We left the Guild and followed the directions given by the staff. The Dwarven blacksmith's workshop was supposedly about a fifteen-minute walk away.

The workshop was called Dargos Smithy. If I were to give it a more stylish name, maybe "Atelier Dargos" sounds good. It seems it's simply named after the master's family name, Dargos. In Japan, it'd be like Noguchi Blacksmith Shop.

Well, there weren't any blacksmiths in my hometown, so I can't quite imagine how they operate anyway.

I've mentioned "dwarven blacksmith" multiple times, but dwarves themselves aren't some ultra-rare race. They're pretty common around these parts. When we had the mansion repaired and renovated before, there were several workers who looked like dwarves mixed in, and I see them often in Erishe too.

There are also quite a lot of dwarves who work as blacksmiths.

Compared to modern Japan, iron goods are precious in this world, so blacksmiths are in high demand. After all, iron products aren't disposable. If a hoe wears down, you'd want to attach a new blade and keep using it. Knives, too, get sharpened again and again.

So then—what exactly are dwarves?

They show up so often in games and fairy tales that I'd never really thought about it, but like elves, the Turk race, the Caanan race, and so on, they're just another race of this other world.

To put it bluntly, their defining features are: short, dexterous, hairy middle-aged men.

I'm sure there must be women too, but I've just never seen them—or maybe the ratio of men is just incredibly high. Perhaps they have a culture where the women don't go outside or appear in public. Or there's always the possibility that they look so much like middle-aged men that I just can't tell the difference.

There must be young ones too, of course. But because they're naturally hairy, they always look older. Honestly, you wouldn't be far off if you just assumed they're all middle-aged dudes.

Because of their innate dexterity, many dwarves receive craft-related Vocations. Many also work as miners. Their short stature makes it easier to navigate narrow tunnels, and they're incredibly strong.

Which is to say—dwarves are naturally suited to being blacksmiths.

And among those dwarves, the master of the Dargos Smithy—the one I got an introduction to—is said to be particularly skilled.

A 'Dwarven Master Craftsman'.

The title alone makes me want to bow down.

Apparently, the Meeker Company couldn't fully appraise the knife I sold them, so they ended up asking this master to examine it. I was curious how much a dwarf master craftsman had managed to figure out about that knife.

We walked down Lucraella's main street. Even though it was still morning, it was already past nine—right in the middle of working hours. There weren't many people around.

First of all, Lucraella isn't that big a town.

Well, by otherworld standards, it's apparently a fairly large town, but to a modern Japanese person like me, it's just plain rural. Erische, on the other hand, actually feels urban, with lots of people.

As we walked, I thought about my budget.

Selling those Ramune candy-like coins earlier had left us in a very comfortable financial position. But I still want to keep some funds set aside for doing business in this world, and I need to leave some money untouched for online auction purposes. But since we came all this way to have weapons made, I feel like splurging a bit.

After all, this sudden wealth was pure luck. I happened to get a magic map, happened to clear it, and happened to get money as a reward. You could call it "windfall cash." I don't feel like I need to hoard it for dear life. Our business in Erische is doing decently enough as it is.

Of course, it all depends on the blacksmith's prices. Weapons and armor were never cheap to begin with.

While there are ready-made items, custom orders are standard in this industry, and the cost of metal is higher here than on Earth. Marina's broken Mithril armor originally cost about 1.5 million yen ($10,000). If a single one-handed sword costs something like 3 million yen, I'll have to stick to the bare minimum.

Here is the lineup I'm planning to order:

1. Matching one-handed swords for the Knight Order, one per member.

2. Main gear for Elepipi.

3. Armor for everyone.

4. A weapon for Etowa.

That's the lineup.

First, the matching swords for the Knight Order.

These are largely ceremonial, but they need to be practical too. As things stand, we simply don't have many weapons. Actually, we have almost none.

Shello-san and Rebecca-san have their own gear from their mercenary days, but all I have is my Magic Sword and a knife. Marina has that massive halberd. Diana has a crossbow I bought online, but she rarely carries it. We just don't have enough gear.

Plus, our current weapons aren't exactly "convenient."

My Magic Sword is over 120 cm long, and Marina's halberd is nearly 2 meters. Carrying those around for self-defense in Erische is overkill and impractical if something actually happens. It's like driving a massive truck in a city when a compact car would be much better.

