Author: Yume Neiji

This chapter is sponsored by Logan Kerr. Enjoy reading!

When I entered the tent, which has the fanciest style inside the garrison, I saw two familiar faces. The first one is Marius of course. And the other one is Marius’s colleague. Both of them are dressed in luxurious clothes and they both affixed my high-end model short sword in their hips. There is no one else other than them inside the tent.

“Thank you for coming here Eizou.”

Marius extended his right hand. I then shook that hand.

“Well, I heard that it’s a job that pays well.”

I said that with a laugh. I feel relaxed facing the Count but that is because aside from me, his colleague is the only one here. Besides, based from Marius’ attitude, I guess they probably had a conversation about me to some extent (I don’t think that he told him that I forged a new heirloom for him though).

“It’s good to see that you are also doing well.”

After shaking hands with Marius, I faced his colleague and said that to him.

“Yeah. It’s been a while.”

His colleague also extended his right hand to me. I shook his hand and greeted him again.

“My name is Eizou. As you already know, I am a blacksmith.”

“I’m Leroy. I’m Marius’s adjutant now. Nice to meet you again. Also, you don’t have to be so polite to me. From my standpoint, nothing is different from before you see.”

“Alright then, I’ll do so as you wanted.”

Having gotten Leroy’s permission, I decided to feel relaxed in addressing them when it’s only the three of us. Originally, I know him by sight so I guess we both feel comfortable to each other already.

“So, this time I’ll work on repairs, is that correct?”

I asked Marius.

“Yeah. There will be no work along the way, but once we get there, I’ll leave the repair of any damaged armor or weapon to you.”

“And, as for the remuneration?”

“You’ll have enough food during the expedition, an allowance for the expedition similar to a normal soldier and there will also be a commission reward for each piece of armor you repair.”

The next answer came from Leroy.

“Hohoh-”

That’s not a bad deal at all. I wonder if this condition is applied whether it’s me who’ll do it or not. Well, it will be pointless if I can’t earn more than what I normally work for. Since I can repair things faster than most blacksmiths, it’s likely that I can get a higher commission than that of a normal blacksmith, which is a little different from the norm.

“How will you compute the total of the items I repaired?”

“A civil official from the supply unit will do it. He is in charge of income and expenditure of supplies as well you see.”

This time, Marius was the one who answered me.

“I see. I understand. Lastly, when is the departure?”

“We just finished a series of training yesterday. I had them take a day off today.”

Ah-, so that’s the reason why I didn’t hear the sound of training huh.

“We will be leaving here tomorrow.”

“Understood”

With this, all the prior confirmation I needed to know is settled. Now, all I have to do is wait for our departure. Marius called one of the soldiers and ordered him to lead me to my tent. I felt sorry towards the soldier that was asked to take me to the tent where I would be sharing with the rest of the supply unit.

The supply unit’s tent is rather large. There were wagons and horses securely tied separately nearby. A short distance away from here, there is a simple cooking stove with steam rising from it. I thanked the soldier for leading me here and I decided to head towards the stove first. There is a burly man with a moustache and two other young men struggling with a pot.

“Hi, my name is Eizou. I am the blacksmith invited to join the supply unit. Nice meeting you.”

Though I’m a little worried that I would disturb them, I spoke with a loud voice.

“Oh! I’m Sandro, I’m the head cook! That’s Martin and Boris! We will be the ones taking care of the meals!”

My worries seemed to be unfounded, with a voice so loud that seemed to make the ground rumble, Sandro-san actively introduced the two younger ones ―Martin is the taller guy and the shorter one is Boris. The two gave me a slight bow as they stir the pot. I waved to them in response.

“The one over there with the horses is Matis!”

“I see. Thank you very much!”

Since he introduced himself with such loud voice, I also replied with a loud voice and then I headed towards the horse stable. There are many horses tied up around that area and it’s quite noisy. A tall man is slowly walking to and fro between the horses. This time I waved my hand so that he could notice me. If I called out to him with a loud voice, the horses would surely be startled so I did not do so as I feel bad for them.

The man who noticed that I was waving to him, approached me unhurriedly.

“I’m sorry to interrupt your work. My name is Eizou, I’m the blacksmith invited to join the supply team.”

“You are too polite. I’m Matis, I manage the wagons. I’m just looking at the horses so don’t worry about it.”

