The Return of the Limited-Time Sword Master

Chapter 108: Scene of Harmony (8)

The two adventurers, spotting Armand and Paolo, could barely contain their excitement and started bouncing with enthusiasm.

However, that excitement quickly faded when they spotted Martin standing between the two elders. Martin smiled and approached them.

“Hello there.”

“Y-Y-Young Master!” the red-haired adventurer stammered.

“We swear, we won’t tell anyone about what happened here!” the black-haired adventurer added, his face going pale.

Martin, unaffected by their alarm, slipped his arms around both of them in a friendly embrace, causing their faces to turn an even deeper shade of blue with anxiety.

“What are your names?”

“R-Rothar!”

“Winfried!”

“Relax,” Martin said with a light chuckle. “I don’t plan to do anything to you two. In fact, I’m glad you’re here as witnesses.”

With that, Martin sat down on the ground, gesturing for the two to join him. After exchanging nervous glances, Rothar and Winfried carefully sat beside him.

“I just have one request for you,” Martin continued. “It’s simple enough, so there’s no need to worry.”

“Say the word!” they exclaimed in unison.

Martin smirked. “Everyone’s going to know these two entered the dungeon as adventurers. But as for their strength—don’t speak a word about it. Deal?”

“We won’t say a thing!” Rothar and Winfried replied, voices filled with determination.

Satisfied, Martin patted both of their shoulders. “Good. Now that you’re here, stick around and watch closely. Especially pay attention to that hammer—its power is something special, just like the staff that Elder Armand wields.”

“Yes, sir!” they replied again, their voices brimming with eagerness.

Meanwhile, Paolo readied his hammer from his subspace.

“Kiiiek!”

“Keeek!”

Following the path Armand’s spell had carved, goblins began to gather, their murderous instincts undeterred by the sheer power they had just witnessed.

Paolo shook his head as he watched them swarm. “Still so many of them after that blast. And all that killing intent… no wonder they call this place a cradle of monsters.”

“It explains why humans are so strong, training in a place like this,” Armand noted. “I’m grateful to the young master for granting us access, despite the added responsibilities it brings him.”

Paolo nodded, then stepped forward confidently. Beyren powered up the mana measuring device in anticipation.

Thud.

With each step Paolo took, the ground rumbled, sending tremors that caused the goblins to stumble and lose their balance.

With a swift kick-off, Paolo leaped high into the air, purely through his physical strength, ascending dozens of meters before channeling his mana into his hammer.

A deep indigo light enveloped the hammer’s head, layering it in dense mana. Then he added a special touch.

‘Got to help promote the merchandise.’

A bright flash emanated from the hammer, with the aura spreading out, making the indigo glow even brighter and larger.

“Haaap!”

Right before hitting the ground, Paolo released his mana through his entire body, allowing him to suspend momentarily in mid-air. Then he swung his hammer with all his might.

BOOM!

The deafening crash reverberated throughout the area.

Rothar and Winfried watched in pure awe.

Though the blast radius was smaller than Armand’s, the depth of the crater left by Paolo’s strike was staggering, digging dozens of meters into the ground.

“You both train in martial arts, don’t you?” Martin asked with a smile. “That’s the path a true warrior pursues. Where mages focus on expanding their reach, warriors work to increase their strength at a single point. It’s the difference between width and depth.”

“Thank you for the wisdom, Young Master!” Rothar and Winfried exclaimed, voices full of gratitude.

Martin patted them again. “Don’t think of it as anything grand. Now, did you both get a good look at those weapons?”

The two adventurers nodded vigorously, eyes wide with amazement. Martin leaned in and lowered his voice.

“In about two weeks, the shop I’m setting up will open. It’ll have all sorts of items crafted by elves and dwarves, but the main focus will be weapons. Not every item will be as powerful as theirs, of course, but the magic-enhancing effects on the elven weapons and the aura-amplifying power of dwarven weapons… they’re something else.”

“That’s incredible!”

“They could rival the best the Smith’s Guild or Arcane Engineering Guild have to offer!”

“Exactly,” Martin said. “Spread the word. You can share the power of the weapons, but not their personal strengths.”

“Understood!”

“Leave it to us!”

“Excellent. And don’t forget, there’s a reward in it for you, too,” Martin said, holding his fingers together in a money gesture. Rothar and Winfried’s faces lit up with excitement.

‘Kurt always said you need good promotion to sell products and plenty of positive talk around it,’ Martin thought, pleased.

Seeing their eager reactions, he was confident the story would spread across the city in no time.

“Elder Paolo also scored S-rank. Congratulations to both of you on becoming adventurers,” Beyren announced.

“Please look after our people,” Paolo replied.

“Of course. I’ll oversee it personally and get you both your adventurer certificates back at the guild.”

Paolo nodded with a satisfied smile.

Beyren then turned to Martin. “Young Master, you’ve reached the eighth circle as well, and with your achievements—defeating Heinz Schwarzenbeck and Mateus von Gustin—you’re eligible for S-rank registration right away.”

“I’ll do that once the new year starts,” Martin replied. “I’ll be back in the dungeon soon enough anyway.”

“Understood. I’ll coordinate with the Adalbert Estate to make the necessary preparations.”

“Thanks.”

With that, they returned above ground, and two weeks passed.

—

True to their word, Rothar and Winfried spread the story far and wide.

Initially, there were many doubters. But suspicions quickly faded when neither the Adalbert family nor Varehein City made any move to censor the story that two adventurers had even seen Martin there.

