Author: Yume Neiji

For dinner, I mobilized a lot of sake and meat at home and prepared it like a farewell party for Liddy-san. It may be strange to call it a farewell party since she is a client, but either way, we have been living together for a while. Speaking of which, she tried to pay for her stay, but I decided to offset that with the fact that she taught Rike about magic.

In this world where humans can’t use magic unless they have a family name, knowledge about magical power is quite a valuable information. I’m not sure if this is enough to offset the cost, but Liddy-san seems to feel that the cost for repairing the sword is not enough. It’s good that we both agreed on it though.

“There were a lot of very interesting things this time, and to be honest, it was fun. I think it’s better not to receive so many repair requests, but if there is anything else I need, I will definitely leave it to this workshop.”

Liddy-san said so at the end of the farewell party.

“By all means, favor Eizou’s workshop.”

I replied to her with a smile.

The next morning.

Today, Liddy-san was absorbing magical power from the forest. She said it was for the concealment spell she would be using on her way home. It seems that elves can handle powerful magic, but even so, travelling alone can be dangerous. I thought Liddy-san would be very skilled with a sword, but it appears that she used concealment spell to make herself invisible on the streets, and then lifted it near the town. It seems that she can’t do anything more than a form of self-defense. She also said she used the same magic from the time she entered the forest until she came to our house.

So the five of us, including Liddy-san, ate breakfast together and when Liddy-san finished preparing her things for her departure, we all decided to walk her up to the entrance of the forest. This way, we would be able to reduce the consumption of her magical power as much as possible.

We moved in a line with Samia in the lead, followed by me, Liddy-san, Rike, and then Diana. We didn’t have the cart with us today so just in case, I brought the spear I used to kill the bear instead. Thinking about it now, it would have been better to deliver the goods today, so that I could take Liddy-san to the town. I was careless. I’ll do that if there’s a next time.

Nothing special happened until we reached the entrance of the forest. We came across birds and other small animals but they do not do any harm to us. Since Liddy-san is an elf, I was thinking that she might be having a conversation with the animals in the forest or something like that, but that’s not particularly the case. They need magical power and they are good at handling it but their basic characteristics other than their longevity are the same as humans…

“Thank you very much for your help.”

Liddy-san extends her right hand.

“Same here. I look forward to seeing you again someday at that house.”

While saying that, I gently shook her hand.

“See you again!”

“By the time you come back, I’ll be done with my training on handling magical power!”

“When you come next time, tell me about elf swordsmanship.”

The three of them also took Liddy-san’s right hand and bid goodbye.

“Till next time!”

She bid goodbye to such surprising degree of volume, I did not think that Liddy-san’s could make a voice with such a volume. We waved to each other and see her off until she went far away.

“There she goes…”

Samia murmurs. Although she was originally a lone wolf (though she’s tiger beastman), she seemed to feel a certain amount of loneliness towards those she had once got close to.

“Well, if there is something she wants me to make, she will come here again.”

“Yeah. It seems that there are many things that only Eizou can make after all.”

When I said that, Diana followed up.

We then went back inside the forest. It took about 4 hours to get to the entrance of the forest and get back home so we have spent most of today’s time. I then decided to take a day off after having lunch. Of course, I am replanting the mint.

Last night, I spoke with Liddy-san.

“If you want to replant it, you should grow it in a pot or something.”

I was told to do that so I decided to do so. I made a hole in the bottom of a medium-sized unglazed jar that I was not using, and then I put soil and planted the rooted mint in it. I then took it out. Underneath it, I put a saucer made from the leftover wood. Since it is wood, I’ll have to check it from time to time.

She also said, “When the elongated stems touches the ground, roots will grow from them, so please check them from time to time and cut the ones that are hanging down.”

I’ll check the stems either before or after my evening practice. If I am going to be away from home for a long time, it may be better to move it to a window inside the house. It’s a little scary to come home and find mint all over the place. I was planning to use it as a “filler” until I could decide what to plant in the field. However, the seeds will eventually come from Liddy-san’s village, I’d rather not have too much and let the mint grow in moderation.

By the way, we don’t have a balcony. We hang our laundry on a tall stake in the yard, with a rope tied to it. Of course, there is no roof on it. We don’t have clothespins, so we hang the clothes on or through the rope. And since there is no roof, we can’t do any laundry on rainy days. Well, it doesn’t rain here that much though.