He is tall and quite handsome but the way he talks is somewhat relaxed. I get this impression that he is a laid-back person.

“The horses of the knights are not here, right?”

“The knights have their own horse groom.”

“Oh, that’s right.”

Thinking about it, it is indeed a given. People above a certain level of status have a variety of personal assistants. Marius could also have a personal cook or blacksmith, but since he was previously a guard, he said that he wanted to be the same as everyone else even though he is the third son of a Count. And at least for appearance sake, maidservants and horse groom are with him.

“Is the civil official inside the tent?”

I asked Matis. Then he replied,

“Ah-, as for that person, I think he is back at his home today.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. Unlike the soldiers and us, there aren’t many reasons for him to stay here in advance.”

“I see. I’ll just do my greeting tomorrow then.”

“Yes, that could only be the case.”

After I excused myself to Matis, I headed towards the tent.

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

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It has been a while since I came to the capital and as expected, I’m still impressed by its liveliness. Just like the last time I came here, the number of people, as well as the number of races, is much more different from the town. In the town, there are dwarves, marito, and beastmen at best but here, there were also lizardmen and this time, there’s even a person who is twice as tall as a normal human. When I asked Camilo about him, he told me that he was from a giant race. It’s rare to see them in the Capital but it’s not something strange.

Elves can’t be often seen in towns or in the Capital, this is because, as Liddy-san had said, they need to take in some magical power so they don’t go to places where magic power is not that abundant.

Such people are coming and going on the streets. I don’t know how it is in other big cities, but in this city, the citizens don’t mind your race. But for something like an inn, there may be some consideration because of the availability of chairs and beds, putting it in the other way around, at least it’s not a situation where there is a ridiculous traffic.

Aside from the technical aspect, in my opinion, it appears that there has been a lot of progress in this world already.

We pass through the main street of the city and then we head towards the gate on the inner wall, which was one size smaller than the gate on the outer wall. This wall appears to be a reinforcement of the outer wall when this city was first built. It is similar to the wall on the town. If the fences at the town were turned into a wall, its appearance will then be close to the Capital.

When Camilo showed the gatekeeper the token, which is the proof of entry and exit to Eimurl’s residence, he was easily let through. Then our wagon drove through the cobblestoned streets in the inner city. It’s hard to believe, but the hustle and bustle a while ago is gone just like that. Still, that doesn’t mean there is no vivacity here. I can say there is a kind of serene feel in here. Slowly, the wagon made its way through the city and eventually, we arrived at a square lined with tents.

So this is the garrison huh. The soldiers gathered here won’t stay here forever I guess.

“Well then, I can only go until here. You should bring this one with you.”

Camilo, who dropped me off, says that while he’s taking out a piece of paper. Having a quick look, I saw that it is a proof that I’m the blacksmith who will be doing military service in this subjugation and that I was personally invited by the Eimurl House. Hmm, I only need to show this to the reception desk huh.

“Thank you, you really helped me there.”

“Don’t mind it.”

Camilo and I waved each other goodbye and then we part ways from here. Although Marius is also here, I’m not a strategist so it’s not like I’ll always be staying with him. I think I’m with the transportation corps so I want to get along with them.

I showed the document I received from Camilo to the garrison guard. The guard looked at the documents he received and summoned a nearby soldier.

“Please wait here for a moment.”

The soldier he called told me that. He is extremely respectful to me, I think it’s probably the effect of the invite which was directly from the Eimurl House. Well, no matter how they look at my appearance, I suppose I’m like those middle-aged man in this city. And just like that, the soldier who told me to wait, run off. Me and the guard were left behind.

“Are you also participating in this subjugation team?”

“Y-Yes. I’m supposed to follow as an escort for the supply unit.”

The young guard answers my question with a slightly tense look. I asked him casually, but I guess he wasn’t supposed to answer to this kind of question. He must be a new recruit. Well, now that I already started chatting with him, I’ll just keep on with the conversation.

“I see. I think it was also written in the document but, I’m Eizou. I’m in the supply unit and I’m supposed to repair your weapons and armors.”

If he is one of the escorts, we will have many opportunities to meet each other. Thus I introduced myself.

“My name is Delmot. I’m pleased to be your acquaintance.”

Delmot-san bowed with a graceful movement. He may be a second or third son of a noble family. It’s good that he can give his name like that.

