CH 40

“Chapter 40: Training finished”

We knew from the start how capable Mike was, but she continued to prove her usefulness by finding ore in the cave.

– Akane-san, when the Grandmaster said “A Level V knife”, what exactly does that mean?

– Hmm… You need to make a knife that suits your capabilities. That cheap knife you have… it gets the job done, but could it cut through the skin of a dragon?

I shook my head. There’s no way. Not just because of the knife, I doubt I’d even have the talent to gather the remains of a dragon or process its materials.

I wonder if I’ll reach that level one day.

But for that, I need a strong weapon. Something that can cut through a dragon’s skin and muscles if necessary. Trying that with my current knife would be like using a bamboo sword against a giant dragon.

– Are we looking for anything specific? (Takaya)

The caves in the Sage’s Forest are pretty much unexplored territory, so there are lots of rare minerals around.

– First, we have to hone your blacksmithing skills. We can use Iron for that. My specialty is swords, but the basics are still the same. Making a small knife should be no problem.

– So I should process the iron ore over there… Mike? What’s wrong?

Mike was back to human form, and I noticed she kept staring at the ceiling.

– Master… Those are pretty.

– “Those”?

She was pointing at a faraway place in the distance. There was a faint blue light on the roof.

– That’s a Sky Blue crystal.

– And what is that?

– It’s a very popular material for swords. So-called “Heaven Jewel”. We are in good fortune that we happened to stumble upon one. It turns blue from the magic wafting around the cave and the purity oozing from the water. They’re used as materials for Holy Swords, an extremely rare type of weapon.

An extraordinary material… growing on the Sage’s Forest.

– What Level do I need to process it?

– Even I wouldn’t dare to touch it. My guess is Level VII. I don’t even think we would be able to reach it, it’s too high up.

The walls were slippery due to the water seeping from the mountain, and there was no place to get a foothold.

– Mike, do you think you can… Huh?

I turned to face Mike, but she was nowhere to be seen.

No way…

– Gauu!

– I knew it.

Mike was climbing the walls to get to the Heaven Jewel. She’s doing it so effortlessly it looks like she’s just walking on the air.

The crystal shone strongly for a second.

Mike came back to me with a steady pace.

And of course, the Heaven Jewel on her mouth.

– Mike…

– Gaur.

Let’s just put the crystal away first.

×　×　×

A month later.

The training took a lot of time, but it went smoothly.

The first trial was to refine steel into Tamahagane, a type of steel made from black sand. Akane was kind enough to teach me the basics of blacksmithing.

I know in the original world blacksmithing was an extremely exhausting process. However, in this world, a lot of that process is omitted. Once the materials are collected, a craftsman with blacksmithing skills will shape them to their desire.

I was able to make a High Double Potion. I sent a sample of it to the Grandmaster through the grosbeak. Her response? “Ugh, you’re done already?”. And then she gave me the OK.

– Akane-san, how is this?

Using the improvised furnace we made in the cave, I finished the item.

Akane is not used to crafting knives, and she was the one giving me instructions, so it ended up looking like a kitchen knife. But it still works just as fine for dismantling purposes.

– Hmm.

Akane took a serious glance at the knife crafted with the Heaven Jewel.

– Master, this is so pretty.

Even Mike who knows nothing about blacksmithing and weapons was amazed by the knife. There was not a single speck of dirtiness on it.

– I approve. You’ve passed. I can’t believe you actually did it. Well done, Takaya.

Satisfied with my work, Akane patted my head.

After recluding ourselves in the mountains, my relationship with Akane progressed to the point where we feel comfortable touching each other.

By the way, Akane is 18 years old. Same as Meirir, 2 years older than me. Yet another “older sister”.

– Well then.

– Your training is done. It took you quite some time, but since you worked so hard I’ll let it slide.

– Haaah, finally. Now I can meet everyone again.

Ever since I stepped into the palace I’ve been worried about the guild.

Also, whenever I thought about Meirir, a smile would form on my face.

I would always wonder what she was up to. Was she smiling as usual? Was she getting into trouble?

– I want to meet her…

She’s the one that saved me. I want to show her more than anyone how much I’ve grown.

– Well, if you really want to reunite with her then perhaps we should get going.

– Huh?

From my very close proximity, I could hear a familiar voice.

At a nonexistent distance from my face was the Grandmaster, who got here using teleportation magic.

– Grandmaster?

– Your training is almost over, so I wanted to see how you were doing. You’ve been through a lot, but you did great. Or so I’d like to say…

Ever put her hand on my shoulder and got ready to use teleportation magic.

– Uh… Grandmaster? (Takaya)

– Takaya, you’re needed at the guild immediately. I’ll be teleporting you there. Akane, Mike, you’re coming too.

– Huh? Wait- (Akane)

I’m used to the Grandmaster taking decisions abruptly, but this is too sudden, even for her. Her serious face isn’t helping ease my anxiety either.

And so, without any explanation, my life at the palace came to an end.