Raine and Lutz arrived at the underground warehouse, carrying the delivered magic stones.

Raine compared the two pieces of paper handed to him by Lutz.

One was the appraisal certificate for the magic stones Lutz had purchased, indicating the rank of the stones.

The other was the appraisal certificate for the magic stones delivered by Siegfried, which also listed their ranks.

“This is amazing... Not a single drop in rank,” Raine remarked.

A drop in rank referred to the degradation in quality of an item after it was refined, compared to before. This could be influenced by the skills of the alchemist or the catalysts used, and was not uncommon.

“Colonel, are these certificates authentic?” Lutz asked.

“If they were fake, it would result in the revocation of the license,” Raine replied sternly.

The penalties for falsification were severe.

“However, it's remarkable that there isn’t a single drop in rank... I’m not very knowledgeable about alchemists, but achieving this as a third-class alchemist is impressive,” Lutz continued.

“I know a bit because my wife is an alchemist, but I’ve never heard of such a thing. Especially since I’ve heard that making magic stones is particularly difficult,” Raine mused.

And yet, Siegfried had made a hundred of them in just two days.

“Just who is this Siegfried?” Lutz wondered aloud.

“They say he is the top disciple of Claudia Zettel, known as the best alchemist in the capital,” Raine responded.

“Claudia Zettel... the witch Claudia?” Lutz exclaimed.

Claudia Zettel was one of the only three first-class alchemists in the country and the head of the Alchemists’ Guild. Recently, she had even become influential in the politics of the royal capital.

“Yes. It seems he caused some trouble in the capital and was reassigned here,” Raine explained.

“Trouble? What happened?” Lutz inquired.

“I heard from the branch manager yesterday that he is notoriously poor at communicating with people,” Raine replied.

“He didn’t seem that way to me. He spoke normally,” Lutz noted.

Siegfried seemed somewhat arrogant, but it was still within the bounds of normalcy.

“It seems he’s in training. Apparently, he genuinely believes that everyone but himself is incompetent,” Raine added.

And Siegfried wasn’t shy about showing it. Normally, even if one thought so, they would hide it.

“I-I see...” Lutz stammered.

“Lutz, you’re related to the daughter of that branch, aren’t you?” Raine asked.

“Yes, Erica is my cousin,” Lutz confirmed.

Perfect, Raine thought.

“If someone dissatisfied with the Alchemists’ Guild, like Major, handles cases like this, it could be troublesome. You become the point of contact,” Raine instructed.

“Yes, sir!” Lutz replied sharply.

Now, Raine wondered what kind of magic sword Siegfried Alexander would bring.

He was looking forward to seeing if it was worthy of Siegfried's confidence.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

Depending on the outcome, they might have to take action as well.

◆◇◆

“Lord Siegfried... Let's work on that unpleasant tone of yours,” Erica suggested.

“Sieg, I must say, calling the Colonel that is a bit much...” Helen added.

As they left the station, Erica and Helen expressed their dissatisfaction.

“I understand... But it’s his fault for belittling me,” Siegfried grumbled.

“Huh? Was he belittling you?” Erica asked, puzzled.

“I thought he was praising you...” Helen interjected.

“Where?” Siegfried questioned.

“He said I was ‘one of the top,’ didn’t he? That means there are five others on my level. There aren’t any,” Siegfried insisted.

Even His Majesty had said there was no one to match Siegfried, and his master had praised him as the greatest genius in history.

“Oh, I see...” Erica responded.

“So, that’s what you consider an insult... I’ll be careful,” Helen said, noting Siegfried's perspective.

Ugh... It seemed like Siegfried was in the wrong here.

“Yes, yes, I’m working on my personality correction with all my might. Anyway, Erica, take me to the store that sells magic ores,” Siegfried requested.

“Oh, right. We’ve received a new request. This way,” Erica guided.

The group walked through the town.

“With the current request, it’s five million, and next time it’s fifteen million... We might be able to expect a nice bonus,” Siegfried noted.

His base salary had decreased, but at least the bonuses should be substantial.

“Umm... Are you really planning to prepare an A-rank magic sword? It seemed that way,” Erica asked.

“It doesn’t matter whether it’s C or A; the effort is the same,” Siegfried replied.

“You can also make magic swords, Sieg?” Helen inquired.

“Well, yeah,” Siegfried admitted.

Actually, weapon creation was his specialty.

He’d even made guns and beam sabers, which didn’t exist in this world.

Though, of course, he could never let those see the light of day.

“That’s amazing...” Erica remarked.

