Translator: Reflet
Editor: Weasalopes
「Wadda we goin’ to do?」
As they finished their breakfast, Haruna and others told Hiroshi about what was happening with the mining union. To this information, he thought through both sides of the argument and commented. The solution was not looking good for either side.
「Is there something wrong?」
Tatsuya asked as he saw Hiroshi groan over the document he was given yesterday while drinking coffee. The girls have gone off to take a quick bath after breakfast as they were still self-conscious about the smell of gas which has rubbed onto them from yesterday’s dungeon run.
「I feel like we can narrow down the candidates on the minin’ union end.」
「Why do you say that?」
「Most o’ the areas t’ would be ideal for installin’ the new blast furnace is overlappin’ with residential areas.」
「I see…」
Even though they are mostly mining towns, having a steel mill near a residential area is not ideal for both the miners and the residents. It was given that people living near the steel mill would face issues with water and construction noises.
「Do you think we can do something about it with the rights that some of the mines have?」
「I doubt ‘t.」
Since they are dealing with mining towns, a word from Crest Cave wouldn’t be completely useless. However, there are limits to what the mining union’s rights can do. Buying off the land and kicking out the current residents would be passed that limit. It’s also morally unacceptable to forcefully suppress the opinions of the current resident just to build a new blast furnace.
「Are there any steel mill along any of those lands?」
「Welp, dere are some but that’s where the problem is.」
「A problem?」
「We’re makin’ the furnace with the union’s money so the problem is who’s furnace are we breakin’ apart to build our own? 」
「Oh~…」
Tatsuya agreed to Hiroshi’s explanation. No matter the solution, this will cause some conflict.
「I see how that’s an issue for the mining union but I still don’t see how that’s connected to the issue you’re trying to figure out?」
「The minin’ union asked me to recommend an area t’ would be ideal for tis project.」
「Well that’s…」
「If I can, I really don’ wanna make any comments on these kinda issues but wadda ya think?」
Tatsuya also groaned over Hiroshi’s very understandable problem. The mining union will most likely make their own decision if their party were to never give their recommendations. However, if there were to do nothing about it, nobody knows how long this project will be post-pone. That was the very problem which they were trying to solve.
「n’ I doubt that I can jist refuse the offer n’ join the investigation ya’ll doin’ so I really don’ know what to do ‘bout this.」
「Oh~ I see.」
「I mean, thinkin’ ‘bout it realistically, our jobs are practically done.」
Tatsuya was currently working on Aquabreath suitability examination. All the request which has been listed under this job has been completed. Indeed they have yet to investigate the last area. However, they have proven that as long as they are not being careless, the other two areas are safe to go through. Since the request only asks to determine if aquabreath can be used as a method of managing poisonous gas, if they could get through at least one area safely, they have done their job.
Since they don’t know the exact size of the dungeon, they didn’t know what kind of landforms or traps there would be. It was likely that in some areas one aquabreath would not be enough to manage the obstacles there. But even if there are a couple of areas like that, it would not be a huge problem. Even if Haruna’s group couldn’t get through all of the dungeons, as long as there is one path which someone could get through safely, the job was considered done.
「If they said we hafta use aquabreath than I could think o’ couple o’ items that we could remove. But t’ isn’t the case this time ‘round.」
「Yeah, I don’t think there would be any problem.」
「Ya, so I didn’ think t’ would be a good ‘nough excuse for me to refuse their offer.」
「Yeah, I get your point.」
As Tatsuya listened to the situation which Hiroshi was troubling over, he could not help it but agree with Hiroshi. Even Tatsuya’s group could say that there was no real need for them to go into that dungeon. Investigating another area wouldn’t increase their overall reward either.
「This is really troublesome. By the way, while we’re at it, should we all go and take a look at the Feng Shui?」
「I appreciate the help but are ya sure?」
「Well to be honest, if there’s another fall trap, it’s kind of burdensome to get back up without you in the group.」
「True dat.」
Hearing the burden of dealing with fall trap, Hiroshi agreed with Tatsuya request. Dealing with that trap was really troublesome.
「Welp, once we finish eatin’ let’s go n’ take a look.」
「Cool, the girls seem to have come out of bath do I’ll go and tell them.」
「Thank ya.」
As Tatsuya heard the bathroom door open, he got up and left. He did not want to send a guy with gynophobia to a group of girls who have just gotten out of the bath.
「I wonder where we should go n’ take a look first.」
This wasn’t a decision which they could make lightly. Any careless move could be fatal to them and the union. As Hiroshi heard Tatsuya’s footsteps leave the room, he looked at the map in his hand and thought of a way to get there.
==
An uncomfortable atmosphere wrapped around the blacksmith town as usual.
「I feel like everyone’s guard is higher than usual…」
「Ya, somethin’s not ‘ight.」
Haruna commented as she noticed that the atmosphere was more hostile than usual. Hiroshi narrowed his eyes and agreed. Tatsuya, Makoto and Mio also had their guards up. They continued walking through the town, taking a stance so that they could defend themselves from any unsuspecting attacks. From their daily activities, it is easy to forget that they are adventurers. But in times like this, their response to the change in atmosphere that they noticed shows how much they have grown as adventurers.
「I’m guessin’ that’s the cause….」
「Yeah, I think so too …」
It’s been a couple of minutes since they started to head towards where the shouting was coming from. They finally reached the centre of the uproar which was at an area away from blacksmith town, the central town of Crest Cave and from any mines or roads.
The uproar seems to be a conflict between two groups. They were only yelling at each other for now, but they were only seconds away from breaking into a physical fight. One group of people looked like workers at the Crest Cave. Most of them were dwarves and seemed stronger compared to the other group. The other group looked like a group of social rejects and were not decently dressed. They also seemed weaker than soldiers and adventurers but were equipped with weapons.
The group of rejects seemed to mostly consist of dwarves as well. However, they were wearing distasteful clothes with flashy design and had a build that did not resemble a typical dwarf. It was unlikely that they worked as tradesmen or in a battle-related job. In any stories, they would be portrayed as villains.
「Welp, by the looks of it, ‘t seems like the most cliched scenario but wadda ya think we should do?」
「We should hear out both sides of the story before making any decisions but I’m guessing that those tiny villainy-looking guys are after some kind of deal.」
「I’m against judging people based on their appearance but the fact that they brought along weapons and a group of rejects is already a pretty bad look.」
The third part impression on this situation all seemed to be very similar. If they were to show this scene to 100 people, 90 people would most likely make the same judgement as well. That is how clear the situation was on the surface.
「Sensei, how about you ask them what is happening?」
「Ya, nothin’s goin’ to change by just standin’ ’round.」
Hearing Mio’s suggestion, Hiroshi looked around to see if there were any dwarves that he was acquainted with. In a situation like this, if he went up to a dwarf which he didn’t know, it was likely that he would get dragged into the uproar.
「Old man, old man, what’s goin’ on?」
「Hm? Oh, it’s you.」
As Hiroshi asked, one of the dwarves who was about to break out into a fight held back his temper and responded. He was one of the dwarves who represented the area and the two has seen each other around at the mining union.
「’t seems purty bad but what happened?」
「Oh, that reject, Garzo came to pick a fight with Kakashi. They’re forcefully pushing their point through so we’re here resisting against them.」
Turns out the situation was exactly what everyone else has imagined it to be. However, that did not mean that the other party could have their own reason for the way they are acting. They still didn’t have enough information on the situation to make any decisions yet.
「What’s the point their tryina to push through?」
「They’re saying that they caught Kakashi selling fraud items. So they’re requesting him to pay for the damage.」
「Welp that’s…」
「What’s even more troubling is that I don’t know where they got their hands on it but apparently they have a formal testimony.」
「Welp…」
Hiroshi lost his words to the childish method the other party was using. The uproar and stupidity is one thing. But the fact that they managed to progress the situation like this was making his head hurt the most.
「I dunno who made that testimony but they’re definitely tryina pick a fight with the minin’ union…」
「Exactly, so that’s why we’re here.」
Hiroshi sighed at the troublesome situation which was taking place in front of him. From what this dwarf is saying and from all the arguments that have been yelled back and force, the testimony does sound official. However, the whole situation seems to have been making progress without Kakashi being directly involved in the matter. If that is the case, an objection can be submitted to the court, making the other party’s statement invalid and thorough investigation can be done on the situation. Although Forre isn’t like the previous Farlane where its legal system was controlled by the strict set of law, they still had a decent enough legal system.
So, the other group tried to get the conversation done and over with by bringing up this so-called “solid proof” resulting in this idiotic and violent method.
