The Youngest Hides a Lot - Chapter 24

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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 24
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I headed to the Blacksmith with Old Master.
Old Master’s hobby was weapon development.
He drew blueprints himself, commissioned their creation, and found his sole joy in testing the finished products.
‘Though many of them have been commercialized, so it’s hardly just a hobby.’
Zebert’s primary business was the weapons trade. Forged from high-quality ore mined in the quarries surrounding the territory, our weapons were renowned across the entire continent.
‘The shields that repel dark magic were particularly exceptional.’
Moreover, with the wars that had ravaged the continent in recent years, business was inevitably booming.
“Wow, it’s enormous.”
“The largest in the Empire, no less.”
True to its reputation, the Blacksmith boasted an absolutely staggering scale.
If I exaggerated slightly, it resembled a small village unto itself.
“Welcome.”
We entered the largest of the numerous buildings. The proprietor offered a perfunctory greeting.
The scorching heat from the furnaces washed over us in waves. Clang, clang. The irregular sound of metal striking metal echoed through the space.
“Hand it over! My weapon!”
Like a ruffian—no, Old Master suddenly bellowed.
The shirtless proprietor, pipe clenched between his teeth, glanced up lazily.
The man with his green hair tied haphazardly and soot smudged across his body appeared surprisingly young.
“…Did you perhaps see a late-born child?”
Thud. A massive hammer clattered to the floor.
“Still as deficient as ever.”
“Hmm.”
The proprietor bent at the waist, peering down at me with curious eyes.
“Extinguish the fire.”
Old Master spoke with displeasure, and the proprietor pouted.
“You’re telling me to put out the fire in a Blacksmith…?”
“Cough, cough.”
In that instant, a gust of wind swept through, and pipe smoke billowed around us.
Old Master clicked his tongue and abruptly lifted me, setting me down on the opposite side.
“Can’t you extinguish it right now?!”
“Oh.”
The proprietor seemed to have only just realized he still had the pipe in his mouth.
“Right, sorry about that.”
Whoosh, whoosh. His hand waved away the smoke.
“So what is this? This child. Could it be…?”
Clink. Old Master lightly kicked the hammer aside.
“Don’t you ever hear any news from outside? Come to think of it… it’s about time we renovated this place, wouldn’t you say?”
“…This anvil won’t do. My furnace won’t either. None of it will!”
“Stop spouting nonsense and hand over the sword!”
At my sharp command, the blacksmith shook his head with a wry smile.
“This old geezer really has a temper….”
“I can hear you.”
“Your hearing is still sharp as ever! Should I be relieved?”
“Tch, unbelievable.”
I couldn’t tell if they had a good relationship or a bad one.
Still, the way the blacksmith treated Old Master so casually suggested he wasn’t someone to be underestimated either.
The blacksmith rummaged through something with a loud clatter, then suddenly produced a sword.
Another crash. He swept a table clear and laid the blade upon it.
“Hmm!”
Old Master’s eyes gleamed as he gazed down at the sword.
“I’ll need to hammer it a few more times, but the mana stone refinement here is more troublesome than I expected, so it’s still….”
“Wouldn’t it be better to use Ephiron for the handle?”
“Well, the thing is, Ephiron doesn’t catch the light at a good angle.”
The two men had begun their earnest weapon appreciation in full. I, who had been carefully observing their interaction, quietly tried to slip away.
“Where are you going?”
I thought he wouldn’t notice.
“Just to look around for a moment….”
“Absolutely not! Do you have any idea how dangerous this place is?”
“Then I’ll wait outside!”
Old Master’s gaze shifted between the weapon and me. He seemed to be deliberating.
“I’ll behave myself!”
I put on the expression of a well-behaved child. The blacksmith, who had been watching quietly, wiped his nose and interjected.
“If you’re bored, would you like to try some hammering?”
“Pardon? Hammering? Me?”
“Or perhaps watching the quenching process…. Ah, or you could select some pretty metal scraps from over there to keep.”
“What are you trying to make the child do!”
“…? I found that the most fun at that age.”
The blacksmith seemed genuinely puzzled.
“That’s exactly why you grew up obsessed with weapons!”
“Ha, why are you suddenly complimenting me?”
“It’s not a compliment!”
Yes, he was indeed a formidable character.
“Hehe…. I’ll just head out then.”
I quietly slipped out of the Blacksmith.
As I stepped outside, a familiar face was waiting for me.
I realized Old Master must have known about the escort knight following me, which is why he let me go so readily.
“Sir Leon, or rather, Senior!”
