Chapter 102.1 - The Second Year at the Academy - The Place Called Home (1)
The first term exams have concluded, and the academy has entered summer vacation.
During this time, the replenishment of magic stones has been completed, and Narban’s request has been fulfilled.
Though both are rank 1, they are well-suited with effects like slash enhancement and durability enhancement, perfect for weapons.
When I delivered them, Narban was ecstatic.
“Meticulously prepare a sheath suitable for magical tools.”
He declared before hastily leaving the blacksmithy.
Soon after, I ran into Katie’s workshop by chance.
Amidst such events, amid summer, I found myself immersed in the blacksmithy and workshop.
Sweating all over, I worked the bellows while focusing on the iron thrown into the furnace.
As it heated to a yellowish glow, I would take it out and shape it with the hammer.
With each repetition, the mass of iron transformed its form.
What I ended up with was a dagger about thirty centimeters long.
Without much time for sentimentality, I activated [Ice Bolt] using water as a catalyst, sprinkled a pinch of salt into my mouth, and poured ice water over it.
As I hammered away with the smithy sealed tight to contain the heat, the inside became unbearably hot.
Frequently consuming salt and water, and forcefully working while cooling my body with [Ice Bolt] and [Operate Water], to be frank, this isn’t something one should do in the summer.
If it weren’t for magic, I would have given up long ago.
Also, I could really use some sugar.
Unfortunately, it’s expensive for a luxury item, and I can’t casually consume it.
Salt is available from Torpus Rock Salt Mine, and there are several salt mines in the imperial territory, making it relatively affordable, so that’s a relief.
Taking a break, I gazed at the dagger I had made.
Ideally, I wanted to make a fantasy staple, either a short sword or a long sword, but refining the iron takes time, effort, and expenses.
If I were a member of the Blacksmiths’ Guild, I could purchase refined iron of various shapes at a low cost. All that’s left is to heat it and shape it, so in small blacksmithies, refining is often skipped.
Of course, being unaffiliated, I had no choice but to buy at the regular price or refine it myself.
A bit crooked?
I examined it under the flame of the furnace.
Indeed, it’s crooked.
I haven’t acquired the [Blacksmithing] skill yet. Just having a form is passable, I suppose.
When I received Narubano’s guidance, I learned that memories from my previous life were of no use.
Firstly, don’t melt the iron.
I inserted iron ore into the hole at the top of the furnace and heated it, but what flowed out from below was impurities.
The crucial iron got taken out from the bottom of the furnace in a sponge-like state, and while still hot, it got hammered, folded, and hardened.
Sometimes it would be shaped directly into weapons, but it was also common to store it as ingots or iron plates. This is what the Blacksmiths’ Guild sells.
And don’t forge it like a Japanese sword.
The process of folding and hammering is more about removing impurities than forging.
In my memories from my previous life, something got sprinkled at that time, but Narubano did nothing and tilted his head when I asked.
With vague memories and a lack of expertise, I can’t determine which is correct, the artisan way or my previous knowledge.
As an experiment, I folded the dagger about ten times, but there was no apparent difference from commercially available swords.
Has the durability or resilience increased?
When I return to Leidvart, I’ll consult not with Egil but with Lag.
“What are you doing?”
Turning to the unexpected voice, I saw Elphemia peeking through the slightly open door.
Can’t you tell just by looking? I’m admiring my self-made dagger.
“You’ve come at a good time. Come in, and I’ll show you my creation.”
Raising the dagger proudly, Elphemia’s eyes somehow became intense.
And then, she suddenly activated magic.
“Why use magic—Cool!?”
I hurriedly left the blacksmithy.
Elphemia, who had messed up, had fled far away, and she was now gazing at the blacksmithy as if it were someone else’s problem.
“What’s with the random magic casting? Seriously, what was that just now!?”
The blacksmithy was enveloped in the abnormal cold.
Since there was no sign of crystals, it didn’t seem to be [Freezing Storm].
“It’s [Ice Frost]. Hasn’t it cooled down nicely?”
“It’s too cool!”
“It’s used for things like cooling furnaces in Himmuro.”
According to Elphemia, [Ice Frost] was developed as a basic ice magic.
However, its high mana consumption and short duration, coupled with the fact that it quickly returned to normal even when lowered below freezing, resulted in it becoming an extremely limited-use magic that hardly spread among the general public.
Of course, it was also excluded from the magic system.
Entering the blacksmithy, it was only slightly chilly, and the cold had disappeared.
It seemed like the intensity of the furnace had also weakened.
It would be nice if it could at least serve as air conditioning, but it’s meaningless if it just blows away the heat.
“Really, don’t suddenly cast magic like that. What do you want?”
“I brought it all the way here for you. You said you wanted to see magical metals.”
Elphemia took out a wand from her Teleport Bag.
“Wand of Conjuring. I use magical metal for decoration.”
Saying that, she handed me the wand.
The shaft was made of white wood, with metallic patterns of cinnabar wrapping around it like a weave.
“Taber ore, huh.”
Taber ore is a magical metal that circulates after mithril.
Its strength is intermediate between mithril and tempered steel, and it is often used for accessories rather than weapons.
Naturally, being a magical metal, it is easily suited for magical tools.
“But to think you’d even start blacksmithing.”
Peering into the blacksmithy, Elphemia took the dagger in her hand.
New novel chapters are published on fr(e)ewebnov(e)l.com