Blacksmith Flag

Lately, it feels like I've been working nonstop. Even adjusting the slot machine gave me trouble.

I should take today off from building the game room too. Yeah, today I'll finally get some good sleep.

That's what I was thinking when it happened.

"Kehma, an Iron Golem wandering around the labyrinth area got taken down."

Rokuko came to report on dungeon matters.

Iron Golems. As the name suggests, they're golems with bodies made of iron. For the level of adventurers that come to our dungeon, D-Rank or at best C-Rank, they'd have a hard time dealing with one.

Also, unlike regular Clay Golems, the body itself has value. Because it's iron, after all. It's heavy, sure, but as a resource, a lump of iron the size of a person is worth quite a lot. I wonder how many nails you could make from one.

"Who defeated it? The ones currently in the dungeon are… ah, there was one C-Rank party, wasn't there? Was it them?"

"That's right. I think his name was Gozoh or something? A dwarf, hammer-user. Rather than destroying the magic stone, he just beat it down normally with his hammer."

I see, so he dispersed the magical power through impact. Good thing it wasn't someone who slashed the Iron Golem to death. If someone like that showed up, I don't think I could handle them right now.

"Then there's not much to worry about, I suppose. Did they take the Iron Golem's remains?"

"Yeah. They're carrying it out now. Seems like he doesn't have [Storage]."

C-Rank adventurers can probably handle Iron Golems well enough.

If so, that's decent money for them.

"By the way, how are the playing cards going?"

"I've been placing them little by little on the first floor, but people are calling them duds. Just bundles of paper. The guild doesn't deal in them either, so they seem troubled."

"… Then tell them we'll buy them for five copper coins."

"You should say it yourself, Kehma. I'm the owner here."

Maybe I should have included a note with instructions on how to play… No, it's already weird enough that playing cards are dropping at all. If there were instructions on top of that, it would be way too strange for a dungeon.

If things get too strange, God's Vanguard might take notice.

Since playing cards themselves have precedent as something God's Vanguard brought in the past, we can still barely pass it off.

"Oh, maybe I should add some dice too? Made from wood or bone."

"Somehow I feel like our dungeon is being eroded by gambling…"

Well, we are the [Cave of Desires] after all.

… Maybe I should add some bedding too. Putting in pastries would probably be a bad idea though.

Still, an Iron Golem got taken down, huh… I probably need to prepare stronger monsters beyond the puzzle area. I should look for something.

… There's something called a gargoyle too? Huh, I wonder how it's different from a golem.

 

＊ ＊ ＊

 

The next day, the guild's Receptionist-san came by. Apparently there was something important to discuss…

Weren't you supposed to be getting to know her, Rokuko? What do you mean, forcing absolute command authority on me without letting me get a word in and saying "I'll leave it to you"?

So, with Rokuko in smile mode accompanying me, we received her in the parlor.

"Huh? A smithy?"

"Yes. A smithy. Since it would be noisy, it will be built a bit away from the inn and adventurer guild, but we're planning to set up a branch office just like the adventurer guild. I thought I should inform you first."

"Huh, why so suddenly?"

"The other day, an adventurer brought in materials from an Iron Golem… You might already know this, but the Iron Golem's existence had already been confirmed."

According to her explanation, areas where Iron Golems spawn are treated like mines. They call them quasi-mines or golem mines. I see, having resources to extract is certainly a big deal. Moreover, Iron Golem bodies are entirely made of iron and can be used directly as smithing materials. So they decided, 'Let's build a smithy here.'

Even setting that aside, they had apparently already planned to establish a branch office to service adventurers' equipment or something. I hadn't heard about that. Oh, she just told me now, I guess.

"A mine, huh… Does that mean this place will be on maps?"

"Maps? It's already on them. Since the guild branch office was established."

"Wait, I thought dungeons weren't put on maps?"

"The reason dungeon locations aren't recorded on maps is to prevent people from wandering off to unmanaged dungeons on their own. For a dungeon with a guild branch office at its entrance, there's no need to hide it. Rather, we actively advertise and recruit people to come."

… Crap, I might have made a big mistake.

If it's on a map, God's Vanguard might just wander over here… Oh, but God's Vanguard are forcibly given S-Rank as heroes, so maybe it doesn't matter much? They could see it either way. Though increased fame could still be a problem.

"I heard from the guild head that there were already plans to develop this into a proper settlement once the magic sword was discovered."

"… Seriously?"

He was being serious when he talked about making a village?

It's possible I made a mistake from the very beginning… Well, it's too late to say anything now.

"Since this is a good opportunity, let me ask. This inn has a dining room, but are there plans to build a tavern as well?"

"Ah, if someone else is building one elsewhere, that's fine with us. We don't serve alcohol since our focus is on food."

I wouldn't be able to sleep if drunks were making a huge racket in the inn. What a pain that would be.

"Then we'll proceed with those plans as well. We may also add various other facilities. Since there's a balance to consider, we'll come consult with you each time about construction locations."

"That's helpful."

… The scale is getting bigger, but if the guild handles all the troublesome stuff, I guess it's fine.

Either way, this entire area is the dungeon's territory after all.

"… By the way, there's something I wanted to ask."

"Hm? What is it?"

"… When did you expand the building? It seemed like it just appeared one day."

"A mage acquaintance of Haku-san came and took care of it in a flash."

"Ah, an A-Rank adventurer's… an A-Rank adventurer's acquaintance, of course…"

Receptionist-san and I both nodded in understanding.

Since I'm acquainted with Haku-san, it's not wrong.

"Oh, and the people at reception and in the dining room have changed. No, I mean, it was always the same people until now… They were slaves, did you trade them?"

"No, they're on break. Customers have been increasing and they've been working every day, so the owner introduced some help through her connections."

DP exchange through the dungeon is the owner's connection. It's not a lie.

… The adventurer guild has lie-detecting magic tools, so just in case, I need to be careful with my words. What a pain.

"I see… If you ever decide to sell them, please let me know. I wouldn't mistreat them."

"Hahaha, unfortunately, I have no intention of letting them go."

I went along with the conversation for now, but made sure to convey that I wasn't giving them up.

Receptionist-san is still pretty aggressive when it comes to slaves, huh. It's a shame since she's such a beauty. She really does have nice legs though…