Chapter 4: Order Up! Two Shortswords Please

The next day, we returned to our usual work schedule. We’d first be making metal plates, before moving on to knives, shortswords, and then longswords in the following days.

This time around, I had Samya help us make the sheet metal plates, and all three of us worked together to melt, harden, and flatten the pieces. Of course, while the metal was cooling, we didn’t have to do anything but leave it alone.

We distributed the rest of the work between us, which gave the whole process an efficiency boost. By working together like this, we were able to make twenty percent more plating than we had the last time.

There was still a lot of ore remaining. Clearly, we’d be receiving ore at a higher rate than we could use it, which meant that our total ore supply would never actually decrease. One of these days, we would end up with more materials than we knew what to do with, and I’d have to let Camilo know that he didn’t need to procure any more for us.

Speaking of Camilo, I also wanted to ask him if I could add spears to our product lineup. They were practical weapons, and I’d already test-made a custom one.

And so, the day after we’d finished making the plate, we hunkered down to work on the weapons. We started with the two types of swords. The process was no different than usual, but we were undoubtedly faster than we used to be. I knew I could now count on Samya to take care of the first half of the process—melting and then forging the metal—so I could relax until it was time to deburr the blade. This way, I could store up and focus my energy where it was needed: forging elite models.

For three days straight, we dedicated ourselves to swordsmithing and quickly increasing our stock of items. By the time we completed everything, we had definitely made two weeks’ worth of swords.

The plan for the following two days was to forge knives, but we’d have to make do without Samya’s help. Our meat reserves were starting to dwindle, so she was going out to hunt instead of helping us in the workshop. That reminded me—I’d have to restock her arrowheads at some point too.

As for the smithing work, I was in charge of making the elite models and Rike the entry-level models. By now, the process was as comfortable as a chat with an old friend, so we zipped through the work. By evening, we’d already made a fair amount.

Maybe I should switch over to making entry-level models tomorrow.

As we were wrapping up and tidying the workshop, Samya returned. “I’m home!”

“Welcome home,” I replied. “So? How was it?”

“I caught a giant boar this time.”

“Good job.”

“I know,” she said smugly, and her chest puffed up with pride.

There’s no doubt about it—she’s an excellent hunter.

But I was curious about one more thing. “How were the arrowheads?”

“Sturdy! They bit deep into the boar with no problems,” she said. “It’d be nice to have a few more as backup, but I still have a good amount left.”

“Glad to hear it.”

“The heads of boars are extremely hard, but your arrowhead punctured through the skull in one go! I think that not even an iron helmet could stop one of your arrows.”

“Oh, really?” Hmmm, were they too overpowered?

Well, the arrows were one thing, but at the end of the day, an archer’s skill with their bow was the truly important factor. My arrowheads didn’t unbalance this world on quite the same level as, say, bringing in a gun or something.

Though we’d have to figure out how to hang and dress that large boar tomorrow, we were finished with work for today!

⌗⌗⌗

The next morning, we all headed to the lake together. Samya told us that she’d had to submerge the boar further into the lake where the water was deeper.

She and I would work together to pull the carcass to shore while Rike stayed on land and chopped down nearby trees for the carrying pallet. When we neared the spot Samya had marked, the boar’s greenish pelt was visible through the water. In this forest, the boars grew vegetation like mosses or lichen over their coats, which both gave them their distinctive coloration and also acted as camouflage. I wasn’t too clear on the details, but I did know that when they were crouching down, even these large creatures could be easily mistaken for a bush at first glance.

Samya had said that the boar she’d killed was huge, but I was still caught off guard by its sheer size. It was truly a monster! In my previous world, I’d heard that the boars could grow to be two meters tall, even taller than your average adult man. This one looked to be about that size too.

“Heeeave ho!” I hollered as Samya and I dragged it into the shallows. We soon reached the shore where Rike was waiting with some felled trees. The three of us worked together to lash the logs into a carrying platform, then we all knuckled down to lift the boar onto it.

Now we just had to bring it back home. Luckily, I had my cheats helping me out. Samya was one of the beastfolk and Rike a dwarf, so they both had plenty of muscle as well. With all of us pulling together, it wasn’t a difficult journey per se, but returning still took us an hour longer than the trip out there.

When we arrived back at the cabin, we quickly strung and hoisted the boar up until it was suspended in midair, supported by the branch of a nearby tree. It had to be skinned and butchered, but I wouldn’t be helping out with that today—the two women could handle it by themselves. Instead, I dismantled the wooden pallet so I could turn the wood into usable lumber. Since I was working alone, it took me a while to chop the logs into the correct lengths and thicknesses. Once I was done, I stored the lumber away with the rest of our supply.

I returned to check on Samya and Rike and saw that they’d finished up on their task too. As with the deer, I set aside a portion of the fresh meat for today’s meals, and the rest I’d pickle with salt. For lunch, I sizzled up some boar meat steaks. The flavor did remind me somewhat of pork, but with a rough edge. I suppose that it would normally be called “gamey,” but I rather liked it.

Apparently, Samya agreed with me because she said, “The boar’s tasty.”

“I think so too,” Rike added. “It’s a bit different from pork, but delicious in its own way.”

“Yeah, the boars that live in this forest eat a good diet, so their meat is more flavorful when compared to the meat of boars from other parts of the world,” Samya explained. “At least, that’s what I’ve heard from travelers.”

“Really?” I asked.

“Yup. But they have wild tempers and hard skulls that make them a tough target to take down. Most arrows won’t pierce through the bone.”

“I guess you have my arrows to thank for your successful hunt,” I joked.

As if it were the most natural thing in the world, Samya agreed and said, “Yeah, they’re a blessing.”

Don’t say that with such a straight face! You’re making me blush...

In the afternoon, we continued to make knives. I wanted to have plenty of them stocked up by the end of the day, so I let Samya try her hand at the first half of the smithing process. Since we were only making entry-level models, I was sure she could handle it. Maybe it was because she’d been working with us so often, but she had a knack for smithing. Though, of course, she was still an amateur, so the outcomes were far from perfect. I’d still take over at the end so I could adjust the final shape and finish.

“We know that the Boss is amazing, but you’ve got skills too, Samya!” Rike said.

I’d recently noticed that Rike had started to speak more casually with Samya—it was around the time they’d finished building the two rooms together.

I was relieved to see them getting closer. It was a good sign of harmony in our home.

Despite the compliment, Samya didn’t seem satisfied with her knife. “Hmmm, really? The knives I make don’t hold a candle to Eizo’s work.”

“You can’t compare yourself to the Boss.”

“Truer words...” Samya agreed, and they both started laughing.

This is good, heartwarming even. I was exceedingly proud of this turn of events, but I tried not to let it distract me. Best not to get carried away and make an elite model knife by accident.

⌗⌗⌗

At last, it was time for us to return to the city.

The plan for the day was to drop off our goods at Camilo’s and pick up the bedding, then head home. However, I was still curious about how Marius’s sword was holding up, so I wanted to check on that today as well.

We bundled together all of the items we’d smithed over the last few days and loaded them onto the cart. Though we’d skipped a week of forging, we had enough goods to at least partially make up for last week’s vacation. We definitely had more swords and knives than usual, so the cart was quite heavy, but Rike and I managed to pull it along together.

The journey was uneventful, and we soon arrived at the city fence. I looked around for Marius, but again, he was nowhere to be seen. However, the guard on duty was the same one who’d come with Marius to buy the longsword originally.

“Hello,” I called out.

“Oh, it’s you guys. Good morning,” the guard replied.

I saw no point in being roundabout with my inquiries, so I decided on a blunt approach. “I haven’t seen Marius around lately. Did anything happen?”

