Chapter 7: The Dwarf and the Blunt Sword

Author: 十一屋　翠 (Juuichiya Sui)

 

“Big brother! Find me a good weapon!”

It all started with those two unassuming sentences from Jairo-kun.

“Find you a weapon?”

“Yeah, a weapon.”

“Why me?”

“I mean, you defeated the Evil Boars in just one hit each.
That sword must be amazing as well, no?”

Said Jairo-kun, pointing at the broadsword on my waist.

“This is just a normal broadsword.”

Weeeeelll, its sharpness and stuff like that have all been amplified by magic though.

But, it was just a normal sword that happened to be strengthened, so to speak, so it wouldn’t be very useful against opponents above a certain level of strength.

“And the thing that actually did the Evil Boars in was the lighting magic anyway.”

“You mention high-difficulty magic so casually.
Lightning-type magics are pretty hard to do.”

Mina-san grumpily interrupted the conversation.

“That’s not it at all.
If you understand the theory behind it, it’s not that difficult of a magic.”

“…That’s what all geniuses say.”

Huh? Mina-san seems a little depressed for some reason.

But I’m not a genius, I just researched and tested it a lot.

“I could teach you lighting magic sometime, if you’d like?”

“Really!?”

Whoa, calm down calm down.

She must’ve really wanted to learn lightning magic.

“Sure, If I’m able to teach it.”

“Yaaay!! Lighting magiiiiccc!”

No seriously, like I said, if you just understand the theory, it’s not that difficult of a magic.

“Good on you.
Teach me the way of the sword too big brotheeeeeeeeeerrrrrrr.”

“Uwawa, don’t cling to me like that.
There’s loads of people stronger than me.”

“No that’s a lie.
When someone can stab their sword into the head of an Evil Boar with ease like that, they’re generally not normal any more.”

I don’t think it’s like that.

There are many amazing people in the world.

If you looked for people that made you think ‘Haven’t they stopped being human already?’, you’d find surprisingly many of them.

Compared to them, both me and the Evil Boars are just ordinary people or monsters.

“Hey, heeeeeey, teach meee!”

“I get it, I’ll teach you, just gimme some room.”

“Alright! Big brother will train me!! Woo-hoo!”

Hmmm, I’m not really one for teaching others things though.

“So, I guess it’s okay if we don’t go looking at weapons?”

“““Ah”””

We remembered our current objective thanks to Meguri-san.

Oh no, I had completely forgotten.

◆ ◆

“Big brother, this is the town’s best weapons shop.”

“Heee, they have all sorts here.”

Having been taken along by Jairo-kun, I was quite excited upon entering a weapons shop for the first time.

The blacksmith in the village was not a store itself, but more of a place to go have one’s weapons or agricultural implements repaired.

The other customers around us were happily pulling swords from their scabbards and inspecting them.

Oho, that sword’s decorations are amazing…

Hmmm, since it’s a shop, I guess they also have ones like that for sale?

“Alright, I’ll go with this one!”

“I’ll take this.”

The other customer adventurers went over to the shopkeeper, their chosen weapons in hand.

“This one please.”

The shopkeeper was a stocky dwarf with a long beard.

Dwarves were a race with a penchant for iron, so it makes sense that the shopkeeper would be one.

But most of all, when I think of dwarves, the face of someone who never got frightened comes to mind.

But, as for this dwarf and that weapon…

“…Mm, ten gold coins.”

“That much!?”

The price the shopkeeper had cited was so high I unconsciously shouted out.

Naturally, everyone looked at me.

“Hahaha, is it a little too much for you, kid? But for a weapon made by the master Gordov, it’s rather cheap!”

Thank goodness, he doesn’t seem angry.

Master Gordov?

“I-is that so?”

“Amazing! It’s my first time seeing someone buy one of Gordov’s swords!”

Jairo-kun, seemingly knowing about this Gordov person, was really excited.

Is he some kind of amazing person?

Hmmmm, buuut…

While I was busy being bewildered, the adventurers had bought their weapons and left the store.

The only ones remaining were us and the shopkeeper.

“Oh man, I want to buy an amazing weapon like that too!”

“Say, Jairo-kun, that sword… Or perhaps I should ask: is Gordov-san such an amazing person?”

“Eh!? You’ve never heard of master craftsman Gordov?”

“Nope, I come from the countryside so I don’t know anything city-folk would know.”

Well, I didn’t really know that much about goings-on in the world in my previous life or before-previous life either.

