The Regression Of A Grand Mercenary - 30 - Gifts and Thanks

Inside the main office of the Amber Shop, all of the family members were inside, looking to me with a doubtful expression.

‘Did I do something wrong?’ I asked myself…

When I turned to Evelyn, she could only look away with a nervous gaze while beside her was the armor and swords I made.

‘Yeah…I clearly did something wrong.’

And when I turned my attention to the patriarch of the family, all I came to receive was a troubled expression.

“Thill, my boy…do you realize what you have done?” he asked.

“…Is this about my work?” I asked.

“Indeed. As a merchant myself, I have seen many armors that have come to pass by my company, many of which I have recognized to be of top quality.”

“And my work?”

“Of course, I have recognized your work to be truly of worthy quality…but the question is, do you understand just how grand your work is valued upon?”

“Of course.” I said straightforward.

“Do you understand what you have just said?” he asked.

“…My current work is valued as a masterpiece. I know that much as a warrior myself.”

“…Explain.” he said.

“Hmm, instead of that, how about I just show you.” as I said this, I raised my hand forward.

‘…as I thought, this boy knows the prospects of a ‘Willful Masterwork’’ thought Reginald.

“Come forth and bear me protection, Ashened Scale!” I said in a calm manner.

And to my words, the armor reacted.

It shined brightly to my call and from it, it turned to ash…

An ash that was alive and willing to come by my side.

As I called to its carved name, the ash then enveloped my body hole. Covering me from top to bottom with nothing but ash.

“!??” the entire family was surprised by this sudden development.

Escanor himself knew of this process so he was calm, while Eliana wasn’t, so she raised her sword against me out of fear.

A moment later, the ash hardened to its original form as an armor, and from it, it was fitted into my body.

“…W-what is this?” asked Eliana.

“Willful Masterwork…the mastery of having to bend the will of the material into the made intention. From armor to weapons, only a few masterful blacksmiths are capable of creating such works.” said Reginald as sweat drips from his cheeks out of nervousness.

“What does that mean though? From the looks of it, it seems like he used magic on the armor to put itself on his body with jut a command.” said Rosker.

“It has nothing to do with magic. Just as Father has said, the blacksmith who has made the armor has made it so that even the material itself from origin has bend its will to the blacksmith. Like a slave to its master.” said Escanor.

“But only few are so capable in all history of man…from the books themselves, only ten have lived to create a work of Willful Mastery…and even then, their ages have already reached their peak.” said Reginald.

“Wait, so what are you saying father?” asked Evelyn.

“I’m saying that…Thill Cicial, you are a born genius.” said Reginald.

“…Thank you for your words, but I’ve only did what I could to the best of my abilities with the materials given to me.”

“…Even to my praises, you remain humble.” he said.

“But father, if that is the case, why bring him here?…why couldn’t you let him continue on with his presentation outside?” asked his youngest son, Ronald.

“Its because his work is a treasure. A value that no normal warrior could ever comprehend. If word of his creation spreads…if he presented the abilities of his work in front of everyone, it will no doubt cause chaos in this village.” said Reginald.

“So you’re saying that the value of his talent and work is that dangerous?”

“What I did was selfish…on my end, I took your work away from the public eye because I wanted to seek an opportunity with you before anyone else could. But other than that, I know the dangers of discovering talent in someone.” he said as he looked me straight in the eye.

“It’s okay…its in your blood as a merchant to always seek value in everything.” I said.

“…Father, if I may ask, in the number of coin alone, how much is his work worth?” asked Rosker.

“I don’t know…but if I could make an assumption, the armor alone could go up to the same value as an entire castle.” he said.

“!!?”

“What?!”

“…” Evelyn looked to me with worried eyes, but to assure her, I simply smiled.

“How could an armor like this go to such a value?” they asked.

And Escanor answered.

“In the right hands, the armor alone could turn the tides of a war between kingdoms…just as the name implies, the armor is made to perfection. From one look alone, Thill has brought out the inner strength that lies dormant in the scales of the ashened dragon. So no normal blade nor warrior could ever cut through it with simple conviction alone.”

“If you want to show them a demonstration, I’ll allow it.” I said.

“N-no, its fine.” said Reginald as his voice shook for a bit.

“Do you think you can damage the armor, Dear?” asked Eliana to her husband.

“No…from the moment I saw the armor, I knew my limits. Even as a 5^th staged warrior, I cannot scratch the armor with my best skill.” said Escanor as he sounded defeated.

“So it’s that strong?” asked Ronald.

”Yes…” said Escanor.

