Kays Translations

Chapter 72: Handshake Disclosure

A chilly yet refreshing morning.

Claudia went outside with a bucket to draw water. The breath escapes from her glossy lips and disappears in a white haze.

All the water used for blacksmithing has already been brought by Lutz in advance, and all that is needed is water for the kitchen.

Just as I was thinking, “Let’s get this over with,” I noticed a figure nearby.

“Good morning”

The old man greeted him with a soft smile.

I had never seen this face around here before. I returned his greeting, wondering who he was, and then I finally remembered.

“Elder, there is still quite a bit of time before public production…”

He was a man called “Elder,” who was the leader of the blacksmith trade association. It is doubtful that I can remember the names and faces of the numerous masters, but I remember this man as an important person.

“I’ve been looking forward to it so much that I woke up early. Besides, there is a saying that those who ask a master to teach them should wait for him before dawn.”

“Then at least please wait inside.”

“No, no, it’s my selfishness to come early. Let me wait here.”

“It would be a disgrace to my husband’s reputation if I made the elder wait in the cold. Please come in.”

“I see. Then I shall wait for him at the blacksmith’s forge.”

After saying that, he quickly entered the workshop.

…… You’ve been planning to do that from the beginning, you old raccoon.

Arrive earlier than anyone else, take a closer look at the smithy, and secure a good seat. By the way, it’s a way to make us feel sorry for making him wait.

“It doesn’t seem like a straight line, Lutz-kun.”

Muttering with a wry smile, Claudia headed for the well.

I left the tub in the kitchen and peeked into the forge to see the elders looking so closely at the tools and furnaces laid out that I feared his eyeballs might touch them.

He looks at it from various angles and groans, saying things like ‘hoh’ and ‘mmm’.

He seems to have the courtesy of a craftsman in that he does not touch them with his hands.

There was a reckless knocking on the door. Oliver was there when I met him.

“I’m sorry, did I come a little too early? But since we’re here, I guess I’ll wait inside. ……”

He said something like that on purpose, but when he noticed the figure of the elder there, he stiffened up.

“Gee, Elder ……”

His conviction that he was the first to arrive quickly crumbled away.

“You’re late, young man.”

“It’s still three hours to go, isn’t it?”

“I was here five hours ago, but Claudia didn’t come out, so I had to wait almost two hours.”

“In this cold weather? If you catch a cold from that, you’re just a fool.”

“What are you doing in your sanity as a blacksmith? What a strange guy.”

While saying such things, Oliver also began to carefully observe the equipment.

One by one, each time a fellow trader shows up,

“You’re late!”

It was two people who said something like.

At ten o’clock in the morning, the bells ring throughout the city.

“Lets go”

Lutz stood up after saying that.

The hakama, white on top and navy blue underneath, were worn in the style of an oriental blacksmith, with a kamasugata and a saki-kake (sash-hanging).

My father brought it back from his training, but it had been stored away since then without ever being worn.

“It must have been for this day.”

It may sound surprising, but Claudia muttered to herself while admiring her husband’s gallant appearance.

“I don’t mind that kind of romance.”

Lutz smiled and puffed out his chest as he descended the stairs.

Fifteen masters sat in simple chairs with no backrests, all of them turned their gazes to Lutz. Lutz bowed deeply towards them.

“It is a pleasure to meet you. I am Lutz, the sword smith of Count Zander’s family. I will not make long-winded speeches in an informal setting. I will begin at once.”

All the masters nodded silently. We are not here to meet each other with a friendly smile and a “thank you”. They had come to watch a katana being made. Lutz’s impatient behavior was received favorably by the masters.

Pieces of tamahagane are cut into small pieces and piled up and heated in a furnace.

The bright red iron was struck, stretched, and bent over and over again.

The masters’ eyes pierced as if not to miss Lutz’s every move.

……Even strip dancers don’t get this much attention.

Lutz continued to strike the iron while thinking such nonsense.

I put the iron I had finished forging aside for the moment and began to build another one from a new pile of iron pieces.

“It’s not like you failed. Why are you making two?”

Oliver asked, but Claudia, who was waiting on the edge of the room, put her index finger to her lips and nudged him to be quiet.

“Please understand that we will not be able to answer any questions today.”

“Nuu…”

He would like to say that it bothers him, but there is no point in making a fuss and getting kicked out. Oliver withdrew meekly.

