Episode 12
***
Born in Ekiever, Alma met many people while living in a big city.
Among them were nobles as well as royalty.
But I had never seen anyone as handsome as Ian.
An appearance that exudes noble dignity and strange charm at the same time.
Even the well-proportioned body and smooth outstretched fingers.
There seemed to be no flaws anywhere.
‘ah. I must have liked someone who looked like this.’
In fact, there is no such thing as an absolute appearance.
This is because when the appearance exceeds a certain level, the next step depends on the individual’s taste.
However, Ian’s appearance was so outstanding that he even changed his taste.
How to see as much as you know.
Most of the people in Ian’s hometown are villagers who have never left the village.
So I knew that Ian was handsome, but I didn’t know what level he was.
However, Alma, who has an aesthetic eye, knew exactly how violent the influence of Ian’s appearance was.
It is human nature to like beautiful things.
Alma was more faithful to her instincts than others.
“Wow. You’re so handsome. Sit comfortably here.”
Alma grabbed the chair next to her and let Ian sit.
“thank you.”
True beauty is not determined only by appearance.
Voice, tone, demeanor and level of education were just as important as appearance.
A soft, low-pitched voice.
Ian had a good voice.
‘Voice passed.’
Alma looked at Ian for a moment before talking to Kit.
“Who are you? He looks like a nobleman, but from the way he’s wearing Mr. Kitt’s attitude, he doesn’t seem to be a nobleman.”
“This guy is Ian, and he’s an up-and-coming warrior who will be an important customer of our store in the future. Ian, this is Clerk Moreno. Greetings.”
“Hi, I’m Ian Frost.”
“Yes. Nice to meet you. So what you want now is to know how much your brothers will need to relocate? Then I’ll ask you a few questions first.”
Alma asked about her brothers’ status, wealth, and desired standard of living.
After hearing Ian’s answer, Alma began to explain in an easy-to-understand way what it takes to become an introverted citizen.
“First of all, the price of citizenship this year is six gold coins per person.”
The price of citizenship changes every year, and although it has risen, it has never gone down.
“To buy a house in the inner castle, you need eight gold coins based on the second floor, but this price includes the land lease.”
All of Ekiever’s lands belonged to the Earl of Stoke, except for some areas held by Teresism.
Citizens leased land from the Earl of Stoke, and to purchase a house, they had to transfer the land lease from the previous owner and pay the price for the building.
In the case of a two-story house suitable for a family of four, it cost one gold coin a year just to rent the land.
“I heard that my brothers are farming in the countryside right now, right? They don’t have any particular skills.
Citizenship and possession of a house are basic requirements for becoming an Ekiever citizen.
If you calculate the taxes you have to pay quarterly and the minimum living expenses, you need 3 gold coins every year.
Blanton’s kingdom pays 10 percent of its harvest to Teresism, 20 percent to the king, and 20 percent to the lord as a tax.
In the case of tenant farming, 25 percent of the total harvest is taken by the landlord after deducting half of the share of the tenant farmer.
The price of farmland, which yielded as much as 3 gold coins per year, was approximately 100 gold coins or more.
“By the way, the price of farmland varies depending on how you negotiate. If you entrust the transaction to me, I will help you buy it at a good price. I will.”
After Alma finished, Kit continued.
“Of course, the transaction should go through Miss Alma. But today I’m only looking for money, so I won’t be buying anything right away. Then, Mr. Ian, do you have any more questions?”
“No. This is enough.”
“Yes, Alma. Thank you very much for your help. I still have work to do, so I’ll have to go. Congratulations on your promotion and see you later.”
Kit took out a silver coin and put it on the desk.
A world where this level is regarded as a gift rather than a bribe.
Alma naturally took the silver coin.
“Yes. Please go carefully. I wish that Kit’s business will prosper even more. And Mr. Ian, if you have something to see in Ekiever, don’t forget to visit me. I am also an acquaintance of Kitt, so I will help you as much as possible.”
“OK. Thank you.”
***
After a brief exchange with Alma, we left the administrative office.
“Thank you. Thanks to you, I got the information comfortably. And take this. It’s because of me, but I have to pay.”