「I git the over-all situation. So how good is this Kakashi’s works?」
「For a dwarf, he’s skinny and tall and looks unreliable but his works ain’t bad. Like his appearance, he doesn’t have much stamina or magic for a dwarf craftsman. So, he can’t smelt things like magical steel. But to make up for that, any metal items he has crafted are fine quality. Looking at his skill sets and the number of items he has crafted, I doubt about him crafting close to hundred fraud items.」
「Gotcha.」
As the situation became more cliched, Hiroshi’s headache worsened. Looking at the building which Hiroshi assumed to be Kakashi’s workshop, it was a lot smaller compared to an average workshop. When it came to workshops like this, they would use materials that would minimize their cost. So, it was unlikely that they kept any records of where they imported their materials. When it came to craftsmen, the tax system in this universe was very mild. For independently owned workshops, the sales rate was irrelevant. Most of the time, the registration fees are treated as their tax. So, many workshops didn’t keep their records of material importation. But even if they did keep the records of their materials, it was unlikely that the other group would accept it as legal proof.
「Garzo has a lot of criminal records so if the police force or the mining union has an intervention, we can win. But from those criminal records, it seems that Garzo only learnt how to cause more trouble…」
「Welp wadda troublesome fella.」
To the dwarf’s words, Hiroshi gave a deep sigh. To be blunt, this wasn’t the kind of issue which Hiroshi should get involved in. He and his party have nothing to do with the issue and they are not employees at the mining union either. Although this may sound cold, these kinds of conflicts are common in towns like this. If they were to get themselves involved in the matter every time a conflict like this happened, it would be endless.
However, if they don’t do anything about it, they can’t do their work. The most troublesome part is that Hiroshi has noticed something. He realised that Kakashi’s workshop is located right where the two Feng Shui intersect. Due to this conflict, it is unlikely for Kakashi can continue working at this workshop. If that is the case, they could build the new blast furnace here and if possible, make it a relocation base for Azuma workshop.
「Haruna-san, Mio, can I ask the two of ya a favour?」
「What is it?」
「Tis a simple errand. Can ya bring the government official n’ the head o’ minin’ union here?」
「Okay, Mio-chan, let’s go.」
「hm.」
Hearing Hiroshi’s favour, Haruna quickly activated teleportation magic. The reason why Hiroshi asked Mio to go as well is that Haruna wasn’t acquainted with the union head. Tatsuya could have gone as well since he can use teleportation magic and was not acquainted with the union head. However, due to some circumstances, Haruna would be better at convincing the government officials. Also, if the situation gets worse, Haruna would use large scale magic like putting everyone to sleep. But with Tatsuya, he would just create a seclusion barrier between the two groups. So he can handle the situation less forcefully.
So, Hiroshi assigned the right role to the right people and decided to keep an eye on the incident from a third party’s perspective. The dwarf who told Hiroshi about what was happening heard that Haruna and Mio went to get the government official and the union head and told the two parties to hold back on any violent actions.
Translator: Reflet
Editor: Weasalopes
Not too long after that incident…
「Both side, quiet!!」
The union head, chief from police force and the head of the commercial sector appeared on the spot along with Haruna and Mio.
「There was a report from a civilian. Garzo Mohne, both parties will be escorted to the court on the account of abuse in power.」
「We have an official testimony!!」
「We will investigate the matter at the station including that testimony.」
The chief tried to take Garzo’s arm as he made his statement. As expected Garzo resisted and threw a fist; or rather, a punch which the chief just let it hit him. Garzo was than forcefully escorted to the nearest station by the police officers who have come along for a backup.
「You are under arrest for violent behaviour. Take them all to the station!!」
With the chief’s order, Garzo’s group was arrested one after another by the police officers. The others in the group were also escorted along with Garzo and few were even arrested.
「We thank you for your cooperation. 」
「Well we were prepared for a situation like this.」
Due to the barrier spell which Tatsuya cast, there was no injuries during this uproar.
「We’re innocent! This is a false conspiracy! I was framed by Kakashi!!」
「Regardless of what happened, the one who showed violence first was your group. This will be a different case of antisocial behaviour against Mr Basso. We will also investigate you regarding the fraud incident.」
Garzo pitifully continued to resist, yet the chief managed to drag him over to the closest station. To such an obviously guilty behaviour, the rest of the officers looked at Garzo with a helpless gaze.
「By da way, who’s Basso?」
「Oz Basso is Kakashi’s real name. But in public, no one calls him by his real name. Oh, by the way, that’s Kakashi over there.」
Looking at the figure the dwarf pointed towards, Kakashi really did look like a scarecrow for a dwarf. [1. TL Note: “Kakashi” is “a Japanese term meaning scarecrow”.] He was around 180 centimetres tall and it was difficult to determine if he really was a dwarf. His overall physique neither had any muscle or fat and he was very slender. From a human standard, his facial structure was slightly neater compared to Hiroshi. With his messy hair, it was understandable why he was called Kakashi.
「Well, it looks like we can finally sit down and talk this out. 」
「We have caused you so much trouble…」
「No need to apologize. We had other issues with those guys before. We’ve just about had enough with them. Well, we haven’t fully resolved the situation so I was wondering if you could come to the station with us for the investigation?」
「O, of course!」
Kakashi continued to apologize for the situation which has become more drastic than he has originally imagined it to be. Even seeing Kakashi in such a state, the union head still informed him that the issue is yet to be resolved. Hiroshi sighed at such sight.
「’t doesn’t look like we can git any o’ our work sorted today.」
「You’re right, I apologize for the number of times we have cause you folks a burden….」
「Not at all, this incident wasn’t ya fault. ‘t just, those kinda people tend to hold onto grudges. So, to make thin’s easier, we were wonderin’ if we coulda build the new blast furnace here? 」
「Are you sure you want to build one here?」
「Ya see, tis the place where two Feng Shui intersect. So I thought ‘t would be the ideal place to do a test run.」
The union head agreed with Hiroshi’s favour. To be honest, they have not done thorough research on Feng Shui yet.
「n’ was it Basso?」
「Kakashi’s fine.」
「Welp, Kakashi-san, from what I heard, ya seem to be skilled at craftin’ but ya lack in magic. So I thought ya’d be a perfect fit for the test run.」
Kakashi tilted his head as he heard Hiroshi call him a perfect fit. He has been insecure about the fact that he has less magical power compared to an average dwarf. So, he wanted to know why Hiroshi thought having less magic was a positive trait.
「Oh, the new blast furnace will have a system that uses magic from the Feng Shui. So even if you lack magical power, you can smelt things like magical steel.」
「So for the test run, we’re lookin’ for someone who’d be skilled ‘nough to smelt magical steel but don’ have ‘nough magic to do it emselves.」
「So you thought I would be the perfect fit for the test run?」
「Exactly, so we wanna buy ya workshop n’ build a blast furnace. Wadda ya say?」
Hearing Hiroshi’s favour, Kakashi nodded mindlessly. However, he quickly realised the responsibility which this favour came with.
「Ho, hold up!」
「Hm? was there a problem?」
「Are you sure that you want to do such a large-scale construction at my workshop!?」
「Well, we would have to buy someone’s workshop anyway so it doesn’t really matter who’s workshop it is.」
「That’s not what I meant. Why are you choosing my shabby workshop? Please talk to the president and find a better place!」
Hearing Kakashi’s words, Hiroshi turned to face the dwarf next to him. As Hiroshi turned, the president nodded and gave a thumbs up. It seemed that there wasn’t any problem with using Kakashi workshop.
「Welp, ‘t seems that the prezdent agrees with ma decision..」
Kakashi scratched his head at the president’s response
「I don’t mind you modifying my workshop but when that happens, what would be my position in the workshop?」
「Well, your role will change from an owner to an employee but everything else will remain the same.」
「Welp, considerin’ ya safety, there’s also an option o’ bein’ an employee at ma workshop and move to Farlane?」
「Farlane? Sir, who are you?」
「I run a workshop in Farlane called Azuma Workshop. I made a new blast furnace but I haven’t taught any o’ em on blackmithin’ or smeltin’ so they can’t even use the old furnace we have.」
The moment they heard the name Azuma Workshop, all the dwarves froze on the spot.
「Hm? Guessin’ from that reaction, is our workshop purty famous? 」
「We heard some rumours about it. Like how they brew high-quality and very effective medicines or how they are stocking ingredients which no one has ever seen before.」
「I heard that they craft high-quality items and furniture.」
「Huh? I thought they were doing civil engineering works?」
Hiroshi gave a bitter smile to the contradicting information that dwarves spoke out. In reality, he has done at least some of the works which the dwarves were bringing it up.
「But we never heard anything about blacksmith work so I didn’t think you guys made furnaces as well.」
「Welp, I gotta make ma own equipment so tis only natural that I can craft a furnace. By the way, I made these maself.」
As Hiroshi stated, he showed the other craftsman pole axe, katana and rapier which were made of magical steel. One thing for sure is that even the best blacksmith among them would not be able to make a replica of these weapons.
