Conference (1)
Chapter 67
The date of the conference was approaching.
Having loosened up, Ray prepared to go out.
The past few days had been fairly relaxed.
Since obtaining the backdoor mentioned by Aptel required leaving the Royal Magic Tower, he had to wait until his study period ended.
Professor Ropheiren’s resignation was still in progress.
Though it was taking longer than expected to adjust the contract seals, there were no signs of unrest.
During the spare time, Ray would look through magic books and ask Florya about difficult parts.
Of course, even after hearing Florya’s explanations, understanding often eluded him.
Even if he managed to create a circle, it seemed unlikely that he could actively use magic.
“Hmm, let me see…”
Ray rummaged through his desk and pulled out a check guaranteed by the Royal Magic Tower.
It was the reward for the Wildboar escape incident.
The amount was around 20,000 gold, which was certainly not a small sum.
While it was inappropriate to compare currency values from his previous life due to vastly different prices, it roughly equated to about 200 million won.
Alesya had handed over the entire check to both Jenkins and Ray.
Jenkins also declined his share, insisting that the one who hunted the Wildboar should keep all of it.
Thanks to this, Ray was able to attend the conference with a decent amount of money.
Viktor waved as he saw Ray coming out of the dormitory.
“Are you ready? Let’s go.”
“Yeah.”
Ray followed Viktor and Hamus to the street where the conference was being held.
As they went through identity checks to participate in the conference, excited conversations among squires buzzed around.
An interesting rumor came up from Viktor amidst various chatters.
“Have you heard any fun rumors lately?”
“What kind of rumor?”
“I heard that a noble young miss was caught reading obscene novels.”
“Haha.”
Ray laughed, recalling Alesya from a few years ago.
“Well, it could happen.”
“But I heard that these young misses have been passing around obscene books among themselves.”
“If they’re not careful, they’ll all get caught.”
Could it possibly be our young miss?
The three squires chuckled as they completed the procedures and entered the conference street.
Numerous mages and craftsmen had set up booths along the conference street, showcasing their works while engaging in discussions.
In the open spaces scattered throughout the conference streets, performance tests of the submitted equipment were ongoing.
Kwaaang!
The pommel of the knight’s sword gleamed, and flames surged from the blade, striking a rock.
Other artifacts like swords capable of creating ice walls or emitting electric currents also demonstrated their functions.
It was quite an impressive sight. Although Hamus and Viktor hadn’t yet reached the Expert level, they watched the performance tests with great interest.
Ray asked them,
“How much do you think something like that costs?”
“If the function is semi-permanent, it should start at a minimum of several tens of thousands of gold.”
“It’s ridiculously expensive for something so useless.”
“Haha, you’d use it if someone handed it to you.”
“Pfft, where would a knight use something like that?”
Such artifacts were less powerful compared to Sword Energy.
Perhaps it might pierce an opponent’s weak point once or twice.
However, artifacts with complex structures inevitably compromised the performance of the sword itself.
“Equipping such functions on armor would be more efficient.”
“Who doesn’t know that? But it’s way more expensive.”
As Viktor grumbled, Hamus chimed in.
“The highest-grade items are wireless-guided weapons. This category includes items worth easily over tens of millions of gold. Artifacts with their own power source cost even more.”
“Are you talking about things like Hallo or Light of Mercy?”
“…”
Viktor and Hamus fell silent momentarily upon realizing Ray had mentioned the hero’s weapon.
Saria and Locust’s battle took place near the Philip Count estate.
If Ray had been lucky, he might have witnessed the battle or met Saria herself.
Excitedly, Viktor and Hamus grabbed Ray’s arm.
“Now that I think about it, you might have met Lady Saria!”
“Wow! Why didn’t I think of that?”
“Yeah… I’ve met her a few times.”
Ray nodded awkwardly, prompting Hamus to sigh.
“Man, I’m so jealous. Did you talk to Lady Saria?”
“Mm-hmm.”
“Ugh…!”
Witnessing Viktor and Hamus’ reactions, Ray gained a renewed appreciation for Saria’s fame.
They were ecstatic and made a fuss.
“Lady Saria can supposedly unleash Sword Energy several meters long! Did you see it?”
“Weren’t you scared when you met her? She’s known to be very taciturn and cold-blooded.”
Ray waved his hand dismissively.
“Nah, that’s just a rumor. She seems a bit rough from spending too much time in dungeons, but she has a cute side too.”
Hearing this, Hamus frowned seriously.
“Hey.”
“Huh?”
“Is Lady Saria your friend?”
What nonsense is this guy spouting?
As Ray was dumbfounded, Hamus became visibly angry, shaking his shoulders.
“Show some respect, show some respect! How dare you call the great Imperial Hero Lady Saria ‘rough’ or ‘cute’!”
“…Alright, I’m sorry.”
There was no point revealing familial ties here; it would only make things more complicated.
After a perfunctory apology, Ray waved his hand and walked ahead.
Venturing further into the conference street, they found a booth displaying swords prominently, resembling a blacksmith shop.
