"Orun... those materials..."
Selma-san asked hesitantly—uncharacteristically stumbling over her words.
"They're from deep floors, yeah?"
"That's obvious just by looking! How do you have *this much* deep-layer material?!"
"Collected it back in the Hero Party days... never used it all."
"Amazing... Do the other Hero Party members have stockpiles like this too?"
"Hmm... Probably not. Except maybe Luna. The rest were big spenders—ordering pointless magic tools, selling materials to fund their fun. They burned through money like crazy..."
Back then, Oliver used to manage party funds, but he'd buy useless junk nonstop until we nearly went broke.
I couldn't stand watching it, so I took over finances.
After that, we actually started building savings.
Now that I'm gone, though... I bet the Hero Party's finances are in shambles.
Maybe Luna's holding things together somehow.
"Alan-san, with this much, can you make the sword?"
"Y-Yeah... More than enough. Hell, with this stockpile you should've had something made already."
"Ahaha... I figured I'd never need it, so it felt wasteful..."
"Wow wow wow! This is a griffon's claw, that's a manticore fang! Some I've never even seen! Hey hey—could these be from 93rd-floor monsters?!"
Lucre held up a gleaming white material, eyes sparkling as she asked.
"Yeah—that's a unicorn horn from the 93rd floor."
"Whoa, awesome! So cool! —Ah... this one..."
Her excitement crashed the moment she spotted something else.
—A black dragon scale I'd picked up yesterday.
To this party, the black dragon was probably a symbol of trauma.
Selma-san's reaction back on the 50th floor had been extreme.
The air turned heavy in an instant.
Maybe pulling out black dragon material was a mistake...
But as a floor boss, its parts were leagues better than regular 93rd-floor drops.
If we're making a sword from this stock, the dragon scale should be the core.
"...U-Using the black dragon scale as the main material... would make an incredible sword, right? What do you think, Alan-san?"
Rain-san forced a bright tone, trying to lift the mood.
Moments like this really showed she was the oldest in the party.
"Hell yeah! It'd be the best sword possible!"
"But damn... how'd you fit all this in a storage artifact? You've got mid- and lower-layer stuff too, plus consumables and gear, right? No way this fits in a standard one."
Selma-san asked the obvious question.
"Normal storage artifacts couldn't hold this much. But this one's custom-made."
I tapped the bracelet on my left wrist lightly.
"Back in the Hero Party, I handled all the magic stones and materials we collected. Standard artifacts ran out of space fast. Carrying multiples was annoying, so I had a certain artificer make me one with capacity for several normal ones combined."
"...Could you introduce us to that artificer?"
Yeah, figured that was coming.
"Sorry—condition of the commission was secrecy. No talking about the artificer, and no showing anyone the formula. So I can't make introductions. Even mentioning the extra capacity is borderline, so please keep it confidential."
"Understood. Shame, but fair enough. We'll keep quiet about the storage artifact too. Everyone clear?"
Selma-san's question got nods all around.
"Anyway—back on track. Main material black dragon scale, right?"
Alan redirected.
"Yes. Please."
"All right. Tell me your requests."
"Guess the welcome party's postponed, huh..."
Will muttered regretfully.
"Sorry, Will."
"Don't apologize. Food's always there."
"Exactly. We'll just get in the way if we stay, so let's head out."
At Rain-san's suggestion, the others left.
From there, the real discussion with Alan began.
◇
"You're serious about this?"
The moment I explained my ideal sword, Alan let out an exasperated voice.
"Dead serious. It's custom—go all out!"
"Fine by me, but it'll take time. And enchantments? You're on your own—that's not my field."
"No problem."
"Got it. Too late tonight—I'll start tomorrow. Should be done in about a month."
"...That's fast. I was braced for way longer, considering how unreasonable my requests are."
"It's a crazy order, yeah—but forging the blade itself is doable. The real headache's the enchantments. You sure about that part?"
"Probably."
"Vague answer. Well, you're asking for something impossible from a blacksmith's perspective—so fair enough."
"I can vaguely see the shape. Just need to turn it into a formula. That's the hard part..."
Might need to consult my magic teacher—Grandpa.
"Heard spell development's brutal. Makes sense. The enchanters in our R&D room complain nonstop. Anyway, I can only guarantee the blade. I'll make it the best possible—look forward to it."
"Understood. Thank you. —Oh, could I borrow this sword? It fit my hand surprisingly well. I'd like to use it until the new one's done. I'll pay, of course."
I asked about using one of Alan's test blades—the one we'd used to check balance.
"Sure, take it. And no charge. You're supplying all these materials."
"Huh? Why? Providing materials is my responsibility when commissioning a weapon."
"Ah—you're new, so you wouldn't know. Here, adventurers don't keep personal ownership of magic stones or materials. Exploration Management buys everything. That money becomes party funds, then we request gear, magic tools, whatever—within budget."
"...So adventurers never provide materials themselves?"
"Exactly. We get supplied from Management's stock. I just craft what matches the request."
Interesting system.
Even mid-layer-only parties could pool funds and get deep-layer gear they couldn't farm themselves.
Centralized inventory management too.
And no more fights over loot distribution—the biggest party-killer.
"Got it. Then I'll gratefully borrow this one."
The discussion ran for hours—well into the night—before finally wrapping up.
I'd conveyed every request. Hope it's a good sword.
Back in my room, I collapsed straight into sleep.