"Come on Carol, can't you get me a discount?" Amanda begged from the Blacksmith's Guild's receptionist after taking her whips in to the guild to get them repaired, having totaled her backup whip as well after four whole hours of sparring, with Amanda pushing both it and herself harder and harder in order to try to keep up appearances in front of the two children, hoping to give them a good role model to work towards.
She wouldn't say she had never been more tired in her life, but it was definitely the most exhausted she had been in the last ten years. If Fran trained like that all the time, she could understand how the girl had grown to be so strong at such a young age. Even after a single day of that insane training, Amanda was starting to see results.
Nell had been shocked when Amanda had returned to the guild hall late that afternoon, informing her that almost all of her stats had gone up by more than a point since that morning and that her [Divine Whip Art] had ranked up for the first time in ten years.
Not only was the sparring intense, but Archer's instructions were amazing as well. Amanda was almost completely self-trained, and had never heard of this advanced energy manipulation exercises that used stretching and meditation to open up the flow of mana in your muscles. Just twenty minutes of stretching herself out caused Amanda to suddenly gain the [Combat Qigong] skill at its first level. And his lecture about the use of 'self-hypnosis' in magic was… confusing, but informative. Even his knowledge of the [Whip Arts] seemed to exceed Amanda's own.
Then there was the food… god the food. Archer's cooking was threatening to give Amanda an inferiority complex about her qualifications as a mother figure. It was no wonder that Art called him 'mom'.
Amanda had enjoyed and benefited from her time playing with Fran and Art, and had been convinced that Archer's unusual training methods were worth the cost… until she was actually told the cost of simply meeting the Spirit.
"Amanda, 5 million is just the cost for the Mana Crystals we would need to perform the repair. It's not even taking into account finding someone even capable of doing it." Caroline said as she looked at Amanda's priced weapon, a weapon she had for fifteen years. "You know that the material cost and difficulty of the [Repair] spell doubles every time you have to do it. You've repaired this thing so many times, and it was an expensive piece of equipment to begin with. I'm sorry, I don't know if we have a Blacksmith capable of doing the repair. You'll have to go to the Alchemist's Guild and try to buy enough Repairing Potion to fix it that way."
"You've got to be kidding, that would cost…"
"About 500 million gorudos, if you want to repair it to its top condition." Carol supplied.
500 million gorudos. Enough money to keep a hundred orphanages open for a year. It was more money than even Amanda made in five year working as an A-rank Adventurer. As much as the weapon meant to Amanda, she couldn't possibly justify the expense. If she couldn't find a Blacksmith capable of doing it with just normal Mana Crystals, it would be FAR too expensive.
If she couldn't get her main weapon fixed, it was doubtful she would be able to keep outstripping Fran and Art's growth for long. And even if she got it fixed, she would just work it into the ground again trying to keep up with the pair.
"What am I going to do?" Amanda said, letting her head flop down onto the front desk of the Blacksmith's Guild as she started to blubber like a baby about it, earning a half sigh out of Carol.
"The only Blacksmith around who might be able to fix it would be Gallus… and maybe Merlin."
"Merlin, who's he?" Amanda asked. Gallus was a familiar name, but she couldn't remember anyone named Merlin.
"That is a damn good question." Carol said with a sigh. "Honestly, we don't know who he is. All I can say is that he is a pain in my ass who popped up around two weeks ago and suddenly started to flood the market with top quality magic weapons, being sold for ridiculously low prices. Even though the Guild has made a large fortune off the guy, if his behavior continues, the economy is going to completely collapse. But the idiot doesn't even get it. He keeps insisting that the weapons he sells us are low quality. One of the weapons he sold us was a named weapon. He SOLD a goddamn NAMED WEAPON for 500,000, claiming it was a piece of crap! Can you believe that!?"
"Um… If this is a bad time, I can come back later."
Carol turned her head to see a man with bronze skin and white hair standing in the doorway of the Guild Hall, just one step in and with the door still open. "Speak of the devil. Get your ass over here Merlin. I've got something we need you to take a look at."
Amanda turned her head as the man walked into the room, letting the door close behind him. She felt like she had heard his voice somewhere before, but couldn't quite put her finger on it. When she first saw him, she thought he was a handsome individual… then she noticed how his entire body was made out of magical energy, and things clicked into place. "It you!?" Amanda shouted, pointing accusingly at the man.
