Hello, dear readers. I'm back, and I hope to keep it up for quite some time. Starting today, the novel will return to its usual publishing schedule.
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"Ah, it's you. Before you ask me anything, no, I haven't managed to make it yet..." says Erick in a grumpy tone with a crazy gleam in his eye when I walk into his blacksmith's shop.
Today, after waiting several days without hearing from him, I decided to stop by his shop to check on the status of my order.
"... Damn it! When you placed your order for that damn shield, I figured it would be quite difficult to make. After all, it's mostly a matter of luck..."
'Hmm, Luck...
I don't usually like to rely on that stat...
But with the creation of Delia's spear, it worked wonders...
Maybe history will repeat itself this time.'
"... But I never thought it would take me so much time and effort. It's ridiculous!"
Very surprised by the attitude of the normally friendly and calm blacksmith, I resolve to try to put my idea into practice.
"Erick... I want to ask you a favor. You see, I have an idea," I say cautiously, as I am somewhat disoriented by the unusual attitude of the brown-haired, thin but muscular blacksmith.
"No more orders!" exclaims the blacksmith, raising his voice slightly in a tone that seems like a mixture of desperation and madness.
"Sorry, Emir. But Master has decided not to accept any more orders from anyone until he finally manages to make the shield you asked him for..." explains Jack, his muscular, sturdy, brown-haired slave, who acts as Erick's assistant in the shop.
"...Lately, we've only been making shields."
'That explains a lot.'
Erick's shop, which in the past has always been well-stocked and tidy, now seems to have a slight air of neglect.
But that's not all, because its walls and counters, which used to be well stocked with a wide variety of weapons and armor of all kinds, now display almost exclusively shields of various sizes and styles.
"This isn't a manufacturing order. In fact, it's more of an offer..." I say hastily when I see the blacksmith's irritated look.
"... I want to try to help you make the shield."
"Blacksmithing is a complex art, lad. Not everyone has what it takes to help," says Erick, looking at me with narrowed eyes and a tone that is somewhere between mocking and contemptuous.
"I'm not just anyone. I think you, of all people, know that well," I say, slightly irritated.
'I don't know what the hell is wrong with him, but I'm not going to let anyone make fun of me...
Not even him.'
"Haa... Yeah, I guess you're right..." says Erick, and after sighing, he seems to regain some of his characteristic calm and friendliness.
"... Sorry. You're not to blame for my ineptitude. It's not fair for me to take my frustration out on you. Haa... What do you have in mind?"
"Erick, you're anything but inept. I entrusted you with this project because I consider you my friend, but also because I trust your skills as a blacksmith..." I say, feeling very sorry for the depressed state he seems to be in.
Even more so considering that he is in this state because of me.
"... For now, I just want to watch you try to make my shield. I think if I see you work, I'll discover some advice to help you."
'I hope I'm right in my assumption...
But if not, I'll find some other way to help him...
I'm not going to leave him in this state.'
"Haa... Okay. If that's all, we can do it right now," says the blacksmith, motioning to Jack to close the shop.
"Are you sure? I can come back later, if you want. I don't want to make you lose any customers," I say, quite surprised by the apathetic tone in Erick's voice now that he has decided not to take it out on me.
"Ha! Customers. That's a good one. Don't worry, Emir. It's been a long time since anyone came here. At first, the customers complained a lot and said there should be more 'variety' in the shop, but now they don't even come to complain..." says Erick irritably.
"... As if I didn't know what was wrong with MY business!"
"I'm sorry, Erick. I never meant to damage your business," I say with a twinge of guilt.
"Don't be silly. It's not your fault..." he says, downplaying it as he invites me to the back of the shop, where the forge and his workshop are.
"... Everyone is responsible for their own decisions and their consequences. And if I decided to focus solely on completing your order, well, that's my problem."
"Don't worry about the business, Emir. Master isn't crazy. He made a lot of money from the war against Drial Cenit, as the demand for weapons and armor was immense while the war lasted..." Jack says in a whisper as he accompanies me to the workshop, where Erick is already preparing the forge fire.
"... I guess the kingdom was preparing for a large-scale war… Anyway, even though the war ended quite quickly, the store generated in a few days the money that would normally take years to generate..."
'It's true...
He had told me that business was going very well thanks to the war...
But I didn't think it would be that good.'
"... That's why he took the liberty of focusing exclusively on manufacturing shields."
"Well, that being the case..." I begin to say, but my conversation with Jack is interrupted by the blacksmith.
"Jack, stop distracting yourself and come stoke the fire while I take care of the rest," Erick says in a grumpy growl.
"Can I help with anything?" I ask curiously as Jack hurries to tend to the fire.
"No... Erm, I mean, I don't know. For now, sit in that chair and just watch," says the blacksmith, pointing to one of the chairs in the room.
The workshop is a large room with a circular forge in the center, next to which is a large anvil.
The walls and corners of the room are filled with blacksmithing tools and supplies, such as whetstones, ingots, firewood, tongs of various types and sizes, etc.
"Okay," I say and do as he instructs.
'Well...
It's time to test my hunch...
Activate Luck profile!...
Haa... I hope I'm not doing something stupid.'
As I watch the two men work, I see Erick preparing a sand mold in a shape that looks something like a shield.
After a few minutes, he removes a container that was heating over the fire and pours its contents into the mold.
The liquid metal takes the shape of a huge metal plate as it cools slightly, which Erick removes from the mold with tongs and begins to work on the anvil while it is still hot.
With each blow of Erick's hammer, who hammers the metal from end to end with the skill and agility of an expert, the piece gradually begins to resemble the shape one would expect of a huge shield.
As the piece takes shape, a network of luminous blue lines gradually begins to appear in the metal, which does not disappear even when, from time to time, he returns the piece of metal to the fire to make it red-hot again.
Seeing the blue lines, which are becoming more noticeable and numerous, Erick's expression begins to change as he works with his eyes wide open.
After removing the piece of metal from the fire for the third time, an enthusiastic smile appears on his face, which makes me think that the work is going well.
While Erick works the metal, Jack assists him in various ways with the same professional efficiency as his master.
He hands him tools before Erick asks for them and wipes the sweat from his forehead so it doesn't get in his eyes, while also keeping the forge fire burning brightly.
The two men work in perfect harmony, the kind that only comes from knowing each other and being used to working together for many years.
'Hmm... It's curious how little the heat of the forge bothers me... Seeing how much they are sweating,' I think distractedly as I watch them work.
Unlike them, I am cool as if we were not in a room where a fire burns hot enough to bring metal to a liquid state.
'It's not. It's obvious that, with your levels and stats, heat of this magnitude doesn't have what it takes to bother you...' says Zariche's voice in my head.
'... I'm amazed that you're surprised by such nonsense.'
'How could I know? No one goes through life testing whether fire burns. It's a matter of common sense,' I say exasperatedly.
'Hahaha... Rookie. But don't worry, that fire burns, and it burns a lot. I can assure you of that. Just because you don't feel the discomfort of the heat doesn't mean you're fireproof... You're probably quite resistant to it, being the monster that you are, but not to that extent.'
'All right. I believe you. Although, obviously, I have no intention of testing it,' I say as I watch Erick begin to add other red-hot pieces of metal to the base of the shield, which he welds together with hammer blows.
'And you're right to do so... Trust me, you little brat, and I'll take you far,' says the cursed sword in a friendly but slightly cocky tone.
'Sure, because that worked out perfectly for me the first time,' I reply sarcastically.
'Haa... Damn distrusting bastard.'