Chapter 15

I finally got a longsword!

I'll steal it even if I have to kill for it.

N-no, what are you doing, you guys!

Without any of that, I finally managed to create my first longsword.

Sermia saw me doing this solo act and said, "What are you doing, Eizou...," but other than that, there was no damage.

I made the longsword using a method similar to how we make arrowheads in our house. First, I made a wooden mold (male mold), covered it with clay, and when it dried, I split it in half to make a female mold. The wooden mold can be used several times, but it will eventually wear out, so when that happens, I have to remake it.

I buried the female mold in a barrel filled with sand, poured the iron melted in the furnace into the mold, and when it cooled, I took it out. After removing the "flash" part, I heated it and made minor adjustments to the shape, then quenched it and lightly polished it to complete the main body. The rest involves wrapping the handle with leather and making a scabbard.

Basically, I made it as a "standard model," but I made a few and one of them is a "premium model." For this premium model, I decided to carve a sculpture of a "sitting fat cat" on the pommel. It's based on a cute cat I saw on social media in my previous world.

Normally, a specialist craftsman would handle the scabbard and such carvings, but I, who has a cheat for products made in the forge, can do it. Although the "installed" experience is not yet fully integrated, I managed to make something that looks decent.

Of course, I didn't forget to make arrowheads in between.

In the end, it took about five days to create new stock of knives and the longsword. It's about time.

"Eizou"

Just as I finished the carving on the longsword, Sermia spoke to me.

"What is it?"

"I think it's time to go back to hunting."

"Got it. I'll attach the arrowheads, so bring the shafts to the workshop."

"Okay."

I went to the workshop first and prepared the arrowheads and hammer that I had been making in my spare time. Sermia brought several thin sticks.

I inserted the sticks into the holes in the arrowheads and carefully hammered them in. If I were to attach them crookedly here, it would obviously have a significant impact on accuracy, so I used all my strength to do the work.

To my own credit, being a cheat, they are almost perfectly attached. There might be a slight misalignment, but the precision is far beyond what an ordinary craftsman could achieve... probably.

After working on about ten, Sermia spoke up.

"Hey,"

"Yeah?"

I replied while working.

"Remember when you asked me to live here?"

"Yeah, I did."

"Is that still valid?"

"Of course. I never said it was invalid."

"I'm glad I was saved by Eizou. I haven't done much since I came here, but helping out is fun, and the things Eizou talks about during meals are interesting. I like watching Eizou make things. So..."

Sermia's words trailed off. It's hard for me to tell the age of beastmen, but from her voice and mannerisms, she must be much younger than me. For a kid her age to say she wants to live with an older man, even if I have no such intentions, it takes a lot of courage. I continued working while waiting for Sermia to continue.

"So, is it okay to live together...?"

"Of course, since I suggested it, it's up to you if you're okay with it."

Hearing that, Sermia slapped my back and said,

"Yay! Thanks, Eizou!"

"Ouch!"

"It's fine! I'm happy!"

She said, smiling. Her face, for the short time we've lived together, was the most radiant I've seen.

"By the way, Sermia,"

"Hmm? What is it?"

"How old are you?"

"How old... Oh, right, it's hard for humans to tell, isn't it?"

"I can tell you're young, but..."

"I'm five years old."

"...Huh!? Five years old!?"

I was surprised and exclaimed. I thought she was young, but five years old is beyond my imagination. Do beastman children grow up this mature? When I was five, I was probably much more of a kid.

"Don't be so surprised. Beastmen and humans age differently."

Ah, I see. In my previous world (and probably here too), dogs and cats age very differently from humans. It's probably something similar.

"So, how old would you be in human years?"

"Um, about 25, I think. But after that, our appearance doesn't change much. If humans live to 80, we live to about 50, I heard."

"I see... "

There is a difference in lifespan. Still, it's much longer than ordinary dogs or cats, about twice as long.

"What about Eizou?"

"Hmm?"

"How old are you, Eizou?"

"Oh, me? I'm 30."

I'm over 40 "inside," but since the me I saw in the lake was indeed around 30, I should pass as 30.

"Thirty, huh?"

"What's wrong?"

"Well, I'm only five, but thinking about the ages of the humans I've met, I thought you might be older."

She's sharp, being a beastman or not.

"Don't worry, even for humans, 30 is almost old."

I decided to brush it off with that.

"Well, they're done while we were talking."

"Wow... Wow!! That's great!! Eizou's are really good!"

Sermia was excited looking at the attached arrowheads.

It might seem a bit odd for a young girl to be excited about arrowheads, but it's genuinely nice to see someone happy with my work.

"Thanks."

I said that.