「I see, so the rumours were true.」
「I wasn’t expectin’ for people in Forre to know ‘bout ma workshop though.」
「Well, you did build a relocation place in Darl so by now, I’m sure the western countries have at least heard of the name.」
As Hiroshi replied to dwarf’s question with a bitter smile, Tatsuya, who was listening to the conversation stepped in.
「Um, sorry to interrupt but shouldn’t we be heading to the station?」
As the conversation started to go off-topic, Haruna stepped in and brought back an important point. To Haruna’s words, the union head, Kakashi and the government official gave a look of realisation.
「You’re right, we better get that criminal arrested.」
「If we were to look past these kinds of methods every time, it will become very difficult to do proper business in this town.」
「Anyway did they really think a method like that would work? I mean it’s not that difficult to see through their intentions once you get the officials involved in the case.」
「I guess they thought it will be fine as long as they didn’t get the officials involved in the matter. What a simple-minded bunch.」
Saying such things, the union head and the government official headed to the nearest station while defending Kakashi’s statement. To this, Hiroshi spoke up to double-check.
「So, Kakashi-san, tis really okay if we modify ya workshop?」
「Yes, do whatever you like with it.」
「Gotcha. We’ll git on to it then.」
To Kakashi’s lazy response, Hiroshi gave a childish grin and immediately went to check the state of the workshop.
「Guess they’ve been lettin’ that idiot do whatever they like with the workshop. Tis really damaged in alotta areas. We should renovate the workshop while we’re at it.」
「Are we allowed to do that much … ?」
「Welp, he said we can do whatever we like with it. So, first thin’s first, we needa take out the thin’s inside n’ dismantle the buildin’. Brother, Makoto-san, can ya help me with that?」
「Got it」
「As you wish…」
To the scenario which they saw it coming, Tatsuya and Makoto showed a helpless expression. They entered the workshop from a broken entrance and started to carry out the equipment and cleaned up the workshop as well.
「Haruna-san n’ Mio, could ya dismantle the furnace?」
「Okie dokie.」
「On it.」
Hearing Hiroshi’s instruction, Haruna and Mio started to dismantle the core of the workshop, the blast furnace. In the afternoon, Kakashi visited the workshop as he managed to sort out the paperwork for the court trial before sun-down. There, he saw debris of his blast furnace which has been completely dismantled and the framework on the workshop which the Japanese people have already started working on.
Translator: Reflet
Editor: Weasalopes
Three days later, in the morning.
「How is the workshop already renovated …」
「If tis a workshop ‘round this size, three days would be ‘noguh for construction time even if we renovated other thin’s.」
Kakashi, who was staying at the accommodation located at the centre of mining union visited his workshop after been called over by Hiroshi. As he saw the finished building, he blurted out his thoughts from shock.
「No no no, you say a workshop of this size like it’s not a big deal; but if you were to build a workshop this big from scratch, even if you had all the materials, to begin with, it would at least take two weeks…」
「Oh, for Hiroshi, this is pretty normal. It’s better not to question it.」
「How…」
To Tatsuya’s words, Kakashi mumbling response. In reality, Kakashi’s estimation isn’t wrong. If a normal person was to work on this project, it will take them at least one day to dismantle the building and clean up the debris. Then it would take them another full day for surveying the building. It will be another one to two days to build the framework and so on. Like this, each process will at least take one day to work on. For this project, they did not need to do surveying or checking the land status but if they did, that would be another seven days added to the construction time.
If they kept the original framework of the building, they could cut down on the construction time. However, because of the uproar that occurred, many areas of the original framework was damaged. So apart from the basics, the whole building was rebuilt for this project. If they used a technique from the high-level craftsman, they might be able to finish the project in a week. But three days was unheard of.
「Hey, Kakashi-san」
「What is it?」
「If you’re surprised over a mere construction task, you’re going to struggle to work with us. So can you try and accept that a single workshop was constructed over a couple of days?」
「A mere workshop? You’re asking for the impossible…」
To Makoto’s outrageous favour, Kakashi responded without thinking. He replayed the phrase “mere building” in his mind.
「Wait, when you say a single workshop…」
「We’ve finished building the blast furnace as well.」
「What the…」
Kakashi gave an unearthly cry after hearing an overwhelming amount of information. Hiroshi, completely ignoring Kakashi’s reaction opened the door and pushed Kakashi into the workshop. Seeing that, Tatsuya and Makoto went off to tell the president about the new blast furnace. Haruna and Mio went off to buy food for the home-warming party which they have planned for later today.
「Lookin’ at the original layout of ya workshop, I guessed t’ would be the best place to build the furnace.」
「I’m still not over the fact that the entire workshop has been rebuilt so I don’t have any comment about the inside layout of the workshop….」
Although he completely ignored Hiroshi’s question, Kakashi was surprised once again as he saw the layout of the workshop has barely changed from before.
「… Hm?」
「Was there somethin’ ya didn’t like?」
「No at all, it’s just I don’t remember seeing this hammer so I was surprised. What is this used for?」
「Oh, that. Since ya goin’ to be usin’ magical steel from now on, thought t’ would make it easier for ya to work with equipment made of magical steel. I made it while I was testin’ the blast furnace yesterday.」
「While you were testing, huh…」
Kakashi dropped his shoulders and mumbled, exhausted from the amount of information he was surprised by today. It was an item that he would need to use sooner or later, and they made it for free. So, he had nothing to complain about it. He was definitely surprised that they just decided to make such a high-quality item for a test run. Yet, the process didn’t disadvantage anyone, so he decided to not question about it.
「I tried to make it as close to the hammers ya were usin’ before but the material ‘tself is different so ‘t would be uncomfortable to use it at first. I’m sorry but ya just hafta git used to usin’ it.」
「It is new equipment. It’s only natural that it requires getting used to.」
As Hiroshi noted about the hammer, Kakashi replied with a bitter smile and took the hammer in his hand. As Hiroshi mentioned, the way it felt in his hand was not too different from the other hammers he has used before. Since the hammerhead was made from different material, the balance of the hammer was a little different. But it wasn’t to the point where he wouldn’t be able to work precisely with it. For a while, some of his work might be a little rough but after fifty or so hits, he should be able to work as usual.
「… this is a well-made hammer.」
「I’m glad ya liked it.」
Completely ignoring Hiroshi’s words, Kakashi observed the hammer intently and gave a light shake. Now that he has new equipment, only one thing was on his mind. He wanted to make something with it.
「Since ya liked the hammer as well, let’s move onto the main topic.」
「… the main topic?」
「We need ya to learn how to operate the new blast furnace.」
「… Oh that!!」
Kakashi, who was so mesmerized by his new equipment completely forgot about the blast furnace. Like every other craftsman, it seems that once something catches Kakashi’s thought, all of his focus will go to that one particular thing.
「Also, try craft somethin’ with the magical steel ya smelted with the new blast furnace.」
「Yeah, but is the operation that different from a standard blast furnace?」
「Welp ‘t take up magic from an outside source so there are few extra steps that ya need to know ‘bout..」
Extra steps… Kakashi’s expression stiffened as he heard that phrase. New workshop and a new furnace that required new operation, if he doesn’t learn each step carefully, it will be a hazard.
「Just vaguely, what kind of operations would I have to do?」
「First o’ all, if the furnace doesn’t take in magic when ya start up the fire, ‘t won’t be any different from a normal furnace. ‘n when ya add in the materials, ya need to adjust the temperature as well as the magic flow. If ya mess up the adjustment, the magical steel would come out in a state that ya can’t really work with.」
「How bad is it ?」
「’t won’t turn into cursed steel n’ stuff like that so ya don’t hafta worry ‘bout that. Ya’ll mess up until ya git the hang o’ it. ‘t just when ya mess up the adjustments, the end product won’ be magical steel but some other steel that’s hard to re-use as ordinary steel. When it’s in that state, an ordinary craftsman can’t really work with it so tis harder to get rid o’ it. But ‘ight now, the stock for magical steel ore is purty good so even if ya mess up heaps, they’d say tis only natural n’ give ya more stocks.」
「I see…」
To Hiroshi’s vague explanation, Kakashi became more worried. Unsure if Hiroshi was aware of Kakashi’s thoughts, Hiroshi started to explain how to start up the new blast furnace. The initial step of starting up the blast furnace was exactly the same as starting up an ordinary blast furnace. The only difference was that when he’s placing the fire into the furnace, he would have to flow the magical energy in from the magic line.
「Is everythin’ clear up until here?」
「Yes, I understand the process. It’s done like this, right?」
As Hiroshi checked in with Kakashi, Kakashi decided to try starting up the furnace. When he’s taking the magic from the magic line, it does use up some of his magical energy. However, the process only takes about a second and it uses less magic compared to using items like pot so even for people like Kakashi could operate the furnace.
