Chapter 23

I entered the town through the West Gate.

I explained to the gatekeeper that the person with me was my brother and childhood friend, and that although he hadn’t run away from home, he had left without permission, so I had chased after him from our hometown. I also said that although I didn’t have any identification, I was planning to register as an adventurer to get by.

“Hey, isn’t this gate further away? Why did you choose this one?”

“The West Gate is often used by family members visiting from far away, and they sometimes pay to enter. The East Gate is more frequently used by adventurers, so there’s a higher chance of standing out. Besides, the Adventurer’s Guild is farther from this gate, so we’re less likely to be seen. On the other hand, if you’re dressed as an adventurer, using the East Gate won’t make you stand out as much.”

While giving a brief explanation of the town, I headed towards my house. It’s a noisy and busy place, despite having fewer people around.

Once inside, I went straight to the bathroom and used a combination of fire and water magic to fill the bathtub with hot water. I also prepared a bucket of hot water.

“Have you prepared the bath? Can you take a bath?”

“Oh? There’s a bath!?”

“I’ll go buy some clothes in the meantime.”

“No, I can’t let you do that much for me.”

“... Well, adventurers don’t usually care much about their appearance, but you’re quite dirty. I think it’s better to buy new clothes before going to register. If you only came to register, it wouldn’t be suspicious not to wear armor, but dirty clothes might make people suspicious.”

“Is that so?”

“Also... you kind of smell.”

When I mentioned the smell, both of them made slightly awkward faces.

I understand it’s inevitable, but I didn’t want to say it.

After all, wearing the same clothes for a week and sleeping outdoors without a cloak... it’s bound to happen.

To be honest, my bathroom isn’t very large, but it’s bigger than a standard unit bath because it’s used for material processing. It should be big enough for both of them to use. I want them to clean up so they don’t dirty the newly cleaned house.

“... I’m sorry.”

“I was planning to buy clothes anyway, so don’t worry about it.”

I bought two sets of clothes each and returned home. For daily necessities, I’ll ask them to buy them while they go to register. If they need more clothes, I’ll ask them to use their own judgment.

I think the sizes should fit, but if not, they can adjust with a belt.

Back home, I told them I had placed the clothes by the bathtub and waited for them upstairs.

“Ah, I feel so much better. Thanks.”

“... I appreciate it.”

“Well, it’s a done deal... I’m going to have lunch, but what about you two?”

“Grr... I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine. I’ll prepare it.”

The boy’s stomach answered for him, and I couldn’t help but laugh a little. Even though they had eaten earlier, they must have been hungry after all the movement.

I prepared delicious herb-seasoned meat and vegetables, along with bread. I wanted to serve tea, but I’ll save it for now. Please make do with water.

After the meal, both of them looked sleepy.

I assume they didn’t get much sleep while camping in places where monsters appear.

“Anyway, I’m going to do some enchanting, so feel free to do as you please. If you’re sleepy, there’s an unused bed in the room over there.”

“No, it’s fine. Can we watch you work?”

“Sure... I don’t mind.”

For some reason, both of them seemed interested and followed me to the workshop. I understand they’re curious since it’s their weapon.

I’ve been experimenting with enchanting, but I haven’t been very successful.

For example, adding a heat retention effect to a bathtub... I wanted to try adding a heat retention effect to a cup first, but it failed.

Then, I realized the reason might be the magic stones used for enchanting.

The magic stones I obtained from monsters are different from the ones my master prepared for alchemy. The monster stones are darker and less clear. I think this is why the enchanting isn’t working well. I hadn’t had a chance to test it yet.

Yesterday, I tried purifying the magic stones with a holy magic spell. When I checked, they seemed to be the same. I don’t know exactly what the difference is, but I have to try.

This will be a real test of enchanting a weapon, but I’m getting used to channeling magic through alchemy to change the shape of the magic stones. I know the general method.

Let’s give it a shot!

I placed the katana on the workbench.

First, I channeled magic through the hilt and created a hole to insert the magic stone, then inserted the stone.

This magic stone came from a large lizard called an Okao Otokoge, which I encountered on the Western Hill. It was slow, so I could avoid its attacks, but it was quite strong.

Actually, its scales were so hard that my attacks didn’t penetrate, making it difficult to defeat. Leonis told me that if I didn’t get hit, it wasn’t scary, and after a lot of effort, I learned that using magic was faster. This is a magic stone from a memorable battle.

Compared to other small magic stones, this one is about 3 cm in size. It’s larger, so it should have a stronger effect... actually, this is the only medium-sized magic stone I have, but I’ll use it.

I channeled fire magic through the blade pattern of the katana.

The magic stone gradually turned red and eventually became a deep, beautiful garnet color, indicating that the fire magic had been successfully infused.

The blade pattern, originally a clean straight edge, became a wavy, irregular pattern because the magic didn’t flow straight. However, I think this gives it a unique character. I also placed small magic stones in the grooves and channeled magic through them, adding fire magic to these areas as well.

This katana, now renamed the “Fire Katana,” has a red glow in the blade pattern and grooves. I think it turned out well...