“You’re good at making things too, right, Erica? Can’t you make swords as well?” Siegfried asked.

“Umm... Weapons are a bit scary for me,” Erica confessed.

Ah, Siegfried thought, I guess girls think that way.

“You like cooking, right? Why not make tools for that? I’ve made a mixer myself,” Siegfried suggested.

“That sounds good. But what’s that?” Erica asked.

“Something that mixes things,” Siegfried explained.

He had made it thinking he would make nutritional drinks, but it became unnecessary once he made supplements.

“I don’t quite understand, but please show me sometime,” Erica requested.

“Sure,” Siegfried agreed.

As they talked, they walked into a certain store.

Inside, colorful stones in wooden boxes were being sold.

“This is the store that sells magic ores, right?” Helen confirmed.

Magic ores were a general term for ores containing magic power, used to enchant swords and create magic swords.

“It’s more well-stocked than the capital,” Siegfried observed.

“There are also mines around here,” Erica added.

This town was really prosperous, Siegfried thought.

It had everything.

“Now, what should we do? Ice, water, lightning... No, a man’s magic sword must be fire,” Siegfried declared.

After all, he was a soldier.

“You’re going to make a fire magic sword?” Erica asked.

“It’s easier to understand that way. So, we’re going with a ruby,” Siegfried decided.

Looking into the wooden box filled with bright red stones, Siegfried picked them up one by one, selecting them carefully.

“Can you tell?” Erica asked.

“I told you, I have a qualification as an appraiser,” Siegfried replied.

“Um, why do you have so many qualifications? If I remember correctly, you’re also a fifth-class magician?” Erica inquired.

Impressive, right? Siegfried thought.

“Many alchemists have appraiser qualifications. For large projects, you need to appraise each material, but if you have to rely on an appraiser every time, it takes too long. That’s why we get certified to save time. And those who do tend to rise through the ranks,” Siegfried explained.

It’s only natural, given how much faster they worked.

“I see... Alchemists in the capital are amazing,” Erica commented.

“It wouldn’t hurt for you to get certified too, Erica. When you work, pay attention to the materials. You’ll naturally learn, and once you do, the exam isn’t too hard,” Siegfried advised.

“Got it. I’ll give it a try,” Erica agreed.

“You should... Alright, this ruby will do,” Siegfried concluded.

After selecting the ruby, Siegfried and the group bought the other necessary materials and returned to the branch.

Erica began the process of turning iron ore into iron, just like the previous day.

“How do you make a magic sword?” Erica asked, watching Siegfried as he placed the purchased ruby and iron ore on the table.

There were various methods, but the orthodox way, Siegfried explained, was to first make a sword from iron and then enchant it with elements extracted from the ruby.

“That sounds difficult,” Erica noted.

“It probably is, for most people,” Siegfried admitted.

But not for him.

“Hmm... Do you think I’ll be able to do it someday?” Erica asked.

“Technically, yes. But you’re afraid of weapons, right? Then don’t. Try making something similar, like a knife that can be used for cooking,” Siegfried suggested.

“That sounds both useful and not useful,” Erica replied.

“Maybe,” Siegfried acknowledged.

Well, Siegfried thought, she should think for herself.

“Oh, by the way, it’s a day off tomorrow. What will you do, Sieg? If you’d like, I can show you around the town,” Erica offered.

So, tomorrow was a holiday...

“No, I’d like to finally organize my room,” Siegfried answered.

“Oh, right. Shall I help?” Erica offered again.

Erica truly was a good person, Siegfried thought.

“Wait a moment. I’ll have a meeting,” Siegfried said.

“Okay!” Erica replied immediately, having gotten used to this.

“Helen, what do you think?” Siegfried asked Helen, who was curled up on the desk.

“It’s a good opportunity. Let’s accept her help,” Helen suggested.

“I appreciate it, too. But, it’s starting to seem like Erica is my junior or a handy assistant…” Siegfried observed.

“That’s terrible!” Erica exclaimed.

“She’s a kind person. This is about helping each other out. And when Erica is in trouble, Lord Siegfried will reach out to help her,” Helen said.

Helping each other... Siegfried considered.

“I see. Erica, let me know if you need anything,” Siegfried said.

“You’re always helping me out! You tutor me in my studies and teach me about work. I really think you’re a great person, Sieg,” Erica complimented.

She really has no sense for people, Siegfried thought.

“Is she going to be okay...? Erica, be careful not to get scammed,” Helen warned.

“That’s so mean!” Erica protested.

Yeah... Siegfried agreed with Helen.

Erica was so good-natured that he was starting to worry a bit.