Kays Translations

Chapter 160

The flaming greatsword that Shuris swung down.

Perhaps because of the wielder’s talent, the weapon’s effect was even more pronounced—going beyond red-hot, it set the very air around it ablaze. A strike truly wreathed in flame came crashing against the dagger I had forged.

A clear, sharp clang rang through the arena.

It was the kind of blow that seemed capable of splitting not only the dagger but even the pedestal beneath it.

But of course, it was Shuris.

Her strike stopped dead—precisely, just before it could touch the pedestal.

“…I see. So that’s how it is. Ahh, so this is the reason for your confidence.”

Master Golhar, faced with the result shown on the stage, spoke quietly.

Yes—he had accepted the truth of it, and acknowledged his defeat.

Displayed on the stage was a tiny dagger, which had withstood a massive sword, a colossal strike cloaked in fire—and yet it bore not a single crack or chip. It remained exactly as it had been at the start, resting on the pedestal.

Then why had the greatsword come so close to touching the pedestal at all?

“…Magnificent. Truly impressive. Shijima’s sword is remarkable. This is the first time I’ve ever seen a stationary blade cut through a descending one instead.”

That’s right.

At the very point where the flaming greatsword touched my dagger, it had been cleanly severed. That was why it looked as if the blow had gone straight through to the pedestal without resistance.

The severed blade of the greatsword clattered down onto the table holding the pedestal.

There could be no clearer conclusion—undeniable proof, for all to see, of the vast difference between Golhar Workshop’s creation and mine.

“There’s no room for debate. The winner is decided! Shijima’s work has defeated that of Golhar Workshop! The revival challenge has been denied! Are there any other challengers!?”

And with that, my victory was settled with ease—so much so there was hardly anything left to say.

No objections arose, no challengers stepped forward.

Thus, the smithing tournament moved on to reveal its “other face.”

Yes… the buying war.

The masterpieces submitted to the tournament—merchants, nobles, knights, adventurers, mercenaries all rushed to the craftsmen, seeking to buy them.

But—

“One million gold coins. How about it? Ten million large gold coins. That’s a fortune no commoner could earn in a lifetime.”

“…I can see ways to earn more than that already. I refuse. My swords aren’t for sale. They’re forged for one person alone. Give it up.”

“Our family’s prized sword was ruined by your work. Don’t you feel the least bit guilty about that?”

“You took the challenge yourself. Most likely, you gave those instructions to the workshop from the start. …Though I suspect you gave them some ‘other instructions’ as well, didn’t you?”

“Wh-what are you implying!?”

The noble now trying to acquire my work was apparently called Count Gordania—patron of the Golhar Workshop, a noble of Lindblum, as the name suggested.

“Give it up. I’m leaving. …Oh, and your craftsman? He said he wanted to go on a training journey for a while.”

“Hmph, let him! A loser like that! But you, Shijima—forget the sword, you come to me instead! With your skill and my house’s wealth, we could rise to the peak of blacksmithing on this continent. We could dominate the distribution and production of arms! This kingdom is on the verge of rapid development—what it needs is weapons! Superior weapons! Demand will soar as the next war approaches—”

He wasn’t wrong—about preparing for war, or that this nation, now drawing the attention of the great powers, needed to be ready.

But this wasn’t something to declare here and now, Count.

“Give it up. …I don’t know if you’re aware, but I’m the blacksmith of the Brigade. I won’t bow to anyone. Best you quietly train up some new craftsmen.”

“What? ‘Brigade’? What’s that supposed to mean?”

Hm, so he wasn’t at the banquet…

“Shijima, it’s pointless. The Gordania family doesn’t involve itself in politics or foreign trade. They wouldn’t have attended, nor do they have the connections to hear about it.”

At that moment, Shuris, who had been watching the exchange, stepped in.

As the daughter of a marquis house, one of the Thirteen Knights, and a protector of Lindblum, her appearance alone was enough to make even Count Gordania back down.

“Count Gordania, you should give up. He is… a blacksmith belonging to a group in very close ties with the royal family. Trying to poach him may well incur the kingdom’s wrath.”

