As I was cleaning up the workplace, Samia and Diana came back. Being outside until this time means that no one came, I wonder if there was a lot of harvest.
“I’m home.”
“Oh, welcome home Samia and Diana.”
“I’m home. There are quite a lot of things around here huh.”
“I don’t live with other people, so it’s no wonder that there are many things left.”
Samia and Diana harvested fruits like the apple-like and the raspberry-like ones that I saw before. And this time, they harvested a new fruit. It has a smooth appearance and it looks like the fig-fruits in my previous world. Then, shall I serve this fig-like thing for today’s dinner? I wondered if there was a lot of harvest, but in general, they didn’t get that many. Well, it’s a waste if they rot and there’s nothing wrong with this quantity.
Diana and I moved on to practice. I think she’s pretty tired, but I decided to do it today at Diana’s request. The result was the same as yesterday, and it was rounded up in less than a quarter of an hour. As expected, she doesn’t seem to move that well today. It doesn’t make much sense if she overdoes it. I feel sorry for Diana but it’s impossible to suddenly get stronger in two or three days, so she should take her time slowly. When I said that, she was reluctantly nodding after making a blank look just like yesterday.
The dinner is the usual unfermented bread, soup, and fig-like fruits. I have confirmed with Samia that this can be eaten as it is. After cleaning up the dinner, we started working on the fig-like fruits. Its skin is thicker than that of the fig-fruits in the previous world but they can be peeled off by hand, eaten as they are, and above all, the taste is almost like a fig. Apparently, both Rike and Diana are eating it for the first time but they seem to like it.
“This tastes feels like I’ve eaten it before and it’s delicious. Are there a lot of these in the forest?”
“It’s not that many, but it’s okay if it’s enough to eat at home.”
“I see. It feels like I want to have fun once in a while.”
“Right?”
I see. The yield wasn’t that great so we won’t get much harvest even if we go back there. But when we do, I would want some sugar. I want to make jam and improve the preservation of fruits. I should have looked at the price of sugar at Camilo’s shop. I can’t remember the price clearly because I only glanced at it. I can only recall that it was rather expensive. There is a good amount of jam that can be made here. I’ll talk to Camilo when everything calms down.
After that, I asked Diana about the fruits she ate in the city. I heard from Samia and Rike that there is something like watermelon before, but it seems that there are also things like strawberries and bananas. Well, I want to try it. But I hope this matter really calms down.
The next day.
For today, Samia and Diana went hunting. In worst case, we still have meat so it’s not really necessary to hunt one large animal. Diana usually wears clothes that have a little elaborate parts, but she wore a simple one today. She said, “I’ve experienced hunting several times when I was in the city”, but she’s still excited, maybe she feels that hunting here would be different. I don’t think hunting is something that women would like so much…. Is she a tomboy after all? I’ll ask that when I meet Marius next time.
Rike and I are still making knives today. Rike will help me make the high-end model ones… I mean she’ll watch and learn. Well, I did promise that yesterday. I heat up the sheet metal on the fire bed and hit where there is distortion or unevenness. Rike watched intently as to what I’m looking at and where I’m hitting, so as not to miss my every move. When most of the distortion and unevenness disappeared, I showed it to Rike at once.
“With my current works, I reduce it this far. I can reduce it more, but let’s stop it here…”
No, wait…
“No, let’s do it to the end.”
“Well, would that be fine Boss?”
“Yeah, we’ll just make one that’s enough to be given to Diana.”
“Oh, I see.”
“All right, let’s do it.”
“Yes please!”
I heat the sheet metal again on the fire bed and beat the remaining distortion and unevenness to erase it. There is almost nothing left, but if you don’t hit it patiently, all of the unevenness will not be removed. I heated it several times, repeatedly hit it and finally, every distortion disappeared. The surface is finely shining.
Rike’s eyes looking at the sheet metal were shining like sparks. She looked from corner to corner of the sheet metal that I have taken out, she stared at it as if she shouldn’t miss even one molecule. What’s the difference between my level and Rike’s? I can recognize it at a glance with my cheat but Rike cannot. She has to learn from here.
When I judged that Rike has already taken a closer look, I did the following work. It’s the work of making a shape. Again, with my cheat, I know where to hit and make a shape without breaking this state. That’s also why Rike says that “I can hear the voice of the iron”. For this work, Rike keeps her eyes on me. She’s trying to take it all, especially on where to hit.
Eventually, the shape of the knife was formed. I then showed it to Rike.
“Did you get it?”
“Yes. The quality is the same as when you showed it earlier.”
“That’s right. Then I’ll finish it.”
“Understood”
When I put the shaped knife in the fire bed for quenching, I blow some air to raise the temperature.
“I’m a little special so I can tell the last-minute temperature just by looking at the fire, but for you, it may be better to determine the temperature by doing it in the middle of the night.”
“No, since I’m a dwarf, I know most of it, I can prove it.”
Is that so? Oh, by the way, Rike usually does the quenching with me.
“Okay, then look at it properly.”
“Yes”
Rike says in a soft voice. I also seriously assess the temperature. The temperature went up steadily and reached the perfect temperature. I quickly removed the knife from the fire bed and quench it with water.
“It’s that temperature just now.”
“Yes. I think I roughly got it. Though I believe that it will take time for me to make it.”
“That’s fine.”
After this, I hold it over the flame on the fire bed to temper it. I concentrated on teaching the timing of this so that Rike could learn the temperature at this time. If I won’t do this, it will still be fragile. After tempering, I polished and sharpen it. If sharpening fails here, the work until here will become useless so I need to be serious. Rike is watching this work attentively as well.
“Hmm, maybe this is the best one from here.”
Maybe it’s because the feel of the cheat became familiar or I’m just getting used to this work, but this is pretty good. I showed the finished product to Rike.
“That’s right… I can hardly tell the difference from what I hit before, but it may be a little better.”
I didn’t show the work process at that time to Rike. I wish I had shown it.
“Well, you should aim from here.”
“Yes. I’ll do my best Boss.”
“Good”
I smiled and prayed for the light ahead of this young blacksmith.