Kays Translations

Chapter 24: Cats and Dogs — Part 1

It had been four days since I named it “Daga.”

To get straight to the point: Daga could only turn into something like a knife — and that was about it.

Thanks to the relic [Swordification], it seemed to understand what a sword or blade was supposed to be.

So at the very least, it could cut. At first, though, it was terribly awkward to hold.

But after showing it some other knives — though it almost tried to eat them — the awkwardness problem was solved.

Well, that wasn’t too big a deal. The real problem was Daga’s whimsical nature.

It would become a knife or not become a knife entirely on a whim.

I’d need to teach it better sooner or later, but honestly, I wasn’t exactly desperate for the “Daga Knife” at the moment, so I figured we could take it easy for now.

For the past four days, I’d spent my time going back and forth between the witch’s place and the junkyard.

When I checked the hole Juicy-san had opened at the junkyard, I found it had been filled in.

In fact, the entire area had collapsed under the weight of the trash heaps, and the hole was completely buried.

Digging it out would be pretty tough.

Still, the junkyard turned out a few rare finds, so I managed to earn a decent sum.

But neither the blue light nor the purple light I’d been hoping for showed up.

“Na!”

“Hey, hey, that’s my meatball, you know!”

“Na?”

“You think you can just tilt your head all cutely and get away with it? Think again! Hey—! That’s my minced meat soup!”

“Na!”

Mineha-san lunged at Daga.

Although — technically, that was my dinner.

Just because you’ve finished your own doesn’t mean you can just start helping yourself to mine. Come on.

With no choice, I munched on the leftover bread beans. Pretty tasty, actually.

By the way, although Daga and Mineha-san were the same height, Daga was nearly twice her size in terms of sheer volume.

And here they were again, fighting over my dinner.

But, funny as it was, in just these four short days, these two — one beast and one human — had become fast friends: sleeping together, flying around with Mineha riding on Daga’s back.

Also, apparently, Mineha could sort of understand what Daga was saying.

“Ah, I’ve got to head out soon.”

“Hm? Going somewhere?”

“I’m off to visit the blacksmith Alifa-san introduced me to.”

“Oh right, you did mention that before.”

“Na!”

“Huh? You’re coming too?”

“Daga, you want to come?”

“Na!”

“…So, the blacksmith probably knows a lot about swords, huh. Meaning you could learn more about yourself, in a way. Yeah, makes sense.”

“…Are you sure Daga actually said something that long?”

“Na?”

Dagaa tilted its head. That wasn’t exactly a denial.

Mineha, cool as ever, chimed in:

“Somehow, it feels like that’s what Daga meant.”

“Na!”

Daga raised a paw, its four ears perking up and tail swaying.

So you got all that from ‘Na’? Well, whatever.

By the way, when I used the relic [Silent One] to check Daga’s thoughts, all I heard was “Na!”

“Well, it’s fine, I guess.”

At that, Daga transformed into a knife.

“Na!”

It let out its usual sound — despite being in knife form. So, this was its way of saying “take me with you.”

“Don’t turn back mid-trip, alright?”

“Na!”

I grabbed the Daga Knife, slid it into its custom sheath, and fastened it onto my knife belt.

Just then, Mineha spoke up.

“Wof. Hey, before you go.”

“What is it?”

“Pick up some meat on your way back. Got it?”

“Yeah, yeah.”

“Alright then — take care out there.”

“I’m off.”

Waving back to the casually waving Mineha-san, I headed out.

On the opposite side of Hydrangea, across from the central noble district where Alifa-san’s shop was, lay the industrial district.

Workshops and factories of every kind lined the streets, including the blacksmiths’ quarter.

Because the chimneys there were constantly spewing smoke, the area was also known as “Soot Alley.”

Stone-paved slopes and stairways led to rows of brick buildings.

Every single one was a blacksmith’s shop.

“During the industrial revolution, there must have been hundreds of times more chimneys than this, huh.”

I remembered, faintly, from my past life: countless smokestacks lined up, belching black smoke until the sky was blotted out.

I wondered how long it would take for this world to hit its own environmental crisis — maybe in a few thousand years.

“Na?”

“Oh — let’s see, the one I was introduced to is…”

“Wof? Hey, isn’t that Wof?”

“Ah, Pakira-san!”

I turned at the sound of my name and saw Pakira-san.

She had long, sleek pale-green hair with white streaks framing her bangs.

Her hairstyle covered one eye, and her cute features matched her age — in other words, she was a beautiful girl.

She had big cat ears and a pair of white tails, one long and one short, swaying gently.

A cat beastfolk beauty.

Dressed in a white robe, she looked like an adventurer — probably just back from an expedition.

“Fancy meeting you in a place like this.”

“Yeah. What about Lupinus-san and Liv-san?”

“Oh, those two? They’re at the guild training grounds.”

“Training?”

“More like a duel, really. They’re facing the Twin Fangs of the Demon Sword.”

“Na?”

“What’s that sound?”

“The Twin Fangs of the Demon Sword?!”

Why did you meow at that?

“Yup. They’re the bodyguard of the Tasan Marquis family.”

“Wait, you mean… Shesh-san?”

“Oh? You know about her?”

