Author: Yume Neiji

“That can’t be true!”

Karel shouts out loud. Actually, “it shouldn’t be”, so that’s expected.

“Karel, calm down.”

The Marquis spoke to Karel. Karel sits down reluctantly. Looking at the two people accompanying him, one is simply surprised, but the other looked bitter. It seems that he did not tell the exact details of the matter to the one who looked surprised. It can be said that he was fortunate in a sense. The man with the bitter expression is dressed like a noble. Considering that he’s a noble, if he doesn’t know how to hide his real feelings, he’ll surely be killed in no time if he goes to a place where conspiracy swirls.

“Then, what do you mean by “real” one?”

The Marquis asked Marius.

“Yes. Actually, I only found this out from the document left by my father. In reality, during private ceremonies, the Eimurl family prepares a “fake” to be used in public but there’s actually a “real” one. “If there is a serious affair in the Kingdom, the one who succeeds the family will take the real thing and help face the national crisis”, that’s what the document left by my father says so.”

Marius took out a paper (probably parchment) from his bosom and presented it to the Marquis. The Marquis receives it and reads it.

“Hmm, it’s definitely Count Eimurl’s handwriting.”

Hearing the Marquis’ words, Karel’s eyes opened wide. Well, to justify the story, it can’t be helped but to forge it cautiously. When it comes to fooling the eyes of an old friend, he must have asked a skillful guy and that must have been Camilo’s job. When I glanced at Camilo, he winked at me. An uncle winks at another middle-aged man…

Karel tried to say something but Marius stood up first.

“Big brother, when I found this document, you went somewhere else and I haven’t had the chance to meet you until today so I was late to tell you this. I’m very sorry.”

After saying that, he bows his head. Karel sat down again. Talking about being suspicious, it really is suspicious but, the consistency matches well.

“In tha-, that maybe so but, Karel-dono, do you have any objections? If none, I would like to report to His Majesty that there is no problem here.”

The Marquis unknowingly throws words that are equivalent to death penalty for Karel. Now, this matter was settled with “that vigor made you act recklessly but it was all for recovering the heirloom. That spirit is admirable.”

It may not be possible to take over the family, but I think that the best thing to do now is to just end it here. Then, while Marius is investigating the cause of his father and brother’s death, he can hide or do his business.

 “Well, after all, I can’t just believe that this is a “fake” and that is the “real” one.”

However, Karel wanted to settle it here. It’s what he hoped for. Even though it is clearly an act of placing his king in front of the piece placed by Marius.

“Understood. Let’s make a clear proof for that then.”

Marius said quite casually. It’s a proof of how much trust he has in my product but, there’s also this side of me that would like him to stop such acts too.

 “How will you do it?”

“It’s faster to test it out. May I borrow your garden?”

“I don’t mind. Is this okay for you, Karel-dono?”

“Yes”

Everyone stands up and move to the garden. Karel is no longer hiding his feeling and is openly glaring at Marius. Marius was able to pass it on.

Thus, the final confrontation was to take place in the courtyard of the Marquis’ House. They both held the “heirloom sword”, but this doesn’t mean they will fight each other.

The one I made is being stuck in the ground on the courtyard. Even though it’s my work, it gives off this feeling that you’ll become the king if you pull it out. Then, a young soldier with a spear in hand approaches there. He is the guard of this mansion –a private army of the Marquis. From now on, he will stab the edge of my sword. If that damages the sword, what I made is a “fake”. However, as I looked at it, with that tip, my sword can withstand 50 times, even if the material is just steel.

The soldier struck it about 20 times, but the tip of the spear just broke, and the sword I made had no scratches.

“That’s ridiculous……”

It was Karel who groaned in a low voice. That’s right. You can’t have something like this in just one or two days. It’s more than expected. The Marquis also praised the sword with admiration.

“As expected, it is a sword given by His Majesty. It has both beauty and strength.”

“That’s right. Isn’t it just right to call it the “real” one?”

Marius rides on. He had already shown the performance of my sword to begin with.

“Then, it’s Karel-dono’s sword’s turn.”

“Yes.”

Karel similarly stuck his sword into the ground. So the Marquis,

“Hey. Get another spear.”

ordered the soldier from before, but,

“No, that would not be necessary.”