For a moment, the family fell silent in thought as they observed me wearing the armor.

“Boy…were you serious in giving the armor to us as a gift?” asked Reginald.

“…I am.” I said as I took off the armor willfully by command and placed it back on the stand.

“But why??” asked Rosker.

“Just as my father has said, if you were to sell it to the king himself, no doubt you will immediately acquire your own castle. Why give it to us for free?” he asked.

“…” but I didn’t really have an answer…instead, my eyes darted back to Evelyn for some reason and back to her father.

“Call it a kind gesture.”

“…I see.” Evelyn’s mother spoke softly with a smile on her face.

She naturally reached over to the shoulders of her daughter and gave her a smile.

“…!?” Evelyn’s cheeks turned red and she hid her face out of embarrassment.

“…” everyone looked to her and then to me, only then to remain silent.

“S-so it truly is a gift then? Asked her father as he stuttered for a bit.

“It is…do with it what you will. Use it in battle, sell it for fortune, its in your hands now.”

“Hmm, but there must be something you want? You’ve given us this valuable treasure…surely there’s something laying dormant in your heart that we could provide.”

“…All I want on my end is a peaceful life here in the village. I’m content with what I have…”

“A man of your talents won’t have an easy time attaining a peaceful life. In time, you will come to meet certain warriors who will recognize your abilities the same way we do. Once that day arrives, you will continue to face problems.” said Escanor.

“He’s right.” said Eliana.

“What my son-in-law says is true…so how about this. I propose to you a partnership between us using our connections. We will sell your works while keeping your name hidden, while you will simply remain here in the village, peacefully with what you do best which is to be a blacksmith.”

‘Hmm, normally I wouldn’t agree. I mean, I don’t have a problem with me simply selling my own work…but the Amber name is the biggest merchant connection one can attain in this country. With them at the front, I can keep my family safer than I had planned. And despite the fact that I know their taking advantage of my skills, I wouldn’t mind helping her family. It may seem pointless and I might seem like a pushover, but to me, this is fair in my end.’

“Okay, I accept.”

***

As Thill left, I was alone in the room with the rest of my family.

“Looks like the people also went home after the event. Thankfully Desmond managed the end well.” I said as I headed for the door.

“Evelyn before you leave, we must talk.” said my father.

“…Is this about Thill?”

“Yes, what do you plan to do from here on out?”

“I…I don’t know.” I said as I don’t have any plans at the moment.

Since Thill left, I have learned just how great his talents were…but those weren’t the reasons why I was attracted to him. I loved him because he was kind and strong…like a knight.

And tonight, it felt like we became closer…It was as if he reciprocated a similar feeling back to me…

It made my heart skip a beat.

“Well, if that’s the case, then keep these words at heart. It’s the same kind of advice I gave to your sisters when they met their husbands.”

“What is it?” I asked.

“Always do the things that makes you happy…because if a man who sees your smile, smiles back, it simply shows that he sees you and nothing else.”

“I don’t get it…”

“What I mean is that just do what you’ve always done. It seems that your truest self is strong enough to grab on to Thill’s attention.”

“So be true to myself?” I asked.

“Exactly! A man who sees the value in an honest woman will be the fastest way they connect in the strings of fate!”

”…Right.”

“Also, although I haven’t said my thanks to him yet…do you think you can invite him and his family over tomorrow?”

“Thank him for what?” I asked.

“Well…I want to repay him back for saving your life from those bandits. I couldn’t say it before because I was so caught up over his work…anyway, invite him and his family over, this time, I would like to properly thank him for everything he has done for this family.”

“I’ll be sure to invite him tonight.” she said.

“Good, because I’m not the only one with intentions.”

“What? What do you mean?”

“Your sister and brother-in-law wanted to see him in action.”

“What?!”

“Don’t you see the way he presented himself? He’s a warrior that’s more confident than just some adventurer in the guild. I can see it in his eyes… and Eliana wanted to exchange swords with him to see just how skillful he is. Take this opportunity to see just how gifted this person is.”

“I already know just how great he is…I’ve seen him slay a dragon!”

“And if you compared his skills to your sister, do you think he can defeat her?”

“I don’t know…unlike you or sister Eliana, I’m not a fighting obsessed freak!”

“That hurts…”

“…anyway, I have to go.”

“Hmm, where are you going?”

“I’m going to take a stroll to the village. It’s been a hectic day and I just want to clear my mind for a bit.”

As I left my home, I made my way across the fields.

The sun was already setting and I could see a lot of people by the streets waving hello to me. As I waved back, I noticed that from the distance, I could find Theresa with Thalia by the bakery, buying some bread.

