Chapter 218: A Warm Dining Table

When Josel returned home, his wife, who came to greet him, was in a state of confusion. His son exclaimed,

“Papa is going to die!”

And burst into tears. The baby daughter in his wife’s arms also started crying loudly, sensing an unusual atmosphere.

Just the fact that the husband came home stirred up a commotion in the Josel household.

“Wait, wait, Maria, Erwin, don’t cry. I’m not going to die. I’m just a bit, incredibly tired. If I take a good rest, my face will be back to normal soon. For that, I got a break from Gerhardt-sama.”

“Oh, I see. Josel, would you like to have a meal?”

“Hmm…”

His stomach was empty, but he had no appetite—a troublesome condition. Perhaps this was an abnormality due to fatigue.

“I want to take a nap first. I can have a meal afterward.”

“Understood.”

“Erwin, don’t cry anymore. Papa is perfectly fine; I’ll be back to normal after a little rest.”

“Really?”

The face of the boy looking up at Josel brightened instantly. Josel couldn’t help but smile at the quick change typical of children around this age.

“Hey, Papa! I want a Meito!”

“A named sword? Well, Erwin, it might be a bit early for you…”

“My friend’s dad said so. He said you should touch a real one when you’re young.”

That’s a good thing to say, but at the same time, it was unnecessary. Determining the right time to give a blade to a child aspiring to be a knight was quite a challenging issue.

He hadn’t specifically forbidden his son from interacting with commoner children. He wanted to raise his beloved son freely, and he believed that a deeper connection with a knight’s family might have a negative influence. However, he couldn’t help but be curious about the social status of his son’s friend.

“What does your friend’s dad do?”

“Well, um, I think he’s a sho… shokushoku…, something like that?”

“Shokushoku, eating little? I’m not sure…”

Josel was lost in thought, and Maria, coming from behind, lifted Erwin with ease.

“Hey, your father is tired. Let’s leave it at that.”

“Huh…”

Erwin, pouting, lips slightly pursed, but his mother covered his lips with her fingertips and admonished him.

“Your father is fulfilling an important duty. As the eldest son of the high-ranking knight Josel, can’t you help out?”

“Yeah, I can help! Good night, Papa!”

Answering cheerfully, Erwin energetically rushed outside.

“Sorry, thanks for that, Maria.”

“It’s about time we teach him some manners, right?”

Saying so, Maria lifted the baby she had placed in a basket with cotton, realizing that everything was fine, and the baby was sleeping soundly.

“Oh, sorry. I kept you here.”

“It’s fine. Well, I’ll take a nap for a while.”

Josel entered the bedroom and slipped into bed. He thought he could sleep quickly since he was tired, but he was so exhausted that he couldn’t calm his nerves and struggled to fall asleep.

Closing his eyes and staying still, he felt a slight movement in the bed.

When he opened his eyes, there was Maria’s face. Looking down, he saw the sleeping face of the baby. In other words, they were in a sleeping together position.

“… What are you doing?”

“I thought we’d sleep together since we have the chance.”

He didn’t understand what was so opportune about it. Still, Josel didn’t try to chase Maria and the baby away. Perhaps feeling the warmth of the family would help him sleep better.

“Well, do as you like.”

“Okay.”

Maria replied with a relaxed tone and smiled. Despite being married for over a decade, she was still a cute wife. He was happy. And when he thought about how this happiness could be taken away unjustly one day, it became frightening.

… I must settle the grudge for that old man.

Renewing his determination, he closed his eyes. Soon, he entered a deep sleep.

When he opened his eyes, the color of the sunlight coming in from the window hadn’t changed. He wondered if he had only slept for about five minutes and asked Maria in the living room. It seemed that he had slept for a whole day.

In a hurry, after having a meal, he headed to Lutz’s workshop. If he forgot to ask for the introduction letter while sleeping deeply, he wouldn’t be able to face his mentor. He himself suggested bringing the samurai mask in the Baron’s territory into the group.

Lutz was a man with a wandering habit. Worried that he might be out again, Josel felt uneasy. Fortunately, he was in the workshop and welcomed Josel warmly.

It seemed that he didn’t care at all about forcing the defeat of the flame demon on him. Or maybe he had forgotten about it.

Rather than having a big heart, it was more like he resolved everything with a “Sure, sure” attitude.

Even after becoming the official blacksmith of the count’s house and gaining honor by presenting swords to two kings of different countries, his spiritual attitude remained that of “a friendly guy living outside the city walls.” Otherwise, he wouldn’t have intervened in various issues or disclosed the method of making swords.

Josel asked about something that had been on his mind.

“Lutz-dono, do you have any regrets?”

“Huh, regrets?”

Suddenly being asked such a thing, Lutz didn’t understand what Josel meant. For him, life was a collection of shame and regrets, and the only clear choices he could point out were becoming a blacksmith and marrying Claudia.

“It’s about disclosing the sword-making technique.”

“Ah, keeping techniques secret, huh… That’s nonsense.”

Lutz frowned and said dismissively. Josel was a bit taken aback by his reaction.

“Nonsense?”

“Well, isn’t it? I taught the sword-making technique, and all the blacksmiths in this town improved their skills. Was that a meaningless thing?”

“Not at all. The count and the blacksmiths are really grateful to you.”

The plan to increase tax revenue, establish the Second Knight Order, and strengthen public security started when Lutz disclosed his technique. Josel had no intention of complaining and was genuinely grateful.

“That’s right. Even though I worked for the sake of the world and people, everyone points at me and says I’m an idiot. Just because they don’t understand it themselves. Oh, how harsh the world is.”

Lutz exaggeratedly shook his head. His movements seemed theatrical, and it didn’t appear he was genuinely troubled.

“Well, if I were the master of a huge workshop with about a hundred artisans, I wouldn’t leak techniques to protect the lives of the artisans. But since I’m just living modestly with my wife, what’s the use of cherishing the sword-making technique?”

“But, Lutz-dono, by disclosing the technique, your advantage must have diminished.”

Just recently, blacksmiths other than Lutz successfully imbued three-character magic on a sword. The improvement in the skills of the masters was remarkable.

“I won’t say it’s immediate, but ten or twenty years from now, they might be able to forge swords with four or five characters as well.”

“At that time, I’ll improve my skills too. That’s what craftsmen call mutual improvement, right?”

In a world where it’s natural to keep techniques secret to protect one’s position, he spoke about it as if it were nothing.

Although their fields were different, as someone aspiring to be a craftsman, Josel felt something in common.

“…You’re amazing. I respect you.”

“I’m just irresponsible. If I had apprentices, I would have definitely been criticized.”

After laughing for a while, Lutz suddenly remembered something.

“By the way, Josel-san, what brings you here today? If you just wanted to chat, I can make tea upstairs.”

“Huh? Oh, right.”

They got carried away with their conversation, and Josel lost sight of his original purpose. Josel cleared his throat lightly and then spoke.

“I want you to write a letter of introduction.”

“Hmm?”

A letter of introduction—a phrase completely unfamiliar in Lutz’s life.

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