Hence, the one-handed swords. Erische is safe, so a one-handed sword is perfect—it's enough protection without being a burden. I'll need to make sure everyone trains to use them, but with Vocation bonuses, that shouldn't be an issue.

...That said, more than half the reason is honestly just wanting to go, "Matching knight swords for everyone!" and get excited about it... It's a hobby! Pure indulgence!

Elepipi's main equipment will be a one-handed sword and a shield.

Since we're already making matching swords for the knight squad, we could just give her one of those and only prepare a shield. The issue is that the matching swords are meant more for self-defense and appearances—they're not designed for fighting magical beasts or monsters.

So then we'd need a separate, sturdier one-handed sword for Elepipi to fight monsters with, but that feels wasteful. Which means... we should just have Elepipi's sword made extra beefy... A special version... Yeah. Let's do that.

As for her shield, she currently uses a fairly large one for training. It was handmade by Shello-san, so it's a decent size—not a small buckler, but something that can hide her entire torso. I'll have one made in that size, likely out of Mithril so it's light enough for her to handle. Seeing the Mithril refining at the Guild earlier, making a shield shouldn't be too hard since the material already starts as a plate.

About armor.

I've been meaning to get armor as soon as possible.

After that fight with the bear, I realized how vulnerable we are. Only Marina has armor; the rest of us are basically equipped with "E: Cloth Clothes." Without at least minimal armor, we'll be in serious trouble if something happens.

Ideally, we'd get proper armor, but full plate mail—especially mithril—would be absurdly expensive. When I bought Marina's armor before, it cost around three million yen.

A more realistic option might be scale mail. "Scale" as in scales—armor made of overlapping metal pieces. It's more flexible than plate armor, and cheaper and lighter too.

Leather armor could also work.

Once, I tried on a senior's leather rider jacket, and it definitely felt like armor. Proper leather armor should offer substantial protection. That said, metal armor looks cooler, and if you're ordering from a blacksmith, it'd be weird to ask for anything but metal.

Still, wearing armor all the time would be cumbersome. We could just prepare it and only wear it during training or actual combat. That said, Marina and Elepipi should be fully equipped. They're knights, after all.

Finally, there's Etowa's equipment.

On the carriage ride here, Etowa said she wanted to join the knight squad, and I agreed without hesitation. But she's still a kid, and it wouldn't be right to treat her as a frontline combatant. Her Vocation isn't combat-oriented either.

That said, her race is apparently agile and fast, and she's smart too.

Etowa herself seems interested in becoming a strategist or tactician, so maybe we should give her only a self-defense weapon and have her study military theory instead? I could buy a copy of The Art of War in Japan... no, that wouldn't work. She can't read Japanese.

Alternatively, maybe I could have her study under Rebecca-san and learn scouting techniques. Her speed would be useful for sure. The only problem is that I can't really imagine a situation where we'd need a scout—but hey, more skills never hurt.

Anyway, I'll keep her weapon simple.

...Yeah. That's a lot of items. I'm even planning to have extra swords made for future members. I can't even imagine how much this will cost. Plus, I have a personal favor to ask the Master.

Anyway, I feel a mix of excitement and fear.

I'm actually going to ask a fantasy dwarf to forge swords for me.

* * *

The Dargos Smithy was larger than I imagined. Not just a shop or a workshop—more like a small factory. A stream ran right next to it, and white smoke or steam was billowing from three different chimneys.

"This must be the place... Oh, there's a sign... Wait, there's a lot written on it."

I can't read the otherworld letters, so I don't know what's written, but there are about five signs placed in front of the shop.

The writing looks rough and aggressively scrawled, and judging by how faded it is, they weren't put up recently. They give off a strange atmosphere.

Uh... This atmosphere. I have a bad feeling about this...

How do I put it... it reeks of citizen protest movements...

...But I shouldn't jump to conclusions.

This is another world, after all. Different standards from Japan.

It'll be fine. It has to be fine.

It's probably just some dwarf-specific aesthetic or value system. Probably.

"What does it say?"

Still unable to read the letters here, I turned back and asked.

I expected Rebecca-san or Diana to answer, but Marina shot her hand up first.

"Marina can read them, de-arimasu! I studied together with Aurica de-arimasu!"

True enough, Marina had been studying with Aurica every night.

