Chapter 87: Yet, Raising It by 1
I entered the blacksmith together with Felica.
One might expect a wave of heat to hit, but what first catches the eye inside is the displayed weapons.
This blacksmith also functions as a weapon shop, with the actual forging done in the back of the store.
The interior is lively and noisy with adventurers.
I walk past the reception counter toward a muscular, bearded man in his 50s with a sour expression.
His name is Boarduk, the owner of the blacksmith.
Felica, who had naturally let go of my arm upon entering the store, followed behind me while looking at the various displayed weapons with sparkling eyes.
The weapons were displayed as if leaning against stands, organized by type so it was easy for customers to browse.
Boarduk noticed me approaching, furrowed his brow, and began stroking his beard with one hand.
I smiled wryly at his expression, reached the counter, and called out to him.
"I have something I’d like to request?"
"...Let’s hear it."
"I want you to make this."
I took several sheets of paper from my magic bag and placed them on the counter so Boarduk could see.
Boarduk’s already sour face grew even more sour as he picked up the papers and began examining them.
Meanwhile, behind me Felica had picked up a nearby weapon and was looking at it with a serious expression.
She’s probably thinking about applications, I thought with a smile as I returned my gaze to Boarduk.
After looking at the several sheets for a while, Boarduk sighed, placed the papers back on the counter, and spoke in a tired voice.
"You’re asking this of me, a blacksmith?"
"I came to you because you’re Boarduk — the one who knows iron, processes it freely, and challenges new things."
"...You always say such tooth-achingly flattering things."
"I’m just telling the truth though..."
Boarduk roughly scratched his head with one hand at my words.
Seeing this, I tilted my head slightly and smiled wryly in slight exasperation.
There are many blacksmiths in the royal capital, but Boarduk is famous for taking on new challenges.
That doesn’t stop at weapons — it includes facilities, outer walls, and tools.
Because of this, other blacksmiths tend to avoid him, but his skill is first-rate.
He has a dwarf as his master, and in the game he is the character responsible for weapon production.
In the game you could request other blacksmiths and they would make things, but the quality differs.
For example, if another blacksmith could only make swords with attack power 1–5, Boarduk could make ones with 2–6.
It may be just raising it by 1, yet that raise of 1 should not be underestimated.
In the game you can continue, but in reality you only have one life.
To return alive, I would even cling to that raise of just 1.
Another characteristic of Boarduk is that unlike other blacksmiths who only make weapons and armor, he will make tools as well.
In game terms, things like boxes or sword sheaths.
Boarduk let out a big sigh, fluttered the paper in one hand, and spoke tiredly.
"It’ll take 7 days?"
"That’s fast..."
"Come on... If I couldn’t make something after you bring me drawings like this, I’d be a failure as a blacksmith, wouldn’t I?"
What I handed him were simply drawn diagrams — far from professional, but I had tried.
Since I’m bad at explaining things with words, this is easier for me.
I always tell Boarduk they’re just for reference since a novice drew them, but every time he lets out a big sigh.
I paid him several gold coins, chatted with Boarduk a bit, and left the counter.
I turned around to look for Felica and saw her standing with her arms crossed, staring seriously at a shelf displaying long swords.
I walked up behind her and called out; noticing me, Felica smiled shyly and spoke.
"When you look at them like this, there really are many different kinds of weapons, huh?"
"Yeah... That’s why adventurers try out various weapons to find ones that suit them."
"Trying out various weapons..."
I glanced sideways at Felica, who seemed to have realized something from my words and fell into thought, then shifted my gaze to the long sword in front of us.
No matter how many times I see them, they are beautiful and without distortion. Other weapon shops sometimes have distortions, but Boarduk’s weapons are different after all.
Incidentally, regarding distortion and such, the unit commander during the war was very strict about it.
He was so particular about distortion and damage that he even included time to train our eyes to spot them in our training.
According to the commander, once you can do that you’ll be able to destroy enemy weapons in battle.
To be honest, the commander could do it because of his monstrous strength — normally it’s not possible to destroy weapons.
