Most of the items I retrieved from the deepest part of Haze Cavern the other day were materials, not finished equipment. To put them to practical use, they needed to be processed by a skilled craftsman.
Craftsmen capable of expertly handling A-grade materials are exceedingly rare across the entire continent. On top of that, the cost of custom orders is substantial.
But that’s fine.
In this city, there’s one terrifyingly skilled craftsman hiding away.
Over ten years ago, national-treasure-level accessories that had gone missing suddenly flooded the black markets across various regions. Every single one turned out to be a counterfeit.
They were forgeries so delicately crafted that even experts struggled to distinguish them from the originals.
As time passed, appraisers of luxury goods realized that this series of counterfeits had all come from the hands of a single person, and that faceless craftsman earned the nickname “National Treasure Forger.”
The fact that he was staying in Elanore became known to the leadership of surrounding powers around the time of Part 1. In that episode, an intensely fierce shadow war erupted over securing his person.
The National Treasure Forger possesses the traits 『Structural Analysis (A)』 and 『God-Given Dexterity (S)』.
He has mastered most production-related skills to a considerable degree, including alchemy, enchantment, weaving, and fine craftsmanship.
He’s renowned as a master of luxury counterfeiting, but in my opinion, using such astonishing talent merely for forgeries is a serious waste of potential.
Along with the finance manager Camilo, the National Treasure Forger is one of the finest non-combat talents I can recruit in this city. I plan to recruit him ahead of anyone else and protect him so he doesn’t meet the horrific fate he did in the original timeline.
And I’ll give him ample opportunity to fully utilize his talents.
Several days after my confrontation with Chloeria.
I left through a secret door, bringing only Linia with me. Considering where I was headed, I couldn’t risk being followed, no matter how unlikely.
Moving with utmost caution, I arrived at a rundown shop on the outskirts of Elanore. Calling it rundown was just politeness — to be blunt, the building looked half-collapsed.
Linia tilted her head and asked.
“Young Master, is someone truly that remarkable really staying in a shabby place like this?”
“There are all sorts of people in the world with all sorts of circumstances.”
After that brief reply, I stepped inside the shop.
“Welcome.”
A listless voice belonging to an elderly man.
He showed none of the basics expected of a merchant.
But considering the enormous wealth this old man had amassed, I couldn’t exactly complain. Running this shop was closer to a hobby for him, anyway.
“Hello. You’re Bailie Millis, the National Treasure Forger, correct?”
“Yeah, I’m Bail— wait, what?!”
The old man jumped in fright and toppled from his chair. Given the circumstances that forced him to hide his identity, that reaction was only natural.
“W-Who the hell are you?! Are you a tracker sent by the Millis family?! Let me say this upfront — I have no intention whatsoever of returning to that damned place!”
“I have absolutely no connection to that vicious family, so you can relax. As long as you properly fulfill my custom order, I have no plans to inform the Millis family of your whereabouts.”
“…So you want something from me, huh.”
Regaining his composure after hearing my words, the old man asked.
“…I have a lot of questions, but I’ll ask just one. How did you find out I was here? Where did the information leak from?”
“I can’t disclose the details, but aside from myself and the one close aide beside me, no one knows your true identity.”
At least not at this point in time.
The old man stared at me intently and asked.
“…Can I trust you?”
“You don’t need to be so guarded. I’m not the type to slit the belly of a goose that lays golden eggs. Especially not if I can monopolize your talents.”
In other words, I wouldn’t breathe a word about him to anyone, and I wanted to be the only one entrusting him with work.
After a moment of thought, Bailie nodded.
“Hmph, it’s true that my skills would rust if I kept making nothing but boring trinkets. Returning to the front lines wouldn’t be a bad idea.”
Seeing the reaction I’d expected, the corners of my mouth naturally lifted.
At this point in the story, Bailie was burning with enthusiasm. In the original novel, unable to contain his craftsman’s soul, he poured his heart into a few gems — only for them to leak outside due to a minor mistake, becoming the clue that revealed the National Treasure Forger’s whereabouts.
“But I have one condition for taking jobs.”
“What is it?”
“When I left my family, I swore never to make counterfeits again. If that’s the kind of request, I’ll have to politely decline.”
I nodded at his firm words.
What I wanted wasn’t counterfeit artworks — it was far more practical magical items, so that condition didn’t matter.
Long ago, this old man had served under the Millis family, a noble house from the Isaya Federation. They wielded considerable influence in the federation’s underworld. The distribution of the counterfeits Bailie made had all been orchestrated by the Millis family. The important part was that the creator himself hadn’t been particularly fond of making forgeries.
“So what do you want me to make? I assume you brought suitable materials?”
“Take a look at these.”
At my slight gesture, Linia placed several items on the desk. Four 『Attribute Absorption Orbs (A)』, 『Salamander Leather (A)』, and 『Flame Salt Crystal (A+)』.
“Whew — every one of these is extraordinary.”
Bailie whistled as he examined them. Thanks to his 『Structural Analysis (A)』 trait, he instantly recognized their value.
