Chapter 5: Our New Normal

“In conclusion, from now on, Diana will be joining us as part of the family.”

My homecoming declaration was met with a round of applause. I only had an audience of two, but that was everyone who mattered. I felt relieved to have both Samya and Rike’s support.

Diana jumped in and said, “Thank you all for giving me such a warm welcome. I’m happy to see you both again.”

“Same here, Diana,” Samya said.

“It’s good to have you back,” Rike chimed in.

We’d been living together until a mere two days ago, so there was no awkwardness. However, the next question threw me for a loop.

“Everything went as planned, then?” Rike asked Diana cryptically.

“Exactly as you said it would,” she replied.

Um...what?

“What are you two talking about?” I interjected.

“That’s a secret. Sister to sister,” Rike said. “Right, Diana?”

“Yup!”

Apparently, Diana and Rike had gotten close when I wasn’t looking. It was a good thing, but it left me feeling a bit...lonely.

Regardless, there were more pressing matters. I walked toward my room, calling over my shoulder, “Diana, can you wait here a sec?”

My target was sitting on the bookshelf where I’d left it. I brought the object into the living room and offered it to Diana. “This is for you.”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s a custom knife that I forged. Everyone here has one for self-protection. It means you’re part of the family now.”

Diana took the knife, her eyes sparkling with delight. She slid the blade from its sheath and looked it over.

“As you can probably tell just by looking, the edge is very sharp. Be careful when you use it.”

“I will,” she promised. “It’s exquisite.”

“I know! It’s the best one that Boss has made. A true masterpiece!” Rike gushed.

Why’s she always the one who gets to boast in times like these?

Samya was watching the scene with an exasperated but fond grin.

And from now on, Diana’s smile would become a part of our usual tableau. Just the thought of it warmed my heart.

I took up my regular dinner duties and prepared a meal of cured meat simmered in wine. I served it with flatbread and root vegetable soup. I also brought out wine to drink for the occasion. This was our own personal banquet to celebrate Diana becoming part of our family.

“I can now say for sure that your cooking is the absolute best,” Samya declared with feeling.

“Is it?”

Rike immediately backed Samya up. “Definitely. We took turns while you were gone, but not once did we make anything that tasted better than your food. I used to cook back at my family workshop, so it wasn’t like the task was new to me either.”

Diana averted her gaze. I took that to mean that cooking had been a new experience for her.

“Then it’s a good thing I’m back, right?”

“Yes, it is. Especially when it comes to food,” Rike said with a chuckle.

We all joined in laughing as well.

As we ate, I told Samya and Rike all about the food that was served at the Eimoor family banquet. Our first evening together as a family of four was filled with warmth and mirth.

⌗⌗⌗

The following day, I ran through my usual list of morning tasks, starting with a trip to the lake for water.

I also had something that I wanted to discuss with the others over breakfast. “We have at least a one-week supply of entry-level swords and knives, right?”

“Yes, Boss,” Rike replied. “We continued to make them even while you were away.”

“That should be plenty of stock to give Camilo the next time we see him.”

“Me and Diana helped too,” Samya said. “We should have more than enough.”

“Good. Let’s start on building a new room then,” I suggested. “For Diana.”

“Is that okay?” Diana asked.

“It’s not a matter of being okay or not. You’re family now, so you should have a proper room in the house.”

“Thanks.”

“Don’t thank me just yet,” I teased. “You’ll be helping out with construction, after all.”

True to character, Diana didn’t seem to mind a bit. “It’s only fair.”

Building the new space would keep us busy for the next week.

We’d been careful to keep an ample supply of wood, so we had plenty—enough to build two rooms. But the unsaid conclusion to that sentence was that we would be completely out of wood after building two rooms. So, I took up an ax and set myself to the task of increasing our lumber supply by cutting down a few more trees around the cabin. The trees fell with ease at the touch of my ax. By the time I was done, the clearing felt a little wider.

At some point, I should dig out these stumps and plant new seedlings in their place.

As I was cutting down the trees, the other three were also working; they cleared and leveled the ground where the new room would be built, and then prepared the foundation. Samya, Rike, and Diana were all stronger than the average person, so between their combined strength and Rike’s previous construction experience, the work took considerably less time than it had previously.

However, there was one tiny, minuscule detail that bothered me.

“Is it just me...or have you cleared out enough space for two rooms?” I asked.

