Chapter 8

"Completely unable to cut, you say?"

"Yeah! I tried to cut down a tree nearby to test its sharpness, but I couldn't even break a single branch!"

The adventurer who just bought the sword I made was shouting at the front of the shop. His anger was evident from his tone. It seemed that the influence of alcohol had made him quite bold.

"What kind of dull sword did you get?! Are your eyes blind?!"

Actually, the sword was made by my skill, but officially, I had told him that I had purchased it. Therefore, he probably thought I was a useless merchant without a discerning eye. In any case, I needed to calm him down first.

"Understood. I apologize, but may I see the sword you just bought—"

"Don't lie! There's no such thing as a sword that can't cut!"

At that moment, Meala raised her voice. She, who dislikes humans, glared at the adventurer with her red eyes and confronted him.

"Maybe it's just your skill that's bad, isn't it?!"

Furthermore, the adult Beowulfs joined in from the side. They generally refused to admit their own faults. I understood their feelings, but I wished they would calm down a bit.

"Boss, should we eat him?"

Entia lifted her massive body and glared down at the adventurer. The adventurer, intimidated by her presence, seemed to flinch. ...Really, now.

"Stop, everyone!"

I raised my voice again to stop everyone. As they all stopped and stared, I spoke to the adventurer.

"May I see the sword you just bought?"

"O-Okay."

Taking the katana from him, I examined the blade. Visually, there didn't seem to be any problems. It looked just as it did when I had forged it. I then tried the edge on my fingertip.

"Mako! That's dangerous!"

Maul shouted. Indeed, my fingertip didn't have a single scratch. A normal sword would easily cut the skin with just a touch.

"...Ah."

Looking more closely, I noticed a flaw in the middle of the blade. Oops. Could this be one of the first ones I made? I remember failing a synthesis just before and creating this sword with insufficient MP. That might be why it turned out defective. Realizing this, I bowed deeply to the adventurer.

"I sincerely apologize. It's my mistake that caused you such inconvenience."

"...Indeed."

My calm demeanor seemed to surprise the adventurer, who hesitated. Yes, the calmer you are when the other person is angry, the better. Speak clearly and distinctly when they are speaking quickly. Maintain a composed attitude when they are being aggressive. And keep your heart as clear as the sky. I always handle such situations by remembering Goudai Yusuke from Kamen Rider Kuuga, a nice guy with kindness and a smile.

"If you'd like, I still have some similar items. Would you like to exchange it for a new one?"

"...Forget it, I can't trust you anyway. More importantly—"

"Understood. I will refund you."

I returned the four gold coins I had received from him. The adventurer, after taking them, said, "Sorry for the commotion," and left the scene.

"Are you okay, Mako?"

When everything was over, Maul looked at me with concern.

"I'm fine."

"Really, what a troublesome customer."

The beast people next to me whispered, looking in the direction the adventurer had gone. Hearing this, I was surprised. On the contrary, I thought, "What a kind customer." He had accepted my offer to exchange or refund the item without any fuss. Such a good customer is rare. From my experience, some people would complain endlessly, demanding more compensation, or even enjoy making the situation worse to exhaust us. I remember one time when someone even filmed my apology at their house and posted it online. These people form communities of complainers and compete over how they made stores and companies bend to their will.

"Umm... I think he was a really nice person."

"Huh?!"

"You... have a really big heart."

Seeing the surprised reactions of the beast people and Maul, Meala, I tilted my head. ...Or maybe I'm just jaded by modern society?

※ ※ ※ ※ ※

—Time passed, and it was now evening. In the end, we didn't sell a single sword. In fact, we decided to stop selling them. I tested the other swords just to be safe, but none of them could cut properly. They were all dull.

"Why can't they cut..."

Maybe, as a home center employee, I can't properly forge a sword?

"Well, let's call it a day for now."

The beast people decided to give up on the business and started preparing to leave.

"Today was tough, Mako."

"At least we can rest at the inn."

It would take a long time to return to the village, and the night road was dangerous. We had heard about staying at a cheap inn in town, so we decided to leave the market and head towards the city.

"Alright, let's go."

We packed our things and had Entia carry them on her back, ready to head to the inn. That's when it happened.

"Excuse me, can I have a moment?"

A voice called from behind, and I turned around. A man stood at the front of our stall. The moment I saw him, my heart skipped a beat. He had long, golden hair that reached his ears and a well-defined, androgynous face. He wore a white coat with some kind of emblem—quite a handsome man.

"Actually, I came here because I heard a rumor."

He spoke politely, looking at the bags I had just placed on Entia's back.

"Are you the ones who were selling 'uncuttable swords' here?"

"What? Do you have a complaint or something..."

"Hey, stop it."

One of the beast people tried to confront him but was stopped by another. They seemed intimidated by his presence. Not just the beast people, but the passersby also seemed to be buzzing at the sight of him.

"Hey, that uniform..."

"Why is he here..."

They seemed surprised by the unexpected appearance of this person. Amidst this, he spoke to me.

"I apologize for stopping you after you've closed up. If you don't mind, could I see that sword?"