Chapter 80.1 - The First Year at the Academy - Contract for Protection (1)
As we approach the latter half of November, the world is prepared for the autumn season.
Autumn in the world.
I visited Helena and found that she had forgotten about me.
I spent my busy days visiting Helena and being forgotten, training to master offensive skills, working hard to learn new magic, and getting the cold shoulder from Rebecca when I went to the Adventurers' Guild.
Then one early morning, just before the second-semester exams, Lambert and Felix came tumbling into the house with a stack of parchments.
Without even saying hello, they settled down at the table.
Who was the one who had been so proud, saying, "I'll be fine this time."
I promised to help them, but haven't taken any academic courses. I could teach, but without a textbook, I had to judge the questions from the parchment they had written. I was worried about the correctness of the description.
I was in trouble and then came the "fire and burn" situation.
It was Elphimia and Lola, who were visiting for the first time.
They saw Lambert and his friends rushing off, and although it was easy to guess where they were going, they said they had come to visit while killing time. They were the same two people, but this one had more time on his hands.
I welcomed them with a big smile.
After a while, I said to them.
"Why do you do that!"
Elfimia was yelling in the living room.
Is it Lambert who is desperately trying to make excuses?
His fiery words made Ted and the others shudder, "Elves are scary!"
I can also hear a voice.
I had just arrived at the house a few minutes before.
Lily was also with me.
I asked Elphimia and Lola to help Lambert and the others, while I switched to teaching Lily how to read and write.
Soon after, I discovered that Lily could read simple sentences, not to mention her name. She had learned from the old man in the garden.
Since Lola was her favorite, I asked her to help me too, and Lily was taught a little.
In this case, there was no room for me.
While giving a cheer to everyone studying hard, I slipped out quietly, making full use of my [Stealth] skills.
"Oh, you're all bloated. I feel a little sick."
At the watering hole was a large tub with an oak bark floating in it.
On the day I returned home, I visited Aunt Lime, but as expected, I didn't know the details of the tanning process. I asked her to introduce me to a tanner she knew and asked her to tan the dokol.
I helped him and could get a rough idea of the process, but…
But it was impossible.
It takes a long time. There is a lot of work involved, and the process varies depending on the use of the leather. Some of the chemicals used in tanning, wouldn't tell me what was in them. I can peek at them if I use [Appraisal] on them, but how to get, and manufacture them is another matter. It cannot be "visible" outside the scope of [Synthesis].
I decided to leave the leather of Dokol to the craftsmen and challenge myself with tanned leather as one of my hobbies. Oak hides are the first batch.
The oak skins were so damaged that they were not worth the price, so even if I failed, the only loss would be the cost of chemicals and other materials.
"But lime again? I knew it was Auntie Lime."
Yesterday, I dissolved the lime I bought at the lime lady's store in water and soaked the oak bark in it.
After one night, it's finished.
I carefully remove it with a wooden stick and spread it out on the roof – aka, the shingle – that I removed from the roof and carried to the backyard. In the sunlight, it's raw and a little uncomfortable.
Wearing leather gloves, I pull at the edges.
The outer skin flakes off.
It's still weird, but I'm starting to enjoy it a little.
I use a knife to cut off the parts that are hard to peel off and remove the remaining flesh and fat.
Incidentally, the skin is said to get divided into two pieces, the front, and the back. After removing the outer skin and hair, the skin is cut into thinner pieces. The difference between the front and back may be why leather products have different tastes.
After removing the outer skin, I beat the leather with a wooden stick.
The soaking purpose in lime is to loosen the skin's fibers, so beating should make it even softer.
When I was satisfied with the results of my pounding, I soaked them in lime again.
This is said to soften the skin more. Then the procedure varied depending on the type of skins and their purpose. We were entering the world of craftsmanship.
It's difficult to learn a technique that's not a skill – well, let's see what happens.
Looking up at the clear late-autumn sky, I relax from the fatigue of my labor.
As I relax, a door suddenly opens behind me.
The one who peeked out was Lambert.
"What are you doing here when I thought you disappeared?"
"Working."
Lambert peeked into the basin suspiciously.
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