It definitely wasn’t just me, but what I didn’t understand was why. After all, we only needed to build a room for Diana.

“Knowing you, Eizo, our family’s gonna grow again sooner or later,” Samya sassed.

“No, that’s not—”

—going to happen.

I couldn’t finish that sentence.

Samya, Rike, and Diana had all been unplanned additions to the family. Something could very well happen again in the future that would result in us taking in another new person. Rather than rushing to build another room when the time came, it would be better to act proactively and build the extra room now. Their reasoning made a lot of sense.

“I suppose we could always use the second room as storage,” I relented.

Samya exhaled a sigh of relief, nodded, and then returned to work.

⌗⌗⌗

The next five days went by like clockwork.

Wake up. Morning chores. Room construction. Lunch. Construction part two. Spar with Diana. Dinner. Retire.

The work on the two rooms was smooth sailing, possibly since we’d already done this once before. By the fifth day, we were nearly done. The two new rooms looked identical to Samya and Rike’s. We also cleared some space to extend the existing corridor. Now all that remained were the doors and furnishings.

“Just a bit more and we’ll be done,” I announced.

“Yeah, I can’t believe it!” Diana hadn’t been with us when we’d built the originals, so she was particularly moved at seeing the rooms come together.

“We’ll put in the doors and beds tomorrow. Those are the last pieces we’ll need to build ourselves. And the day after that, we’ll visit Camilo in the city to drop off the new swords and knives. You’ll be coming with us, right, Diana?”

“Of course I will,” she said. “It’s part of the family business.”

“The family blacksmithing business... We’re an odd family, aren’t we?” I remarked. “A member of the beastfolk, a dwarf, the younger sister of a count, and me, your average, stubborn geezer. What a forge I’ve created...”

Diana snickered. “It’s a pretty bizarre business.”

I returned her amusement with a wry smile. “You won’t catch me denying that.”

Just like that, we were moving toward a new kind of normal, with small moments and conversations sliding into place like bricks.

⌗⌗⌗

The next day, we gathered the materials needed for the doors and beds. We cut the wood to size and started putting everything together. There were still hinges and nails left over from last time, so we could save some time. Preparation was the key to success.

I entrusted the beds to Samya and Rike while I worked with Diana to make the doors. Diana would be making the door to her very own room, so I hoped she’d put her heart into it. That being said, she had no previous experience with carpentry, so I had to guide her along. Also, I helped her build the frame; it would’ve been troublesome if the frame had turned out warped, causing the door not to fit.

However, Diana handled the rest herself, taking to the hammer like a fish to water. Did her skills with the sword translate to carpentry in some way?

After a while, she said, “This is fun.”

“Isn’t it? Woodworking alone and silently may get tiresome, but it’s enjoyable when we get to work all together on the same goal.”

“It’s really growing on me.”

“This kind of work rolls around once in a while. Can you handle it?”

“Of course,” Diana said with a laugh. “If I wasn’t prepared to get my hands dirty, I wouldn’t have come here.”

Diana’s laugh was infectious, and I chuckled too. “That’s what I like to hear.”

Since Rike and Samya had built a few beds before, they finished before we did—Samya called over to us when they were done.

“Good work!” I told her. “Can you move them into the rooms?”

“Got it.” Samya turned to Diana. “Are you fine with the closer bedroom?”

“Yes, that would be great,” Diana responded.

“Gotcha. Let’s do it, Rike.”

“Okay. Can you lift up that side, Samya?”

Samya had the strength of a tiger, and Rike was a dwarf. Between the two of them, they lifted the bed with ease, making it look lighter than air as they carried it away into Diana’s soon-to-be room.

“Time for us to finish up this door!” I exclaimed with renewed energy.

“All right!” Diana agreed.

In the end, the door took us a little longer, but I was pleased with the final product.

“Looks good. It’s well made,” I commented once it was completed.

“Really?” Diana replied.

“Yes. It’s not a trivial task to join the planks neatly without gaps, and you did just that.”

“That’s a relief. I was worried that I’d end up making something completely unusable.”

“Not on my watch,” I said. “Don’t you trust me?”

“Of course I do.”

“Then trust me when I say you did a good job. Don’t worry,” I reassured her, “I’m not trying to flatter you. Now, let’s go install it.”

Diana wasn’t as strong as Samya and Rike, but she was no slouch. We carried the door together to the room, but I installed it by myself.