We can dry it in the shade too, and as long as it can be dried, we can do a little laundry. Since we are inside the forest, we can cool down in the shade when the sun is strong. Even when the number of pot-grown plants increases, I can leave them there. It seems that there are quite a few benefits to making it. I think the area around the storage is the first priority, but I’ll suggest to everyone to build it when that area is cleared up.

After that, I spent the rest of the day tilling the soil in the courtyard so that it would not become covered with weeds again.

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

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Here’s two advance chapters sponsored by Logan Kerr. Thanks again for your support, do pardon me for slow advance chapter release. Enjoy reading everyone!

Liddy-san said that “it’s more than what she was hoping for”. If you think about it normally, it should be a good thing. That’s because I was able to create something better than the level that the client wanted. However, in this case, the client asked for a restoration, and she wanted it to be “the same as the original”. So it is questionable whether exceeding the original was a good thing. I need to be able to curb this area at a precise level.

The answer to my question comes immediately from Liddy-san.

“Yes. My request was to restore it to its original form, of course it is in its original form, but the amount of magical power woven into it is considerably larger than that of the original. Regarding the way on how to use it, it’s best to have a lot of magical power on it, so honestly, it helps.”

When she said usage, does she mean as a magic battery? Well, it’s true that if it breaks when you pull out more than a certain amount, it’s better to have a larger margin. Anyhow, I’m relieved to know that I didn’t do anything unnecessary.

I don’t know the original amount of magic power on it, but it must have been a good amount. I’m a little curious about what it was that caused the sword to break and ran out of power. I don’t think it’s a good question so I won’t be asking that. However, if it breaks again, I’ll fix it.

“By the way, about the price…?”

Ah, that reminds me, that is necessary. I’ve learned a lot, so it’s okay if it’s cheap, but for the time being, I’ll do it the usual way.

“If the client comes here alone, it’s okay to use the price deemed by the client. So Liddy-san, please pay the amount that you think fits for it.”

“I see. Hmm…”

Liddy-san thinks with her hand placed on her slender chin. She has a small face and she gives off this calm impression so that kind of gesture suits her very well. Well, I think it’s also because the last person that came to my house was Helen, the very opposite of her.

After thinking for a while, Liddy-san went inside the house saying, “Wait a minute”. In the meantime, I hold the Mithril sword that has just been restored. It’s something that I realized while working, it’s very light because it’s Mithril. If it is steel with the same weight, I would only be able to make a folding knife with metal handle or a slightly larger knife, to say the least.

I stopped swinging it around because it was a customer’s item. If I forged a new one, I can swing it around as a “trial slash”, but this is a restored product so I can’t do that. After just a few minute, Liddy-san returns with a small bag of cloth. Perhaps it’s her wallet or bag containing her money.

“Sorry I made you wait”

From the bag, she took out some gold coins and an unfamiliar thin plate. There were about five gold coins, but the thin plate looked like a jewel if you looked closely. There are even two of them. I don’t know the market price for it, but it must have been quite high.

“Normally, it would probably cost more to have something with this much magic weaved on it, but this is the limit of what I can pay you.”

Hmm-, it still seems like a lot to me. She brought in her own materials, she even taught Rike a lot and I learned a lot from her too.

Ah, Right!

“Well, alright then.”

While saying that, I returned a gold coin to Liddy-san’s hand.

“For this one gold coin, can you please deliver some vegetable seeds grown in Liddy-san’s village to the merchant whom you heard the location of my house? I think he’ll understand if you address it to me, Eizou. Of course, I’ll take the amount that won’t bother the people in your village. Like if you have any leftovers, you can just divide the seeds according to the season and so on. Ah—, are the vegetables in the elf village perhaps not open to the public?”

“No, that’s not the case. We usually sell them to human merchants too. But, are you really okay with this?”

“Yes. I think you saw it when you went to the town, but this is just like dealing with that merchant.”

This cannot be considered as discount, but in a way, one gold coin will be returned to the elf village where Liddy-san lives, so for the time being, I will be satisfied with this.