Though purely mundane weapons without magical properties, these caught Ray’s interest.
“Hmm…”
Among dozens of booths, one stood out where knights frequently gathered.
Waiting for the knights to finish browsing, Ray approached the booth that smelled of iron and examined the sword displayed on the far left.
“Wow…”
So clear and sharp.
Looking at the silver blade smooth enough to reflect his face clearly, Ray felt this way.
Just gazing at it, he could sense the overwhelming aura emanating from the sword.
“Hmm…”
Touching the sword with his fingertips, Ray infused a little mana.
The mana flowed smoothly through the perfectly uniform metal and evaporated.
He couldn’t help but exclaim.
“…This is the real deal.”
It appeared to be a sword made of mithril alloy, but the material wasn’t the issue.
When choosing weapons, knights valued uniformity above all else.
“Even renowned artisans can’t avoid impurities during refining, and cracks occur during hammering and heat treatment. But…”
Could it be that using magic appropriately could elevate quality to this extent?
Ray marveled repeatedly as he inspected the sword.
His desire grew stronger.
With this sword, even aggressive mana manipulation should hold up pretty well.
Considering how Johanna recently broke many swords struggling to control her overflowing talent, this would make an excellent gift for her.
‘The troublemaker gets another advantage.’
Ray smirked.
Despite entering adolescence and constantly complaining, Johanna consistently worked hard to improve her skills by swinging her sword daily.
Though knight training included many dirty and dangerous tasks, Johanna faced them without complaint and trained diligently.
Watching her, Ray often felt pleased.
“Hey.”
A voice called out from the side.
The three squires, lost in admiration of the sword, turned their heads simultaneously.
A burly man with prominent muscles stood frowning with his arms crossed.
He looked like either a knight or a blacksmith judging by his build, but the robe he wore indicated he was a mage.
“This isn’t something kids like you should covet. Move along.”
Although the response was curt, Ray, absorbed in the sword, didn’t mind much.
“Did you make it yourself?”
“Yes.”
“You’re incredibly skilled. It’s truly an excellent sword.”
“You talk big for a kid.”
Contrary to his words, the man didn’t seem particularly annoyed.
Ray glanced at the silver blade glowing under the sunlight while absently playing with his pocketed hand.
“How much does it cost? Something like this.”
“It’s an auction item. Even at the lowest estimate, it will fetch over 200,000 gold.”
Ray’s expression soured, prompting the man to chuckle.
“Over ten magicians, including myself, dedicated efforts to crafting that sword. You thought it was trivial because it’s not an artifact?”
“That wasn’t my intention. If I offended you, I apologize.”
“To kids like you, even the swords on the right are extravagant. They cost around 10,000 gold each. Check them out.”
Clanking sounds drew Ray’s attention to a sword displayed on the right.
This one had a price tag of 12,000 gold.
Infusing a bit of mana, Ray shook his head.
“Though impressive, it wouldn’t suit me.”
“What?”
The man’s brow furrowed instantly.
These swords on the right were already top-tier for most knights.
Yet, seeing this squire-like boy express dissatisfaction, he couldn’t hide his irritation.
As Ray moved to leave reluctantly, the man blocked his path.
“You brat thinks I’m a joke.”
The man was a renowned craftsman and mage in metalworking at the Royal Magic Tower.
He was certainly not someone to be mocked by inexperienced knights.
Caught off guard by the angry man, Ray truthfully replied after a brief pause.
“There was no ill intent. However, I believe the swords on the right wouldn’t withstand my prolonged mana usage…”
“Prove it.”
The man threw the sword onto the ground.
“Go ahead and try infusing mana into it as you please.”
“…”
“If there’s a defect in the sword, I’ll let you off. Otherwise, you’ll pay for insulting my work.”
“…And if there’s a defect, what then?”
Ray asked with a blank expression, prompting the man to scoff.
“I’ll sell you the first sword you admired for 11,200 gold.”
Judging Ray’s boastful attitude as pretentious, the man raised the stakes.
‘I’ll teach this brat a lesson.’
Ray had two options: kneel immediately or accept the bet and face humiliation along with consequences.
Ray chose the latter.
“Hmph.”
Sighing, Ray picked up the fallen sword.
The moment the man’s lips curled into a sneer, Ray infused mana into the sword.
‘Sure enough, it’s a fine sword…’
Its quality was similar to the one given by Count Philip.
Even when violently rotating mana to distort space, it handled it relatively well.
Standing nearby, Hamus and Viktor nervously bit their lips.
‘Why not just kneel once and be done with it?’
‘We might end up being implicated and held responsible…’
Feeling the tension mount, Ray concentrated more mana into the sword.
A faint glow enveloped the sword.
Even without intending to release sword energy, the fluctuating mana coursing through the metal revealed its presence.
The sword continued to hold up admirably.
However, as time passed…
Tiny cracks began to form in areas with slight density differences.
Neither Hamus, Viktor, nor even Ray noticed, but the man did.
He could hear the barely audible cracking sound emanating from the metal.
The man’s expression hardened abruptly.
“Stop.”