As soon as Marius said that, he pulled out the “real” one that was stuck next to Karel’s. He then slashed at the “fake” sword. Without any metallic sound, the “fake” was just cut off from the middle. The upper half, which was cut off, particularly made a clang sound when it fell.

“This strength, this sharpness, with it having all these, there is no doubt that this is the “real” one, what do you think?”

With a broad grin, Marius declares victory towards the Marquis.

“Y-Yes. With such sharpness, if you enter the battlefield, you will be a match for a thousand. This is indeed the real thing.”

As expected, the Marquis too has not caught up with the events that happened before him. However, if he saw it, there is neither admission nor disapproval. Surprisingly though, he declared which one was the real thing.

“And with that, since there is no particular problem this time, the succession of the family will proceed as usual. I would like to report this to His Majesty. Is that fine with you, Marius-dono, Karel-dono?”

The Marquis declares after he somewhat recovers.

With this, it’s over. I want it to end now so I can go home quickly. As I’m thinking of that,

“Uwaaaaa!!!!”

Karel shouted as he dashed towards Marius. He had a knife in his hand. I was able to catch his movement thanks to the “cheat”, but I can’t make it from here. However, at that moment, I caught another move. It’s Marius.

Marius’ right hand, which was holding the sword, flipped up at a tremendous speed, the blade of the sword moved from Karel’s left hip to the right shoulder as if nothing was there. It was cut off without a sound. Karel’s upper body broke up before he even reached Marius and with a thud, it fell to the ground.

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

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I changed my clothes or rather, I was forced to change clothes. I was being rocked inside the carriage with Marius and Camilo. I still have that indignant look though. Thankfully I was not seen by Samia and Rike in this appearance.

“Don’t get angry. Don’t you want to see the “fake” one?”

Camilo intervenes.

“I told you I don’t want to see it…”

The heirloom which is bestowed by King would be nothing more than that, but if asked if I’m interested, of course, I would be.

“This is my request. I’ve involved you guys so I want you two to know what the result is.”

Marius said so. I have no objection to that.

“So why did I have to wear this outfit?”

That’s the only thing I’m stuck on.

“I can’t let them know that there’s a blacksmith present in such place so I need to cover it up. I think it’s silly but I still dressed you up as a noble.”

Marius replied.

“Well, Eizou is supposed to be my guest from the North. It seems that Karel will bring some people with him too so it shouldn’t be a problem to bring guests with me. Knowing Karel, it would be convenient for him if he could declare the reclamation of the sword in the presence of a third party. The same is true for Camilo. He’s expecting that the event will spread on the peddler’s information network. Otherwise, Karel wouldn’t allow himself to be in the same presence with a “peddler” you see.”

“I see…”

That “peddler” is probably Karel’s term, not Marius’. Marius is supposed to be the next Count, but for a nobleman, he is “progressive”. Since he was once a guard in the town, he could see various people, did that experience take effect on him? To say that it’s better to be a merchant and that blacksmiths are no good, is not something that you can’t understand considering the spread of information.

 “You mean, that’s where it’ll all backfire?”

 “It’s like that”

Being seen by me, a third party and by Camilo, a peddler with an information network would only result in spreading Karel’s failure. Karel bringing in friends and acquaintances has the same effect. I hope he will accept it easily. I couldn’t help thinking about it.

Eventually, we arrived at a large mansion. Is this the residence of the Count Eimurl?

“This is Lord Menzel’s villa.”

Marius informs me, but it’s a name I’m not familiar with.

“Lord Menzel is the Marquis of this city.”

Camilo followed up. Is a Marquis one level higher than a Count?

“Heh-, then I came to a great place huh.”

“My father was an old acquaintance of Lord Menzel. He was younger than my father, but he was friendly. That’s why he was also entrusted with the ruling on this matter.”

It was Marius who spoke. So that’s how it is huh. If it’s the Marquis, he might be able to report to the king directly.

We get off the carriage once we’re inside the mansion. Perhaps he’s a servant here, a polite young man guides us and take us to a large room. When we came in, no one else was in the room yet. Marius sat down and we sit down besides him. I’m not sure about the seating order, but it doesn’t seem to be much different from my previous world. The “real” heirloom sword is wrapped in a cloth and placed beside Marius.

After a little while, three men came in. One of them has a fearless smile. He somehow resembles Marius. So that’s Karel huh? He’s not particularly villain looking. I wonder if he just happened to be blinded by greed… The other two are probably people with a certain position. Karel and his companions sit down facing us.

