Chapter 98

The next morning, after a night's sleep and feeling somewhat better, I went through my morning routine and prepared to head to town. I loaded the sword and knife I had made onto the cart. I could do this work even if my head was half asleep.

I always bundled the items by type in large cloths, placed them with a thud, and secured them with ropes. For the knives, I simply put them in an open box. This box, which I also used to bring back small items like pepper from Kamiro's, was quite useful.

This cart has been helpful every time, but since it's a used one, it's starting to show some wear and tear. It's not to the point where it will break down after one or two more trips, but I do think it needs to be repaired at some point. ...I could probably make a new one using cheats, but even I think that ball bearings and torsion bar suspension would be going too far.

Today, Rike and I will pull the cart, with Sermia and Diana as our guards. The cart creaks along through the green landscape. The only sounds besides the birds are the rustling of leaves in the wind, making the cart's noise seem particularly loud.

We only pass through here about once a week, and the soil in this forest is hard, so even though we come through almost every week, there are hardly any ruts. Given "those conditions," the lack of ruts isn't a problem, but I can't help but wonder if it's really a good idea not to maintain the path, considering that we don't have frequent visitors. Wild animals don't avoid the mountain paths, so it might be worth considering maintaining the path at least part of the way from home.

We made it to the entrance of the forest without incident, taking breaks along the way. Sermia changed the course a few times, probably because there was something ahead. Considering this, it seems difficult to maintain the path near the entrance. Dealing with encounters on the road could become more troublesome.

From here, we follow the usual road. It's not paved like in the Roman Empire of my previous world, but it's solid and easy to walk on. The view is good, and the patrol guards keep bandits at bay. However, "hardly any" means they do appear occasionally, so we can't let our guard down. We proceeded as usual, staying vigilant.

We arrived at the entrance to the town without any problems. The guard was checking passersby with his usual sharp gaze. I don't have the courage to confirm, but he probably can tell who's a criminal just by looking. He glanced at us, and his gaze softened a bit as we exchanged greetings and entered the town.

We walked on the well-trodden path, made solid by the feet of the people passing through. Our cart and others like it moved smoothly, making the town lively. Of course, our cart felt even lighter than the road. I wondered if the streets inside the walls were paved with stone. I glanced at the wall, which was originally the outer wall of the town, and thought about it.

Unlike last time, what we had to do after arriving at Kamiro's shop was the same as usual. Well, last time wasn't that different either. After we discussed the quantity we would supply and what we wanted, it was usually just small talk. Today was a bit different.

"Can Eizou make a lot of swords? How many can he make?"

Kamiro asked me directly.

"If I lower the quality and focus on one type, I think I can make about six times as many as usual. The quantity will increase because I won't have to make the high-end ones."

If I prioritize mass production for the general model, I can probably produce at about twice Rike's speed. That means three Rikes, so three times the speed. If I dedicate all the time I usually spend on knives to swords, it would be twice that, making it six times.

"I see..."

Kamiro pondered this.

"If you need them, I can do it. But I'll have to give up other deliveries."

"That's the problem."

Kamiro seemed to be thinking. He's not just retailing our products; he might be considering how to handle the other side. The fact that he buys everything each time suggests that he's selling it well. He's not so naive as to keep buying large quantities and accumulating unsold inventory... I trust his business acumen.

Kamiro thought for a while, then finally said,

"Alright."

It was unusual for Kamiro, who usually makes quick decisions, to take so long to think.

"Can the next delivery be all longswords? The more, the better."

"As I said, it's fine. Next week's delivery will be all regular longswords, right?"

"Yep. Hold on a moment. I'll be right back."

Kamiro left the room. I wondered why he needed so many, but if he needs them, he needs them. I didn't press for a reason.

Sure enough, Kamiro returned quickly. He held two pieces of paper, not parchment but made from flax or cotton. They had several lines of text written on them.

"Check that both sheets say the same thing, then take one."

Kamiro handed me the papers. I read through them. In summary, they said, "Prepare as many longswords as possible by next week. I will pay you adequately when you deliver them. Payment will be exchanged for the longswords and this document." Kamiro's signature was on it. This is essentially an order form. The reward amount isn't specified because the quantity is up to us. He could have given a specific number, like fifty, but I'll assume he did this to cover unforeseen circumstances. It's quite vague for an order form, but it's a mutual arrangement.

"Confirmed."

I checked the content of one sheet, verified that the other was the same, and that Kamiro's seal was stamped on it. I then put the order form in my pocket.