I took out a silver coin and handed it to Uncle Kit.
Uncle Kit shook his head with a gesture of refusal.
“The money I gave to Miss Alma is a token of my personal gratitude. I’ve been very helpful over the years, although Miss Alma has benefited along the way. And if you’re grateful to me, it’s because of the silver coins. It must be because I was introduced to Miss Alma.
It is rare for a young lady like Miss Alma to become Second Secretary. Building friendships will help you a lot in the future. You should show the sincerity you deserve, but since you have a relationship with me, you won’t make unreasonable demands.”
“Ah… thank you so much.”
“Greetings, just do business with our store as promised. Anyway, I’ll have to work hard to earn 120 gold coins.”
“That’s right. You have to work hard.”
A skilled knight’s annual salary is around 10 gold coins.
On the other hand, skilled mercenaries were paid half as much as knights, even though they performed more dangerous missions.
Instead, mercenaries received tax exemptions when trading monsters and their by-products, earning two to three times as much income as knights.
Currently, my strength is at the proficient level.
It was expected that it would take 10 years to collect 120 gold coins obediently, excluding equipment repair costs and lodging expenses.
“Then let’s go see the equipment. As I said, Erita is expensive except for supplies, so if you have something to buy, don’t skip it and buy it all here.”
Life in the border town is basically life-threatening.
It’s not every year, but from time to time, extremely strong monsters appear or monsters that form an army invade.
In such a case, the castle wall is sometimes breached, and at this time, a great deal of human casualties occur.
Since it was a business that risked its life, nothing was cheap in Erita, from food to clothing.
“Yes. Thanks for your help.”
“It’s all an investment, so you don’t have to be too thankful. If you do well, won’t our store’s sales increase? Let’s talk as we go.”
I followed Uncle Kit’s steps.
After a while we entered a street lined with shops.
Since it is a place that sells goods, touts flocked to it from the beginning of the street.
Uncle Kit defeated numerous solicitors by saying that he was a merchant.
“Ian-kun. Is there anything in particular you’re looking for?”
“I’m going to see it first and decide. If I’m looking for something, it’s okay to be heavy, so I hope it’s strong.”
The realm of the warrior is divided into 3 major boundaries and 9 minor boundaries.
From 1st to 3rd tiers, called introductory glasses, you can strengthen your body with mana.
Next, from the 4th to the 6th ranks, which are called skillful sutras, objects connected to the body can be strengthened.
Lastly, the 7th to 9th tiers, called the Master, can emit compressed mana to the outside.
Mages classify the output of mana in a unit called mana.
1 mana has the strength of an adult male who has trained his body to the limit.
If a newborn baby becomes a 1st rank samurai, the baby gains power plus 1 magical power.
Introductory warriors have 2 mana, and their output increases by 3 times each time they break through the Great Border.
If the borders are the same, the maximum output that can be produced is the same.
Instead, if the lower boundary is raised, the amount of mana held increases, allowing you to maintain maximum output for a longer period of time.
After I became a warrior, I realized how deceitful my body was.
Currently, my physical ability is similar to that of a skilled warrior using mana at full output.
In terms of mana, it must be between 7 and 8.
Adding to that the 2 mana he gained while climbing the introductory scriptures, his athletic ability surpassed those of skilled warriors.
However, the real reason skilled warriors are treated well is because they can enhance their weapons and armor.
It is essential to strengthen your weapon to deal with the monster’s hard skin and the monster’s large body.
Even an ordinary steel sword exhibited the ability of a true silver sword the moment it was held in the hands of a skilled warrior.
If the weapon cannot be strengthened, the only way is to use a large and thick weapon, even if it is a bit heavy.
It would solve all the problems if he bought an armament made of true silver, but it was far off at the moment.
In addition to my physical abilities, I have 2 mana to spare, so even if I use heavy weapons, I can move to the level of a skilled warrior.
In addition, since the weight itself has destructive power, being heavy was not necessarily a disadvantage.
“It’s a sturdy weapon. I’ll have to go to a store specializing in heavy armor or heavy weapons. Follow me.”