While he seemed weaker than before, and his body shape didn't match, she easily recognized his magic energy. It wasn't like there were a lot of people like him walking about.
"What a surprise to run into you here." The Spirit said, not sounding surprised at all. His voice was easily recognizable now that she was paying attention. "I'm guessing you are here about repairing your weapons."
"That's right. I'm in this mess because of the weapon YOU broke. Do you know how much it is going to cost me to get it fixed?" Amanda grumbled angrily.
"I've been told I have a very loose understanding of the value of money. Besides, I did warn you that you were overworking it and you chose to ignore my advice." 'Merlin' said as he approached.
"You two know each other?" Carol asked, glancing back and forth between them.
"Sort of." The man said, glancing over at the weapon in question and shaking his head, trying to ignore the angry pout that Amanda was giving him.
"...Anyways, do you think your [Smithing Magic] is strong enough to [Repair] it?" Carol asked, while keeping a curious eye on Amanda's reaction. She usually didn't act like this except for with close friends and children.
Carol wasn't the only one looking. The guild hall wasn't empty at the moment and an A-rank Adventurer tended to attract attention.
"I do, but it would cost more resources than it's worth, and only a temporary solution at best." Archer said with a shake of the head. "While the weapon is of a passable quality, it is clear that the one who made it was focusing solely on its utility in battle and didn't spare any thought for maintainability or how hard it would actually be used. 1000 Durability isn't terrible, if you don't hammer the thing with [Elemental Weapon] and [Divine Whip Techniques]. Since whips have so little effective room for adding runes on the hilt, the one who made it shouldn't have wasted his time with [Control Weight] and instead given the weapon better resistances to Amanda's own skills. Even if I did use [Repair] on it, it would be back to this state again after ten more minutes of hard use. The best thing I can suggest is to just replace it with a more studdy one."
"...But…" Amanda mumbled her shoulders dropping.
"You're being too sentimental. A weapon is nothing more than a tool, to be used until it is no longer of any use, before being discarded and replaced." The few Blacksmiths in the room who had heard him say that immediately gave the man death glares, though their glares were nothing compared to Amanda's.
"I'm not going to discard it!" Amanda shouted at the Spirit, letting some killing intent leak out, frightening poor Carol from mere proximity. "If you aren't going to help me, I'll just find someone else who will!"
"...You're like a spoiled child who never listens." Archer said with a tired sigh, not at all intimidated, before looking to the receptionist. "Is it possible for you to get your hands on a Draught of Arcane Soul? It doesn't have to be a high quality one. Even the cheapest would do."
"Ah, the Guild doesn't usually carry that kind of thing, but I can probably get one from the Alchemists if you got an hour to wait." Carol replied, edging away from Amanda.
"Alright then, I won't waste the Mana Crystals required to perform a [Repair] spell ritual on the weapon, but I can modify it a little for you and install an [Instantaneous Recovery] effect."
""You can do that!?"" The half of the room that had been listening in on their conversation shouted at once.
"It's not hard. I just need to strip the old reduced runic set and replace it with a compound runic set in order to make room for the extra enchantment, then create an artificial skill that is streamlined to reconstruct the whips body, and add the skill to the weapon's soul using an [Alteration] spell with a runic ancher. I've already done something like it a hundred times before." Archer said, in his usual confusing way that left the other Blacksmiths asking each other if they had a clue what the man had just said. "So, will Her Majesty be content with that, or do I also need to make it capable of bending time and space as well?"
Amanda scowled at the man's confident smirk, though she could feel some heat coming to her face. "How much is it going to cost me?"
"Simply pay for the Draught of Arcane Soul and I'll perform the service on the house." Archer said.
"I see." Amanda said before looking to Caroline, who immediately knew what the Adventurer was looking for.
"A basic Draught of Arcane Soul costs about 50,000."
"So cheap." Amanda said in surprise. Not only would it repair Amanda's weapon for 1/100th the cost, it would also mean that she would never have to worry about the cost in the future and wouldn't have to hold back out of fear of damaging her weapon.
"It will take a little bit of time to set up. Until then, you can use this." Archer said, pulling a long silver whip out of thin air. It was beautifully made, with each thread seeming to have been made of shining mithril… because it was. "It's offense isn't as strong as yours is, but it has a much higher durability, and has both wind and impact resistance, so you don't have to worry about breaking it.
