29. An Unusual Request
āYou want me to make a transparent sword?ā
āThatās right~ can you do something about it?ā
One day, Doga visited my smithy.
He seemed to be concerned about something and wanted to consult with me. As of the moment, we were in the middle of said consultation.
āI will see what I can do. Still, for whom is it?ā
āItās a request from a loyal customer. In honor of the person, I canāt tell you the name. But, heās quite well-known…ā
Doga averted his gaze and stuttered, making it difficult to comprehend what he was saying.
I concluded that the customer was someone who couldnāt be made public.
Could it be an aristocrat?
I felt that it was better not to pry too much.
āWhy would they need a transparent sword? Is it for assassination…?ā
āNo, no! Itās more like a gift!ā
āA gift?ā
āKeep it a secret from everyone elseāthe sword is supposed to be a gift for a noble lady.ā
…A noble lady and a transparent sword.
Towards the uncommon combination, I tilted my head.
āIt seems that when he was trying to attract said noble lady, she told him that if he managed to bring her a transparent, beautiful, well-cut sword, sheād consider their engagement.ā
ā…What?ā
āItās as you heard. What a request! However, I received it, so I attempted to make it…ā
Doga kept sighing.
āBut, as Iāve said, I skill eludes me. I canāt do it.ā
āHence, you came to me.ā
āExactly~ youāre the best blacksmith Iāve ever known, Liliana! No one can hold a candle to you!ā
āWell, let me consider it…ā
āItās impossible for me! Because he wanted a transparent sword, I tried using glass. However, I canāt cut it properly. No matter how sharp the glass is, it breaks too easily. I canāt use iron either, because it isnāt transparent. Iām on my last straw!ā
Dogaās hands trembled.
A transparent, clean, and well-cut sword.
The customer didnāt want a glasswork ornament, but a sword.
It was certainly a difficult request.
When I was thinking about it, Doga said apologetically.
āI, is it really impossible? Whelp, thereās nothing we can do about it, then. I will just refuse the request…ā
Nevertheless, Dogaās eyes were pleading.
He had been of help to me. As such, I had been wanting to repay my debt.
Based on my knowledge, I could only come up with one solution.
āItās impossible to make a completely transparent sword. But, if by ātransparentā, the customer meant the other side of the blade can be seen, and iron can still pass as the material, it shouldnāt be impossible.ā
ā…ā
There was no response from Doga.
It was as if time had stopped. Doga, with his mouth agape, froze on his spot.
āD, Doga?ā
āI, is that true!?ā
He suddenly shouted.
Because we were near each other, his voice almost broke my eardrums. In fact, my ears actually hurt a little.
āH, how would you make that!? What are the materials?ā
āI canāt make it right away, though. The materials are a bit specialāI have to procure them first.ā
āIs that so? From where?ā
***
āA Fake Ice Stone? Is that the material you need to make the transparent sword?ā
āIndeed.ā
The night of the day I heard Dogaās request,
Amidst dinner, I consulted with Grave.
āIt looks like ice. Itās a special stone that can be found on top of a snowy mountain, or basically cold and high places.ā
āI havenāt heard that much about it. I donāt think the guildās warehouse has any.ā
āYes, Iāve confirmed that.ā
The guildās warehouse stored materials from the monsters the guild members had fought during quests, as well as collected minerals and herbs.
There were many types. It seemed that some of the materials would be sold to other guilds. There were many that I hadnāt seen before.
However, the one material I needed, the Fake Ice Stone, wasnāt there.
āItās a rare item, and it is difficult to process. Outside of that, itās not very useful.ā
āIāve never heard of it. Iāll go get it.ā
āAlright. Is there a tall, snowy, mountain around here?ā
āNot nearby, but if you leave the city and head North, thereās a mountain range. It snows there all the time, and itās pretty tall.ā
āReally?ā
āYes, but snowy mountains are dangerous? There are many dangerous monsters that adapt well to the environment. Iāve also heard that dragons build their nests on the mountaintop.ā
āDragons…ā
That was right.
When I heard that, I felt bad for making such a request of Grave.
āBy saying that, I donāt mean anything, you know? Do you want my help?ā
āOf course, but itās dangerous, right?ā
āWell, thatās true, but Iāll do something about it. You need the stone, right?ā
āYes…ā
āItās okay! I will happily fulfil any of Lilianaās request! Itās not as extreme as it sounds. If things get dangerous, I will head back and avoid doing anything reckless. Iām sure I can do it. Iām also indebted to Doga. Youāre helping him because you want to express your gratitude, right?ā
I nodded.
Grave nodded with a smile.
āIf so, I will lend you my help.ā
āThank you.ā
***T/N: Okay, an unusual request. That isn’t a bad place to start our second arc.
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There’s dragons and frigid weather and monsters and yeti and bigfoot so it’s dangerous but not that dangerous so it’s all good… well then, that was an interesting exchange ?
Right? There aren’t any abominable snowmen or aliens or cthulus so it’s just peachy. Beware of penguins too.