325 - - Episode 323 The Dagger of the Fire Dragon

At any rate, I get the money from Marie, who is smiling eerily, and escape from the general store. It was a bad time when Ms. Marie involved Ms. Sonia and they started laughing together.

"Ha-ha-ha, Marie is funny as ever!

Sylphy is laughing. I've liked Marie for a long time, but I never thought I'd laugh this hard....... People who fight wars must have a lot of desires, but how are they different from Marie's desires?　Purity?　Anyway, I don't get it, so let's move on. Uh, Mel's workshop.

We head for Mel's workshop with a very happy Sylphy in tow. Next time Sylphy's in a bad mood, it might be a good idea to visit Marie's place. If she is in a bad mood, she might be able to fix it.

I'm so scared of the thought of ruining Sylphy's mood. ...... Let's do our best to keep her in a good mood, not to fix her mood. I arrive at Mel's workshop, thinking of something silly.

"Hello!

"Ah, Master, it's been a long time."

"Yuta, you're here!"

Mel and Meral cheerfully approached me as I entered the workshop. Mel got out of the counter and came running toward us, looking a little flustered. He's as tiny as ever. But I'm glad Eunice isn't here. We can talk in peace.

"Hey, it's been a while. How are Mel and Meral?

Yes, I was fine.

"I've been fine too. Hey Yuta, when are you going to the sanctuary? Today?

Meral's tension is soaring. Well, I get to talk to the contractor of the family I've been watching over for so long, and I get to see him in person. It must be exciting.

"Master. Master Meral has been restless ever since Mr. Bell and the others came to visit yesterday. I've asked her about it, but I'm not sure what's going on. Is something wrong?"

It is indeed difficult to explain the sanctuary with a yes or no answer.

"Yes, it's a lot of things. Meral, I'll explain it to you now. Mel, are you on time?"

"Okay!"

"Yes, we've had a few more customers, but we're still very busy, so don't worry about it."

...... Please don't say sad things with a smile. Well, I'm sure blacksmithing has become easier since I made a contract with Meral and I'm planning to wholesale a lot of valuable materials. I'm sure I'll be a very popular blacksmith eventually.

"First of all, the reason why Meral is so nervous is because I told her that I want to invite Mel and Meral to my base."

"A base?　I thought it was a secret where it was located?　I'm glad to hear it, but is it a place that would please you so much, Meral-sama?"

Mel tilts her head, as if unsure. I don't understand why Melal is so nervous just by explaining that we're going to the base.

"Okay, so what I'm going to tell you is definitely a secret, but it's okay, right? Don't tell Eunice either, okay?"

"...... Yes. If you, our grateful master, say it is a secret, then I will keep it, even from you, Yunis."

Mel puts her hands out in front of her and clenches her fists. She's an adult, isn't she? She looks so much like a Lolita. Okay, now that we've got the pretense out of the way, let's get to the reason why.

"Yes, please. So my base is a place called the sanctuary. Meral is happy because it's a place where spirits can materialize.

He explains to Mel with a smug look on his face.

"...... materialize?　............ Does that mean I can see Master Meral?"

"Yes."

Huh?　The response is less than I expected.

"......Wow, that's great, Master!　So I can go to Master's base and meet Meral-sama!　It's amazing!"

You got excited at once. The reason you didn't respond to me is because you didn't understand what I was saying. He had a hard time understanding it, but when he did, he was so excited. This is the reaction I've been waiting for.

"Master. You're inviting us to your master's base!　Wow, I can't believe I'm going to meet Master Meral, I can't believe I'm going to meet him!　It's a dream come true!"

Mel, who is jumping around. I don't think I've ever seen Mel this aggressive. Meral has joined the group, and they're having a great time together. If there were an army of little kids here, things would have gotten out of hand.

"Hmmm, they seem to be very happy."

"Yes, I knew you would be happy, but I didn't think you would be this happy.

I wait for Mel and Meral to calm down while talking with Sylphy, who smiles at me.

........................ can we continue talking soon?

"Mel, have you calmed down?"

"Oh, yes. I'm sorry. I've calmed down.

"Okay, so you'll accept the invitation, right?"

"Yes, by all means."

"Okay. If you go to my base, you'll have to leave the labyrinth city for a while.　

I can manage a day trip, but I have a feeling that Mel will be too serious and say it's not good to take too much time off from the workshop, so he'll be back in a short time. That would be a hassle for me, and Meral would probably feel indigestion. It's better to give her a big break from the start.

"Well, I have some pots to repair and three swords to sharpen ......, and my master who's going to help me with some repairs ......."

You seem to be subtly busy. Well, the fact that repairing pots and pans is the first thing that comes up makes it sound like a subcontractor's job.

"Then I'd like to do it after my boss finishes his work. How long will it take?"

"I think he said three days. Then I think the job will probably take two or three days."

That would give us about six days. There will be preparations for departure, and there is a possibility that the work will be extended. It would be better to aim for about 10 days from now to be sure.