After that, we talked about a lot of unimportant matters. Though I look like those middle-aged man in this city, he thinks that I am a decent person. It seems that even craftsmen who are employed by a noble family have a good social status even though they don’t have a title.

Well, instead of saying I’m employed, I’m just someone who caters to a client’s request. Or rather, I’m a supplier so I don’t have a connection to that. Besides, I don’t need such status titles even if they give it to me. Getting involved in various ties of obligation is troublesome. I’d rather spend my time making new weapons instead.

Marius seems to be eating and sleeping here together with the soldiers. “I used to be the same soldier as you”, he said that it was Marius’ favourite phrase when he was drunk. Delmot-san can’t help but smile when he told me that. With him looking like this, it seems that Marius has skilfully grasp their sentiments.

After a while, the soldier who said for me to “wait”, came back.

“The captain of the subjugation team wants to meet you.”

“Oh, then I’ll go to him then.”

I decided to head there myself. Well, it’s like, what kind of blacksmith I am for the Count himself to welcome me at the entrance of the garrison. However, since I don’t know the location, I asked for the soldier’s guidance and then I followed him. We arrived at a tent that has a fancier decorative curtain than the others.

“Captain, I’ve brought him here.”

“Let him in.”

“Understood. Please enter.”

I heard a voice that made me feel nostalgic and then the soldier urged me to enter the tent.

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

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After we got home, we spent the next six days like usual. Following the usual schedule, we worked on the production, hunting, eating etc. Thus we made a week’s worth of deliverables as usual. I could have worked on the production efficiently but I don’t have to do that unless it’s necessary.

Though I was once away from home for a certain period of time before, everyone’s reaction to that is just like their father is going on a business trip. They are not particularly worried about me.

Morning of the delivery day,

After we loaded the deliverables like usual, I also pack the hammer I habitually use, some dried meat just in case, and a piece of cloth (sterilized by boiling) to be used as a bandage in my usual bag. Those are in preparation for my departure after the delivery. More or less, it will covered by the other party. …In my previous world, it comes with a meal fee, transportation expenses and accommodation fee. That said, the level is completely different. As for the appearance fee, I hope I can negotiate directly with the other party which is Marius.

We then head to the town like how we normally do. We proceed while being vigilant inside the forest and on the main road. And as usual, we were able to arrive at Camilo’s shop without any problems. Nothing special happens each time (well, we do come across a deer or a wild boar but they quickly run away or move out of our way, we did encounter a caravan on the road too). Even so, we should always be vigilant because as soon as we neglect to do so, problems will definitely occur.

After we arrived at Camilo’s shop, the procedure is basically the same as usual. Well, at least the process of confirming our delivery and our purchase are the same. Since I’ll be going on a trip this time, we will not come for the next delivery so the big difference is that the amount of our purchase will be for two weeks instead of one week. After all that exchange, it’s time for the departure.

As for the horse and clay, it will be settled in another time. It will probably be two weeks at the earliest. In any case, it’s not something that I needed now. As for the clay we have on stock, he told me to use it in making knife mein** so it should last for a while. And in the unlikely event that it runs out, I’m told that normal knife will do.

(TLYN: I just literally translated it as I’m not sure, ナイフメイン – knife mein, please do comment if you know =))

“Well then, let’s go.”

Camilo urges when the conversation is over.

“Alright. Let’s go.”

All of us left the room and then we head to the warehouse. In front of our cart loaded with our luggage, there is the wagon from Camilo’s store with two horses in front of it, our cart is connected at the back.

“My wagon will pull you guys halfway. I’ll be loading a decent amount of luggage on my way home from the Capital so it will be fine with just this much.”

Since he said so, I did not hesitate and I took his words for it. We all got into our own cart. Shortly after, the wagon we are connected to departs. Although it is rattling and shaking, we slowly proceed through the town with a much higher line of sight than usual. Rather than because it’s heavy, the reason why the wagon is not moving that fast yet is because we are still inside the town so it would be dangerous if we speed up.

“As expected, it’s convenient if a horse pulls it.”

“Right”

I said that while looking at the changing townscape and Rike replied back to me. After I told Camilo that I am going to procure a horse, I realized that I had forgotten to bring up the matter about the coachman. Thankfully, it seems that Rike could handle it to some extent. She told me that her family use a fairly large wagon when going to the workshop and that Rike acted as a coachman once in a while. It seems that she took care of the horses at their home too.

