Chapter 90

Heating the mithril sword and hammering it to slightly change its shape—that’s basically the repetition. Comparing it to the mold before reshaping, I use all my cheats to manipulate the hammer to form the shape written there.

The clear sound echoed throughout the workshop all day long.

Today, I managed to complete about a third of the process of shaping the sword. It’s starting to look somewhat like a sword. That means it will take another three days to shape it, and then about three to four days for the finishing touches. I can make it in two weeks with some leeway, but it seems I won’t be able to complete the production of the goods for delivery. It’s a good thing I skipped one week’s delivery. At this pace, I might even be able to take a day off in between.

The next day, after returning from fetching water, Ridi wasn’t there. When I subtly asked the other three during breakfast, the gist of their answer was, “It’s not necessary to come every day.” Well, if she didn’t, it would be difficult to replenish her magic power during the time she’s here, so that makes sense.

Today’s work is basically the same as yesterday’s. I start the work by doing what I did this morning, and the sound of fire and hammering echoes in the workshop. While working, Rike, Sermia, and Diana are not silent. They talk about various things, such as the daily life here, like mending clothes, and Diana’s stories from the city. Sometimes Rike has to concentrate and be silent, but otherwise, they talk quite a bit.

It doesn’t really break my concentration, so I don’t say anything. I can’t work while listening to music on a smartphone like in the previous world, so it’s like a substitute for the radio.

As for me, I also talk to Ridi from time to time. Mostly about food, where I talk and Ridi answers or nods. Today, I asked her about something that had been on my mind for a while.

“Only if it’s not a problem to answer.”

“Yes.”

Ridi nodded, her emerald eyes reflecting the red-hot mithril.

“Why did this sword break in the first place?”

Even with my cheats, it’s quite a challenge. It’s not hard to imagine that it was a formidable weapon from the start. If that’s the case, it shouldn’t break easily. I was curious about what kind of situation could shatter it into various fragments.

What could shatter a formidable mithril sword? If I can reproduce it, I want to recreate the process and try to make something that won’t break. It was a question out of pure interest as a craftsman.

Ridi looked down slightly, probably considering whether it was okay to answer. After a moment, she looked back at me.

“Since it involves magic, I can’t give you too many details, but mithril weapons can be used to extract their magic power for spells by following certain procedures. The role of this sword was for that purpose, and it was stored as an important item of the village for emergencies. When something happened in the village, we had to use it, but if we extracted too much magic power...”

“It would break.”

I finished the sentence, and Ridi nodded. I see, that’s why they wanted it “repaired” and asked someone who is “good at weaving magic power” to do it.

Only someone who can contain a certain amount of magic power (whether an elf or a dwarf) can fulfill its role as a “magic battery.” However, just fulfilling the role of a battery isn’t enough. It’s an important cultural artifact of the village, so it can’t be restored with just any craftsmanship.

“I see...”

I said, hammering the mithril and then putting it back in the forge. It seems I was a bit off the mark. We can’t break it using the method Ridi mentioned, and there’s no way to prevent it from breaking.

It’s like “Dutch tears.” We can hit the tadpole’s head, but we can’t break its tail, and there’s no way to prevent the whole thing from breaking if the tail is broken.

That said, the conversation wasn’t meaningless, and I did gain some insights. The method of extracting magic power was obscured, probably a secret of the village or the race, but the fact that mithril can be used as a magic battery is valuable information. Ridi also didn’t provide specific details about the events in the village.

It’s easy to imagine that it’s not a topic to be forced, so I thanked her, saying, “I understand. Thank you,” and decided not to bring it up again.

The next day, the rough shape was finally complete. Of course, there are still some discrepancies in the fine details when compared to the wooden mold, but it’s almost indistinguishable. The next step is to perfect it. I clapped my hands to my face to focus even more.