….Well, when I talked about Helen’s sword and the money I got during the Eimurl House’s conflict, Rike and Diana got angry and said, “If you don’t get the right amount, you’ll be selling your skills cheaply, and that won’t be of help to the other blacksmiths either”. Thus I decided to refrain from directly reducing the price. Honestly, I was actually hoping to get about three gold coins this time as well. At the time when I got scolded, Samia didn’t seem to understand it that well. That was probably because it’s still a lot of money so she didn’t really feel it to be like that. Well, she’s familiar with the market price for daily necessities.

Liddy-san seemed to be pondering about it again, but after a while, she said,

“Alright then, I’ll take your word for it.”

She then put the gold coin back in her bag. I could have given her one more gold coin as a tuition fee, but it wouldn’t make sense if it’s too much.

With this, everything about her request has been settled for the moment. With that being the case, today is the completion day. I then start cleaning the workshop to prepare a little sumptuous meal.

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

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After dividing the boar meat into those that will be preserved and those that will be consumed soon, I start preparing our lunch. I sautéed it in blueberry sauce with a little brandy that has blueberries (although to be exact, “something like it”) soaked in it. It seems to be well-liked as usual.

After lunch, I started the afternoon’s work. Naturally, I will still be finishing up the mithril sword, Rike will be working on the knife and Liddy-san on the other hand is working on her magic training while checking on me from time to time. Samia and Diana are practicing archery in the garden.

I put the sword, which is already very close to its wooden form, in the fire bed to heat it. Of course, I fully utilized my cheat. When it’s hot enough, I take it out, hammer it a few times to change its shape a little and compare it to the wooden pattern to make sure it’s exactly as I want it to. I’m going to do this repeatedly today. It’s a steady process, so it seems like I’m doing exactly the same thing. When I compare it with the wooden pattern, I feel that it’s getting closer to it, albeit little by little.

When the mithril is out of the best temperature range that can be processed, I heat it again. In the meantime, glancing at Rike (and Liddy-san), it seems that they are also improving little by little. It seems that the knife that Rike is hitting is now somehow glittering, that means that the magical power is increasing… Of course, that’s just how it looks, and I’ll have to take a closer look at it later to see how it really is.

If Rike continues to improve and is able to put in a lot of magic power, the high-end model will have two outcomes. A general model is one that has only ordinary processing and little magic, while a high-end model is one that has been processed to the fullest extent, or one that has ordinary processing but a lot of magic. Special orders are both.

However, if possible, I would like Rike to be able to make a high-end model that uses only the material itself and process it to the maximum. This is because it is more likely to contain magic, and it is a technique that can be applied in areas where magic is scarce. In fact, if I’m to say it, the heirloom sword of the Eimurl family that I forged was a steel sword of considerable prowess even before it was turned into magical power. I want her to aim for that first, and then think about taking it one step further after that.

But I’m too much of a cheat to be able to teach her anything concrete. While Liddy-san is still here, I’ll let her learn what she can learn, and I’ll take care of getting the materials for her to use afterwards. I thought about this while I was doing the whole process. If Samia were here, she might say, “Eizou is thinking so seriously again”. I chuckled to myself and decided to concentrate on my work.

The next day,

Me, Rike, and Liddy-san did the same thing. Samia and Diana are going to gather some stuff so I ask them to bring something for me as well. We all bowed and clapped to the Kamidana and prayed for safety during the work and gathering.

Now then, let’s start today’s work.

The work itself is exactly the same as yesterday. The scene and sounds are the same. Liddy-san teaches Rike about magic. Liddy-san is a bit taller and Rike is shorter. At first glance, it looks like a mother teaching her daughter. The kind of happiness that I couldn’t find in my previous world, I guess I can say I found it in this one. I felt as if my heart, which had been frozen to keep concentrating on the same work for a while now, was being loosened.

With this day’s work, I could almost say that the work is now almost complete. Even when I compared it with the wooden pattern, there is almost no difference. It could be said to be completed, but if I use the cheat function, I can clearly see that it is not yet complete. I’ll finish it by tomorrow.

While I was cleaning up the workshop, Samia and Diana came back. Today’s harvest included raspberries, peaches and,

“Did you pick the one I asked for?”

“Yeah, was this all right?”

“Yes, thank you.”