“Master Gordov is not only one of the most skilled blacksmiths here in Tion, but also even in the surrounding countries!”

Heee, so he’s that amazing of a person.

“But for all that, it wasn’t that good of a weapon.
Couldn’t it have been a fake?”

“Eh!? Hey, bi-…”

It was right as Jairo-kun was about to say something.

“““““!?”””””

The air in the shop was suddenly enveloped in cold.

It wasn’t actual cold though, but more of the feeling of cold… killing intent.

And the person if was coming from…

“Oy, kid.”

The owner of the killing intent, the dwarf shopkeeper-san, called out to me.

“You have any complaints about that sword?”

Oh no, did he get angry because I ridiculed the goods in his store!?

“No um, I just felt that it had been made quite badly in comparison to being called an amazing sword.”

“Oho, made too badly?”

“B-big brother…”

Unusually for him, Jairo-kun seemed quite agitated.

Unless I can somehow end this here, I’ll start causing trouble for Jairo-kun and the others.

“Umm, it’s just, first, umm, that sword, it was really gorgeously decorated, but I didn’t like the blade, the essential part, all that much.
It wasn’t a product mass-produced through casting the metal, and although the craftsman forged it with his own two hands, it didn’t seem to have been heated properly nor hammered enough, so it wasn’t as sharp as it could have been.
But the grip seemed to have been made properly, and strangely, it didn’t seem like it would break that easily.
It looks like a sword, but if anything, it’s more like a sword-shaped iron ingot, a wooden sword, or a club.”

I told the shopkeeper-san my impressions upon having seen the sword.

“Owawawawa…”

For some reason, Jairo-kun’s face had paled and he was now trembling.

It’s fine, I’ll take all the responsibility if something happens.

Even if it comes to being forbidden from entering the shop, I’ll bow my head to have it only end with me.

“I see, I see, mhm.
So that was just a blunt lump of iron?”

Keeping his killing intent active, the shopkeeper-san put his hand on his chin and began stroking his beard as if thinking.

“So you’re saying that a sword that I, Gordov, forged looked blunt?”

“Eeeeh!? You’re Gordov-san!?”

No way, this person is the master craftsman Jairo-kun and the others were raving about!?

B-but that sword really didn’t look like it had been made by such a master!?

I see, that’s why Jairo-kun went pale.

After all, I did just ridicule the weapon right in front of its maker.

…That’s not okay! Of course he got angry!!

“My weapon looks dull…”

Oh no, this is bad, this is super bad.

“Well don’t you have some good eyes kid! Gahahaha!!”

“Eh!?”

I thought Gordov-san would get really angry, but he made a one-eighty, dissapitating his killing intent and laughing heartily.

“Ummm…”

“I’m fed up with people who don’t even know the value of my weapons all coming here to buy them just because they heard my name nowadays!”

“Eh, then was that weapon perhaps!?”

“S’right! That was just a sturdy, dull sword with a bunch of decorations! You really got me there!”

Uwaa, he’s doing something terrible.

“B-but if you do that, the people from earlier might get gravely injured!?”

Seemingly having had the same thought as me, Norb-san accused Gordov-san.

“Don’t worry, with the level of requests they’re able to accept, even those weapons of mine are unnecessary.
And they are genuinely sturdy, so they won’t break easily.
And once they have the actual skill necessary, they’ll naturally come back to this store.”

Uwaa, that’s some amazing self-confidence.

“But, all the ones here in the shop are just as dull as the one from earlier?”

“You think so?”

Said Gordov-san, pointing at the store.

“There are weapons here I made in earnest.
If you find one, I’ll give it to you for free.”

“Seriously!? Let’s go look for it, big brother!”

Jairo-kun immediately assaulted the mountain of swords.

“I’ll also go look.”

Meguri-san, who had been silent up until then, also went to participate in the weapon-search.

“I’ll pass.
Magicians can’t use heavy weapons anyway.”

“I also have my mace given to me by the church.”

Mina-san and Norb-san decided to pass on it though.

“You go look too kid.”

“Me too?”

“You recognized that sword as being a dull one, so you should find the real one too, no?”

Hmm now, is that a challenge?

“Then, ‘till everyone’s chosen something.”

◆ ◆

“Alright, this one!”

“I’ll have this one.”

Jairo-kun and Meguri-san came over, having chosen their weapons.

