"Thank you for doing business with us. We hope to see you again."

I miss the discount but it can't be helped. I still make good profit in my business. I guess you could say I don't make as much of a profit compared to the other smiths but that is only per piece of items sold. In terms of sales, I am part of the top level.

This is because I barely changed my price but I still increased the quality. As long as the price of materials are paid, then my labour fee is pure profit. There are some maintenance costs with the usage of the anvil and the tools but it is minimal compared to the price of materials. Also, I use my mana and the volcano's natural heat as a means to make my items.

Let me just do a final check before I go back to the village.

"Are you heading back now, master brill?"
"Yes, please bring my carriage and horn basher out front. I'll need to go back to my room and get some things. I'll pay the rent when I come back down."
"Very well, I will send for your carriage right away, and send for a cleaner to your room as soon as you come down."

"Master Brill, Are you returning home now?"
"Yes, I want to avoid the bandits, so I am setting off at this time. Here is the receipt for everything and my ID."
"One moment please while we confirm the items."

The day is as clear as ever. We rarely get much of a variety of weather around here. I was thinking it would be nice camouflage but it would be harder for horn basher to pull the carriage through the rain, so I guess it isn't that much of an advantage for me.

"Alright, everything is checked and in order. Take care and we hope to see you again."
"Thanks, take care too."

You gate guards are the one who needs to take care the most. It's not really from bandit attacks but from the resulting effect of it. Bandits that are discovered at the gate can be subdued rather quickly. They are generally composed of a few people that the guards here can handle since extra guards will be called to help if the volume of people at the gate reaches a certain point, whichever the case, they can be handled by them.

This results in bandits needing to form very large groups to attack a town. You will see them coming from far away, so the town can prepare if that is the case. However, the people at the gate panic and rush inside, creating a small stampede which seriously injures the guards who try to keep them under control. Most of the people here wear armour which could really crush them but they are also wearing armour, so I guess it evens itself out.

My village doesn't have to worry about that. We don't have that many guests, or rather we don't get guests at all. Only the sea is past the village, after the large volcano field, and no one wants to go there.

Bandits rarely form a large group to attack a place since it would cause them large casualties. Even if the leaders want to sacrifice a lot of fodder to attack because of the rich loot, the lower thugs won't willingly give up their life to do it. Even if they are stupid, they know that the amount of loot that will land in their hands aren't worth the risk that they have to go through.

*Baa!"
"Run away from them. You know the area better than me. Try and find another way. At the very least, find a place where we can see the village to check on the situation."
"Baa! Baa!"
"Yes, make sure that we have an escape route prepared. I'll leave the rest to you."
"Baa!!!"

As expected of an animal who frequently strolls through monster territory. His sense of danger is really handy. I could also notice it but compared to their quiet presence and the sound of my wooden wheel turning on this rocky land, they would have noticed us first.

I used to be a guard for the princess. That came with having this sixth sense when something is about to happen. However, I haven't really exercised that intuition in the dwarf continent. It's funny how the human continent which is labelled to be the safest continent due to the heavy presence and involvement of the hero actually has more dangers compared to here.

Well, there is that bomb alchemist that doesn't let up on the attacks but he keeps his bombs to a level where you are still alive and can be healed under the intensive care of the combat healers. It helps the combat healers with their emergency care, so they haven't really done anything in regards to his 'gifts'.

*Smoke*

That is the signal that the village is under siege.

"Baa?"
"Our plan hasn't changed. Let me just dig out a hole where we can hide ourselves and the carriage."
"Baa."

I am really glad that the contract gives me and horn basher a help with our communication. Otherwise, I would have to do all of the work with planning the escape route, securing a good vantage point to see the battle, and scouting for enemies along the way. There is also the fact that he is much better than me when it comes to this, as he has patrolled this area for a long time when he established his territory against those monsters in the village's vicinity.

[Earth Pit]

This should be deep enough to hide the carriage. I'll just cover it up a little and prepare a peephole for me. I can use the carriage roof as a step up to peek above the pit.

