CH 20

“Ed!? Hey, Ed!?”

“You don’t have to call me that many times. I can hear you.”

“Ed!!”

As I slithered up and out of the leaning rockworm’s body, Tia immediately jumped on my body, which now smelled very foul.

“Ed, you idiot! Why were you so reckless!”

“No, I was not reckless. I knew Tia’s magic had burned the rockworm’s organs, so I knew it wouldn’t melt, and in this condition, it wouldn’t fill the hole I’d dug.”

“Fill? A hole?”

“Yeah, of course, right? If the hole that this big guy went through was still there, the mountain would collapse in no time.”

“That’s true. But how?”

“Hm? Rockworms only eat ore, right? But ore exists with soil. In other words, the soil exhausts――”

“… I understand. That’s enough.”

I explained to her as she requested, but for some reason, Tia gently turned her head away and distanced herself from me. Ugh, how unreasonable.

“And? How did it go?” Alexis asked.

“Fufufu~, that’s of course … this way!”

Alexis looked at me with a dumbfounded look on his face, but I smiled broadly and pulled out a shiny silver metal lump from the [Stranger Box] in my bag.

“Wow, it’s beautiful! B, but this … thing. …” Tia exclaimed.

“Hmmm. For such a huge magical beast, it’s only this big?” Old man Gonzo muttered.

“No, it’s enough. I’ve never seen a pure mithril ingot before.”

I placed a huge lump of pure mithril on the ground. It probably weighed about 50 kilos in my hand. …To put it simply, it was a big catch.

“Alexis said he’s never seen … this kind before, so how much is it worth?” Tia asked.

“Hmm? It’s unprocessed material, so this alone won’t fetch that high a price, but it’s not something that money can buy.  If you’re rich enough to have a blacksmith’s connections who can handle this, you could buy an entire castle, you know?”

“What!? That much!!?”

Tia, surprised to hear the price, made a funny sound and poked the mithril lump with her finger while muttering, “Even though it’s that thing … even though it’s that …”. With such childish Tia behind me, I continued to discuss the matter with Alexis.

“Therefore, Yuusha-sama. It’s difficult using this guy as it is, however…”

""

“I know. I will introduce you to a renowned blacksmith on my side. In that case――”

“No, that would not be necessary. But would it be possible to rent a workshop somewhere for a week or so?”

“… does that mean you also have a connection?”

“I won’t say that. How should I say it … Actually, besides being a porter and a swordsman, I have a little bit of confidence in my blacksmithing skills.”

Cheats, here we go. Don’t forget your a hundred years of experience, okay?

★★★★★

“Ho-ho, this guy’s good.”

Alexis looked at me with an indescribable expression on his face, and through his connections, I was able to rent a small workshop in Atorumtein. I tried to give Alexis some of the pure mithril lump as a thank you for his help, but he said, “You found the magical beast in the first place, and now you want me to take the credit for it?” I was told while ruffling my hair, so the whole thing was still in my [Stranger Box].

“The furnace is well taken care of and the tools are all there. … This isn’t a spare or anything. It’s a place someone uses on a daily basis, right? Was it really safe to borrow it?”

“Yes, no problem. We have received sufficient compensation from our heroes, and … above all, that rockworm! If that thing had not been exterminated, this town would have suffered an irreversible catastrophe. When I think of how grateful I am for that, this is nothing.”

The person who was unlocking the workshop and giving me a tour said so with a smile as I checked the rooms.

Well, while Alexis was a man who didn’t hesitate to use his power, he was also a man who didn’t wield power except when necessary, so I doubt that Alexis forced him into renting it. Also, Considering that the owner could brag about how well he was paid or how he “lent his workshop to a Hero,” it was even possible that it was more of a “me-me-me” competition.

“Then, if there is anything missing, please contact the government office. If it is general consumables, you may buy them on the tab. I will pay you later.”

“No, no, I can’t ask you to go that far! Thank you very much. Now, I will use it with great care.”

With that, I bowed my head and the person who guided me left the workshop, leaving the key behind. Then, I was the only one left in the workshop, not …. alone.

“So, what are you going to do now?”

“What I’m going to do is, I’m going to process this guy. … Are you sure you want to look?”

Tia stared at me with sparkling eyes as I began to prepare for the forge.

“I can’t speak for you, but this isn’t something I enjoy watching, okay?”

“Ara, that’s not for you to decide, is it? I decide if it’s fun or not! So don’t worry about it, Ed.”

“Hah … well, that’s okay. It can get really hot, just in case, so don’t push yourself too hard, okay? Also, while I’m concentrating, I won’t respond to your calls, so you can lock the door then and leave at random.”

“What? What will Ed do if I lock the door?”

“I’ll take care of that.”

It was not like it was a treasure room in the castle, so a key to a workshop like this was nothing. Of course, if I were seen “doing something” I would be considered a trespasser. However, this time, it was well known that I would be renting this place, so I would not be reported for making a little mess at the entrance of this workshop.

“Whatever, hey … Ed can really do anything.”

“I can’t do everything. There are plenty of things I can’t do. … my hands always fail me.”

Tia’s smile suddenly overlapped with the last smile I saw her give that day. I don’t know if there was any point in worrying about a future that had not yet come and would not be reached again,… but that bitter memory will never leave me.

“… Ed?”

“Ah, it’s nothing. Well, then, let’s do it!”

Shaking my head, I fired up the furnace and took a lump of pure mithril out of the [Stranger Box]. Mithril did not require very high temperatures to melt, but temperature control was extremely important to maximize the properties of mithril.

“If it’s too hot, it will vapourize unnecessarily, and if it’s too cold, it will melt unevenly. If we had a magic furnace, it would be easy. …”

The magic furnace, a treasured item desired by blacksmiths all over the world, was capable of adjusting heat with magic power. However, this technology did not exist in this world. I suppose it would be possible to make one using my banishment skills, but since I didn’t remember every detail of the blueprints of the magic furnace, it would be virtually impossible.

Therefore, I carefully placed the coal in the furnace. [Master Smith] was effective in controlling the temperature of the furnace, but if I relied on my skills, I wouldn’t be able to make a really good product. (T/N: Master smith=A skilled artisan who can learn by watching and imitating.)

“… Okay, that’s good.”

When the time was right, I poured the mithril lumps I had obtained into the furnace. Soon after, molten mithril was dripping from the mouth of the furnace and I slowly hammered away at it.

Build it. Build the future. Change the end. I will build the weapon that will open up our destiny, so that I will never have to lose my friends again, with my own hands, deviating from our destiny.

I put my soul into each and every stroke. No matter how skilled I may be with my banishment skills, it was not an easy task.

However, I had not the slightest intention of cutting corners. Thinking of Tia’s face that day, my hand never trembled even if I had to strike 10,000 times.

The best. The strongest. I just kept on hammering the mithril.