“W-what!? That… then what of me…?”

“And another thing. The Adventurer’s Guild will soon begin a thorough investigation into the incidents in this city, past ones included. I’ll be expecting your full cooperation. Understood?”

“Gh! I—I doubt there’s anything I can do to help! Good day!”

And with that, Count Gordania left in haste.

Hmm… was that about the sabotage? If this means the smithing tournament here will improve from now on, then I’d say it was worth participating.

“…Well, as long as I got what I came for, it doesn’t matter.”

I rolled the Quartz Dragon’s Heart-Silver I had received along with the prize money in my palm.

It was only about the size of a fist, but on its surface gleamed strange patterns—like scales or ripples—on a shimmering mass of blue-silver.

“Melt, take it. You wanted this, didn’t you?”

“Ah, yes! And the sword too… I’ll equip it right away.”

When I handed over the dagger and the Heart-Silver, she eagerly fastened the dagger to her waist and tucked the Heart-Silver away… or rather, slipped it into the storage magic device at her hip.

As expected of the foxy one—her sense of security was top-notch.

“Hmm… Shijima, I’m heading to the Adventurer’s Guild for a bit, then probably back to base. What about you?”

At that, Melt made her suggestion, her expression thoughtful as though something weighed on her mind.

Well, my duty as Shijima was done. From here, I’d likely return to Lindblum as Silent.

“I’m heading back to the main force. Silent should be returning to Lindblum soon. Go with him.”

“Got it! Then tell Silent to meet at the usual place, okay?”

So—a rendezvous at the bus.

In the end, I took only the prize. I turned down the titles of “Senior Blacksmith” or “Meister,” as well as the right to receive a personal workshop in this city. I had no reason to stay.

After making such a stir at the tournament, to then refuse the honors and privileges—I must’ve seemed like a nuisance. Well, at least the tournament had been lively.

“I see. So Shijima is returning to the main force? If you see Same there… you probably already heard from Silent, but I’d appreciate if you could pass on my thanks.”

“…Huh? Oh, that. Alright, I’ll tell him.”

And so, with the plan for after returning to Lindblum now clear, I handed back the workshop key to the Smithing Guild.

Amid farewells tinged with reluctance, I departed from the city of Isbel.

At the time Shijima left the city, Melt had gone to the bustling Adventurers’ Guild.

Her purpose was to investigate something.

“Past records… you say?”

“Yeah, that’s right. Records of incidents and things like that!”

“Understood. Then please allow me to guide you to the archives on the second floor.”

The branch master’s office, the rooms containing compiled guild records, and other areas with request-related documents on the upper floors could only be entered by those with authorized guild tags.

In a way, it was a safe zone. There, Melt began looking into past incidents to confirm “an idea that had come to her just a moment ago.”

“Hmmm… as I thought, the damage near the end of last year was far worse than in previous years.”

She flipped through the pages with her finger as if merely glancing over them.

Even that was enough to etch the general contents into her mind.

It wasn’t quite photographic memory, but thanks to her overwhelming kinetic vision, her reading speed, and her extraordinary capacity for learning, she could perform feats nearly akin to it.

Once she had gathered the necessary information, Melt headed straight for the branch master’s office.

To share her deductions and warn him about an incident that was likely to happen soon.

Not knowing the proper etiquette for knocking, Melt rapped on the door several times.

Ton ton ton ton ton… Ton ton ton ton ton…
She wore a slightly amused smile at the good sound the door made as it echoed.

“Who is it, making such mischief…?”

“Sorry, it’s Melt. I came to talk.”

“What! Please, come in at once.”

Honestly, in this exchange, Melt was overwhelmingly the one at fault—so the branch master could only be considered unlucky.

“Branch master, how are things going with the subjugation request?”

“Well, at this time of year many adventurers gather, so we’ve secretly been assigning skilled individuals missions as designated requests.”