With the bed and door installed in their respective places, the new room was officially complete.

“Diana, this will be your space from now on. Though I have to admit, it’s probably a little smaller than what you’re used to in your family’s estate.”

“I knew what I was signing up for, so I have no complaints. I don’t need that much space for just myself anyway.”

“All right.”

I could see that Diana was doing her best to adapt to our lifestyle. She’d had time to get used to living here to some extent before the confrontation with Karel, but back then, she’d been a guest, not a full-time resident. In any case, I really appreciated the effort she was putting in.

Rike turned to Diana with a big grin. “Now you’re truly a part of the family!”

“Thanks, Rike. And to you too, Samya. I’m glad to be with all of you.”

“Welcome! I can promise one thing: you’ll eat like a queen while you’re here!” Samya said with pride.

But I’m the one who has to make those meals. Not that I’m displeased to hear how highly Samya thinks of my cooking...

We moved Diana’s luggage from the guest room into her permanent room, then called it a night.

⌗⌗⌗

The following day, we went into the city to drop by Camilo’s shop and replenish his inventory. Diana had been in hiding during our last trip, so it was our first time going all together. Rike and I pulled the cart with the cargo while Samya and Diana kept watch.

We traveled at our normal pace. Once in a while, Diana would get excited at the sight of a grass rabbit or other small critter. The animals were undeniably cute, but I hoped she wouldn’t start to have second thoughts about eating them. We took a short rest in the forest and then continued onward to the city road.

When we reached the edge of the forest, we paused at the tree line to check our surroundings.

“I don’t see anyone. What about you?” I asked the others.

“I haven’t sensed anyone besides us,” Samya confirmed. “Diana?”

Diana nodded in agreement. “Same goes for me.”

Thankfully, it appeared that we were in the clear.

“Then let’s go,” I said. Pulling the cart along, we set off on the city road.

We’d traveled this road many times before, but since Diana was here today, it felt fresh and exciting in an indescribable way.

This particular road was generally safe, owing to the discipline and diligence of the city. It would be foolish to drop our guard completely, but the risk of being robbed was rather low. I hoped the guards weren’t short on manpower now that Marius was gone, though it wasn’t anything I could personally help with.

Naturally, I’d always offer aid when I could.

As usual, we made it to the city without running into anything or anyone. I didn’t recognize the guard at the gate, so I gave only a perfunctory greeting and went to enter the city. However, the guard stopped me. “You’ve added a new person to your group.”

Tons of people must pass through here every day. He’s got a good memory.

“Yes, you’re right,” I said.

“You lucky dog,” he teased. “Can’t say I’m not jealous, lady-killer.”

“It’s not like that at all,” I protested.

“Sure, sure,” he said. “But, in all seriousness, I’ll need to check your new member’s eyes and wrists. You don’t mind, do you, miss?” He directed the last question at Diana.

“Please, go ahead,” she answered.

The guard carefully inspected her eyes and wrists, then straightened. “Thanks for cooperating. Sometimes, people try to slip slaves or kidnapped children into the city under our noses. You can tell if someone is being coerced by looking at the wrists and eyes, but the details are a trade secret. Anyway, you all can go on in.”

“Thanks,” I said.

We all nodded our gratitude as we proceeded through the gate.

As we went, I thought over what the guard had just told us. What an interesting skill to have. I suppose it was something you picked up when you met as many people as he did in a day, though it wasn’t a pleasant skill by any means. I was sure he’d faced his share of hardships.

I couldn’t tell if he’d realized that Diana was the daughter of a noble family, but if he had, he’d kept quiet, a courtesy I was grateful for.

Once inside the gates, we headed straight to Camilo’s shop. When we arrived, we left the cart in the storehouse. The staff and head clerk were familiar with us by now, so they guided us to the conference room immediately. We followed them up the stairs to the second floor. I had the feeling that there were more workers than usual, both in the storehouse and on the shop floor.

Camilo didn’t keep us waiting for long.

I greeted him casually as he entered the room. “Hey, good to see you.”

He returned my greeting with a brief, “You too.” He then noticed Diana in our company and a look of momentary surprise crossed his face. “Oh, right. I forgot that Lady Diana was staying with you now.”

“Yup. All thanks to you guys and your schemes.”

“What can I say? Mischief is in our blood. You knew that.”

“I did,” I conceded. “By the way, did you hire new workers?”

