CH 76

The day after the rapier’s main parts were completed, I decided to make the sheath for it since I haven’t made it yet. I didn’t have any specific request for it so I’ll just make one for the time being. If they don’t like it, I’ll just make another one. Rike and the others are still creating general models today.

I cut out two boards of appropriate length from the timber outside the yard and bring them to the smithy. The rest of the work is the same as the way I’m making scabbards up till now. I take a mold, cut it out roughly, stick it together, and scrape it. This time, as used on Japanese swords, I used a steel plate to reinforce the tip of the scabbard and the “mouth” part of the scabbard. It looks like a reinforced wooden white scabbard. If they wanted it to be more elaborate, I could also put a deerskin or I can engrave something here. But this time, I decided to deliver it as it is.

It doesn’t take much time to make one scabbard. Moreover, this time it’s just a “makeshift” scabbard. As for the rest of the remaining time, it’s in the process of making the high-end model ones ―I took some of the short swords and longswords that were just taken out of the molds and start working on creating the high-end models. Looking at it this way, the quality of both Samia and Diana’s castings has improved since I last saw them. Not to mention the general model ones, it seems that compared to before, less effort is needed to make a high-end model.

Perhaps because I was hitting the sword quite intensively for these past two days, I was tempted to concentrate and erase all the unevenness. However, if I do that, it will become a custom model. I no longer hesitate in “making something I want to make and bring it out to the world”, but of course, that is a different story. In the first place, one gold coin a piece (the price depends on my mood) would be difficult to sell. So for the time being, the high-end model will be the highest grade product that will be mass-produced in this workshop.

As I have thought, the product that had just come out of the mold was good, so the high-end model was completed quickly. I think it’s okay to assign a little more hammering works to Diana in the future. We were able to get sufficient number of stocks on this day as well. At this rate, if we make knives tomorrow, we’ll have enough for wholesale. The day after tomorrow might be a good day to take some time off. After the previous vacation, I hadn’t been able to take another day off because of the trouble in the Eimurl House. Making the mithril rapier took a lot of work too and I would like to take a break.

When I proposed to have a day off two days later during our dinner that night, it was unanimously approved.

The next day, Samia and Diana went to hunt, perhaps that’s in preparation for our day off. At first, Diana was completely exhausted when she came home, but the last few times she came back, she still had some energy left. She must have built up her stamina from walking and running in the forest.

This is also evident in our daily training, and little by little, the time she takes on my strikes is getting longer than before. I’m not sure of the details, but at the current rate, she might be able to beat an ordinary soldier by exhausting his strength. If this keeps up, she may be the best in this area…..

And as for the smithy team, me and Rike start making knives. Rike is in charge of the general model and I will work on the high-end models. It’s almost like we’re working in an assembly-line system, we’re making knives skilfully and efficiently. Rike’s production speed seems to be increasing. Well, she couldn’t beat my speed, but there were times when we seemed to have a good match. Everyone’s skills are getting better little by little.

As we continued to work silently at that speed, we were able to secure more than enough for wholesale and we’re able to finish the day’s work before evening. Just then, the naruko at the smithy rang, telling me that Samia and Diana were home.

“Oh, we’re just in time.”

“Yes. I’ll clean up here.”

“Yes, please do”

Rike and I quickly clean up the smithy and return to the house. There, Samia and Diana, who had just returned, were unloading their stuffs, including the bow and arrow.

“Welcome home. How was it?”

“I’m home. Oh, we killed a big deer.”

“Oh, I see. I’m looking forward to pulling it up tomorrow.”

“Yeah, you can look forward to it!”

Samia proudly stick out her chest. On the other hand, Diana looks a little engrossed to something. You can say that it’s like she have this gentle and warm glow around her face.

“Hey, Samia. What happened to Diana?”

“Oh, that? You see…”

Samia sighs as if to say, “Aye, good grief.”

“After we killed the deer, I was gutting it when we ran into a family of wolves. There was a baby wolf with them. She said it was so cute and she’s been like that ever since.”

“Oh, I see…”

I imagined a puppy-like wolf wagging its tail, it will indeed be cute so it’s no wonder that she’s smitten.

“What happened to that parent and child?”

“I gave them the intestines I pulled out, they took it in their mouth and went away. They must have known we were hunting and was waiting for it.”

Samia continued, “I buried the heart well, though.” The wolves in this forest are very clever. However, if Diana knew that she might be able to keep it if she fed it well, she probably wouldn’t even ask if it’s okay to keep it.

….I’ll have to keep her from hearing that by chance. Anyways, it would be fine if we find a stray child or one without parents. Samia and I communicated just with our eyes and nodded to each other.