Author: Yume Neiji

A katana huh. As a former Japanese, I’m a little excited about this request. However, even though it is a katana, I feel that it is impossible for me to make a proper Japanese sword.

It’s possible to make it using my cheats, but if even I can use cheats in this world, the material will not be the same as Tamahagane. It doesn’t make sense to cover custom model-quality steel with high-end model-quality steel.

However, this also has little meaning to it, since there’s also Rike’s training, I’m planning to cover the custom-made model steel with custom-made model steel. TLYN: This is a bit confusing ahaha. ただし、リケの修行もあるので、これも意味はほぼないが特注モデルの鋼を特注モデルの鋼で覆う形式をとる予定にする。

“Okay, then let’s go out to the garden for a moment. Bring your specialized weapon.”

I said to Nilda.

“Why?”

“I’ll look at how you handle your specialized weapon and decide on the length and weight.”

“Got it”

Nilda walked out of the workshop and came right back. She came back with a sword in her hand. The sword is properly held in her hand. I opened the door on the workshop side and went outside. Nilda followed after. Nilda doesn’t have the benefit of slashing me here or in the yard, but I’ve changed the position of holding my knife just in case she makes a strange move.

“Kyaaa!”

The moment she went out into the garden, Nilda made a short scream. She was surprised as Kururu was right next to the door.

“Why did you come out?”

“Kururu”

“Okay, okay. It’s dangerous, so stay further.”

As she nuzzle on my head, I stroked Kururu’s neck. Kururu obediently sit a little further away and began to bite the grass around her. Aye, such a clever child.

“Oh, come to think of it, there was a Soryu in your house.”

“Yes. She’s pulling the cart when you met her.”

“Ah, y-yeah. Surprisingly, you’ve taken care of it well.”

“Isn’t this the case with a normal Soryu? I haven’t seen other Soryu so I don’t know much.”

“There are Soryu in the demon world but they’re more aggressive. It’s not so bad that they don’t listen to you at all but it’s hard to handle them because they often have bad mood.”

“Heh-. It’s different depending on the Soryu huh.”

“I’m not sure. At least they are undoubtedly different from the Soryu in your house.”

“Hmm”

I make a sound like I’m not interested. But I have a hunch. The running dragon also eats something that is normally recognized as food (just like Kururu eating grass), but their real food is magical power. Demons are said to be born with stagnant magic in their bodies, the land in the demon world probably has a lot of stagnant magic. If they continue to consume this magical power as food, their temperament may become more like that of those fierce monsters.

Of course, all of these are just my speculations. But if the difference in temperament between Kururu and the Soryu in the demon world is quite large, I think it is highly possible that the difference is due to the difference in the quality of magical power.

However, if that’s the case, I wonder if the demon world is producing monsters at a mad pace. When Nilda gets used to us (and we get used to her), it might be a good idea to ask her.

“Should I swing it here?”

“Yes. It doesn’t matter if it’s like a dance performance or training. However, it’s more helpful if you move as close to what you do during the actual battle as possible.”

“I understand.”

Nilda nodded, pulled out her sword and began to slash it. It’s still not as good as Helen but it’s a little better than Diana. However, although she wants something like a katana, what she’s swinging now is an ordinary sword. There is no problem in making a katana but… Let’s ask her then.

“Hmm, it seems that the one you wanted earlier and the one you’re wielding now have different shapes.”

“The one with the same shape was destroyed by that “thunderbolt”. This one can be used as a makeshift.”

While wielding her sword, Nilda answers grumpily.

I see…

“Sorry for asking such question.”

“N-No. It’s because of my inexperience to begin with.”

Then, for about a quarter of an hour, I observed Nilda wielding a sword.

“So, is it about this long?”

I demonstrated the length to Nilda with both hands. It’s a little long to call it Wakizashi. It’s better to say it’s like a Kodachi.

“Isn’t it a little short?”

“Well, you’re the same as Helen. You move fast, right? I think it’s better for it to be short so it’s easy to move.”

“Hmmm”

“I will make something lighter in weight. I will adjust this area after it is made.”

“Okay, I’ll leave it to you.”

Now I can see the final shape. All I have to do is make it. I told Kururu that I’ll see her later and then I returned to the workshop with Nilda behind me.

This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.

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Today’s chapters are sponsored by Jacqueline-san. Enjoy reading!

The next day after dawn, I went to fetch water with Kururu. When we’re back, I found a suspicious figure in front of the house with his whole body covered with a cloak or something like that. Speaking of this person who had his whole body covered, I can only think of one person who would appear here at this time. That said, the chances of him being a different person isn’t zero so I gently lowered the water vat and approached him, ready to draw my knife anytime.