Thinking about it, if several families were all working together in the smithy, there would be a certain number of deliveries and no matter how powerful the dwarves were, it would be inefficient for them to pull a cart by themselves. It would be more natural to use wagons. So, even if the horse arrives, it seems that I don’t have to panic for the time being.

When we are leaving the town, we waved and greeted the guard we are acquainted with, he waved over to us as well. He is not using a halberd today as well. Perhaps because of the matter with the subjugation team, Marius doesn’t have much time to get around to it. Combined with that, I would like to actively cooperate and get the job done so that I can come home quickly.

The speed of the wagon increases as we reach the main road. There are no sharp curves here so the speed is faster than I expected. At least much faster than walking speed.

I think it was faster because the last time I rode it coming back from the Capital, the load was mostly just me (and Dianna), but even if it is now considerably heavier than that, we can proceed faster regardless. I don’t think we could go this fast inside the forest but it would still be easier and quicker. I wish I had introduced the horse earlier.

We arrived at the entrance of the forest much earlier than usual. This is where I’ll say goodbye to my family. After reconfirming our plans for the next week or so, we gave each other a quick hug and then I said “I’m going now”. Well, it’s not like we’re parting for good. I then get inside Camilo’s wagon, which had been separated from our own, and when I looked back, I saw everyone seeing us off at the entrance to the forest so I waved lightly.

With a much lighter weight, the horses energetically gallops along the road towards the Capital. When we came back from the capital, we had only one horse because we didn’t have much luggage, but this time, perhaps because we had two horses, it feels like we are moving faster than that time. The scenery I saw before (on our way back) was a little more exciting.

And then while I’m looking at the view of the outer wall of the Capital and the mountains rising like a larger wall beyond it, which I thought I might never see again, I entered the Capital once again.

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

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“Well then, this time, this is just between us but,”

As Camilo said that, his voice became a little softer. We then leaned forward.

“I think you already predicted this to some extent, the need for such a large number of swords means that many soldiers are on the move.”

“Un, I guessed so…”

That is indeed the case huh. Even if I say that Camilo is only extensively running his business, a situation where 40 longswords are suddenly needed only means that the soldiers are making a move somewhere, regardless of whether it is the national military or a private army.

“And given that, though I don’t think that there will be any problems with the sword you brought, the buyer of those longswords asked me to tell you to serve in the military if possible.”

“Hmm”

“Although it is a military service, there is almost no danger because you will be accompanying the supply unit in the rear.”

“Then, is my main job to repair at the destination they are moving to?”

“As expected, you immediately get what I mean. That’s right.”

“For how long?”

“It’s about 9 days or so at the longest. It will take 3 days going there, then you’ll work for 3 days and then the travel time going back would also took 3 days. If it’s done in 1 day, you can come back in a week time.”

“Hmm……”

If that’s the case it would be okay to leave the house to the three of them and be away for that long. Well, as for the problem with their meal, they’ll solve it somehow. I wouldn’t be able to take all three of them, and I can’t take only one of them either. I don’t want to leave just one person at home so the option of taking two people with me is out of the question. In that case, it would be better for me to go alone.

“Would it be okay if I go alone? Do I need an assistant or something?”

“No, there’s no need to because the supply unit is one group. Meals and other things are done by dedicated personnel and so is the setting up of the tents. Although it will be open-air, Eizou’s job is to set up the fire bed and the anvil.”

“I see. Then, all I really need to do is follow them around and fix their items huh.”

“Yeah”

“Last question, where does the army belong to and what are they going to do?”

“Let me answer what they are going to do first. It’s a monster subjugation expedition.”

“It’s not a war?”

“Sometimes there are skirmishes, but there is currently no battle in this country where we have to send some troops and pull out more than 40 people. Next, where they belong right?”

Camilo made a short pause there.

“It’s Count Eimurl’s. The king has entrusted some soldiers to him and he was asked to go there and form a subjugation team.”

I could see Diana gasping a little. I see. It was Marius huh……. I’m not saying this to brag, but he knows how capable I am. So of course, he’ll want to take me with him. It is not that hard to see that it would be safer to have someone who knows your family history by your side in case of emergency.

“Count Eimurl’s House was originally a House that got their title and family name after becoming known for subduing monsters and well, there’s the dispute part about their inheritance. The Marquis once said that there’s no problem and something openly problematic never occurred but it would be less likely that he will encounter trouble later if he achieved results here.”

