1.
Cristiano Equipment Workshop.
For some reason, just looking at the name made it sound like the kind of place that would take your money without delivering the equipment, then go home, pound away on a treadmill, and upload videos to their personal social media....
But no way. I had no intention of doing that.
[Cristiano]: One month.
So, one month.
[Anonymous]: Excuse me? One month?
[Anonymous]: Sorry, but the system holds the payment here until the transaction is complete. It's structured so that you can't take the money upfront and disappear.
Was this person calling me a scammer right now?
The slightly lecturing tone rubbed me the wrong way, but....
Mm-hm. Considering they were equipment cavemen, it wasn't impossible to understand.
It couldn't be helped that their feeble little common sense wouldn't grasp it, so I would generously overlook it.
Tap tap.
This time, I typed it myself instead of getting Yuna's help.
"Then don't place the damn order...."
[Hey, make it pretty, big brother!!]
Whoops. That slipped out.
Fine.
[Cristiano]: Then how about not placing an order?
[Cristiano]: I think that would be a good way for neither of us to waste any time (ง •̀_•́)ง ̑̑?
I wrote it as prettily as I could.
[Hey, I'll just do it myself!!!]
Hmm....
I was starting to remember why Yuna had said she would filter my messages for me.
But the other party seemed more desperate than I'd expected....
[Anonymous]: Ah;;; That's not it, but okay.
They conceded.
Yeah, they should have done that from the start.
But there were still several more gates of hell for them to clear, and we hadn't even begun.
I still had more than one or two things I needed to get from them.
Dolores, Yeomhwa, Ruby, Isabella, Gaia, even the Imperial Princess.
Whenever I made equipment for these people, the first thing I did was run a basic background check.
Not that I was prying into their social lives or anything....
I'm not actually a pervert.
I just mean things like their face, figure, photos, and measurements were important.
And full plate armor made that even more important, right?
It wasn't like I was going to make some plate armor crudely patched together from iron, like they'd overturned an iron bucket over their heads.
I wanted to make something good that fit snugly against their body.
So....
[Cristiano]: Before production begins, I would like to request some information.
[Anonymous]: Ah, yes, of course.
Maybe they had commissioned equipment before, because they readily agreed.
Actually, I'd asked Harngar in advance what blacksmiths usually requested for a commission.
I looked at the memo I had written beside me.
[Height, weight, shoulder width]
It mostly consisted of physical specifications like that.
There were also questions about its intended use.
But setting aside the use for now....
What I was going to request was....
[Cristiano]: First, please provide your height and weight. I also need your shoulder width, chest, waist, and hip measurements, as well as the length of your arms and legs.
[Cristiano]: Please send full-body photos from the front and... maybe the side as well? Take them while wearing the clothes you'll wear beneath the armor. If you need a helmet, I'll need a photo of your face too.
[Cristiano]: You must also tell me your main weapon, dominant hand, and combat style. For example, it differs depending on whether you make wide swings with both hands or carry a shield.
That was the basic stuff.
And lastly.
[Cristiano]: I need an unblurred photo of your face.
I was really sorry, but this was not something I could compromise on.
I intended to keep it that way going forward too. I wouldn't even start without a face photo.
That was where I drew my inspiration from, so it couldn't be helped.
Don't like it?
Then get lost.
But perhaps they hadn't expected me to bombard them with questions so suddenly.
The other side didn't answer for a while.
Then, just then.
Flutter.
"?"
A slender hand waved from beyond the workshop window.
Who was that?
"Who are you... ah."
Then a staff flashed past....
It was Ruby.
"Come in."
It wasn't often for Ruby to come all the way to the workshop.
I was strangely glad to see her.
Creak.
And beyond the opening door....
"............"
[Don't laugh. You absolutely can't laugh, big brother.]
Uh, yeah.
"Hi, Lionel?"
Ruby greeted me with a supremely confident expression.
The problem was that she was caked in makeup that combined the holy trinity of what people generally called ghost makeup, kabuki makeup, and panda makeup.
Maybe it was because of her underwear, but Dolores's skin was always in peak condition, so lately she didn't wear makeup at all.
And now Ruby had suddenly appeared before me wearing makeup.
And right now, I seriously wanted to laugh so badly.
What do I do, Yuna?
I bit down so hard on my lip that it nearly bled.
Then again, wanting to dress up your appearance was a trait of adolescent girls, right?
There probably weren't makeup channels like YouTube here, so if I imagined her seeing the makeup other noble girls wore at the Academy, then struggling all by herself to do her very best....
"What's wrong?"
When Ruby asked with a smile, the stuff drawn around her eyes crumpled along with it.
"Pfft...."
[Ruby will cry if you laugh!!!!!]