“Who are you?”

I called out to whoever it was. The voice that replied back was exactly as what I expected.

“I came because you told me to come here but you’re too cautious though.”

The voice is tinge with a dissatisfaction but it’s definitely the voice I heard yesterday. I can’t see his face through the hood so I can’t really tell.

“That’s because I couldn’t tell if it was really you, you know.”

“Is that so?”

After saying that, the demon took off his hood. Short silver hair with almond shaped eyes, long ears and brown skin with tattoos like the tribal tattoos in the previous world. Although it blends with the tattoos, there is a sword scar around the left eye. Still, the whole face can be said to be a beautiful woman. Based from the knowledge in the previous world, she is considered to be a dark elf.

With the voice and face structure, I was convinced that the person in front of me is definitely a woman. The only men I know are Camilo, Marius, Oyasan and the others. I wonder if there is someone else that has a close connection with women…

“With this, you’ll recognize me next time right?”

The demon woman said proudly.

“Well, I hope you could show your face next time.”

“Un. I’ll do that.”

“Wait there for the time being. I have to bring the water inside.”

I went back to where I placed the water vat and carried it back. If something happens, I have to fight back with the preparedness that this water vat will break. Kururu’s water vat was left by the side of the house and I already asked Kururu to return to her hut.

As I bring the water vat home, I asked,

“Did you come here smoothly?”

“No, the protection that could “ward off” people was a little tricky. I’m not very good at magic you see.”

“I see……”

She came relatively smoothly though… well, let’s just leave it as that.

“Since you’re here this early in the morning, you haven’t eaten yet, right?”

“Yes”

“Then, let’s have breakfast together. Do wash up the dirt on your trip here in the guest room first.”

“Is it okay?”

“Yes, customers are guests after all…”

A bandit may be a criminal but customers are to be treated as a guest, regardless if he has committed a serious crime. This is also what I decided yesterday. From the water vat that I brought in, I prepared a small water bucket for the guest and fill it with water.

Uhm, demon woman is a bit…

“By the way, what’s your name?”

“Nilda”

“Then, Nilda, this is the guest room. You can use this for water and cloth. I’ll call you when I have prepared the meal so you can relax after cleaning your body.”

“Alright”

Nilda nodded obediently and entered the guest room.

“Is she here?”

Just then, Diana and everyone got up.

“Yeah, I just told her to unload her luggage and wash up.”

“Okay. Then we have to prepare too.”

“Right.”

We all did our morning routine. Samia went inside the guest room and collected some laundry as usual. It helps because as a man, I can’t do that. After the work in the morning and as the breakfast is ready, I sent Samia to call Nilda.

Everyone, including Nilda, is now at the table. When we put our hands together to do the usual “Itadakimasu”, Nilda-san also copied us and put her hands together and said “Itadakimasu” in a small voice.

“I’m asking you again but, can you tell everyone your name? We can’t call you “demon” all the time you see.”

While eating, I urged Nilda to re-introduce herself. Nilda looked dissatisfied for a moment but,

“I’m Nilda”

She introduced herself curtly. Her line of sight is focused on Liddy, who looks as usual… well, it’s what she appears to be. It’s like there is power in her eyes or rather, there’s this spark in the background and her aura can be seen, it feels like that. This could be because their ecology is incompatible with each other… They have this atmosphere like the dragon and tiger are competing against each other.

Well, there’s actually a real tiger here, but Samia is eating breakfast with relish without minding about them.

“So, how did you know about our product?”

I asked Nilda, to change the atmosphere.

“When I was patrolling the boundary between the demon world and the human world, I came across a reconnaissance unit on the human side, I asked the red-haired woman there named Helen.”

Nilda said “demon world” and the “human world” but the world and space-time are not different. The area where the demons live is called the demon world, and the area where humans live is called the human world. It is one of the remnants of the war 600 years ago.

“Redhead Helen huh, is it the Lightning Sword?”

“I heard it was called “Thunderbolt”.”

She did say that she’d be out of the area for a while, she’s been to the demon world huh. And I noticed that she changed its name. Thunderbolt huh- Well, it’s certainly fast.

“I came across the “thunderbolt” corps and got into a fight. But I was outmatched. They didn’t kill me, but the “thunderbolt” destroyed all my weapons in a blink of an eye.”

Well, it’s my custom model after all so it can easily break ordinary steel. However, if she continues to use it like that, even if it is a custom model, it also has its limit. When she comes back, I’ll have to fix it.

“I saw it coming, so I tried to keep her from destroying my weapon but it was still destroyed before I knew it. That’s when she said to me,『You’re good! If you had the same weapon as me, maybe you could have done more!』Then…”

“Then you heard about it huh.”