“Yes. Thanks to all that has happened, profits have soared through the roof. Now that I’m an official supplier of the Eimoor family, it’s not enough to send a person to the capital and set up a makeshift booth in the marketplace. I’ll need to set up a shop there, even if it’s small.”

To use an analogy from Earth, Camilo was planning to set up a branch office in Tokyo with headquarters in Osaka. The expansion seemed feasible if all he wanted was a bare minimum storefront. However, if the shop in the capital was going to be a major branch with its own storage, it would be quite burdensome to manage.

“Sounds like congratulations are in order.”

“Indeed. It’s good news,” Camilo said. “Now, on to business. I’m assuming you want your usual?”

I nodded, then asked, “Do you have any brandy? And bedding? We need two sets if you have them in stock.”

“Of course. Shall I deduct the cost from your usual earnings?”

“Yes, please do. Thanks.”

Camilo made eye contact with the head clerk, who nodded and left the room.

While Camilo’s staff loaded up our cart with the items we’d requested, I chatted with him about what had happened at the capital. Samya and Rike seemed to enjoy listening to our stories; Diana and I had left out some details the first time. Even Diana was occasionally surprised by parts of the story.

Once the cart was ready, we departed from Camilo’s store. The city wasn’t as large or as populated as the capital, but it was just as lively. Even in the hustle and bustle of the crowd, we stood out. Three women with one man and a cart full of goods (pulled by Rike and me) certainly drew people’s attention.

But the cart was really what stood out. If it weren’t for that, we would’ve been one of several similar parties; there were other groups with diverse members. They all looked like adventurers attired for travel, like the ones I’d read about in stories back on Earth.

I caught myself gazing at the adventurer parties. I’d been reborn into this world as an old, rugged blacksmith archetype, but with a different set of cheats, I could’ve lived a nomadic life.

Samya caught me staring. “Don’t tell me you have a secret desire to roam the world, Eizo,” she said, a hint of reproach in her voice.

From her tone, I could tell that she wasn’t the only one invested in the answer. She was speaking on behalf of Rike and Diana to some extent.

“Not a chance. I was already driven out of the north and had to make my way here. A harsh life on the road is not what I’m looking for.” I made my excuses with lies encased in truth.

I was nervous that Samya would see right through me, but certain circumstances had pushed me into this world. Though the details were unusual, the broad strokes lined up with the truth.

I gamely continued on. “I wouldn’t mind a trip for fun, but I’m not interested in anything more permanent than that.”

“If you say so.” Samya seemed to lose interest in the conversation and didn’t question me any further. I let out a discreet sigh of relief, knowing that my cover story was still intact.

Rike and Diana exhaled sighs of their own.

“What’s wrong, you two?”

“I’ve always worried about this side of you, Boss,” Rike began. “Your skills as a blacksmith are unparalleled, and no one’s going to challenge you in a fight. Sometimes I get the feeling that you’re going to disappear without a word. I think Samya feels the same way—that’s why she asked.”

Diana nodded in agreement.

Can’t deny that I have a history... My disappearance from Earth was nothing if not sudden.

“I wouldn’t leave without at the very least telling my family,” I assured them. “Trust me.”

“Good!” Rike said, and all three smiled in what I thought was relief.

We continued toward the cabin, keeping an eye on our surroundings, and soon, we were home. Luckily, we hadn’t run into any trouble on the way. Other than the hiccup with Diana at the city fence, the trip had been uneventful. Peace was truly a blessing. I didn’t know if there was a god in this world, but if there was, I owed them my thanks.

At home, we first unloaded the supplies. Samya and Diana brought the brandy and salt into the house; Rike and I stored the ore and charcoal away in the workshop.

We were resupplying the ore at a faster rate than we could use it up, but it wasn’t a bad idea to have a stockpile in case anything happened. We had the space, so it wasn’t a problem to take in extra from Camilo. It would, however, be prudent to build a dedicated storehouse sooner rather than later.

Once we had everything stashed away, Samya called over to me. “Eizo!”

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing wrong, but it smells like rain. Based on the air currents, the storm’ll last a while,” she said.

“How long is ‘a while’?”

“Not sure, but no more than a week, I’d say. Three days or so.”

“I see.” I turned to think.

We don’t have enough water jugs to store three days’ worth of water, but I can at least go to the lake tonight to fetch tomorrow’s portion. The round trip is only thirty minutes.