When I channeled magic through the katana, flames lit up along the entire blade. It seems to have worked.

Even when not channeling magic, the blade pattern has a red line, so it should stand out. I can’t change the shape of the katana, but I’ll add some decorations to the scabbard to change its appearance.

After finishing the katana, I looked up... and saw that the two of them were sleeping on the sofa in the workshop.

Of course... they looked very sleepy, so I expected this. I’ll let them sleep and continue my work.

The greatsword doesn’t have a place to insert a magic stone, so I had to force a ring-like structure into the hilt, channel magic through it to secure it, and then create a groove to insert the magic stones on both sides.

These magic stones came from wild boars in the Eastern Forest. The wild boar meat is delicious, and I plan to hunt more when I have time. The magic stones are about 1.5 cm in size.

I channeled magic through the center of the blade from two small magic stones, creating a red line. I placed more small magic stones on this line and channeled more magic, adding fire magic. The greatsword has a very simple design, making it difficult to add unique features.

I also placed small magic stones in a diamond pattern at the tip and channeled magic through them, extending a line to the handle and adding fire magic.

When I channeled magic, flames lit up from the tip to about 20 cm down the blade, but not the entire blade. The magic lines are connected, so I’m not sure why.

Moreover, the color is quite different from the katana.

Still, this is a completely different greatsword from mass-produced ones. Both weapons can channel fire magic from the tip when magic is channeled... the design is also fire-themed, but the katana emits a graceful, radiant flame, while the greatsword has a magma-like black and red flame at the tip.

I made adjustments based on a book about infusing magic into magical items. Although alchemy isn’t often used for making magical items, the book had notes from Astrid, making it easy to understand.

Even with the book, it was a struggle, and it was already night. I started the enchanting in the afternoon. Time flies.

After finishing the work, I woke up the two who were still sleeping.

I handed them their weapons while they were still groggy and told them to register at the guild as soon as possible since it was already night.

“Cool...”

“... Yeah.”

They seemed to like the weapons and were absorbed in examining them.

I’m glad they like them... but I’m a bit disappointed because they turned out differently from what I had in mind. It’s not a failure, but I have some regrets...

Enchanting as I imagined is difficult... also, they won’t have to worry about not having a fire to cook... monster meat is delicious when cooked, so they won’t go hungry as often.

Using the weapons might help them learn magic. I hope it helps them on their journey.

“You’re pretty good.”

“... Thank you.”

“Yeah. They turned out differently from what I imagined, but they can produce fire, so they should be useful for your adventures.”

My MP is quite good, with a maximum of 168, but it was drained during the enchanting, and I had to use magic pills to recover, which was very tiring. My MP is still depleted.

However, enchanting is interesting. Steel turned out to be surprisingly good for channeling magic.

When I channel magic, I can slightly change the shape of the metal, but it will take time to achieve the desired design.

The only problem is that I used up all the magic stones I had collected. I used the small magic stones from the monsters they hunted, as well as the ones my master gave me for alchemy.

“Thank you. We’ll go register at the guild. Let’s go, Naga.”

“Hey...”

The boy who was called by name is glaring, but the other one doesn’t seem to care.

I was supposed to keep their information confidential, but I mentioned the name.

“Well, I think it’s fine to know each other’s names. If you’ve been helping me and don’t know each other’s names, it would seem suspicious and raise doubts.”

I was also relieved to know their names, but I think it might cause problems for them.

I explained that it would be dangerous for them, but I’m not sure if they understood.

“Well, Naga. I’m Crane. Nice to meet you.”

“Yeah.”

“I’m Granos. Nice to meet you, Crane.”

Granos extended his hand, and I shook it. Then, I shook hands with Naga.

It feels a bit strange, but I feel a bit more at ease.

“Yeah. Well, this is probably goodbye... see you.”

“Hey, we’ll come back after registering. We need to return the money, and more importantly, we can’t survive if we’re left alone.”

“... Please.”

I thought it would be a goodbye, but they plan to come back after registering.

I think they should be able to survive even if they’re left alone... I taught them how to dismantle things in the morning. They can now use swords and katana to make fire. I also gave each of them 500G. With 200G left after the registration fee, they should be fine for a few days.

They’ll have to figure out water, but they should be able to earn money now.

When I glanced at them, both of their eyes were serious.

“... Use the bedroom on the left side of the second floor. I use the right side, so please don’t enter it. I’ll be working in the basement, so feel free to use the kitchen if you’re hungry. Also, there’s only one bed, so you’ll have to share it.”

I hope they can figure out how to share the bed. There’s a sofa in the basement, but I don’t want them to sleep there while I’m working.

“Got it. I’ll be back.”

I’ll do a bit more alchemy. I want to learn other elemental magic. I just realized I haven’t achieved my goal for today.

However, I used up my MP for enchanting, so I’ll stop alchemy for today.

“... I hope I can level up in alchemy today.”

I washed the herbs, rinsed off the dirt, and ground the roots and leaves... to make magic pills. I often fail, so I need to make a lot of them as a backup.