"There you go again Merlin. First you sell weapons for a fraction of their real value, now you are performing upgrades and loaning people high-tier weaponry for free." Carol grumbled.
"Um… yes… loaning."
"MERLIN…!" Carol growled as the man rubbed the back of his neck.
"You know, most people would say that getting in good with an A-rank Adventurer is its own form of payment." Archer said, making excuses.
Carol took in a deep breath and then sighed. "Are you even sure you can do it? The [Instantaneous Recovery] effect is notoriously hard to produce, one step beyond even the [Self-Repair] effect."
"Then it is a logical progression, considering I've already created a weapon with the [Self-Repair] effect." Archer said before pulling out a pair of beautiful black and white swords, decorated with the silhouettes of cats.
"That's…" Carol stammered, her jaw dropping as she stared at the weapons. "You… you aren't going to try to tell me that those are second rate too, are you?"
"No… they're passable."
Amanda and Archer sat together in the Guild Hall as they watched for Carol to fetch what Archer had requested, with Archer providing some snacks from his [Dimensional Storage].
"Aren't you going to eat any?" Amanda asked after she finished off her fifth cookie.
"My kind don't need to eat. We sustain ourselves on mana. It would taste like sand in my mouth and actually leave me feeling drained instead of refreshed." Archer said with a shake of the head. They had put up an area of silence around them, so they didn't need to worry about being overheard.
"Is that so. Yet you still are able to cook like this?" Amanda said as she wiped away crumbs from her mouth.
"It has long been a hobby of mine." Archer said with a satisfied shrug.
"So tell me, is Merlin your real name or is it Archer?" Amanda asked.
"Neither. I already told you that I have no name." Archer said with a shake of the head. "I am what is called a Heroic Spirit, a Spirit born from legends about heroes... and villains. Since no one remembers the name of the man who preformed the deeds that gave birth to my legend, I remain nameless. Because of that, I just use my job class as a name. Just like other spirits are categorized based on what elements they are, Heroic Spirits are often called by their chosen method of fighting, things like Saber, Rider, Caster, Berserker. I just happen to be an Archer."
"For on Archer, you sure seem to like swords." Amanda said, giving him a look.
"I get that a lot." Archer said with a smile. He had been told the same by more Servants than he cared to count.
"So why did Carol call you Merlin?"
"I was already teasing the Old Elf with the name Archer, so I needed a different identity to run around with. Merlin was just a name that felt appropriate." Archer said with a chuckle. "You see, 'Merlin' was the name of a powerful wizard who is famous where I came from. He was a man who was born from a nun and a incubus, a sort of male sex demon. The man went on a lot of misadventures and caused headaches for a lot of people."
"And that is the name you picked? That's pretty self-aware of you." Amanda said, a little cheekily.
"Well, that isn't the reason why I took the name, but I can't exactly deny that I at least attract trouble." Archer chuckled. "The reason I picked 'Merlin' was because of the most famous story involving him, where he created an extremely powerful magical sword and then used it to trick a country into accepting a young girl as their god chosen king. Not that anyone ever realized that the unbeatable King of Knights was a woman."
"You're talking about Fran, aren't you?" Amanda asked, to which Archer nodded.
"Merlin knew exactly what he was doing. He knew that he was changing that young girl's fate, and the hardships she would have to face because of what he had done, and he accepted the guilt that came with it. In a world where Arturia was raised alone upon a platform, practically deified by everyone around her, where everyone thanked her for every victory and blamed her for every misfortune, Merlin alone stood beside her, not as a subject, but as a friend and a mentor. While he was a giant pain in her ass, he supported her until the end, and even after." Archer said, looking out into the distance. "I am Fran's Merlin. I have changed her fate, knowing well the hardships that lie ahead of her. She doesn't know it yet, but her Evolution will be only the beginner of her story. The hard parts are what come after."
Amanda watched Archer closely as he stared off into space. She knew somewhat about what he was talking about, having experienced it for herself.
If Fran… When Fran evolved, she would be thrust out into the spotlight, with the whole world's eyes on her. With everyone wishing to use her for their own gains. She will be forced to live a life where she cannot trust anyone, where she will have to suspect everyone of wearing a mask. Amanda could remember all the times she had been taken advantage of, when she had first become an A-rank Adventurer. Even so, Amanda had had old friendships and people who she could depend on, and while A-rank individuals gathered attention, they were not unique. With Fran, who will be the first of her race to evolve, it will be even worse.
