I swear, I only swung the sword a few times, and suddenly the whole blacksmith’s shop turned into a disaster zone.

Everyone’s gaze, including mine, instantly turned to confusion as we watched the building crumble in an instant.

‘… Didn’t you say you understood my intentions?’

What on earth did you interpret that a few swings of the sword would result in this? I just wanted to deal with that scammer dwarf reasonably.

I glared again at the fraudster, who stood there with a dazed look, staring at what used to be his blacksmith’s shop.

“W-What the hell are you doing?!”

He squeaked, his voice trembling.

But Lucy, as usual, wore her calm face and replied, “I simply swung the sword, as you said we could test it.”

Her words were pure nonsense, considering the reality where his workshop had instantly turned into a giant heap of junk.

“I’ll report this to the guards right away! You’ve really made a mistake!” the dwarf shouted, turning a lovely shade of maroon.

Of course, dwarves are somewhat high-ranking folks. If he reports it, the guards would show up immediately.

But whether they could handle Lucy—or even me for that matter—was questionable. Still, getting officially wanted by the Empire wasn’t the best situation.

“Is that so? I’m not sure about that,” Lucy said, stepping closer to the dwarf.

Before I could suggest we leave to avoid more trouble, she continued, “We aren’t fools. We wouldn’t walk around without some camouflage magic, would we?”

She said it with a deadpan face that left me speechless. That was some top-tier bluffing.

Lucy had deftly cut off any possibility of a report with her simple trick.

“Moreover, even if you call the guards, it would take quite a while for them to reach here…”

While saying this, Lucy grabbed a sword.

In that moment, the sword strike occurred in the blink of an eye.

It was a swift stroke that felt like the sword had never been sheathed at all.

In an instant, the dwarf’s signature feature—his beard—was sliced clean off.

“I can assure you, no guards will ensure your safety,” she said, her serious tone contrasting with the dwarf’s pale complexion.

“Thus, it seems to me that I’m not the one who made a mistake here; it’s you.”

As she declared this while looking down at the crumpled fraudster, it surely was a complete shutdown.

At least now the scammer had no chance of sticking to me.

“Lucy, please try not to resort to extreme measures.”

But this was bordering on frighteningly effective. I called out her name, warning her not to go overboard.

“Understood, my lord. Don’t worry; I’m fully aware of why you’re here.”

Saying so, Lucy’s eyes shimmered with resolve.

She picked up a small dagger that was lying around and tossed it.

“Yikes!”

The dwarf let out a yelp, sounding like a five-year-old girl.

Given the situation, it made complete sense. He was just browsing, came to see what was going on, and as soon as he turned to leave, a dagger brushed past his head.

“I don’t recall giving you permission to leave. Please cooperate so I don’t have to use violent means.”

The other dwarves, who had also come to spectate, were caught in the midst of the debacle.

Yet not a single one voiced a complaint.

In fact, anyone who would dare to resist after witnessing such a scene would be downright bizarre.

So an uncomfortable silence hung in the air for what felt like ages.

Breaking that silence was…

“P-Pick this up!”

It was another rather sly-looking dwarf.

He had been sneaking glances around, finally spotting me and handing over a hefty bag.

Inside were… shiny gold bars that seemed to shout, “Hello! I’m gold!”

“My bad for not realizing things have changed around here. I’ll humbly ask for your pardon. I wasn’t aware that new organizations had arrived…”

That line.

As soon as I heard it, my head started spinning.

This was obviously protection money.

The kind that gangsters extort.

It was clear they saw us as some kind of major crime organization.

Confirming my thoughts, other dwarves cautiously rummaged through their pockets.

Slowly, they gathered, looking to pay me off.

“No, thanks. I didn’t come here for this,” I said.

It wasn’t a small amount of money, but I wasn’t so desperate for cash that I’d do scummy things for it. Naturally, I said as much.

But they wouldn’t take no for an answer.

They kept trying to stuff my pockets, insisting I accept it, promising to treat me well in the future.

