When I awoke the next day, I stepped outside our cabin and stretched my limbs in the morning fog.
“Mm, this feels refreshing.”
The cold wind didn’t sting as much as before, but there was still a chill. I took a deep breath of that crisp air, and the revitalizing coolness helped my mind wake up and ready itself for another day.
“Morning!” Maribel called out.
“Good morning.” I turned to her and saw my other daughters all lined up. “And good morning to the rest of you as well.”
Krul, Lucy, and Hayate quietly greeted me back, careful not to wake up their “mothers” still slumbering in the cabin.
“All right, let’s go,” I said.
I patted all of their heads and handed water jugs to Krul and Lucy before we set out for the lake. During our trek, I didn’t ask Maribel what she had learned during her training. I’d refrained from questioning her during yesterday’s party as well, partly because I felt like I shouldn’t, but also because I thought that I wouldn’t understand what she’d gone through. I hoped that whatever she’d learned would help her grow as a spirit and encourage her—peppering her with questions wouldn’t do any of us any good. And so, instead of asking her about her training, I told her about our days while she’d been away.
“Wait, a raccoon visited you guys?” Maribel asked.
“Yeah,” I replied. “Well, not visited per se, but it was sick and passed out on the road, so we took it in for a while.”
“Aw man, I wanted to see it.”
“You just might. You never know.”
“Really?”
“Yep.”
I nodded. The raccoon we’d sheltered was an upright fellow. To thank us, it had found and given us some rare ones that were hard to find, and even now, it periodically brought us medicinal herbs—some of these herbs tended to evade the eyes of humans (and beastfolk, dwarves, elves, and giants). Thankfully, there was no opportunity for us to use all these herbs, but it was best to plan for the future. And so, we offered our gratitude in return. Lidy busily dried and preserved them with a smile on her face.
“If you’re lucky, you might run into that raccoon in the forest,” I said. “Or maybe you can spot it when it leaves us some herbs.”
It was quite intelligent, so it might do its best to avoid us if it sensed our presence, but perhaps the same couldn’t be said for Maribel the fire spirit. She was, in a sense, a part of nature. There was indeed a good chance that she’d run into it in the forest—there were only so many routes devoid of obstacles it could take when it came to deliver those precious herbs.
Maribel’s eyes sparkled with excitement. “What do you guys do again? Hunting? I’ll ask to tag along during these excursions!”
“Go for it,” I replied.
All my daughters tagged along with hunts. I needed Maribel in the forge when she was vital to my work, but that generally wasn’t the case—barring the orichalcum, of course. And I couldn’t imagine that I’d have constant requests for orichalcum weapons. After all, that metal is absurdly precious within this world.
When we reached the lake, it really did feel like the water was a bit warmer...albeit still cold. This lake was always cool, even in the heat of the summer, so the current temperature felt only a bit more tolerable than the water in the dead of the snowy winter. Krul and Lucy didn’t jump into the lake, but they energetically ran around near the water’s edge; it was warm enough to at least do that. Hayate expelled what sounded like a small sigh (maybe she really was a touch weary) before she chased after the energetic duo.
“Can I go with them too?” Maribel asked, looking up at me.
I nodded. “As long as you don’t vanish into thin air.”
She was a spirit, so I didn’t think that a bit of water would extinguish her flames and make her dissipate, but I just wanted to be sure.
“I won’t, of course,” Maribel said.
“Go on, then.”
“Woo-hoo!” She zoomed toward the lake, dipped her feet into the water, and squealed happily. “Brrr! So cold!”
“Don’t get too carried away! You can really catch a cold in this weather!”
“I know!” Maribel called back.
I knew that my warnings didn’t matter in the case of a fire spirit, but I just couldn’t help myself. Not doing so felt a bit...weird.
As I gazed at my youngest daughter having fun, I dipped another jug into the cold lake.
After I made our usual breakfast, our family surrounded the dining table, beginning another normal day. Maribel didn’t need food to sustain herself, but she always looked joyful enjoying a meal with the rest of us, so we (especially Diana) happily watched her eat. It was a wholesome sight. Her dining etiquette left much to be desired, but we still had plenty of time—she could fix that in the future.
As Maribel took her fork and stuffed her cheeks with gusto, Diana spoke.
“Maybe it’s about time I learn how to cook.”
“Good idea,” I replied.
I’d been preparing all our meals because Samya claimed that I made the best food, but there were no guarantees that I could always be in the kitchen. Luckily, I hadn’t gotten sick in the past year, but it was bound to happen one day, no matter how careful I was. And illnesses usually came with no warning.
