orange juice in one gulp.
"Kya!"
"Okay, so to get to the tower, we need to reach the Gold Class here, right?"
"Correct."
"And to get to the Gold Class, we only need to win two matches?"
"That's right. One match in the Bronze Class and one in the Silver Class."
"It's not too bad, but isn't there a faster way? What about that Diberry person at your mansion?"
I tore off a piece of a well-cooked drumstick and placed it on his plate.
Thud.
"Diberry can't solve this problem. Legion is a neutral area, and this arena is managed under the imperial army's jurisdiction."
"It's complicated."
"Don't overthink it. This is the fastest way."
"Hmm…"
"Normally, it takes over a year of arena experience and at least a hundred victories to reach the Gold Class. I used the Strange family name to get these conditions."
For ordinary adventurers, it takes more than a year just to move from Bronze to Silver Class. Advancing from Silver to Gold requires even more matches, and even then, one might not reach Gold due to their status.
The benefits we're enjoying now are unparalleled compared to other adventurers.
Roks grabbed the drumstick and took a big bite.
Crunch.
"Well, I guess I'll just do what you say."
"The opponents won't be tougher than the guards at Strange Castle, so don't use your mana or the guardian spirit."
"I can't use the guardian spirit?"
I shook my head firmly.
"Don't. If they find out you have a guardian spirit, they'll assume you're a significant figure in the Strange family and will definitely attempt to assassinate us."
"Who are 'they'?"
"The other families hostile to Strange."
"I see."
"Don't worry, I'm not asking you to fight barehanded. We'll get some weapons after this match."
I pointed to the inside of the arena visible through the waiting room window.
I could see adventurers starting their battle amidst the enthusiastic cheers of the crowd.
-Woaaah!
A knight in a steel helmet and armor swung his two-handed sword quickly, while his opponent in leather armor countered with a large hammer.
Clang!
They glared at each other, gauging each other's strength.
After a few more exchanges, the match ended.
The armored man declared his defeat, believing he couldn't win.
-Yeaaah!
The crowd roared again.
I turned to Roks and spoke.
"What do you think?"
"About what?"
"Those guys just now were Silver Class. We'll be facing opponents similar to or weaker than them."
"…"
"I don't think you'll lose to someone like that, right?"
Roks shrugged.
"They're nothing."
"Good. If you lose, I'll kick your ass, so keep that in mind."
If we go beyond Gold, we might face opponents on par with me, but those types don't appear in the Bronze or Silver Class, so there's no need to worry.
As soon as the Silver Class match ended, I stood up.
"Let's go get some weapons."
* * *
There are five markets in the Legion Castle.
Merchants representing the North, South, West, East, and Central regions set up shops here with their country's specialties.
Most of the merchants here are trying to make money, but some have different motives.
Just like this weapon shop I'm browsing now.
"We're closed for today. Not selling anything, so please leave."
A bearded man with brown hair and a long beard waved his hand tiredly.
"Then I'll just look around and come back tomorrow."
I walked among the weapons he had displayed, inspecting them closely.
"I said we're closed. Not selling today, not selling tomorrow, not selling the day after tomorrow. Just leave, young master."
He emphasized his words with a raised eyebrow.
"So, if I come back in four days, I can buy something?"
"No, I'm saying we're not selling at all. Why do you keep insisting?"
"Really? A weapon shop that doesn't sell weapons. That's strange."
"That's my business. You should go to another weapon shop."
"Well, I want to buy something from here."
"Ha! This is annoying…"
The shop owner turned his back to me and sat down with a frustrated expression.
Thud.
"Do as you please. Look around if you want. I'm not selling anything."
"You mean I can do whatever I want?"
"Yes, yes. I don't know whose young master you are, but I need to stay alive, so do whatever you want."
Thud, thud, thud.
I approached the shop owner and grabbed a sword from a basket, drawing the blade.
Swish.
"Really, anything I want?"