I shot Lucy a look, pleading for her to handle this…

“Stop! Are you insulting my lord? He isn’t here for those petty motives. Don’t tarnish his noble intentions.”

I regretted it almost immediately.

I had clearly picked the wrong person to help me.

“Noble intentions?”

I was just out shopping while looking for the Holy Sword. What’s with the grandiosity?

What on earth was she thinking? I watched her with worried eyes.

“Don’t worry. I know why my lord has come to the infamous blacksmith’s street.”

Again, she mentioned the ‘infamous’ blacksmith street.

That part rubbed me the wrong way.

A strange intuition washed over me. I felt like I was missing something important.

Quickly, I enhanced my vision and hearing with mana.

I looked beyond this mess, toward a distance where people were still blissfully unaware of what had just happened.

Observing the ordinary scenes of the blacksmith’s street.

And then…

My face flushed with shock.

—What in the world are you doing? I just asked a price!

—I don’t look like someone to satisfy customer curiosities, do I?! This is really making me mad. Just follow me!

Maybe over there…

—W-Wait, I’m just going to look somewhere else!

—Do you think it’s any different here? Don’t you trust what I’m saying?!

Over yonder…

—This is a load of nonsense! I just touched it once, and you want me to pay up?!

—Ha… Customer, do you want to get slapped?

No matter where I looked, I was met with scenes that made my head spin.

It was weird yet oddly familiar.

So to put it simply…

‘Why is Yongsan here?!’

Somehow, the blacksmith’s street had turned into a bizarre electronic market between the ten years.

Naturally, a headache began to creep in.

Dwarves were supposed to be more serious than they were here.

They had that artisan spirit of not taking jobs unless they were worthy despite huge sums offered.

Seeing them in the previous work, I just couldn’t wrap my mind around this transformation.

But no matter how many times I rubbed my eyes, the scenery didn’t change.

‘… Did they fall for the lure of money and collectively debase themselves?’

Having lived in a reclusive society and starting to connect with the outside world about a decade ago, they might have gotten too caught up in the social waters.

The romanticized blacksmith street had now devolved into a fantasy version of an electronics market.

As I struggled to hide my shock, Lucy kept speaking.

“Everyone looks like they feel wronged. They think they’ve been caught even though they did nothing.”

With that, she proceeded to show them the crimes they had committed.

Lucy pulled a shield from a nearby blacksmith.

Then… dropped it.

Though she didn’t drop it hard, it deformed oddly.

That was barely durable enough to be called a shield.

“In battle, even the smallest thing can determine life or death. That’s why people spend gold to acquire good gear.”

With those words, Lucy glared fiercely at the dwarves.

“But you have toyed with such matters.”

Using cheap materials to save on costs. Intentionally selling cursed weapons to profit from repairs.

You prioritize filling your own stomachs over people’s lives.

“Killing someone directly isn’t the only way to commit murder. You have taken lives for your own greed.”

For some reason, with a slightly sorrowful look, mentioning that killing isn’t solely about taking lives, Lucy paused and continued…

“Therefore normally, you should die right here.”

She swore she would not let innocent people die because of their negligence again.

If they continued these murderous acts, she would see no other choice. Lucy calmly declared this.

However, nobody intended to escape from there.

They all understood that any resistance was pointless. Facing someone overwhelmingly powerful, they all recognized it.

As the atmosphere descended into awful silence and despair, Lucy spoke again.

“But my lord is merciful. He believes that sinners should not be dealt with violently.”

I may have said something like that, but that wasn’t what I meant.

“Therefore, choose.”

But without giving me a chance to clarify, Lucy pulled out a contract.

The kind used for slave contracts.

A tool abused for contracts that wholly ignore one party’s rights.

“Will you die by my hand here, or will you graciously accept the chance for redemption provided by my merciful lord?”

All eyes turned to me.

They looked at me like I was the insane villain behind all this.

…I could tell nobody would believe me if I tried to deny it.