“Oh, um...he had something to do in the capital,” the guard answered obliquely. “He left here a while ago.” It was an awfully awkward response, so I figured I’d just have to ask around for the full details.

“That so? Well, I was only wondering about the condition of his sword,” I explained. “By the way, if you have any concerns with your sword, feel free to come find me at Camilo’s and let me know.”

“I will. I’ve fought with it several times already though, and so far, no problems.”

“That’s good to hear,” I said with a smile, but truthfully, his words sent a shiver down my spine.

He’d fought with the sword I’d made.

The guard before me looked whole and healthy, but I assumed that the same couldn’t be said of whomever he’d turned the sword against...

Of course, that was the whole point of a weapon. I couldn’t just turn a blind eye to the fact that the things I made were often used to hurt people. If I were to continue, I’d have to come to grips with this reality and accept it; I shouldn’t deny it nor become desensitized toward it.

With new resolve in my heart, I resumed my conversation with the guard and kept the same polite smile still glued on my face. “Give Marius my regards.” The guards in this city seemed more industrious than I’d assumed they’d be. Were the working conditions unusually good or something?

We bid farewell to the guard with a slight bow and then entered the city, which was bursting with energy.

Like always, the main street was bustling, filled with horse-drawn wagons and luggage carts. Camilo’s shop was located a little ways off the main road, and once we turned onto a side street, the foot traffic thinned out noticeably. It wasn’t a particularly dark or narrow street, but it also wasn’t the kind of place where people would linger if they didn’t have business in the area. We kept moving, the wheels of the cart rumbling behind us, and before too long we arrived at Camilo’s shop.

We took the cart around to the storehouse and called for a worker to open the doorway so we could pull our cargo inside. The employee left to fetch Camilo for us, and we headed up to the second-floor conference room. At least, that was what I’d named it; Camilo and his workers might call it something completely different.

A short time later, Camilo and the head clerk—another title I had arbitrarily designated—entered the room. “Were you waiting long?” Camilo asked.

“Not at all,” I replied.

“Brought your usual?”

“Yeah. We have the knives and the two types of swords with us,” I confirmed. “We don’t quite have two full weeks’ worth of goods, but definitely more than a usual week. If you can’t sell it all, just set them aside for us.”

“I don’t think that’ll be a problem. In the last two weeks, I’ve completely sold out of your products. I’ve even had to start a wait list of sorts.”

“That’s great news,” I said. “By the way, how about the bedding?”

“Oh, I have it all sorted out. You wanted two sets, right?”

“Well, ideally, three...if you have enough in stock.” I’d completely forgotten about furnishing a guest room until we’d started making the beds, and now there was one extra than we’d originally planned. Extra bedding wasn’t an immediate need though; we could always pick up another set the next time we dropped by, or we could even swing by the Open Market to search for ourselves.

“Hm, actually, I think we should have enough,” Camilo said. “So you want the bedding, plus your usual ore, charcoal, salt, and wine, right?”

“Yeah, you’re a lifesaver.”

“Don’t mention it. We’re partners.”

At the end of our discussion, Camilo signaled to the head clerk with a meaningful gaze. He nodded, acknowledging the wordless instructions, and left the room.

With negotiations completed for the day, we headed home. As always, we were on our guard during the journey back, but it ended up being a quiet trip without any fuss. We soon had the cabin in our sights. After hauling in the ore, charcoal, and foodstuffs, we made up all the beds with our new linens.

“From tonight onward, we can all sleep in our own rooms,” I declared.

“It’s my first time with my own space,” Rike admitted, “so I’m a bit nervous.”

“You may have a few restless nights until you get used to it.” It was just like how some people couldn’t sleep if they used a different pillow than the one they were used to.

Rike and Samya carried their belongings into their new rooms, and I moved my things back into the master bedroom that the two of them had been using. Though it had been my room to begin with, I found the extra space unsettling—I hadn’t actually slept here in some time. Nevertheless, when I tucked myself in after dinner, I found the bed to be rather comfortable. I was used to sleeping at the desk, but of course, it was no match for being properly horizontal.

My body might look thirty on the outside, but I still had the soul of a forty-year-old. No harm in taking it easy on myself once in a while.

⌗⌗⌗

Starting the next morning, we set to work forging some more shortswords and longswords (after our usual routine of fetching water and breakfast, of course). Samya was also lending a hand today.

We’d just set up in the workshop and had started the smithing process when Samya froze in the middle of her task.

“What’s wrong?” I asked her.

Samya looked tense as she replied. “Someone’s coming.”

She turned to stare at the door that led outside. At that exact second, there was a telltale rapping against the wood.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

“I was told by Camilo to come here!” a slightly muffled voice proclaimed from the other side of the door. “I want to commission a sword!”

Immediately, I jumped up and lunged toward the door. “All right, all right, I’m coming!” I shouted, and the knocking stopped.

I took a big breath and exhaled a sigh, then freed the latch. Samya backed me up, gaze vigilant; she had the shortsword I’d made yesterday already in her hand.

Slowly, I eased the door open.

On the other side of the threshold was a woman dressed in traveler’s clothing. She had short and messy red hair, which was braided down one side. Over her clothes, she was wearing leather armor to protect her vitals; the armor was reinforced with metal—likely steel—although the pieces were clearly worn and had seen better days. One shortsword was hung at her waist alongside a small sack, and another was strapped to her back. I hypothesized that the second one was a backup. Rounding out her ensemble was a cloak and a large rucksack, also on her back, filled with what I guessed were tools.

She was tall, about 180 centimeters or so. Her eyes were large and bright with red coloration, and a scar from a knife wound was etched across her face. Some might say that the scar marred her beauty, but as for myself, I didn’t particularly mind.

“Welcome,” I said, unable to completely suppress the shock I was feeling.

The woman flashed me a broad smile and introduced herself. “You’re the smith who’s responsible for the weapons in Camilo’s store, right? My name is Helen.”

“That’s me. I make swords and the like out here in the forest. I’m Eizo, the eccentric, the oddball, the blacksmith. Anyway, come in.”

“Thanks.”

I led her inside the workshop to a table where we could sit and talk. “First, I want to confirm, you came here alone?”

“Yeah,” Helen said, nodding.

I didn’t sense anyone else in the area, but I glanced at Samya to be sure. She gave me a short confirming nod.

“Were you attacked by any wolves on the way here?”

“Uh, no? I did see some adorable rabbits though.”

The rabbits here were undeniably cute, and also delicious. We’d eaten some for dinner yesterday. In any case, the wolves seemed to have judged Helen to be strong.

“It was difficult to find this place, but I saw the chimney smoke and followed it here,” Helen continued.

I see. That was the smoke produced from fanning the flames to heat the iron. Even if she had followed the smoke, it was no mean feat to come all the way here.

So, I decided—it was a go from me. She’d passed our test.

I relayed my answer to her. “All right, I’ll forge you a weapon as promised. What do you have in mind?”

Helen unstrapped the sheathed swords from her back and waist, then set them on the table. “I work as a mercenary, and these are my tools of trade for the moment,” she explained. “I want a more robust and sturdy weapon. Whether or not a sword can perform under the brutal conditions of the battlefield is the difference between life and death in my line of work. I often don’t have the luxury to even properly maintain my swords.”

“I understand.”

A female mercenary, huh? She must not have it easy. Though the scar on her face was the most eye-catching, she had smaller ones peppered all over her skin.

“Can I take a look at your swords?” I asked.

“Of course.”