The mint that Samia has picked up this time is a whole strain of mint. I’ll soak it in the water for today and plant it in the courtyard the day after tomorrow. If it is the same as mint, it should be able to thrive on its own. It was hydroponically cultivated in the previous world and it even overgrown. I’ll think about it if it did not grow. If I can grow it, I’ll be looking forward to drinking mint tea.

The next day,

I will be putting the final touches on my work today so the other four decided to stop their own work to observe me work. We all paid our respects to the Kamidana. We bowed and clapped our hands in prayer for the safety of the work and the completion of today’s work. I feel a sudden change in me. With this mindset, I felt that lighting the fire bed, which I had been doing until now, was somewhat like a ritual.

It’s been a little past noon, and there’s almost nothing to fix. Finally, I compared it with the wooden pattern, identify it with the cheat, and finish it completely.

There was still one last step to be done. Sharpening. The shape of the sword is already like the original one, but it cannot cut because it does not have a blade. I then use my cheat to carefully and deliberately attach the blade. During sharpening, it will naturally be worn down and it may lose some of its magic power, so I use all of my concentration to sharpen it. I could feel the hard edge of the blade in my hand, and I could hear the glassy clang of the blade, a different sound from when I struck it with the hammer.

“Okay, that’s it.”

When I said that, the four of them, including Liddy-san, cheered. Looking at the finished product once more, I can be sure that the original shape of this sword was like this.

“Liddy-san”

“Yes”

“It’s done. Please look at it.”

“Yes. Well then…”

After handing over the sword, Liddy-san began to check it with a gaze that she is as if looking at each piece of tissue. I’m confident that it will be fine, but I can’t help but get nervous because this is a job request. It’s not Liddy-san’s fault, but it’s because the original shape is also based on my own assumptions. If it doesn’t fit, then this will be a failure in my opinion. In that case, I may have to redo it, and in some cases, I may not be able to meet the deadline. When I think about that, my body gets nervous more and more. The three girls seem to feel the same way as they stare at Liddy-san intently. I appreciate the sentiment, but if you stare too much, it might make it harder for Liddy-san to check it you know.

Then Liddy-san gently placed the sword on the table. She finished checking it. I too stared at Liddy-san. For a moment, she seemed to flinch seeing the four of us staring at her intently. But right after she regained her composure,

“Thank you. It’s more than what I could have hoped for.”

She said so.

“Yey!”

Samia stands up in delight and hugs Rike and Diana. Of course, I’m happy too. However, there is one thing I was concerned about.

“Uhm, what do you mean by “more than what you have hoped for”…?”

It wasn’t out of anger or sadness, it was purely a question that I wanted to ask.

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

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Here’s two bonus chapter in thanks to John Gold. Thanks for offering to buy me Starbucks coffee! Enjoy reading!

From today, I will finally start finishing it. Before I start working, I look at the sword carefully to see what needs to be fixed. It now looks like a sword compared to how it was at the beginning. I checked it several times and there seems to be no particular loss of magic power. I need to keep it in this state for the final touches.

I then placed the sword in the fire bed and use my cheat to adjust the placement of the charcoals and the way the wind is blowing so that only the area to be processed is heated. When it reaches a workable temperature, I take it out and hit it with a hammer. I hammered it as usual and compare it with the wooden pattern to make sure it is the same. I did this repeatedly.

Samia and Diana are out hunting today. So the conversation during work is between me, Rike, and Liddy-san. While I’m comparing the sword to the wooden pattern, Rike and Liddy-san talk to each other. Rike’s work for today is to make general model knives.

At first, the conversation between the two of them was awkward, but it seems that they are beginning to talk smoothly now, probably because they have been living together for about a week.

“I’m not good at grasping the flow of magical power like Boss…”

“I heard that many dwarves are better at grasping the state of the ore itself than magical power.”

“What should I do to become like Boss even a little?”

“It appears that he is far beyond the capability of a normal person so it may be difficult to aim for him…..”

“Un, I know that. But having some tips would be nice.”

“…Well then, I wouldn’t be here for a long time, but let’s train during that time.”

“Is it really okay? No, please do!”

Rike bowed and Liddy-san smiled, looking a little embarrassed. I had that look before too. With the knowledge from my previous world, dwarves and elves are two races that are often in conflict. It’s good that they become friends, with one teaching and the other being taught. In this way, while Rike is working, Liddy-san taught her about magical power for a while.