Uncle Kit led me to a large armor store.
But soon after, we came out of the innocence store.
“The item you’re looking for won’t be available in a normal store. This is a place where popularly used arms are made as if they were stamped out in a workshop. The item you’re looking for must go to a smithy. There’s a place I used to trade with. Would you like to go for a visit?”
“Yes. That’s right.”
Uncle Kit left the main street and entered an alleyway.
In the alley, there were no stores as large as those along the main road, but various stores such as small general stores and linen stores were in business.
kang! kang! kang!
After walking along the alley for a while, I saw a smithy at a dead end.
Uncle Kit greeted the blacksmith who was hammering in the middle of the day.
“Hello, Mr. Harper.”
“Who is this?
“Thank you. Mr. Harper still looks well.”
“It’s work to touch heavy metal, so health care is basic. Anyway, what’s the matter? Are there any weapons that can be ordered as a group?”
“I’m not here for business today. This guy here is going to be a mercenary, so I’m here to get some gear. The things I’m looking for aren’t common, so I guess I’ll have to make a custom one. Ian, tell Mr. Harper what you want. “
I explained the weapon and armor I wanted to Mr. Harper.
“Hmm. Hey. Are you kidding me right now? You’d have to be skilled to use equipment that heavy. You don’t even have calluses on your palms to be called a warrior. Did you come here to get equipment for someone else to use instead?”
“No. It’s not like a joke. It’s my weapon.”
“Hmm. Then, pick up that one and swing it. It’s a steel bar prepared for use as a flagpole, and it should roughly weigh about the same as you think.”
I walked over to where Mr. Harper pointed and held up with one hand a steel bar about a meter long.
I guess it weighs about 10 kg.
I spread my legs and took a stance and quickly swung the steel bar.
Huong- Huong-
The air shuddered heavily as the heavy steel bar cut through the air.
“Heh heh. I guess it wasn’t a lie. That’s enough. I doubted it, so instead I’ll make the equipment as quickly as possible. Let’s see. The price should be two gold coins.”
“Two gold coins? Ah… It’s a bit expensive. Can you cut it down?”
While I was looking at Mr. Harper with pitiful eyes, Uncle Kit stepped out.
“Ah. Mr. Harper. If you look at the cost of this, it’s probably just one gold coin, but please look at my face and cut it a bit. The border has been a bit quiet lately, so the price of metal has also been lowered.”
The equipment I ordered was a one-handed mace made of solid steel, a Federation plaque the size of a torso made of solid steel, and plate armor covered with thick steel.
“One gold coin! Even if the price has come down a little, at least twenty silver coins will be sold. Anyway, I get it. I’m asking you to be kind to me. Just give me eighty more silver coins for a gold coin.”
Currently, my entire wealth is about 149 silver coins and 50 copper coins.
They had to leave funds to be used until income came from Erita.
Even Mr. Kit knows how much money I have.
Uncle Kit got into the bargain again.
“Mr. Harper. This guy is only 17 years old, but he is a warrior of the third rank. I’m sure you’ll be satisfied, so why don’t you look for Mr. Harper when you change gear later?
And if you become a famous mercenary and it becomes known that you use Harper’s weapons, customers may flock to you. Have you ever lost money by trading with me? You believe in me and invest, and you only get 40 silver coins for every gold coin.”
“Huh… At that price, there’s very little left over for the hardships.”
Mr. Harper seemed to think for a moment, then clicked his tongue.
“Tsk. I understand. I’m doing it specially for you, so you know that.”
“Thank you, Mr. Harper. Mr. Ian. Thank you.”
“thank you.”
Mr. Harper drew the design while asking me detailed questions to make the armor.
“Then, we’ll proceed as is. It won’t take long because it’s a repair job for existing equipment. Come back in three days.”
After a satisfactory transaction, I purchased a dagger for multiple purposes.
The price was 1 silver coin.
Uncle Kit left the smithy and returned to the inn, saying that he needed to replenish his stamina for his departure tomorrow.
I have to wait forever until the equipment is completed.
I decided to look around the city with a comfortable mind anyway.
I walked aimlessly along the crowded street.