“…It’s been a while.”
Sir Leon, with his blue hair, looked down at me. In that moment, a peculiar glimmer flickered across his stern gaze.
“It’s been a while! But why are you looking at me like that?”
“Why have you never once come to the Knight Order….”
“Huh?”
“Never mind. Forget it.”
I tilted my head curiously and shifted my steps forward.
Sir Leon followed behind me.
“Where are you going?”
“I want to visit that place over there!”
The place I pointed to was a small shop located near the Blacksmith.
Just as I’d seen on the map, it was exactly as I remembered.
There was a Mana Stone Shop!
“A mineral shop?”
“Is that not allowed?”
“Well, it’s right next door, so there’s no reason it wouldn’t be….”
“Grandfather will take quite some time to arrive. Right? Senior.”
“Hmm, I suppose it can’t be helped.”
Sir Leon gently grasped the hand I extended toward him.
After informing another knight who had been standing by nearby, we made our way to the mineral shop.
“Wow, so sparkly. How beautiful.”
The shopkeeper seemed to have stepped away, as the shop was empty. I gazed around with gleaming eyes.
My footsteps naturally came to a halt at the display of Mana Stones.
Each one possessed a different shape, each a different hue.
A smile bloomed unbidden across my lips.
‘Of course, slaying demons as casually as eating makes sense that there would be so many Mana Stones.’
Defeating demons yielded Mana Stones. Alternatively, one could obtain them by mining mana ore.
Of course, their quality varied tremendously, and the most powerful ones came from slaying demons.
Much like game items, in a sense.
In any case, processing Mana Stones—or as some called them, magical stones (though from my perspective, the two were distinctly different)—transformed them into magical artifacts.
‘Simply put, these stones are the primary materials for magical artifacts.’
Of course, ordinary people couldn’t simply craft magical artifacts on a whim.
‘When I was in the Kingdom, I crafted magical artifacts from these Mana Stones….’
Our Kingdom imported these Mana Stones.
Though our Kingdom did produce some Mana Stones, those from Zelocks possessed the finest quality.
Perhaps it was because that land teemed with such vicious demons.
‘The magical artifacts I crafted were then sold across the continent.’
“Oh!”
My eyes widened as I examined the display cases.
‘Found it—a Barrier Stone.’
A transparent stone tinged with pale violet filled my entire vision.
“Why are you staring like that?”
“Senior, senior.”
I tugged at Leon’s sleeve.
“There are so many of these pale purple stones here. What are they used for?”
I asked deliberately, as if probing.
“They’re mana stones with little practical use. Their color is unusual, so they’re sometimes used as sword ornaments, but they’re too heavy, which limits their applications.”
“Is that so?”
I held up a translucent stone and held it to the light, finding it perfectly pure without any impurities. At this quality, it was actually premium material….
“Since there’s no use for them, there’s probably little demand.”
That was wrong.
It wasn’t that there was no demand—rather, no one knew how to utilize these mana stones, so the demand itself remained unknown.
‘In the entire Mage Kingdom, only I know how to craft magical artifacts using these barrier stones.’
I gripped the purple stone tightly.
‘This is it.’
The way to protect myself and keep him safe.
‘I need to create a barrier covering all of Zelocks using these mana stones. Like the Mage Kingdom—an impenetrable shield that will never crumble.’
The Mage Kingdom was a fortress of a thousand years.
No one could invade it, and no attack could shake it.
Those unaware thought it was simply due to powerful protective magic cast by mages, but the truth was it stemmed from the power of barrier magical artifacts embedded throughout the entire kingdom.
Magical artifacts inscribed with ancient magic circles—something that no longer existed in this world.
‘I can do this.’
I was born with every magical circle in the world imprinted in my mind. Whether ancient or modern magic, that wasn’t a significant problem.
The problem was surprisingly practical….
‘But that means I’d have to purchase these mana stones in massive quantities….’
To cover all of Zelocks, I naturally needed a vast amount of mana stones.
As I exhaled a shallow sigh, Leon’s gaze finally left me.
Lost in deep thought, I hadn’t even noticed the large shadow cast behind me.
‘I’d also need a secret laboratory to research and create the magical artifacts….’
Could I manage it?
I sighed again.
“Brat, what exactly are you doing here?”
But it wouldn’t be easy…. A laboratory aside, I didn’t even have the funds right now to buy those stones.
“I don’t have any money….”
“….”
“….”
Crunch.
“Huh?”
At the ominous sound of teeth grinding, I lifted my head.

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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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