「Welp, this is where tis important so pay attention.」
As Hiroshi gave notice, he started to smelt magical steel (precisely a mixed steel of magical steel and mithril) by using the fire which Kakashi has started up. They stocked up enough magical steel and mithril ore so there was plenty for them to play around with.
「Then adjust the temperature to this much n’ magic ‘bout this much n’ if ya continue tis process…」
Around the time one steel would be made, liquidy mixed steel was pressed out into a shape of an ingot. The moment the steel was poured out from the furnace, it cooled down and solidified at a ridiculous speed. Just like that, the ores were finally smelted into magical steel.
With Hiroshi’s experience, he could have smelted the steel in half the time. However, if he smelted the steel at his usual pace, it won’t be helpful for Kakashi. Not only that, the invention of this furnace meant that craftsmen who lack magic will now be able to smelt magical steel. If someone with a ridiculous amount of magical energy and craftsman experience used their talent to minimize the operation time, it would defeat the purpose of inventing the furnace.
「n’ like this, ya smelt the magical steel.」
「I see…」
Kakashi, who has been glaring at the screen that showed the amount of magic and heat used, responded with a serious expression. As he switched places with Hiroshi, he carefully weighed out the magical steel and mithril ore. Keeping everything single procedure of the operation in his mind, he raised the temperature and flowed ton of magic into the furnace.
Immediately, he glared over to the screen, not wanting to miss the slightest change in the condition. He directed all of his focus and senses to the change in sound, magic and the temperature of the furnace. After operating the furnace for what felt like an hour, he mixed the magical steel and mithril, sorting away any unnecessary parts. Finally…
Translator: Reflet
Editor: Weasalopes
「How is it?」
Kakashi pushed the ore into a shape of an ingot and waited for it to cool down, hoping for a positive result.
「… the quality still ain’t good but ya managed to properly smelt magical steel.」
「Oh, I see ….」
「To think that ya managed to smelt magical steel on ya first go, ya got some talent.」
「Not at all.」
To Hiroshi’s compliment, Kakashi mumbled back. The ingot which Kakashi smelted would be considered a high-quality item if it’s looked at it on its own. However, once it’s compared to the ingot which Hiroshi has smelted, it would have the difference of high-quality metal and scrap metal. They used the same furnace and used ores which were close enough in quality. So, there was nothing to blame it on except his own inexperience with working with magical steel. To Kakashi, this proved that with his current skills, he cannot smelt decent magical steel.
「Also, even if I could smelt an ingot, it’s pointless if I can’t craft anything with it.」
「I see, welp, why don’t ya try craftin’ somethin’ with it? But we have more stuff that we needa git through so please choose somethin’ simple.」
As Hiroshi finished talking, he prepared the furnace and showed Kakashi how to flow the magic in for heat forging. Forging magical steel used about the same amount of magic as smelting one.
「I will try crafting a small knife.」
Hearing that there were more which they needed to get through, Kakashi chose to craft an item that wouldn’t take more than an hour to craft. Not noticing the crowd that started to gather around him, Kakashi got into forging. To contrast his weak, skinny appearance, he had the power of a craftsman. Not only that, he seemed to work with the level of holy steel.
「So, tis how the furnace works but wadda ya think o’ it as the president o’ minin’ union?」
「If Kakashi can operate it than I think we can use it at our workshops as well.」
「I agree. We would like this blast furnace built in our workshop as well. What would be the cost and the construction period?」
「I’ll send the quote for the cost later if that’s okay with ya. I’ll be directin’ the first two so those won’ take no more than a fortnight to build. But while I’m buildin’ the first two furnaces, I’d need to gather more materials to build other blast furnaces. ‘therwise, the materials I gathered in Darl won’ be ‘nough. So I’ve gotten a clue on the construction time or the cost for the other blast furnaces.」
「I see.」
While looking over at Kakashi’s forging process, Hiroshi started to organise future orders. Kakashi had no idea that the president was watching over his crafting process. In fact, it was only after he finished crafting the knife that he realised that the president was at his workshop.
==
「Cheers to the end of Crest Cave’s magical steel problem!」
One hour later. They were now at a meeting place in blacksmith town. A large amount of food, liquor and dwarves gathered as the party started.
「Hiroshi-kun, good job out there.」
「Ya too, Haruna-san.」
「Isn’t it fun to cook food for parties?」
「’t sure is. By the way, a new month will start after this week so we shoulda probably finish preparin’ for Makoto-san’s birthday party.」
Looking over the room where ten barrels of liquor has been emptied already, Hiroshi and Haruna started to talk about their next party. As they are still very conscious of the laws from back home, the two refused to have any drink. However, they loved this kind of party where a group of acquaintances just get together without any business formalities. They also found it more motivating to cook up meals for parties compared to cooking up food for their usual meals.
「Makoto-san said she wanted alcohol for her birthday but how is that going?」
「I got a couple o’ people to taste test n’ I think tis goin’ good.」
「I see, but I don’t know about just making alcohol for her birthday.」
「I’ve been preparin’ some stuff for other present as well.」
「Thank you.」
Haruna reluctantly thanked Hiroshi for his subtle yet thoughtful action.
「Isn’t ‘t weird for Haruna-san to be thankin’ me?」
「Well, yeah, I guess.」
To Hiroshi who almost laughed out loud, Haruna replied with a gentle smile. If they weren’t standing 90cm apart, they would have actually looked cute together.
「’nyways, Kakashi-san is really talented.」
「Was he?」
「To haf successfully smelt magical steel which he has never used before, usin’ a furnace that he’s never operated before, he’s a genius.」
「Wow, that is impressive….」
Haruna praised Kakashi’s talent half speechless as she has yet to smelt a decent-quality metal. Most craftsmen around her tend to be out-standing professionals like Hiroshi and Mio. But as someone who has done a certain level of crafting herself, she understands how difficult it is for someone with Kakashi’s condition to successfully smelt magical steel.
「Professional craftsman are really somethin’.」
「Yeah, I won’t pretend to fully understand what it’s like to be a craftsman. But I really do look up to people with such talent.」
「I genuinely admire his talent. ‘specially since he built up all em skills by himself, unlike us who practically cheated our way through ‘t.」
「Yeah, me too.」
From Hiroshi’s perspective, Kakashi was at least an intermediate level in crafting. With a little more training, it wouldn’t be strange if he was to reach an advanced level. On top of that, Kakashi would have only ever worked with standard metal and steel, or at the best, bronze and silver. To think he has built up so much skill only using those sort of materials, the effort which would have gone into his craftsmanship was unimaginable. Considering Kakashi’s age, the only way he could have built up that much skill is if he put in his best for every single item which he has crafted.
Hiroshi was really impressed that Kakashi has managed to reach not only intermediate level but even get close to advanced level without Making Mastery. Reaching an intermediate level in crafting without Making Mastery was something which nobody could dare to imagine.
「If tis Kakashi-san, he would probably level up his skills real quick if I were to brush over some stuff ‘bout craftin’」
「Uh huh, I should get him to teach me crafting.」
「Haruna-san, I don’ think ya need to practice craftin’ that much…」
「Well, that’s true for forging and smelting but I have my own personal reasons for wanting to improve my crafting skills.」
「Tis so…」
In general, you can add auto-size-adjust to most things which you can craft through forging. So, for Haruna who has done Making Mastery, learning forging would only serve as a foundation knowledge. However, she thought that she should at least be able to craft her own breastplate.
「Haru, Haru.」
「What is it Mio-chan?」
「It’s around time you sing.」
「Oh, you’re right.」
Mio stepped in and requested Haruna to sing as she saw that the two of them were getting along but weren’t talking anything personal. Haruna pulled out a Shamisen which they made and sung folk songs and other kinds of songs which people in blacksmith and crafting industry seem to like. [1. TL Note: “Shamisen” is “Traditional Japanese instrument that looks and sound similar to Banjo”.] It was very Haruna-like that not a single pop song was sung.
「I still can’t get a grasp of Haru’s range.」
「She did mention that she can purty much sing any song that she’s ‘t least heard o’ it once.」
「That’s impressive but not impressive at the same time.」
「Ya lose the moment ya try to git ya head ’round people like her.」
As they cooked up more food, they talked about Haruna as always. Stewed pork and Tofu seemed to be popular among people in Forre as well. They also cooked up dished which they saw often around Forre like vegetables and grilled meat sandwich, and potato soup. They also tried arranging sausage which was one of the common dishes in Forre by marinating it with curry powder. All of those dishes seemed to be liked by the people of Forre as well.
「Oh, by za way Mio,」
「Hm?」
「We hava line up o’ magic-powered blast furnace order so I’ll git ya’ll to work real hard from tomorrow.」
「Got it.」
As Mio nodded firmly, she deliciously ate a piece of meatloaf which got on her face.