Archer said that he was a Heroic Spirit, born from a legend. Amanda wondered what kind of hardships he had to endure, if he had been made to carry them on his own. What kind of life caused a man to talk the way he did, to have such a melodically look in his eyes.
She wondered about these things, until the man started to snort with laughter. "Huh… what? What are you laughing about?" Amanda asked, flustered by his sudden outburst.
"Sorry. Fran and Art are on an escort job and the man who hired them is starting to get annoyed that the woman he was trying to flirt with is far more interested in the girls than in him." Archer said as he struggled to gain control of himself. "He's taken the girls aside to yell at the pair for not doing their job properly, and Art is using her [Wind Magic] to let the young lady hear every word he is saying, only the guy doesn't know it."
"Huh?" Amanda said, trying to process what Archer had just told her. "Wait, you are monitoring the girls right now?"
"Yes. I stopped letting them run around town without me at least paying a little bit of attention to them after Fran came home one night with the 'Lady Killer' title."
"SHE WHAT!?" Amanda shouted, loud enough for people to hear her, even through the silencing spell. "How!? Why!? I know she's the cutest thing there is but… what?"
"I have no idea. I wasn't paying attention that day, but I've made sure to keep an eye on them to make sure something like that ever happens again." Archer said with a sigh. "So tell me, how does an Adventurer end up running an orphanage?"
Archer and Amanda made small talk for the next hour and a half as they waited for the materials Archer needed, exchanging stories. Amanda could have left at any time, but she didn't really have anywhere she needed to be and Archer's stories were entertaining.
Admittedly, most of Archer's stories ended up not being about himself, but about other Heroic Spirits, but Amanda didn't mind. She had never heard any of the legends he spoke of, and he had a good story telling voice, so she was easily drawn in. Many of the stories were tragic, while others were so funny that Amanda couldn't help but to laugh.
But eventually, the topic of conversation returned to Fran. "She was a slave." Amanda said, her voice hollow after she managed to pry the story of how he had met the girl out of Archer.
She had been holding on to a faint hope that Archer had found the little girl immediately after the death of her parents, that he had been protecting her these last four years. Only, that hadn't been the case. Fran had spent four years, four long years, as a slave. Amanda's long ears drooped as she thought about the poor girl, and the things she had to go through.
Sighing, Archer reached over the small table and put a finger to the woman's forehead, pushing her head up. "What happened happened, and crying about it now won't do anyone any good, so chin up. Even if you weren't able to be there for her in the past, it is the future that counts. In the years to come, she will need your help, but you won't be of any use to anyone if all you do is sit around feeling guilty."
Amanda felt herself flush a bit as he looked at her, his finger on her forehead. "Hey Archer, I have a question. When we met in that forest, you seemed smaller. Was that your real appear, or is this what you really look like?"
"Well, this is what the man whose legend I am based on looked like, and is the most natural form for me. However, Heroic Spirits were never meant to appear in this world, so in order to manifest, I need to use a bunch of tricks in order to slip by the World's defenses." Archer explained "While I can take on my true form at its full strength, it is a huge drain that I can't keep up. So instead I have to limit my own power or use a different form in order to let myself manifest for longer periods of time."
"So, this is what you really look like."
"In a sense, yes." Archer replied before frowning. "You did make sure to rest after yesterday's training, right? It feels like you're running a fever."
"I'm fine!" Amanda said quickly, pushing away his hand. His words made her blush even deeper.
"...If you say so, but make sure to take care of your health."
The two stopped talking as Carol passed through the barrier of silence. "Alright, one Draught of Arcane Soul and the rest of the crap you order." She said as she dropped a crate full of stuff in front of Archer.
"Alright. I guess I should be getting to work." Archer said as he got up, moving everything into his [Dimensional Storage]. "It was nice talking to you, Amanda. I'll see you around."
"Yeah, see you around." Amanda said, still trying to regain control over herself. "I should be getting back to the orphanage too." Amanda sighed after Archer was out of sight, getting up from her seat.
"Oh no you don't!" Carol said, latching on to the A-rank Adventurer. "You aren't going anywhere until you give me this scoop. What's going on between you and Merlin?"
"Huh!?" Amanda cried out, her entire ears going red.