“I see. Well, you know… I think that woman, Amanda, will probably make her move today. She’ll meet up with the nobles of the House of Count Gordania who are here, and attempt to escape. Could you prepare to capture her? Also, could you tell Awa—er, Shuris-san this as well, along with everything that’s happened so far? Tell him, ‘Melt said the highway bandits and the House of Count Gordania are connected.’”

This was the conclusion Melt had reached, based on the events at the smithing tournament and the various pieces of information she had seen and heard so far.

Every year, groups who won the tournament moved together with vast amounts of materials—yet had never once been attacked.

On top of that, there was suspicion they might be connected with people who handled sabotage and other dirty work.

And further still, when Melt investigated the main goods merchants had lost to bandit attacks, she discovered that almost all were precious blacksmithing materials.

It was on that basis that she reached her deduction.

She relayed all of this to the branch master.

“I think that maybe tonight, they’ll try to flee with a ton of evidence. Destroying evidence, giving escape orders to the bandits—that sort of thing.”

“What… I understand. I’ll try to contact Shuris-sama immediately. Discreetly, yes?”

“Yep, secretly. If you stir things up too much, they might catch on.”

“Then what will you do after this, Melt-san?”

“Eh? I’m heading back to Lindblum, of course! Good luck with the subjugation and capture!”

She left it completely in their hands.

Even though she had formed a deduction nearly indistinguishable from the truth, she simply said she was going home.

Even though she could have claimed major credit, Melt’s mind was already… filled with the next adventure—heading for ports and islands.

She wanted to stand side by side. She wanted to reach the Blue Gem. Of course, that desire was there.

But… rather than “standing side by side through status or position, through things invisible to the eye,” Melt concluded that “actually standing side by side, in this very moment,” was far more important.

“Well then, see you, branch master! I’ll probably come play again next time!”

“Hahaha… Understood. I am truly grateful for your cooperation in this matter.”

With that, Melt cheerfully headed for the bus.

Amanda, who had been keeping an eye on things at the guild, no longer considered Melt a threat.

“A girl who goes around having that much fun doing as she pleases isn’t worth being wary of.”

…Not realizing she herself was already cornered.

And so, without anyone noticing, Melt’s actions would go on to lead to the resolution of a major incident that had plagued this city and Lindblum, and at the same time expose the involvement of a noble house of Lendia in criminal acts—greatly benefiting the kingdom.

Melt herself wouldn’t come to know of this until some time later.

“Phew… returning to Lindblum in my Silent form, huh… This is probably going to cause quite a stir.”

Mainly with Remiya-san, of course.

While I had shifted back into Silent inside the bus and was cleaning up to vacate the place, I sensed someone approaching the bus.

Naturally, it was Melt—

“Fuu! Job well done! So, are we putting this bus away again?”

“Looks like it. That’s why I’m cleaning inside. Melt, you’ve let trash pile up again, you know?”

“Ugh… but this time I did gather it all in one spot, didn’t I…?”

…In that case, forgiven.

“Alright then. Let’s head outside, pack everything up, and return to Lindblum. We’ll be going on foot this time, is that okay?”

“Yep, that’s fine! So once we’re back in Lindblum, are we heading straight for the port?”

“No, there are still a lot of things we need to take care of first. Once that’s settled, we’ll depart.”

“Rogeer that!”

There were still plenty of plans lined up. Kokuri-san said she had business with Shizuma, and then there was also Shuris-san’s matter.

But not for a second did I find any of that bothersome.

Beside me, Melt was smiling brightly, running her hand—the one wearing the bracelet I had given her—over a brand-new dagger.

Probably, as long as I’m with her, I’ll find anything enjoyable.

The two of us set out together on the road home.

Toward new adventures, unforeseen hardships, and exciting incidents waiting ahead—

“When we get back, I’m going to take on some big subjugation request! I want to test out how this dagger feels!”

“Haha, got it. Well, I’ve got plenty to do myself, so once that’s finished, we’ll set off for the port.”

“Can’t wait! The sea, the sea! There are supposed to be giant shrimp, right!?”

“Yeah, I bet there are.”

Alright then. When we get to the port, maybe I’ll start by making some shrimp fry.

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