Translator: Reflet
Editor: Weasalopes
「Wadda we goin’ to do?」
As they finished their breakfast, Haruna and others told Hiroshi about what was happening with the mining union. To this information, he thought through both sides of the argument and commented. The solution was not looking good for either side.
「Is there something wrong?」
Tatsuya asked as he saw Hiroshi groan over the document he was given yesterday while drinking coffee. The girls have gone off to take a quick bath after breakfast as they were still self-conscious about the smell of gas which has rubbed onto them from yesterday’s dungeon run.
「I feel like we can narrow down the candidates on the minin’ union end.」
「Why do you say that?」
「Most o’ the areas t’ would be ideal for installin’ the new blast furnace is overlappin’ with residential areas.」
「I see…」
Even though they are mostly mining towns, having a steel mill near a residential area is not ideal for both the miners and the residents. It was given that people living near the steel mill would face issues with water and construction noises.
「Do you think we can do something about it with the rights that some of the mines have?」
「I doubt ‘t.」
Since they are dealing with mining towns, a word from Crest Cave wouldn’t be completely useless. However, there are limits to what the mining union’s rights can do. Buying off the land and kicking out the current residents would be passed that limit. It’s also morally unacceptable to forcefully suppress the opinions of the current resident just to build a new blast furnace.
「Are there any steel mill along any of those lands?」
「Welp, dere are some but that’s where the problem is.」
「A problem?」
「We’re makin’ the furnace with the union’s money so the problem is who’s furnace are we breakin’ apart to build our own? 」
「Oh~…」
Tatsuya agreed to Hiroshi’s explanation. No matter the solution, this will cause some conflict.
「I see how that’s an issue for the mining union but I still don’t see how that’s connected to the issue you’re trying to figure out?」
「The minin’ union asked me to recommend an area t’ would be ideal for tis project.」
「Well that’s…」
「If I can, I really don’ wanna make any comments on these kinda issues but wadda ya think?」
Tatsuya also groaned over Hiroshi’s very understandable problem. The mining union will most likely make their own decision if their party were to never give their recommendations. However, if there were to do nothing about it, nobody knows how long this project will be post-pone. That was the very problem which they were trying to solve.
「n’ I doubt that I can jist refuse the offer n’ join the investigation ya’ll doin’ so I really don’ know what to do ‘bout this.」
「Oh~ I see.」
「I mean, thinkin’ ‘bout it realistically, our jobs are practically done.」
Tatsuya was currently working on Aquabreath suitability examination. All the request which has been listed under this job has been completed. Indeed they have yet to investigate the last area. However, they have proven that as long as they are not being careless, the other two areas are safe to go through. Since the request only asks to determine if aquabreath can be used as a method of managing poisonous gas, if they could get through at least one area safely, they have done their job.
Since they don’t know the exact size of the dungeon, they didn’t know what kind of landforms or traps there would be. It was likely that in some areas one aquabreath would not be enough to manage the obstacles there. But even if there are a couple of areas like that, it would not be a huge problem. Even if Haruna’s group couldn’t get through all of the dungeons, as long as there is one path which someone could get through safely, the job was considered done.
「If they said we hafta use aquabreath than I could think o’ couple o’ items that we could remove. But t’ isn’t the case this time ‘round.」
「Yeah, I don’t think there would be any problem.」
「Ya, so I didn’ think t’ would be a good ‘nough excuse for me to refuse their offer.」
「Yeah, I get your point.」
As Tatsuya listened to the situation which Hiroshi was troubling over, he could not help it but agree with Hiroshi. Even Tatsuya’s group could say that there was no real need for them to go into that dungeon. Investigating another area wouldn’t increase their overall reward either.
「This is really troublesome. By the way, while we’re at it, should we all go and take a look at the Feng Shui?」
「I appreciate the help but are ya sure?」
「Well to be honest, if there’s another fall trap, it’s kind of burdensome to get back up without you in the group.」
「True dat.」
Hearing the burden of dealing with fall trap, Hiroshi agreed with Tatsuya request. Dealing with that trap was really troublesome.
「Welp, once we finish eatin’ let’s go n’ take a look.」
「Cool, the girls seem to have come out of bath do I’ll go and tell them.」
「Thank ya.」
As Tatsuya heard the bathroom door open, he got up and left. He did not want to send a guy with gynophobia to a group of girls who have just gotten out of the bath.
「I wonder where we should go n’ take a look first.」
This wasn’t a decision which they could make lightly. Any careless move could be fatal to them and the union. As Hiroshi heard Tatsuya’s footsteps leave the room, he looked at the map in his hand and thought of a way to get there.
==
An uncomfortable atmosphere wrapped around the blacksmith town as usual.
「I feel like everyone’s guard is higher than usual…」
「Ya, somethin’s not ‘ight.」
Haruna commented as she noticed that the atmosphere was more hostile than usual. Hiroshi narrowed his eyes and agreed. Tatsuya, Makoto and Mio also had their guards up. They continued walking through the town, taking a stance so that they could defend themselves from any unsuspecting attacks. From their daily activities, it is easy to forget that they are adventurers. But in times like this, their response to the change in atmosphere that they noticed shows how much they have grown as adventurers.
「I’m guessin’ that’s the cause….」
「Yeah, I think so too …」
It’s been a couple of minutes since they started to head towards where the shouting was coming from. They finally reached the centre of the uproar which was at an area away from blacksmith town, the central town of Crest Cave and from any mines or roads.
The uproar seems to be a conflict between two groups. They were only yelling at each other for now, but they were only seconds away from breaking into a physical fight. One group of people looked like workers at the Crest Cave. Most of them were dwarves and seemed stronger compared to the other group. The other group looked like a group of social rejects and were not decently dressed. They also seemed weaker than soldiers and adventurers but were equipped with weapons.
The group of rejects seemed to mostly consist of dwarves as well. However, they were wearing distasteful clothes with flashy design and had a build that did not resemble a typical dwarf. It was unlikely that they worked as tradesmen or in a battle-related job. In any stories, they would be portrayed as villains.
「Welp, by the looks of it, ‘t seems like the most cliched scenario but wadda ya think we should do?」
「We should hear out both sides of the story before making any decisions but I’m guessing that those tiny villainy-looking guys are after some kind of deal.」
「I’m against judging people based on their appearance but the fact that they brought along weapons and a group of rejects is already a pretty bad look.」
The third part impression on this situation all seemed to be very similar. If they were to show this scene to 100 people, 90 people would most likely make the same judgement as well. That is how clear the situation was on the surface.
「Sensei, how about you ask them what is happening?」
「Ya, nothin’s goin’ to change by just standin’ ’round.」
Hearing Mio’s suggestion, Hiroshi looked around to see if there were any dwarves that he was acquainted with. In a situation like this, if he went up to a dwarf which he didn’t know, it was likely that he would get dragged into the uproar.
「Old man, old man, what’s goin’ on?」
「Hm? Oh, it’s you.」
As Hiroshi asked, one of the dwarves who was about to break out into a fight held back his temper and responded. He was one of the dwarves who represented the area and the two has seen each other around at the mining union.
「’t seems purty bad but what happened?」
「Oh, that reject, Garzo came to pick a fight with Kakashi. They’re forcefully pushing their point through so we’re here resisting against them.」
Turns out the situation was exactly what everyone else has imagined it to be. However, that did not mean that the other party could have their own reason for the way they are acting. They still didn’t have enough information on the situation to make any decisions yet.
「What’s the point their tryina to push through?」
「They’re saying that they caught Kakashi selling fraud items. So they’re requesting him to pay for the damage.」
「Welp that’s…」
「What’s even more troubling is that I don’t know where they got their hands on it but apparently they have a formal testimony.」
「Welp…」
Hiroshi lost his words to the childish method the other party was using. The uproar and stupidity is one thing. But the fact that they managed to progress the situation like this was making his head hurt the most.
「I dunno who made that testimony but they’re definitely tryina pick a fight with the minin’ union…」
「Exactly, so that’s why we’re here.」
Hiroshi sighed at the troublesome situation which was taking place in front of him. From what this dwarf is saying and from all the arguments that have been yelled back and force, the testimony does sound official. However, the whole situation seems to have been making progress without Kakashi being directly involved in the matter. If that is the case, an objection can be submitted to the court, making the other party’s statement invalid and thorough investigation can be done on the situation. Although Forre isn’t like the previous Farlane where its legal system was controlled by the strict set of law, they still had a decent enough legal system.
So, the other group tried to get the conversation done and over with by bringing up this so-called “solid proof” resulting in this idiotic and violent method.