“I see.”

I’m grateful that he explained this matter because it doesn’t reach me, a blacksmith who lives in isolation from the world. And truthfully, I’m not from a noble family. Anyway, Marius is in pinch again huh.

“If that’s the case I will be happy to participate.”

Diana looked a little relieved this time. She’s one of the few people who know that I have good swordsmanship. I guess she feels relieved knowing that I would be there if Marius needs me.

“By the way, when will it start?”

“I heard that you could go straight to the Capital after your delivery next week. I’ll be sending you there with my wagon.”

“Is that so? I thought it would be more urgent.”

I thought in worst case, I would be asked to set off today.

“Well, there will be something like group organization and minimum training.”

“Oh-, that’s right.”

Marius is also at a platoon level so he probably has little experience in commanding. Even if he has been preparing for a while, it’s always better to go with a good preparation unless it’s very urgent.

And since the monster subjugation is not that urgent, the soldiers who have been sent to him are probably almost like recruits. If all goes well, he can take some nobles with experience in leadership and soldiers with practical experience. And in the worst case, it will come to an extent that the country will be reorganized. In that case, it would be a hard blow for the Eimurl House.

“Well, I understand the story. I’ll be ready.”

Basically, my mission is of course, to repair their items while I’m in military service. However, the mission behind it is to bring Marius back safely. I think there are times when that can’t be helped, but even in that case, I would like to make it my top priority to bring him back safely as much as possible. To do this, the soldiers need to be fully equipped. It should be also in the category of general model as much as possible. The high-end model has some magical elements involved and it takes time for me to do it.

Around the time we are done with the conversation about the military service, Clerk-san returned with a pouch in his hand.

“Are you sure you want to buy the same things as usual?”

“Yeah. I want you to prepare for two weeks worth of those next week though.”

“Got it. Then, today’s payment is this.”

Camilo gives me the pouch that Clerk-san brought. It was heavy when I hold it, so I checked it and I found out that even if I subtracted the amount of the items I bought today, it is still way too much for 55 longswords.

“Isn’t this too much?”

“It includes the fee for rushing you and it also contains the inconvenience fee he gave you for “that time”. Don’t worry about it because it’s something that you are supposed to receive.”

A fee for hurrying me and for that time when I forged the heirloom huh. It would become complicated again if I return this.

“Understood, thank you.”

I received the pouch and then we left Camilo’s store.

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

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This chapter is sponsored by Logan Kerr. Thank you everyone for your support as always. シ

After that, the production continued smoothly and we made a total of 9 pieces on this day. It seems that the range of over 50 pieces will most certainly be achieved. Conversely, it is unlikely that our production output will exceed 60 pieces. Now I know the upper limit of the number of molds to be made tomorrow. I would say that we should aim for 55 pieces, we should not go over the limit we can handle though.

At dinner that night, our conversation is about singing and Diana showcased her singing voice a little. As a part of their education, it is said that all nobles, regardless of gender, can sing to some extent and they can dance to some extent as well.

Then I, who also have a family name, should be able to sing some of the songs of this world as well. However, that’s not included in the cheat I have and there’s also no information about songs in my installed knowledge. I can’t sing a song from the previous world either. The lyrics of the songs I knew are in Japanese or English at best. Only “Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony​” can be sung in German but that doesn’t change the fact that it’s not a language or a song from this world.

Though I felt very apologetic towards Rike and Diana, I decided to say that I’m merely a blacksmith so I can’t sing. I know I’m being unfair so when I get a chance, I’ll learn a song from this world and perform it…..

The next day,

I told the three of them that our final goal is 55 pieces and that there are still 36 more pieces to be made for us to reach the goal. A total of 9 production output are required a day to achieve that. I also told Diana that once she made 36 molds, I would like her to work with Samia to pour melted iron into the molds. Perhaps we’ll have a time to spare on the 6th day, but if that’s the case, it would be better to take some free time. Well, even if it can be done, it will not be half a day I guess.

More or less, it’s certain that if we concentrate on making longswords for the time being, we will be in time so we have to focus on today’s work. The sound of fire and wind echoed softly in the workshop, and then the sound of hammering followed after. I can now hear Rike’s singing voice from time to time, I guess she got over it because she sang yesterday. She has a few songs in her repertoire too.