I removed both from their scabbards and inspected them. They were of good quality and still had more life in them, but one of them had a few scratches and nicks on the blade. “They’re well made. Your swordsmith was skilled. Do you mind if I have my apprentice take a look as well?”

“Feel free.”

I glanced over to Rike, and she approached the table to examine one of the two swords. “They’re well made,” she confirmed. “Boss is the only swordsmith who can make a better weapon than this...or the only one I can think of at least.”

Helen listened to Rike’s appraisal, then said in a booming voice, “It seems like I’ve come to the right place if you’ve even got a dwarf’s approval!”

She’s loud! Loud enough to make my ears ring. Well, we have no neighbors, so it’s not like anyone’s going to complain. It was probably a habit from battle. You had to make yourself heard in the middle of a fight, otherwise, you could lose your life. I wished she would be a little more aware of her surroundings though...

“Right then, how are you planning to use the sword?”

“How?” she asked, puzzled.

“For example, what kind of combat stance do you use? How do you wield your swords? The information will come in handy while I’m smithing.”

“Hmmm, let’s see... It’s hard to explain in words. How about I show you?” she offered.

“Sure.”

Helen exited the cabin first. Samya, Rike, and I trailed along after her. There was a wide clearing right outside the workshop with relatively little undergrowth. Helen got into a fighting stance, readied her swords, and was soon awhirl with movement.

She was a dual-wielder, but she didn’t use both swords in the same fashion. One sword she used to check and ward off her opponent’s attacks and the other to mount her own offense. She was also shockingly fast. From her movements, I judged that the sword she used primarily for defense was more likely to wear out first. Neither of her swords was heavily damaged though, so I’d bet she used them in rotation.

After a short while, Helen stopped her vigorous routine, letting out a deep sigh.

“Is something the matter?” I asked.

“I just can’t get in the mood without a real opponent,” she said, followed by, “Wait, I got it! Come fight me yourself.”

“Me?”

“Yeah.”

“How about you fight with Samy— I mean, the half-tiger girl?” I proposed.

“You look stronger,” was Helen’s simple answer.

“Hmmm...”

What to do, what to do? With my cheats, I could probably keep up with her, but...

Well, why not. She’s only demonstrating her moveset, so it’s not like she’d be seriously attacking me. I’d be able to learn more about her fighting style by experiencing it for myself anyway.

“Okay. Let’s do it,” I agreed. “Samya, lend me your sword.”

Samya seemed to have her doubts. “But, it’s not—”

“Everything’ll be fine,” I reassured her. She was clearly still reluctant, but regardless, she handed me the shortsword she was carrying.

“All right, I’m ready, but go easy on me please,” I said, drawing the sword.

“You’re kidding, right?”

Helen sprung at me with lightning speed. I yelped out in surprise and managed to just barely block her attack. But she had actually jumped in with her defensive sword. While my blade was occupied, she stabbed at me with her offensive sword, movements a blur. I twisted my wrist and feinted, as if I were going to intercept, but at the last moment I switched my grip and went in for the kill instead.

“Whoa!” Helen shouted, deflecting my blow with her offensive sword. Simultaneously, she made a play for my wide-open flank. I stepped back just in time for her sword to cut through the air where I had been standing.

“You’re not half bad,” she said.

“Not at all. Cut me some slack,” I begged.

She smirked and came at me, even faster this time. Once again, I rushed to receive her attack, trying to give as good as I got. We continued to spar for another fifteen minutes.

“You’re strong!” Helen shouted, once again giving no thought to how loudly she was speaking. Finally, we came to a stop.

“I thought you were just going to show me some of your moves, but you attacked me for real,” I said.

“I’d only planned to exchange two or three blows with you, but it’s rare that I meet someone who can keep up with me. People call me ‘Lightning Blade,’ you know? You got my blood boiling. Sorry about that!”

Spoken like a true battle junkie... What have I gotten myself into?

“Anyway, at least I understand your needs better now. It’ll take, let’s see...two days to forge your sword, so you should come back here in three days’ time.”

“Hmm, do I have to leave today?” Helen asked.

“What would you do otherwise?”

Her answer was matter-of-fact. “Well, I’d take a short break first. Then, we can go for another round.”

“When exactly am I supposed to make your sword then?” I protested.

“Oh fine, you’ve got me there.”

“Glad that you agree.”

Sheesh, she’s a handful.

I thought she would give up now and go home, but to my surprise, she smiled merrily. “Then let me watch while you work!”

“Didn’t you hear me say it’ll take two days?” I asked incredulously.

“Just let me stay here.”

She’s relentless! But I didn’t have any reason to refuse. We’d already furnished the guest room and had even bought the bedding. We’d also just come back from the city yesterday, so our food supplies had been restocked. I figured that she might want to see something specific, but I wasn’t planning on asking for her motives.

I looked back at Samya and Rike; they both gave me discreet nods. I sighed quietly.

“You win. You can stay.”

“Yes! Just what I wanted to hear!” Helen exclaimed and slapped me on the shoulder. It hurt a little but reminded me that I was dealing with a well-known mercenary.

Without further delay, I showed Helen to the guest room.

“You live all the way out here, but you have a guest room?!” There was something else she was even more shocked by. “I can’t believe you even have such a fancy bed...”

It seemed like she’d rarely seen guest beds with proper headboards and built-in shelving, not even at rather well-to-do inns. An ornate bed may be out of place in a backwater cabin like ours, but this was my way of showing hospitality! I hoped she’d accept it for the gesture that it was, without asking any questions.

I’d agreed to her commission of two custom swords, but the task wasn’t something I could just jump into. It’d be a better use of my time to fulfill Camilo’s standing order today. Of course, I wanted Samya to help us out.

I suspected that we wouldn’t be able to make as many items as we usually could. However, we’d sold Camilo a fair amount last time, so there should be no problems...probably. Besides, I didn’t know anyone other than him who would’ve sent Helen to us, and if that were the case, he shouldn’t have any complaints. If we focus for the rest of the day, we should be able to make the minimum amount of goods needed for our next visit.

We got to work. Samya made the mold and cast the blades. Rike and I took over to deburr the surface of the swords, set their shape, and sharpen the edges. We were an efficient and well-oiled machine, concentrating on our individual tasks in perfect silence.

Samya was now completely used to the work. At this rate, I might be able to teach her how to better use the hammer and flatten out the metal.

In the meantime, Helen sat in the workshop and observed our routine. There was nothing for her to do, but she seemed to enjoy watching swords materialize from raw metal, one after another. She looked on the entire time without uttering a single complaint.

Before the sun had set for the day, we were able to churn out a decent number of shortswords and longswords. Tomorrow, I’d start working on Helen’s custom blades.

For dinner, I decided to cook a more extravagant meal than usual. We were hosting our first guest after all, and I wanted to go the whole nine yards.

As we ate, Helen told us the tale of her trip through the forest. “On my way here, I passed by this humongous deer! I couldn’t believe my eyes.”

“Aaah, you saw a tree deer. They’re seriously massive,” I concurred. They were bigger than most other wildlife in the forest and posed a solid threat, just from their sheer size alone. You did not want to end up on the wrong side of their antlers.

“One more thing,” Helen continued. “I also saw a bear off in the distance.”

Upon hearing Helen’s words, Samya immediately stiffened. Helen likely picked up on Samya’s discomfort—as expected of a trained mercenary—because she made a perturbed face and asked, “Wh-What’s the matter?”

“She was once attacked by a bear and almost lost her life in the fight,” I explained, summarizing the events of that fateful day.

Come to think of it, I’d never told Rike the story either, but she didn’t look surprised. Perhaps she and Samya had discussed it before.

“So that’s what happened... If I’d been fully equipped, I might’ve been able to take it down.” Helen’s response was deadpan and perfectly serious.