She stopped supervising my work saying, “I already know Eizou-san’s skill, so I know it will be fine.” However, even after saying that, she sometimes glanced at this side, it appears that at the very least, she is checking my work.

If that’s the case, I can be confident in my work. It would be troublesome if after working to a certain extent, I will be told that this is different and that is different. How many times have I been pushing that down my throat in the previous world?…. Sigh, I’ll just be sad, so let’s stop here. It’s just a matter of having Liddy-san check it from time to time.

On this day, I was able to finish the work with the progress I had planned. Rike’s progress however was not that good as she had to practice watching the magic power. The next delivery is still a long way off and we have not guaranteed the amount to be delivered in the first place so it’s okay.

What is more important is for Rike to grow and be able to make high-end models. If she can do so, it will be possible to divide the work. For example, I will mass-produce the general models with priority on speed and Rike on the other hand can make high-end model ones. In this way, I hope she will gradually gain confidence that she can return to her parents’ workshop.

After cleaning up the workshop, Samia and Diana were also back. They didn’t have anything in particular with them, so they must have caught a big one. When I asked them, they replied that they killed a big boar. It seems that Diana has been playing the “beater” role again today. It would be better for them to be able to switch roles or play the same role so that they have more options. It seems that the two of them have been practicing archery in their free time so I’ll have to make a bow for Diana too.

Well, on the side note, Diana was lamenting that she didn’t see the baby wolf.

The next morning, the five of us left the house together. Of course, we are not going to the town, but to collect the boar. Liddy-san could have stayed at home, but she insisted on coming with us so we decided to let her go with us. There’s nothing strange about it though.

Samia and Diana take the lead. Liddy-san and Rike, who gives off a MAX dwarf impression as she holds an axe, were in the middle. I am at the rear, keeping an eye out just in case. Shortly after, we arrived at the place where they sank the boar. A rather large boar is sunk there. Me, Samia and Diana pull it up to the shore of the lake, while Rike cuts down a tree to make a carrier. Rike alone was more than enough to cut down the tree, so I asked Liddy-san to help in tying up the rope.

Thanks to her, the carrier was ready by the time we pulled it up. We pulled the boar up and fixed it on the carrier, and after a short rest, we took the boar home. I pondered if I should ask Liddy-san to help us in pulling the boar, but she is not that strong so I decided not to. And yeah, it’s easy to overlook it, but she is still a guest.

When we got home, we started to skin and dismantle it into meat. Other than Liddy-san, we all have a custom made knife, so except for her, I work with the others in consideration of work efficiency. If we split up the work, the meat would be ready in no time.

Liddy-san doesn’t seem to have any particular feeling of repulsion in this kind of work so it seems that the same thing is being done in the elf village. They seem to live a life that’s basically the same with the humans, except that they live in areas with abundant magical power, including forests, out of necessity.

While we were working, I asked Rike about that too and she said that most dwarves are blacksmiths by trade, so they live in areas close to mines and the like. It appears that their lives are not all that different from humans either. Unlike elves, they don’t need magical power, so there are some “oddballs” who occasionally go into town to start a business or start a journey as apprentices. I wonder what about the other races, such as the lizardmen I saw in the capital. I’d like to know about them if they ever come as guests.

With that in mind, I returned to the house to clean up and prepare lunch.

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

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I heat the Mithril sword and hit it with a hammer to slightly change its shape. Basically, this is repeated many times. I compare it with the shape in the mold before I started hammering. I fully utilize my cheat to control the hammer so that it takes that shape.

The clear sound of the hammer echoed inside the workshop all day long today.

On this day, I was able to complete about 1/3 of the process of shaping the sword. I think it now looks like a sword a little. It will take another three days I guess. This means that it will take another three days to shape it, and then three or four days to finish it. With this, I’ll be able to meet the two-week deadline with a bit of time to spare. However, I don’t think I’ll be able to make the wholesale products in time. It’s a good thing that I skipped one week of delivery. At this pace, it would be possible to take a day off in between.

The next day,

When I came back after fetching water, Liddy was not there. During our breakfast, I asked her about that in a way that the other three would not understand. In summary, she replied that “it doesn’t have to be every day”. Well, otherwise it will be difficult to replenish the magical power until she got here. I guess that makes sense.