Since she never had the chance to learn before, she seemed to find studying quite fun.

"Oh, really? Then please."

"Understood, de-arimasu! ...Um, ‘Dargos Smithy,' ‘We accept tool repairs. Quick repairs available,' ‘Mining supplies in stock. Pickaxes, shovels, hoes'..."

Oh, it's perfectly normal...

—Or so I thought, but there was more.

"This one is a bit harder, de-arimasu... Um... ‘F-Firmly Oppose the National Scrap Steel Mill!' ‘- Zone of Furious Residents'..."

It wasn't normal at all!

* * *

It seems they're running a protest movement against the state-run steel mill.

As a modern Japanese person who tends to go with the flow, I'm a bit wary of this kind of thing. Seems troublesome... But then again, I'm just a customer here, so it doesn't really concern me, does it?

Marina keeps glancing at me, fidgeting slightly, her eyes full of expectation.

Ah, I see...

She wants to be praised for being able to read the sign, doesn't she? How cute.

"Good girl, good girl. Marina, you're really reliable. You can read this much already?"

"Hehe, I managed to read it just barely, de-arimasu."

She sticks out her tongue playfully.

Her reading was a bit stilted, but it's a good thing regardless. Whether it's because Aurica is a good teacher or because Marina already had a base in the spoken language, being literate makes a huge difference in daily life.

Just as I was enjoying the heartwarming moment, Diana cut in.

"I-I can read it too! Marina didn't even read the whole thing correctly, nodesu. It says, ‘Firmly Oppose the National Scrap Steel Mill!' and ‘Zone of Furious Residents'!"

"Diana, you're really childish."

"Gah!"

What do you mean by "Gah!"? I already know you can read!

Was she hoping to be praised too? Or did she just want to butt in? Unlike Marina, who's like a puppy, Diana is hard to read. She always has that slightly otherworldly air about her.

Anyway, moving on—"Firmly Oppose the National Steel Mill."

Wasn't Lucraella originally a town where the state led its steel production? So why are they opposing it now?

If they're calling it a "Zone of Furious Residents," does that mean all the locals are opposed? Is there an environmental pollution issue or something?

We entered the shop.

The storefront only had a few tools on display. It seems they keep a small stock of common daily items as ready-made products, but a shop like this primarily works on custom orders.

In the back, I could see red-faced dwarves swinging hammers. Charcoal roared as it burned. The sound of splashing water, the shouting of men, and the steam from evaporated sweat created a thick haze.

The energy of the place was incredible. Dozens of men were working in the dim workshop. Sparks flew, and the rhythmic sound of iron being struck echoed through the room.

Most of the workers appear to be dwarves, but there are humans among them as well. They're probably all apprentices. Even the blacksmith in Eliche had around five apprentices, so if this is a genuine dwarf blacksmith workshop, a scale like this makes sense.

There are about twenty people—on par with a small or medium-sized company.

"Welcome! Are you here for repairs? Or a new order?"

A human young man who looks like one of the apprentices came out to the front, wiping sweat from his face as he greeted us. He was drenched...

The heat in here was no joke; I feel like I could get heatstroke just standing around.

"Yes. A new order. I'd like to request several things."

"A new order, then. What would you like us to make? If it's ironwork, we can handle anything."

"Well, um—mainly, I'd like you to forge some swords."

"Yes, swords. What kind of swords would you like? Will you be the user yourself?"

"Yes. Well, about that..."

He's responding completely normally, but if I let this continue, the order's going to proceed without the master ever getting involved.

I'm sure we'd get something decent even then, but since I went to the trouble of getting a letter of introduction, I really want the master to forge them if possible.

Even if a Dwarven Master is... well, looks terrifying.

"Actually... I was hoping to have the Master forge them."

"I see. The Master handles most weapon-related orders anyway, and we disciples work under his direct supervision, so you needn't worry."

Hmm. That sounded like a very practiced rejection.

Maybe they get a lot of customers who insist on having the master personally forge their weapons... But wait—he just said "the master handles most weapon-related orders." Wasn't the rumor that the master doesn't forge weapons for new customers? Is the reality different?

"I have a letter of introduction. Please give this to the Master."

In any case, I need to play my next card.

I handed over the letter the old man from the Meeker Company had written. The young man opened it without a word and checked the contents. Well, it's not exactly a sealed letter, so that's normal.

