If it was revealed, you would be at the mercy of the other party, causing unnecessary expenditure.
But this was adamant. The ore he desperately needed for his grand plan after obtaining mithril.
It was worth getting even if it meant taking a small loss.
'Besides, it's Aint after all.'
He had planned to continuously support Aint anyway. If he could openly support him on the pretext of obtaining adamant, it would be even better.
"Yes, I'll buy it."
"Then..."
"This time, let me ask."
But his merchant instinct protruded unconsciously.
"How much were you thinking of asking for?"
***
A week passed in an instant. No significant incidents occurred after the water dragon, and Gerhard returned to his office and spread out papers.
'Adamant, huh.'
When Aint first mentioned it, Gerhard momentarily lost his composure. It was inevitable given the item.
Besides the value of adamant, he never dreamed that Aint, who had lost the mithril, would bring adamant instead.
'It's unlikely he had adamant from the beginning. If he did, he would have used or sold it long ago.'
He must have obtained it recently.
To have the mithril stolen but get adamant instead.
Is this the hero's luck that the prophecy book spoke of, the one who would stop the demon?
He couldn't help but chuckle, but this was by no means a bad situation for Gerhard.
'If I alloy mithril with adamant, I can create the ideal I've been aiming for.'
His hand holding the pen moved faster. There was no hesitation in his strokes as he drew what he had been thinking about for a long time.
'Did my actions influence things this time too?'
Despite being as careful as possible, he must have slipped up somewhere. That's why Aint found adamant, and the water dragon burst out of the lake.
He was quite surprised, but thankfully things had worked out well.
No, as a result, he had gained not only mithril but also adamant, so it was actually a gain.
'What kind of place was it? An underground underwater cave with both mithril and adamant?'
Perhaps there were other minerals as well. Gerhard, who decided to check again later, saw the water dragon screaming in pain.
Indeed, the Academy professors were top-tier fighters anywhere, and even a spirit creature had no answer against their combined attack.
It just took a little time due to its sturdy build matching its huge body, but it looked like it would soon collapse.
'Using the water dragon's mana hole as a core wouldn't be bad, no, it would be the best method.'
For a spirit creature that could move such a large body and use the power of breath, its mana hole would be extraordinary.
It might not be as good as the hearts of dragons, called the masters of magic, but it would at least be more efficient than using top-grade magic stones.
'Then I should buy it. Within the Academy, what professors catch is used for their private interests. Eight or nine times out of ten, it goes to research lab subsidies.'
The professors would mobilize their connections to seek potential buyers.
'I need a lot of money. I can't handle this alone.'
It wasn't just a matter of money.
He needed the power of his family to use mithril and adamant. With his current manpower, he couldn't smelt the two minerals.
'I should visit my family soon.'
He wasn't worried about persuading the duke. The mithril was in his hands, and the adamant would soon be...
"...I've returned, Young Master."
Gerhard's contemplation was interrupted. When he stopped his hand and looked forward, Hyde was standing there with a slightly tired appearance.
"Hyde? When did you arrive?"
"About an hour ago."
"An hour?"
When he checked outside the window, darkness had already fallen.
"Why didn't you call me right away?"
"You seemed deeply immersed, so I waited, but glancing at the content, it seemed like you wouldn't sleep tonight, so I called you."
"Good job."
Indeed, his body was quite stiff, probably because he had been focused for a long time.
'To forget the flow of time.'
He must have been excited by the appearance of mithril and adamant.
"Did you finish the errand well?"
"Yes. I completed everything. But if it's not presumptuous, may I ask about that? Is it what I think it is?"
"Yes."
"...The materials seemed quite unrealistic."
At this expected reaction, Gerhard smirked and replied.
"Unrealistic?"
"Constructing a body with mithril and adamant. It's impossible."
Given the rarity and value of mithril and adamant, this was natural.
"The Golden Pillar doesn't have that much money. Even the Duke wouldn't allow it. Above all, I doubt whether so much of these two ores could be obtained."
"Do you really think so?"
"Yes, I do."
"What if I've already obtained them?"
"Pardon?"
Gerhard opened his spatial storage. Soon, dozens of boxes were stacked neatly in the spacious office.
"Open them."
"...Is it what I'm thinking? That's impossible, so many..."
"Judge after opening."
Hyde swallowed dryly and carefully opened a box. And his mouth gaped at the beauty of the blue-green light softly emanating.
"Is this also...?"
This one, that one. All the boxes were packed full of mithril.
"Th-this is unbelievable...! Where on earth did you get all this?"
"I mined it myself."
"What?"
"This is all mithril. And I plan to acquire this much adamant soon."
To be precise, he was buying it, but considering the market price of adamant, it was almost like getting it for free.
"No, I'm confused right now, what exactly are you saying?"
"You can't believe it even after seeing it with your own eyes. Hyde, that's not like you."
"...No."
Hyde blankly repeated "no."
"...Fine. Since the mithril is right before my eyes, I'll concede and believe you mined it. But what do you mean by buying adamant? Who's selling a similar amount of adamant?"
"To be precise, I'm not simply buying it with money, but becoming an investor..."
Since it would be a bit complicated to explain, Gerhard just changed the subject.
"That's not what's important, Hyde. This is."
Gerhard handed over the paper, the blueprint he had been drawing in a trance.
"As you know, I've always had a question."
Knights had their horses as partners.
Elves had spirits as friends.
Companions they could always trust and rely on.
"But why don't merchants have such things?"
Hyde couldn't bring himself to counter that it would be stranger for merchants to have such things in the first place.
His shock at the enormous amount of mithril and adamant had not yet subsided, and he was overwhelmed by Gerhard's bursting momentum.
"...So you're finally going to create this? With this incredible amount of mithril and adamant?"
"Yes. If I'm making it, I should make it as solid and sturdy as possible."
Especially since a war with demons was foretold in the future.
"This is an object that requires a tremendous amount of money and the entirety of magical engineering."
Therefore, it was a monster that only truly wealthy merchants could create, making it perfectly suited for merchants.
"It's the merchant's partner I've been dreaming of for a long time."
Also, a reliable bodyguard who would protect him in the terrible age of rampant demons, and a technological advancement that would solve all the problems until now.
"An ultra-giant Ego Golem that possesses self-awareness and moves on its own."
"...That really is an enormous expense... but, does it have to be this big?"
"Because it looks cool."
Nod. Hyde agreed without even realizing it.