CH 51

Kan, kan, kan—!

Iron and steel collided, scattering sparks.

The heated steel was dyed red. Just by looking at it, my sweat dripped.

There was no unnecessary noise.

Without the need to squint, I embraced the vivid color of the flame.

Whenever I concentrated, I always felt like I was the only one in the world.

In the past, I thought it was a bit lonely.

Iron, flame, and myself.

I wondered if that was my entire world.

But now, I felt comfortable whenever I started striking iron.

Just like that time, I felt like I was the only one in the world. But I didn’t feel lonely.

Because I knew.

When I returned from my own world, I wasn’t alone.

Whenever I was lonely or having a difficult time, someone would always be there for me.

“—Phew…”

“Thank you for your hard work, Liliana.”

“Grave…”

He was there when I turned around after finishing, watching me with warm gaze.

I wiped the sweat dribbling from my forehead, removed my gloves, and went to the shower.

“Wait a minute. I’m going to wash off the soot.”

“Okay.”

My gloves were covered with soot.

Underneath them, my hands were also dirty because I sometimes handled the materials directly.

As I often touched my face to wipe away the sweat, soot would usually stick to my cheeks.

The mirror in the washroom reflected my soot-covered face.

No one would find woman who reeked of iron like me attractive.

Those were the heartless words a certain someone had said a long time ago, words which I took to heart.

For the remainder of my life, I might never be able to forget those words. However, I was no longer as sad.

Despite reeking of iron and being covered in soot, that was the result of my concentration. I focused on forging swords to the point that I couldn’t feel my surroundings.

Not everyone could do that.

To be said to smell like iron, any blacksmith would be proud of that.

Because a certain person had taught me that, I could accept the insulting title in a favorable way.

“—Hold on, when did you arrive?”

“About fifteen minutes ago. I considered calling out to you, but you seem so focused, I decided to just wait.”

“Did you watch me the entire time? I know I keep asking this—but don’t you get bored?”

“I will never get bored of it. No matter how many times I see a steel turned into a sword, the experience remains fresh.”

Grave spoke and touched the sword on his waist.

He was a warrior.

Since he used a sword, he might have a favorable impression of the blacksmiths.

“But… just watching is boring, isn’t it?”

“Not really.”

“…Doesn’t it take a long time?”

“I know, after all, it took you a long time to make my sword.”

The time it took to complete a sword depended on its shape and the materials used.

Previously, I had re-forged Grave’s sword.

It took a long time due to the fact that it had to be re-forged. Not to mention, the material used was a tamahagane with high-purity.

If it was a mere iron sword, all I needed to do was pour it into a mold and let it harden.

But that sword wouldn’t be sturdy. It wouldn’t cut well.

The sword was a warrior’s companion. A person entrusted his life to his weapon.

I wanted to make a sword that never broke, no matter how long it took.

“The time it takes is also important, isn’t it? Well, if I truly thought it were boring, I won’t even bother to come.”

“That’s true…”

“Glad we got that cleared up. Of course, if you don’t like being watched, I can stop?”

“No…”

I shook my head and gently denied it.

I didn’t hate being watched.

It felt a little embarrassing at first, but now I was glad that someone was there after I was finished.

Grave also showed understanding towards my work.

“Would you like to help me?”

“…Hmm?”

“Since it’s Grave, I believe the day you will say that will come.”

He was kinder and friendlier than anyone else.

Because he couldn’t leave a person in need, he helped me.

Although it still felt awkward, I had a good grasp of his personality.

“Well, if you need help, I will lend you a hand? The problem is, I don’t have the necessary skills. I don’t want to disturb you, so I just want to watch.”

“I see.”

Such a thoughtful response—as expected of Grave.

Even though I had asked him, I had a feeling he’d reply that way.

Regardless, I wanted to hear that gentle answer from his mouth.

“Will you be going home soon?”

“Yes, but I need to clean up first.”

“Let me help you.”

“Thank you.”

I cleaned the smithy with Grave’s help.

The smithy had started to resemble the one I had in the castle.

The smell of iron and flame had sunk into the ceiling, floor, and tools.

It no longer just had the appearance of one.

I was glad that I had transformed it into a place where I could be myself.

After finishing tidying up, we opened the door and went outside.

I properly closed the door.

I took care of the key and we went home side by side.

The sun had almost set. The West sky was dyed orange, while the East sky was dyed black.

People could be seen passing by.

Some people were shopping for dinner with their children after work.

“How peaceful.”

“Hmm? What happened suddenly?”

“That thought just suddenly came to mind. Maybe because we’ve been involved in something big recently.”

“Oh, right, that was close, but we managed to overcome it.”

Grave laughed and talked while remembering.

Until a while ago, the Demon King, Ibris, was in that town.

Believe it or not, we spent time together and laughed with each other.

He had returned to his own realm, but he promised to come back someday.

Many people were eagerly waiting for that day, including Grave and I.

The day where the hero who fought for the peace of that town would once again return.

While immersing ourselves in that sense of peaceful, we returned home.

***T/N: …Eergh, I thought this novel has ended at arc 2 but it seems that there’s still more to Liliana’s daily life we have to see.