Nilda nodded.

“Yes. I said I also want to get such weapon. She said, 『This gem was specially made for me. It’s not that easy to get.』Around that time, the other demon troop who heard the sound arrived. The “thunderbolt” corps could have taken care of them too, but for some reason they retreated. She showed me the engraving on the hilt and said, 『If you really want one, find a craftsman who makes weapons with this engraving! 』, is what she said.”

“I see”

“That’s why I took a leave and came to look for it. Other than the fact that the craftsman who made it was around here, I didn’t know anything else so I was looking for it there. As it’s around here, I thought she must have bought it directly from the craftsman or from a merchant whom the craftsman wholesaled it to.”

Maybe as she didn’t have the time so Helen was not able to tell her the place directly.

So, that’s how it came to the emergence of a bandit looking for a weapon engraved with a fat cat. Helen wouldn’t have expected this to happen too.

“Then, those you have attacked, why did they not remember your face?”

“I didn’t reveal my face in the first place, and in that state, the magic of “forgetfulness” works well.”

When I glanced at Liddy, Liddy nodded to me. There’s magic like that huh. She said she was not good at it but she seems to be able to use magic as long as the conditions are met.

“Hmm……”

“Are you done with your inquiries?”

“Oh, yes for now.”

“I see. But it’s good, the food here is delicious.”

“It’s worth it if you say that.”

After this, we finished breakfast without much conversation. Well, I’m not too sure if I should ask about the demon world. After we had our breakfast and cleaning up, I moved to the workshop. I then worshipped the Kamidana. Nilda imitated what she saw and worshipped as well.

“As a demon, you don’t have to do it if you’re not supposed to pray to a human god.”

“There is no such thing. I just imitate it because I think it’s an interesting custom.”

“Oh, I see”

Is the demon race non-religious? Or maybe, the Demon King is already the one at the highest position or something like that.

After the worship, Rike and the others prepare to make sheet metal. I lit it up as it was quicker for me to lit the furnace with magic. Nilda’s gaze pierces me, but there’s something I need to ask her now. Nilda and I move to the business meeting space in the workshop (although there are only tables and chairs) and sit face to face.

“So, what kind of weapon do you want?”

“Oh, right. It may be unfamiliar to humans, but it’s better if it’s a thin, long single-edged sword rather than a wide, double-edged sword.”

“A weapon for slashing huh. Should it be gently curved?”

“That’s right.”

“Hmm…”

I used a knife to quickly scrape the wood that was placed in the workshop. The finished product was not varnished or anything, but it was the kind of thing that every boy would buy on a school trip in the previous world.

“Is this kind of shape okay?”

“That’s exactly what I want.”

“This is it huh…”

The weapon Nilda wanted is a katana.

This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.

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We parted ways with the demon and then we safely arrived home. Despite that encounter, thanks to Kururu, the time we got home is not much different from when we were pulling it manually. After removing Kururu’s brace and washing up, we gathered in the living room. This should have been usually the time we do what we want.

“Do you think he will come tomorrow?”

“I think he will come.”

We were now having a discussion on how to deal with the demon. Liddy was the one who replied to my first question.

“Demons are as good at handling magical powers as the elves, so I think he’ll get to this house that can “ward off” people.”

“Then it is unlikely that he couldn’t cross the forest huh…”

I was able to take a leisurely observation of him only because I knew that if something is to happen, I could immediately counter him. Although he is about that level in terms of ability, it is not that he can’t come to our house huh.

“The other thing is… I wonder if it’s okay to make weapons for the demons.”

According to my installed knowledge, there was a large scale war 600 years ago, but in recent years only skirmishes have occurred. If that is the case, the empire as seen from the kingdom is no different. Then, as for me, a blacksmith who came from the North and settled on his own, it doesn’t matter whether my weapons flow to the empire or the demon race. But, is that really the case?

“That’s fine for me. I was just surprised to see one for the first time.”

“Me too.”

Samia and Rike don’t seem to care. It doesn’t matter even if that person is a demon huh.

“If you hide it from brother or did if for profit, it might be said that you are a spy. However, Eizou is just a blacksmith, so you don’t have to worry about it you know.”

It was Diana who said that. Well yes, if you treat people in the enemy country with hospitality, you will be perceived in various ways.

“If there’s a battle with the demon country, it might be my custom model weapon that would hurt your brother, are you really fine with that?”

“That’s all happening now you know. By the time Helen has your weapon, such possibility is already there in every war zone.”

“That’s… well, that’s true…”

As a mercenary, there is no guarantee that Helen will always participate in war as the kingdom’s ally. It is not impossible to say that Marius will be dispatched there. Uh, wait, was Diana already prepared for that?