Until Karel arrived, Marius was chatting with us in a whisper, but as soon as he came in, he shut his mouth and remained silent.

Some more time after that, a middle-aged man in luxurious clothes came in. He has a strong build with his mustache and hair trimmed neatly. He should be Marquis Menzel.

We all stand up at once. After the Marquis sat in the seat of honor, he urged us to sit down.

“Well then, regarding the matter about the heirloom sword stolen from the Eimurl family, Karel was able to get it back, is that right?”

The Marquis asks Karel and his companions. It’s a low and deep voice that is no different from the image you’ll feel seeing his strong build. It makes me think that most human beings will tremble if yelled at by such voice.

“Yes. It was the work of a thief near the border, but I managed to get it back yesterday.”

Karel has a higher but calm voice. He put out a long item, wrapped in cloth. It was the sword. As Marius said, it sheathed in a simple scabbard with little ornate decoration. The same is true for the patterns on the sword guard, it can be seen that they are made by the hands of a good craftsman.

“So what do you want me to do? There shouldn’t be a problem if you get back what you’ve lost, right? Isn’t it all settled if Marius over there succeeds Count Eimurl?”

The Marquis replied back to Karel. The Marquis doesn’t seem to have a very good impression on Karel, or, is he originally like this?

“No, I don’t think that someone who has had the heirloom stolen under his nose and just stand by and do nothing is suitable to be the head of the Count family.”

Karel argues while taking a glimpse at Marius. Has it started? Hearing such words, the Marquis began to ponder.

I can understand what Karel is saying. If a person, who just stand by and does nothing even if something important was stolen in his house, was to be deemed suitable as the head of a decent or higher-ranked house, that in itself would be suspicious. The higher ranked the family is, the more people are involved. The lives of the people of the territory, of course, depend on the patriarch. The patriarch needs to have the ability to solve these difficulties, and Marius couldn’t show it this time.

Of course, it’s only true if the heirloom was really stolen, it’s a different story if they collude with the thieves. But it is impossible for us to prove otherwise. I think it’s possible that Karel killed the thieves he brought in. In that case, Karel’s story that “The heirloom was stolen, so I searched for the whereabouts of the thieves, killed them, and recovered them” is seemingly consistent, and above all, it’s “not a lie”.

But we also have a trump card. This is a tightrope walk here, but this is a trump card that Karel wouldn’t expect.

Marius opens his mouth.

“Can I say something?”

“I don’t mind. Say it.”

The Marquis urged.

“I seemed to be leisurely because that heirloom was a fake. I had the real thing at hand so I thought I should slowly hunt down the thieves. Though I’m reflecting if it seems that I was just standing by and doing nothing, but please be aware of the difference between cleaning up quickly and slowly cornering them then capturing them at once.”

 “Ho-oh?”

The Marquis raised an eyebrow at Marius’ counterattack. There was a clattering noise, and when I looked at it, Karel stood up unexpectedly.

“Here is the “real” one.”

Marius unwrapped the cloth he put beside him and revealed a sword sheathed in a scabbard. The “real” sword that I forged.

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

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Here’s another set of advance chapters sponsored by fronzenman60. Enjoy reading!

“Then, the next one would be the scabbard.”

I speak to Camilo and Marius.

“Oh, right. There is also a scabbard.”

Camilo said so. If it’s just an ordinary longsword, I can just make it quickly without worrying about its design, but it’s for the heirloom after all.

“Well, after this, I don’t know how much value it will have as a heirloom. But when it comes to a heirloom, there is a certain scabbard, right?”

“Can you finish it by tomorrow?”

It was Marius who asked.

“Well, I’ll be able to do that. But I’ll try to finish it by the end of today.”

“You don’t have to ornate it too much, the fake’s scabbard wasn’t too striking either you see.”

“Is that so? Alright then, let’s make it like that.”

“Yeah, I’ll leave it to you.”

Then they went out after that. The next time they’ll come here is the time of the complete delivery. Well then, shall I start?

The base will be made of wood. I chose the one that is old and packed amongst the woods that are placed here as materials. Experts around here also rely on cheats. Though it’s a heirloom, it will be fine to say that the scabbard is recently remade using new wood. Although for national and sacred treasures, I think that it would be quite difficult to remake its scabbard.