Today’s work is basically the same as yesterday. I did what I had done yesterday morning and then I start working for the day’s quota. The sound of fire and hammer echoes inside the workplace.

Well, when they work, Rike, Samia, and Diana are not really working silently. They talk about something as they do their job. Sometimes, Rike is quiet when she has to concentrate and except for that, they talk about our everyday life here. Like when we do repairs and they also talk about Diana’s life in the Capital.

That does not interrupt my concentration so I didn’t say anything about it in particular. Well, since I can’t work while playing music on my smart phone like what I used to do in the previous world, this is like an alternative to a radio.

As for me, I also talk to Liddy-san from time to time. Our topic is mostly about food. When I talk, Liddy-san either answers or nods. Today, I asked her something that has been bothering me for a long time.

“If it’s alright with you, can you answer my question?”

 “Okay”

While the reddish and hot mithril was reflected in her green eyes, Liddy-san replied to show that she’s paying attention to me.

“Why did this break in the first place?”

Even with my cheat, it is something difficult to make. It is not that hard to see that it would have been a considerable work from the start. And if it indeed is, it wouldn’t be something that would break that easily. Thus I was wondering what would be the cause for it to be broken into pieces of various sizes.

What did she do for such sharp mithril sword to break? If I can replicate it, I would like to reproduce the process and make something that does not break. It was a question that was purely out of my interest as a craftsman.

Liddy-san looks down a little. Maybe she’s wondering if she should answer. After a while, she stared at me.

“I can’t give you too many details because it’s related to magic. However, by following certain procedures, mithril weapons can be used for magic by drawing out the magic power on it. That’s why, just in case of emergency, this sword was kept in the village as a prized possession. Something happened in the village so I had to use it, but once you use it beyond the limit it could take, it would…..”

“Break huh”

When I finished it, Liddy nodded.

I see, that’s why she “wanted to restore it” and that’s also why she seek out someone “who is good at weaving magical power”.

Unless you are a human being (well, either for an elf or a dwarf) who can put in more than a certain amount of magical power into it, it cannot fulfill the role of a “magical battery”. On the other hand, regardless whether it could fulfill the role of a battery, it is probably an important cultural property of the village so it is not possible to leave it unrepaired.

“I see……”

While saying that, I swing the hammer down toward Mithril, and then I put it back on the fire bed. I was a little off the mark. We can’t break it in the way that Liddy-san had just said. Well, there is no way to prevent it from breaking in the first place.

It’s like “Prince Rupert’s Drop”. We can hit the tadpole’s head, but we can’t break the tail. Furthermore, breaking the tail means that there is no way to prevent the whole thing from breaking.

That doesn’t mean that what we talked was meaningless though. I can say that I even got a good harvest. She omitted the method of drawing out the magical power on it (well, it is probably a secret of their village or their race per se), but the fact that mithril can be used as a magical battery is a useful enough information.

And as for the event that happened in her village, Liddy-san did not try to give the specific details. I could easily see that it was not something that I should force out of her, so I said, “I understand it now. Thank you very much.” I thanked her and decided not to talk about it anymore.

The next day, the general shape was finally completed. Of course, compared to the wooden model, there were still some minor discrepancies. However, it was almost as good as the original. All that remains is to see how far I can take this thing to perfection.

I then tapped my face with both of my hands to brace myself even further.

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

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Hi guys, pardon me for missing the uploads last week and the other days. I got so busy with the exam and assessment week of my child for this quarter so I was only able to get back to my translation now. Here’s Kajiya’s chapter for this week. I’ll work on the other two novels by next week. Thanks again for you support!

In the end, it took me a total of three days to stretch the Mithril. Of course, as it is now, it is just a stick with an elaborate grip. Thus, from tomorrow, it will be necessary for me to work on forming its shape.

I’ll end it here for today. “You can’t do a good job by cramming and staying up all night.” That’s what the anime movie I liked in my previous world said.

The next morning,

When I returned after fetching water, Liddy-san was outside the house and she had her hands on the trunk of a tree.

“Good morning. It’s dangerous to go outside… uhm, that’s basically the usual case, right?”

I was going to say it was dangerous but then I remembered that she said that it was not the case so I rephrased it.

“Yes. With this amount of magical power, no ordinary beast would come near here.”

Liddy-san replied in a clear, ringing bell-like voice.

