Kays Translations

Chapter 67 Metallic Party

"... I'm sorry, please give me a more detailed explanation. I'm a guy who has done nothing but pound iron or stroke ass. I don't know the ins and outs."

Claudia was completely relieved by Lutz's declaration of giving up. It can't be helped, Lutz-kun, it's really fun to teach while thinking.

“First of all, let's look at the current situation. The rumor that you gave katana as a gift at the peace talks has created a trend of people wanting to buy them. However, they are not available due to the extremely small amount in circulation, that's what it is."

"It's just what I make, and the occasional bit of trade goods from the east."

It means that there are not a hundred of them on the continent. It is too modest for the uproar that has engulfed the country.

"If you don't have it, you'll want it even more. But if you don't have it for too long, one day you'll suddenly feel like, 'Oh, that's enough.' This indifference. The state of mind is truly frightening. Once that happens, no matter what you do, whether you lower the price or advertise, there is no reaction at all.”

"I can't satisfy the purchasing desires of nobles, merchants, and adventurers all by myself."

“It’s a good thing that there will be many other people who can make katanas, as long as it doesn’t threaten Lutz-kun’s position. Now that you have a katana, everyone else has one, and now they want a top-notch katana, even if they have to pay a lot of money for it. If we can create that kind of flow, then all the best."

"I see"

"And not only does the Guild of Trade Unions owe us money, but the Count does, too.”

"...I'm sorry, I lost track again."

I don't know why the Count’s name appears here. Lutz can only understand things within his reach, and as soon as his scale grows, his imagination is out of reach.

“Count Zander's domain has begun to attract attention as a place that produces good weapons, but only because the quality is a little better than other areas. It's not enough for merchants to come a long way to buy it.”

"Certainly."

There are skilled craftsmen, but the current situation is that there is nothing worth mentioning, just that the average value of their skills is high.

Oliver, for example, proudly proclaims, "My two-handed sword is revolutionary," and in fact, he makes good swords, but the difference is not something that an amateur can tell at a glance. The difference is such that craftsmen can compare them and find that they are indeed good.

It is a craftsman who spits blood and writhes around to climb that little height, but it is difficult for outsiders to understand it.

Ease of understanding is important to differentiate from other countries and territories.

“Lutz-kun teaches the masters how to make katanas. The katana can only be made in the Count's territory, and only in the Count's territory. If that happens, Count Zander's value will go up dramatically.”

"If I teach it to everyone, you're not talking about favoritism, it's not bad."

“That’s right, that’s right. Lutz-kun, you can praise me more.”

"You look fabulous today."

"fufun"

Claudia smiled shyly, tilted her mug wide, gulped down her beer, and then returned to a straight face

“The problem is that we have to get permission from the Count.”

"Isn't it okay to do it here without permission?"

"You have to tell him in advance, otherwise you can't take credit for it. Also, Lutz-kun's technique is in a sense the property of the Count when he is in charge. Regardless of whether or not you agree with this story, the fact that you didn't tell him may become a problem later on."

"It's about ten days each way from here to Royal Capital by fast horseback, isn't it?"

“It will be even faster if you hold the gold coins. It will take about a week to go and a week to return. It would be even better if you make a contract to give a bonus if you come back early.”

"If that's the case, feel free to use the money."

"Thank you, but it won't take too much. If you increase the period shortening bonus too much, the couriers might forge the Count's letter next time."

"... Do you have any bad memories?"

“Lutz-kun, I don’t mind having the man I fell in love worrying about my past, but work is a different story.”

Her eyes were not smiling. Unable to bear the piercing stare, Lutz bowed his head and said, 'I'm sorry."

“I will tell Oliver-san that it may take some time. I will also send a letter to the Count. Lutz-kun, just get ready for the public production.

"Understood. Also, as a result of inquiring with the Count, what would we do if he said no?"

The Count would have his own ideas and circumstances. There is a good chance that he would refuse for reasons that Claudia might have overlooked.

Claudia waved her mug left and right instead of her hands.

"Then I'll have a drink and go to bed."

