"Work will start right away in 30 minutes."

"Can't you rest a little more?"

"I've already rested enough. Besides, I've been itching to work since there have been no jobs lately. That thing I just gave you."

"Gave?"

"I said I'm lending it to you."

Eldin didn't allow even the slightest opening, as if it were out of the question.

‘Hmm. Too bad.’

Osian sighed softly to himself.

‘I’m her lifesaver, so what would be wrong with giving me one for free?’

"Anyway, starting with that sword, it's one of the things I made while practicing. It's been so long since I used spirit flames to make weapons that it brought back old memories and made my heart race somehow. Like first love."

"You don't seem to be at an age to reminisce about first love."

"Want to die?"

Eldin contorted her face. Since she was naturally beautiful, even when she did that, she only looked pretty rather than scary. However, since he couldn't push his luck, Osian ceremonially took a step back.

"...Well, it's actually a metaphorical meaning. I haven't had anything like a first love in the past few hundred years."

"That's quite surprising."

Eldin was by no means young, even for an elf. Unlike the old days when elves only stayed holed up in forests, now elves also live in cities.

Elves are still more closed off compared to other races, but compared to the past, interaction has increased considerably. Contact points with other races have increased, and they've become able to engage in various activities.

What commonly arises in diverse interpersonal relationships is affection. There were quite a few elves who married other races and had children.

Osian thought Eldin would be quite popular. Compared to other elves, she was straightforward and full of strength, but in the end, she was still an elf, so she was quite a beauty. And having a strong impression wasn't a disadvantage. Everyone has different preferred charm elements, and such aspects could be even more attractive to the opposite sex.

"What's surprising?"

"I thought you would have received a lot of courtship from others."

"Well, that's...there weren't none."

Eldin scratched her cheek with her finger, looking embarrassed.

"When you do this kind of work, you don't pay much attention to such things. I found developing and making weapons more enjoyable. I wanted to do even better than that, so there was no room for other things to interfere with daily life. Even when I received confessions and such, I had no interest, so I ignored them or drove them away."

"I see."

"What about you? You have a decent face, you have skills, and you've probably saved up quite a bit of money. You're not lacking in anything."

"I'm similar. I haven't had the leisure for romantic relationships while getting this far."

"You don't like men, do you?"

"How did you know?"

Eldin asked, startled.

"Crazy. Really?"

"Of course it's a joke. How could that be?"

Eldin sighed "What the hell," but still didn't completely remove her subtly suspicious gaze. It was because Osian had said it with such a serious face. Geez. I said it was a joke.

"More importantly, be careful."

Eldin warned.

"You know too, right? The flowing situation isn't normal. Even someone like me who's holed up in a workshop can feel it. My fellow elves have also warned me several times."

"I know too."

"Knowing and seriously accepting the gravity of it are different things. From what I can see, they seem to be openly making you famous, and while popularity is good for a fixer, it doesn't only have advantages."

"Competitors will emerge. There will be those who try to use me, and conversely, there will be those who are jealous."

"You understand well. There won't be just one or two of such people - they'll increase tremendously throughout the entire city. People who are determined to investigate you will also emerge."

"I don't mind. Let them try if they want to."

Eldin realized that no more warnings were needed for Osian. Looking at those unwavering eyes, he had clearly decided what he needed to do. It was better to let people with such eyes go their own way. This was Eldin's conclusion based on her experience so far.

"Then no more words are needed. You seem like you'll handle things well beyond my expectations."

Eldin pushed her chair back and stood up.

"Time's up. I'll go to work now."

"Alright. I'll make good use of the sword you gave me."

"I said I lent it to you. And it's only been two days - you should hope there's no need to use it."

"I can't be certain about that."

The moment Osian took hold of the sword, he could feel it. He had a feeling he would be busy in a different sense with this guy. Eldin knew Osian's circumstances, so she didn't force anything.

"Oh right. And I think I'll bring more work later."

"What?"

Eldin, who was about to start workshop work, asked back. What did that mean?

"I'm thinking of increasing the number of knights in the order soon."

