The Unaware Atelier Meister

Dammit! Why?!

I can't produce my fire!

Marlefiss!

Hurry up and heal me!

I already am!

But I'm not putting out my usual power?!

Hey, newbie! Can't you use fire magic?!

You said you could use it!

Tsk! Useless idiot!

What was that?!

Cut it out already!

This isn't the time for that!

This party is already done for.

They want me as the director of a royal magic technology research lab?

They'll treat me like a noble?

Yeah.

How did something that incredible happen?

The person I had appraise your magic crystals

serves as a royal court mage as a hobby.

Are you sure she's not deceiving you?

Well, I know it's hard to believe,

but what do you think?

I'm sorry.

It certainly is a good offer,

but please turn it down for me.

Huh?

I can't imagine myself working in a role that puts me above others,

and part of me still wants to go back to Flaming Dragon Fang.

Besides...

My current job is working here after all!

Kurt...

The magic crystals you went and sold weren't enough to pay your taxes, right?

Oh, well, I sold them for quite a bit,

but I didn't make those myself.

I just took one gold as a handler's fee and deposited the rest into your account.

You didn't need to worry about me like that.

Yes, I do.

If I accepted such a hefty sum,

I would be crushed under the guilt.

Huh?

I-It's nothing!

But that's why I'd like you to keep digging up ore.

Leave it to me!

I found what looks like it might be a good vein yesterday too!

You're a huge help.

But Kurt, you haven't slept, right?

I'm fine. I got six hours of sleep.

Six hours?

Yes.

Even though you built that log house?

Five hours to fell the trees,

three hours to process them,

four hours to put it together...

Huh? Did I sleep too much?

Back when I was with Flaming Dragon Fang I only got around four hours.

That leaves...

They said the one in charge of chores had to wake up earlier

and go to sleep later than everyone else.

Umm, I promise to make up for how much I rested!

Huh?

This is where you think you found a good spot?

Yes.

I don't see anything out of the ordinary?

That's true.

Though considering the topography of the mountain,

there should be an ore deposit beneath here.

But please don't dig any deeper than 50 meters.

50?

Okay, I'll be heading elsewhere.

You won't be digging with me?

No. I plan to dig around the area where we found that large crystal yesterday.

All right. I'll leave that to you then.

Yes! I'll be heading out.

I found it!

This is a topaz?

It's rather big!

I bet this would go for around three gold!

I bet I could ask Kurt to turn it into a magic crystal for free.

Then I'd have plenty to reach my goal!

No, don't!

I shouldn't be trying to use that innocent boy for free!

I wonder what Kurt is up to.

Knowing him, he's probably made a whole mining tunnel.

I expect that much...

but see!

It's bright?

We don't need lamps due to luminous moss?

Well, that's within expectations!

Even so, this space is huge!

It's three times bigger than I thought!

But this is Kurt we're talking about!

So that's within expectations too!

Oh, Yulishia!

I was just thinking of heading over to you.

I'm afraid to ask, but how'd it turn out?

I'm sorry.

All I've mined have been useless rocks,

and I've only mined tiny fragments of the ore I'm after.

I see, I see. That's goo—

That's a shame.

Are those the useless rocks?

Yes.

They look like rather pretty stones.

I'm able to mine a lot of them though, so they're not very valuable.

They're called mythril.

Mythril?!

You know about it?

We harvest so much of it in my village that we threw it away.

Do I know about it?! That's a far more valuable ore than gold or even platinum!

And he throws it away?!

This is unexpected.

Are you saying that it's valuable around here?

Is it hard to acquire in the city or something?

It's an extremely rare ore throughout the world. And yet he...

Wait. Then what is the ore you said you were after earlier?

Orichalcum.

Orichalcum?!

The legendary ore known as the metal of the gods.

I can't believe there's something like that in this mountain.

Huh? You can generally mine it anywhere.

There's no way that's true.

You can often find it after digging about 7km into the ground.

7km?

You dug down 7km in 8 hours and came all the way back up to the surface?

Yes.

Well, this is you we're talking about.

By the way, what about the shaft?

It would be dangerous to leave it, so I filled it in.

You even refilled it within 8 hours?

Nothing's going to surprise me anymore.

I see.

You dug right through the mountain.

This new tunnel looks convenient.

Should I fill it back in?

You don't need to fill it.

I finished the mining in two days and we returned to Samaela.

That tunnel was positioned to connect the city of Samaela to Lord Taicone's town.

Lord's Town

Yulishia's Mountain

Samaela

Royal Capital

Frontier Town

Apparently Yulishia agreed to permit those with the traveling merchants guild

to pass through it

in return for them paying a maintenance fee.

She told me the profit from that would cover her taxes.

Kur!

Oh, Bandana?!

How have you been?

What are you doing here?

Is Golnova with you too?

Nuh-uh, I ain't a part of Flaming Dragon Fang anymore either.

Huh?

A bunch of stuff happened.

I can't eat trash like this!

Sir, please stop!

Shut it!

Ah, Sir, your bill?!

Obviously I ain't paying!

S-Sir?!

Somebody! Please call the guards!

How was eating at that popular restaurant?

I worked hard to get them to squeeze in a reservation.

Bandana!

We still have that smoked meat Kur made before he left, right?

It's all gone now.

You ate it all, Leader.

Then go fetch Kur!

Make him cook food for us!

If he fights back, then I don't care if you have to hurt him a bit!

Sure thing. You got it.

Just leave it to me.

Anyway, I'll need to borrow the teleportation crystal.

Hmph.

The culprit fled into this area!

Be alert!

Yes, sir!

Guess he would get arrested after making such a commotion.

Marlefiss lucked out,

being summoned away by the church.

Now Flaming Dragon Fang is truly finished.

Well, I'll pay you a visit in prison if I feel like it, Leader.

I'll leave out all of that and say I was simply fired too.

I wouldn't want my surveillance target involved in that mess too.

I can't believe you were fired too, Bandana.

It's definitely impossible for me to return to Flaming Dragon Fang then.

Why are you so set on that party anyway?

Because I owe Golnova a lot, and I admire him.

Admire him, huh?

He certainly did serve as an excellent front.

Oh yeah! Kur, if you're going to Hallo Work,

then that means you're looking for work, right?

Yes.

Perfect!

I actually have an acquaintance who's short on hands and struggling in their workshop.

Could you go give them a hand?

A workshop, huh?

There are only 15 Atelier Meisters with official permission from the country.

One of those incredible people is in trouble.

If you'd go to them, it would be a huge help.