Blacksmithing Is Child’s Play for a Dark Mage - Chapter 39

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 39
The problem, if there was one.
The resumes that had come in through Balrod Academy’s recruitment notice were all fairly mediocre.
Not a single graduate had applied.
They were all dropouts, and of those, only two had completed administrative studies.
Or there were a few students still receiving education at the academy.
In such cases, it was a matter of students running out of funds while studying.
Whether they possessed talent or not was, of course, impossible to determine.
The girl Rant, who had been looking over the resumes alongside Tay, responded to his muttering.
“Wouldn’t that be unavoidable, sir? This land is the Outland. It’s a region with many monsters. Of course everyone’s afraid for their lives.”
“That’s true enough. A matter of life and death. I suppose it’s harder than I thought to convince people of how safe it actually is.”
As he’d mentioned before, a Frontier Territory was much like a hastily launched startup in the modern world.
In contemporary society, the worst case was just not receiving wages, but in this world, people could actually die.
Those who had rushed into developing this Unclaimed Land had failed in succession, and the death toll had been considerable.
Even Geumpa’s Mercenary Unit had been shattered in the process, which gave some sense of how treacherous the place was.
Since this world had vast information gaps, such facts could be hidden if one tried hard enough, but the fact of the Outland itself couldn’t be hidden.
So of course all the applicants were mediocre at best.
The truth was, Tay had an item created with a Mad Engineer’s Hunter ability—a Mental Erosion device—that made defense manageable.
Without it, he would have been waging constant war every single day.
If Tay hadn’t crafted that Mad Engineer’s Item, even a 4th Class Mage would have failed due to insufficient firepower.
No matter how many Skeleton Soldiers he replenished, the endless stream of monsters making surprise attacks made it difficult even to construct moats and palisades.
From ancient times, there’s been no remedy for an overwhelming numerical assault.
“More than that, sir, it would be better to find someone with administrative experience among the slaves.”
“But I don’t like filling positions with only slaves.”
“Wouldn’t it work if you used that method you’re so good at, sir?”
“Slave Value Policy?”
“Yes, sir.”
Tay’s Roman-Style Slave Value Policy.
It was an unconventional approach that this world had yet to see.
And truthfully, the only one actively embracing this policy was the girl before his eyes—Rant.
Daisy and the other three women had refused the very idea of becoming free.
Well.
When you thought about it, that made sense too.
This world was far harsher than Roman times.
With monsters everywhere, survival itself might become the highest priority.
“Or else, for now I could manage this small, vulnerable territory on your behalf, sir.”
Pat-pat.
Rant, having finished reading through the resumes, pushed them across to the nearby desk.
“You’re being quite proactive lately.”
“You said you would grant rewards based on my performance, sir. So I simply work all the harder.”
Rant spoke those words without a trace of emotion.
Now that he thought about it, Tay had never seen her make any expression other than that blank stare.
“Speaking of which. You still haven’t decided on that reward you mentioned before?”
Tay looked at Rant and did the math in his head.
Rant’s Slave Value was cheap—she’d been sold off in a crazed state, after all.
But.
The Dark Magic he’d taught Rant and the items he’d given her had been added to her Slave Value.
What “added” meant here.
Was that those items were, in practical terms, Rant’s own property.
Tay recognized private ownership even among his slaves.
Otherwise, how could his slaves ever pay off their Slave Value?
Therefore.
Rant’s current Slave Value came to about fifty-six hundred gold coins.
And her annual Wages were set at one hundred twenty gold coins.
Her monthly wage was ten coins—ten times what the other slaves received at one coin per month.
Well, she was a Dark Mage after all, so she counted as premium labor.
And when she went out to combat, she received a separate combat bonus.
If she saved every coin without spending, she could be free in about forty-six years; factoring in the average combat bonus, she could reasonably expect freedom within twenty years at least.
And for her contributions in the recent operation.
Tay had mentally set aside five hundred sixty gold.
That meant every time, it would erase 560 gold—ten percent of her Slave Value—in one go.
Her performance that day had left quite an impression.
Without flinching as her own fingers broke, she knew exactly when to drive a Bone Spear into an enemy’s skull.
I was genuinely surprised.
Noble bloodline or not, I hadn’t expected such nerve from a girl so young.
What Tay had wanted was for her to rain down Hellfire Mana Arrows from a distance, or perhaps wield Curse Magic—nothing more.
“Not yet. Should I tell you sooner, perhaps?”
“Hmm… if you want to save them up, then do that.”
“Yes, Master.”
“Back to what we were discussing—how about I entrust you with recruiting and managing talent?”
“If you’ll trust me with it, I’m confident I can handle it properly.”