Still, noticing damage allowed me to avoid life-threatening situations several times, so I couldn’t dismiss it.
No, not just me — probably every soldier in the unit.
I held Felica’s hand with my right hand as we walked along Tenth Street.
Felica walked as if being led by the hand, smiling wryly in slight embarrassment. I glanced back slightly and let out a small sigh.
She seemed to have thought of something at the blacksmith, and when she tried to return to the academy I stopped her.
Having seen her so exhausted that her battery had run out even after sleeping, I couldn’t allow her to head back to the academy.
That’s why I’m holding Felica’s hand and escorting her back to the mansion.
There’s also the fact that if I took my eyes off her, she would probably head to the academy.
"Raide, holding hands on this street is... embarrassing."
"...Hmm."
Felica matched her pace to my right side and spoke with slightly flushed cheeks in embarrassment.
Not out of mischief, but at her words I smiled and wrapped my right arm around Felica’s waist, pulling her closer.
I drew her so that one of her watermelon-sized breasts pressed against me and enjoyed the soft sensation.
Felica’s cheeks grew even redder in surprise, her eyes swimming as she spoke.
"I said it’s embarrassing, didn’t I?"
"Rejected. I can’t trust the current Felica. I’m worried... Bear with it, okay?"
"U~nu~~~, that’s unfair! That side of you is really unfair, Raide!"
Felica lightly pounded my chest with her free right hand. Finding the sight cute, I leaned in and gave her a light kiss on the lips.
Startled by the suddenness, Felica stopped moving, blushed, and looked down.
Felica’s mansion was located on the royal castle side, just before Lucian’s house.
It seemed larger than Erika’s former residence. The gatekeeper soldiers looked back and forth between Felica and me with suspicious expressions.
I approached and explained the situation, but they told me to wait without lowering their guard.
It’s understandable that the gatekeepers are suspicious — after all, Felica had kissed me and was now quietly looking down with a red face.
One of the two gatekeepers ran toward the mansion, and before long returned with a maid.
I lightly introduced myself to the maid, who appeared to be around Felica’s age, explained the situation, and tried to leave Felica with her, but was stopped.
"Please come inside."
"No, I..."
"This way, please."
My words were cheerfully ignored, and I was almost forcefully guided into the mansion.
Felica, still held by the waist, lightly clutched my clothes with her right hand. Seeing this, I smiled wryly.
...She’s deliberately staying silent, isn’t she?
I noticed the corner of Felica’s downturned mouth twitch slightly into a smirk, and I breathed out a small smile.
Thinking of it as payback for embarrassing her, it’s light enough, I thought as the two of us followed behind the maid.
The interior of Felica’s mansion was elegant but not painfully gaudy.
However, I wished the maids lined up on both sides to welcome Felica would do something about their gazes and expressions.
Felica leaned close and quietly told me that she had already informed the maids about me and they knew who I was.
Even as maids, they are as strong as knights and capable of intelligence work.
...In other words, they had already investigated me and knew my face... which explained those expressions.
We went up to the second floor and were led into a room resembling a study. The maid bowed, said she would prepare tea, and left the room.
Once the maid exited, Felica looked up, smiled, and pulled my hand.
She led me toward a two-to-three-seater sofa placed facing another in the center of the room and urged me to sit.
As I sat on the sofa, Felica sat to my left and leaned her shoulder against me.
"Fufu, were you surprised?"
"I was surprised... I just thought that if I was only visiting I should have brought a gift."
"Think of it as payback... since you kissed me on that big street."
Looking up at me with flushed cheeks, I wrapped my left arm around Felica’s waist, pulled her close, and kissed her.
Then, as my own payback, I didn’t stop at just touching lips but slipped my tongue into Felica’s mouth.
"Nn? Nnuu, nmu, fumu, nchuu... Geez..."
"It’s your fault for saying such cute things, Felica."
When I stopped the kiss and pulled my face away, Felica blushed shyly and lightly pounded my chest.
I was laughing at her reaction when the maid brought tea and snacks.
While chatting a bit with the maid present, Felica suggested we have dinner together.
I smiled and nodded at the proposal, accepting the invitation.
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