I wasn’t aware of it until I was told. I no longer worry about what I’m making, but I guess I still need to keep such circumstances in mind at all times…

“We can’t deny that our outlook on them are complex. They are born with a stagnant magic after all. They’re probably the most incompatible with us elves. But it’s been 600 years since the war, and I don’t think many people would mind if we made a weapon or two for them, let alone if we were talking about a steady supply.”

Finally, Liddy answered. Oh-, the elves who live with beautiful magical power and the demons with stagnant magical power are incompatible huh. Well, it is said that monsters are born from the stagnant magical power so I think it is natural that they are incompatible with each other. Generally, it’s something like “It’s not that I don’t mind, but isn’t it okay?” Then, it doesn’t matter where or what a power that doesn’t belong to anywhere provides huh.

Although I’m on good terms with the Count of the Kingdom, there is nothing more than getting along well with him.

“Then lastly, what should we do with the fact that he is a bandit?”

“It’s usually a crime to hide a bandit.”

“Right.”

To be honest, I think it’s a rather dangerous act that I missed today. But…

“There is no real damage.”

“Speaking of that, we are always on the alert. There was no guarantee that it wouldn’t escalate.”

Rike voiced out. That’s also right.

“If he goes back after I made him a weapon, that bandit would be no more. I feel like it will be fine but, am I too optimistic?”

“You mean, they’ll think that the bandit has moved his attack site somewhere else, right?”

Diana answered my question. That’s right. However, although it will improve the security in the main road, I feel sorry knowing the fact that those guards will patrol around the area unnecessarily until then.

“It can’t be helped then, let’s ask the help of Camilo and Marius.”

I decided to ask the help of the Count family directly, let’s just say it’s a good thing that we have a mutually beneficial relationship with each other.

“What are you going do?”

“The next time we went to Camilo’s store for wholesale, if they haven’t been notified yet, I would tell him the facts. I’ll ask him to bring a document containing the facts to Marius. I think it’s a good idea to get Marius to tell the guards that “the bandit has moved to another place” so they could gradually reduce their patrol.”

“Although he’s my older brother, I don’t want Eizou to owe him too much but it can’t be helped…”

“Well, yeah.”                                                                                                     

I don’t think it’s that big of a debt, I’m ready to repay as much as I can too. I’m sure you’re thinking that I’m a bit too nice for sacrificing myself for a stranger from a demon race, but yeah, this is my way.

After discussing it for a while, it was decided that “I will make it when he comes”, “we will not treat him particularly badly”, and “he will have to swear that he’ll return to his home country once he gets the weapon”.

I still have a little hesitation about making a weapon for someone who is clearly an enemy of my friends but I guess this is where I have to make up my mind as a blacksmith. In the end, it’s up to me whether I’ll make it or not.

I stood up to prepare for our supper while watching the three of them, who weren’t very familiar with the demon race, ask Liddy various questions.

This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.

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Today’s chapters are sponsored by Jacqueline-san. Thanks again for patiently waiting guys.

Kururu slowly stops walking. I glanced back, but there was no other presence.

“Boss, what should we do?”

“For now, let’s listen to what he wants to say.”

“Understood.”

Rike stays still, holding Kururu’s reins.

“Alright, don’t move!”

The figure with the sword ordered that. The whole body is covered with a cloak and a hood, and the figure cannot be seen well. From the voice, the person is more likely a woman but I’m not too sure.

I told Diana and Samia to be vigilant, in case someone use their bow at us while this guy is approaching. Of course, I’m on it too. But of course, if it’s a normal bandit, his companions should have appeared here by now and they would either took a person, money or Kururu. There is no sign of them though. So in this case, this one is not an ordinary bandit.

“Maybe this guy is that rumoured bandit?”

“Probably”                                                         

Samia whispered to me. That’s right, if he’s not a normal bandit, then he’s none other than the bandit we’ve heard so much about. When I checked it earlier, there was no other presence behind us. If it is a group bandit, another person will be positioned behind us so that we will not be able to make a U-turn.

In the first place, it is very wrong for a bandit to appear in front of a running wagon (in our case, a dragon cart). A more intelligent person would have put a log on the road as an obstacle, or make a play to pretend that he was sick. Since he did not do any of these things, he is not an ordinary bandit. The only possibility left is that he is the bandit who has not been caught yet.

This is also why I intentionally made Rike stop, I wanted to know his purpose. Otherwise we would have shot him with a bow or we could have turned back.

“Anyways, he’s surprisingly sloppy.”

That’s right. Of course, I’m wary of him. But if Kururu suddenly starts running, I think this guy won’t be able to put up a fight. Perhaps… is it his first time to stop a cart? I don’t think he got much experience on this.

