Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 152
It had been three days since I began working on Melt’s weapon. For now, I was focusing on “creating the right alloys by combining materials.”
I had already decided what kind of weapon I would make. Sure, I could recreate a weapon from the game era, but that wouldn’t fully meet Melt’s requests.
So instead, I was experimenting with combining real-world knowledge—documents, footage, techniques—with this world’s materials and methods, to see if I could forge the weapon she wanted.
“…Alright, this alloy conducts magic just fine, but the color’s no good. Maybe if I base it on tin or brass… it’s softer, but since it’ll be part of the layered section, it should hold up…”
The structural concept was based on what’s become popular lately—“Damascus steel.”
A technique born from trying to recreate a once-legendary substance, imagined and reborn in modern times.
It layers different types of iron with unique textures and properties, creating a woodgrain-like pattern, with the finished blade displaying beautiful ripples and designs.
Some modern creators even pushed this further by combining metals of different colors to make the patterns stand out more.
My goal was to reproduce that here in this fantasy world—using monster materials to enhance the design.
By making the blade highly conductive to magic, and layering softer alloys within, I could create an effect similar to the folded forging of Japanese swords.
Since this method doesn’t yet exist in this world, the result would be a blade both beautiful and functional—high in performance, and usable as a magical catalyst.
“The soft alloy is fine as is… the real problem is how to make the main alloy strong enough…”
Special quenching flames. Using exotic solutions in the cooling process to add traits to the blade.
And even stranger—methods of hammering monster parts into the steel during forging, or mixing them into the alloy itself—processes that would be unthinkable on Earth.
“…I guess it’s just Shijima’s nature to find that sort of thing exciting.”
With that thought, I headed to the blacksmith guild’s wholesale supplier to buy materials I hadn’t tested yet.
Time to see if they had anything good for the alloy that would become the heart of the weapon—the blade itself.
“Oh, Shijima-san! What can I get you today?”
The shopkeeper greeted me warmly. Thanks to me buying a large stock of ores and ingots all at once on the first day, I was already treated as a valued customer.
“Give me one kilo each of every ore I haven’t purchased yet. This is just for alloy testing, so one kilo per type will do.”
The units of measurement here differ from Earth when it comes to length, but for weight, my mind registers them as the same. So “kilo” works just fine.
“One kilo each? That’s over thirty types, you know. The price is going to add up.”
“That’s fine. How much?”
“All told… six large gold coins and three regular gold coins. I’ll waive the remainder.”
“Much obliged.”
As they loaded the goods onto a cart for me, another customer nearby deliberately raised his voice so I could hear:
“Well, don’t you look flush with coin? Got a noble patron, huh? Buying whatever catches your eye, just testing things out with no real plan? Must be nice—wasting money, piling up garbage, and no one calls you out on it.”
A local, or maybe another outsider like me?
…Probably not a local. This sort of scene must be common enough that the townsfolk wouldn’t bother getting worked up over it.
I knew it wasn’t worth responding, but—something in my chest burned hot.
No mistake—that was Shijima’s anger.
But instead of raging, I chose my words.
“That’s right, I am fortunate. Lucky for me, before I ever spew ugly jealousy, I have the skill to create work that’s recognized. So this is just a natural outcome.”
“Hah!? What the hell’s that supposed to mean, you bastard!?”
“Exactly what it sounds like. Now then.”
“Hey, don’t walk away from me!”
As I stepped outside, the man—clearly a wandering blacksmith—followed, swinging the hammer from his belt down at me.
Ah, crap. My consciousness is slipping—
“YOU GOTTA BE KIDDING ME, YOU BASTARD!!!!”
I caught his descending hammer in my hand, then drove my fist into him with all my strength.
The idiot flew back and hit the ground. I grabbed him by the collar and hauled him up.
“Who the hell raises their tool—their partner—against another person!? What do you think a craftsman’s lifeline is!? Come at me with your fists, damn it! I’ll take you on, you dumbass!!”
This worthless fool. I’ll beat it into him as many times as it takes—I’ll knock some sense into him!
“Eek! I-I’m sorry! Forgive me!!! It was my fault!!”
“Not me, you idiot! Apologize to your damn hammer! Now take it and get lost!”
I let go, watching the fool run off, and finally felt my temper settle.
…Wait. Why am I outside?
…Don’t tell me—I got so worked up I pushed Shizuma’s consciousness aside?
Damn it…
“…Well, guess I’ll head back to the workshop.”
“…Maybe I’ll try meditating.”
I banked the furnace fire, letting the room cool to a comfortable temperature, then sat in a chair and closed my eyes.
Peaceful. The warmth, the smell of the forge—it was like drifting into a nap.
Nostalgic… Even if the memories were fabricated, artificial, I couldn’t deny the feeling.
No… they weren’t false. They truly existed. At least within me—within us.
And slowly, my consciousness sank into the depths of darkness—
In the darkness, I found myself facing a large man.
Shijima.
The one whose body I had been using just moments ago—very likely its original owner, now present before me.
And then, without warning, he bowed his head.
“Sorry, Shizuma. I… lost my temper, and before I knew it, I had forced my way to the surface. I ended up interfering with your actions. My fault. Forgive me.”
I accepted his earnest apology. No, no—it wasn’t something he needed to apologize for.
That was simply how intolerable that reckless act had been for Shijima.
That attempt to strike a person with a hammer.
“I’m not angry. If anything, it just proves how sincerely you’ve dedicated yourself to blacksmithing. Honestly, if it were me, I’d probably have resorted to brute force much quicker.”
“Forgive me. I just… I can’t stand to see tools used as weapons of violence.”