The next day, Claudia was out in the morning. Lutz is quietly thinking in the living room on the second floor.

On the table is a broken blade. It was the katana that had caused his father to be expelled from the Marquise's family all those years ago. Lutz often took this katana with him when he was thinking.

The public sword production is a little scary.

All of the masters we were planning to invite were much older than Lutz and had long experience as blacksmiths. It would be almost torturous to strike a sword while a dozen or so of them stared at you every step of the way, trying to steal your skills.

In the normal apprenticeship system, they are subordinates for about three to five years after being entrusted to the blacksmith. During this time, they are not allowed to approach the furnace or hold the hammer.

And after the apprenticeship period, they finally get to learn a little bit about their jobs. But that's just the basics.

If you want to learn more than that, you have to watch your master or senior workers and steal their work, or somehow get them to like you and teach you.

In this way, they become full-fledged craftsmen over a long, long period of time.

Lutz has skipped all of those processes.

He began helping his father, a swordsmith, when he was in the single digits of his age and started using a hammer when he was about thirteen years old. His father, who had no interest in keeping his skills secret, taught Lutz everything he knew, and Lutz absorbed his teachings like dry sand swallowing water.

The father loved his only son. However, I don't think he was expecting anything from his son.

"You don't need swordsmithing skills, just take it."

Wasn't that the stance he took? I think of this every time I think of my father, who always had a tired smile on his face.

He expected nothing. He did not expect to be recognized as a blacksmith, to be in the employ of a nobleman, or to have his son succeed him. It didn't matter.

Along with the thin, thin sword, his heart was also broken.

Lutz is still young, but he has over ten years of experience as a blacksmith. If limited to swordsmithing, he has been doing it longer than anyone else on the continent.

Showing off one's skills in front of a group of masters should not be considered prideful or arrogant.

I am not lying about what I said in front of Claudia, and I am proud to say that I am the best swordsmith on the continent.

……Now. What about five years from now, ten years from now?

Borvis, who once taught swordsmithing, had indeed entered the world of the first class at the time of his death. Although Lutz did the finishing, if he had continued to make swords for many more years, Borvis would have been able to perfect the finishing himself.

What about the other master smiths? Even if they are not as deadly as Borvis and a little less skilled than him, I still think that some of them will be called top swordsmiths in the years to come.

Equal to or better than Lutz.

I wonder what my position will be at that time.

A man named Lutz, a swordsmith, is in denial. I was now feeling fearful and impatient to hear that this might be the case in the next few years.

… Better yet, should I hide the vital information so that they can't catch up.

Lutz immediately realized that his way of thinking was headed in the wrong direction.

Doing so would ruin the plan that Claudia has laid out for us. It doesn't matter if the spread of the sword is delayed by the negligent slacking off of the masters, but it is very problematic if it is pointed out that Lutz has cut corners.

This time, Lutz was determined to take it seriously.

However, I have come to understand the feelings of other artisans who believe that information should be kept secret. Even Lutz, who has only a wife and a donkey to support, must feel the pressure of having dozens of apprentices. It is only natural that he would try to take care of his own unique strengths.

......At the end of the day, the reason I am so careless and indifferent to the secrecy of techniques is not because I am kind or open-minded, but because I am irresponsible. I am irresponsible for other people's lives as well as my own.

I feel like I'm sinking deeper and deeper into a bottomless pit. It is at times like this that I wish Claudia would cheer me up, but she is out of the house

I wondered what she would say if I asked her about it.

"There are some things that only a man in your position can do."

“You should train as much as others have trained. That way, they won't be able to keep up with you.』

It seems to say In my mind, I could hear Claudia's voice with a good degree of reproducibility.

Lutz finally regained his composure with the voice of Imaginary Claudia. First of all, let's make the steel exposition a success, and then we can deal with other vague and unpredictable anxieties.

”Okay," Lutz said, getting up and starting to check his tools and materials.

Later that day, I asked Claudia, 'Is it because I'm irresponsible that I'm not managing my techniques well?' I got roughly the same answer I had imagined during the day.

Lutz smirked at her, and Claudia twisted her head, not understanding why.

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