Six days is not enough time, but if I have 10 days, I can dive the dungeon. If I ask Sylphy to help me, I can get to the 90th level and back in 2 days. With 8 days left, I can try to get to the 100th level.

"Okay, Mel, can you take a break for the next 10 days?　I'll be diving in the labyrinth too, so it might be a little off, but I hope that's okay."

"If you can give me that much time, I can take the day off without causing trouble for the masters. How long should I take off?"

"Well, I don't care how long it takes, as long as Mel can take a break from the workshop. You don't have to do anything, you can come visit me as often as you like when the time is right."

"....... So, can I visit you for 10 days or so?　I want to talk to Master Meral as much as possible!"

Wow, you took a surprisingly long vacation. That's how much you want to see Meral. Oh, Meral's moved by Mel's words. She's really happy.

"Okay. Then make a schedule like that."

"Yes, sir!"

He's full of energy. Well, we got what we came for. Next, I was going to give him a picture frame of my own making, but ...... already has a picture in a nice frame hanging in the most prominent place in the workshop. I'm glad you like it, but I don't think I need to give you a frame. ......

I'll show you the knife made of fire dragon tusks or ...... first, and we'll pick it up when we all come together. Then we can have a ceremony to award the Fire Dragon Dagger as proof of my discipleship. This is getting fun.

"So Mel, what does the Fire Dragon Fang Dagger look like?"

"Oh, yes!　I finished it successfully!　I'll bring it to you."

Mel rushes to the back of the workshop. He had finished it. A few moments later, Mel returned with a box.

"Master, here is the finished dagger. Please inspect it. I'll bring you the extra tusks later.

He takes a dagger from the box and observes it. It is a modestly decorated but atmospheric dagger. But the sheath, with its shiny cream color, looks just like a fire dragon's fangs.

"Mel, are the dagger's sheaths made from fire dragon fangs, too?"

Oh, yes, that's right. At first, I made the sheath of the skin, but when I hit the blade part by some chance, it was cut off completely. Next, I made a metal sheath with the blade completely floating, but when I pulled it out and inserted it, the metal on the ground with the tusk was slightly shaved off like a powder. I thought about using adamantite, but it would be too heavy, so I made a tusk sagger. Was that a bad idea?"

Mel looks up at me anxiously.

"No, not at all. It's rather cool. But can you cut metal?"

It looks like the fangs of a fire dragon are so smooth that it doesn't look like metal can be cut off.

"Yes. It is really only a little, but if you keep pulling it out and inserting it again and again, the sheath will eventually wear out. This dagger is so sharp that I thought it would be dangerous, so I made the sheath out of tusks."

I see, it would be a disaster if a sharp dagger were to slip out of its sheath. It would be better to put a stopper on it, but unlike in Japan, it could be used in an emergency. It might be better to make it so that it can be pulled out as soon as you try to pull it out.

"Is it that sharp?"

"Yes, the durability of the blade is excellent, and we were able to make the blade as thin and sharp as possible. The blade is so sharp that it can easily penetrate iron armor.

It looks like we have just completed an amazing dagger. What if it is sharper than a magic survival knife? The existence value of the pioneering tool is ...... well, if it is a dagger for self-defense, it is more than enough. I'm not just going to listen to the stories, I'm going to see for myself.

I take another long look at the dagger. The handle seems to be wrapped with the skin of a demon. And I can't see any connection between the blade and the handle. It looks as if the dagger is carved out of the tusk as a whole. In a way, it's extravagant.

The dagger is pulled from a shiny cream-colored sheath. ...... No, I knew that. Of course it's a cream-colored dagger, since it's carved out of the same material. The color is gentle, but the dragon's fangs are strangely powerful.

Checking the blade, the border between the blade and the space appears to be slightly blurred, as if the word "extremely thin" is true. The blurred part also looks like a blade. It looks much thinner than a razor blade. With such a thin blade, the sharpness of the blade must be tremendous. And yet, it is durable enough to withstand the rigors of use.

"I'm going to test the sharpness."

"Yes, would you like me to prepare the material for the test cut?"

"No, I'm fine, I have it on hand."

At any rate, the material has to be strong. I take the scales of an assault dragon out of my magic bag. Scales harder than steel, a little too tough?　Well, it's a test. I put the blade against the scales and pull gently, and a thin stripe remains on the scales.

It's quite a sharp blade ...... to make even a small cut on scales harder than steel with a light pull. This time, I put all my strength into cutting the scales. Oh, it takes a lot of force, but I cut through the scales of the assault dragon. It is a powerful enough dagger, though it is not as powerful as the pioneering tool.

"Thank you, Mel. It's a dagger I'm happy enough with."

"I'm so glad! I was so nervous.

Mel is half crying with joy. He was feeling pressure because of the fire dragon's fangs, the material was amazing. I'm a little sorry, but I hope it was a good experience for him. Oh, I'll have the names of Gina and the others put on the handle.

Is it too much to ask Mel, who is relieved that the big job is done, to do additional work?　There's also the repairing of the pots and pans.