I waved her off and said reproachfully, “You shouldn’t do anything so reckless. We’re all friends here now. What if you go to face the bear, and the unthinkable happens? We’d be the ones who find your body... I can’t even bring myself to think about it.”

Helen stared at me with a vague air of puzzlement, but she nodded. “I got it.”

⌗⌗⌗

We started out the next day with our usual morning routine: we ate breakfast all together, and then split up. Rike and I were going to be spending another day in the workshop, and I asked Samya to go out and gather medicinal herbs and fruits since I didn’t have any tasks for her to help with today.

As for Helen, she wanted to observe the forging process, but we would need two days to finish the swords anyway, so I suggested that she go with Samya to explore the area today and then come watch us in the workshop tomorrow. Helen agreed easily, contrary to my expectations. Maybe it was because the woods had piqued her interest on her journey here, or perhaps she was the type who’d rather always be moving.

As the two headed out, Samya lectured Helen on the dangers of walking around in the forest. I couldn’t help but smile when I saw them together because they already looked rather chummy. They almost could’ve been mistaken for sisters, although they were of different races. In my imagination, Samya was the older sister, and Helen the younger. What an interesting family they’d make!

Rike and I moved to the workshop. As I rolled up my sleeves in preparation for the day ahead, I declared, “Without further ado, it’s time to make this workshop’s first ever custom model product! I’m going to pour my heart and soul into this one.” I was feeling more passionate than usual.

First, we selected enough metal plating from our reserves for one shortsword, and then heated that metal in the scorching firebed. Once it was hot all the way through, Rike took it out and hammered at the plate until it was thinner and longer. When it seemed to be long enough, she scored a line through the middle of the plate with a chisel, and then folded the metal at the seam she’d just created. After that, she reheated and hammered again, which pulled even more length from the metal.

Once she’d shaped it to the right length, it was my turn.

Making full use of my cheats and installed knowledge, I ensured that the metal was perfectly uniform throughout. When I quenched the blade at the end of the process, I wanted the sword to turn out solid but not brittle. As I worked, I also kept Helen’s fighting style at the forefront of my mind.

Now that I’d finished the shaping of the blade, I waited for it to cool before hammering it again, which increased the sturdiness of the sword. Then I used a tool—it resembled a file or plane—to polish the surface until it gleamed.

For the hilt, I was going to attach a metal rod to the blade. This required some carefulness on my part; when I connected the two pieces, I had to make sure that the sword wouldn’t break apart later at that joint.

I heated the rod and connected it with the blade using the hammer, making sure to pour my full concentration into the task. The sword got one final heating in the firebed, with specific focus on the joint between blade and hilt. The metal had now taken on a definitive sword-like shape, and once it was at the perfect temperature, I removed it from the fire and immediately dunked it in water to cool and quench the metal.

Now that I’d finished smithing the sword, I wanted to test out its durability. I secured the new blade in place and brought over one of the entry-level shortswords I’d made the day prior.

I gripped the entry-level blade and launched a huge swing at Helen’s custom model shortsword.

Clang!

The sharp sound rang out around the workshop. The sword I was wielding had made perfect contact with the custom sword, but the latter didn’t have even a single scratch on it. I slashed at it a few more times, but still, its surface remained perfectly unmarred. Looks like it passed the test.

But on the other hand...

“Guess I won’t be able to sell this shortsword anymore,” I lamented, staring at the entry-level model I had in my hand. When I inspected it carefully, I noticed that the blade was now nicked in several places. It was only an entry-level, so I wasn’t surprised that the blade had worn out quickly.

At this point, Rike turned toward me, pausing in her own work on a knife. “Can’t you just hone the edge or rehammer the blade again? It’d be as good as new.”

“That may be true from a quality perspective, but it’d violate my aesthetic principles to put a sword into circulation that I’d already used,” I explained, before adding, “Of course, that’s not counting when I test the sword right after I make it. I’ll hammer this one out again and use it myself as a personal weapon.”

I had the luxury of not needing to compromise my ideals because, luckily, we had enough money at the moment. We weren’t wealthy by any means, but it was plenty for our day-to-day lives. It would’ve been a different story if we were strapped for cash, but I hoped to be able to stick to my beliefs from here on out too.

I said as much to Rike, and she chuckled. “I’m not surprised to hear you say that. You’re one of those headstrong artisan types, aren’t you, Boss?”

“Perhaps,” I replied, returning her banter with a sly grin. I was one step closer to my ideal way of life. The progress sparked a small but very real sense of pleasure in me.

In any case, the custom sword had passed the durability test, so it was now on to the finishing touches. I only needed to do a final polish on the flat of the blade, and then sharpen the edge. As for the hilt, I heated and shaped a guard for the grip, and then attached it to the sword body. The entire grip was wrapped in leather that I’d harvested from one of the tree deer Samya had hunted.

To top off my first ever custom-order blade, I chiseled my insignia, a sitting fat cat, into the blade’s pommel.

I raised the sword overhead. The metal reflected the flickering flames in the firebed and the whole sword seemed to glow. “That’s one!” I whooped.

While recalling the blows I’d exchanged with Helen and how she’d wielded her swords, I gave this new blade a few experimental swings. The shortsword was lighter than it looked, and it fit perfectly in my hand.

Rike stared at me the entire time I was testing out the sword, fidgeting restlessly, and looked as if she were going to explode any second. “May I see it?”

“Of course,” I said and handed her the sword.

Rike scrutinized it so closely that it seemed as if she didn’t want to overlook even a single atom of the composition. She turned it over every which way and even swung it lightly a few times, absorbing every little detail.

“How’s the quality?” I asked.

“No average blacksmith could make anything of this caliber. Even a fairly skilled smith wouldn’t be able to come near your level,” she replied. “Forgive me for mentioning your past, but I just want to say that the Nordic folk suffered a great loss on the day you left, regardless of the circumstances surrounding your departure.”

“That’s a high-level evaluation.”

She looked at me with a perfectly straight face. “That’s what it deserves. There’s not even a shadow of a doubt in my mind.”

Well, of course, it wasn’t your everyday sword. I’d tapped into every ounce of my skill while making it, just as I had when I’d made the knife that’d split the log in two. There was no way that this blade could be anywhere close to normal.

Unlike the knife, I’d prioritized durability when making this sword. If I were to strike a boulder with it, the edge would slice through the surface, but it wouldn’t split the stone in two. Of course, even that level of sharpness already defied common sense.

It was well within my ability to make a sword that could slice clean through a boulder if I truly wanted to. I realized that today while putting all my cheat abilities and installed data to use in forging Helen’s shortsword.

There was a caveat though: I could forge a sword that was either extremely durable or wickedly sharp, but not both at once. Such was the inherent limitation of steel, and my cheats couldn’t change that reality. But in a way, the limitation was a relief and not a hindrance. Because of it, I was free to make custom models with steel.

How do I put this? If I were to get my hands on a material that I could pull both durability and sharpness out of—say, for example, mithril or orichalcum—I would have to really search my soul before I could feel comfortable making any truly powerful weapons. A single sword was unlikely to make any major waves in the scale of the universe, but one could definitely be considered a hazard from the perspective of a small region. I wasn’t prepared to bear the mental and emotional burden of having anything I make become a strategic weapon of war.

“What’s wrong?” Rike asked me, a worried expression on her face. “You seem upset.”

“No, it’s nothing. I’m not upset; I was just thinking.” I reassured her with a smile and reached out to tousle her hair roughly. I’d nearly lost myself in distressing thoughts, but thanks to Rike, I was able to come back to myself.