I place the sword on the wood, measure the size, and then hollow out the wood in the shape of the sword. I prepared two wooden boards with half of its body hollowed out, stick them together with glue, and then make the outer shape with the high-end model knife that I made as a trial earlier. It seems that this knife can be used for engraving. I only engraved one flower stem and leaf-like pattern in the middle.

Once I’m done with that, I clean the whole thing with the knife. It’s the planing part.

Next, I took a beeswax with a cloth and applied it all over. I think it’s a fairly expensive item, but it’s for the heirloom’s scabbard so I can’t be stingy.

After spending a considerable amount of time polishing, I light up the fire bed. Heat a sheet metal that is not very large and hit it with the hammer to spread it thinly. The stretched steel metal will be used for edging the scabbard. It’s usually a fairly time-consuming task, but thanks to the cheat, I made the length and shape I want at once.

I then attached the stretched sheet metal around the scabbard and engraved something with a chisel. The design is also like that of a plant’s leaf. By the time the sun went down, the scabbard was finally completed. It was relatively early in the morning when I was awakened, and Marius and Camilo didn’t stay that long, so it took a considerable amount of time creating just one scabbard. Even so, it’s thanks to the cheat that I was able to finish the work that would normally take about a month (if you’re not good at it) in just one day.

When I put the sword in the scabbard, it looks quite elaborate. This would not be inferior to the fake. Then as I chuckle to myself, Camilo and Marius came.

“How are you doing? It’s not like you cannot meet the deadline, right?”

Camilo asked with a cheerful expression. He did not even consider that I can’t finish it. I’m glad and embarrassed that he trusted me so much.

“I just finished it. What do you think about this?”

I showed them the newly made sword and its scabbard.

“O-oh!……”

Marius expressed his admiration.

“This would make it easier to counter that fake one.”

“Really? That’s good then.”

I replied a little bluntly to Marius who is beaming. I’m glad that he is pleased with what I’ve made but I also become more embarrassed.

“Thank you very much, Eizou.”

“What’s with that?, I owe you one too. I just returned it.”

Marius extends his right hand. I also took that hand and we shook hands firmly.

“Take a break for now. I’ll come back tomorrow morning.”

Camilo told me that.

“Okay, understood.”

I’d prefer if we sneak out in the middle of the night but the gate will be closed at that time. Well, it wouldn’t be suspicious if we would come out early in the morning when it was crowded.

I obediently followed Camilo’s words and decided to go to bed.

The next morning, I woke up before Camilo came to pick me up. I’m preparing to go home by washing my face with the water in the water bottle. That said, I haven’t brought many things so I don’t have much to prepare. I’d like to take one of the knives I made here as a trial instead of the one for self-defense that I already broke. When I get home, I can just make a new “custom model” and use it for self-defense.

A little after the sun rose, Camilo and Marius came. Besides them, there are few women too. What are they trying to do?

“Good morning. Did you sleep well?”

Camilo grins as he says that. I’m quite confused

“Y-Yeah. I got up before you came.”

I answered back. Well, I used to sleep in a chair all the time in the previous world. Then Marius calls out to me who’s still confused.

“It’s sudden and it’s my bad, but please change into this one.”

While saying that, he showed me his luxurious clothes.

“Eh?”

My confusion deepens even more. Why do I need to bother on changing into such luxurious clothes when we’re just going home?

Completely not caring about me, Marius tells the women who came with him,

“He’s not used to clothes like this. Help him change clothes.”

So he ordered. The women nodded then surrounded me.

“N-No, w-wait a minute. Why are you my changing clothes!?”

I raised my voice almost like a shriek. In the meantime, the women are trying to order me–that is, for me to take off my clothes. I hold my clothes down and wait for their answers, but both of them only grinned and didn’t reply. If they put this much force, my clothes will be damaged, so I could only loosen the hold on my clothes for a moment, but the women took off my clothes and I became only in my underwear instead. Since it’s already like this, I have no choice but to put on the new clothes. Well, I certainly don’t know how to wear these luxurious clothes.

It can’t be helped, so I’m left with letting them dress me. Probably because I didn’t have any strange resistance, those who are dressing me got things done quickly. The clothes have a design similar to Marius’ clothes and have an aristocratic feel. I couldn’t keep up with the situation, but when I looked closely, Camilo was also in good attire.