After I’d returned from the lake with the water, I busied myself with dinner. Today, I was cooking our usual menu. We’d restocked our pepper, so I seasoned the soup generously with it.

Over dinner, we talked about the places that Diana (who had occasionally gone on trips with her father) and Rike had traveled.

“You can mine iron ore in those mountains?” I asked Diana in response to one of her stories.

“That’s right. Father wanted weapons made of superior quality ore, and I accompanied him on an inspection trip.”

The mountains in question were the ones I’d seen over by the capital. Apparently, they were flush with ore. If I had the opportunity, I’d like to visit someday.

In the middle of the night, the rain started coming down on us, hard. It kept raining at an unrelenting pace all throughout the next day. I thanked my past self for having the foresight to refill our water in advance since I wouldn’t have wanted to be outside in this weather.

We spent the day in the forge smelting ore and making plate metal. From now on, Diana would be helping as well.

The process was simple: melt the ore in the furnace and hammer out the metal. This work was routine and didn’t require much concentration, certainly not the same care and precision required for smithing a blade. We kept the furnace hot the entire day, churning out metal plates one after another. By the end, we had made plenty for our stock.

Diana had been quieter than usual, perhaps because the work was new to her. It was undeniably hot and exhausting labor.

“Good job, Diana,” I told her as we were cleaning up.

“Do you do this often?” she asked.

“Often enough. Once every week or so. We would quickly run out if we didn’t.”

“Now I know why all of you are so strong.”

“That might be true for me, but Samya and Rike have always been strong,” I remarked with a smile.

Part of my strength comes from cheats though...

When Samya and Rike overheard our conversation, they both started flexing and showing off their muscles. They were just playing around, but both of them did have the physiques of professional athletes.

Diana burst out laughing while watching their antics, and with that happiness filling the forge, we brought the day’s work to an end.

⌗⌗⌗

Just as Samya had predicted, the rain did not let up the next day. Luckily, it lightened enough for me to at least make my routine morning trip to the lake. In the hope of staying dry, I refilled our water jugs and returned to the cabin as quickly as possible. However, by the time I reached home, I was dripping.

“I’m soaked!” I called as I burst through the door.

“Welcome home,” Diana replied. She held out a cloth. “Here. Take this and dry yourself off.”

I grabbed it and offered my thanks.

She answered with a bright smile. “Don’t mention it.”

A wave of bashfulness suddenly washed over me, and I hurried back to my room before my face could reveal how I was feeling.

“Today, I’m going to try something new,” I declared.

My news was met with a round of soft applause from the other three.

“What are you going to make, Boss? Don’t keep us in suspense.” Rike was practically bouncing out of her seat, and her eyes twinkled like stars. It was moments like this that Rike’s love really shined through. Love for blacksmithing, that is.

“I’m making a halberd!”

“A what?” Samya asked with a quizzical tilt of her head. She must not have been familiar with the weapon.

I shouldn’t be surprised. Halberds aren’t used much outside of a battlefield. Even the guards in the city only carry short spears.

“Think of it like a cross between a spear and an ax,” I explained.

“Sounds like it can do some major damage in a fight,” said Samya.

“You’re right. It can.”

The halberd was a versatile weapon. It could do much more than just slicing and piercing, but that didn’t mean it was useful in every situation.

“But what are you going to do after you make one?” Diana asked. “Sell it?”

“Yes. I have a buyer in mind,” I replied with a sly grin. “I’ll make five to start, just as a test run.”

Diana pressed me further. “Where are you planning to sell them?”

“To the city guards, or, to be more precise, their patron. In other words, I want to make a deal with your brother.”

The guards were currently equipped with short spears. They received their weapons from the city lord, who was none other than the newest head of the Eimoor family. As the third son of the count, Marius must’ve become a city guard because he wanted to better understand the land that his family ruled over. Normally, a man of his background would’ve been promoted to commander right away, but Marius wouldn’t have approved of such blatant nepotism.

During his tenure as a city guard, Marius must’ve realized how deficient the equipment was; otherwise, he wouldn’t have bought a sword from me. Not just that, but he’d even gone out of his way to buy it as a personal item and then bring it to his guard shift under a flimsy excuse. He’d also probably been holding back out of consideration for his father and older brother.

