Amid the flames of blue and white that licked away at the golden metal, I could see occasional rainbow glimmers. The entire process was so different from our usual process of hammering steel that I felt like this method couldn’t be used for anything else. But even without possessing my cheats, Rike could learn the techniques for working with orichalcum and bring the knowledge back to her hometown forge, as dwarven customs dictated—that would be more than enough. Not much was known about orichalcum within this world, and if she knew the proper steps to forge it, it’d give her a huge advantage. The only issue would be securing pure magical flames, like the ones coming from Maribel’s body.
She’s generating them, right? Yeah, it’s not easy to find fire like this... Others will have to make do somehow.
“All right, that’s good enough,” I said.
“M’kay,” Maribel replied. She released the orichalcum from her grasp and fell onto the firebed.
Good work. I’d love to thank you and spoil you to bits, but your “father” has some work to do right now.
I placed the hot orichalcum onto the anvil and swung down with my hammer. A clear sound echoed in the forge. I didn’t have time to carefully observe the metal, lest it cool and regain its toughness, but I could tell that it gave way slightly beneath my hammer.
Cling! Cling! The sound of my hammer clashing against the orichalcum filled the room like a tiny symphony, and right on cue, Rike swung down her large hammer, adding another layer of music. Clang! It was louder and clearly rang out. My top priority is to mold it into the size of a knife.
After Rike hit the orichalcum, I swung down in a different area, only to be followed by another strike of her hammer. Every now and then, I’d tap the hammer onto the anvil and tell her where to strike and what precise timing she should use. Soon enough, the orichalcum cooled down and was as hard as ever, refusing to budge. I offered this cold lump back to Maribel, who’d been eagerly watching us work from the firebed.
“Here ya go, Maribel.”
“I’m on it!”
“Sorry about the trouble.”
“It’s all good!”
She once again exerted her powers, using her flames to envelop the bit of orichalcum. I was more focused now than when I’d been hammering away at it—the ore was priceless, after all. Rike also had her eyes glued to it.
“Y’know,” Rike said. I tried to turn in her direction but was ultimately unable to tear my eyes away from the orichalcum. “It’s been a while since we’ve done stuff like this.”
“Now that you mention it...”
Generally, Rike was in charge of making entry-level and elite models for our orders. During special requests, I usually just asked her to sit back and watch without asking for her help.
“Feels like we’re really a boss and an apprentice, huh?” I pointed out.
“Yeah,” Rike agreed.
The two of us smiled. Since Maribel’s working so hard, we’d best do our utmost too, as a boss and his apprentice. I once again received the hot orichalcum from Maribel and used the tongs to set it onto the anvil.
“Is it getting too hot for you, Maribel?” I asked.
“Huh? No, I’m fine!”
“Got it.”
I couldn’t look away from the metal, so I couldn’t gauge Maribel’s expression, but her tone was laced with delight and joy.
“All right, time for another round!” I said.
“Right!” Rike replied.
The smaller hammer gave the cue before the large hammer swung down. I joined in on the hammering, and the orichalcum slowly but surely took shape.
“Jeez, this really is tough,” I muttered.
Rike nodded. “Yeah.”
“It is?” Maribel asked as she approached us.
“Yeah. Phew, this is a workout,” I told her. “And don’t get too close. It’s dangerous.”
“All right.”
I didn’t have any sharp blades on me, but I was still swinging around a hefty, blunt weapon. Perhaps physical attacks wouldn’t work on a fire spirit like Maribel, but I certainly wouldn’t feel good about accidentally striking her. She must’ve noticed my concern since she obediently drew back. Normal fire doesn’t work on orichalcum, so I’m using magical fire, but it’s still so darn tough.
Still, it now gave way with every swing of our hammers. I had no doubt that the orichalcum was thinner than it’d originally been, and the surface was covered with countless circular indents from the heads of our hammers. Had I been working with steel, I would’ve been able to shape this lump long ago—it would’ve already looked like a weapon. If I were to offer up this orichalcum to someone in its current state, they would still see it as an awkward lump that needed to be forged. The marks on the surface would show that some work had been done, but that’d be all.
“I hope it doesn’t crack,” Rike said.
“Hup! Don’t think we have to worry about that for now.”
Metal that was too hard had a tendency to crack. Katanas had a bit of softer steel on the inside to remedy this issue. Luckily, my cheats didn’t detect any minute cracks in the orichalcum.
“But that just makes me more nervous,” I added.
“Yeah,” Rike agreed.
This process was just so different from the norm. I was overcome with anxiety, and I wasn’t sure if I was going about this the right way. Sure, my cheats gave me the rough idea and told me that I was still okay, allowing me to relax a bit more, but it was nerve-racking to work with precious metals, and this bit of orichalcum was no exception. I could only imagine that Rike was even more anxious, since she didn’t have any cheats to help her. But there’s only one thing we can do.