“So? What are you trying to do by making me wear this? It can’t be you want me to go home like this, right?”

When I asked them with an indignant look, Marius replied without even trying to stop his laughter.

“After this, I’m going to confront my brother and I want you to go with me.”

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

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This completes the sword blade itself. It cannot be “compared” with any sword out there. However, this cannot be delivered as it is. It’s so simple for a heirloom.

I borrowed a chisel (although the hammer and others are also borrowed) and carve on the blade. With the help of my cheat, I added a graceful pattern on it to match the curve of the blade without disturbing the weight balance and hardiness. It looks like the leaves and stems of a plant. Then I put a flower-like pattern on the tip of the sword. Since these are carved on the back and front, it is quite an intricate work. If I’m not good at this, it would be harder than when I’m hitting the blade… Well, that’s also why I feel that it will be good as a heirloom.

Thanks to the cheat, I can work without hesitation and without drafts. After a considerable amount of time, I finally finished engraving on the blade. Next will be the sword guard and the pommel. I put a pattern that looks like a plant is entwined in the sword guard. I carved the pattern on the sword guard in a way that it looks three-dimensional. I also put the coat of arms of the Eimurl family in the middle of the brim. As for the pommel, it’s an engraving that looks like a flower bud.

The usual “sitting fat cat” was engraved in the small place where it wouldn’t be visible if it was wrapped in leather. It’s a little bit like an Easter egg.

I then use a file to clean the burrs that came out when I’m putting the engravings. The pattern has become clearer so I stop there. When I noticed it, it appears that it’s already quite late. I’m also very drowsy now. There is no point in continuing to work on this. As I got older, I tend to give up on doing this kind of work much faster. After I put out the fire on the firebed, I lay down wrapped in a blanket inside the smithy.

“―up. Hey, wake up.”

I wake up after being shaken by someone.

“Hrmm”

I opened my eyes droopily. It seems that it was Camilo who was shaking me.

“I thought you were depressed because you couldn’t do it yesterday, but you’re sleeping peacefully huh.”

“Hnnn… No. It’s not good for the body to stay up all night you see.”

I replied to Camilo’s words in a carefree manner while still lying down. If the body of the sword hadn’t been made, I wouldn’t have been able to take it easy.

“Your body is your capital huh?”

I heard a familiar voice that was different from Camilo. I jumped out of bed in a hurry.

“Marius-san!”

The one who’s smiling there is the face of the guard who I saw at the entrance of the town. He’s wearing fine clothes instead of the slightly rugged leather armor. I’m glad and embarrassed at the same time seeing that the short sword on his waist was the one I made.

“It’s been a long time, Eizou-san.”

Marius-shi politely greets me. I’m afraid he’s having a hard time with the mess these days, I can see some of them reflected on his face. Eh?

“Marius-san, you know my name?”

“I heard about it when I asked help for this matter. Even if this is a confidential matter, it will be rude of me if I continued not to know your name.”

“I see… Marius-san, you don’t have to treat me so politely. Just do so like when you meet me in town.”

When Marius-shi treats me politely, it felt strange and the conversation is quite awkward.

“No, I can’t be rude to those who are my benefactors.”

It’s been the case since he was the guard in the town, Marius-shi is quite distracted huh.

“No, not at all. You don’t have to worry about it because I owed you one too.”

When I said that,

“Well then, let’s just say we are in the same position so let’s stop being polite to each other, all right?”

With a smile, Marius makes a suggestion. If I don’t agree to this, he’s probably going to keep on treating me like that. I don’t want that either.

“Understood… no, I see. Let’s do that.”

Thus, a blacksmith, who talks to the Count casually (probably the next), was born.

“I still need to wrap the leather so please wait a moment. Do you have time?”

“Yeah, it’s still okay.”

“Alright”

I wrapped the leather around the grip of the sword. With the help of my cheat, I was able to wind it quickly and tightly.

“This should be fine. Try shaking it.”

“Got it”

I handed the sword to Marius-shi. Marius looked at the sword he received and,

“It’s a beautiful sword…”

He liked it. He looked at it for a while then as if he had returned to his senses, he started swinging my sword. It’s a beautiful swordsmanship. It’s very similar to Diana-san’s swordsmanship, probably because he was learning the same sword technique. However, probably because Diana was a woman, her movement was a little more focused on speed, but Marius’ movements are more like playing around, I got this impression that it was a power type stance.