It looked like she had swiped some cosmetics while Dolores was out.
"Nngh... no, I was in the middle of work."
"Really? Should I come back later?"
"Yeah. I'd appreciate that... Ah, and Yeomhwa was looking for you."
"Yeomhwa was?"
"Yeah. She'll understand if you say you came because Lionel told you to."
From what I could tell, Yeomhwa was... incredibly meticulous.
Please, Yeomhwa.
Please... pffft.
"...Hehe, okay."
Ruby headed back with a happy smile.
I didn't know whether she interpreted my laughter in a positive way, but all I could do was hope Yeomhwa would guide her well.
Once Ruby had gone, the reply I received was....
[Anonymous]: I'm sorry, but I can't send an unblurred photo. It would be difficult to reveal my identity.
[Anonymous]: I'll contact you again another time.
Hmm.
That was unfortunate.
But this wasn't something I could compromise on either.
I simply sent back an acknowledgment, then once again....
I sank into waiting.
2.
The Imperial Palace was currently in a state of subtle tension.
At its core, the Imperial Palace and the Company... were conscious of one another.
Not to the extent of openly being enemies, but if something was achieved on one side, the other side couldn't simply sit back and watch.
In that sense, one of the strongest and most famous climbers affiliated with the Imperial Palace was....
"Ah... what do I do...."
A former Dawn Apostle and acquaintance of Dolores.
The Valkyrie, Seren de Lumiere.
‘The Company has declared that it will conquer the 200th floor.’
‘Haha, is that so, Your Highness....’
Of course, it wasn't something that could end with an “is that so.”
The prince smiled and continued.
‘I do not mean that you must conquer the 200th floor immediately.’
‘Yes.’
‘But can the Imperial Family's climbing record remain stagnant forever?’
‘......’
‘Leave the escort duty to someone else. We shall spare no necessary support.’
In the end, it looked like she would have to set aside her work as an escort knight for a while and accelerate her climb.
"Ugh."
In other words, even if they didn't outright tell her to follow the Company, maintaining the Imperial Family's dignity meant not falling too far behind and keeping a suitable distance.
"No, I get the point, but...."
The problem was that Seren was proudly still active, but....
She looked at the armor hanging on its stand.
Her breastplate had been ripped wide open, cracked from the chest to the side.
It had happened during a dungeon raid not long ago, when she had taken the deadweight prince with her... no, attended him.
An attack had flown at the prince without warning. Seren had stepped in front of him, and in the end, her armor had died.
Naturally, the prince knew that as well, so he wouldn't send her off to the Tower before her armor was complete....
But equipment was not something you could obtain just because you had money.
Precious equipment could not be bought even with a fortune.
Warrior equipment, which was in high demand, even more so.
So Seren asked around everywhere, exhausted herself searching, and eventually arrived at....
[Cristiano Equipment Workshop]
This place.
Its price was low, and the turnaround time was absurdly short.
However.
"...My face? Measurements...?"
She understood measurements and things like that, but a face photo was a little....
A workshop with no reviews was demanding photos first.
She couldn't help suspecting it was a phishing operation, and had tentatively given up.
Tingle.
"...Ah."
Seren had an ability.
One among the many abilities that each of the sisters possessed.
In her case, it was related to a sense called a hunch—in other words, intuition.
She was drawn toward arrangements in interpersonal relationships that were designed to turn out in her favor.
For reasons she didn't understand, she didn't want to pass it by.
Though perhaps because it was a Tower system, it didn't hit her in an obvious, overwhelming way.
"Something, something...."
It was fucking hot.
No, fucking compelling.
That was the feeling it gave her.
"When things are uncertain, ask Dolores."
For the first time in a while, she opened their group chat.
It seemed more active these days, and the four of them, whose positions were comparatively freer, apparently met up often lately.
"Attach the link...."
─────────────────
[Day 1899 of Wishing for Retirement]: (Link)
[Day 1899 of Wishing for Retirement]: What do you think of this place?
[Day 1899 of Wishing for Retirement]: I was thinking of giving it a shot, but they suddenly asked for a face photo? They say production only takes a month too... It feels kind of sketchy, so I'm holding off.
─────────────────
Seren sought her sisters' advice.
Meanwhile, Dolores was messaging Lionel in the Tower.
She had continually surpassed her own peak beauty, but....
"...Cristiano Workshop?"
The instant she saw what Seren had sent, she immediately....
The description was brief, and the commission fee was one kilogram of special mineral.
"My."
She knew whose workshop it was.
As expected.
There were close to tens of thousands of businesses registered in the Tower, and out of all of them, Seren had picked Lionel exactly.
"Seren, you really are lucky."
Feeling that her instincts were as sharp as ever....