This time, I was planning to forge the halberds as equipment for the guards and then negotiate a sale with the Eimoors. I was hopeful that an agreement could be reached. If not, I’d see if Camilo would purchase them instead. And if Camilo turned me down, well...I’d cross that bridge if I came to it.

My plan might be taking advantage of Marius’s position, but of course, I would deliver on my end too. I’d make halberds that were certainly worthy of a count. The guards might need special training to use the weapon, but that’d be a problem for Marius to solve.

Diana considered my plan for a moment before coming to a conclusion. “You’re right. My brother may be interested.”

“I’m glad you agree. Rike, while I’m working on this project, I’m counting on you to make the entry-level models with Samya and Diana.”

“Of course, Boss,” Rike responded. “Samya, Diana, we’ll be working on shortswords today.”

“’Kay,” replied Samya.

Diana followed suit. “All right!”

We soon got down to business.

I would be starting with the spear-like component of the halberd: the pike. If I’d been making a normal spear, the pike would’ve had to double as a cutting blade. However, a halberd’s pike was used exclusively for piercing, since halberds also possessed ax blades for slashing.

I first slid a plate of metal into the fire to heat. Once the metal was hot enough to be malleable, I shaped the pike, working it into a short and squat pyramid. I kept the pike at a modest length—an overly long one might snap under stress, and I didn’t want to risk that. The bottom end I left temporarily unworked since I would later attach it to the wooden handle, or haft, of the halberd. I then set the pike aside.

Next, I moved on to the ax head. To start, I heated up two more plates of metal with the goal of welding them together. I spread a layer of straw ash on one plate and placed the other plate on top. The ash sandwiched between the metal would help modulate the temperature at the seam of the two plates, and would also help the plates adhere evenly. After that, I transferred the metal to the anvil.

When the two plates were welded together, I proceeded to form the head of the ax.

Once attached, the ax would constitute the “x-axis” of the halberd’s head, while the pike would make up the “y-axis.” In other words, the horizontal center of the ax would run perpendicular to the rest of the halberd.

For the ax’s shape, I was aiming for a rough isosceles triangle, so I held that image in my head as I worked. The apex point of the triangle was hooked, similar to the beak of a hawk; from that point, the two longer sides of the ax flowed outward in a gentle slope toward the shorter, sharpened side. This cutting edge was slightly curved, and I shaped it a bit like the crust of a pizza slice.

When I’d completed the two halves of the halberd’s head—the spear pike and the hooked ax blade—I was ready to assemble. I opened a conical space along the center axis of the ax head. Then, I slotted the base of the pike into place and welded the two pieces together.

I was now nearly done with the halberd’s head; the final steps were quenching, tempering, and sharpening. I relied on my cheats to judge when the metal was at the ideal temperature, where I should hammer to maintain the shape, and how to work the piece to preserve its quality. This was the first halberd I’d ever forged, so I wanted to make an elite model—I kept my focus locked in throughout the process.

Eventually, I would have to attach the head and end cap—I’d decided on a slightly spiked one—to the haft, but...it wouldn’t hurt to finish that up later. The wood for the haft was unfortunately outside, beyond my reach. While the work to attach all the parts was similar to the process for other weapons, it was time-consuming to pry open the socket for the haft at the base of the head. Without my cheats, it would’ve been impossible to forge a whole halberd so quickly.

I’d been able to complete the head in a short amount of time, but only relatively speaking—my cheats and installed data might’ve helped me along the way, but I’d spent half the time experimenting and fumbling around. It’d taken most of the day to forge just the head.

I’ll have to wake up earlier tomorrow...

Since I had extra time, I also wanted to forge a replacement for the self-defense knife I’d sacrificed during the Eimoor dispute. This one needed to be a custom model, so I spared no effort, going all out from the first stroke of the hammer. I concentrated fixedly on the composition of the steel to make sure it was perfectly even.

By the time I’m done, the metal will gleam.

I hammered the plate until the metal was beautiful and uniform, then I moved on to forming the blade. The process of shaping and quenching knives was now intimately familiar to me, so the only difference between smithing an entry-level and a custom model was my level of concentration.

The completed knife had the dazzling luster that I’d come to expect from my custom models. What a relief. Why hadn’t I been able to pull the same effect out of the blades I’d made back in the Eimoor’s forge? It was still a mystery, but whatever the issue had been, I was glad it didn’t affect me this time. Right now, that’s what mattered.

Rike and the others gathered around me as I inspected the knife.