Originally, when you say work song, you sing to the rhythm of the hammer but instead of that, Rike and I were swinging our hammers to the rhythm of the song. It’s not particularly distracting, and I even feel like I can concentrate better than when I’m working quietly. Even in the previous world, there were those who could concentrate better in silence and those who preferred background music, and I seem to be the latter. We were able to make a total of 10 pieces on this day. Now we have 26 pieces left.

The next day, another 10 pieces were made, and when there were 16 pieces left, the mold creation was also completed. The clay was recyclable, so we were able to get by, but it looks like we need to have some stock soon. If I can find clay in this area, I can collect it there, but since I don’t know where to find one, I’ll have to ask Camilo to get me some fine clay in the meantime. I’ll ask him to prepare it on our next delivery.

The work proceeded the next day and the day after that, then we were able to finish 55 pieces safely. When I think about it, even if I made Diana switch to casting, I and Rike were already working at the maximum speed, so it is unlikely that it will exceed 10 pieces a day. We ended up producing 7 pieces on the sixth day and once we finished the work, we only have a short free time.

It was a lot of work, but once you cleared your goal, it gives a great sense of accomplishment after doing so. In the future, it may be a good idea to set a certain number of hours per week for regular production. Of course, if we have extra time left, we should take a day off. It may be more convenient for Camilo, too. I’ll talk to him about it.

The next day,

After finishing the 55 longswords, it was now time for delivery. With every 10 pieces wrapped in a rough mat, an unprecedented amount of longswords were loaded on the cart. The rest of the process is the same as usual, but the weight is no joke. Even with them in the cart, they felt quite heavy. Fortunately, the wheels don’t sink into the soil. However, at this rate, I’ll have to think twice about carrying more than 55 longswords. Or maybe, we should finally introduce horses.

Although it was slower than usual, we managed to arrive at Camilo’s shop at only a slightly later time. The procedure itself at Camilo’s store is the same as usual. The only difference was that I brought a purchase order with me. I handed the purchase order to Camilo and Clerk-san when they entered the business meeting room.

“It’s a total of 55 longswords. We made them properly.”

Well, I didn’t promise the number separately.

“No, no, Eizou’s works always exceed my expectations.”

Camilo said in a slightly teasing tone so I don’t know how serious he is when he said that.

“How many did you think it was?”

“I’m not underestimating your skill, but it’s not that simple so I was thinking it will be about 40 pieces or so.”

Well, I said it would be six times as much. But, did he estimate it to be about that range in anticipation of the fact that we wouldn’t be able to increase our productivity that much by simply spending more time on it? I am grateful that he thinks that way though.

For example, if he were to say, “Alright, let’s aim for 100 pieces by next week”, we’ll have to work for 8 hours now in that case, and if we work for 16 hours, we can then complete 110 pieces, but thankfully that’s not the case. I’m grateful for a client who knows that part….. We’ll, I have a feeling that it’s like that.

When Camilo glanced at him, Clerk-san nodded back. I think he went to check the number. Even if he trusts me, I would appreciate it if he would still confirm if it’s exactly as what I said.

“Is there anything else you need today?”

After Clerk-san came out, Camilo asked that. This is also the usual flow.

“I’ll be needing clay. It doesn’t have to be today. It will be good if it’s soft and fine.”

“Clay? I’ll try to check with the pottery workshop we handle.”

“Sorry for the trouble, that would be helpful. I also want a horse. We are about to reach our limit when pulling that cart manually. To be honest, it’s been a struggle just to get here. It’s good that the trip back home is almost the same as usual, but when I buy something bulky or heavy, we are in trouble, so I’d like to take action now.”

“I see… I understand. I’ll see what I can do about that.”

“Sorry for that but, I’ll leave it to you.”

“What are you saying? Consider it as my guilt for having a small workshop with only one disciple hit 55 pieces of longswords.” Camilo said so and winked at me. Uh-, that doesn’t suit you, Camilo.

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

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With this setup, it seems that we’ll able to make quite a few longswords once we get on the momentum. As assigned in the morning, Diana makes the mold then Samia pours the melted iron into it and I and Rike will do the finishing. Since a mold needs to be remade for each sword, maybe the most important thing at the moment is the speed at which Diana creates the molds. Given that her pace in making one mold is faster compared to us finishing one longsword, there’s no sign that we’ll be running out of molds so far. In the worst case scenario, we can switch to forging until the molds are replenished. However, there will inevitably be a difference in quality if that would be the case.

