Kays Translations

Chapter 17: Dear You

"A customer, is it ...?"

A woodcutter's wife called out to Claudia, who was giving water to her donkey.

“Yes, an old man who came two weeks ago. Since he is looking for a female merchant with a nice butt, I think it is definitely Claudia-san.”

"I'm becoming more famous for my butt than my face...."

Networking is important for merchants. If he came all this way to look for me, I couldn't help but meet him.

The old man, who had the gentle air of a retired merchant, bowed deeply when he noticed Claudia's figure.

“You are Claudia, the merchant, right?"

"Yes. It's the first time we've met."

"I'm sorry, I'm Gerhard, a spell caster in the custody of Count Zander."

"... yes, yes?"

A nobleman, a count, a top-notch sorcerer. Claudia's thoughts stopped for a moment when she saw someone from another world with whom she had no connection.

"As a matter of fact, a strange sword was brought into the Knights' office the other day. ......"

Gerhard did not miss the twitch in Claudia's cheek.

"No, it wasn't actually a sword, was it?"

"It's a katana."

We continued to talk, probing each other to see how much we knew.

"Yes, a katana. It's a mystical blade that fascinates all who see it. Unfortunately, it was presented to the Count and is now in the hands of someone else, but I would like to have it myself."

"Is that why you were looking for me?"

“I heard that Claudia-san has a skilled blacksmith.”

The gazes of the two of them turned to Lutz.

This old man seems to have some grasp of things. I have a feeling that this is going to be troublesome, but there will be no excuse for it now.

No, this was exactly the development we had been waiting for. The fate of the sword that I had released into the field had brought me to this point.

“Lutz-kun, he wants you."

Claudia said in a contemplative voice, and Lutz replied in a lifeless voice.

"Hold on, I'm almost done sharpening."

"Oh, come on, this is a nobleman, okay?"

"I'm dealing with a customer right now."

Claudia shrugged her shoulders at Gerhard. I'm sorry, he's like this. That's what it means.

Gerhard was not uncomfortable with the idea of a young man sticking up for himself, but at the same time, he thought that this was the way a craftsman should be.

Lutz was not being a stubborn craftsman at this time. He had no reason to interrupt his sharpening, and at best his motivation would be interrupted.

Lutz wanted time to settle in.

Why a nobleman? A sorcerer? What's up with that?

Even though I was waiting for the patron to show up, it was too sudden.

The axe was finished better than new. The stalling was over. He carefully wiped off the water, put down the axe, and turned to Gerhard.

"Thank you for waiting. My name is Lutz, the swordsmith."

“I am very pleased to meet you, blacksmith. I am here today to make a job offer.”

"You want me to make you a sword."

"Exactly. Before that, I would like to ask you a few questions. Is it correct that you, Lutz, struck the sword that passed to the Knights?"

"It's true. I struck it, and I let it go."

“Excuse me, but would you mind showing us the sword that Lutz is wearing?"

"Hmm, that means..."

Rather than thinking about it, Lutz replied after sorting out his words.

"You’re saying I might be deceiving you by saying that I struck it myself. If the sword I'm carrying is a better one, It might be a little more believable."

"That's putting it in a nutshell."

Gerhard gave a wry smile.

Lutz seems to be an impatient man who wants to give an answer immediately in human relations.

It is said that he had a dispute with a knight over the sale and purchase of a dagger, but it was probably a case of a word of advice and a word of purchase.

Also, if he weren't that kind of man, he wouldn't be able to throw away a priceless treasured sword to save a woman.

In fact, at that time, Lutz acted out of goodwill towards Claudia, anger at the tyranny of the knights, and the momentum of the moment.

"The sword I'm using now isn't so good that I can't spare it if it breaks. ......”

Lutz answers with a face that looks like he has something bitter in his mouth.

Just when Gerhard's eyes were filled with disappointment, a black lacquered dagger was presented to him from the side.

"Please take a look. This is the work of Lutz, the master swordsmith, with all his heart and soul.”

Claudia was uncomfortable that Lutz was being underestimated. She also did not like the fact that Gerhard was in a position to unilaterally assess the situation.

I will test you, too. If you cannot appreciate the quality of this sword, you are not a great connoisseur. With that in mind, I took out my own sword.

"Muu, this is...!"

Gerhard's eyes widened in astonishment as he drew the blade. Claudia was pleased to see this reaction.

"It pierces the heart and kills, that's all it wants, the ultimate in functional beauty! Just looking at it gives me chills. And yet, there is something about it......"

Gerhard was lost. I don't know, I don't know if I should say this. It would be a shame if it was just a misunderstanding.

"Please say it."

Claudia urged him onward. I would have been concerned if he had gone so far as to be silent.

"Somewhere, I feel kindness. It's different from saying that killing without suffering is mercy. Hmm, I don't know..."

Gerhard worries while looking at the dagger from various angles.

Claudia, who knew that Lutz's affection was full, had a faint smile on her face. And She was also impressed with Gerhard. It is no ordinary person to be able to read even the subtle emotions contained in her sword.

"May I see your stock basket?"

"Yes, please."

"Ah, wait a minute..."

For some reason, only Lutz was not enthusiastic about the two who were getting excited.

"It's not that interesting to look at."

“What the hell, Lutz, you didn't forget to put in the signature again, did you!?”

"It's not like I didn't put anything in there..."

"Then it's fine. Mr. Gerhardt wants to know that the author is Lutz-kun before he asks for a big job. Wouldn't it be better for both of us if you could clarify that you, Lutz, is the author of the wonderful dagger I showed him?"

"Um, look, that's it. I didn't bring a nail puller..."

The eye nail puller is a small mallet used to remove the eye nail, which is the stopper connecting the blade to the hilt. It was a supplementary device that a skilled person could remove without it.

And unfortunately for the wayward Lutz, Gerhard was familiar with the technique. He had already disassembled the sword into the handle and blade by pushing the eye nail in with his toe and lightly tapping the handle to remove the eye nail.

Gerhard checks the stem, and Claudia looks over her shoulder. Lutz's name was not there.

DEAR YOU.

That was all that was inscribed.

Claudia burst into laughter. Gerhard also clutched his stomach. Lutz turned over, his face red with shame and regret.

“Oi oi oi oi oi, Lutz-kun, you love me too much!”

"When I came up with it, I thought it was a good idea."

"It's good, it's the best. I love you too, Lutz-kun."

"Thank you"

Gerhard, holding back laughter, assembled the dagger and handed it to Claudia.

"You showed me a good one. This is your sword, I can't say I want you to sell it."

"We have no choice but to create something new. I don't think he can say no."

The atmosphere of mutual exploration fizzled out, and the two hit it off.

“Now, Lutz. Will you listen to my request?”

"I'm sorry, but there is still a lot of sharpening work left. I will tell you the location, so could you come to my workshop later?"

"Even if it's a job worth hundreds of gold coins, can't you give it priority?"

"If you keep changing your priorities based on the amount of money, you will lose credibility. Both from the lumberjacks and from you."

"Even from me."

If you change your priority with money, it means that if someone who offers a higher price than Gerhard appears, you will switch to that. Partly because he liked Lutz's answer, Gerhard quietly withdrew, promising to meet again at a later date.

After that, Lutz continued to sharpen the axe, and Claudia held the dagger tightly and stared at it for what seemed like an eternity without getting tired of it.

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