Chapter 8

"By the way, what's your name?"

"Sarmya"

So, this kid's name is Sarmya.

"Nice name, isn't it?"

"..."

"What's wrong?"

"I don't really like it because it's too cute. I wanted a stronger name."

"Like... Gonzalez?"

"Ha!"

Sarmya burst out laughing, then immediately rolled off the bed, laughing uncontrollably.

"Hahahaha! What is that?! You have no sense of style at all!!! Hahahaha!!!"

"Shut up. My parents didn't give me any sense of style."

I replied with a sullen face. Lack of naming sense was a weakness that didn't improve even after living for over forty years in the previous world. ...Maybe I should have gotten this world's cheat along with everything else.

"Even if you don't like it, it's a name given by your family. It suits you."

"Ugh, a, thank you..."

The laughing tiger is now blushing.

"Anyway, I'll go get some water. I'll be away from the house for a bit, but will you be okay?"

"Yeah... but before that."

"Hmm? What is it?"

"You haven't told me your name yet."

"Oh. It's Eizou Tanya."

Eizou Tanya. That's my name.

"Sounds like a name from the northern people. Do you have a family name too?"

"Sort of."

According to the knowledge "installed" in me, the human race similar to Asians in the previous world lives not in the east but in the north, hence the term "northern people."

"No, sorry, I didn't mean to pry. It's just rare to have a family name around here."

"No, it's fine. Don't worry about it. It seems you understand why I started a blacksmith shop in such a strange place."

"Yeah, you must have it tough."

"Not really."

At least not yet, but I didn't say that.

"So, if possible, I'd appreciate it if you could just call me by my name."

"Sure, I will. Eizou."

"Thanks, Sarmya."

I hung two medium-sized, empty water barrels on both ends of a pole. They looked like transport barrels with holes near the mouths for ropes to pass through.

"Looks heavy..."

However, if I couldn't do this, it would affect my future life. Sarmya might help, but relying on her would leave me in a bind when she couldn't.

I made up my mind and shouldered the pole.

Contrary to my expectations, the two barrels were light. Not as light as feathers, but they felt no heavier than large plastic buckets from the previous world. Is there such a light ceramic?

"No, that's not it. This is..."

The barrels weren't light; my muscles were strong. Was this the level of strength needed to survive in this world? Or...

I decided not to think about it for now. First, I needed water. I headed to the lake.

It took about thirty minutes round trip to fill the two barrels with water and return. Despite their considerable capacity, they weren't so heavy that I couldn't move.

My muscles were indeed enhanced, it seemed.

I had been wondering about this since I noticed it, but after eating breakfast (a soup of beans and salted meat) and sending Sarmya to her bedroom to heal her wounds, I finally understood the reason when I started my blacksmith work.

I thought about what to make first and decided on a small knife. Larger items would take too much time, and most importantly, I needed to get used to the knowledge and skills "installed" in me.

Making a lot of small items would be better.

I used magic to light the forge and waited for the charcoal to catch fire. Once it did, I operated the bellows to raise the temperature to a forging level.

There was a piece of iron, about 4 cm wide and 1 cm thick, in the materials area. I grabbed it and tossed it into the forge. I operated the bellows again to raise the temperature. When it reached the right temperature, I took it out and started hammering it into shape. This is when I realized that strength was indeed required.

"I see."

I grinned and hammered the iron into the shape of a knife. Sparks flew with each strike. The process was similar to making a katana, but I didn't aim for such delicate work. I didn't think I could manage it.

Once it was the right shape, I let it cool. While it was cooling, I had lunch.

After a leisurely lunch, I asked Sarmya if there was a nearby town. There was a town about half a day's walk away, not very large, but a day trip was possible, though it would take the whole day...

I sent Sarmya back to her bedroom and continued. The process was almost complete. The fire in the forge hadn't gone out completely, but the temperature had dropped, so I added more charcoal to raise it again. I would need to secure more charcoal soon.

For a katana, this step would be done at night to judge the temperature by the color of the flames, but with the "installation" and the maximum blacksmithing skills, I could tell the temperature even in broad daylight.

Once the "knife base" reached the right temperature, I plunged it into water to quench it. This is called "tempering." Since I wasn't making any untempered parts, I didn't apply clay.

I sharpened the tempered knife on a whetstone, and the first item made in this workshop, a "knife," was complete.

I didn't aim for practical use, so I didn't make a "hilt." The "handle" was just a bare piece of iron, but I could wrap it with a rope or something when I needed to use it.

The important thing was that it was complete.

I needed to test its sharpness. Even if I didn't aim for practical use, it would be meaningless if it couldn't cut at all. I placed a bundle of straw on a log and brought the knife down.

The straw bundle was cleanly cut.

...Along with the log. What the hell is going on here...