And naturally, the weapons and armor related to that would have to be made by Eldin.

*

Having entrusted the weapon repair, Osian put on his mask and came out onto the street again. This time, the place he headed to was the training ground where the Starlight Knights trained.

The place that should normally only echo with the vigorous sounds of metalworking from inside was bustling with people.

'Damn, there are so many. This is too unexpected.'

He thought people would come, but he didn't expect this many. Most of those gathered and murmuring were people who did dangerous work. Fixers, that is.

But not all of them. Occasionally, there were people who looked so gentle and weak that you'd wonder why they were in such a place.

'It's unexpected that even women came.'

Osian had heard that the knight order became famous due to the Starlight Knights' exploits. Those who are fascinated by that are usually simple-minded people. People who know nothing but how to use their bodies.

'It seems some of the people who came here aren't looking purely at the Starlight Knights alone.'

As Osian approached thinking this, a person standing in the back row glared at Osian.

"Hey. If you came late, get in line properly."

"......"

"We've been waiting here since morning. Don't think about cutting in line or anything. Got it?"

Regardless, Osian passed by the man and tried to go into the training ground.

"Hey, you bastard! Don't my words sound like words to you!"

Thinking he was being ignored, the man who had picked a fight shouted. The gazes of surrounding people gathered. There was no question about what was happening.

Rather than being bored from waiting, they were glad that an incident had occurred. If this hadn't happened, someone else among them would have caused an incident.

"Ooh. A fight?"

"Better than killing time idly. Who's the opponent?"

"He's wearing a mask so I can't see his face. But well, he doesn't look that strong."

Osian quietly stared at the man glaring at him. The surrounding murmurs didn't reach his ears. He was a younger man than expected. His appearance was also at a decent level compared to other tough guys. Sharp eyes and strong spirit were all there was.

More like a neighborhood thug than a fixer. But the fact that he came here meant he wanted to become a knight.

"You. Did you come to become a knight?"

Osian asked. The man who had picked a fight frowned.

"What obvious thing are you saying, you bastard. Would there be people who just came here for no reason?"

"Hmm. I see."

"What do you mean 'I see'? You bastard. Do you think you can get away with sneakily trying to cut in line? Huh?"

The murmuring around them grew louder at the mention of cutting in line.

"What? It was line-cutting?"

"These kinds of incidents never end, do they?"

"Bastard. He has no sense whatsoever."

The gathered people reacted sensitively to the word line-cutting. They looked at Osian with sighs or contemptuous gazes.

Osian found this quite fascinating. Weren't fixers the type of people who wouldn't even settle for second place when it came to not following rules? For such fixers to gather and react like this over mere line-cutting.

'Come to think of it, everyone was waiting surprisingly quietly.'

It was strange that there wasn't even one or two people who would explode from anger.

"Hey. What's going on?"

At that moment, a thick, heavy voice rang out, as if hearing the commotion. At those words, all the murmuring people closed their mouths and turned toward the source of the sound.

"He's here."

"It's Jonathan."

Jonathan, whose head stood out above the crowd, was approaching. People automatically made way for him. Jonathan, who boasted muscles that were truly like steel rather than metaphorically, had an intimidating presence that was hard to oppose.

"I should have warned you that I'd kick you out if you made noise, right?"

Jonathan glared at the young man who had been shouting at Osian. The young man's shoulders twitched. But soon, knowing he was in the right, he gathered courage and spoke.

"Th-that is. This bastard here ignored my warning and tried to cut in line."

"Cut in line?"

Jonathan's face crumpled. His already rough and stern expression became even more wrinkled with creases.

Even tough problem solvers swallowed their saliva seeing that look.

"That guy. He's dead now. Of all things, to get caught by Jonathan who's strict about this kind of thing."

Why were the fixers gathered here behaving quietly? The reason was simple. All those who caused trouble had been kicked out.

'You bastard. You're dead.'

The young man facing Osian laughed inwardly. Of all things, trying to cut in line in an area monitored by Jonathan. He must be crazy.