A U-shaped piece of iron (kawa-gane) and an I-shaped piece of iron (shin-gane) are combined, heated, and beaten to form a single piece. The combination of relatively hard iron and soft iron leads to the strength of the sword, which is sharp, unbreakable, and unbendable.

Place the kneaded clay on the blade, heat it intensely and immerse it in water.

Gobble bubbles floated and popped, then eventually quieted down.

“Next is the sharpening. Everything after that is plain work, so I don’t think there will be any problem if you go home.”

There was not a single person who obeyed Lutz’s words and lifted their hips. They only replied with bloodshot eyes, “Just hurry up, show me the finished product, I want to see it sharpened too.”

The craftsmen were more enthusiastic than expected. Lutz began to sharpen while reflecting that he had said something rude out of consideration.

In contrast to the violent hammering sound, the room was silent and only the sound of the whetstone and blade rubbing against each other resounded. Even the sound of breathing was disturbing, I was wrapped in such a tension.

“That’s all there is to it”

Lutz wipes off the moisture from the blade, spreads a white cloth on a small table, and places it on top. The masters were trotting around the table, forming a circle and staring at the swords.

It is a fusion of contradictions: a tool for killing people and an art form that fascinates people. For them, a treasured sword is a sword with a carved scabbard or a jewel embedded in the handle, and it was a great shock to see the beauty of the sword blade itself.

I want to talk, but I have no words. What should we talk about in the face of this new technique?

In the midst of all this, Oliver quickly raised his hand.

“I just have one question, if you don’t mind.”

Lutz was sitting in a corner of the room, exhausted. Claudia blocked the front of the room to protect him.

“As I said earlier, we can’t answer questions about the technique.”

She gave me a sharp look. It was as if she recognized that anyone who burdens Lutz, who is exhausted, is an enemy.

“I know, I know, don’t look at me like that. What I’m trying to say is, will you sell me this sword? It’s not like you’re taking orders from anyone, is it?”

Having the backing of a large merchant is strong in situations like this.

“Hey, stop messing around!”

“Don’t you dare run off!”

There are voices of condemnation, but this is not the time to be concerned about sleep-talking in the outfield. Oliver had plenty of leeway, saying that they wouldn’t be able to pay anyway.

When Claudia glanced at Lutz, he said,

“I leave it to you”

He said with a hoarse voice.

Claudia pondered, wondering how much Oliver would offer.

The workmanship of the sword is several steps higher than the one I sold before. In addition, everyone is in a state of excitement.

……Is it okay to blow 30 gold coins, no, 40 gold coins?

Selling it for that amount of money would be a huge profit. However, selling the sword to Oliver here could be taken as singling him out. What would be the benefit of treating him that way?

…… Sorry, Oliver. Not at all.

I once thought about asking him to act as a contact point for the masters, but it seems that the trust from the masters is no match for the elder.

Claudia said with a bright smile.

“I am very grateful for your offer, but today is a festival, so to speak, let’s stop talking about money.”

After looking around, Claudia stopped her gaze at the elder.

“How about leaving this with the elder as a sample of the sword making process? You are free to go and look at it, and the elder will not refuse you. What do you think?”

The elder was the first to nod at Claudia’s suggestion. It is a great advantage to have the sword in your workshop and be able to see it at any time. It is not a bad thing that other masters come to greet him one after another to see the sword, and his position as the first among the masters is rock solid.

The elder also correctly understood that this was a message from Claudia asking them to continue to get along.

“I am responsible for the whole thing, aren’t I? It’s a big responsibility. Is that alright with everyone?”

When I put on the “good old kouya” mask and spoke to them, they all agreed that it would be a good idea. The elder would at least be easier to bow down to than Oliver.

“Well then, everyone, it’s getting dark, so please watch your step and go home.”

Claudia said so, and the venue for technique disclosure was closed.

There were a variety of reactions, with some excitedly discussing things on their way home, and others trotting back to the workshop wanting to put it into practice right away.

Only Oliver remained in the forge until the end.

“Are you treating me badly?”

He said with a look of frustration that he pushed aside with a wry smile.

“We originally opened this table to treat all the masters equally. It would have been meaningless to give Oliver-san special treatment. I think it was a good compromise.”

I understand what Claudia is saying. Oliver understood but didn’t want to understand.

“I don’t mean to put it this way, but I think it would be better to give up on being a leader of the master group until the elders retire. Let’s think about where to go from there.”

“That’s it…”

Oliver said in a dark voice.

“That old man is going to outlive me. ……”

Lutz and Claudia looked at each other and could only nod quietly.

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