"…Wait, young master. When I said do whatever you want, I meant you can look around, not kill me."
"When did I say I would kill you?"
"You didn't, but…"
The shop owner glanced at the blade and swallowed hard.
"No, I must have misunderstood."
"I am merely here to politely request to buy a weapon from you."
"…May I ask why you insist on buying from me? There are plenty of weapon merchants in Legion."
I wanted to answer, 'Because you sell the best weapons here!' but I could only smile.
This bearded man's name is Holland.
He isn't a blacksmith who makes and sells weapons; he's a scavenger who picks up items from battlefields or robs the defeated soldiers of their gear.
So he feels uncomfortable around me.
He's worried about what would happen if an influential family's young master discovered he was a scavenger.
But this guy has an amazing sword.
"Just because."
"Just because?"
"Yes, the items here look good."
Holland considered me for a moment, then scratched the back of his head and reached out his hand.
"…Alright. I'll sell you this one, then please leave."
"No. I didn't come to buy this sword. I want to look around a bit more until I find what I need."
"What are you looking for?"
"I'm looking for a sword for myself and a blunt weapon for my companion."
"A sword and a blunt weapon..."
With a reluctant expression, he picked up a mace from a nearby spot.
"How about this? I recently got this from a Viking in the north. It's small enough for you to use."
"For a mace, it's quite small."
"Yes, I heard it was made for ceremonial use. It's small but much harder than a typical mace."
"Ceremonial?"
"Indeed."
Brunhild, who had been napping on my shoulder, suddenly opened her eyes. She inspected the mace closely and then gently scratched her cheek with her paw.
'Got it.'
I picked up the mace and asked the merchant.
"How much?"
"Five bronze coins. No less."
"Five bronze coins?"
"Yes, it's small, but if you look at the amount of iron in it-"
Thud.
I placed a silver coin in his hand. The merchant's eyes widened as he inspected the pattern on the silver coin, and he immediately bowed deeply.
"M-my apologies, young master! I-I didn't recognize-"
"That's enough. Now, the mace is settled. May I buy one more sword?"
"Of course! Take as many as you need. You don't have to pay any more."
"No. How would I be any different from a thief if I didn't pay a fair price?"
The merchant was deeply troubled. The person in front of him was from the Strange family.
If he made a mistake, he could die.
Even a single word had to be spoken with caution.
'…Damn it.'
Why is someone from the Strange family coming to a place like this?
'Their warehouse must be full of rare treasures.'
The merchant suddenly changed his attitude, groveling like a sycophant as he moved closer to me.
"What kind of sword are you looking for? Just tell me, and I'll bring it to you."
I folded my arms and stared off into the distance.
Siegfried was standing there with a bright smile, pointing to a
sword in a basket.
'There it is.'
The blade was chipped, and the handle was rusted, making the longsword unusable.
Including the length of the handle, it was almost as tall as I was.
"How much for this one?"
When I picked up the rusted sword, Holland shook his head with a troubled expression.
"Young master, I'm sorry, but I can't sell that. Selling such a damaged weapon for money would get me accused of being a scammer."
"So, how much is it?"
"Well... it's an unusable weapon, so I was only going to charge scrap metal price. Young master, may I show you some other items instead? I have some swords I brought from the south recently-"
I pulled a gold coin from my pocket and tossed it in front of him.
Ping.
Thud.
Holland stared at the gold coin on the ground in disbelief, then rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn't dreaming.
"This is what I think the sword is worth."
"Y-young master, I can't. I really can't accept this! If it's known that I received a gold coin for such a sword, I will truly be in danger."
Thud.
Holland bowed his head to the ground.
With a bright smile, I grabbed his shoulder and helped him up.
"Don't worry. I won't tell anyone about my visit here."
I picked up the gold coin and placed it in his hand.
"In return, you must also keep it a secret that I bought this sword, okay?"
Holland swallowed hard and accepted the gold coin.
"…Yes, young master."