Now satisfied with having finished one sword out of the pair, I decided to call it quits for the day. The second twin blade we could save for tomorrow. Rike had also completed the knife she’d been working on.

We’d extinguished the fire and had started to clean up the workshop when Samya and Helen returned from their harvesting.

“We’re back!” Samya hollered.

“Welcome home. How did it go?”

“Hmmm,” she mused and paused to consider. “Just okay.”

Helen set down a basket filled with fever-reducing and antiseptic herbs, as well as some apple-like and raspberry-like fruits.

“Looks like a bountiful harvest to me,” I said.

Samya just grumbled at that. “This is nothing compared to how much I can gather when the season’s right.”

“Well, the herbs are one thing, but fruit spoils quickly, so any more than this would go to waste. I think this is the perfect amount for us. Thanks,” I said, trying to comfort her.

“Anyway, Eizo, that’s not what’s important right now.” She stated this with an uncharacteristically serious expression.

I straightened up and gave her my full attention.

She looked into my eyes. “The wolves were more agitated than usual today. I’m now pretty certain that Helen did see a black bear.”

Great. One more worry to add to my plate.

“Got it,” I acknowledged, “but for now, let’s eat.”

We had the usual medley of dishes, but apples—or their cousins anyway—were also on the menu today. The fresh fruit added a layer of luxury to our meal.

The fruits actually didn’t resemble apples in appearance, but their flavor was spot-on. They weren’t as delicious or sweet as the selectively bred apples back on Earth though. Regardless, I felt comforted by the nostalgic flavor, even though it wasn’t as if I’d eaten apples every day back then.

The women chatted about the apples as we ate.

“Sometimes you bite into one of these, and it ends up being sour, like really sour!” Samya said.

“That’s true,” Rike remarked. “When I was a child, I used to try and guess which ones were the sour ones.”

Helen also voiced her agreement. “Me too. I’m not a fan of sour foods.”

And I thought the one I’d had was already plenty sour... Maybe I should try cooking them instead. The heat would probably mellow out some of the acidity.

We finished dinner to the soundtrack of Samya, Rike, and Helen’s spirited conversation about fruits. Apparently, this world also had fruits that were similar to mikan oranges and watermelons. One of these days, I’d see if I could order some from Camilo.

⌗⌗⌗

The next day, Rike and I were to spend another shift forging in the workshop, and Samya was going out to hunt. She could take a break once in a while if she wanted to. Her weekly schedule could look something like this: hunting, smithing, gathering, hunting, smithing, visit the city, rest. I’d also originally planned to take rest days—guess I had to remember that from now on!

Helen would be observing us in the workshop today. We’d already made one sword yesterday, so we could spare her our trials and errors. I was confident we could put on a smooth and polished performance.

And so, we began. That said, the process was more or less the same as yesterday, minus some experimentation, so I won’t hash through all the details again. Using everything we’d learned from making the first sword, we were able to finish the second one three hours earlier.

Helen watched us attentively from start to end. “You made it look so easy,” she murmured appreciatively when it was over.

Rike swooped in to intercept the compliment, preening. “No one else can forge a sword as quickly as the Boss can.”

“Not even you, Rike?” Helen asked curiously. By now, she’d learned both Samya’s and Rike’s names.

“I’m not sure I’ll be able to reach his level in this lifetime.”

“He’s that good?”

Rike nodded firmly and straightened her shoulders with pride.

But you know...my skills are just cheats, so hearing your compliments only makes me feel guilty...

Since this was my first custom order, I decided to go all out and add some ornamentation to both shortswords. I took the tool that I usually used for smoothing out the blade and started working it on the middle of the sword. If the metal wasn’t perfectly level, I could easily throw off the weight distribution of the swords, so I kept laser-focused on the task at hand. I stopped once the surfaces looked flawless, and then tried out a few moves with the swords; they both sliced cleanly through the air.

Next, I used a chisel to carve a design into the blade’s surface. This was another place where I could ruin the sword’s balance if I wasn’t careful, but I borrowed the power of my cheats to ensure that didn’t happen. I had a design in mind, and once I’d finished tracing it out on both swords, I went over the entire thing again to smooth and remove any remaining burrs that the chiseling had left behind. This entire process took up the three hours we’d saved earlier in the day.

Aaah, this reminds me of the scale models I used to make back in my old world! As I thought, I really do enjoy this kind of detailing work.

“And they’re done!” I exclaimed.

“Great!” Helen whooped, beaming with joy.

She immediately reached for the swords, but I stopped her. “It’s getting late. Let’s give them another day.”

“But why...” she grumbled. Her demeanor had done a complete one-eighty, and she was now wearing a petulant expression.

I understood how she was feeling—I was also the type to try out a shiny new toy as soon as I got it—but I decided to stand firm on my decision.

With impeccable timing, as usual, Samya arrived home right as we finished up. She’d hunted a few birds and brought them back with her. I dressed the fowls and made a simple sliced “chicken” breast dish. Of course, they were actually foliage birds, not chickens. To compensate for my lack of creativity on the meat front, I paired the dish with a raspberry sauce that I stewed from the look-alike berries Samya had picked yesterday. I also added some of the wine we had in the house.

“Eizo! This. Is. Awesome!” Samya shouted, looking like she was about to start jumping for joy at any moment. Sometimes, she had an almost childlike enthusiasm. Though she looked about twenty-five, on the inside, she seemed anything but. I wouldn’t go as far as to say she acted like she was five, but...

“Hey! Where are your manners?” I chided.

“But I’ve almost never had anything this delicious before!”

“I have to agree—we rarely ever ate this well back at my family workshop,” Rike said.

“That goes for me too,” Helen agreed. “This kind of meal is a rare treat.”

Apparently, both of them had also been surprised by tonight’s menu.

I’d never asked Rike her age before, but I’d guessed that she wasn’t young in human years; I hadn’t once seen her lose composure, at least in the time that I’d known her.

And what about Helen? The knife scar, along with her natural bearing that was surely adopted from her experience as a mercenary made her seem rather mature. However, I wouldn’t be surprised if she were younger than her appearance suggested.

“Well, today’s special. I finished forging my first commissioned swords today.”

“True! Congrats,” Samya said.

“Thanks,” I replied.

“Let me congratulate you as well,” Rike chimed in.

“Well, I have you to thank, since you helped me out. So thanks.”

“Me too, bravo!” Helen cheered.

“You...you were the one who ordered...” I sputtered. “N-Never mind. Thank you.”

We toasted with wine and celebrated into the night with plenty of food and drink to go around for everyone.

⌗⌗⌗

I returned from my routine trip to the lake the following morning to find Helen waiting for me in front of the house.

“Someone’s up early again!” I called out as I neared the cabin.

She beamed at me, her pearly whites showing and her eyes sparkling, then said, “You finished the swords yesterday, right? When I thought about the fact that I’d get to try them out today, I just couldn’t sit still. I hardly got a wink of sleep last night!”

She sure is spirited for someone who hadn’t gotten any sleep. Just how much energy does she have? Or is this the manic side effect of sleep deprivation?

“Let’s go inside,” I suggested.

“Sure thing.”

She entered the cabin and threw herself onto one of the dining chairs. I came in behind her, stored the water jugs away in the kitchen, and started breakfast prep. As for the actual meal, all I can say is that it was one of the liveliest we’d had in a couple of days.

The moment we finished eating, Helen sprang up and made a beeline for the workshop. The three of us joined her.

“As promised, here are the two shortswords you commissioned,” I said, handing the two cloth-wrapped swords over to Helen.