「I git the over-all situation. So how good is this Kakashi’s works?」
「For a dwarf, he’s skinny and tall and looks unreliable but his works ain’t bad. Like his appearance, he doesn’t have much stamina or magic for a dwarf craftsman. So, he can’t smelt things like magical steel. But to make up for that, any metal items he has crafted are fine quality. Looking at his skill sets and the number of items he has crafted, I doubt about him crafting close to hundred fraud items.」
「Gotcha.」
As the situation became more cliched, Hiroshi’s headache worsened. Looking at the building which Hiroshi assumed to be Kakashi’s workshop, it was a lot smaller compared to an average workshop. When it came to workshops like this, they would use materials that would minimize their cost. So, it was unlikely that they kept any records of where they imported their materials. When it came to craftsmen, the tax system in this universe was very mild. For independently owned workshops, the sales rate was irrelevant. Most of the time, the registration fees are treated as their tax. So, many workshops didn’t keep their records of material importation. But even if they did keep the records of their materials, it was unlikely that the other group would accept it as legal proof.
「Garzo has a lot of criminal records so if the police force or the mining union has an intervention, we can win. But from those criminal records, it seems that Garzo only learnt how to cause more trouble…」
「Welp wadda troublesome fella.」
To the dwarf’s words, Hiroshi gave a deep sigh. To be blunt, this wasn’t the kind of issue which Hiroshi should get involved in. He and his party have nothing to do with the issue and they are not employees at the mining union either. Although this may sound cold, these kinds of conflicts are common in towns like this. If they were to get themselves involved in the matter every time a conflict like this happened, it would be endless.
However, if they don’t do anything about it, they can’t do their work. The most troublesome part is that Hiroshi has noticed something. He realised that Kakashi’s workshop is located right where the two Feng Shui intersect. Due to this conflict, it is unlikely for Kakashi can continue working at this workshop. If that is the case, they could build the new blast furnace here and if possible, make it a relocation base for Azuma workshop.
「Haruna-san, Mio, can I ask the two of ya a favour?」
「What is it?」
「Tis a simple errand. Can ya bring the government official n’ the head o’ minin’ union here?」
「Okay, Mio-chan, let’s go.」
「hm.」
Hearing Hiroshi’s favour, Haruna quickly activated teleportation magic. The reason why Hiroshi asked Mio to go as well is that Haruna wasn’t acquainted with the union head. Tatsuya could have gone as well since he can use teleportation magic and was not acquainted with the union head. However, due to some circumstances, Haruna would be better at convincing the government officials. Also, if the situation gets worse, Haruna would use large scale magic like putting everyone to sleep. But with Tatsuya, he would just create a seclusion barrier between the two groups. So he can handle the situation less forcefully.
So, Hiroshi assigned the right role to the right people and decided to keep an eye on the incident from a third party’s perspective. The dwarf who told Hiroshi about what was happening heard that Haruna and Mio went to get the government official and the union head and told the two parties to hold back on any violent actions.
Translator: Reflet
Editor: Weasalopes
Not too long after that incident…
「Both side, quiet!!」
The union head, chief from police force and the head of the commercial sector appeared on the spot along with Haruna and Mio.
「There was a report from a civilian. Garzo Mohne, both parties will be escorted to the court on the account of abuse in power.」
「We have an official testimony!!」
「We will investigate the matter at the station including that testimony.」
The chief tried to take Garzo’s arm as he made his statement. As expected Garzo resisted and threw a fist; or rather, a punch which the chief just let it hit him. Garzo was than forcefully escorted to the nearest station by the police officers who have come along for a backup.
「You are under arrest for violent behaviour. Take them all to the station!!」
With the chief’s order, Garzo’s group was arrested one after another by the police officers. The others in the group were also escorted along with Garzo and few were even arrested.
「We thank you for your cooperation. 」
「Well we were prepared for a situation like this.」
Due to the barrier spell which Tatsuya cast, there was no injuries during this uproar.
「We’re innocent! This is a false conspiracy! I was framed by Kakashi!!」
「Regardless of what happened, the one who showed violence first was your group. This will be a different case of antisocial behaviour against Mr Basso. We will also investigate you regarding the fraud incident.」
Garzo pitifully continued to resist, yet the chief managed to drag him over to the closest station. To such an obviously guilty behaviour, the rest of the officers looked at Garzo with a helpless gaze.
「By da way, who’s Basso?」
「Oz Basso is Kakashi’s real name. But in public, no one calls him by his real name. Oh, by the way, that’s Kakashi over there.」
Looking at the figure the dwarf pointed towards, Kakashi really did look like a scarecrow for a dwarf. [1. TL Note: “Kakashi” is “a Japanese term meaning scarecrow”.] He was around 180 centimetres tall and it was difficult to determine if he really was a dwarf. His overall physique neither had any muscle or fat and he was very slender. From a human standard, his facial structure was slightly neater compared to Hiroshi. With his messy hair, it was understandable why he was called Kakashi.
「Well, it looks like we can finally sit down and talk this out. 」
「We have caused you so much trouble…」
「No need to apologize. We had other issues with those guys before. We’ve just about had enough with them. Well, we haven’t fully resolved the situation so I was wondering if you could come to the station with us for the investigation?」
「O, of course!」
Kakashi continued to apologize for the situation which has become more drastic than he has originally imagined it to be. Even seeing Kakashi in such a state, the union head still informed him that the issue is yet to be resolved. Hiroshi sighed at such sight.
「’t doesn’t look like we can git any o’ our work sorted today.」
「You’re right, I apologize for the number of times we have cause you folks a burden….」
「Not at all, this incident wasn’t ya fault. ‘t just, those kinda people tend to hold onto grudges. So, to make thin’s easier, we were wonderin’ if we coulda build the new blast furnace here? 」
「Are you sure you want to build one here?」
「Ya see, tis the place where two Feng Shui intersect. So I thought ‘t would be the ideal place to do a test run.」
The union head agreed with Hiroshi’s favour. To be honest, they have not done thorough research on Feng Shui yet.
「n’ was it Basso?」
「Kakashi’s fine.」
「Welp, Kakashi-san, from what I heard, ya seem to be skilled at craftin’ but ya lack in magic. So I thought ya’d be a perfect fit for the test run.」
Kakashi tilted his head as he heard Hiroshi call him a perfect fit. He has been insecure about the fact that he has less magical power compared to an average dwarf. So, he wanted to know why Hiroshi thought having less magic was a positive trait.
「Oh, the new blast furnace will have a system that uses magic from the Feng Shui. So even if you lack magical power, you can smelt things like magical steel.」
「So for the test run, we’re lookin’ for someone who’d be skilled ‘nough to smelt magical steel but don’ have ‘nough magic to do it emselves.」
「So you thought I would be the perfect fit for the test run?」
「Exactly, so we wanna buy ya workshop n’ build a blast furnace. Wadda ya say?」
Hearing Hiroshi’s favour, Kakashi nodded mindlessly. However, he quickly realised the responsibility which this favour came with.
「Ho, hold up!」
「Hm? was there a problem?」
「Are you sure that you want to do such a large-scale construction at my workshop!?」
「Well, we would have to buy someone’s workshop anyway so it doesn’t really matter who’s workshop it is.」
「That’s not what I meant. Why are you choosing my shabby workshop? Please talk to the president and find a better place!」
Hearing Kakashi’s words, Hiroshi turned to face the dwarf next to him. As Hiroshi turned, the president nodded and gave a thumbs up. It seemed that there wasn’t any problem with using Kakashi workshop.
「Welp, ‘t seems that the prezdent agrees with ma decision..」
Kakashi scratched his head at the president’s response
「I don’t mind you modifying my workshop but when that happens, what would be my position in the workshop?」
「Well, your role will change from an owner to an employee but everything else will remain the same.」
「Welp, considerin’ ya safety, there’s also an option o’ bein’ an employee at ma workshop and move to Farlane?」
「Farlane? Sir, who are you?」
「I run a workshop in Farlane called Azuma Workshop. I made a new blast furnace but I haven’t taught any o’ em on blackmithin’ or smeltin’ so they can’t even use the old furnace we have.」
The moment they heard the name Azuma Workshop, all the dwarves froze on the spot.
「Hm? Guessin’ from that reaction, is our workshop purty famous? 」
「We heard some rumours about it. Like how they brew high-quality and very effective medicines or how they are stocking ingredients which no one has ever seen before.」
「I heard that they craft high-quality items and furniture.」
「Huh? I thought they were doing civil engineering works?」
Hiroshi gave a bitter smile to the contradicting information that dwarves spoke out. In reality, he has done at least some of the works which the dwarves were bringing it up.
「But we never heard anything about blacksmith work so I didn’t think you guys made furnaces as well.」
「Welp, I gotta make ma own equipment so tis only natural that I can craft a furnace. By the way, I made these maself.」
As Hiroshi stated, he showed the other craftsman pole axe, katana and rapier which were made of magical steel. One thing for sure is that even the best blacksmith among them would not be able to make a replica of these weapons.
