Volume 2 - CH 26

(He said that iron ore has a lot of impurities, right? If that’s the case, I wonder if it’s caused by iron ore. It seems that the demon coal also emits smoke.)

Hirune exhaled and wiped the sweat dripping caused by the heat.

“Master Zuguri, when you burn iron ore, you get black smoke, right?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“What about demon coal?　　Does it give off any smoke?”

“Demon coal hardly emits any smoke. It’s that kind of mineral.”

Master Zuguri turned to the craftsman who was just bringing in a wheelbarrow of demon coal passage, He said “I’ll take one,” and snatched it up.

The craftsman looked at the master and Hirune, wondering what would happen to the steel mills, and took more time than usual to load the demon coal into the furnace. He was curious about what they were talking about.

“Look here, Makura-chan.”

“Yes.”

Master Zuguri crouched down and showed the demon coal to Hirune.

The size of the coal was the size of a man’s palm, and it was a beautiful hexahedron.

（It looks like some kind of ornamental stone like this.. It feels like a bit of a waste to burn them. …… Ah, there’s magic moving inside.)

“Is there fire magic inside?”

“As expected of the young lady.”

Master Zuguri nodded.

“It burns at once when the temperature rises to a certain level. It has a strong burning power.”

After explaining this, the master stood up and threw the demon coal into the flames in a familiar manner, next to the craftsman who had finished putting the demon coal into the wheelbarrow.

The flames flickered loudly.

“The next one should be four thirds. Keep up the pace.”

“Yes!”

The craftsman replied vigorously, looked at Hirune a few times, and left.

(The problem seems to be with the iron ore.)

“Master Zuguri, may I see the iron ore?”

“Ok. It’s hot here. Let’s move quickly.”

“Yes, sir.”

Puffing, Hirune wiped the sweat from her forehead with the sleeve of her shirt.

Sweat was pouring out of her entire body, making her shirt sticky

(There’s not much point in wiping it off.)

She followed Master Zuguri back down the stairs, stopped for water on the way, and went up the stairs at the back of the steel mill.

The stairs were made of iron, so they made a clanking sound as they walked.

The smoke was getting closer and her nose smelled more of burning.

“Are you okay?”

Master Zuguri looked at Hirune with concern.

“Yes, I’m fine.”

They arrived at the iron ore depot.

It was located at the top of the iron manufacturing equipment.

Looking down through the railing, she could see the entire steel mill.

(It’s spectacular. There are hundreds of people working here. ……)

The craftsmen were hard at work at their posts.

When she returned her gaze back to the iron ore storage area, she saw a slide-like lane where the iron ore was being transported to the central part of the plant. Men were shouting, “Heave-ho, heave-ho,” and pulling the pulleys to raise the boxes containing large quantities of iron ore to the designated position.

(They have to take the trouble to raise it from the bottom to the top. It sounds like a lot of work.)

“You’re carrying it from the outside to the inside, right?”

“Yes, that’s right. You see that fountain outside?”

“The fountain?”

Hirune looked out the window.

There was a large fountain in what looked like a courtyard, from which water was being drawn to wash the iron ore.

“You wash the iron ore before burning it?”

“Yes. If you don’t wash it, you can’t burn it. The surface is covered with dirt. If you burn it while it was taken from underground, black smoke will come out.”

“I see. ……”

Hirune chanted a scripture in her mind and used the holy magic of sensing.

Stardust glittered in both of Hirune’s eyes.

“……”

Master Zuguri pretended not to notice and looked between Hirune and the steel equipment.

(Yeah ……? I feel like there’s something unpleasant stuck to the surface of the iron ore)

Hirune felt a reaction from the iron ore, albeit a slight one.

“ If you’ll excuse me for a moment.”

“Oh …… please come in.”

The craftsmen held out their hands with a look of trepidation.

(They’re nice people, aren’t they? I’ll have to thank them.)

Hirune tried to pick up one of the boxes full of iron ore that had just been transported using a pulley.

“……!”

(It’s too heavy!)

She couldn’t carry it at all.

She looked for a smaller piece of iron ore and lifted it this time.

(Well, let’s see. ……)

She stared at the iron ore while using the Holy Magic of Sensing

(Hmmm …… . I can’t see it because it’s too small. There’s something sticking to it. …… It looks like miasma. ……)

“Master Zuguri, can you hold this for me?”

Hirune handed the iron ore to Zuguri.

“Oh, please lower it to my point of view.”

“Like this?”

“ A little lower.”

“Like that?”

“Yes, yes, like that.”

“ Ok.”

Master Zuguri sat down and held out the iron ore to Hirune with both hands.

The iron ore glowed with a dull silvery light.

Hirune made a circle with her hands and placed it over her eyes like a pair of glasses.

(Magic power sensing, magnified eyes.)

A magic circle shone at Hirune’s feet, and stardust glittered around her eyes.

“Ah!”

Master Zuguri was startled by the sudden magic circle and made a gesture of silence to his subordinates who were about to shout.

(It’s miasma in particulates! It’s clinging to the iron ore. ……! Of course no one’s going to notice it.)

In Hirune’s eyes, the iron ore was magnified..

There was an amoeba-like miasma on the iron ore.

(Come to think of it, the miasma in the Royal Capital was spiky, but the miasma in the south is sludgy ……. Well, that’s okay. ……)

Hirune turned off her holy magic and looked up at Master Zuguri.

