Chapter 11: My Own Path from Now On

There are meetings, and there are partings. I know this, yet— My private tutor, Teacher Erica, was returning to the Royal Capital. It is still too soon.

“There are still so many things I want you to teach me, Teacher.” I tried to stop her. “No, there is nothing more I can teach you here.” Teacher Erica smiled gently.

“Since the President of that Levant Merchants’ Guild acknowledged you, you are already a splendid Crafter. It is amazing that the Dwarves also hold you in such high regard. Besides, you can now confirm the quality of your work yourself, can’t you?” Actually, lately, I had become able to use Appraisal Magic on the things I created and materials, allowing me to discern the quality of the finished product.

“Only first-class Crafters can use Appraisal Magic. You can manage perfectly fine with your own talent now.” The Teacher‘s will seemed firm. It was difficult to hold her back. Perhaps because I looked sad, the Teacher, unusually, stroked my head.

“William, your talent is extraordinary. For example, I do not possess such a large amount of magic power, so I cannot create large buildings like the warehouse you made. Moreover, I lack the creativity to apply such elaborate decorations to wooden furniture, which are neither gems nor precious metals, or to come up with ideas like the folding chair.”

“Most importantly, your best quality is your ability to imagine intensely, with the users in mind—be they your family or the Dwarves. Of course, you will always be my prized disciple. I look forward to your future successes.” I watched the carriage carrying Teacher Erica back to the Royal Capital until it disappeared from sight.

Teacher Erica had left. For a while, I felt dejected, and my enthusiasm for crafting waned. If I were just going to live a quiet life in the countryside, this might be fine.

But if I continued to drift along like this, I felt I wouldn’t be able to face Teacher Erica, who had kindly taught me and held such high hopes for me. I also felt bad for God, who had specially granted me the excellent Production Skill. Alright, from now on, I will walk the path of the Crafter myself.

Having made up my mind, I made a request to Father. “Father, to advance as a Crafter, I need to gather materials myself. Please grant me permission to enter the Sea of Trees.”

Up until now, I had bought materials from merchants in the territory. While that was easier, materials are crucial if I want to create truly excellent things. The Sea of Trees is a dangerous forest where monsters appear, but it’s home to trees that yield high-quality materials and animals with good hides. Furthermore, I might find other rare materials.

“The Sea of Trees is not a place for a child like Will to go.” Father shook his head, but he wasn’t as negative as I expected. “Actually, Teacher Erica asked me to create an opportunity for you if you ever expressed a desire to gather materials yourself.”

Ah, Teacher Erica was looking out for my future until the very end. “Very well, I will grant you permission to go to the Sea of Trees. However, you must go with a knight escort. You must not go into the Sea of Trees alone.” “Yes, thank you very much.”

I immediately requested Liam, the Commander of the Knight Order, to accompany me with some knights, and we set out for the Sea of Trees the next day. It was good that several knights came along, but… “Isn’t it a bit much for Liam, the Commander, to come along? I’m not even going to inherit the Margraviate.”

“What are you saying, Lord William? His Excellency the Margrave cherishes you just as much as Lord Edward, the eldest son.” I am grateful that my parents shower affection on me, the second son.

But I still think it’s overkill to have Liam, the strongest knight in the territory, accompanying me. “No, I appreciate Father‘s concern, but I’m just going to the shallow parts of the Sea of Trees.” “Ha-ha-ha, even so, I imagine it is a parent’s desire to ensure everything is perfect.”