「I see, so the rumours were true.」
「I wasn’t expectin’ for people in Forre to know ‘bout ma workshop though.」
「Well, you did build a relocation place in Darl so by now, I’m sure the western countries have at least heard of the name.」
As Hiroshi replied to dwarf’s question with a bitter smile, Tatsuya, who was listening to the conversation stepped in.
「Um, sorry to interrupt but shouldn’t we be heading to the station?」
As the conversation started to go off-topic, Haruna stepped in and brought back an important point. To Haruna’s words, the union head, Kakashi and the government official gave a look of realisation.
「You’re right, we better get that criminal arrested.」
「If we were to look past these kinds of methods every time, it will become very difficult to do proper business in this town.」
「Anyway did they really think a method like that would work? I mean it’s not that difficult to see through their intentions once you get the officials involved in the case.」
「I guess they thought it will be fine as long as they didn’t get the officials involved in the matter. What a simple-minded bunch.」
Saying such things, the union head and the government official headed to the nearest station while defending Kakashi’s statement. To this, Hiroshi spoke up to double-check.
「So, Kakashi-san, tis really okay if we modify ya workshop?」
「Yes, do whatever you like with it.」
「Gotcha. We’ll git on to it then.」
To Kakashi’s lazy response, Hiroshi gave a childish grin and immediately went to check the state of the workshop.
「Guess they’ve been lettin’ that idiot do whatever they like with the workshop. Tis really damaged in alotta areas. We should renovate the workshop while we’re at it.」
「Are we allowed to do that much … ?」
「Welp, he said we can do whatever we like with it. So, first thin’s first, we needa take out the thin’s inside n’ dismantle the buildin’. Brother, Makoto-san, can ya help me with that?」
「Got it」
「As you wish…」
To the scenario which they saw it coming, Tatsuya and Makoto showed a helpless expression. They entered the workshop from a broken entrance and started to carry out the equipment and cleaned up the workshop as well.
「Haruna-san n’ Mio, could ya dismantle the furnace?」
「Okie dokie.」
「On it.」
Hearing Hiroshi’s instruction, Haruna and Mio started to dismantle the core of the workshop, the blast furnace. In the afternoon, Kakashi visited the workshop as he managed to sort out the paperwork for the court trial before sun-down. There, he saw debris of his blast furnace which has been completely dismantled and the framework on the workshop which the Japanese people have already started working on.
Translator: Reflet
Editor: Weasalopes
Three days later, in the morning.
「How is the workshop already renovated …」
「If tis a workshop ‘round this size, three days would be ‘noguh for construction time even if we renovated other thin’s.」
Kakashi, who was staying at the accommodation located at the centre of mining union visited his workshop after been called over by Hiroshi. As he saw the finished building, he blurted out his thoughts from shock.
「No no no, you say a workshop of this size like it’s not a big deal; but if you were to build a workshop this big from scratch, even if you had all the materials, to begin with, it would at least take two weeks…」
「Oh, for Hiroshi, this is pretty normal. It’s better not to question it.」
「How…」
To Tatsuya’s words, Kakashi mumbling response. In reality, Kakashi’s estimation isn’t wrong. If a normal person was to work on this project, it will take them at least one day to dismantle the building and clean up the debris. Then it would take them another full day for surveying the building. It will be another one to two days to build the framework and so on. Like this, each process will at least take one day to work on. For this project, they did not need to do surveying or checking the land status but if they did, that would be another seven days added to the construction time.
If they kept the original framework of the building, they could cut down on the construction time. However, because of the uproar that occurred, many areas of the original framework was damaged. So apart from the basics, the whole building was rebuilt for this project. If they used a technique from the high-level craftsman, they might be able to finish the project in a week. But three days was unheard of.
「Hey, Kakashi-san」
「What is it?」
「If you’re surprised over a mere construction task, you’re going to struggle to work with us. So can you try and accept that a single workshop was constructed over a couple of days?」
「A mere workshop? You’re asking for the impossible…」
To Makoto’s outrageous favour, Kakashi responded without thinking. He replayed the phrase “mere building” in his mind.
「Wait, when you say a single workshop…」
「We’ve finished building the blast furnace as well.」
「What the…」
Kakashi gave an unearthly cry after hearing an overwhelming amount of information. Hiroshi, completely ignoring Kakashi’s reaction opened the door and pushed Kakashi into the workshop. Seeing that, Tatsuya and Makoto went off to tell the president about the new blast furnace. Haruna and Mio went off to buy food for the home-warming party which they have planned for later today.
「Lookin’ at the original layout of ya workshop, I guessed t’ would be the best place to build the furnace.」
「I’m still not over the fact that the entire workshop has been rebuilt so I don’t have any comment about the inside layout of the workshop….」
Although he completely ignored Hiroshi’s question, Kakashi was surprised once again as he saw the layout of the workshop has barely changed from before.
「… Hm?」
「Was there somethin’ ya didn’t like?」
「No at all, it’s just I don’t remember seeing this hammer so I was surprised. What is this used for?」
「Oh, that. Since ya goin’ to be usin’ magical steel from now on, thought t’ would make it easier for ya to work with equipment made of magical steel. I made it while I was testin’ the blast furnace yesterday.」
「While you were testing, huh…」
Kakashi dropped his shoulders and mumbled, exhausted from the amount of information he was surprised by today. It was an item that he would need to use sooner or later, and they made it for free. So, he had nothing to complain about it. He was definitely surprised that they just decided to make such a high-quality item for a test run. Yet, the process didn’t disadvantage anyone, so he decided to not question about it.
「I tried to make it as close to the hammers ya were usin’ before but the material ‘tself is different so ‘t would be uncomfortable to use it at first. I’m sorry but ya just hafta git used to usin’ it.」
「It is new equipment. It’s only natural that it requires getting used to.」
As Hiroshi noted about the hammer, Kakashi replied with a bitter smile and took the hammer in his hand. As Hiroshi mentioned, the way it felt in his hand was not too different from the other hammers he has used before. Since the hammerhead was made from different material, the balance of the hammer was a little different. But it wasn’t to the point where he wouldn’t be able to work precisely with it. For a while, some of his work might be a little rough but after fifty or so hits, he should be able to work as usual.
「… this is a well-made hammer.」
「I’m glad ya liked it.」
Completely ignoring Hiroshi’s words, Kakashi observed the hammer intently and gave a light shake. Now that he has new equipment, only one thing was on his mind. He wanted to make something with it.
「Since ya liked the hammer as well, let’s move onto the main topic.」
「… the main topic?」
「We need ya to learn how to operate the new blast furnace.」
「… Oh that!!」
Kakashi, who was so mesmerized by his new equipment completely forgot about the blast furnace. Like every other craftsman, it seems that once something catches Kakashi’s thought, all of his focus will go to that one particular thing.
「Also, try craft somethin’ with the magical steel ya smelted with the new blast furnace.」
「Yeah, but is the operation that different from a standard blast furnace?」
「Welp ‘t take up magic from an outside source so there are few extra steps that ya need to know ‘bout..」
Extra steps… Kakashi’s expression stiffened as he heard that phrase. New workshop and a new furnace that required new operation, if he doesn’t learn each step carefully, it will be a hazard.
「Just vaguely, what kind of operations would I have to do?」
「First o’ all, if the furnace doesn’t take in magic when ya start up the fire, ‘t won’t be any different from a normal furnace. ‘n when ya add in the materials, ya need to adjust the temperature as well as the magic flow. If ya mess up the adjustment, the magical steel would come out in a state that ya can’t really work with.」
「How bad is it ?」
「’t won’t turn into cursed steel n’ stuff like that so ya don’t hafta worry ‘bout that. Ya’ll mess up until ya git the hang o’ it. ‘t just when ya mess up the adjustments, the end product won’ be magical steel but some other steel that’s hard to re-use as ordinary steel. When it’s in that state, an ordinary craftsman can’t really work with it so tis harder to get rid o’ it. But ‘ight now, the stock for magical steel ore is purty good so even if ya mess up heaps, they’d say tis only natural n’ give ya more stocks.」
「I see…」
To Hiroshi’s vague explanation, Kakashi became more worried. Unsure if Hiroshi was aware of Kakashi’s thoughts, Hiroshi started to explain how to start up the new blast furnace. The initial step of starting up the blast furnace was exactly the same as starting up an ordinary blast furnace. The only difference was that when he’s placing the fire into the furnace, he would have to flow the magical energy in from the magic line.
「Is everythin’ clear up until here?」
「Yes, I understand the process. It’s done like this, right?」
As Hiroshi checked in with Kakashi, Kakashi decided to try starting up the furnace. When he’s taking the magic from the magic line, it does use up some of his magical energy. However, the process only takes about a second and it uses less magic compared to using items like pot so even for people like Kakashi could operate the furnace.