“Do you mean that they can sense danger or something?”

“That’s right. There are many monsters in places with strong magical power after all.”

I got startled hearing that.

“Based from what you had said, since this area has a lot of magical power, is it possible that monsters would suddenly spring up?”

“No, that’s rarely the case. In some cases, some beasts in this forest may become a monster though. However, its nature is basically the same as the original. Although in rare cases, there are also those that become ferocious.”

That’s a worrisome story. A beast that turned into a monster will surely come here regardless of how strong or weak its magical power is. Wait—, perhaps the bear that I killed before ended up turning into a monster…

It’s possible to say that when it injured Samia (it feels like it was a long time ago), the bear hasn’t transformed to that yet, but after that, it turned into a monster. The thing that I sensed to be dangerous was most likely that. It’s unknown what kind of monster it will end up turning into. I’m glad I was able to get rid of it early.

Hn? Wait a minute—

“So, keeping an animal here is…”

“I usually wouldn’t recommend it. However, when I saw the training that Eizou-san and Diana-san are doing together, it seems that both of you have great swordsmanship. Thus, if there was something like that happening “by any chance”, it’s good to say that you guys can handle it. And as I had said before, their nature to the original beast is not that different so those clever wolves basically remained smart.”

The real worst case scenario is that it will be a very sad goodbye……. That will be painful then. Some people think it is okay because it rarely happens. That it’s all up to fate. I’m relieved to know that it would be okay if I do keep a horse here though. 　

“Well, inside a cave, magical power stagnates so monsters are born from there. And such monsters, on the other hand, are basically ferocious. The cause for that is unknown though.”

Without any hesitation, Liddy-san teaches me the mechanism of the birth of monsters.

So that’s the case huh. I haven’t heard from Samia or Diana that there was a cave near here. Well, in case we find one, we should stay away from it.

“By the way, what did you do when you went out?”

After contemplating for a while, I asked that. When I did so, Liddy-san narrowed her eyes.

“Uhm—, I hope you don’t mind me asking? Well, if there’s a problem, you can just forget about what I asked.”

I took Liddy-san’s reaction as a refusal so I hurriedly tried to take back what I had just said.

“No, it’s okay. I just took in some magical power.”

“Magical power?”

“Yes. Foods are needed for meals, but for us elves, we also need magical power.”

“I see”

So that is why we don’t see many of them in the town huh.

Now that I think about it, it’s only natural that there were no elves in the town because they needed magic but they can’t get it in the town or in the Capital. Asking more than this would be insensitive of me so I nodded my head and head back to the house, carrying the jar of water that I had fetched.

 “Eizou-san”

Liddy-san calls out to me.

“You won’t ask questions more than that?”

Her face and voice were almost emotionless. I answered,

“I’m a man myself, and I’m interested in a beautiful woman like Liddy-san but, I just know that there are many things that are better left unsaid.”

Then, with a deliberate grin, I entered the house. I guess I was being a little too cool.

For today’s work, I will continue to make the Mithril sword while Rike and others will continue to make general models. Liddy-san is my observer or lookout, well, it’s something like that.

Up until yesterday, I could just focus on stretching it, but from today, I can’t do that. It is necessary to compare with the wooden pattern that I took before I started hitting it again. Even though I have a cheat, my work progress is naturally slow.

Would it be possible to work with less stress? That will be the key to the future.

As usual, after I worshipped in front of the Kamidana, I set the fire in the fire bed and the furnace, and then we start working. After heating the mithril, I took it out and I placed it on the anvil. I then hammer it while looking at the wooden mold I placed next to it for reference. I used my cheat to figure out where to hammer. With each swing of the hammer, a clear sound and beautiful sparks appear in the forge.

Liddy-san is watching me work right next to me –but she is a bit closer today. It’s clear that she’s getting closer because she’s concerned about it since the work has finally entered the final stage. Well, that’s fine with me.

With that in mind, I once again plunged the mithril sword into the fire bed.

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

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After worshiping together, we start working. I lit a fire on the fire bed then I send in some wind to raise the temperature. When the temperature has risen, I put the Mithril sword inside the fire to heat it. Apart from that, I also lit the fire on the furnace. This one is to be used by Rike and the others when they work.

