After Vil left the store... Sechin Craft, his younger brother, let out an evil grin in his heart.

(I did it! I took everything from that annoying big brother!!!!)

Sechin remembered the time when their father was still alive.

"Sechin, don't try to imitate your brother. He's a once-in-a-thousand-years genius, the 'Man with the Golden Hands'."

Their father had told Sechin that when he was young.

"Golden... hands?"

"It's an urban legend among craftsmen, a mythical ability. Everything created by those hands brings immense profit. Vil has that gift. He is a child loved by the gods, a special being."

He said that was his brother.

"What about... me?!"

"You don't have any special talent. You're just like me. So..."

So, instead of imitating his brother, he should work hard and improve.

That's what their father intended to advise Sechin.

However, Sechin took it differently.

"...You're mocking me."

"Sechin?"

"You're mocking me! Mocking me! You say I have no talent?! How would you know?!"

He interpreted it as their father mocking him.

From that moment, a dark feeling towards his brother Vil began to grow within Sechin.

He hated his brother.

He refused to acknowledge his brother's talent.

What golden hands? He didn't believe in that!

He despised everything about his brother.

He was infuriated that their father chose his brother as his successor and that he had a beautiful girl as his fiancée.

The trust from their father, the blessings from the gods, a beautiful fiancée.

He couldn't stand his brother, who had everything.

So... he thought he would take it all away.

He would take everything his brother had.

Instead of focusing on his craftsmanship training, Sechin devoted his energy to making his brother's life miserable.

As a result, he stole his brother's fiancée, took over their father's store, and took his brother's place.

(Serves you right! Serves you right, big bro! I took everything from you! Gyahahahahaha!)

Sechin felt no guilt for what he had done.

He was genuinely relieved to have driven away the person he couldn't stand.

...It could be said that this was the peak of his life.

Knock, knock...

"Excuse me."

The shop door opened.

And there appeared... a girl with red hair, wearing a dress.

Both Sechin and Silica knew the person.

"‘Ah, Princess Annerose the Seventh!’"

The two of them knelt before her and spoke.

Indeed, it was the seventh princess of the kingdom, Annerose von Gaeta-Niiga, who had come to visit the shop.

Sechin was puzzled.

(Why?! Why is the princess of this country visiting a blacksmith's shop like this?!)

Annerose held a bouquet of roses in her hand.

"Good day. Oh...? Where is Lord Happosai...?"

"Ha, Happosai?"

It was a word they had never heard before.

Both Sechin and Silica seemed to have never heard of it.

Annerose murmured, "Ah, I apologize... it was the name of the shop, right?"

"Is Vil Craft here? I've brought this bouquet of flowers to celebrate the opening of his new shop, but..."

Vil? Vil Craft?

(Why is big bro Vil's name coming up?)

At that moment, Silica bowed before Annerose and spoke.

"Your Highness, it has been a long time. Thank you for always favoring us."

"...? Uh, who are you again?"

Silica's face turned red with embarrassment.

"I'm the president of Hassan's Trading Company."

The seventh princess was a major customer of Hassan's.

They had done business many times, so Silica thought she would be remembered.

"Hassan... Ah! The trading company that handles Vil's merchandise."

She was only recognized to that extent. And again, Vil's name was mentioned.

"I apologize for the late greeting, President Hassan."

"No, no... Your Highness, what brings you here today?"

"As I said earlier, it's a celebration for the opening of the new shop. Oh, that reminds me, you're the one engaged to Vil, right? I'm so envious; to be united with such a wonderful man..."

Wonderful?

Sechin was getting irritated by his brother being praised.

Moreover, it seemed she thought Silica was his brother's fiancée.

"Princess Annerose, the engagement between my brother and Silica has been broken."

"...Excuse me?"

Sechin looked dumbfounded.

Silica reproached him.

"Sechin! Was it really necessary to say that now, in this situation?"

"There's no need to hide it. It's the truth."

The princess stared at them, wide-eyed.

But... her face reddened for a moment before quickly returning to composure.

"I see... By the way, where is Vil now?"

"I don't know. He left the shop."

"...He left the shop?"

"Yes. From today on, this shop is mine."

The princess touched her own eyes.

After scrutinizing Sechin, she let out a soft laugh.

"...With 'that level of skill'?"

"Huh?"

"It's nothing. So... I understand. Vil is no longer here, and you're taking over. That means you'll be taking on his duties as Happosai... is that correct?"

Sechin didn't know what this Happosai was that kept coming up, but...

He could take his brother's job away from the princess.

That joy was all that occupied his mind.

"Yes! Leave it to me. I'll take on my brother's duties responsibly!"

Little did Sechin know, he would later face hell.

Happosai was a title and shop name given to craftsmen who had surpassed the first-class level, elite craftsmen.

The Happosai craftsmen had been commissioned by the country to maintain crucial items, treasures, and divine artifacts.

The world and this country were peaceful because of the Happosai craftsmen.

The Holy Sword of the Hero, the barrier of the Saintess, and other important items had been maintained by them.

Up until now, Vil had been diligently performing his duties as Happosai.

But he was gone now.

Unfortunately, as his father had said, Sechin had no talent as a craftsman.

Sechin, who had no talent and had not put in the effort, couldn't possibly handle the important role of Happosai.

But Sechin had said he would do it.

And he declared that he would take responsibility.

After leaving the shop, Annerose told her subordinates.

"Send a messenger. Find Vil. He shouldn't have gone far."

"Yes...! But... what about the city's barrier?"

"Vil just recently maintained it, and he said it would hold for at least a year. Find him during that time. Quickly."

"Understood. And we should send a letter to Heroine Caroline as well..."

Annerose stopped in her tracks and said,

"No need to inform her just yet."

"But... Vil was the one maintaining the Heroine's Holy Sword, right?"

"Yes, but he just did that recently as well. He said the blade wouldn't chip unless she fought a massive ancient dragon horde. So, it shouldn't be an immediate problem, right? We need to focus on securing the barrier that protects the royal capital first."

"Yes, understood."

Her subordinates scattered to search for Vil.

Left alone, Annerose grinned slyly.

"Now that Vil is finally free, I must secure him before any unnecessary pests latch on..."

Both Annerose and Heroine Caroline trusted Vil as a craftsman, and they were smitten with him as a man. But Vil had a fiancée, so they had given up on him. However, now there was no longer a woman by his side. They didn't need to give up anymore, and there was no need to inform their rival that the man they had set their sights on was now free.

"Oh, yes, one more thing," Annerose said coldly to the waiting maid beside her. "Terminate our dealings with the Hassan Trading Company immediately."

"Are you sure about ending our trade with the company?"

"Yes. I've assessed his younger brother's abilities with my own eyes. He's the lowest of the low. The weapons he creates are worthless trash, not worth buying."

The Hassan Trading Company would no longer carry the products Vil made. There was no need to buy them. While the high quality of Vil's weapons was one reason they were purchased, the main reason was to gain his favor. With Vil gone, there was no need to buy them. That's how Annerose judged the situation.

"Now all we have to do is find Vil. Where could he be?"

And so, the legendary craftsman known as Happosai, Vil Craft, was released from his duties and became free.

He, who possessed the divine talent of golden hands, would go on to create numerous legends, but that is another story.