「Welp, this is where tis important so pay attention.」
As Hiroshi gave notice, he started to smelt magical steel (precisely a mixed steel of magical steel and mithril) by using the fire which Kakashi has started up. They stocked up enough magical steel and mithril ore so there was plenty for them to play around with.
「Then adjust the temperature to this much n’ magic ‘bout this much n’ if ya continue tis process…」
Around the time one steel would be made, liquidy mixed steel was pressed out into a shape of an ingot. The moment the steel was poured out from the furnace, it cooled down and solidified at a ridiculous speed. Just like that, the ores were finally smelted into magical steel.
With Hiroshi’s experience, he could have smelted the steel in half the time. However, if he smelted the steel at his usual pace, it won’t be helpful for Kakashi. Not only that, the invention of this furnace meant that craftsmen who lack magic will now be able to smelt magical steel. If someone with a ridiculous amount of magical energy and craftsman experience used their talent to minimize the operation time, it would defeat the purpose of inventing the furnace.
「n’ like this, ya smelt the magical steel.」
「I see…」
Kakashi, who has been glaring at the screen that showed the amount of magic and heat used, responded with a serious expression. As he switched places with Hiroshi, he carefully weighed out the magical steel and mithril ore. Keeping everything single procedure of the operation in his mind, he raised the temperature and flowed ton of magic into the furnace.
Immediately, he glared over to the screen, not wanting to miss the slightest change in the condition. He directed all of his focus and senses to the change in sound, magic and the temperature of the furnace. After operating the furnace for what felt like an hour, he mixed the magical steel and mithril, sorting away any unnecessary parts. Finally…
Translator: Reflet
Editor: Weasalopes
「How is it?」
Kakashi pushed the ore into a shape of an ingot and waited for it to cool down, hoping for a positive result.
「… the quality still ain’t good but ya managed to properly smelt magical steel.」
「Oh, I see ….」
「To think that ya managed to smelt magical steel on ya first go, ya got some talent.」
「Not at all.」
To Hiroshi’s compliment, Kakashi mumbled back. The ingot which Kakashi smelted would be considered a high-quality item if it’s looked at it on its own. However, once it’s compared to the ingot which Hiroshi has smelted, it would have the difference of high-quality metal and scrap metal. They used the same furnace and used ores which were close enough in quality. So, there was nothing to blame it on except his own inexperience with working with magical steel. To Kakashi, this proved that with his current skills, he cannot smelt decent magical steel.
「Also, even if I could smelt an ingot, it’s pointless if I can’t craft anything with it.」
「I see, welp, why don’t ya try craftin’ somethin’ with it? But we have more stuff that we needa git through so please choose somethin’ simple.」
As Hiroshi finished talking, he prepared the furnace and showed Kakashi how to flow the magic in for heat forging. Forging magical steel used about the same amount of magic as smelting one.
「I will try crafting a small knife.」
Hearing that there were more which they needed to get through, Kakashi chose to craft an item that wouldn’t take more than an hour to craft. Not noticing the crowd that started to gather around him, Kakashi got into forging. To contrast his weak, skinny appearance, he had the power of a craftsman. Not only that, he seemed to work with the level of holy steel.
「So, tis how the furnace works but wadda ya think o’ it as the president o’ minin’ union?」
「If Kakashi can operate it than I think we can use it at our workshops as well.」
「I agree. We would like this blast furnace built in our workshop as well. What would be the cost and the construction period?」
「I’ll send the quote for the cost later if that’s okay with ya. I’ll be directin’ the first two so those won’ take no more than a fortnight to build. But while I’m buildin’ the first two furnaces, I’d need to gather more materials to build other blast furnaces. ‘therwise, the materials I gathered in Darl won’ be ‘nough. So I’ve gotten a clue on the construction time or the cost for the other blast furnaces.」
「I see.」
While looking over at Kakashi’s forging process, Hiroshi started to organise future orders. Kakashi had no idea that the president was watching over his crafting process. In fact, it was only after he finished crafting the knife that he realised that the president was at his workshop.
==
「Cheers to the end of Crest Cave’s magical steel problem!」
One hour later. They were now at a meeting place in blacksmith town. A large amount of food, liquor and dwarves gathered as the party started.
「Hiroshi-kun, good job out there.」
「Ya too, Haruna-san.」
「Isn’t it fun to cook food for parties?」
「’t sure is. By the way, a new month will start after this week so we shoulda probably finish preparin’ for Makoto-san’s birthday party.」
Looking over the room where ten barrels of liquor has been emptied already, Hiroshi and Haruna started to talk about their next party. As they are still very conscious of the laws from back home, the two refused to have any drink. However, they loved this kind of party where a group of acquaintances just get together without any business formalities. They also found it more motivating to cook up meals for parties compared to cooking up food for their usual meals.
「Makoto-san said she wanted alcohol for her birthday but how is that going?」
「I got a couple o’ people to taste test n’ I think tis goin’ good.」
「I see, but I don’t know about just making alcohol for her birthday.」
「I’ve been preparin’ some stuff for other present as well.」
「Thank you.」
Haruna reluctantly thanked Hiroshi for his subtle yet thoughtful action.
「Isn’t ‘t weird for Haruna-san to be thankin’ me?」
「Well, yeah, I guess.」
To Hiroshi who almost laughed out loud, Haruna replied with a gentle smile. If they weren’t standing 90cm apart, they would have actually looked cute together.
「’nyways, Kakashi-san is really talented.」
「Was he?」
「To haf successfully smelt magical steel which he has never used before, usin’ a furnace that he’s never operated before, he’s a genius.」
「Wow, that is impressive….」
Haruna praised Kakashi’s talent half speechless as she has yet to smelt a decent-quality metal. Most craftsmen around her tend to be out-standing professionals like Hiroshi and Mio. But as someone who has done a certain level of crafting herself, she understands how difficult it is for someone with Kakashi’s condition to successfully smelt magical steel.
「Professional craftsman are really somethin’.」
「Yeah, I won’t pretend to fully understand what it’s like to be a craftsman. But I really do look up to people with such talent.」
「I genuinely admire his talent. ‘specially since he built up all em skills by himself, unlike us who practically cheated our way through ‘t.」
「Yeah, me too.」
From Hiroshi’s perspective, Kakashi was at least an intermediate level in crafting. With a little more training, it wouldn’t be strange if he was to reach an advanced level. On top of that, Kakashi would have only ever worked with standard metal and steel, or at the best, bronze and silver. To think he has built up so much skill only using those sort of materials, the effort which would have gone into his craftsmanship was unimaginable. Considering Kakashi’s age, the only way he could have built up that much skill is if he put in his best for every single item which he has crafted.
Hiroshi was really impressed that Kakashi has managed to reach not only intermediate level but even get close to advanced level without Making Mastery. Reaching an intermediate level in crafting without Making Mastery was something which nobody could dare to imagine.
「If tis Kakashi-san, he would probably level up his skills real quick if I were to brush over some stuff ‘bout craftin’」
「Uh huh, I should get him to teach me crafting.」
「Haruna-san, I don’ think ya need to practice craftin’ that much…」
「Well, that’s true for forging and smelting but I have my own personal reasons for wanting to improve my crafting skills.」
「Tis so…」
In general, you can add auto-size-adjust to most things which you can craft through forging. So, for Haruna who has done Making Mastery, learning forging would only serve as a foundation knowledge. However, she thought that she should at least be able to craft her own breastplate.
「Haru, Haru.」
「What is it Mio-chan?」
「It’s around time you sing.」
「Oh, you’re right.」
Mio stepped in and requested Haruna to sing as she saw that the two of them were getting along but weren’t talking anything personal. Haruna pulled out a Shamisen which they made and sung folk songs and other kinds of songs which people in blacksmith and crafting industry seem to like. [1. TL Note: “Shamisen” is “Traditional Japanese instrument that looks and sound similar to Banjo”.] It was very Haruna-like that not a single pop song was sung.
「I still can’t get a grasp of Haru’s range.」
「She did mention that she can purty much sing any song that she’s ‘t least heard o’ it once.」
「That’s impressive but not impressive at the same time.」
「Ya lose the moment ya try to git ya head ’round people like her.」
As they cooked up more food, they talked about Haruna as always. Stewed pork and Tofu seemed to be popular among people in Forre as well. They also cooked up dished which they saw often around Forre like vegetables and grilled meat sandwich, and potato soup. They also tried arranging sausage which was one of the common dishes in Forre by marinating it with curry powder. All of those dishes seemed to be liked by the people of Forre as well.
「Oh, by za way Mio,」
「Hm?」
「We hava line up o’ magic-powered blast furnace order so I’ll git ya’ll to work real hard from tomorrow.」
「Got it.」
As Mio nodded firmly, she deliciously ate a piece of meatloaf which got on her face.