When the temperature of Mithril has risen just above the workable temperature, I take it out and hit it with a hammer. A clear glass-like sound echoes in the smithy, glittering lights also dances around it. I hammer it quickly so that I can hit it as many times as possible.

I did not mean to say that I’m just hitting it as fast as I can though. If my hand misses even a little, the magical power woven in will be lost. So I’m still careful for that not to happen. I hit it quickly and carefully at the same time. And, for sure, only a limited number of people can handle this. This is especially true for blacksmiths, most of whom don’t understand magic. I’m still doubtful even if I was told that I really understood magical power, well, there’s no doubt that I can see the flow of magical power though.

In this world where the number of people who can use magic is quite limited, those who can properly see the flow of magical power become a magician instead of becoming a blacksmith. With that alone, they can live tranquilly. As a result, “only few blacksmiths can properly handle a Mithril”.

The Mithril, which is probably filled to almost the limit of its magical power capacity, has a clear sound but it felt very heavy when I hammer it and it does not stretch well. Within only a few strikes, it is already out of the workable temperature. I then put the sword back into the fire, heat it, remove it, and hammer it again. The glass-like sound that comes as I’m hitting the Mithril and the metallic sound that was produced as Rike hits a sword to make a general model echo inside the workplace. Besides that, Samia and Diana are making molds and they pour the iron melted in the furnace to it. Fire, wind, hammer, and the people here, makes their own sounds as each of us do our part of work. For me, this room is very comfortable.

That being said, the progress on my mithril work is very poor. Still, I feel relieved knowing that I’ll be able to meet the two-week deadline.

In the end, for this day, I stretched it to half of the remaining 2/3, in other words, I was able to stretch it to the point where only 1/3 is left. Perhaps this is still quite fast compared to a normal blacksmith, however, the progress is slower than the usual steel sword, which is quite stressful. The saving grace is the beautiful sound that comes when I hit it. To be honest, without it, my progress would have been even slower.

However, considering the Apoitakara and other unseen ores I’ll encounter in the future, I can’t be tired-out re-hitting mithril. I have to get through this and be more confident.

The next day,

Considering the progress of yesterday, I’ll also keep on hitting Mithril all day long today. For the newly added routine, I did not forget to exchange the water and salt in the Kamidana and do the worship. Rike and the others will still make the general model ones today. Liddy-san is will observe my work as usual. That said, she’s just watching me hit and stretch Mithril with a hammer all day long.

“Liddy-san”

“What is it?”

After I put the Mithril in the fire bed, I called her while I’m heating it. Liddy-san replied with a cool and clear voice as usual.

“Is it fun to watch?”

“Yes, it is. If it were a normal work, I might find it boring at some point after watching it for a whole day, but Eizou-san’s work is anything but normal.”

“Uh-, thank you”

I thanked her, judging that she was probably complementing me. Well, it’s not really normal.

“Besides, elves have a long lifespan, we feel one day shorter than a human day.”

She’s quite an intellectual, but when I think of her laid-back atmosphere, I realized that she felt time differently. Wait-, if that’s the case, then five years of Samia’s life must have been quite long. Unfortunately, even if I got a cheat, it’s a feeling that I, as a human being, will never understand.

“The sound is pleasing too. There was no blacksmith in my village or in any other village that could make such beautiful sound.”

“Does the sound differ depending on the person who wields the hammer?”

“Yes. The more efficiently you put magic into it, the mithril will make better sound. I don’t think there are many elven blacksmiths who can do it at Eizou-san’s level.”

“I see…”

I pretended not to notice Rike nodding at the corner of my field of view as I hit the heated Mithril with a hammer. The Mithril made a beautiful sound as I hammered it.

“Well, in the case of the sound we heard so far, it was also affected by the degree of mithril refinement.”

“Really?”

“Yes. It’s not applicable to steel, but the purer the Mithril becomes, the easier it is to store magical power on it and the sound when it is hit also becomes more beautiful.”

“Haha, I see.”

I make a sound that seems to be hard to make. Now I understand why it feels different than when I hit the mithril rapier before. The mithril at that time had a lower “degree of refinement” than this one –in other words, it probably had more impurities. It’s not so far-fetched to think that this meant that less magic power was put into it so less effort was needed in hammering it.

Let’s find a way to increase the degree of refinement in the future. I thought so to myself while listening to the beautiful glass-like sound.

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

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