“Wow, when you put your mind to it, Boss, the blades you make are unparalleled in their beauty,” Rike said with a spellbound expression. When she was looking at a well-forged blade, Rike’s intensity was a little bit frightening.

“I can’t confess to know as much about blacksmithing as Rike does,” Diana said, “but it’s a gorgeous knife.”

Samya gave her compliments as well. “I’m an amateur too, but even I can tell it’s amazing.”

“Thank you, all three of you. But my skills failed me while I was in the capital.”

“Are you serious?” asked Rike.

“Yeah. I had to melt down my own knife and make an alloy before I could forge a sword that was good enough.”

“Is that why you’re making a custom model knife today?” Rike wondered.

“You guessed it. But I was able to forge this knife with no problems today, so maybe there’s something special about this place.”

The other three pondered my theory, but none of them came up with any ideas.

“If that’s true, the only downside would be that I can’t move away from here...but I had no intention of leaving in the first place, so it’s moot.” I laughed loudly.

Someday, I may be forced to abandon this cabin against my will. Just in case, when I have the time, I should investigate why my previous attempt failed. We weren’t able to come up with an answer even after pooling all of our knowledge and experience (including the installed data). That means we would likely need the insight of an expert. But first, I’ll have to figure out what kind of expert...

Regardless, I decided to set the matter aside for now. “This is the perfect time for us to stop working and go eat dinner.”

“Whoopee!” Samya yelled, and Rike chided her lightly.

⌗⌗⌗

We woke up to our third straight day of rain, as Samya had predicted, but the squall had weakened to a drizzle. I even managed to go out for water without getting soaked to my skin.

When I returned, I said to the others, “I hope it’ll stop tomorrow.”

“Me too,” Diana replied. “The laundry’s piling up.”

We hadn’t been able to do laundry in three days, so the pile of dirty clothes had grown into a small mountain. Luckily, we each had enough underwear to last us five days. There was still some leeway, but if the rain didn’t let up tomorrow, we would be in trouble. Nothing to do about it but pray.

Today, I was working on halberds again, while Rike led the other two in forging entry-level models. Samya and Diana were slowly but surely growing more comfortable and skilled. Considering their progress, they might not need my help for entry-level models at all anymore—I could start focusing solely on my own projects. Together, the three of them had made an impressive amount of items yesterday.

Over the course of my work today, I forged two halberd heads, following the same process as the day before, and two spiked caps for the hafts. Unlike a knife or sword, the halberd was quite labor-intensive to make. Even if I was only making entry-level models, I wouldn’t be able to work fast enough to produce a large quantity. All things considered, making spears was probably a better use of my time.

I’d finished the components of the halberd, but the day wasn’t over quite yet. I used the remaining hours of daylight to replenish Samya’s supply of arrowheads. Once the rain stopped— tomorrow, hopefully—Samya and Diana would likely go out to hunt or gather since our supply of meat was starting to dwindle. We had enough to last us another week, perhaps two if we really stretched it, but I didn’t want us to live such a miserly life. Besides, it’d be good to have a full supply for the future. You never knew when another long bout of rain would come along.

⌗⌗⌗

The next day, the rain did, in fact, stop. Samya’s forecast had been spot on. When I went outside in the morning, the ground was still wet and water droplets sparkled on every leaf. The world glowed gold under the light of the rising sun, and the shadows under the trees added a layer of contrast to the picture. The scene looked like it was a piece of artwork, painted by the brush of a master. Dawn was called the golden hour for a reason.

I went to the lake, returning with refilled water jugs; Samya, Rike, and Diana used the water to start washing the laundry that had piled up. They had to use more water than usual since there were three days worth of clothes; when most of the water was gone, with no sign of finishing soon, I went out for one more trip to the lake. They didn’t need me around anyway.

I didn’t normally help out with the laundry because I couldn’t bring myself to wash the women’s underwear. Their underclothing wasn’t sexy or anything like the lingerie you’d see back in my previous world. However, even if my housemates didn’t mind me touching their unmentionables, I couldn’t help but feel antsy at the idea. I did all of the cooking anyway, so I hoped they’d overlook my lack of contribution toward laundry efforts.

We ate breakfast later than usual, and after that, Samya and Diana left to go hunting. Samya was in a good mood, apparently because of the new arrowheads. I asked Rike why Samya was so happy, but her response was cryptic. “A maiden’s heart wants what it wants,” she recited.