Given her usual impatience, I expected her to immediately rip off the wrappings, but she unraveled the cloth tenderly, cradling the swords as if they were made of glass. She grew visibly more and more excited as the two swords were slowly revealed.

Finally, both of them were laid bare before her eyes. The steel gleamed in the light, and a chiseled lightning bolt design streaked through the center of each blade. Aside from the engraving, the blades were unornamented and exceedingly practical. After all, I’d designed them for function, not form. On the pommels, I’d chiseled my workshop’s sigil: the sitting fat cat.

“Take them out for a spin and tell me how they feel,” I said. “I think you’ll find them well-balanced.”

Helen wrapped her fingers gingerly around the hilts of the swords then gave them a few quick swings, and the blades sang as they whipped through the air. Strangely, I didn’t feel any fear watching her performance, though I knew I’d be instantly sliced to pieces if I accidentally stepped into the fray.

She continued her sequence for a while longer, moving with a grace like she was dancing, before coming to a perfect stop. Her shoulders heaved as she caught her breath.

“How are they?” I asked.

Helen made a movement like she was going to fling down the swords, but instead, she laid them carefully on the workshop floor. Immediately after, she threw herself at me and gave me a tight hug. “Amazing! Just amazing! They’re absolutely perfect!” she shouted. “I made the right decision coming to you.”

“I see. I’m glad that you like—ow...ow ow ow ow! That hurts!”

Helen was hugging me so tightly I could barely breathe. It was painful, but as a blacksmith, I also felt both grateful and blessed to see her enthusiasm for the blades I’d made. Though, I wouldn’t complain if she let me go now...

In the end, Rike and Samya had to pry her off me.

“I’ve already tested out their durability, but if you have any problems, let me know and I’ll fix them up. You can either visit Camilo or come straight here, but either way, I’d prefer if you tell me before you use them in an actual battle,” I told her once I was free of her bear hug.

I was duty bound as the swordsmith to repair anything that was broken, but if the swords were to fail on the battlefield, she wasn’t likely to get a chance to come and tell me. Unlike the swords I made for mass-production purposes, I’d come to know Helen and had tailor-made these swords to her tastes, so I was acutely aware of the responsibility I bore.

“Got it. I train regularly, so if I notice anything while I’m practicing, I’ll call on you again.”

“Oh, there’s also the matter of payment,” I brought up.

“How much?”

“Whatever you want to pay is fine.”

“Are you sure?” Helen asked. “I don’t know anything about the market rates though.”

“I don’t mind. I decided that I would use a pay-what-you-want system for commissions, so pay me however much the swords are worth to you.”

In the two days it had taken to make Helen’s commission, I could’ve forged quite a few entry-level swords. If I were to set prices from a strictly logical point of view, then I should receive no less than the total profit I could’ve made from the entry-levels. On the other hand, I’m sure some people out there would be content to take advantage of my generosity and pay me a single silver coin, but I hoped those kinds of cheapskates would be few and far between. Especially considering the fact that they’d need to be willing to trek all the way out here in the first place.

Besides my time, there was also the price of the ore and charcoal I’d used. If I was compensated at least for the raw materials, I would be able to continue my trade as a blacksmith, even though I’d be working at a loss.

“Hmmm...” Maybe it was because she wasn’t familiar with the market, as she’d said, but Helen took her time puzzling over what to do.

I’d be happy if she were to give me at least a gold coin.

“I’ve made up my mind,” Helen declared, opening her bag and taking out her coin purse. “Here you go.” She dropped two gold coins and several silver ones into my hand.

“Perfect.”

“I guess I should’ve asked before I handed the money over, but are you sure it’s enough? It’s a little more than the price of my original swords.”

Those two swords had been quite expensive then. They were high caliber, so the price checked out.

“Yeah, this is good enough. Your other swords were high quality, so I’m satisfied with this amount,” I said. “In fact, it may even be a smidge too much.”

“O-Okay.” She still seemed to be a tad unsure about the price, but she shook my hand vigorously and said, loud as usual, “Thanks!”

We watched as she turned around and bounded off into the forest. With her energy and enthusiasm, even if she stumbled upon the black bear, she seemed likely to face it down without a second thought. She’d probably even use it as a chance to test out her new hardware.

Once we couldn’t see Helen any longer, the three of us turned around and went back indoors in total sync.

“Man, her skills were no joke,” I murmured. I was sure her strength was on par with that of black bears.

“It took both our strength combined to peel her off you, and even then it was no easy feat,” Samya commented.

“A boisterous and rowdy person,” Rike added.

Helen had left a deep impression on both of them too. It was rare to meet someone with such a big personality. Of course, it’d be a problem if people like Helen could be found anywhere and everywhere—that is, the type of person who could draw out the full strength of both a member of the beastfolk and a dwarf.

“Anyway, for today, let’s go back to forging short and longswords. Tomorrow, we’ll go deliver them to the city.”

“’Kay.”

“Understood, Boss.”

With both women in agreement, we started the day’s work. We’d only hosted a guest and diverged from our routine for two short days, but I was nonetheless filled with the ease of finally being able to return to normal. I prepared the raw materials as usual, smithed with the help of Samya and Rike as usual, and polished off swords, again, as usual.

To be honest, it hadn’t been very long since I’d begun my life in this world, but before I knew it, I’d come to expect this particular brand of normalcy. Warmth and joy stirred in my heart, but I managed to hide my feelings from Samya and her perceptive senses this time.

⌗⌗⌗

We enjoyed two days of peace before the incident happened.

Samya had been out hunting as usual when she had an untimely run-in with a black bear. It had probably been the same one that Helen had seen, and the one behind the wolves’ recent agitation. As I listened to Samya’s tense report, scenes from the day we’d first met scrolled one by one through my head.

Finally, I couldn’t keep rein over my emotions any longer. “Are you okay?! You’re not hurt, are you?!” I burst out.

“Y-Yeah, I’m fine,” Samya stammered. “I ran back here as soon as I sensed its presence. It came closer to the cabin than I thought it would though. I think I gave it the slip, but it has a good nose. What if it followed me back?”

“Thank goodness you’re okay.”

I felt relieved that Samya was unharmed, but what now? What should we do if it actually manages to trace Samya home? If it lingered around in the area, we could run into it at any time, and that would cause all kinds of problems.

I was the one most likely to encounter it since I went out every morning for water, but Samya and Rike periodically made outside excursions as well. What if they stumbled upon it during one of their trips?

I shook my head to free myself from foreboding thoughts. My focus needed to be on action.

There was no way my knife would be enough in a fight against a bear, but I couldn’t waste the time to forge a custom longsword either. However, this might just be the perfect opportunity to finally test out the custom spear I’d made.

That settled it.

“I’m going out,” I declared.

“W-Wait, y-you can’t be...” Samya faltered, unable to finish her thought.

“If I find it, I’ll take care of it. Latch both doors, and don’t open them until I come back.”

“Then I’ll go with you!”

“No. To be honest, if something happens and I’m forced to retreat, I’m not confident that I’ll be able to cover you. It’s not that I don’t trust your archery skills, Samya, but leave this one to me.”

“Damn it,” she cursed. “You better come back to us.”

“Promise me too,” Rike added. “Please come home safely, Boss.”

“Of course. I wouldn’t abandon my precious family, not when we’ve all come together like this.”

Grabbing the spear from the workshop, I left the cabin. I heard the thunk of the latch falling into place, signifying that Samya and Rike had secured the doors behind me like I’d told them to.

As for me, I started off into the forest.

It’s gloomier here than usual, I thought, right as raindrops started to fall. This was the first rain since I’d come to this world.

I headed in the direction that gave me the deepest sense of foreboding. It was a sensation that practically screamed, “If you come this way, you’re in for a nasty surprise.”