Just like in the other workshops, when we have full operation in our workshop, we are in a situation where there are high-temperature objects such as melted iron and red-hot iron that would be constantly around us. In other words, it will be extremely hot. The day after the goods are wholesaled to Camilo, we also make some sheet metal so the situation is somewhat similar. Even when we are not mass-producing, we would be in a state close to this.

But still, this is hotter than I expected. I reminded the three of them to always rehydrate in between their tasks. The three of them replied that they understand. Through my installed knowledge, I know that the climate around here was not so harsh. So in that case, apart from Rike, who would have experienced a similar situation at her home, it is quite possible that the other two have little knowledge about heat stroke. I want to prevent not only the direct injuries but also accidents like that as well.

On this day, we were able to make 10 of them. The preparations made the day before probably helped on that. This is also a very good amount of production output given it’s only for one day. It is the result of a considerable compromise in quality because we only hammered it a few times but the minimum performance of it as a weapon is properly secured. I pick up a couple of the poorly made weapons and tried slashing them. None of them had any problem in particular. Even if they are to be used in warfare, they are unlikely to be broken in one or two battles. If we continue at this pace tomorrow, we will probably be able to make more than what Camilo expects.

There are still some molds (that Diana made) left. At this point, what I need to worry about is on whether we’ll run out of clay first. When we have about 50 or 60 pieces in total, it would be a good idea to have Diana do casting. Anyways, I’ll think what to do about it depending on our progress in two days.

The next day,

We made the same preparations and then we proceed to make longswords. The rhythmic sound of hammering occupies the workplace.

Oh-, that reminds me…

“In the dwarves’ workshop, don’t you sing at times like this?”

I asked Rike. I just wanted to know if the dwarves have something like a work song.

“Eh?”

Rike was confused. Uh-, Maybe there’s none.

“Uhm-, nevermind. I was just wondering if there is a song that you guys sing when you are forging swords or anything that involves blacksmithing. I haven’t been in this business for a long time, and my “house” was not involved in blacksmithing, so we don’t have anything like that in this workshop.”

“Aah-, there is.”

They have one after all.

“Can you let me hear it even for a bit?”

“Eeh~…”

Rike is embarrassed. It’s like I just asked someone to perform at a banquet all of a sudden.

“It’s okay if you’re embarrassed. I’m just curious you see.”

“N-No, it’s okay”

Her face is still a little red, but her eyes are brimming with vigour like she has made up her mind. Oops, I should have been more careful. Some people can’t say no when their boss asks so I should be more careful when I request something. However, she is now fully motivated. It would be wrong to tell her that she doesn’t have to do it now. I guess I’ll just let her do it.

Rike sang with a cute voice while she’s swinging down the hammer in rhythm. As expected, it’s not a Japanese-style lyrics or melody, but it’s also good.

“Whoa!! Rike, you’re good at it! You don’t have to be shy.”

I stopped working and applauded. Samia and Diana also clapped their hands. Rike looked embarrassed in response.

“Rather than whether I’m good or bad at it, it’s really dwarf-like so it’s embarrassing. I didn’t really care about that until I left home.”

It’s true that there are some parts that I’m impressed about her and think that it’s “dwarf-like”. I might be embarrassed if someone called the activities that I’m doing casually as “human-like”. Still,

“I think it’s okay to be dwarf-like. I guess I’m human-like too, and Samia is beast-like. If someone tried to tell Rike off because of her race, we of Eizou Workshop, wouldn’t let that off.”

My family has a connection with the Count’s House. Relying on it is the last resort, but if that solves everything, I will use it for my family without hesitation. “Yeah, yeah”, Samia and Diana nodded their heads in agreement.

“Thank you, Boss. Then I will become a blacksmith who lives up to a dwarf’s name.”

Rike picked up the hammer again and she swings it in a good mood while singing their work song in a more cheerful voice than before.

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

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After we talk about the order, all we have to do is go home. We then bid goodbye to Camilo and leave the store. When I think over it, other than the custom orders or those items I sold myself, I mean, those items I sold to him and the additional orders (when the Halberd was ordered), this may be the first time that we make something that is properly requested. I’m glad that it was Camilo on the onset.

