While Noel and Rose were occupied with the academy, Dimitri had reached the village where the Master Blacksmith resided.
Of course, Dimitri didn't plan to offend the Master Blacksmith no matter how confident he was. Instead of lining up, he waited until the night so that he could sneak in.
He was sure that he wouldn't be able to meet the Master Blacksmith. And with this kind of mission, he was sure that it was better to wait until the Master Blacksmith finished his work.
Whether it was fortunate or unfortunate, the two siblings seemed to have returned to the village, telling about their trip this time.
After Noel's help, the family reunited and their bond became far stronger. It was a truly peaceful and happy family.
Unfortunately, Dimitri had to intrude into their happy meeting.
"Hahaha. Is that so? I'm happy that they're treating both of you well. I won't tell you what to do. Instead, you should focus on getting the information network. After all, you need a powerful information network if you want to be a successful merchant. Your mother told me that."
The two siblings smiled. "Father…"
"…" The Master Blacksmith suddenly fell silent and his expression turned serious as if he felt something.
"Father?" His children's smiles also disappeared as confusion filled the room.
The Master Blacksmith furrowed his eyebrows and turned to the corner, asking cautiously, "For what reason your excellency visit this humble blacksmith?"
"!!!" The two kids turned around, following their father's sight. They were surprised to find a shadow that gradually came out from the ground, turning into a humanoid figure.
As expected from a Master Blacksmith, although he always worked with the weapons, his strength couldn't be underestimated either.
He was actually a Spirit Master. This was the reason why he could handle a lot of jobs and even teach Noel some techniques.
"I've come here to complete the task of my master."
"Your master? If he wishes to get a weapon, he should follow the procedure. Even if you are strong, I won't let you bully me." The Master Blacksmith glared at him.
"You are wrong. My master is someone you know, so I don't need to follow the procedure." Dimitri paused for a moment, creating suspense.
All of them were wondering who was bold enough to do this to a Master Blacksmith. But the moment Dimitri opened his mouth, everything was clear.
"My master's name is Iadre."
"!!!" All of them widened their eyes in shock. They obviously knew about this person since he was the reason why they could get harmonious again.
"Why does your master seek me? Although I know him personally and am thankful for what he has done, I think there are some procedures to follow. You can't simply barge into my house like this."
"I apologize. However, this matter is far more serious than you can imagine. If any of the people in your workshop know about it, it might bring a disaster to them and your family."
"Hoh?" The Master Blacksmith furrowed his eyebrows. "I hope that you're telling the truth or I might get pissed."
"Don't worry." Dimitri was in his shadow form so that he couldn't recognize him. In fact, he had appeared on multiple occasions, but only when he met Noel and his grandfather that Dimitri didn't use his cover.
Suddenly, a book appeared on top of the shadow, and he held it with both hands. "This book contains knowledge of a complete version of the Spirit Enchantment."
"!!!" The Master Blacksmith was dumbfounded, but his expression soon turned serious. "Your words are not light. You should know that the Spirit Enchantment is a technique that has been recognized all around the world, right?"
"Of course. That's why I am giving you a sample. It contains the complete version of the Hardening Enchantment." Dimitri took out a piece of paper and tossed it to the Master Blacksmith.
The moment the paper reached his hand, the Master Blacksmith dropped his jaw to the ground.
"This is…" He gasped because he couldn't believe what he saw. "These lines, the strokes… They contain the basic Spirit Enchantment. If this is truly the complete version, it should be at least 1.5 times stronger. Is this true?"
"I believe you should be able to recognize it and prove it yourself."
"…" The Master Blacksmith fell silent, staring at the paper. His children were confused and surprised, wondering what kind of thing could surprise their father. However, they didn't come to their father to take a peek in order to respect their privacy. This was a matter between Iadre and their father, so they should stay away until they were permitted to join.
The Master Blacksmith fell into deep thought. It took him five minutes to consider everything.
He glanced at Dimitri and said, "Even with my expertise, I don't think I can prove it easily. I have the basics down, but it's close to impossible to recreate this enchantment in one go. I need around one week to practice…"
"I apologize. I don't have that much time to wait."
"…" He frowned and said, "It might be sloppy, but give me three days. I should be able to do it within three days."
Dimitri contemplated this time frame. After all, he didn't want to be away from Noel for too long.
He calculated the time needed to wait, go back to the Demon Banner Army headquarters to give the kids a present, and head to Noel's position.
"Alright. I'll wait for three days." Dimitri nodded.
"What does he want me to do in exchange for this knowledge? I'm sure it's not a free meal, right?"
"He would like to invite you as a Master Blacksmith in his future territory. As for the price, he is planning to give you the complete version of the Spirit Enchantment." Dimitri raised the book.
The Master Blacksmith closed his eyes. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. After all, he might become the first Master Blacksmith to master this complete version and his name would go down in history. But that price was heavy, considering he preferred this kind of lifestyle.
That was when Dimitri presented the second reward. "Also, my master is planning to venture out of the human territory. There will be a lot of relics and blueprints. You will be able to handle all of it."
"!!!" The Master Blacksmith widened his eyes in shock. The rewards truly tempted him, but he had to consider his children as well.
"Father. Please don't worry about us. We won't be your burden forever."
His children's words touched his heart. But it wasn't an easy decision.
It took him a whole ten minutes to finally agree.
"Alright. But my condition is that you have to support my children in your territory."
"As long as it is within my master's means…"
"We have a deal."