Marius-shi waved the sword intently for a while, and then he stopped moving so I called out.

“How is it?”

“Wow, this sword is the best sword I’ve ever had.”

Marius-shi spoke from the bottom of his heart.

“Well, it’s almost the best I can make. It won’t lose to the swords out there…”

Oops, I was about to forget.

“By the way, what is the material of the “original” heirloom sword?”

I have to listen to this. It’s pretty good, but after all, it’s just steel. If it’s made of a magical metal such as Orichalcum or Adamantite, my sword will lose.

“That “fake” was given to the Eimurl family when we received the count’s title, the king at that time asked the best blacksmith in the kingdom to forge it. Even if there is god metal which would be the best in the kingdom, it’s not attainable by humans.”

“In other words, it’s just steel?”

“Exactly”

For the time being, one is clear. Is it impossible for a normal person to get Orichalcum? I wonder if it’s possible for me…

“One more thing, up until now, did you ever show the heirloom?”

“It is displayed during private ceremonies, but other than that it’s not displayed. It’s also written in the records that “the title and the sword is given by the king” so no one could comment on it.”

“Then, the outsiders wouldn’t make a fuss saying, “The shape is different from the heirloom I heard off”, right?”

“Yeah, it will be like that.”

Then it will be fine, right? I was wondering what to do if it had been exhibited like the ones in a museum in the previous world. It appears that it has never been exposed to the public because it is treated as a god tool.

“If something goes wrong, I’ll just compare it. If this “real” one doesn’t lose to the “fake” one, they will know which is the “sword given that was graciously given by the king”, right?”

Marius grinned as he said that.

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

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Looking inside the smithy, fire bed, bellows, hammer and other items are available. In addition, that big hammer is eye-catching. Looking at it, the shaft extends outward at the top. It’s the one that’s operated by a water wheel. The installed knowledge tells me how to make it work, I think I can do it somehow.

The fire bed is not a magical one so I need to ignite it myself. After putting charcoal in the fire bed, I take some bark and wheat straw that will be used for ignition and sheet metal and hammer to be placed on the anvil.

After placing the sheet metal on the anvil, I hit the end with a hammer while turning it over. After doing this for a while, the edges of the sheet metal turns reddish. When I put the wheat straw on the bark of the tree and touched it with the red-hot sheet metal, the wheat straw ignites. I took it to the fire bed in a hurry, place it around the charcoal laid on it and then operate the bellows until the charcoal ignites.

I operate the bellows for a while and when it starts burning, I add some charcoal, operate the bellows and repeat such process. This area is the part that has been magically done in our workshop. All I have to do is throw in the charcoal, ignite it with magic, and send some wind. If there’s a person who can use magic better than me, he should be able to do the same thing on this fire bed. Anyway it can’t be helped because mine is only the minimum. And perhaps such person wouldn’t be a blacksmith either.

The fire was now enough and the temperature has risen so I shoved the sheet metal that seems to be the best here and heat it. When I finished heating, the first step is to stretch it. I placed the heated sheet metal on the anvil and hit it with a hammer. I try to make the parts as uniform as possible but it feels a little different from the usual. Is it because the hammer is different? I wish I had brought the one from the workshop.

Since this is a “custom model”, I hit it while concentrating and stretch it. Eventually, it became the length of a longsword. From here on, it’s time to shape it. By repeated heating and hammering, the shape was finally made. The completed shape is a longsword with a straight blade. It is simple and sturdy.

“Oh, is it done?”

I don’t know where he was until now when Camilo suddenly called out to me.

“Yeah, the shape is done.”

While replying to him, I put the sword in the fire bed and raise the temperature. It’s the preparation for quenching part. While manipulating the bellows, I determine the perfect temperature. Eventually, the sword was heated to the temperature I expected, I then took it out of the fire bed and quickly cooled it with water. When the temperature has dropped sufficiently, I lightly set it on the fire bed. Then warm it up and let it cool down. After polishing and sharpening, it should be completed…

“Hmmm”

I was puzzled.

“What’s wrong? You’re not able to do it?”

Camilo is worried because of my expression.

“No. I made it but this is not the expected result…”

That’s right. This sword doesn’t have that kind of glitter when I made the “custom model”. This is good as a “high-end model”. To do it in such a short time, my “cheat” may be sufficient but this one is not good enough to be made into the next generation’s heirloom.