“…”
Ray looked up, meeting the man’s gaze directly.
After a prolonged silence, the man extended his hand.
“11,200 gold.”
“…”
Without hesitation, Ray pulled out a check from his pocket and handed it over.
Upon receiving the check, the man walked to the booth, placed a scabbard on the sword farthest to the right, and tossed it to Ray.
“It’s on the house.”
“No need.”
“Take it before I change my mind.”
“…Thank you.”
“What’s your name?”
After a beat, Ray responded.
“I’m Ray. A knight of the Philip Count family, serving Sir Jenkins as my master.”
Hiding his identity served no purpose, so he answered honestly.
If the man harbored any ill intentions, Aptel could warn him.
The man nodded.
“My name is Zeppelin. I look forward to hearing your name soon.”
“When that day comes, I’ll definitely visit again.”
Bowing respectfully, Ray walked away.
Zeppelin lingered briefly, chuckled, and returned to his booth.
Today’s loss would have to be covered from his personal assets.
*
“Ooooh…!”
“Aaaaah…!”
Hamus and Viktor exclaimed in awe as they admired the silver sword Ray had received.
Though not an artifact, it was truly a mesmerizing sword worthy of comparison.
While they marveled, they subtly observed Ray’s reaction.
‘What exactly is this guy doing?’
That was their mutual thought.
They couldn’t understand why Zeppelin had willingly handed over the sword.
Initially suspecting a scam, upon closer inspection, they confirmed it was indeed a genuine masterpiece.
Meanwhile, Ray was preoccupied with other concerns.
He had spent 60% of his budget on a single sword.
Though he received two swords in total thanks to the service, one already had cracks, making it unsuitable as a gift.
‘I might as well use it myself.’
Regardless, with the remaining budget, he needed to buy presents for over a hundred children, inevitably leading to complaints.
‘Karen will be really disappointed…’
Karen remained central to the children and a pillar of the orphanage.
Considering her usual efforts, preparing a lesser gift for her than for Johanna was unacceptable.
However, having already spent 11,200 gold, the budget allocated for Karen could hardly exceed 1,000 gold.
“Ugh…”
Walking along, Ray noticed a booth selling jewelry.
Approaching to browse, a female staff greeted him warmly.
“What kind of item are you looking for?”
“Are all these artifacts?”
“Some are artifacts, others are ordinary jewelry.”
The staff pointed to jewelry adorned with blue gems and continued.
“This one can deploy a weak shield.”
“How much is it?”
“20,000 gold.”
Abandoning the idea, Ray searched for ordinary jewelry.
Though not artifacts, many pieces had undergone magical processing, sparkling attractively.
“What color suits red hair best for a gift?”
“Is it for a lady?”
“Yes.”
“In that case, how about this one?”
The woman retrieved a necklace from a drawer.
A small golden gem attached to a silver chain that shimmered beautifully.
Captivated by the exquisite craftsmanship, Ray scratched the back of his head and asked,
“How much is this?”
“Hehe. Especially for you, 1,000 gold.”
Uncertain whether it was a rip-off or not,
He was confident this necklace would suit Karen well.
Ray paid 1,000 gold and accepted the neatly packaged necklace.
Leaving the booth, Ray stroked his chin thoughtfully.
“I wonder if this will be okay.”
“What’s going on?”
“Well…”
Ray confided his dilemma to Hamus and Viktor.
“I plan to give the silver sword to Johanna as a gift.”
“And?”
“I intend to gift this necklace to Karen.”
“…”
Hamus and Viktor exchanged glances as Ray clicked his tongue.
“I’m worried Karen might get upset.”
After blinking for a moment, Hamus cautiously reconfirmed.
“Ray, hold on. You’re planning to gift a sword to Johanna?”
“Yeah.”
“And this beautiful necklace to Karen?”
“Yeah.”
“But you’re worried someone might get upset?”
“Karen.”
“Why?”
“Because the sword is ten times more expensive than the necklace.”
Actually, it was a hundred times more expensive.
Ray’s impeccable logic prompted Hamus to pinch the bridge of his nose and seriously rebuke him.
“Listen carefully, you’re not a knight but a magician, aren’t you?”
“Why are you cursing me?”
“Ah…!”
Hamus slapped his chest.
“Ray, think about it. You’re capable of making a wiser decision.”
“Are you suggesting I prepare a more expensive necklace? Sorry, but I don’t have the budget.”
“…”
Grasping Ray’s collar, Hamus looked down at him anew.
Given how accomplished he was, it was easy to forget Ray was only 13 years old.
‘Yeah, he’s at an age where he might not understand women’s hearts.’
Truthfully, Ray, whose mental age exceeded his physical one, hadn’t considered the “female” perspective regarding 13-year-olds.
Nevertheless, the result was the same.
Hamus shook his head, deciding against continuing his advice.
Judging by his expression, it seemed he needed a major setback to come to his senses.
“Alright, good luck convincing her.”
Whether it would be Karen or Johanna who needed soothing remained uncertain.
Johanna’s teenage phase seemed destined to last longer.
