Chapter 33

The place was filled with rows and rows of swords, shields, armors, and many other weapons that Marcus had not seen before.

Seeing the doors open, a figure who was busy with his own work finally put the sword he was examining down. Seeing Marcus and his group, he went to greet them. Marcus, who was checking out the place, saw a giant, bald man approach them.

"How can I help you? I guess you are the count's guests. Are you here to make a commission or buy a piece of your liking?"

"Mr. Hamel, do you remember the sword and armor I gave you yesterday? They are here to retrieve those."

"Oh, so you all will be going with the knights then. Sure, give me a second. They were kept in that corner, if I remember right."

The giant man stroked his mighty beard, pondering where he kept the things.

"Hahaha, sorry, it took me some time to recall things."

'How the hell can you forget what you have done just a night ago?'

Marcus couldn't help but complain in his mind. Seeing the giant man with well-defined muscles, Marcus was reminded of the gym bros of his previous world.

He also had a friend who invited him to join the gym, but Marcus had to decline since he thought spending money to torture his body was pure nonsense.

'Does this world also have protein drinks? This guy looks like he took steroids instead of breast milk after birth.'

"Yes, yes, I remember now. That sword was pretty good. Well, I can't say the same for the armor. Follow me."

"Mr. Hamel, the count has given his instructions. Our guests can borrow any item for tomorrow."

"Anything?" Hamel was shocked to hear it.

"Is the count betting everything on this?"

Marcus and the others arrived at the place where the items were kept. Along with Cedric's sword and armor, there were other spares kept as well.

Picking up Cedric's sword, Hamel gave it to him.

"This is a great sword. Treasure it well. I can't say the same for your armor. Since the count has given you the opportunity to borrow anything for one day, you should take full advantage."

Marcus didn't expect the count to be so generous. It seemed to him that the count was really concerned for their safety.

"Well, tell me which kind of armor suits your fighting style. We have heavy armor, leather armor, and we also have special ones that we would normally keep in the treasury, like the ones made from monsters and beast scales. I would advise you to use the right weight rather than going for the expensive ones."

Hamel took Marcus and Cedric to another room. Even though this place had fewer items, the naked eye could discern that they were of superior quality.

Marcus went to each of the armors and swords displayed in the room and examined them, like comparing toys in a toy store.

If only he could use a sword, he wondered how cool he would look in these. Cedric, on the other hand, did not share Marcus's enthusiasm and pragmatically judged his options.

Most of them were heavy titanium armor, which did not fit his fighting style. Sure, they would provide a lot of protection, however, he didn't want to be a tin can getting beaten up.

Flashy things always don't mean that they are practical. Heavy armor was only going to obstruct his movements and tire him out in long fights.

"Aren't there any things that provide an equal amount of protection and are lighter?"

Hammel understood what he was saying, "How light do you want it to be?"

"As light as a steel plate."

"I see, then there are only two options you would have. Both of them are not made by me but are part of the count's treasury. But since you have already been given permission, you can take a look."

Hamel went to one corner and brought a dusty bronze chest with him. Putting it down, he took a key from his work apron and opened the box.

After the old box was opened, Marcus saw a black chainmail and a small chest plate.

"These are the only pieces that can suit your requirements. One is a chainmail made of basilisk scales, and the other a piece of adamantine armor with some fragments of wyvern scales."

Marcus first felt a bit let down since they didn't look as cool as the other pieces which were on display.

But when he heard basilisk scales, his ears perked up. Taking a look at the mentioned chainmail, his disappointment was immense. When he first heard basilisk, his mind wandered off to the image of the greater basilisks. He could still remember how hard and massive their scales were. If it were not for his cheat abilities, he might have really died in the cave.

But these were not the scales he was hoping to see. These were small scales that resembled those of the lesser basilisks.

The other one, what Hamel called adamantine, did not look so different from other armors on display, except for its darker shade.

Cedric put both the pieces on, the chainmail beneath the armor. He moved his arms and twisted his body to check the flexibility and weight of it.

After a few movements, he felt satisfied and gave a nod. He took out his sword and started practicing his swings with it.

"I would like to go to the training grounds to get a better understanding of my movements while wearing this armor."

Hamel, who was silent till now, started to laugh as he saw Cedric's practice movements.

"Your movements are fluid and well-trained. Not bad. I think I will let you have this armor. These two pieces, believe it or not, cost exactly the same as this entire estate. So, even if the count had told you that it's temporarily free, I was not convinced about giving it to you until you showed that you can use them like an expert. Nothing is more heartbreaking for a blacksmith than having his masterpiece rotting in the hands of a novice. Even though I did not make these, just by their looks, they can be called masterpieces. I think their makers would only want a true expert of the art to use them. So, how about a little test?"