 “It looks good enough though.”

“No. This isn’t it.”

The firewood here were also placed in the same way as our workshop so I placed a wheat straw bundle on top of it then I slashed it with the sword I just forged. The wheat straw bundle was quickly sliced. The blade digs into the firewood.

“Whoa, isn’t it really sharp?”

“No… this isn’t it…”

Camilo was thrilled. But naturally, the sharpness of my custom model one isn’t like this. This is just a high-end model. I take out my own knife and cut the wheat straw and firewood with it. While sliding down, the wheat straw bundle broke along with the firewood. As expected, it is this sharpness if it is a proper custom model.

“H-Hey, just now…”

“Hn? Oh, if I take it seriously, I can make something that cuts like this.”

“I-Is that so…?”

Camilo made a complex look for a moment. I see, it might be that Helen really just showed him the appearance, not its sharpness.

“Don’t speak about this too much.”

“I know. I mean, they won’t believe me even if I say this.”

“Well, that’s true.”

It’s because aside from the wheat straw bundle, the knife even cuts the firewood.

“I’ll give it a try again.”

“What about this one?”

“If you want it, I’ll give it to you. It’s cheap.”

“As usual, you’re a greedy blacksmith.”

Camilo laughed as he said that.

After that, I made about two knives, but all of them end up being high-end models. The sun has already set and Camilo isn’t here either.

I compared the high-end model I made here with my custom model one for self-defense. As expected, something like its luster is completely different. High-end models also have some luster on it but custom-made models even seem to glimmer on their own. Somehow it’s not shining much now compared to when I made it previously.

What’s the difference…? How can I make this shine with the materials here?

“No. That’s not really the case.”

I realized that. If it doesn’t work with the materials here, I can use a material that’s not here as well.

After making the fire on the fire bed stronger, I put the self-defense knife in it and heat it. I take out the red-hot knife and cut it into about one-third. I alternately place a small sheet metal and the cut knife part on top of a sheet metal, wrap it in a thin damp linen cloth, attach the ashes of the burnt wheat straw on it then put it in the fire bed to heat it. When I took it out, it looks red and lumpy. I made full use of the cheat and hit it with the hammer so that the sheet metal here and the steel from the cut knife stick together.

I repeat this process several times, and when it’s done, I hit it with a hammer to stretch it. However, I haven’t stretched it to the desired length yet. When it stretched to some extent, I made a cut in the middle, fold it back and put it together again. This work was repeated about 15 times.

The resulting lump is heated again, and this time, it stretched to the desired length. At this point, I tap it to erase the unevenness so that the material’s texture becomes uniform as much as possible. This time, when I hit it for the first time, I did not feel off.

It was now stretched to the desired length. There’s no unevenness or distortion as well. From here, I start to form its shape. I then heat and hammer it repeatedly. I’m looking seriously so that the unevenness and distortion that I erased will not appear again.

The shape that was eventually created was not like the first one that I made, the blade part draws a graceful curve. I wasn’t attentive about it when I hit the first one but when it comes to a heirloom, it’s better to be elaborate in its design. And with the cheat, the quenching, tempering, polishing and sharpening part were all done perfectly.

I took a closer look at the newly made sword. This luster is definitely a custom model. I took a wheat straw bundle and firewood, arranged them, then I lightly swing down the longsword I just made.

The next moment, the blade of the longsword touched the ground and while slipping down, the wheat straw and the firewood were scattered on both sides.

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

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“W-Wait a minute. The new heirloom sword… does it mean that my sword will become the heirloom of the Eimurl family?”

“That’s not really the case. The one stolen is a “fake” so naturally, you should say that the one that Marius-san holds is the “real” heirloom. And that “real” one was made by you.”

“Is it okay for the sword I made to be like that…?”

“That heirloom sword is neither a national treasure nor was it made by a god or an elf and there was someone who forged it first, so it’s the same thing.”

“It does seem right when you say that.”

“Accept it, just think that you’re helping Marius-san.”

 “Yeah”

Well, a heirloom is nothing more than a well-made sword, so if I make a sword that is better than that, it will be said to be “it’s superb, as expected of a heirloom that’s being inherited”. It will probably be worth it.

