Chapter 595: Wind from the south
Old Dan had brought a crate full of blacksmithing tools.
“Are these Jackie-san’s?”
“Yes. It’s the best I can provide. ……I’ve got a few more toolmakers in my crew, but they’ve never made a blacksmith tool for a half-ogre before, so I had to get that little ogre a hammer myself”
Saying that, I hit the biggest hammer with the back of my hand and Old Dan handed me a hammer that was about twice as small as the one in the box.
“And this one was given to me by that expert. It’s a pain, but it looks better than mine”
“You went out of your way to get it…….”
“You could build a house on it if you sold it, so take good care of it”
An iron hammer that Old Dan’s friend had given me. It’s true, the beauty of its shape and the balance of its weight are amazing. It could be displayed in the entrance of an aristocratic mansion. The hammer for Jackie, which Grandpa Dan made himself, has an aura that you can’t find in those workshops, but compared to the one he handed me, it is more practical and less artistic. I guess even among dwarves, there are different personalities in terms of style and ability. Either way, it’s an item that I’m sure I would never have held if it wasn’t for Grandpa Dan.
“Thank you so much……”
“I’m thrilled with this little thing. There’s still one more set. Here, you can have it on your side. It’s not easy for one person to carry”
Old Dan lightly lifted one end of the crate. I went around to the other side and put all my strength into it, but it didn’t budge even though I put so much effort into it that my face turned bright red……. A crate that holds two people and even a large toolbox for a half ogre was naturally heavy.
“What, you can’t even hold this thing? I can’t do blacksmithing as a job without having it reforged”
“Gugugu……hunuu!”
“My Lord, please don’t strain yourself. I’ll take care of it”
In the end, Airi took over. I’m super uncool. ……No, by dwarven strength standards, even a big man would be a weakling.
“Oh, Bocchan. ……And Dan-san!”
“Here’s what I promised you. Take it”
When I went straight to Jackie-san’s workshop, his eyes lit up, just as mine had earlier.
“What a great……thing to touch for the first time and yet it sucks in your hand. It’s like a part of my body, man”
“I’ve memorized the dimensions of the boss and the feel of the hand. Well, if you have any complaints after using it, just let me know. I know it’s a bit strange to say that to a blacksmith boss”
“This one……is so good I wonder what I’ve been using it for all this time. Even that one cost me two thousand gold pieces”
“Hmmm. It’s good to work in the countryside, but when it comes to tools, you have to see the good ones, even if it takes a lot of effort. It’s only natural that a boss who makes tools doesn’t have the ideal of making better ones”
“I should have been pretty particular about what I could get. Dwarves are the gods of iron”
Jackie-san is not a professional tool smith, but small-town blacksmiths will make anything if asked. He can even make his own iron hammering tools if he wants to. However, it is difficult to think of preparing something better than what is available on the market. Even if I could make it myself, I have too much faith in what the experts have made before me. This is partly because I have a preconceived notion that there is no way I could ever be as good as the experts……, but above all because I can’t imagine what a 「Good Product」 would look like. If it’s good enough, it’s good enough. In my daily work, I have become so accustomed to using what I have at hand to devise better tools that the idea of what makes a better tool different……doesn’t occur to me. If a tool breaks down, I make a replacement, but it is a replica of the one I lost and it is still just a replica of the same trick. It makes me realise once again how poor that makes me as a creator. The Dwarves’ tools have that much impact.
“But, I don’t know how much I should spend on all this stuff. I wonder if my current savings will be enough”
Jackie-san starts to get nervous. Come to think of it, that’s definitely a normal reaction if you’re suddenly given something like this. Or rather, I had completely thought I was going to get it for free. How presumptuous of me. But if I were to put a price on it, it would be a ridiculous amount of money…….
“I, I don’t want it. It’s a matter of my vanity. My son-in-law and his master are blacksmiths, so I can’t stand it if it’s this shabby thing. I told you once”
“B, But it can’t be for free”
“I don’t want to hear it. I didn’t bring it here to make you poor. Just do your job honestly and don’t make me lose face”
“……Really, what can I say……I’ll be forever indebted to you……”
“It’s a small price to pay for a set of tools, isn’t it? It would be more rewarding to say, 『I’ll make you something worthy of your tools』”
“……Yes”
Jackie-san is even in tears. It’s a very happy thing for him and it’s hard to believe, considering all the hard work he’s put into his life. Old Dan looks at me there, too.