“Because of this, he was not caught until now.”

“Right.”

I can only agree with Diana’s whisper. Then, I heard Liddy whispering with a little tension.

“That is a demon.”

“That one?”

“He has this stagnant magical power around him.”

I squinted and looked at the figure but I can’t tell. I wonder if I should learn from Liddy soon…

The figure pointed the tip of his sword toward Kururu. Diana, Kururu’s doting mother is about to rush out, but I stopped her.

“Okay, you there! Give me the weapon you have!”

The demon commanded Rike. Rike looks back at me, I nod at her.

Rike takes her hand off the reins, pulls out her self defense knife and throws it into the air with its scabbard. The demon picks it up defencelessly. If I were to slash him from this loading platform, I think I could have done it. However, I decided to watch his every move to see what the “thief who seems to be looking for something” is searching for. Of course, I’ll be ready to pounce the moment one of us is about to be harmed.

“Ah!”

The demon who was observing the knife he picked up screamed. We instinctively touch the handle of our swords. The air was suddenly filled with a deadly atmosphere. Just when I thought I have to slash him,

“Hey you guys, where did you get this!?”

When questioned like that by the demon while holding the knife carefully, we look at each other. We laughed involuntarily the next moment.

“W-What’s funny!? Tell me where to get it!”

The demon was half flustered and he is also quite vexed. I understand his feelings but I want to let him know our side as well.

“Where did we get it? I made it myself.”

I erased my murderous aura and replied to him with a laugh.

“Huh?”

A stupefied voice escaped from his mouth.

“We just wholesaled it to the delivery destination and we are now about to go home. If your purpose is our product, you need to put down your sword. We can talk afterwards.”

I could indirectly arrest him as it is any moment. I didn’t realize it when I was training in the evening (which I’m still doing), but my strength is definitely getting higher. I guess having a strong base is not quite the same thing.

If he doesn’t put down his sword, I’ll have to subdue him by force and get him to talk but I have to be prepared for some injury. Of course, I’d like to avoid that if possible. The demon hesitated for a while but he soon put away his sword.

“Good choice. It would have been troublesome if you keep at it. Get in here first.”

Looks like the position of the demon and us are reversed. But if the guards actually see this kind of scene, there is no choice but to surrender him. The demon boarded slowly. He is wary of us I guess. Well, I’m wary of him too, but the cheat tells me that he’s a little stronger than Diana and not as good as Helen. I can stand against him in that case.

“I was looking for a weapon with this stamp, I want to have one.”

The demon sitting on the loading platform said so, showing the knife handle –she’s pointing at the engraving of the fat cat. I see, so it’s our product that he is looking for huh. I thought there were a good number of them around here, but I guess not. Camilo seems to be selling them in the Empire, so maybe the high-end models with engravings are mainly sold there for profit.

“As I said earlier, I made it.”

I pulled out my own knife from my bosom and showed him the hilt. Of course, it has the same engraving. When I look around, the other three also showed him theirs in the same way. Well, it’s possible that we all simply bought Eizou Workshop’s products. However, from the point of view of those who were looking for Eizou Workshop’s weapons, it would be that obtaining one is quite a trivial matter.

“If you’re saying the truth, I want you to make me a weapon.”

The demon bowed to me. I don’t think he’s bad deep inside. Oh well, I think I’m trusting him a little too easily. It’s hard to get rid of this kind of perception from the previous world.

“I’d like to say that I’m okay with that but… when it’s a custom order, there are conditions. You have to come to our place alone. I’ll tell you the location, so come back tomorrow.”

“Understood. I’ll do that.”

When I said that, the demon agreed easily. Before we approached the entrance to the forest, we parted from the demon. There are a lot of things to worry about, but I’ll ask them when he comes to our house. I’m already in trouble, but I hope it won’t be any more troublesome. With that in mind, Kururu’s cart went inside the forest.

This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.

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Kururu stopped quietly in the warehouse of Camilo’s store. We all worked together to undo the brace from the cart. Kururu shakes its body like a dog rising from the water,

“Kuu”

Kururu sounded quietly. While asking the clerk to prepare some water and fodder, I take Kururu to the back of the store –where we first met Kururu.

“Wait here quietly alright?”

Diana speaks to Kururu and gently taps its nape.

“Kururu”

Kururu, made a sound as if he understood then he sat down there. Alright, it’s a clever one indeed. Soon after the five of us entered the negotiation room, Camilo and Clerk-san came. After exchanging greetings, I took out the pouch from my pocket. It’s the pouch full of gold coins that Marius gave me.

“Take the price of the Sōryū from here.”

When I put the pouch on the table, Camilo looked at the contents.