“Then give it a try.”
“Yes, Master.”
The girl answered without expression.
And then.
Not long after, Tay
saw her true nature.
* * *

He wondered if it was a dream.
The slave Kazel sat holding a wooden bowl, dazed in thought.
Inside the bowl sat a stew.
A thick stew with meat in it.
Heaping with vegetables too.
Potatoes. Onions. Carrots. Mushrooms. Garlic and more.
And three or four chunks of meat, each the size of a finger joint.
He scooped up some broth and tasted it. Hot, salty, savory.
‘… This is real meat.’
Even before becoming a slave, Kazel had eaten stew with meat only once every few years.
He’d been a farmer.
A farmer’s meals consisted of nothing but bread hard as stone.
But now.
Here he was, a slave, eating meat stew.
Meat stew for a wretch like me.
It could only feel like a dream.
Yet the texture of the meat chunks between his teeth felt undeniably real.
Kazel tilted the bowl and scraped up every drop of broth.
He left nothing behind.
When he first heard he’d been sold to a Dark Mage, he never could have imagined
eating stew brimming with meat and vegetables every single day like this.
“Listen up! Everyone’s done eating—time to get to work!”
The overseer’s voice rang out.
He finished his meal and headed out to labor.
Today’s task was land reclamation—turning the flat ground east of the village into farmland.
Digging up soil with shovels, picking out stones, pulling out weed roots.
Since the Skeleton Soldiers cleared away the larger rocks and tree stumps, the slaves’ work was smoothing the earth and making furrows.
It was grueling work.
But with a full belly, strength came.
It was nothing like working under his previous master. Back then, he’d labored on an empty stomach.
When he’d grown too weak from such harsh treatment, they’d sold him again.
Lost in memories of the past, he threw himself into the work, and time slipped away.
As the sun began to set, the day’s work ended.
The overseer called out that this was all for today, and Kazel gathered his tools and headed back to the quarters.
The first thing he did upon arriving at the quarters
was to wash.
There was a bathing facility behind the quarters, outfitted with something called a Shower Device that released water when you pulled a cord.
That alone was remarkable enough.
When Kazel pulled the cord, warm water came pouring down.
“…!”
Hot water. No—not scalding, just pleasantly warm.
All day spent digging in the earth, the grime and sweat washing away in the warm cascade of water.
Kazel closed his eyes.
‘What kind of magic is this…….’
He’d heard the master had created the device. Something that heated water and sent it upward.
He didn’t understand the principle.
But in those moments when the warm water poured down—he thought he’d made the right choice, following this master.
No.
Not following. He’d been sold here.
Yet.
How many slaves in this world could wash themselves in hot water?
After washing thoroughly, Kazel changed into fresh clothes.
His work clothes had become filthy, but he had others to change into. Those had been issued to him as well.
Once he’d finished cleaning up, Kazel made his way to the common dining hall for the evening meal.
A line had already formed outside the entrance.
Slaves waiting their turn at the stew pot.
Kazel took his place at the end of the line.
Tonight’s meal would be stew again.
Then the dining hall door swung open.
“Does anyone here possess a Special Skill!”
The one who’d entered was the overseer who’d announced the work hour that morning.
He was someone who’d arrived days ago, and Kazel had heard that he too was a slave.
But unlike Kazel—an ordinary peasant with nothing to show for himself—this overseer had received education in letters and numbers, coming from an administrative background.
That’s why he’d been given the task of managing the slaves’ work and assigning personnel.
“Those with Special Skills, step forward! Carpenters! Stonemasons! Blacksmiths! Leatherworkers! Cooks! Anything! If you have a Special Skill, your Slave Value doubles!”
Slave Value doubles.
At those words, the dining hall stirred.
“Me! I can do carpentry!”
“I can tan leather!”
“Cooking! I know how to cook!”
Slaves raising their hands and shouting from all directions.
A doubled Slave Value meant.
Better treatment. Kazel watched the scene unfold quietly.
Slave Value.
A slave’s Slave Value was the measure of that slave’s worth. And once a slave had repaid their full value, they became free.
Free.
Kazel thought of his master.
-Once you’ve repaid your Slave Value in full, you’ll be free. I recognize your private property as well. If you work hard, you’ll be able to live comfortably.
The master had said exactly that.
At first, no one had believed those words, but now they did.
Because the master actually gave the slaves wages. And the slaves could use those wages however they wished.
The Dark Mage’s Blacksmith Is Far Too Easy
Author |
Automaton G
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Samyang C&C Co., Ltd.
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Editorial Department
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Without the written permission of Samyang C&C Co., Ltd. – Dream Books, no part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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