Jairo-kun had chosen a sword that appeared to be really strong, while Meguri-san had chosen a dagger that while it didn’t look all that flashy, was quite well-crafted.

“Both of you missed.”

But they were easily disqualified.

“Looks can be deceiving, children.”

How strict.

“Big brother! Find it!”

“Avenge us!”

Having failed in appraising the weapons and full of chagrin, the two of them entrusted their revenge to me.

“Let’s see now…”

I quickly looked around the shop.

I walked along, looking at the weapons from the end of the room in order, until my eyes stuck on a sword seemingly randomly lying there.

It had no special make, and both the scabbard and hand guard were dirty.

At first glance, it seemed like a second-hand sword.

Picking it up, I pulled it out of its scabbard and inspected its blade.

Then, I abruptly held it at the ready, then called out to Gordov-san.

“I think it’s this one.”

““Eeh!? That!?””

Jairo-kun and Meguri-san looked at me heartbroken.

Hey, you were the ones who said you’d leave it to me.

“Why did you choose that one?”

On the contrary however, Gordov-san asked me so with a grin.

“This sword may seem plain and dirty, but the dirt is just a fake.
You made it dirty on purpose.
You even disguised the blade, but compared to the sword from earlier, this one’s been made with care.”

That’s right, this sword had deliberately been made to not stand out, yet its centre of gravity had felt right when I had held it up.

“Correct.
That’s a true weapon.”

“Seriously!?”

“It doesn’t look it at all.”

The two of them stared at the sword in my hands in disbelief.

Yeah, it does look like a well-used sword after all.

“You lot were too misled by its appearance.
I wasn’t expecting swordsman boy to get it and wasn’t disappointed, but thief girlie, you still believed in the camouflage I put in the more detailed places.”

“An utter humiliation.”

Meguri-san frowned in frustration.

It seemed she was surprisingly competitive.

“It was a promise, and I’ll keep it.”

“Is it really all right?”

I asked, to which Gordov-san smiled happily.

“Lately I’ve only been getting people who don’t understand the value of things.
It’s refreshing that you found that sword! So, the sword is yours.
I’m quite proud of that one.
Or if you want, I can fix you up with an even better one?”

“Uoooooooo! You’re amazing, big brother!”

Jairo-kun’s sudden scream surprised me.

“Not only are you strong and awesome, but you also have an eye for weapons!!”

No, I’m nothing to be so impressed about.

And as for this sword…

Yeah, that’s right.

Looking at Gordov-san’s sword in my hand, I had an idea.

“Umm, if you’d permit it, could you please give this sword to Jairo-kun?”

That’s right, it’s better if Jairo-kun gets this sword.

“““…He?”””

Jairo-kun and the others’ eyes widened in surprise at my refusal.

“H-Hey, big brother!? What’re you saying!?”

“That’s right! It’d be a waste! I don’t get why you want to give it to Jairo!”

“What do you mean by that!”

“I meant what I said! Isn’t it obvious that it would be better in the hands of Rex-san, who is really strong, rather than in your inexperienced possession!”

“U, no, well, it’s true that it’d be better if he took it but…”

Jairo-kun had objected to Mina-san’s statement, but was really easily talked out of it.

“I’m not convinced either.”

Said Gordov-san, looking at me with a displeased look on his face.

“You must have some really good reason to turn away a weapon a dwarf said he’d give you, don’t you kid?”

Oh no, turning away a weapon offered to you by a dwarf was rude!

There was only one exception.

“Hiee, hey, big bro, Gordov-san’s super mad! Just accept it!”

“That would be wise.
Obediently accepting gifts is a virtue.”

The two of them said, but now that I’d come this far, it wouldn’t end until I had explained properly.

The other party was a stubborn dwarf, after all.

If I couldn’t convince him, it would start raining blood.

“Sorry, but I don’t really feel like accepting a weapon I won’t use.”

“Oho!”

““““Hiii!?””””

Once again, as the store was enveloped in killing intent, Jairo-kun and co.
let out shrieks.

“Explain, boy.”

In the midst of this delicate atmosphere that would go off with one wrong move, I spoke.

“The reason I can’t accept it is because I have this sword.”

I hit the sword at my waist.

“This sword is still usable.
And I’d feel sorry for it if I just threw it away just because I got a new one, see?”

I said, and Gordov-san slightly eased the atmosphere.

“*sigh* Well, I guess cherishing your weapon is a good thing.
Compared to those who switch to a shiny new weapon before they even get used to their old one…”

Thank goodness, I seem to have managed to convince him.