“There’s a lot in here.”

“It’s a gift from His Excellency.”

“Haha, he thought that the one last time was still insufficient huh. He got a strong sense of duty.”

Camilo seemed to have guessed the situation. His words were ironic but his expression is gentle. Well, he is a kind man at heart. It’s just that when it comes to profit and loss, he does some cold hearted calculation.

“Alright then, I’ll get this much for everything.”

Camilo takes out some gold coins from the pouch. It’s less than I expected.

“Is it sufficient with only that?”

“Yes. A certain nobleman in the empire has fallen. I grabbed it at a low price as they also have a trouble of selling it. So even with this, I’m still making a lot of money.”

The empire is the kingdom next to our country. It haven’t reached the stage where we’re at war but I heard that there are occasional skirmishes at the border. Of course, I heard this from Camilo.

“I see. That’s good then.”

The possibility of Camilo feeling reluctant to make me pay crossed my mind, but I have to trust his pride as a merchant. However, was he also expanding his business to neighbouring countries? I suppose there is no particular liability for that, but there seems to be a lot of risk in doing business in another place that the country don’t get along with. Well I guess Camilo’s talent as a merchant is to manage that area.

“How is the Sōryū?”

“Ah, it’s smart and it helped me a lot. By the way, is it a male or a female?”

“Hn? I heard that it’s a female.”

Kururu is a girl huh. I’m the only man in Eizou workshop… When I felt a little melancholy,

“So…”

Camilo suddenly lowered his voice a little. We leaned forward naturally.

“What is the mechanism of the cart you are on?”

“Oh, are talking about the leaf spring suspension?”

“What is that?”

It’s amazing to know that he quickly heard about it even though it hasn’t been long since we came. I then talked about its simple mechanics and effects without hiding anything in particular.

“So if it can suppress the impact from the road and absorb the bumpiness, is it okay to run at high speed?”

“There will be limits, but yes, you can. If it’s done well, I think you can make a round trip between cities in just a day.”

“I see…”

Camilo begins to ponder. If you’re a merchant who goes to a neighbouring country to do business, the increase in speed per cart is not something to be scoffed at, and if what I’m saying is true, it’s easy to imagine that this is a technology you’d want to have.

“If you want, you can imitate it. I won’t complain about it and I don’t need any money.”

“Really!?”

Camilo made a loud voice while standing up, which is so unusual of him. Seeing that we were surprised, he quickly sit down. I’m amazed that even Clerk-san was also surprised…

“Ehem. Thank you, but I’ll give you a corresponding thing as thanks.”

His tone has regained composure, but the excitement has not disappeared from his face. He must have been really anxious.

Camilo gives instructions to the clerk. He made the usual assessment of the purchase and then he note down the structure of the suspension. I offered to help him with the notes but he said he would try to do it himself. If it didn’t work out, we’d discuss it again when we came back in two weeks.

After that, we chatted and exchanged information about the happenings in the world. Marius’s position seems to be stable due to his achievements in defeating the monsters. It’s a good thing that I was of help to him. I also heard that there are still occasional skirmishes near the borders of the demon country. There haven’t been any large-scale battles and neither seems to have a big impact.

It appears that there is a mine near the border and there is a problem of sovereignty on that. It seems that the border line was tentatively drawn due to the dispute over the ownership there. Given that, this is not because the other party is from the demon country.

“By the way, what happened to that rumoured bandit?”

“I haven’t heard anything about him being caught yet.”

“I see…”

If he was already caught, I would have less worries about returning home. There seems to be no good news on that though.

“I heard he won’t cause harm but still, be careful when you go home.”

“Thanks. That’s a given.”

We shook hands lightly and then we leave the negotiation room. Kururu was quietly waiting behind the store as “she” was told. Diana was so moved that she was stroking Kururu’s head. Oii, she might dislike it if you do too much.

I handed one silver coin to the clerk who brought the fodder and water and then we connected Kururu to the cart again and left the warehouse.

Today’s luggage should be quite heavy because aside from the usual items, there is clay for molding but Kururu is all good. I was relieved that the suspension was still holding up. It will be tough if it collapse on our way home.

As we go through the town, we get the same attention like when we went in a while ago. It can’t be helped for Kururu’s case but I want Camilo to do his best to make the suspension known. I would be happy if they could get accustomed to such scenery in the town.

We nodded to the guard, passed by and then we exited the city. The road was as tranquil as ever and it was easy to let your guard down.

Come to think of it, we overlooked one thing. How can one stop a cart that can’t be stopped by running or shooting after it? Right then, a person appeared and stands in the middle of a road that is somewhat far from the city. With a sword in hand, that person yelled,

“You there! Stop! If you don’t stop, I’ll kill you!”

