Chapter 54

After returning home, I took a deep breath and firmly held the secret letter my mother had given me.

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I returned home and, after having lunch with Sermia, Rike, and Diana, I started working on the short swords and long swords in the afternoon. Although the number of items I could produce was reduced because I couldn't work in the morning, this pace should still be sufficient to meet the delivery requirements. Even if I add in the pepper, making about half the amount I planned for a week should be enough to feed four people at the current wholesale price.

"This setup will continue for a while, but it should be fine."

"Yeah, I think so. There might be more general models, but there shouldn't be any major issues."

"Right."

Since Rike will be the main one working, I'll start making the high-end models from the first day. This will be the same for the knives. This won't change until there's some movement in the capital and we need to communicate. After "work" is done, I'll practice with Diana. I think my movements are gradually improving, but it still seems to take a considerable amount of time to land a hit on me. Well, I'll just have to be patient. If I can teach her well, that would be great.

After practice and dinner, the day ends. Tomorrow, I'll wait for a message before starting work again.

In the end, nothing particularly significant happened for about three days. We just continued our usual routine: checking for letters in the bushes, returning to work on the forge, practicing, eating, and sleeping. By the end of three days, a fair number of short swords, long swords, and knives had been made. The change came on the fourth day.

As usual, I checked the bushes for the hidden letter and retrieved it. When I read the letter in the forest, it said:

"Prepare to go to the capital alone tomorrow. I'll come to pick you up here. If there's anything you need for the forge, bring it with you. I'll explain on the way to the capital."

That's pretty sudden. It seems urgent, but since Camiro isn't coming himself, he must need to pick me up tomorrow. I can't go to the city today. As for what I need for the forge, the furnace is too big to bring, and I don't think they expect me to bring it. There's nothing else I really need. Well, the hammer is getting more comfortable in my hand, but with the cheat, the quality of the tools doesn't matter much. If they're writing this and calling me, they must want me to do forge work in the capital. If I can help Mr. Marius, I'm happy to do it.

I wrote my acceptance and hid the letter again, tying the ribbon to the bushes, and then returned home.

At lunchtime, I explained that I would be going to the capital.

"Anyway, I need you three to stay here. I'm not sure how long it will take, but if it goes beyond two weeks, I'll try to come back for a while."

"What about the forge?"

"Keep working on it. We have a good stock, so it should be fine for a while. We still have a lot of meat, right?"

"Yeah. If it runs out, I'll go hunting."

"Thanks, I appreciate it. You can take a break if you need to go to town. Camiro won't be there anyway, and we've been away for two weeks before without raising suspicion."

"Got it."

"Also, Diana, don't leave this place."

"Got it. I'm sorry for the trouble with my house."

"Don't worry about it."

"Yeah..."

Diana looked downcast.

"I also owe something to Diana's brother. This is just a way to pay it back."

I tried to sound cheerful. Diana seemed to accept it, and her face brightened up a bit.

"Alright, let's get back to work today."

After lunch, I went to the workshop and said this. Only I can make the high-end models, so I'll focus on the high-end knives. I'll prioritize speed a bit more than usual. Thanks to the cheat, I can maintain quality while producing high-end models one after another.

Despite not working in the morning, I managed to produce about 1.2 times the usual daily amount. This should be enough to go and sell as soon as I return.

For dinner, we had a bit of a feast, like a send-off before the expedition. I won't be the one making meals from tomorrow.

The next morning, I kept watch from the tree while eating a piece of unleavened bread with thin slices of salted meat. I didn't bring anything special besides my usual self-defense knife. It would be a hassle if I had to leave the hammer in the capital.

While eating breakfast slowly and watching the road, I saw a carriage approaching from the distance. That must be Camiro.

The carriage, which initially looked like a dot, turned out to be a fairly large cargo wagon (more like a big cart pulled by a horse). As it got closer, I finished my breakfast and carefully observed the driver. It was definitely Camiro. I confirmed that no one was around, then slowly climbed down from the tree and kept watch from the forest.

The carriage stopped, and Camiro got down and walked to the back. I cautiously approached while keeping an eye on the surroundings.

"Hey."

I called out to Camiro. He didn't seem surprised.

"It's you. Sorry to rush you, but can you get in the back?"

"Sure."

I jumped into the back and moved towards the driver's seat. Camiro moved to the driver's seat and started the carriage. It was faster than I expected.

"Let's get straight to the point. I need you to forge a sword in the capital, preferably today or tomorrow."

Camiro spoke loudly as he drove the carriage. I responded in a similar volume.

"Sure, how many?"

"One will be enough. I want the best you can make."

So, a custom model.

"Alright. But can you tell me why?"

"Sure. The Aimur family, which is Mr. Marius's family, has a family heirloom sword that was stolen. From the circumstances of the theft, it seems that only someone inside the family could have known the opportunity. Mr. Marius suspects that Karl did it."

"Why does that mean I have to forge a sword?"

"Wait a minute. Karl wants to use the theft of the family heirloom sword to disqualify Mr. Marius as the successor. Karl claims he's gathering information to retrieve it, but he probably already has it and there's nothing to retrieve."

"Stealing the family's precious heirloom, questioning your management, and showing that you're not fit to be a successor by retrieving it yourself. That sounds suspicious, but no one is questioning it?"

"Karl and his confidants weren't in the capital when the sword was stolen, which makes it suspicious, but without any evidence of a connection to the thief, it's just a suspicion. If he brings it back, it will be a real achievement. However, if he says he found it too quickly, it would be too suspicious, so he's pretending it hasn't been found yet."

It's a self-made scheme that makes the term "collusion" embarrassing.

"That's where you come in. Mr. Marius wants to claim that the stolen family heirloom sword was a fake."

"Wait, what? You mean..."

A terrifying thought crossed my mind. No, it can't be. But Camiro's words confirmed my suspicion.

"Yes, you'll forge the new family heirloom sword for the Aimur family. Today or tomorrow."