The magic circle disappears, and the residue of stardust softly fizzles into the air.

“Master Zuguri.”

“Oh, oh. What is it? I didn’t see any magic circle.”

The master was a terrible liar.

“Magic circle? More importantly, there’s something I’d like to try, if you don’t mind. It has a great deal to do with the future activities of the steel mill. A good night’s sleep and your health could be greatly improved.”

“What does that mean, ……?”

“It’s a trade secret.”

“What’s that?”

“Please all of you turn around. I’d like to do a trick.”

“ Now, come on,” said Hirune, pulling the hands of Master Zuguri and the craftsmen to turn them around.

“Oh, and please close your eyes.”

(Is this pile of iron ore ok? ……)

Hirune looked at the iron ore piled up in the storage area and opened her hands.

(Omitting scriptures …… Holy Magic…… Purification!)

With a click, a magic circle unfolded and stardust happily leaped out of Hirune.

When Hirune gave the command, the stardust was sucked into the iron ore, glittering and shining.

(Magnified eyes.)

Hirune used her hands as glasses and observed the iron ore.

The miasma was slowly disappearing.

The impurities were also disappearing, probably thanks to the purification magic.

(Is that enough?)

Hirune lowered her arms and said to Master Zuguri, “it’s ok.”

As she had said, they had closed their eyes, but opened them to the glow of the holy magic, and were thrilled to see purification magic for the first time. They looked at each other, trying not to let their excitement show on their faces. It was deeply moving to think that this light was protecting the frontier city.

The craftsmen working elsewhere could see the light as well.

Some were holding hammers, some were carrying demon coal, some were managing the equipment, but all of them stopped to look up at the iron ore storage area.

“ Now, I casted a secret spell, so please try to melt this iron ore.”

“A spell, huh?”

Master Zuguri smiled, sat up and looked at Hirune.

“Yes. It’s a special one.”

She also smiled at him.

“All right, boys! The iron ore is under Makura-chan’s spell!　　Carry it!”

The craftsmen managing the iron ore shouted, “Yes! Let’s go!”

Something was going to happen. A feeling of foreboding spread through everyone’s hearts.

(Well, I hope it works. ……)

Hirune stared at the iron ore rolling down the lane.

“Switch to number three!”

At Master Zuguri’s direction, the lane switching device moved, and Hirune’s iron ore fell into the third furnace.

(Now, how about ……!)

“Increase power! Concentrate on the third furnace!”

The instructions flew, and demon coal was added.

After watching the situation for a while, the iron ore gradually turned red and eventually transformed into a slushy thick liquid. The entrance to the lane opened and the liquefied iron ore was poured into the mold.

“Was there any black smoke?”

Hirune looked up at Master Zuguri.

He came to his senses at the sound of her voice and shuddered.

“It didn’t …… come out, did it?”

“You’re right. It’s a success.”

“Well, if you do the …… purification, you can ……”

(It seems that the smoke was caused by miasma. …… The craftsmen sometimes cough because the miasma has entered their lungs in the form of fine particles and has not been purified. ……?)

Next to Hirune’s thoughts, Master Zuguri closed his eyes and shook his body.

The cause of the smoke that had been troubling him for so many years had been revealed by the Great Saint, he felt anxious about whether he could let his men work, worried that everyone would get sick if they continued at this rate, and remembering his son who had died of a bad lung. The fog in his mind lifted as he realized that he didn’t have to be afraid of unknown causes anymore.

Master Zuguri looked down at Hirune.

“……”

The girl, only ten years old, had solved the mystery of the steel mill with ease.

“ …… Thank you, Makura-chan.”

“What for?”

“For finding out the cause of the black smoke. Thanks to you, I’m going to sleep better today.”

Master Zuguri stared at Hirune with puffy eyes.

“I’m glad to hear that. A good night’s sleep is important.”

“ Now we have a little hope. We’ll stay here for the time being, but eventually we’ll build a smokeless steel mill.”

“Uh, Master Zuguri. I see you’re finishing up, but we’re not done yet.”

“Not yet? Is there anything else?”

(If I go home like this, I’ll still smell the smoke. I can’t sleep well.)

Hirune then walked down the stairs and headed for the fountain outside.

Author Note:

———————

Dear Readers

Thank you very much for reading this story!

I’m happy to announce that the release date for the “Reincarnated Great Saint’s Journey to a Different World” book has been set.

This is all thanks to everyone’s support.

Thank you very much… (˘ω˘)

()

The book will be released on March 2nd!

Click here for more information about the book.

https://kc.kodansha.co.jp/product?item=0000347800

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I’ve written three bonus short stories for the book!

“A story about Jeanne brushing the teeth of a sleeping Hirune” etc … lol.

・ Gamers / Benefits: 4-fold SS paper

・ Melon Books / Benefits: SS leaflet

・ Toranoana / Benefits: Double-sided illustration card

If you purchase from the above three companies, you will get a great deal.

()

By the way, the illustrator and manga artist are the same person, Mr. Kidaniel…!　　He draws Hirune in a very cute way, so it’s a must-see. Please check out the cover alone. It’s just what I imagined. I can’t deny that my vocabulary is declining, but I can’t help but think that she’s even cuter than I imagined her to be… lol.

I apologize for the long text.

For now, I’d appreciate it if you’d just remember that “The Reincarnated Great Saint’s Leisure Trip to Another World” will be released on March 2nd …!

Then, thank you for your continued support of this work.

Author (˘ω˘)