Exactly what kind of maiden’s heart is she talking about?

As for the blacksmithing team, I was continuing with halberds while Rike was forging entry-level knives; neither were items that Samya and Diana could help out with.

With both of us working simultaneously, the workshop was filled with the repeated clanging of hammer striking metal. The pitches produced by Rike’s hammer and my hammer were subtly different since we were forging different things. The combination of tones had a musical quality to it as if she and I were duetting with instruments of different sizes. It produced a delightful soundtrack to our work.

When I had a minute to spare, I went over to watch Rike work, and it was clear that she’d improved—the metal was definitely more uniform overall. At times like these, I wished I could say, “I can tell that you’re starting to hear the voice of the metal.” Unfortunately, since my skills were cheats, I didn’t quite understand the whole “voice” thing myself. Rike instead seemed to learn primarily by watching me and taking note of where and how I hammered the metal. It wasn’t ideal, but letting her steal my techniques was the only way I knew to teach her.

Since Rike kindly let me observe her while she forged her knife, I repaid the favor by letting her watch me make an elite model halberd head. The process was entirely different from the smithing she was used to. I had already finished making one, so this was to be my second halberd of the day.

The pike, the sharp ax head, and the hooked ax beak were all forged differently to create their unique shapes; this was a good opportunity for her to observe and learn how to make separate components and weld them together. When I was done joining the pieces of the head, I passed the whole thing over to her.

“What do you think?”

She inspected it closely before responding with the careful analysis I’d come to expect from her. “Each individual piece is beautifully made and the weld is clean. You can’t tell where one piece ends and another begins.”

I was relieved that the quality cleared the bar of Rike’s exacting standards.

“Was this helpful to your studies?”

“Yes. I am still far from reaching your level, Boss, but now that I’m seeing this, I can think of a few things I’d like to try in my own work.”

“Good to hear. I wish I could teach you properly, but I just don’t have the words to explain what I do.”

“Not at all,” she assured me. “You’re too kindhearted. Learning through observation is quite normal.”

“Anytime you want to observe me as I work, don’t hesitate to say so, okay?”

“Yes, Boss.” Rike’s eyes burned with determination. “I won’t let you down!”

These past three days, I’d made a total of five halberd heads. Since I still had time left today, and it had stopped raining, I figured I would try to put the halberds together.

I brought in some wood pieces from our stockpile outside, then made five shafts that were each two meters long. The work took no time at all thanks to my custom model knife and my installed data. I’ve said it over and over again, but I truly owe everything to my cheats.

Finally, I affixed the heads and end caps to the hafts using nails, which meant that the halberds were, at last, complete. I wanted to try it out for myself, but the workshop was not nearly spacious enough for me to be swinging around a two-meter-long weapon.

So, I decided to take my experiment outdoors.

If I’d waited until later in the day to come outside, the sun, which had painted the world a bright gold in the morning, would’ve dimmed to a gentle rosy light. However, it wasn’t yet dusk, so the sky was still blue.

I squared off against an imaginary opponent and hefted the halberd into position. First, I tried out a few different movesets, including simple swings, thrusts with the spiked tip, brutal slices with the ax blade, and low sweeps with the hooked side of the ax.

The ax’s blade and beak were well balanced, as were the head and the haft ends of the halberd overall. The initial learning curve was steep, but once you were used to the feel of the weapon, it proved far more versatile than a short spear.

I repeated each move several times, only stopping once the sun had sunk down low on the horizon. With the setting of the sun came the end of my drills and the workday.

The moment I stopped, I was met with the sound of not one but three sets of clapping. I turned to see Samya and Diana lined up next to Rike.

“When did the two of you get back from hunting?” I asked.

“A while ago,” Samya replied. “We’re home.”

“It’s good to be back,” Diana said. “I didn’t realize that you knew how to wield a halberd, Eizo.”

“Welcome home, both of you. And my halberd skills are...as you saw.”

I didn’t think I was any better with the halberd than I had been with a longsword. But then again, apparently my swordsmanship was astounding. If Diana was commenting on my prowess, then I was probably up to snuff.

Should I make one or two to keep around the cabin for defense?

“More importantly, now that you’re home, let’s eat. Samya, Diana, I want to hear about how your hunt went too.”

“Oh yeah! Boy, do I have a story for you!” Samya jumped right into her tale as we headed indoors.