The young man had seen it. How those who acted up believing in their meager strength and reputation ended up here. There was one fixer who had replaced his right arm with a mechanical prosthetic. The guy who dealt with vicious things came with subordinates who similarly had prosthetic legs or arms.

Living for his own arrogance, he openly pushed people around, threatened them, and tried to force his way into the training ground.

It was Jonathan who stopped him. The guy told Jonathan he wanted to become a knight. His tone was arrogant. It was clearly a condescending tone saying he'd do it, so be grateful.

And what happened?

The guy was folded like paper. It wasn't a metaphor. Jonathan grabbed the guy's steel prosthetic arm with his bare hands, then squeezed it and folded it in half. He also folded the panicked guy's waist in half and tossed him aside like throwing away trash.

The same happened to the subordinates who rushed forward in anger. The sturdy metal prosthetics crumbled as soon as they touched Jonathan's hands. Like handling wet clay, he kneaded them a few times until their original form was gone.

Jonathan made the subordinates look exactly like their boss and threw them into the alley like garbage.

Those who witnessed this scene vividly in real time thought: Never, ever cause trouble here.

People who had been subtly measuring themselves against others and trying to get ahead froze in place and firmly maintained their positions. If you cut in line, you die. That sentence was engraved in everyone's minds.

And cutting in line in a place where such a Jonathan was present. People were convinced that the masked man would be neatly folded like paper. People were secretly anticipating that scene.

But Jonathan's reaction was unexpected.

"...Master Successor?"

Jonathan, who they thought would fold a person for show, knelt on one knee.

Thud!

When he planted his knee on the ground, the earth shook once greatly. Everyone was surprised and quietly watched the scene.

"I greet the Master Successor."

At the words that followed, everyone looked at Osian with dumbfounded expressions. The young man who had picked a fight with Osian over line-cutting was the same. He trembled his lips as if he couldn't believe it.

'What? Master Successor? What does that mean...?'

He had ears to hear, so he knew. The Starlight Knights serve a man they call the Successor. And he was currently the most famous fixer in the world, Osian.

"Hmm. I was going to enter quietly, but now that it's come to this, I can't hide anymore."

Osian removed the mask from his mouth. And by taking off his hat as well, he revealed his appearance to the world. The sound of people swallowing could be heard here and there.

"Cr-crazy! It's really Osian!"

"The hero who solved the District 17 disaster!"

"I'm seeing him in person for the first time. He's more handsome than in photos!"

People murmured everywhere. The young man who had gotten into a confrontation with Osian turned completely pale. He felt like all the blood in his body was draining somewhere. The feeling of his soul being buried deep in the abyss.

He thought the other person was suicidal, but he realized that it was actually himself.

"Master Successor. I will handle this."

Jonathan stood up abruptly.

"No, it's fine."

Osian stopped Jonathan and approached the young man he had confronted.

"You."

"Y-yes."

"What's your name?"

"M-Ma-Ma-Mark. It's Mark."

"Right, Mark."

Osian smiled and lightly patted his shoulder. Mark's head went blank. His voice trembled and he couldn't think rationally.

"Sorry for cutting in line."

"N-no, no, no. How could I."

"Did you come because you want to become a knight?"

If nothing else, the moment Mark received this question, he could answer this one thing clearly.

"Yes! I definitely want to become one!"

"Good spirit."

Osian nodded as if he liked that vigor.

"Work hard at it. If you put in effort, there will be good results."

With those words, Osian disappeared into the inner part of the training ground with Jonathan.

"......"

The remaining Mark collapsed into his seat. His blank eyes fixed on the place where Osian had disappeared. When he had made a big mistake in the middle, he thought it was all over. But Osian instead apologized to him and even encouraged him to do well.

Had there ever been anyone who gave encouraging words to a thug like him? Definitely not a single person. He felt heat beyond warmth settle in the shoulder Osian had patted, spreading throughout his body.

Mark clenched his fists and stood up. His legs were shaking, but he managed to endure it. His eyes, filled with determination, blazed fiercely.