I wasn’t used to paying such close attention to my surroundings. On our trips through the forest to the city, Samya was always on guard duty. Right now, it would be easy for me to overlook subtle indicators of danger. In spite of my enhanced strength and cheat skills, I couldn’t be cocky; death waited at the other side of any careless mistakes. Luckily—in a sense of the word—the warning signs that the giant black bear left behind were anything but subtle, and I could perceive them without any difficulty.

Surrounded by the pitter-patter of the falling rain, I doggedly strained my ears for any sounds made by the black bear, while simultaneously ensuring that the noise of my own movements blended into the choir of nature.

According to Samya’s information, bears usually returned to their dens before too long, even when the weather was sunny and clear. But if that were the case in this instance, then I should’ve long stopped being able to sense the bear’s presence with my cheat-heightened senses. In other words, it must still be rambling around this area. Perhaps the scent of humans had been previously ingrained in its memory; that had often been the reason behind bear attacks back on Earth. There was a good chance that it was holding a grudge against humans, including the beastfolk that lived in the forest.

With the rain washing away my scent, today was the perfect time for me to take it out. I couldn’t let this opportunity pass me by.

“Brace yourself, Eizo,” I mumbled under my breath.

In my last world, it had cost me no less than my life to save one single cat, but here I was, steeling myself to kill a bear. I couldn’t help but laugh at the irony of it all. Nevertheless, I had no choice but to face down the bear. I would stop at nothing to protect Samya and Rike, who’d become like family to me, and the new normal I’d established here in this world. It was everything I held dear.

I took my time, stepping further and further toward the direction where I sensed the most danger. I couldn’t tell how much time had passed already. This hunt felt simultaneously too long and too short.

Suddenly, my sense of danger, my survival instincts, and my skills converged at one point, and all the alarm bells in my mind went off at once. It was like a Klaxon siren was blaring in my head.

Found it.

I’d known to expect a large black bear, but this thing wasn’t just large... It was a monster. It was as large as even the Ussuri brown bears native to Japan that I’d seen on TV.

“You can’t be the one that attacked Samya,” I muttered. This bear’s claws would’ve easily sliced through leather armor; one blow from those paws would’ve ended Samya’s life. In comparison, the bear from back then had been scared away by my approach, so I was almost sure that this was a different one. Although I couldn’t entirely rule out the possibility that the bear from before had gone through a growth spurt over the last several weeks.

“Sorry, it’s not that I hold any grudges against you...” I carefully shifted into position, pointing the tip of the spear toward the bear, and I prayed that there weren’t any starving cubs waiting back in its den.

Alarm bells were still ringing in my head, but strangely, I didn’t think this bear could stop me with a single punch. I wasn’t one hundred percent positive I would win, but I was certainly immensely grateful for the cheats I’d received.

The bear slowly shifted its massive bulk and stood up on its hind legs. It was gigantic, almost twice my height, but I couldn’t back down. I stood my ground and braced myself over my spear, the point of the weapon facing forward.

It collapsed back onto all fours and charged at me. There was no way I could retreat in time, even if I’d wanted to. One of us, either me or the bear, would not make it out of this showdown alive.

The bear’s claws flew at me, and I managed to sidestep them just in the nick of time. I would’ve been seriously wounded if its claws had so much as grazed me. I’d intended to counterattack when it charged past me, but that seemed impossible. It was fast, more so than I’d anticipated. My cheats had given me the strength to survive so far, but had I been a normal human, I would’ve been a goner.

I considered trying to cripple its movements with a low sweep aimed at its legs, but on second thought, that didn’t seem like it would be very effective.

The bear quickly turned around to face me again, but I was a step faster, and I swiftly thrust the spear at the bear, burying the tip into its flank. The blade was so sharp that it cut through the bear like its flesh was made of butter. However, because of my cheats, I could perceive that the wound was merely a shallow one. In truth, I hadn’t been able to gain enough traction on the muddy ground to put any strength into my thrust.

I yanked out the spear and retreated rapidly, but I wasn’t fast enough to completely avoid the bear’s retaliatory attack. It landed a swipe at my chest with its front paws, knocking all the air out of my lungs. Luckily, since I had already been backing away, the damage was minimal.

I absorbed the blow and rolled away to break my fall, regaining my footing in short order. Thank god I was thirty again—there was no way I would’ve reacted half as well if I’d been forty.

I launched myself forward, ducking just in time for the bear’s claws to whistle through the air a hair’s width from the top of my head. I stopped right in front of it. Its huge form loomed above me with arms still outstretched.

“Victory is mine!” I yelled as I thrust the spear into the bear with all my strength. The tip passed through the bear’s body with little resistance. Samya had once said that the way my blades cut through targets with such ease was gross, or something to that effect. I had to admit, it was an acquired taste...to say the least.

But I felt the reverberations of the blow through my arm this time, meaning that the spear had pierced deep through the bear’s hide. The bear flung me away, and I tumbled to the ground from the force of the attack.

In the process, the spear slipped out of my hands.

The bear swiped at the spear lodged within its chest, once, and then pawed at it again in futile desperation. Finally, its massive body crashed to the ground.

The bear collapsed on its side, so it didn’t crush the spear. In fact, despite my rough handling, the spear still looked like new. Since it was a custom model, it was likely more durable than a normal one. I’d have to test out that theory later on.

Once the commotion from the bear’s fall died down, all was quiet except for the whisper of the falling rain. With my knife drawn, I approached the bear slowly and carefully on tiptoe. The knife was the last of my weapons, but it was better than having nothing else at all.

It didn’t look to be breathing. To double-check, I hesitantly prodded at the bear with the tip of my foot. There was no reaction. Without dropping my guard, I wrapped my fingers around the pole of the spear and pulled it out.

Blood gushed from the wound, soaking the bear’s hide and the mud below. The vivid crimson blood mixed with the rain, flowing across the ground and sinking into the earth. The bear did not so much as twitch.

I did it. I killed it.

All the strength left my legs the moment I finally confirmed the bear was dead. Needless to say, in my previous life, I’d never survived a brush with death—that truck had succeeded in killing me, after all.

This was a close call, to say the least, and I owed my survival entirely to my cheats and installed knowledge.

I let out a deep sigh, slowly coming back to my senses. Now that I was no longer high on adrenaline, various aches and pains were making themselves known across my body. Regardless of my cheats, it was hard to remain unscathed after being thrown to the ground by a giant bear. I had scrapes and bruises everywhere.

I tested to see if I could move, and luckily everything seemed to be in working condition. I was thankful that I hadn’t broken any bones—that would’ve put a pause on any carpentry or blacksmithing for a while. As it was, I’d still need a day or two to recover.

I stared solemnly at the fallen corpse of the bear and then brought my hands together in prayer.

I’m sorry. You haven’t done us any harm, but we couldn’t just wait like sitting ducks for you to come. I’ll live out the rest of your years in your stead.

Its life may have been over, but I was able to live on because of that.

Now, what am I supposed to do with the body?

If I left it lying out, scavengers would pick the meat from its bones. It was the easy and natural solution, but as the one who’d taken its life, I wanted myself and my family to be the ones who both honored and ate it.

In this world, I was substantially stronger than I had been back in my old life. If I put my back into it, I might be able to...

I shouldered my spear. “Let’s do this.” I grunted as I heaved the bear onto my shoulder by its forearms. It was unbelievably heavy; if I remembered correctly, even a small Ussuri brown bear weighed about 250 kilograms. Yet, despite its weight, I was still able to drag it along. I hoped the rain would wash away the blood it was tracking behind us.