Anyway, this should bring the master himself out.

As expected, you can't get things done with a mere underling.

The young man's face changed instantly. "Please wait a moment!" He ran back into the workshop, and after a short while, a rugged dwarf emerged.

He was a mountain of muscle with a piercing gaze. He looked more like a veteran warrior than a blacksmith. There were burn scars all over his body—the mark of a man who lives by the fire. His beard and hair were white; he was older than I expected.

The pressure he radiated was intense.

So this is the Master, huh... He looks incredibly strict... No doubt. I'd probably run away after three days of apprenticing under a guy like this.

The Master swept his eyes over us without any pretense of politeness. It was the look of a man appraising the quality of his customers.

"Sorry 'bout the young one's rudeness. I'm Dargos. Just recently passed the master position to my son, so now I'm retired, ya see."

Uwaaa. His voice was incredibly deep and gravelly.

It sounded like the ground itself was rumbling.

Apparently, the current master is his son, and the earlier young man is the son's apprentice. I didn't expect him to be retired.

"I've heard the gist of it. You want swords forged, but I've decided I won't be forging weapons anymore. Sorry you came all this way for nothing."

It's not that he's refusing new customers—he just stopped making weapons altogether.

"I see. Um... may I ask why?"

"Did ya see the signs outside, lad?"

"Yeah, well..."

It's standing out, so of course I did.

"In Lucraella, the state-run steel mill's been makin' iron since way back, but ever since they started adoptin' new methods decades ago, the quality's been goin' downhill. They produce way more quantity now, sure. Thanks to that, traditional iron's only comin' from tiny workshops scrapin' by, and blacksmiths are fightin' over it... So I've stopped forgin' weapons. Especially swords—they require a lot of good steel. The price just ends up being too damn high."

It turns out this man was the epicenter of the "Zone of Furious Residents."

Basically, the government shifted to quantity over quality. He said it started decades ago, so it was probably a long-term plan.

As technology advances, the state should be able to make good iron, but in this world's pseudo-medieval setting, it probably hasn't reached a level that satisfies a master dwarven craftsman.

I thought the protest had nothing to do with me, but it turns out it's a major hurdle. I always imagined dwarves dug their own ore, but I guess not. This is a world of specialized Vocations, after all. A blacksmith is a blacksmith.

"...Then what about using secondhand swords as material?"

I offered an alternative.

A blacksmith should be able to do that. They could recycle old iron. Surely making a sword from a sword would be easy?

"Umu... it's not impossible. But swords are forged while listenin' to the voice of the iron. Can't make 'em like tools, and I won't compromise. Plus, if it's a sword good enough to use as material, it'd be better to reforge it as is."

That makes sense.

You can find plenty of secondhand swords at antique shops, and they're cheap, so you'd think they'd work—but from the master's perspective, those might be "low-quality" iron.

"...By the way, you're currently holding a knife for the Meeker Company, right? I'm actually the one who brought that to their shop. Did you figure anything out about it?"

When I asked, the master's face broke into a wide grin.

"Ohhhh! So that was yours? That thing's amazing. I've figured out most of the manufacturing—it was ground out of a plate and then heat-treated after shaping. But the problem's that iron. There's no way somethin' like that exists in the imperial capital. If not, then from another country... Hey, where'd ya get that from?"

'It's from the other side.' Can't say that.

But he figured out the manufacturing process... Impressive. And he's mostly right.

"If I had iron like that, I could keep workin' a bit longer. It's nothing like the trash iron that steelworks here produce."

Well, it is stainless steel.

Generally speaking, stainless isn't something an individual blacksmith forges, but maybe he just wants to try his hand at it, or maybe Dwarven super-tech makes it a breeze.

Man, I should've brought stainless material with me.

"So... if you had good material, you wouldn't mind forging the swords?"

"Yeah, that's right. If there's good steel. Truth be told, I do love blacksmithin'."

"I see. In that case—unfortunately, I don't have the same material as that knife, but I do have some steel I acquired through a certain route. Would you be willing to forge swords with this?”

I took out what I'd pulled from my inventory earlier and stuffed into my bag beforehand.

I pulled it out and lined it up with a clatter right in front of the old master.

The master’s eyes widened.

Yasuki Steel, the blade steel Japan takes pride in.

Specifically, Aogami No. 2.