“Well…”

I gave her the short version about the ring.

I left out the bits about Rell-san and Juicy-san. No need to bring that up.

“A precious ring, huh. How romantic.”

Pakira-san looked downright dreamy.

She must love this kind of story — come to think of it, she was a big fan of romance novels. Those hints she dropped were brutal, though.

If she knew it was an engagement ring, she’d probably get even more excited.

“Though now I’m wondering — why are Shesh-san and Liv-san dueling in the first place?”

Was there some kind of connection?

Maybe because Lupinus-san was a noble? That seemed likely.

“Right. The Tasan Marquis family has been supporting female adventurers, you see. We applied, and today was the interview. The interview was just a short conversation, and we passed right away. But then, you know, Liv has admired the Twin Fangs of the Demon Sword — in other words, Shesh — for a long time. Once they started talking, it naturally turned into a duel.”

“I’m not sure if I understand or not. What about Lupinus?”

“She’s acting as the referee.”

“I see. And you didn’t go to watch, Pakira?”

“I was interested, but I had prior arrangements — I’d asked for the restoration of an OOPArt, so I had to stay here for that.”

“You can actually restore OOPArts?”

“Depending on the item, yes. Though it’s quite expensive.”

“I didn’t know that…”

There’s still so much I don’t know, like the fact even Legendaries can be repaired.

“So, what about you?”

“I’m actually heading to a blacksmith now, one that Alifa introduced me to. I’m planning to have some gauntlets made.”

“Oh? Gauntlets, huh. What material are you using?”

“Fragments of the Great Tusk Blade Rhino.”

“What! That Great Tusk Blade?!”

“Y-Yeah.”

When I answered, Pakira’s ears and tail bristled in pure shock. Wait, was it that surprising?

“How did you even get your hands on that…?”

“I got it from Axe.”

“The leader of Lightning fang… I see. Now that you mention it, I’d heard he went somewhere with Agaro. But I never imagined they’d be after the Great Tusk Blade Rhino… Hmm. Wof. You’ve got yourself a fine material there. As an OOPArt, it’s top-class. On top of that, resources from the Mazan Mountain Range are almost impossible to come by. So then, which blacksmith are you visiting?”

“It’s this one, the one on the letter of introduction.”

I showed Pakira the introduction letter.

She glanced at it and gave a sharp smile.

“Perfect. I’ll show you the way.”

“You know them?”

“Indeed. I’m actually heading there myself.”

“Na?”

“What was that sound just now?”

“So, we’re going to the same place, huh.”

“Y-Yeah. Follow me.”

I trailed behind Pakira, who still seemed a little unsettled. I gently touched the hilt of the Daga Knife and whispered.

“Daga, it’s hard to explain right now, so could you stay quiet? I promise I’ll properly introduce you later.”

“Na.”

He replied softly, almost at the same volume as my whisper. Did he really understand?

Pakira turned around.

“What’s the matter?”

“Ah, nothing.”

“This area’s easy to get lost in, so make sure you stick close.”

“R-Right.”

The street was lined with brick buildings — every blacksmith shop looked the same, and yeah, it would be easy to lose your way.

“If you look at the signs, you can usually figure out which blacksmith is which.”

“You’re right, there are lots of shapes and designs.”

The shop signs protruded into the street, made of bronze, iron, and other metals, and came in all sorts of shapes — round, square, and more. The designs varied too: flames, birds, frying pans, pokers, hammers… the variety was impressive.

“A frying pan?”

“That would be a blacksmith specializing in cast iron cookware.”

“Ah, I see. And that one with the scissors and knife?”

“That’s an old shop specializing in household blades.”

“So it’s not just weapons, huh.”

“Right. Oh, and look over there — that one’s pretty unique too.”

“A… cup?”

A large iron cup was proudly displayed as the shop’s sign. A 3D sign — kind of stylish.

“That one’s a blacksmith that makes iron tableware.”

“Ah, I get it… that’s pretty rare.”

“Most people use ceramics these days, after all. Anyway, we’re here.”

“This is the place.”

The shop’s sign was bronze, depicting a bracelet and a goblet for some reason. The building was a three-story brick structure, located on the corner of the street.

“Verent’s Blacksmith.”

That name was engraved in ancient script on a metal sign hanging over the double doors.

“Excuse me!”

Pakira called out as she pushed open the door.

The interior had a stone floor and brick walls, and weapons and armor were crammed into the space. From the back, I could hear the rhythmic pounding of a hammer. The heat from the forge drifted into the room, and I noticed there was another customer already inside.

As the door opened, they turned around. Huh… isn’t that—

“Woff? Um, excuse me… are you Pakira of the Torquetum?”

“Hmm? You’re the maid who guided us earlier, aren’t you?”

“Woof! Wof-sama!?”

As she barked, she suddenly rushed right up to me.

Her silky black hair flowed all the way down to her waist. Her sparkling chestnut eyes gleamed brightly. She had a lively, adorable face, with big dog — or rather, wolf — ears, and a fluffy, wagging tail.

“Juicy-san. Why are you here?”

“Wof-sama?”

“Na?”

“Woof woof. Wof-sama, um, what are you doing here?”

Yep, no doubt about it — it’s Juicy-san.

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