When I’d left on the expedition for the monster subjugation, Rike had taken over cooking duties, but she couldn’t always stand in the kitchen either. It seemed reasonable that everyone should be able to cover household chores.
Diana thought for a moment before she spoke once more. “Could you teach me?”
“Sure. If you don’t mind that it’s me,” I replied. “I’ll show you what I can.”
“Thanks,” she said with a smile.
Helen raised her hand. “Teach me too!”
“Huh? Can’t you cook?” I asked.
Helen was a mercenary. Sometimes she went on solo missions, and sometimes she traveled in a group, but in either case, cooking was a vital skill to have for survival. When she was alone, she probably made simple meals that hardly required cooking, and I doubted that she made anything intricate for a group meal. Even so, some cooking needed to be done. A hot meal made a huge difference in morale and overall energy.
I was sure that Helen had the basics down just fine, but when I pointed it out, she pouted.
“It would be better if I improved a bit, don’t you think?” she asked.
“I certainly won’t complain about that.”
“Then what’s the harm?”
“All right, all right.”
“Score!”
She struck a small victorious pose as I let out a forced chuckle. I then turned to the rest of my family.
“What do you guys wanna do?” I asked.
“I’d like to learn as well,” Lidy said.
“Me too,” Anne agreed.
Rike waved her arm in the air. “Same here!”
“Wait,” Samya said, “then count me in too.”
They all raised their hands.
“So...everyone wants to learn. Got it.” I’d expected some people to decline the offer, but they’d proven me wrong. “Well, let’s all cook together sometime soon.”
“Okay!”
I needed to focus on orichalcum for a while, but doing daily household chores like cooking might form a routine and a decent change of pace. I’ll get started on that once I’m less busy.
“Let’s check our schedule for today,” I said. I didn’t mind spending a lazy morning, but I had to get back to work at some point. “Today, Rike and I will work on the orichalcum and—”
“Can I?!” Rike exclaimed eagerly.
I nodded, a bit intimidated by her energy. “When I hammered on it yesterday, I realized that the orichalcum cools quickly, and this is probably a great opportunity for you to experience forging with a new metal.”
Yesterday, I’d struck the orichalcum twice. It’d felt stiffer after my second swing, implying that it’d cooled down considerably after the first. My cheats had even told me as much.
Orichalcum was full of magical energy. Luckily, Rike had improved leaps and bounds in her magic practice, so she could help me work with it. The knife didn’t have to be perfect either—since it was more ceremonial, its forging could be less precise. Taking all of these things into consideration, why not let Rike work on the knife? This would be the perfect opportunity for her to test her skills.
Besides, we won’t come across orichalcum again so easily.
Usually, I told Rike to watch and learn, but that wasn’t enough when it came to knowing how every swing against the metal felt. This was a rare chance to work with such a precious metal.
“I think I’ll be counting on you quite a lot, Rike.”
“Right! Looking forward to it, Boss!”
Her eyes twinkled like bright stars, and everyone else smiled at her.
“As for everyone else...”
I wanted to know Samya’s and everyone else’s schedule—more precisely, when they’d head out into the forest. All the while, I internally calculated the help I’d need from Rike and the preparations I’d need to make.
“What should we do about our usual order for Camilo?” Rike asked.
“We told him we would bring less next time. In fact, it would be fine if we brought nothing at all,” I replied. “If we really need to, I can forge a decent amount of items if I work late into the night.”
I watched Samya and the others head out to the forest before Rike and I headed for the forge. Maribel was with us too.
“Can I help?!” Maribel offered.
“Yeah,” I replied. “I’m really all outta options with the orichalcum, so I’m counting on you.”
“Roger that!”
She stood there proudly, and I patted her head.
“Let’s begin!”
“Yeah!” Rike and Maribel shouted, pumping their fists into the air.
I feel like we’re a bit too laid-back—after all, we’re facing off against a legendary metal. But that’s just how Forge Eizo operates.
I rotated my shoulders, ready to start another day.
“Here I go!” Maribel said.
“Have at it.”
She stepped into the firebed, stood in the center, and braced herself, exerting her power. In the blink of an eye, blue and white flames burst out and roared away.
“Hnnngh!” Maribel grunted.
I immediately grabbed the orichalcum with my tongs and offered it to her. She hugged the lump tightly, which was an adorable sight. But I don’t have the time to find everything so wholesome right now. I activated my cheats, analyzed the state of the orichalcum, and saw that it’d undergone a bit of change—different from the times when it had refused to yield under normal fire. I could see that the orichalcum was gradually becoming forgeable. Rike also peered at the metal beside me, a large hammer in her hand.