“But, if you’ll go as far as to say that, you’ll let me see what you’ve currently got, no?”

Huh? This just took a strange turn.

“You’re refusing my weapon, so if what you have isn’t suitable, I’m not going to be happy.”

I guess it’s time then.

“So how about this? If I approve of your sword, I’ll give that one to the kid.
But, if I don’t like it, you’ll use my weapon.
Then, you can give your weapon to the kid.
Like that, you won’t have to throw away your weapon, no?”

What’s with that super-reasonable proposition.

“Ooh! I’ll get his weapon!?”

Wait, why’re you so happy, Jairo-kun?

“Accept it! Then, even if master craftsman Gordov isn’t happy with it, I’ll get your sword”

You, are you hoping that Gordov-san won’t be happy with it?

“Now, show me it already.”

Gordov-san beckoned.

*sigh* I guess I have no choice.
I’ll have to obediently show it.

I took the sword from my waist and held it out to Gordov-san.

“Hmm.”

Gordov-san took the sword from me in a bad mood, yet seemingly just a little interested, and, as he pulled it out of its scabbard…

“!?!?”

He made a stunned expression.

“Wh- wh-!? Wh–!?!?”

Like a broken magic item, Gordov-san couldn’t say anything but ‘Wh-’.

“Wh-, wh- wh-, wh- wh- wh-, wh- wh- wh- wh-……”

Gordov-san was shaking violently.

“What the hell’s thiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiissssssssssssssss!?”

He screamed so loudly it must’ve been heard all throughout town.

“What is this!? I’ve never seen this manufacturing method!? Is it iron!? Is this iron!? I’ve never touched a material like this before!? Such a smooth and gliding feel!? This, thiiiiiiiiiiiiiisssssss!!”

Gordov-san shouted, holding the sword up.

Well I did harden it a little with monster materials.

“It’s a work of art in the shape of a sword!!”

Having suddenly become ecstatic, Gordov-san rubbed his cheeks against the sword while breathing heavily.

Mmm, scary.

Then, Gordov-san looked at me with bloodshot eyes.

“W-who’s the one who made this swordddddddddd!!”

You’re slightly overexcited.

“Umm, it was me.”

“Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat!?”

Yeah, there were no weapon-like weapons at the blacksmith back at home.

They had had some self-defence arms at least, but they were just crude spears and such; there had been no proper weapons at all.

So, I had made one myself.

I had provided Mr.
Blacksmith with monster materials, and he had allowed me to use the smithy under the pretext of blacksmith training.

To be honest though, I had actually learnt blacksmithing in my previous life.

“Y-you made it…!?”

“Yes.”

“Y-y-y…”

Still trembling, Gordov-san put the sword back in its scabbard, put it on the table, and then…

“Please make me your disciple masterrrrrrrrrrr!!”

For some reason, he asked to become my apprentice while prostrating himself on the ground.

“He- what’s with this all of a sudden!?”

Having an older man prostrate himself in front of me like that really is uncomfortable and puzzling.

“I beg you! I beg you, please! P-please, please teach me how you made this sword!!”

“No, look, this is just a normal method a dwarf acquaintance of mine forced me to learn saying I should be able to make a sword even when I can’t rely on a blacksmith if I wanted to be a warrior.”

“How is this a normal method! I’d even believe it if you told me the King of the Dwarves forged this!”

The King of the Dwarves wasn’t the ruler of all dwarves, but the title given to the dwarf with the best blacksmithing methods.

“With the ability to use methods like this, it wouldn’t be wrong to say my swords are useless! I’ll give the sword to the kid! So, please teach me your techniques, masterrrrrrrrrrrr!!”

This is a problem.

I might’ve folded to Jairo-kun and co., but I’ve never been all that good at teaching others.

But…

“After having seen your techniques, I can’t call myself a blacksmith at all!”

If I didn’t teach him, he wouldn’t stop prostrating himself in front of me even if I forced him to.

“All right then, I’ll teach you the method to make this sword.
But that’s all the help I’ll be giving.”

“Thank you very much masterrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!”

Gordov-san began skipping from joy.

A dwarf skipping from joy…

“As expected of you, big bro! Making that master Gordov your disciple!!”

Jairo-kun’s so simple-minded.

“With this, I get a Gordov sword for free! Woohoo!”

Alright, your training will be more strict.