Yes, the figure just blocked the road. I instructed Rike to stop and then I observed the figure.

This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.

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In the end, the extension of the room was postponed. When I asked everyone about it while we are having a little luxurious dinner to commemorate the completion of the room, they said that if the number of people increase in the future, the guest room should be used first, and a room should be added in that interim. There are also many people at home, and if I consider to make Kururu help us, we will be able to work much more smoothly than before. We did not press on the matter about more people in the future. And truthfully, I’m unwilling.

The next day,

It’s the day we’ll go to Camilo’s store to wholesale the goods. After finishing the morning routine (including fetching water), Rike and Diana attached the brace to Kururu. The other three (me included), loaded the items on the cart.

During the renovation, I have built a simple coachman stand, a chair on which the coachman can sit, and a bench on which several people can sit on. Rike sits on the coachman’s stand after the cart was connected to Kururu’s brace. The rest of us sat on the bench. I can feel the sinking of the spring when we get in. Even if we put our luggage together, it doesn’t feel like the springs are pressed to the lowest.

We are going to load iron ores, charcoal, salt and other things on our way back so it would have been a complete failure if the spring is at the bottom at this point. I’m relieved that it didn’t happen that way. I made it with cheats so it’s acceptable to some extent but I’m still worried until I tried to ride on it like this.

“Kururururu!”

Kururu cries loudly and begins to walk. It’s not a rubber tire so it’s not as comfortable as the cars in the previous world but it’s still better than nothing. There is almost no large rocky movement that would push you up. Instead, there is a kind of shaking or something like that. The only thing that reduces the shaking is the friction between the leaf springs so the shaking feels a little continual. But whether it is enough to get you dizzy or not depends on the person.

Kururu is in a good mood as he pulls the cart after a long while. We are inside the forest so our speed is slow, it’s still as fast as human jogging though.

The other day, I had Kururu pull it on my way home. Since it wasn’t equipped with a suspension system, our pace was slowed down. But if we can move in the forest at this speed, I feel that we can reach the city much faster. Well, that would be obvious because the speed was different, but as I expected, we left the forest much faster than usual. From here on, it will be the main road.

When we entered the main road, our speed increased further. We are now as fast as a human running or it’s as fast as riding a bicycle. As a result, the swaying increases but it is not that severe. The load on the carriage also shakes but it does not bounce, and of course, it does not fall over.

If various types of carriages could run at this speed, instead of the current one-way trip that takes one day, it would be possible to make a one-day trip from the town to the Capital. This will not only increase the speed of distribution of goods but it will also increase the speed of information transmission. There is no doubt that it will have a variety of effects.

The “watchdog” said that “my existence will not have a significant impact on this world”, but I wonder if that’s true. Or perhaps she meant to say that the spread of things that exist in principle is not an influence as it only moves the needle forward a little.

Since we are moving at a speed of a human running, the amount of caution to be exercised was also lessened. Well, that bandit need to run if he wants to catch up with this dragon cart, unless that guy is riding a horse of course.

Even if he tried to stop Kururu with a bow, it would be difficult to hit a target moving at a reasonable speed in their first shot. Anyone who can do that will not be a bandit because there is a way to make a living in this world without being a thief. Nevertheless, we can’t be completely unguarded so we still have to keep our eyes on our surroundings and be alert. I should ask Camilo some news about that rumoured bandit when we get to the store.

The usual guard stood at the entrance of the town. Looking at his weapon, it turned into a halberd. Oh- finally, even the guards in this town were formally trained. The guard seemed a little surprised to see the dragon cart but when he saw us,

“Oh, it’s you guys.”

It seems that he was convinced. Looks like we are thought to be a unique group. Well, since 5 people from 4 different races are together, that may be right.

“Hello”

I greeted from the loading platform.

“I don’t think I’ll need to tell you this, but just be careful not to hit people.”

“Yes, that’s a given.”

I think Kururu is smart enough so it’ll be fine. Ah-, I’ve become a doting parent too…

As a matter of fact, Kururu was walking quietly and slowly inside the town. Probably because a Sōryū is rare, I feel that Kururu is getting more attention than Liddy, who’s an elf.

Paying attention to some people’s gaze, some were looking around the wheels –to be precise, the suspension part. Yes, that’s right, I want you to replicate this.

Eizou Workshop’s, Fat Cat Mark Suspension!

Kidding, I have no intention of doing anything like that. This is a world where there is no patent system or utility model system and I have no intention of making a profit from this. Rather than that, I’m thinking of teaching Camilo about it if he asks.