I slightly bowed to the guard at the entrance of the town and passed by. When I glanced at him, I saw that he was still holding a spear. I wonder if the halberd training is still being carried out, and I consider whether there is really such benefit in doing that. The fact that he asked for more halberds suggests that he intends to let the guards in this town use it too. If not, he can just send the first ones to the guards in his mansion.

Anyways, that’s for Marius to think about. There’s no point in me worrying about it. I put the halberd out of my mind and focused on keeping my pace with Rike.

On the way back, the scenery on the road was still peaceful. Sometimes I feel like I don’t need to be careful because there’s nothing to be careful about. However, Camilo mentioned that there are occasional bandits and Helen even said that she had defeated a large group of bandit a while back so I can’t get that out of my mind. This kind of thing can happen the moment we let our guard down…

As expected, on this day as well, nothing appeared on the main road. Ordinary people would have been more careful inside the forest ahead but it was different for us since we are familiar to it. Or rather, it is easier there.

However, we don’t want to unnecessarily provoke the animals in the forest so Samia take the lead as usual while she keep an eye out to avoid running into them as much as possible. We passed by some animals often but we did not encounter any trouble. On the other hand, we didn’t see the little wolf that Diana had been longing for, which somewhat dampened her spirits.

Once we got home, we carried the luggage inside and after that, we had a free-time for the rest of the day. I decided to prepare some molds in advance for the mass production that would start tomorrow. It’s been a while since I asked Samia and Diana to do it. I put clay on the wooden mold and let it dry to make a mold. I repeated this process until it was time to prepare dinner so I made quite a few pieces. With this, we don’t have to worry about the mass production tomorrow. I nodded my head and went back inside the house to prepare for dinner.

The next day,

After we had our breakfast, it was time to divide up the work. Unlike the usual chat while we stay seated around the table after our breakfast, we moved to the workplace. After we worshiped to the Kamidana, we started our meeting.

“As you already know, Eizou Workshop has been asked to mass produce longswords. So from today onwards, we will all be working on it, myself included.”

When I said that, the three of them replied with different words but the meaning is the same.

“Let’s move as efficiently as possible. Diana, keep on working on making molds.”

“Understood”

“Samia, your work will focus on filling the mold. You don’t have to do deburring today.”

“Okay”

“Rike and I will do the finishing.”

“Yes, I understand”

“Our speed is important but be careful not to cause accidents by rushing. It’s okay to move slowly and do it one at a time. Just make sure that you do it safely. 「Slow is smooth and smooth is fast. 」Please keep this in mind when working.”

“Is that some kind of saying in the North?”

Samia mixed up my words.

“Well, it’s something like that.”

Actually, it’s a phrase often used in my previous world for training special forces.

“Alright, let’s get started.”

「「「Yes」」」

In this way, the first mass production of our workshop started.

Although we were fired up, we couldn’t start until the fire was lit in the fire bed and furnace. Until the fire is lit and the temperature rises, all four of us spend our time making molds. These molds will all be used up by the end of the day at the earliest.

The molds can be reused to a certain extent because the firing process does not change the structure of the molds. However, there will be some loss so we eventually need to stock up on them. Perhaps it will also be necessary to replenish new clay by the time this mass production is completed. But for now, we are just working for the purpose of mass production.

When the temperature of the furnace rises, iron ores are thrown inside and the melted iron is taken out. After that, it is poured into a mold and cooled down, and until that point, it’s not yet my and Rike’s turn. At this time, Samia is the busiest person. She’s pouring the melted iron into the mold and then she throws more iron ores into the furnace. At this pace, it’s unlikely that she’ll be bored after we start finishing. Well, there’s that possibility in Samia’s case, but if that happens, we’ll be able to keep her busy with the mold making.

When the sword was cooled down, I took it out of the mold, grabbed it with the pincers and hammered it to remove the burrs. Then I put it in the fire bed to heat it up, took it out at the “right moment” and then I hammered it and start finishing. I started first, but Rike was not to be outdone, she proceeded to hammer and start finishing one too. When I glanced at it, it’s not up to a high-end model, but it’s a good workmanship for a general model.

The sound of the two hammers echoed loudly, mixed with the sound of the fire and wind, along with the sounds of Samia and Diana working. We’ve had this situation many times before, but this time, perhaps because the work was done with a proper purpose, the whole family seemed to be working together even more than usual.

Then, I completed the first longsword of the whole family.

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

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