Word spread swiftly across the empire: the elven and dwarven weapons were indeed of extraordinary quality, along with a variety of other items crafted by these mysterious races.

The allure of these items ignited a deep desire in many, and the true strength of that desire was evident on the opening day of the two stores.

“There’s quite a crowd here,” Martin commented with a smile.

“That’s only natural,” Kurt replied, matching his calm tone.

Not only was the entire area surrounding the stores packed with people from every corner of the empire, but the throngs jostled and clashed subtly, each eager to push their way in sooner.

“Those two really went all over the place, spreading the word,” Martin observed, noticing Rothar and Winfried, the two adventurers who had promoted the stores. They were in the crowd, pushing their way forward, their eyes alight with barely contained excitement.

Kurt nodded, “Yes, so I gave them a generous reward.”

“Generous is an understatement. Judging by how far people traveled to get here, they’re confident they can afford it despite the high price tags,” Martin chuckled.

“Well, that reward is nothing compared to what we’ll make. Besides, being stingy with rewards tends to backfire later,” Kurt replied.

Just then, excited voices echoed through the crowd.

“It’s Helmut Breiner, the Thunderbow!”

“And Bernd Kalz, the Storm Spear! And Paul Oberat, the Moonlight Sword!”

Famous A-rank adventurers who roamed the dungeons across the Altaria Empire were making their appearances, and the crowd buzzed with energy.

Their strength and renown were on par with that of Christian Havertz, who was likely to become the next elder of the Adalbert family.

Besides them, numerous other well-known adventurers and even retainers of prestigious noble families began to appear.

“It’d be fantastic if these weapons could reel some of them in,” Martin said with a smirk.

“No matter how impressive the elven and dwarven items are, you don’t think they’d actually come over to our side just for that, do you?” Kurt replied, amused.

Martin chuckled, “Not really—but I can dream.”

At that moment, the sound of heavy bells echoed through the square. It was noon, and the long-anticipated opening was at hand.

Right on cue, the doors to the two neighboring shops, “Fairy’s Cradle” and “Dwarf’s Stronghold,” opened wide.

Step, step.

Armand and Paolo emerged.

“It’s really an elf and a dwarf!” someone shouted.

“So, the rumors were true!”

“How does the Young Master do it? Destroying the slave markets was one thing, but bringing in these notoriously reclusive people?!”

The crowd exploded in excitement, now utterly convinced that the rumors about these exotic weapons were true as well.

Armand stepped forward and addressed the gathering. “Welcome, humans, to Fairy’s Cradle and Dwarf’s Stronghold. I am Armand, the owner of Fairy’s Cradle.”

“I am Paolo, in charge of Dwarf’s Stronghold. We’re here to inform you of one key rule.”

“Items like tea leaves, fruit wine, beer, and potions are limited to three items per person,” Armand explained.

“For elven and dwarven weapons, each person may purchase only one item. Prices are non-negotiable, and any disturbances will be dealt with by the Adalbert family’s White Dragon and Golden Dragon Knights,” Paolo added.

Most adventurers didn’t even fully register the rules—they were too focused on Armand and Paolo as they stepped aside to make way for the crowd.

“Get out of my way!”

“You move first!”

Everyone was shoving, fighting tooth and nail to get inside. The first lucky few who managed to enter Dwarf’s Stronghold were stunned.

The spacious interior had racks brimming with various weapons, each item gleaming faintly, indicating that these were no ordinary weapons. Against one wall stood rows of barrels, each filled with the dwarves’ famous beer.

“You can touch and examine the items, even channel a bit of mana into them!” a dwarf employee shouted.

“But don’t use aura or swing the weapons!” another dwarf called out. “And don’t try to leave the shop with any items!”

“You can only sample the beer once. Anyone ignoring the rules will be reported to the Adalbert family!”

These dwarves were known for their pride, and it was surprising to hear them relying on the Adalbert name, but no one dared challenge them.

Instead, the adventurers focused on examining the items, keeping their excitement in check.

“It’s perfect!” shouted an adventurer gripping a longsword. The weight and balance felt as if the weapon had been made specifically for him. When he channeled a bit of mana, the blade lit up instantly, responding with remarkable speed.

“I have to buy this,” he thought, glancing down at the price tag.

But his excitement quickly faded as he saw the price. Hoping for better luck, he checked other weapons, but his heart sank each time.

“Ten gold… for each one…?”

For most people in the empire, even silver coins were rarely seen, let alone gold ones. While Varehein was wealthier than other cities, few people here dealt in gold on a regular basis.

Ten gold was comparable to a weapon crafted by a renowned human master. Even for adventurers, the price was steep, though those in the upper ranks would find it worth it.

“Well, if I can’t buy a weapon, at least I can get some of that beer,” he thought as he made his way further inside.

“Think they’ll complain about the prices?” Martin asked, watching from outside.

“No, I doubt it,” Kurt replied. “The quality’s top-notch. These prices are comparable to what master craftsmen charge for their best work, and there are even more expensive items we haven’t put out yet.”

“You mean the auction items?” Martin asked.

Kurt nodded, “Yes. When the time’s right, they’ll go up for auction.”

“Excellent.”

Martin watched the crowds with satisfaction.

‘Looks like this year will be a busy one.’

With the first goal achieved, it was time to move on to the next phase. His vision was to elevate the Adalbert family’s influence beyond that of the other three noble houses and even the royal family, creating an unmatched legacy.

The dream he couldn’t realize in his past life—this time, he would see it come to fruition.