[Earth Wall] [Earth Pit] [Earth Pit] [Earth Pit] [Stone(Boulder)] [Stone(Boulder)]

There we go, now it looks like those parking garages underground. One entrance and a short tunnel that leads to a dead end. Of course the dead end is only like that so the bandits don't discover my exit. I have the slope at the end ready, so my carriage can just rush outside. However, the exit is covered by a boulder, so no one will set up camp above the exit. I can just destroy the exit and let the boulder trap those who are trying to pursue me.

The actual pit where my carriage is still covered by a boulder but the boulder is cracked here and there. The inside is of course hollow, so I can climb up there to peek on the village through the cracks.

Let's see what's going on right now.

"Baa!! Baa!!"

"Keep your voice down. I know a group is heading here but they are moving towards the village not us. Here are some of the food I bought for you, eat a bit and take a rest. I need you to be ready to rush out in case there are any problems that occur."
"...baa!"

The group heading towards this direction has a large possibility of it trying to join in the currently attacking bandit group, so they can get a share of the loot. However, it is also possible that their scouts noticed that someone used magic in this area and are coming to check it out.

Just in case, I need to deploy some countermeasures to prevent them from noticing us down here. It takes a good amount of mana to actually make these underground hideouts. I could do it by hand but I would need to dig a hole big enough to bury the carriage. Someone would have been bound to notice me before I even reached halfway through the dig.

It's hard to spot and evade the scouts, since finding things is their specialty but confusing them is still possible.

First, I need to release some golems that are almost born. These things are more of a novelty item since you can find them everywhere if you know how to look. They aren't really golems but more like golem cores that are about to form the golem body. It takes a lot of time for them to shape their body into those hulking walking tanks but I don't need those rock giants.

These things release mana from time to time trying to gather the surrounding material to form their bodies. If I leave them here and there around here then they could pass off the magical activity as these things trying to mould themselves. It would be suspicious if they just see a clump of them in one place but this is what the second item is for.

The second and last item is a nest of the magmapie bird. Another one of the victims of the hero's naming sense. However, these birds like to collect the golem core to decorate their egg. They can actually eat the golem core and their egg absorbs the mana that these cores when they try to attract materials around them to form their bodies.

Here they come, here they come!

"It was around here somewhere?"
"Stop wasting our time. We need to join too or we won't get anything. If we don't join them now they are going to use this as an excuse to lower our share of the loot!"
"Yeah, It was probably just some projectile that flew here from the battle."
"Ah, a magmapie nest."

*Kick*

It might seem like this is cruel but this is an appropriate response when you find a magmapie nest, especially the ones without magmapie’s in it.

Those golem cores won't be that much of a threat by themselves but they call formed golems to them. It's like a golem's maternal instinct to go to those golem cores and protect them. It seems weird at first but when I thought that that is the only way golems grow in number then it would make sense.

Normally, those magmapies counter this by feeding on the mana that those golem core release. Instead of reaching the material around them, those magmapie absorb the mana and that way it won't reach the ground towards any golem in the area. However, some of it still escape to the air. It's fine that way since there is no such thing as an air golem, at least from what I know. It is also in this way that other can sense those golem core.

"These things again? Tch, throw those cores far away! We don't need golems roaming around here. These magmapie’s are a menace!"
"It can't be helped. We are in a volcanic region."
"Alright, stop the useless chatter. Now that we found why you sensed mana here, we need to join in the battle too. Everyone! Charge to the front!"
"Boss, are we really going in there first? This village has a siege weapon, you know!"
"You fool! Of course we aren't going to the front! We are just making a show of force. We will charge close to the front and retreat to the back. Fake an injury or something then start retreating to the back. We are at a disadvantage in numbers, so I need you all full of energy when we need it the most. I'll just go and greet the other leaders."
"Yes, boss!"

Worked like a charm. Now, I just need to hold out here for some time. I hope this attack isn't going to take long.