Feeling excited, I approached them.

“Hello Theresa, Thalia.”

“Oh, Evelyn…what are you doing here at this hour?” asked Theresa.

“I just came by to take a stroll…the event is finally over and I just wanted to take a break from everything.” I said as I let out a long sigh of relief.

“Hmm, its sad that the event ended in a rather abrupt way. I’ve wanted to see the armor in action. Big bro wanted to show it in front for everyone to see.” said Thalia.

“Oh don’t worry…your brother was able to perform the skills of the armor in front of my family.”

“But he couldn’t show it to everyone else which was a shame.” added Thalia.

“Well…there were a few reasons for that. Trust me, its better for everyone here in the village if they didn’t know anything about the armor your brother made.

“…f you say so.”

“Speaking of your brother, where is he? Did you meet him along the way?” I asked.

“We did, he went and took a stroll to by the river. He said that he wanted to be alone for a bit.” said Theresa.

“Why? Did something happen to him?”

“I don’t know…he didn’t look troubled.”

“…I see.”

“But if you want to make sure for yourself, why not go to him?” suggested Theresa.

“Yeah…I’m sure he’s feeling lonely right now.” said Thalia playfully.

“?!”

Feeling a bit troubled, I made my way to the river.

As I arrived, I saw him skipping rocks while sitting near the water.

I watched him as he was alone by the river…

Soon enough, he skipped five rocks. After that, he stood up and puts his hand over his hair…clinching them after for a bit, as if he was contemplating about something.

He looked troubled.

I couldn’t watch anymore… so I paced myself to him.

As I got near, he turned his head my way…

“…Thill.”

“Evelyn.”

“What are you doing here?” I asked.

“Nothing…I jut wanted to be alone. What about you? Don’t you want to be with your family? This is the first time you get to spend your time with them after a long time…”

“It’s fine, they’ll be staying over for a couple of days to help me get started with the agriculture project.”

“…I see. It’s good that you have a kind family to rely on.”

“Yes, I was lucky to be born an Amber.” I admitted.

“We’re all lucky in some way or the other…but at some point in our lives, we’ll come across a few bad moments.” he said as a tone of conflict was noticed.

“Did something to you?” I asked.

“…No, but I’m just reminded of how lucky I really am. I earned this life…” with an emphasis on his last statement, he stared at a rock that was on his hands with such contempt. So much so that he clinched his fist and crushed the rock into smaller bits.

“A-Are you sure you’re okay?” I asked as I was surprised by his sudden action.

“I’m fine…I just wanted to vent my anger for a bit.”

After that, he dropped the rock he crushed into the river.

“What about you? Why are you here?” he asked.

“Well, I wanted to take a break after the event, but also…I was looking for you.”

“Why?”

“My father wanted me to invite you and your entire family to eat at our home for dinner.”

“…Is this about the armor?”

“No, he wanted to thank you for everything you did for the family…”

“I didn’t really do much though…”

“But you did…you did so much for me. I can’t thank you enough for everything you’ve done for me since the start…”

“…”

“I’ve told you this before, but I’m very impatient when it comes to my wishes and desires. The desire to complete the project given to me by my father was only completed thank to you…”

“How does that correlate to me?” he asked.

”Because of you saving my life, I was able to prove myself to my father, and because of how you slayed a dragon, you have saved this village which in turn rescued the project as well…and to add to it, you gave me the offer of handling the dragon’s corpse which was already a treasure in itself which then gave result to you creating an armor that was worth ten times more than the dragon itself…Thill, you’ve done so much for me even if you consider it little. To me, I can’t think of any way to ever repay you…I can’t.”

“Evelyn…”

I ranted to him about everything that I felt as a person…a person who knew clearly well, she loved the one in front of her…

“I don’t want to be seen as someone who could not repay a helping hand ten times over…and especially not by someone like you…right now, my only remaining selfish desire is…you.”

“…Haha, that’s funny. For someone who has everything, for someone so lucky to be born in a merchant family, you’re very selfish, you know that?”

“I am… a very…very…” as I continued speaking, I slowly made my way close ot him.

“…very…” before long, my face felt his warm chest.

“…very selfish person.”

And from then on, I nervously lifted my head to look him in the eye.

We both looked to each other with such an intimate moment, before I knew it, I leaned my lips in to his…

We kissed…

It was soft…

Emotional…

Tender…

I just wanted to say my thanks, but it went so far than I could have imagined…

And surprisingly enough, he didn’t take a step back.

This person…Thill Cicial…I love him so much.