Dolores smiled faintly and sent a reply.
[Dolores]: Your face has already been seen everywhere, so wouldn't it be fine?
It came off a little harsh, but she couldn't help it whenever Lionel was involved.
If it was Seren rather than some outside stranger who would receive Lionel's high-performance equipment....
Dolores figured nothing particularly bad would come of it....
[Dolores]: If you need it urgently, you should do it, right?
She simply gave her a push.
And Seren, upon receiving the message....
"Screw it."
Yeah, she had a famous face anyway.
She didn't even need to send a photo; a search for “Seren” would bring one up.
Tap tap....
Having no other option, she typed out another message.
Ah, right.
She thought she might feel a little more at ease if the other person was a woman.
"...Are you a woman?"
She asked, hoping against hope that the blacksmith might be a woman.
3.
"Ah."
What should I do?
I had a lot to think about.
I couldn't lower the requirement that I needed photos.
The barrier to entry was high, but there was no way I could give it up.
It was essential for producing proper equipment.
As I lay around the workshop like an unemployed bum, waiting for commissions....
Ding.
[Anonymous]: Excuse me.
[Anonymous]: Are you a woman, by any chance?
"...?"
What kind of dumbass question was that? So annoying.
What woman is a blacksmith?
That wasn't a sexist remark. This was work women couldn't do.
But when I thought about it....
"Hmm."
In my case, after twelve years of community-site experience, I had reached the level where I could tell whether someone on the other side had XX or XY chromosomes just from the tone of a few lines of messages.
I had figured out long ago that the other person was a woman.
There was an unmistakable soft fragrance and powdery scent to her. Couldn't you smell it?
[......... Pervert.]
Yuna liked this side of me too.
So I thought I understood what she was worried about.
[Cristiano]: I am not a woman. However, the photos and body information you send will only be used to make your equipment, and all of it will be discarded once the work is complete.
[Cristiano]: I requested materials needed for production. They will not be used for any other purpose or disclosed externally, so you do not need to worry about that.
[Cristiano]: I work solely on the basis of a craftsman's spirit.
That was for real.
Would my sincerity get through to her now?
How much time had passed?
[Anonymous]: Okay.
Along with that reply.
[Seren de Lumiere]: Is that sufficient?
[Seren de Lumiere]: I'll send all the measurements and details on its intended use in an hour.
"...?"
What did she mean, sufficient?
Her name had changed, but....
"Seren? Yuna, do some crawling for me."
I asked Yuna to quickly look her up.
[Huh...?]
[She's really famous, though?]
[She's a Dawn Apostle, and a friend of Dolores.]
What the fuck?
A Dawn Apostle?
"Why would someone like that commission equipment from me?"
[Looking at photos from recent public appearances, she often isn't wearing armor.]
[Something seems to have happened.]
I see....
As far as I knew, names in that Tower couldn't be impersonated or hidden.
You could tell from whether or not there was a blue check mark beside them.
And beside her nickname, now that the anonymous blind had been lifted, was a blue check mark.
That meant she was the real Seren, certified by the Tower system.
"Hehehe."
Then I had secured the photos.
Her Inner Tower wiki would be my sea of inspiration from now on.
[Cristiano]: Good.
I sensed that I'd landed a big shot on my very first transaction....
After sending that simple reply, I began digging up Seren's personal information like crazy.
And.
The combat style I confirmed before beginning production was....
Kwoooong!!
"...Wow."
A holy swordswoman.
She wielded a zweihander roughly twice her height, with an insanely broad blade on both sides—or a sword called a parade sword—and cut everything down. A textbook, overwhelming swordswoman....
At range, with sword strikes.
Up close... fucking sword strikes too.
Kwoong!
Nothing remained where her blade passed.
Watching her combat style....
Thump.
"......"
My heart pounded.
It was truly a combat style that stirred a man's soul.
A female holy swordswoman with flowing blonde hair.
And massive heavy armor covering her entire body apart from her helmet.
At some point, I had focused on accessories and tiny bits of craftsmanship, and found myself interested in them.
I had wondered whether I was some fake blacksmith whose dick wouldn't react even at the sight of heavy armor, or a blacksmith with erectile dysfunction....
But I wasn't.
It had been a while since I got hard.
Uh, I mean, my will to make it got hard.
"Approved."
Your life was about to bloom.
I might have fallen in love at first sight with that textbook combat style.
Clank.
Even amid all that, her armor clanked from being overly protective.
You.
You need to take that off. It doesn't suit you.
I found myself wanting to make, with my own hands, equipment that would suit that greatsword....
"This is why I need photos."
As expected, it was good that I hadn't compromised.
I sprang to my feet.
Probably with my other leg too.
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