"I'm Evelyn, and what I want is simple. I want a sword for Eve, and some kind of magic item for channeling magic that a mage can use. That one over there is Eve, and this one here is Syl'Vyr. They'll tell you how they want their items," I say to Kjori, who is sizing up the two of them to figure out who's the mage and who's the swordswoman.

"I'm Kjori. Both of you have interesting physiques; I think I can make something good. Do you have any specific materials you want me to use? Or any magic you want me to add to the item?" he asks me, interested. And then comes the tricky part.

'Even though his prices in the game were cheap, his "cheap" is just below market value... but it's still way too high for me... I'm so unlucky!!!' I think about what to say.

"Well... no... I also only have 10,000 gold coins total... can you make something with that?" I say, a bit nervous, but I'm honest about it since I don't have much and there's no point in lying.

"Hmmm... 10,000 gold coins, for a custom sword and a magic artifact suitable for a mage?..." he says in a heavy, somewhat disappointed tone. It's obviously unfair; most blacksmiths would charge 50,000 to 100,000 just for a basic custom sword.

And even though he gives really good prices, he still needs money and has to charge for his work, so I understand his disappointment. After all, even if we hit it off because we like similar things, he still has to charge me normally.

"W-Well... it's not fair considering the normal price, but it's all I have to offer! BUT!! I have my ace up my sleeve!" I start saying something else to get his attention, so he doesn't think I'm a lost cause.

"And what could make the price fair?" he asks, interested. Of course, we started off well, but he still needs to get fair payment or he won't accept my requests.

"I might be short on money, but I can work here with you while you make the sword and the item we need! I can use your materials to make some items to the best of my ability! And I can even teach you some carving tricks I know."

"I can also have my adventurer payments sent to you over time to pay for the items I'm buying! I'm sure I'll be a great adventurer in time and will have money to pay for lots of things in the future!!"

"I guess it'll take about a week for you to create both items. During that time, I'll help out here! Or you can let me pay later," I say, offering him my service instead of money, which seems to interest him.

"What are you good at?" he asks, weighing whether this is worth the cost of fulfilling my orders.

'Damn it, I'm so jealous of protagonists with their plot armor that makes everyone give them stuff!!' If I had that kind of main character aura, Kjori would help me even with the low money, but it's obvious he'll charge.

"...You have talent, I'll admit that. But talent isn't enough. Do you know how to create magic artifacts?" he asks, and I tense up.

"N-No..." I don't know how to create magic artifacts or anything like that. I can make beautiful designs that are works of art, but nothing that has magic or anything like that. Evelyn was never allowed to use the castle library to learn about that.

And all I have are the original Evelyn's skills, meaning everything she learned on her own with ridiculously limited resources.

"...I don't need cute little things that have no utility... but I like the raw talent you show. So, how about this."

"I'll make the two items. In exchange, you must help me with some items I'm working on, and you'll have to learn how to make magic items and give me a quality magic item with a value equivalent to the price of the items I'll make for you and your allies." He makes a good but difficult proposal.

'Learn... I have good magic, but...' Learning that and managing to create something valuable will take at least a month, and that's only if I have real talent for relic creation. Without talent, it could take more than four months.

'...' I look at him, thinking if it's worth it, but I quickly realize this is a chance to get free lessons for something useful. I always thought I was kinda useless in fights, except when helping with strategies.

But if I learn to make relics, I can help my team beyond just strategies, which is very useful. I doubt he'll give me extensive knowledge related to relic creation, but he'll teach me the basics to create something good.

And with a good foundation, I can learn on my own through books and maybe even hire someone in the future to teach me more.

"I accept! I'll make a relic so good that in less than a month I'll get these items for free!" I say confidently, getting up from the chair and puffing out my chest with pride in the talent I know I have.

"For free? Of course not. Do you think this is a charity? You're still going to pay. I want the 10,000 gold coins for the items," he says, which makes me slump back into the chair.

'D-Damn it!!!! Even when I win, I still lose.' I feel like the universe really doesn't want to see me come out ahead.

"O-Okay... th-that's fine..." I end up accepting with a forced smile on my face.

"I'll draw up a contract. I'll give you lessons and some books to read. Until you create a suitable relic, I'll keep everything you make, and you can only stop after you've made a relic equivalent in value to the products I'm making for you," he says, getting up and heading for a door, going inside and leaving me alone.

"Evelyn-sama, are you sure about this? This contract could keep you here for years if you can't manage to make that relic..." Eve says to me, but I look at her seriously.

"I can do it! It won't take me more than a month to create something good! I have talent, and I know it!" I'm not saying this just out of arrogance. I am a puppet master; it's natural for me to be good at everything involving item creation.

This is because certain types of puppets are created in the same way as relics, so I'm naturally good at it. I just don't have the knowledge to do it yet.

In other words, it's inherent to what I am to be good at this, and that's why I accepted the contract—because I know I can do it if taught properly. And he's going to teach me for free!

"Here you go, Evelyn," he says, returning and tossing some papers onto the table. I hand the papers to Eve to read while I look at him.

"Kjori, why do you want to teach me? Isn't it bad for business? I mean, we don't even know each other," I say, trying to understand the reason for his proposal. Although a bit complicated, it's still quite fair.

"First, if you manage to make an equivalent relic and it's good, I'll sell it at auction and could make up to ten times more. And while you're failing, because of the contract, I get an employee to help me with my work."

"And if you succeed quickly and become famous in the future, I'll have the 'luck' of being the one who guided you on this path. Artisans are rare among nobles. It's interesting to know I'll be teaching my hobby to a noble."

"Especially a noble from the Elite." He speaks about the noble elite with a disdain that's clearly visible, and I now understand part of why he wants to teach me.

"Oh, so it's more like revenge against the nobles," I murmur while Eve hands me the papers.

"Everything seems to be in order, Evelyn-sama. In fact, it's an extremely simplistic contract... you could easily dispute its validity using the authority of the royal family," Eve whispers in my ear as I sign.

'I won't do that!! I may not be perfect! But I'm fair!' As long as Kjori keeps his part of the deal, I'll do my best to keep mine. I'm not going to scam him when he's been so decent to me.

"Well, let's get started," he says out of nowhere with the serious tone of a boss who hates seeing his employees slack off.

"Already? Now?"

"Yes, now. I don't want lazy people around me, so we'll start immediately. I'm closing the shop and taking you to my forge area. I'll give you a book to read and understand the basics."

"Meanwhile, I'll see how your companions want their weapons," he says, glaring at Syl'Vyr as if he wants to kick her out because she's poking at everything magical with curiosity.

"That one over there is going to cause you a lot of trouble if she keeps touching everything. But this one who wants the sword is good; she's quiet. That's important," he says, getting up and walking over to Syl'Vyr, slapping her hand. It's not hard, but it's enough to make Syl'Vyr pull back.

"O-Ow..."

"If you're not going to buy it, don't touch it. Given the relationships, it's obvious Evelyn is your boss, but for now, I'm that girl's boss. If you touch something again, I'll kick you out of here."

"Pfff..." I almost laugh seeing Syl'Vyr's indignant face after being scolded. Eve also holds back a laugh as Kjori starts to go inside, but he stops at the door.

"What are you doing standing there? Come on," he says to me. I quickly get up and go to him while Eve and Syl'Vyr follow us. Syl'Vyr keeps her indignant look for having been told off.

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