Chapter 65

Chapter 65 – Nervous?

On one side of the commercial district in the Forest of Heroes, there was a large smithy carved out of a small hill.

Thick black smoke continuously billowed from the giant chimneys resembling trees, and the rough sound of hammering echoed incessantly through the mountain of steel.

The sanctuary of blacksmiths consecrated by Hephaestus was like a heart, ceaselessly pulsating with fire and iron.

-Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

Passing through the entrance shaped like a giant’s mouth, I heard a loud hammering sound, and intense heat hit my face.

“Oh...”

Immediately upon entering, a giant furnace came into view.

The fire, as vivid as if it were alive, blazed ceaselessly in a bright crimson hue, melting chunks of iron in an instant.

And despite the flames, the blacksmiths were busy hammering away, making the smithy bustling beyond measure.

“Um... excuse me?”

“What?! I’m busy right now! Talk to me later!”

“Hey, hey! What are you doing over there?! Are you making snacks for the wine?”

“Get a grip, will you?!”

I grabbed a passing blacksmith to ask for directions, but he snapped at me and left. Loud voices filled the entire forge, refusing to be outdone.

What kind of voices are these?

“Oh, is it a customer? Sorry about that.”

A large shadow fell beside me, and a voice like rough metal screeching greeted me.

“Are you in charge here?”

“Hmm, sort of?”

The man, who seemed to dislike long conversations, shrugged his shoulders and scrutinized me before clapping his hands in recognition.

“Aha! You’re the new student, Dianes, right?!”

“Well, yes.”

He was a man with a smaller build than me.

The man appeared to be in his forties or fifties, but his head was boldly shaved, reflecting the light.

Oh dear, at such a young age, he is...

“Hey, it’s just shaved because it got singed by the flames, alright? Don’t look at it like that.”

“Oh, uh, okay...”

“I’m serious!”

The man snapped, defending his bald head with all his might, but I received his sad outburst with a warm heart.

Confucius said that making jokes about the deceased, parents, or someone’s head is not something to do, even in front of an enemy.

For some reason, I couldn’t speak to him informally, feeling a certain sense of caution.

Anyway, putting the baldness aside, the man had an impression as if he were the embodiment of a blacksmith.

Arms that seem capable of crushing rocks, stamina that doesn’t let a single drop of sweat fall even in this heat, and those deep gray eyes scrutinizing me as if assessing a weapon.

The atmosphere was strongly reminiscent of the master artisans, the eccentrics I had met before.

“Ah, damn it. These days, heroes... Whatever, what is it? Here to get a weapon? Just pick one from these for now.”

“No, I...”

“Oh, come on. Just pick something roughly fitting from over there and try it out, then order your custom weapon later. I heard you had a bit of a spear bout with that old Chiron. Are you going to choose a spear?”

“So, I...”

“Don’t like spears? They say Hyperborean spear techniques are different from Greek ones, excelling in solo use. How about a sword, then?”

Not listening to others and just going on with their own talk—it was just like them.

Are all the so-called masters and experts like these kinds of people?

“You brat... Shut up and speak quickly. As long as there’s someone in the world who has seen, touched, or knows about it, there’s nothing I can’t make!”

The nonchalant and swaggering attitude from before was gone, and Hephaestus’ son glared at me as if he would do something drastic if I didn’t explain the instrument right away.

Indeed, universally, a challenge to a man was the best bait to make him take on any task.

With a thrilling feeling as if I had a big catch wriggling in both hands, I inwardly smirked evilly and explained to him the instrument I wanted.

“A hollowed-out tree trunk, approximately 4 to 3 cubits in size, can be played while seated with it on your lap or laid flat on a stand. From the player’s body, it gradually thickens, and on that trunk are twelve strings, from thick to thin, like a lyre. The strings are adjusted by turning a tuning peg on the lower right of the instrument...”

“Hmm... Then here...”

“No, there you should...”

We brought a slate to the counter and started drawing and erasing blueprints with chalk repeatedly, as Hestosias and I diligently adjusted the preliminary design.

As expected of Hephaestus’ son, every time he adjusted the drawing according to my descriptions, the image I had in mind was gradually coming to life.

Before long, we had a detailed preliminary design drawn out.

“It looks peculiar... Strumming a string on a wooden board to amplify sound inside the body?”

“Yes, how long will it take?”

“Hmm...”

Hestosias, who was frowning intently while staring at the blueprint we had completed together, soon nodded and replied.

“Probably... It will take at least a week.”

“A week?”

It was much faster than I expected.

Even though he was the son of the God of Blacksmiths, this would be the first time he had seen such an instrument.

Plus, just preparing and refining the materials would take...

“What are you talking about? Do you know where you are? With a blueprint like this, a week is more than enough. Of course...”

Hestosias’s gray eyes, which smiled deeply as if a sinister sound would follow, glinted mischievously at me.

From that gaze, I had a gut feeling that something was wrong.

“I guess I’ll need the help of the so-called great little hero, whose fame is said to echo throughout the whole forest.”

“Well, if you’re going to make something for me, I should help you.”

“Oh? You said it.”

With a satisfied smile, Hestosias extended his hand for a handshake, and I also grabbed it as we shook hands.

“I look forward to working with you, kid.”

“Same here.”

His way of speaking was quite cocky, but if Hestosias was truly the son of Hephaestus and a disciple of the Cyclopes, as he claimed, it seemed like a gamble worth taking.

However, his eyes, gleaming with a sly look, did bother me a bit.

What could I do, though? I was the one in a hurry.

Hestosias said he would inform Chiron that aside from the forest curriculum, my activities would be with him for the time being. He told me to come to this forge after class.

“See you tomorrow then~”

“Ah, wait a moment.”

“Yes?”

“What is this called?”

Hestosias asked while looking at the instrument that remained as a blueprint on the stone tablet in my memories.

“In my hometown, it was called gayageum or gayatgo1. I’ll play a piece for you once it’s completed.”

“Gayageum, gayatgo... An instrument from Hyperborea that no one in the world has ever made before. It’s been a while since I’ve had such an interesting project.”

Nodding with satisfaction, Hestosias disappeared into the blacksmiths’ shop as if he couldn’t waste a moment.