Lord: Starting from a Goblin Nest

”The Double Lion Crown! You dare carve the Imperial family’s crest on armor you forged yourself?!”

Ron saw from the side that the tips of the Half-Elf’s ears were flushed red. She looked genuinely angry.

”When I get back, I’m reporting this! For the Imperial family’s crest to appear in a backwater like this is a grave insult to the Elves!”

”You...” The blacksmith was dumbfounded. He never dreamed that here in Fromm Town, he’d meet someone who could actually recognize it, someone who could reveal the origin of his shop’s ”crown jewel” in a single sentence.

”But... how is that possible?” The blacksmith looked at Aive in disbelief. ”No Elf has ever come to my shop—”

”That’s because they wouldn’t deign to purchase equipment here!” Aive’s tone and posture were incredibly intimidating. ”You just happened to run into me today. If it had been a true Elf from the Hailan Empire, you wouldn’t have escaped with your life!”

”The humans would never fall out with the Elves over some clueless fool like you, understand?”

”Now, tell me, where exactly did you get this armor?”

”F-From a battlefield!” The blacksmith raised his hands, trying to calm her down, but he didn’t know where to start and could only blurt out the truth. ”My grandfather wasn’t an apprentice to some Dwarf. He was a deserter.”

”Many years ago, during a conflict between humans and Elves, he played dead and survived. The body of this armor’s original owner had fallen right next to him.”

”He was scared out of his wits and never dared to go out again. He started studying the forging techniques on this piece of armor and managed to learn a few things. My father and I learned the craft from him!”

”Hmph. Smart of you to come clean...” Aive’s tone softened slightly, and the blacksmith let out a sigh of relief.

”Seeing as you told the truth, I won’t hold you responsible,” the Half-Elf said, as if she were a pure-blooded, noble Elf from the Empire. ”But I’ll be taking this Chest Armor. Do you have any objections?”

”N-No.” The blacksmith cursed inwardly but dared not show any of it on his face.

’It wasn’t his family’s property to begin with. If she made a scene, even if I went to the town mayor, I’d probably have to give in to her. Besides, if this really blew up, the reputation my family has built over three generations would be ruined by me.’

’From an apprentice to a master Dwarven craftsman to a battlefield deserter? What a joke!’

”Very good,” Aive nodded in satisfaction. ”Go on, find me a tabard and grab a Longsword—what about you two? Anything you want?”

”Nothing for me.” Ron waved his hand. He had no use for these chunks of iron.

”I want this!” Delaford was not so polite. He pointed a finger at a Chain Armor Shirt hanging up high, which was clearly made for someone of a smaller build.

The blacksmith clearly had a bit of a mean streak, hanging it so high like that.

”You can wear that?” Aive raised an eyebrow. ’Don’t tell me this guy isn’t a Wanderer.’

”Alright, alright. You, take that down too! How much for everything?”

”Don’t worry, we’re not going to bully you. Just give us the normal price. The *’normal price,’* got it?”

”That’ll be... twenty—no, no, no, fifteen Gold Coins!” The blacksmith’s heart bled as he named the price.

’That Chain Armor Shirt alone is worth more than that! It should be at least twenty-five Gold Coins!’

’And that’s not even counting the sword, the tabard, and the Chest Armor! Even with a discount, it should have been 250 Gold Coins. If I sold that Chest Armor as an antique, I could have easily doubled the price!’

’I’m taking a massive loss! Why did I have such rotten luck? Why did I have to display that thing right out in the open?’

While he was drowning in regret, Aive was absolutely delighted. She even took Ron and Delaford to the tailor shop next door to get new sets of clothes before finally putting on the Chest Armor.

Ron changed into a black cloth robe and watched coolly as Aive put on the dark green tabard. It was made of silk, with gold embroidery on the cuffs and hem.

The Half-Elf seemed to casually shake out the tabard, which ”just happened” to cover the crest on her shoulder.

’Just as I thought.’ Ron confirmed his suspicions. The Half-Elf Maiden wasn’t some loyal supporter of the Hailan Empire. She just liked the Chest Armor and didn’t have the money for it.

’So she just bluffed and blackmailed the blacksmith to get it for free.’

When the group emerged from the blacksmith’s shop, they looked completely different. Aive had her pale gold hair tied up behind her head. Dressed in armor with a Longsword at her hip, she cut a gallant figure. Delaford wore a dark gray linen cloak, its hood concealing his face. Beneath it was a Chain Armor Shirt, and on his back were a weathered shortbow and quiver. Combined with his slightly stooped posture, a single glance was enough to identify him as a seasoned Adventurer, one accustomed to traversing the shadows and the wilderness.

As for Ron?

Although both his appearance and attire were unremarkable, with these two ”guardians” flanking him and implicitly treating him as their leader, could he possibly be an ordinary person?

”It’s a good thing that owner is a local who was born and raised here, completely clueless,” Aive giggled, quite pleased with today’s ”transaction.” ”He’s so out of touch!”

”In what way?” Ron couldn’t help but ask. Although he could tell from her performance that Aive had been bluffing, he didn’t know the specific details of her deception.

But he was very interested in hearing the story.

”The part about the Hailan Empire, of course. You didn’t know?” Aive blinked. ”The Hailan Empire fell almost a hundred years ago!”

”The Hailan Empire was a slave-owning dynasty with no morals. They enslaved humans, Dwarves, and even other Elves, which made them countless enemies. After just a few hundred years, it vanished into thin air, becoming the shortest-lived regime in the history of Elves on this continent.”

”The battle that blacksmith’s grandfather was in was probably a campaign to wipe out a group of Hailan Remnants trying to restore the empire. My mother participated as a longbowman in both the resistance against the Hailan Empire and the campaigns against the Remnants. I grew up listening to these stories, so I’m pretty familiar with their crest.”

”So, in a way, you were actually doing him a favor?”

’Sounds like this Hailan Empire is basically something everyone despises.’

”Of course! Remember those Elves next door? If they saw it, they’d definitely blow this whole thing out of proportion!”

”Hee hee, *Human Poses as Elf in an Attempt to Restore the Notorious Hailan Empire!* That would be front-page news in Rose City.”

”The Hailan Empire... to think someone still remembers that name.”

Just as Ron and Aive were chatting idly, a stranger who had just walked past them suddenly took a few steps back, staring at them with a pair of intensely enthusiastic black eyes.

His canine teeth were exceptionally sharp, and his eyes had no visible irises or pupils.

If Ron recalled correctly, he had seen this person at the town gate yesterday afternoon—