Nearby onlookers sniggered at that.
The other craftsmen didn’t have any personal issue with Oscar like Ping did, but they too were annoyed that an orphan would be given special treatment. Especially as they’d never seen the genius he had supposedly been taken in for.
People continued needling Oscar, but he just smiled and bowed his head. He quietly held out the box that had the clasp Ping had asked for.
“Why won’t you say anything, huh?” Ping opened the box and frowned. Despite the fact that Oscar had done as he’d asked, he seemed displeased.
“It’s as you say. I’m still an inexperienced craftsman, taking advantage of the master’s generosity.”
“If you know that, then you should just get the hell out of here. You’re a disgrace to the Orcus name! The fact that you bear it is an insult!”
Even an apology wasn’t enough to pacify Ping. In fact, it only seemed to make him more irate. His angry screams turned him into the center of attention instead of Oscar.
Not only was Ping short and fat, he was petty. He was the kind of person to insult others behind their backs and bully anyone weaker than him.
Still, he rarely lost his temper, at least not enough to shout.
Looks like the worm’s even angrier than usual today... Did he mess up something else earlier or something? Still smiling outwardly, Oscar desperately thought of a way to calm Ping down. However, before he could, Ping continued.
“Seriously, I can’t believe the master called you a genius. I guess he can make mistakes sometimes too.”
Ping was so worked up that he didn’t notice insulting the Master had made everyone’s attitudes shift. The other craftsmen’s scorn was now directed at Ping, not Oscar. Even his two cronies were grimacing as they whispered to each other.
Oscar knew he had to defuse the situation before the craftsmen lynched Ping. The current head of the Orcus Workshop was well-respected by everyone, and they wouldn’t stand to see him slandered.
However, before he could do anything—
“Oh, you think I’m going senile, do you? Do you mean to tell me that I, Orcus, have made a mistake, Ping? Someone seems awfully full of themselves.”
“Hiii!?” Ping squealed like a stuck pig.
Orcus’ voice wasn’t particularly angry, but Ping shrunk back anyway. His face was pale with fear. Torpa and Raul looked even worse.
Orcus was a hulking bear of a man. Not only was he massive, but his entire body was covered in thick hair. His thighs were large enough to crush a man’s skull between them.
In fact, he was often mistaken as a bearman warrior from the Haltina Commonwealth, though he was human through and through. He didn’t have bear ears or a tail.
Ping smiled guiltily and tried to smooth over his mistake.
“M-Master... Wh-What are you doing here?”
“It’s my workshop. What’s wrong with me being here?”
“U-Umm, nothing! It’s just, I heard you had business at the palace today.”
Topp Karg D. Orcus, the current head of the Orcus Workshop, harrumphed and peered into Oscar’s box. He didn’t bother to answer Ping’s question.
Then, he plucked something out of it and examined it carefully.
The silence that followed was so oppressive that the other craftsmen stopped working and waited with bated breath.
Once he finished looking, he glanced back at Ping.
“This was supposed to be your job, Ping... Why is Oscar the one who made it?”
“Th-This is a misunderstanding, Chief. He was spending all his time making junk, so I thought if he was free he could help me a little. I’m still the one who made it.” Ping prostrated himself before Karg.
However, Karg didn’t even bother listening to his reply and turned back to Oscar. Oscar was wearing the same awkward smile as always, and didn’t say anything.
Karg sighed and addressed Ping.
“I see. I suppose that means I can expect this level of quality from your next work as well?”
“Huh? What?”
Karg smirked and showed Ping the object in his hand.
“This armor clasp’s exceptionally well done. It’s pliable in all the right places, so it absorbs impacts well. Also, it’s been crafted in such a way that a Synergist could easily repair it if it broke in battle.”
“I-I see...”
The other craftsmen all turned toward Oscar in surprise. Their expressions were difficult to read.
It was only Ping who failed to grasp the implication behind Karg’s words. He couldn’t understand why everyone was looking at Oscar.
Seeing his confusion, Karg put it more plainly.
“Rather than trying to show off your own skill, you crafted this clasp to perfectly suit the needs of its wielder. It may look plain, but it’s clearly a first-rate clasp. So I’m asking you, Ping, can I expect this kind of high-quality work from you in the future? Well?”
“......” Cold sweat poured down Ping’s back. Karg was asking for more than he could possibly deliver. He didn’t possess the skills to expertly craft things like that clasp.
“I-I’m honored by your praise, Chief. However, even I’m surprised by how well this turned out. To be honest, uh, I can’t say with confidence that I can do it again. Besides, putting so much effort into every one of my projects would slow me down too much...”
“I see. In that case, do your own jobs. Work hard until you’re good enough that you can make these kinds of quality goods regularly, instead of wasting your time chatting away.”
Karg’s glare was so intense that even a dragon would have withered beneath it.
“Hiii!? Y-Yes sir! I’m sorry, sir!” Ping accepted the box Oscar gave him and nearly tripped over himself in his haste to escape. Torpa and Raul hurriedly followed after him. The other craftsmen lost interest in the commotion and returned to their work.
“Umm... Chief? Thanks for helpin—”
“Come to my office.” Karg turned on his heel and stalked off. He indicated with nod of his head that he wanted Oscar to follow him.
Sighing, Oscar chased after Karg. His awkward smile still hadn’t left his face.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing, Oscar?” The moment they got into Karg’s office, he started yelling at Oscar.
Karg flopped onto the ancient sofa in his room. The springs creaked under his massive bulk.
“I’m not sure what exactly you mean, sir...”
“We’re the only ones in here, so spare me the niceties. And wipe that moronic smile off your face. It disgusts me.”
“That’s pretty mean, old man.” Oscar dropped his nice guy act, but he didn’t stop smiling. He’d gotten so used to using it to get out of unpleasant situations that he had a hard time dropping the expression.
“I remember you saying before that you’d only cause trouble if you stayed at the workshop. I also distinctly remember telling you to stay anyway. I didn’t work so hard to keep you here so you could spend your time doing that viscount’s idiot son’s work for him.”
“I know. Still, I can finish something like that in between breaks. If that’s all it takes to keep Waress-san quiet, then I don’t mind being his gofer.”
“Fool. Guys like him won’t ever be satisfied. If you give in to them once, they’ll just keep coming back for more. If he’s causing you that much of a problem, then I can have him expelled.”