Chapter 50

While tidying up the workplace, Sermia and Diana returned. The fact that they were out until this hour meant that no one had come by, and they must have had a decent harvest, right?

“We’re back.”

“Hey, welcome back, Sermia and Diana.”

“We’re back. There’s quite a variety around here, you know.”

“Since no one else lives around here, there’s a lot left behind, I guess.”

What Sermia and Diana had gathered included things that looked like apples and wild strawberries we had seen before, and this time there was a new addition. It had a smooth appearance and looked similar to figs from the previous world. So, I’ll serve these fig-like fruits for dinner today. I thought they had gathered a lot, but in general, they didn’t have that many. Well, it would be a waste to let them rot, so there’s no problem.

Diana and I then moved on to practice. I think they were quite tired, but at Diana’s request, we decided to do it today as well. The result was the same as yesterday; we stopped after about fifteen minutes of sparring. She was moving poorly today, and pushing too hard wouldn’t have much meaning. Diana looked disappointed, but getting stronger in just two or three days is impossible. I told her to take her time, and after looking puzzled like she did yesterday, she reluctantly nodded.

For dinner, we had the usual unleavened bread, soup, and the fig-like fruits. I had confirmed with Sermia that these could be eaten as they were. After clearing the dinner table, we started with the fig-like fruits. The skin was thicker than figs from the previous world, but it could be peeled by hand, and they could be eaten as is. The taste was almost exactly like figs. Rike and Diana seemed to enjoy them, as it was their first time trying them.

“This tastes familiar and is delicious. There are such things in the forest?”

“There aren’t many, but we can manage to eat our share.”

“I see. It’s like a treat, then.”

“Yeah.”

So, that’s why they didn’t have much despite coming back at this hour. But now I’m craving sugar. I want to make jam to better preserve the fruits. I should have checked the price of sugar at Camillo’s more carefully. I only glanced at it, so I don’t remember the exact price, but I recall it being quite expensive. To make jam, you need a considerable amount. I’ll talk to Camillo about it once things settle down.

After that, I listened to Diana talk about the fruits she had eaten in the city. Sermia and Rike had told me about the watermelon-like fruits before, but apparently, there are also regular strawberries and bananas. Hmm, I’d like to try them. But that will have to wait until things settle down.

The next day, Sermia and Diana went hunting. They decided that it would be fine even if they didn’t catch anything today, as we still had meat. Diana usually wears clothes with a bit of flair, but today she wore something simple. She said she had gone hunting a few times when she lived in the city, but I doubt it’s the same as hunting here, and hunting isn’t something women generally enjoy... Maybe she was a tomboy. I’ll ask Mr. Marius when I see him next.

Rike and I continued making knives today. Rike would help me with the high-end model... or rather, observe. As promised yesterday. We heated the sheet metal in the forge and hammered out the warps and inconsistencies. Rike watched intently, not missing a single move I made. Once most of the warps and inconsistencies were gone, I showed it to Rike.

“With this process, we can get this far. I can go further, but I’ll stop here...”

No, wait.

“No, let’s finish it.”

“Eh, is that okay, Master?”

“Yeah. We’ll make one for Diana.”

“Oh, I see.”

“Alright, let’s do it.”

“Yes! Thank you!”

I heated the sheet metal in the forge again and hammered out the remaining warps and inconsistencies. There were almost none left, but I had to be patient to get rid of them all. I repeated the process of heating and hammering several times until everything was gone. The surface was finely polished and gleaming.

“This is as far as we can go.”

Rike’s eyes sparkled as he examined the sheet metal. He looked at every corner, as if he wouldn’t miss a single molecule. I could see the difference between my work and his, thanks to my cheat, but Rike couldn’t. He had to learn from this.

Once I judged that Rike had observed thoroughly, we moved on to the next step: shaping the knife. I knew exactly where to hammer to shape it without compromising the quality, thanks to my cheat. This is why Rike says he can “hear the voice of the iron.” Rike watched my hands intently, trying to learn every move.

Eventually, the knife took shape. I showed it to Rike.

“Do you understand?”

“Yes. The quality is exactly the same as what you showed me earlier.”

“Exactly. Let’s finish it.”

“Understood.”

We heated the shaped knife in the forge to temper it, and I increased the temperature by blowing air into the forge.

“I can tell the exact temperature by looking at the fire because of my special ability, but it might be better for you to determine it at night.”

“No, as a dwarf, I can tell the general temperature, so I’ll show you how to determine it.”

I see. Ah, right, Rike usually helps me with tempering.

“Alright, watch carefully.”

“Yes.”

Rike said quietly. I focused intently on the temperature. The temperature gradually rose to the perfect point. I quickly took the knife out of the forge and quenched it in water.

“That’s the temperature.”

“Yes. I think I have a good grasp of it, though it will take time to perfect.”

“Good.”

Next, we did the tempering by heating the knife over the forge. I taught Rike the exact temperature and timing to achieve this, as it would be too brittle otherwise.

After tempering, we moved on to polishing and sharpening. This step is crucial, so we did it carefully. Rike watched intently.

“Hmm, this might be the best one yet.”

My cheat senses had become more familiar, or maybe I had just gotten used to it, but it turned out quite well. I showed the finished product to Rike.

“Yes... I can’t see much difference between this and the one you made for me, but this one might be slightly better.”

I hadn’t shown him the entire process back then. Maybe I should have.

“Well, this is the goal.”

“Yes. I’ll do my best, Master.”

“Alright.”

I smiled, wishing the young blacksmith a bright future.