“First, split the salamander leather into five pieces and process them into capes imbued with flame resistance. As for the attribute absorption orbs… I’d like you to make something called a 『Shape Fader (A+)』?”
“Shape Fader… You even know about that?”
Bailie looked as shocked as when I’d first revealed his identity. It was understandable — the existence and manufacturing method of the Shape Fader were among the Millis family’s highest secrets. Requesting its creation was the main reason I’d come here today.
“You won’t answer how you know, will you. Why do you want a Shape Fader? Are you planning to fake your identity or something?”
“That’s a bit difficult to answer right now.”
After giving a vague response, I handed Bailie an advance payment — a few of the gems I’d swept up from Haze Cavern.
“These are some precious stones. It’ll be fun to work with them.”
“I’m glad you’re pleased. More importantly, how long will production take? I’d like the finished products within two months at the latest.”
“Two months? That’s ridiculous. One week will be plenty.”
He declared confidently.
Recently, ruins from the Magitech Empire era were discovered in the forests around Elanore.
A few weeks later, archaeologists pored over countless ancient texts and confirmed that the site was a ruin known as “Snowflower Swamp.”
According to the ruin classification system established by the archaeological community, Snowflower Swamp’s estimated conquest difficulty was Grade 3.
Considering that rewards from ancient ruins generally scale with difficulty, Snowflower Swamp was in the ambiguous category where it wasn’t even clear whether it contained a single national-treasure-grade artifact.
As a result, the interest of large clans like Caracol quickly cooled, but small and medium-sized clans inside and outside Elanore showed interest, seeing it as a suitable opportunity to boost their records.
The “Teakan” clan was one such medium-sized clan publicly expressing such movements.
Chloeria secretly visited Teakan’s clan house. One of her useful subordinates belonged to Teakan.
In truth, according to the rules set by the Church of Utility, official hierarchical relationships between clans cannot exist. But loopholes always find a way into worldly affairs.
Just as they had once trapped Blispiel, Caracol had used all sorts of underhanded methods to secure the Seals of Utility from multiple other clans.
Teakan was one of the clans that had fallen victim to such schemes and become a puppet of Caracol.
Chloeria and other executives had planted numerous limbs inside Teakan. Those who transferred affiliation this way served as cleaners, handling tasks too awkward to carry out under Caracol’s name.
“It’s been a while, Lady Chloeria.”
“It has indeed, Brenda.”
The woman who greeted Chloeria with polite demeanor had sharp, upturned eyes and blonde hair. She was a mage specializing in fire spells, renowned throughout Elanore.
“Brenda. I came personally today because I have a private task for you.”
“What kind of task?”
“I hear Teakan will soon explore Snowflower Swamp? You’ll join the expedition team and quietly eliminate one inexperienced brat there.”
Chloeria’s eyes were indescribably chilling as she spoke. Brenda silently nodded, glancing at the still-faint traces of healing magic on the bridge of Chloeria’s nose.
“I understand what you mean.”
“Good. If you complete this job successfully, I’ll secure a position for you in Caracol. You can’t keep cleaning up after others in a place like this forever, can you?”
“…!”
Brenda’s eyes widened at those words. The woman before her was the cherished daughter of Citrio, Caracol’s clan master. She was an unparalleled connection for climbing the ladder.
“The target belongs to a party that’s extremely vulnerable to fire attacks. And…”
Brenda’s excitement at dreaming of a rosy future lasted only a moment. After hearing the details, she couldn’t help but grow greatly flustered.
“Aiden Stroke? You’re saying I have to eliminate the bearer of the Seal of Struggle?”
“You don’t seem very eager?”
“Well…”
As Brenda hesitated, Chloeria smiled thinly.
“I understand. Taking down such a big shot carries considerable risk. If things go wrong midway, you’ll be marked by the Grand Ducal house and spend the rest of your life as a fugitive.”
“………”
At the blunt words, Brenda swallowed dryly. Chloeria’s smile deepened as she gazed at her.
“You’re quite cautious, unlike what I’ve heard? I’ll consider that a pass, for now.”
“A pass…?”
“Yes. If you’d accepted this offer without hesitation, I would have been disappointed in you, Brenda. No matter how skilled or loyal someone is, if they’re overly reckless, they’re hard to keep close.”
With that, Chloeria handed over an elegantly wrapped box the size of an adult man’s fist.
“Take it, Brenda. This is proof that I won’t treat you as a disposable pawn. It’s far too valuable, so you’ll have to return it immediately after successfully completing the job.”
Brenda checked the contents of the box.
She broke into a cold sweat from sheer shock.
Inside was one of the five heirlooms of the Altus family. An item that even Citrio’s daughter Chloeria would have struggled to borrow.
The ambitious woman trembled with excitement. The risk was considerable, but this was an opportunity that would never come again.
“…I accept the order.”
“Good. I’m counting on you, Brenda.”
Chloeria gave a twisted smile as she watched Brenda bow her head.
Among the countless cleaners, Brenda’s skills were considered top-tier — comparable even to Caracol’s executives. And now she’d been handed an extraordinary magical item as well.
Against Aiden and the rest of those snot-nosed kids, she would be an opponent they could never hope to beat.