“And you, too. I’ve gone to a lot of trouble to get you these tools. Don’t waste it”
“I, I know. I know”
“Well, you have a lot to learn to begin with”
It hurts my ears. I really have to learn to do it properly.
————————————-
“How about a house for Dan-dono?”
Irina suggests, flopping back in her chair.
“The land is in your name and in good condition. Now it is up to Master of the house of Polka to provide a comfortable building for the dwarves”
“No, wait a minute, Irina. Have you secured the land yet?”
I don’t know.
“About a village’s worth, I think. It’s not close to the town centre, but”
“That’s a lot!?”
“What? What are you going to do with the female slaves? For the time being, they are flown from one place to another, so they are placed in your house or in an inn there or thereabouts, but there are dozens of them and you intend to cover them up with temporary accommodation for years to come?”
“……U, Umm……”
“Well, we can talk about that later. The wooden structure of Dan’s house will not be comfortable for him. But if he’s not going to settle down completely, like Marie, we have to make sure that the place is as easy for a third party to clean as possible”
“It’s not a house, it’s more like a……villa”
“A villa would be fine. It’s a holiday home, after all”
“Well, I suppose that makes sense”
The female slaves get together and their families make themselves at home. It’s not a bad thing, but……I can’t help but wonder if it’s okay to trample on Polka like this. No, no one’s complaining about that.
And.
“Dianne’s not here, but I think it’s time we flew the dragon south once”
She declares this over drinks with everyone at the bar.
“Eh, Dan-kun, you’re sending him back already? He only just got here”
Naris said with a surprised look on her face. But.
“No, no. Not old man Dan, but Boyd, 100-man commander Becker, and you guys
“We!?”
Nrlis looks surprised again.
“The four gauntlet members have to go back to Rennesto and clear up their business. No matter how long it takes Polka and Rennesto to get there on foot, nearly two months, it’s indeed time to say something”
“Eh……can’t you just back out and take it a bit easy? Since the person in charge isn’t here, we can just say we were waiting for orders
“Naris. It would be dishonest to ask for a paycheck for that”
Almeida looks bitter. Tetes and Sharon are also a little confused.
“I do think I’ll have to go back sometime though”
“Once I get back over there, it’s going to be a bit longer”
“I’m a knight by trade, so it can’t be helped, can it? Even if I do end up settling here, it’s not good to just irresponsibly abandon the work I’ve done up until now”
“That’s true, but it’s a bit sudden, so I haven’t been able to process my feelings……”
“I thought I’d just send a letter back home and leave it as it is”
“Ummm……I don’t know what’s going on either. I wonder what the deal with the Gardner family ended up being……”
“You can’t keep putting all that stuff off either. I’ll turn the dragons around once a month or so, so go and clear up what you need to clear up in Rennesto once you’re done”
“……That’s right. I wanted to see how my brother is doing”
“Grand Knight Felios, eh? I hope he’s recovered by now”
“That guy, if the current Knight Chief Sharon shows her face, he’ll die, but he’ll die even if she doesn’t show her face
Somehow, when the four Gauntlet Knights got into the mood.
“Smithson. It’s time for me to head for the Red Whale, though”
“Bauz. And……Yufa”
“Good opportunity. Can I fly with you while Yufa is reintegrating into society?”
“Yeah, sure. I was just thinking of going to Lapal eventually”
I smiled at Bauz and at Yufa, who hid behind Bauz, but was soon out of their line of sight. ……I’m a bit shocked, but I can’t help it.
“So when are we going to do this?”
“I want to talk to everyone else, so maybe in three days. ……Considering the stopover on the way to Lapal, it’s going to take me quite a while to get there”
“I’ll be there in three days. I’ll get ready. And recruit any other druggie girls who want to come back”
“Oh, yeah, that reminds me. Okay”
I’ll take Bauz’s point to heart. Even if we don’t go back to Lapal, we’ll stop by various places in Celesta and Renfangas. Even these unfortunate women will be able to choose where they want to work and settle down.