“It’s fine. I forgive you. Like I said, I’m not angry. Actually, maybe this worked out for the best. Since you’re here now, I’ve got the perfect chance to hear an expert’s opinion about the weapon I’m trying to make.”
Yes, if I could talk to Shijima directly, I could get his input on the weapon I wanted to create.
“Technically and knowledge-wise, I think our consciousness shares the same foundation… but you’re right, exchanging opinions like this might produce a better result.”
“Exactly. I’m shaping it to fit Melt’s wishes, but do you think it’s really possible?”
“Hmm… The design, the form of the weapon, no problem. What’s tricky is making it function as a medium for magic. Incorporating alloys with high affinity for magic power through folding and layering—that’s a solid idea, but… whether it’ll withstand long-term use is uncertain. That’s why you’ve been making so many different alloy types, isn’t it? To ensure strong bonding and adhesion between layers.”
“That’s right. But I also want the design to shine. Ideally, I’d like the metals to produce contrasting colors—like those I saw in that video online.”
“Ah, that comes from a final ‘blackening treatment.’ If the alloys have different reactivity, the contrast in how they respond makes beautiful patterns emerge. If so, perhaps you could reproduce something similar with materials from this world—creating a reactive solution that not only bonds alloys but also stabilizes the magical circuits. Use the experience I gained back in my old world from crafting many enchanted blades.”
My goal: a weapon both strong and beautiful.
From my memories, my experiences, and the massive collection of documents I’d studied, there was one real-world sword I had seen—one I now aimed to recreate in this world.
It was a blade blackened like obsidian, its body gleaming like black plating.
But embedded within that blade were golden metals, arranged like streaks of Damascus steel, tracing lines of gold across its surface.
Not randomly, either—the pattern had been carefully designed into meaningful geometric shapes.
That was what I wanted to make: a sword whose pattern itself would serve as the magical conduit.
“The reactive solution itself should be easy enough to formulate. It would protect the magic pathways while blackening the dissimilar metals. Then, when polished, only the more reactive layers would retain the black, leaving behind a striking blade—resilient against powerful magic, with a dazzling contrast of black and gold. The issue is the additive—a material with strong magical power. If you only use the method from your game era, it won’t be enough to serve as a true magical medium. So—what do you have? Any powerful materials from this world that you could use in the reactive solution? Try experimenting with that.”
“I see… got it. I’ll give it a try. If the bonding works with the reactive solution, then affinity can come second—I’ll focus first on producing a truly powerful ingot.”
“Good. Do that. If all goes well, we’ll have an extraordinary magic sword on our hands. The only concern is whether young Melt will like the black-and-gold look.”
“She always wears gear and clothes in the same color family. That’s why I thought her weapon should stand out, serve as an accent—something opposite of her usual silver theme.”
The opposite of silver is gold.
The opposite of white is black.
That was the logic behind the color scheme.
Well, that—and the fact that when I saw that sword in the reference footage, I’d fallen in love with it at first sight.
“Then I wish you success. I’m counting on you, Shizuma.”
“Yeah. Leave it to me, Shijima.”
I felt my awareness drifting away from this world of darkness.
…Shijima—truly, he was a man with a craftsman’s soul. A man of burning passion.
“Oh, I’m back. So, finishing with a reactive solution, huh? Makes sense. Even in the game era, weapons often had to be soaked in special solutions for the final step…”
At any rate, right now my priority was clear: focus on forging ingots, then use them to craft the blade itself.
Melt hadn’t shown her face here since the first day… I wonder what she’s up to now—
“Thank you for your hard work. You really saved us, Melt. At this time of year, it’s rare for Ruby-ranked adventurers to come here. On top of that, ever since the country’s announcement, more people have been heading out to the provinces. Because of that, there just aren’t enough people able to take on extermination requests in the mines…”
“Don’t mention it! The more monsters I take down, the more rewards I get—and I can gather lots of rare materials too! That way, the blacksmiths can make plenty of strong weapons!”
“Yes, I promise. All of the materials you’ve collected so far are currently being appraised at the Blacksmith Guild, but once they’re sold, the money will be deposited into your account.”
“Okay! Now, what should I take on next…? Is there some simple request I can do inside the city?”
“Let me think… Normally, we assign simple requests to newcomers as much as possible, but… oh, I know. How about taking charge of training new recruits? There are several new adventurers in this city right now. What if you trained them? We can make it an official guild request and have you specifically assigned.”
“Oh… I wonder if I can handle that? I’ve never done anything like it before.”
At the time, Melt had been taking on requests in Isbel, mostly extermination missions inside the mines or near the mountaintop. By doing so, she was indirectly supporting Shijima, making sure the blacksmiths competing in the smithing tournament didn’t run short on materials.
The works submitted to the tournament, of course, were also available for purchase through negotiation. Because of that, high-ranked adventurers with money to spare would also come to observe the tournament—but that usually happened near the final days.
Since the event had only just begun, what stood out most now were rookie adventurers who, not knowing the circumstances, had come too early.
It was in this environment that the guild receptionist proposed assigning Melt—an unusually early-arriving senior adventurer—to mentor the rookies.
The idea was that showing inexperienced adventurers the basics of combat, or letting them witness a veteran’s fighting firsthand, would be a good learning experience.
But later, it would become clear this was a mistake.
Put simply, the receptionist hadn’t considered what would happen to “rookie adventurers who, even though ranked lower, were utterly crushed and humiliated by a girl younger than them.”
No—perhaps it was simply a tragedy born of ignorance.
The receptionist had no idea that “this kindhearted girl possessed combat strength rivaling even the Thirteen Knights.”