Slowly, the dragon cart, which travelled through the town at the speed of a person’s walking pace, arrived at Camilo’s store. This is the end of the first drive with the improved cart. It’s not a bad ride. While I was thinking so, the dragon cart entered the warehouse of Camilo’s store.

This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.

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I took a look at the field during a break in making knives. Ridges have been made and the sprouts of the seedlings are neatly lined up, forming a pretty line. The spacing between the seedlings seems to have been kept wide. I wonder if this wild species has a wide root system. It seems that not all of the seedlings have been planted yet but the work is progressing well.

“Oh, are you done?”

“Well, it’s almost done.”

Diana said proudly. She was holding a hoe in her hand and with her appearance, no one would believe it even if they were told that she is the daughter of Count. Well, this could only mean that she has become so accustomed to the life here.

“The soil around here has a lot of magic power, so I think it will grow well.”

The one who said that is Liddy, she is also holding a hoe. As a former resident of another world, I find the idea of an elf with a hoe a bit strange. I mean, it just doesn’t look right. Well, maybe it’s just because Rike’s looks good with an axe that it makes me think like that. Before they started this work, I asked Liddy about it and she told me that it was normal to work in the fields in her village, so I guess this is usual for her.

“I’ve never done this kind of work, it’s quite a hard work.”

With a hoe on her hand, Samia also followed up. Well, I’ve heard that the beastmen on the Black Forest basically don’t do any farming.

“Beastmen are very strong so I’m sure you’ll get used to it.”

“It’ll be good practice for your swordmanship.”

Liddy and Diana told her that. They’ve gotten along well over the past few days, which is a good development. It’s a lot of trouble if there’s something that doesn’t suit someone.

“Alright then, I’m going back to the workshop.”

“Okay, do your best.”

“See you later.”

After receiving cheers from Samia and Diana and a nod from Liddy, I headed back to the workshop. As I was about to return, Kururu, who noticed that I was out of the house, approached me so I stroked his nape and watched around the garden for a while. I think Kururu’s also getting better at balancing the load as he pulls it. The day before yesterday, the mini cart was shaking a bit more, but today it seems to be shaking a little less. I guess he was not only playing, but also practicing.

“Good, you’re doing great.”

“Kururu”

I stroked Kururu, who was rubbing its head on me. This time, I really went back to the workshop. I felt a great tug at such parting though. After that, I was able to finish the blacksmithing work on this day without any trouble.

Work from the next day proceed in the same way as before. I made a sword for about two days and then a knife for the next two days. Rike basically makes the same thing as me, and under the guidance of Liddy, she practices on how to put in some magical power. Samia, Diana, and Liddy routinely goes hunting, collecting, and watching the fields. As for Kururu, he was also busy pulling things and collecting the prey and playing around the yard.

In between these activities, I checked on the apples in the water. So far, it’s looking good. They should be just fine by the time I come back from Camilo’s store the day after tomorrow.

The day before going to Camilo’s store for wholesale, I made the door and bed that will belong to Liddy’s room. This is the fourth time I’ve done each of these things so I’m used to this work even with the blanks. Besides, with my cheat, I can save time for the most part so I get it done easily.

“Now this is Liddy’s room from today onwards. It doesn’t have proper furniture yet, if you have something you want, just let me know and I’ll make it.”

“Thank you.”

Liddy bowed her head. With this, she moved from the guest room to her new room and became a member of the Eizou Workshop in the earnest.

“The rooms are now all occupied though.”

“I told you so.”

Samia said exasperatedly. She was the one who told me to make it because our number may increase again, and since it actually happened, I have no way to refute.

“I wonder if it’s better to make a new room.”

“If it’s a storeroom, shouldn’t it be made outside?”

I replied to Diana’s words.

“No, I think our family will grow again Boss.”

This time it was Rike who spoke.

“N-No. I don’t think that will be the case…”

I argued back but Samia, Diana, Rike and for some reason, Liddy too, clearly doesn’t believe me.

“For example, Helen is going to come.”

“Ah, that’s right.”

“That person also likes Boss after all.”

Diana, Samia, and Rike are talking about the possibility of Helen coming. Liddy is joining in between and I was ignored. That said, “three women gathering in one place is already a crowd”, what more of four women plus one… I made a little escape from reality.

“No, she won’t be coming here.”

Somehow I break into their conversation. As far as I can tell, Helen probably likes her life as she fights around. When I said that,

“But sometimes she comes back. Maybe she’ll come back to live in this house at that time.”

Diana argued back to me. Well, I’m at a disadvantage.

“Oops, I have to prepare dinner now. Today is the anniversary of the opening of Liddy’s room!”

The four cried, “You are running away!”, but they returned to the discussion about the possibility of Helen coming soon and whether to add more rooms.

This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.

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