The rain made the ground slippery. Between that and my injuries, progress was slower than I’d imagined. It would be a major pain in the ass if I were attacked by another bear or wolf, so I wanted to hurry it up. On the other hand, rushing might actually cause me to miss any warning signs of other predators. I had no choice but to take it one step at a time.

After a long while, several times longer than my journey from the cabin had taken, I made it halfway home. The rain had died to a drizzle, so it was due to clear up soon. Once it stopped raining, I’d be able to move a touch faster.

It was time for a break. I was exhausted.

I was just about to throw my spear and the bear’s arm off my shoulder when something came flying at me from a nearby thicket.

“Aaagh!”

I was knocked down to the ground without even a spare second to pull out my knife. Whatever had pinned me down was now getting up and turning to face the bear in a low crouch, unsheathed knife in hand and ready.

It was Samya.

She looked just as cute and friendly as she had the day I’d woken up to see her with her hand on my throat, and she stood before the bear with rage burning in her eyes.

I rose to my feet and called out to her. “Samya! I’m okay! It’s already dead!”

She twitched and turned back to face me. “Are you sure? Are you absolutely, one hundred percent positive you’re fine?”

“Yeah. I have a few scrapes and bruises, and I’m sore all over, but no major injuries.”

Upon hearing that, Samya launched herself toward me once more. I was caught off guard again, but unlike the first time, I managed to keep on my feet.

“Thank god... I’m so glad. I-I can’t...” she cried, sobbing.

I stroked her head as she wept.

There was another rustling sound coming from the bushes. This time I was prepared. Samya was a native inhabitant of this forest and half-tiger, so she was an expert at moving silently and erasing her presence. However, this one was different.

“Rike,” I said.

“Have I come at a bad time, Boss?” Rike said by way of a greeting.

“Of course not.”

Of course...not...right?

Samya was still sniffling with her face buried in my chest and clinging to me with all her strength, which was considerable since she was one of the beastfolk. My wounded and battered body was hurting all over from her tight embrace, but I figured that was a secret I’d better keep to myself.

“Samya was worried about how long you were away,” Rike explained. “She said that if you had been able to take down the bear, you should’ve been back a long time ago, so we came out to find you.”

“But you were putting yourselves in danger by leaving the safety of the cabin,” I griped.

“You try explaining that to a young woman in love. Anyway, Samya smelled your scent mingled with the bear’s, both coming our way, and we hid to lay an ambush in case the worst had happened.”

“I see.”

She must not have been able to get a good look from her angle. With the bear’s arm thrown over my shoulder, at first glance it must’ve looked like the bear was biting down on me, rather than me carrying it. The first move Samya had made was to take me back from the bear. That’s why she’d launched herself at me like that.

I pretended I didn’t hear the part about her being in love. They both came because they were worried about me, so first and foremost, I had to give my thanks. “Thank you, Rike.”

“No, don’t thank me. Samya’s the one who deserves it,” Rike said.

“You too, Samya. Thanks,” I said with genuine emotion.

“It’s nothing,” she mumbled. She had calmed down a little, but it didn’t seem like she had any intention of letting me go.

Oh, what am I supposed to do with you?

“Come on. Let’s go home,” I suggested gently, petting her head.

“O-Okay,” she said and reluctantly let go of me.

“Boss,” Rike interjected, “is the bear truly dead, once and for all?”

“Yeah. I haven’t gotten a chance to dress it yet, but I’d hoped to butcher it.”

“There aren’t many people, let alone blacksmiths of all things, who’ve confronted a bear and come out the other side in one piece,” Rike said. “There are few dwarves who could boast of that either.”

I flashed her a quick grin. “I was just lucky.”

“Sure, we can pretend that’s all it was,” she said and sighed, letting me off the hook for the day.

“All right, time to get this bad boy back on my shoulder.”

Samya frowned, looking at me with worry in her eyes. “Are you sure? What about your injuries?”

“I’ve already made it halfway, so we’re practically already home. I can do it. Don’t worry,” I bluffed. Not that I didn’t believe it to some extent.

“If you’re sure, Eizo...” Samya said hesitantly.

I gave my spear to Rike to carry, while Samya and I each picked up an arm and hoisted them onto our shoulders. With Rike’s height, the spear looked like a pike. While we trudged back home, Rike was entranced by the spear. It was a custom model after all.

“You’ll trip if you don’t watch where you’re going,” I warned. She reminded me of the youngsters back on Earth who were always absorbed by their phone screens, even while walking. But when it came down to it, a spear was still a bladed weapon. It was dangerous, so I wanted her to be more cautious.

We’d finally reached the lake and were nearly home. After a brief discussion with Samya, we decided to sink the bear into the water until tomorrow. It took us just short of another half hour to return to the cabin.

When we were finally indoors, Rike said, “I’ll prepare hot water and a meal. Samya, can you take Boss to his room?”

“Yeah, got it.”

“No, wait, I can make it there myself!” I protested.

“Now, now, be a good boy and listen to the grown-ups,” Samya said.

I could tell by her tone she wasn’t planning on taking no for an answer. “Fine.”

“I’ll lend you my shoulder. Let’s go.” Supported by Samya, I staggered to my room.

I sat down on the stool since I was still covered in mud and I didn’t want to dirty the bed.

“Yeouch.” The scratches didn’t hurt too bad, but the places where I’d been hit were a different story—my body felt like one giant bruise.

“T-Take it slow!” Samya said, flustered.

“Got it, got it. Don’t worry,” I said in a soothing tone. “I was knocked around a bit, so I can’t say I’m not sore. On the bright side, I don’t have any deep cuts or broken bones.”

Her eyes searched my face anxiously. “Are you telling the truth?”

“Yeah,” I said reassuringly.

Hearing my response, Samya appeared relieved. She was more of a worrywart than she looked, but I didn’t say that aloud. I had a hunch that she’d take offense.

“I have to wipe myself down. Can you let me know when the water is hot, Samya?”

“Y-Yeah. I’ll go check on it,” she said.

A peaceful silence fell over the room when Samya left, my first quiet moment in a while. Now that I was safe in my own home, my body was clamoring for rest.

I can’t...keep my eyes...open. I...have to stay...awake...

I awoke languidly, feeling like my head was still up in the clouds...which meant that I had been sleeping. Damn! I hadn’t wiped myself down.

Agitated, I sat up, locking eyes with a startled Samya. I’m sure her look of surprise was mirrored on my face as well. For a lack of anything better to say, I stuttered, “G-Good morning.”

“Y-Yeah. Morning,” Samya replied, her expression still flustered.

“Was I sleeping?”

“Uh huh. Like a log. Rike said it wasn’t good to leave you covered in dirt, so the two of us wiped you down with hot water and laid you out on the bed,” she explained. “Oh, but we left your underwear on.”

“O-Oh, okay. Thanks,” I said awkwardly.

“Don’t worry about it.”

I lay back down on the bed again right as Rike entered the room.

“Boss, you’re awake,” she said.

“Yeah. Seems like I owe you one too, Rike.”

“It was nothing,” she replied. “Oh, that’s right. Yesterday, Samya came out yelling, ‘Eizo is—’”

“Gaaah!!!” Samya shouted. Her screech sounded almost exactly like a tiger’s roar. “A-A-A-Are you crazy?! Don’t tell him that!”

“Hmmm, and why not? Are you feeling shy?” Rike teased, used to handling a flustered Samya. When did she get so good at that?

Taking advantage of the commotion, I tried to slip in an agenda item of my own. “You know you can stop calling me ‘Boss’ too, right, Rike?”

“No, that’s impossible, Boss,” she said, shooting me down without a second thought.