When it comes to making national treasures and heirloom of a family with a higher rank than a Count, I think that the material and manufacturing method are beyond the range that can be compared with just the use of steel. But if it is the Count’s family, they might have the finest steel so I may be able to manage somehow. For the time being, ask Marius about the material of the sword…

 “Helen showed me the sword that you forged and even I could tell that it was a fine item. If you can forge something similar, that would be good enough.”

Camilo calls out to me while I’m thinking such.

Ah, he saw that huh. It was the only one out there so far. Since he said that it would be fine, I guess it would really be okay right? I can’t get rid of my anxiety, but I’ve already gone this far to turn back so I have no choice but to do it.

“I got it. But it will be tricky if some conditions overlap. For example, if the material is more than just steel, it becomes too dangerous. Though I’ll try to make something good as much as possible.”

 “Oh, that’s fine. Well then, my bad but do you see a box there right? Can you hide in it?”

“This one?”

Certainly there is a large box here. But it seems a little small for me to enter…

“Yeah, that’s it.”

Camilo glances back at me and says that. I took off the lid of the box as I was told and looked inside. It’s deeper than I expected. Or should I say that the depth obviously doesn’t match physically.

I see, so that’s how it is huh. The wagon is crafted to carry more than what it looks. If this is the case, I can hide here alone. I hid inside and closed the lid myself.

It’s been a long time since I hid in the box. At least it’s been a while since I fell asleep lightly. It’s a horse-drawn wagon and the roads are well maintained so I think it’s a lot faster than walking but still, it’s quite a distance huh.

Then, after being shaken by the wagon for a while, it shook greatly then the wagon stopped. The surrounding is noisy. Apparently we already arrived at the entrance of the Capital.

I feel like I can hear the voice calling “the next person!” from here and there. Is it like the border immigration inspection in the previous world? It’s frustrating that I can’t really tell because I’m inside the box. The wagon occasionally advances and stops. The voices of the guards are getting closer and louder accordingly.

Eventually, it seems to be our turn.

“Are you a peddler?”

“Yes. I transport some items.”

“I’ll inspect it a little.”

“Okay”

The sound of two people walking is approaching the cart –that is the one where I’m at. I believe that the footsteps that have come up to the loading platform is from the guard, it seems that the lid of the luggage on my opposite side is being opened. The footsteps and the sound of opening the lid gradually approached me and I was quite nervous, but in the end, he didn’t come to where I’m at and just got off the loading platform.

“Okay, it’s good. You may go through.”

“Yes. Thank you very much.”

Camilo returns to the wagon and advances once more. Eventually, the vibration of the wagon changed at the same time as I heard the hustle and bustle as if we had entered the city. The sound of the wheels now is also different. Still, Camilo doesn’t tell me to “get out”. It seems that the situation of not going out and making a noise does not change yet.

Even after I know that we’ve entered the Capital, we still went a good distance, turning on a road, climbing hills and occasionally stopping. Eventually, after stopping for a while, we went a little further and when I felt a vibration of the wagon that was clearly different from before, the wagon stopped again.

Is this the destination?

“Hey, you can go out now.”

It’s Camilo’s voice. I opened the lid as if I was waiting for it. And when I got out of the box, I stretched out on the loading platform. My waist makes a cracking noise. If I stayed there at my age in the previous world, I might not be able to stand because my back was too painful.

“Ah-, it was painful.”

“Right. I’m sorry for that but I can’t let them know you’re here.”

“I know.”

I replied to Camilo with a bitter smile.

“So where is this?”

“This is a smithy owned by Eimurl family. It seems that private army weapons are made and repaired here.”

“Hoh-, it’s really quiet though.”

I thought places like this will be noisy because the hammer using the water wheel will be operating.

 “Right now it seems that Marius-san has stopped the operations and left only a few reliable craftsmen.”

“I see”

Well, I don’t want to show a lot of people how to create the “real” heirloom either.

“Whoops”

I jump off the loading platform. It seems that this is just a place to put the luggages as there is no fire bed. I didn’t know because I was in the box, but when I looked outside, the sun was starting to tilt. Looks like it took a long time even with a carriage since morning is already over before I knew it.

 “Well then, I should prepare quickly.”

“Yeah. I’ve just sent a message to Marius-san that we’ve arrived. Sorry but please start right away.”

“Understood”

I opened the door pointed by Camilo. Now then, let’s get started with this once in a lifetime help to Marius-shi.

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

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