“Knowing my father, he would be dying to use it, though,” Anne added with a large sigh.
The emperor’s face flashed across my mind. He exuded dignity and nobility, but he also had a mischievous streak, just like a child.
“I can see him throwing a tantrum and asking to use it just once,” I said.
“Exactly,” Anne replied.
I forced out a chuckle as Anne scrunched her face. But then, a smile stretched across her lips.
In any case, if this blade was only used for aesthetic and political purposes instead of for war, my worries were completely unfounded. That’s the best-case scenario. I hope it ends that way.
“That aside...”
Diana handed me the orichalcum knife, and I examined it. There’s still much to do before it’s complete. Usually, I ensured that my work wouldn’t rust (though I obviously didn’t need to worry about that if I was gonna work on it the next day) and left it on the anvil or my workbench, ready for the next forging session. But I was hesitant to leave something so precious just lying around.
“Where should I put this?” I wondered. I glanced around the forge, searching for a suitable spot.
“Why not there?” Samya suggested, pointing.
I followed her finger and nodded. “Fair enough.”
It was a decent spot in the forge that stood out. It was also lined with other precious materials like adamantite—the orichalcum would be a beautiful addition to this lineup. Above all, it was arguably the most sacred place within our cabin—a makeshift shrine that housed a goddess statue.
And so, I gently placed the unfinished knife onto the kamidana. Along with the other ores, it felt almost like an offering of sorts. I turned to the kamidana, which looked more dignified than ever before, and clapped my hands together in prayer—to no deity in particular.
“Time to clean up,” I said.
As everyone agreed, I turned back to the kamidana for just a moment. Were my eyes playing tricks on me? I felt like the orichalcum glimmered brighter than before.
⌗⌗⌗
“Oh, you made quite a lot,” I said.
Krul was right beside me, and I offered her some grilled, unseasoned meat.
“Kululululu!” my daughter cried, gently pecking at the meat with her snout before devouring it.
Diana was nearby, feeding Lucy in the same fashion, and the pup chowed down voraciously. She’s gotten even bigger... Hayate, who was perched on the railing, must’ve gotten some meat from someone too (or else grabbed some on her own)—she was busy chomping away.
The weather had warmed slightly, and I’d made some progress on the orichalcum, so we’d decided to eat dinner outside on the terrace.
The knife wasn’t finished yet, so it was a bit too soon for an after-party, but even without anything to celebrate, we ate outside on the terrace every now and then. I had made tonight’s food more luxurious than usual.
I’d spent the past few weeks with my hands completely full with the orichalcum, so I had no idea how our usual order was faring. I asked everyone about the number of knives they’d made, and Diana rattled off a number that was a lot larger than I’d expected.
“Everyone’s gotten used to the work,” Lidy huffed proudly, flexing her arm to show off her muscles.
She doesn’t really look powerful or brave—she just looks adorable.
I managed to keep my mouth shut, and I heard Helen grumbling beside me.
“It’s not fair that she can still manage to look so cute,” she muttered.
I nodded, causing Lidy to turn red and stare at the ground. Helen flexed her muscles next, and it was clear that she was the buffest of our family. She wasn’t as muscular as male bodybuilders (I mean, her biceps would have to be thicker than Lidy’s waist to match that), but her toned, large muscles were obvious and intimidating.
“Wow!” Rike cried out, impressed.
Our resident dwarf sported a stocky build herself, but height was the one thing out of her control.
“Let’s see ’em, Eizo,” Samya urged.
“Huh? Me?” I asked.
I’d thought Samya was busy stuffing her cheeks with meat, but her comment attracted the attention of my entire family. I guess it’s only fair. I’ve seen Lidy’s and Helen’s muscles, and I gotta answer to my fans... Just kidding.
I flexed my arm as the ladies had done. I hadn’t been this buff when I’d been thirty back on Earth, but smithing, combat, and production-related cheats had changed my body. My muscles had been boosted to increase my raw power—when I flexed, that much was clear.
“Not bad,” Samya remarked.
“Well, I do use them every day.”
I was practically lifting weights with my daily water runs, and I swung my hammer down in the forge every day. I was doing more than enough to maintain and even increase the muscle mass I’d received from my cheats. If I’d been this healthy back on Earth, maybe I could’ve done things differently... No, I was super busy with work and hardly had time for anything else. It probably wouldn’t have made a difference, and I would’ve lost all my muscle mass in a flash.
“Right, I wanted to ask you guys something,” I said, lowering my arm. Now wasn’t really the time to compare our awesome muscles. “I can probably spare a day or two from the orichalcum to help make knives for our order. Do you need my help?”
With the loss of Rike and me from the forging team, our family could only make entry-level models. I’d glanced at the knives they’d made during breaks from the orichalcum, and the quality was good enough to sell—they had my seal of approval. Elite models were still beyond their capabilities, so I told them that they didn’t need to worry about those. They focused instead on making as many entry-level models as possible.
Camilo will be fine with that. Entry-level models sell best anyway, and since he often runs out of stock, I doubt he’ll complain if we give him more entry-level models than usual.
“Nah, we’re totally fine,” Diana replied. “You and Rike should focus on the orichalcum. If you ever do have some extra time, it’d be great if you could make some elite models.”
“All right, got it,” I replied.
Looks like I’ll have time to make a pretty intricate sheath after I finish the knife. I stewed in my thoughts. Suddenly, I felt two tongues lick my cheeks, and a weight landed on my head.
“Okay, okay, here’s some more meat,” I said.
As I gave my daughters more treats, I felt reenergized and inspired to work hard tomorrow.
⌗⌗⌗
Ultimately, I decided not to sharpen the orichalcum knife. There was no need to, since it cut plenty well already. Usually, blades were polished and sharpened so that they could cut well, but I could completely skip those steps since the orichalcum could slice through anything. Still, I felt bad handing over a knife without a proper blade, so I made sure it looked sharp, even if it never touched the whetstone.
It was now time for the final touches.
“Hup!”
Maribel heated the orichalcum for me, and I hammered away. I didn’t need Rike’s help yet. Detailed work usually wasn’t worth the trouble of two people coordinating their movements, and she was definitely skilled enough to complete this part without my help. However, because I was more efficient, and because they’d ask me to forge the knife, I decided to take charge.
Rike stood beside me, her eyes wide and focused, intent on not missing a single moment. I felt like staring for so long would tire her eyes, and I wanted her to take breaks in between or rest if she could. If memory serves, blacksmiths actually do damage their eyesight because of the intense heat and light from the fire. I think I read in a book back on Earth that this was precisely why gods of smithing usually were often cyclopes or one-eyed. It might be too late to worry about it, but I do want Rike to take good care of her body.
I was acutely aware, of course, that I could only show Rike my work instead of giving her detailed instructions. It was a bit frustrating, but I decided to let Rike decide on the best way for her to learn. The orichalcum rang out clearly in the forge. If the sound was sustained for longer than expected, it meant that the shape of the blade was crooked and awkward. This came as no surprise when weapons were cast—burrs were common when you used that method. But when I forged the weapon from start to finish on the anvil, I could prevent burrs and unevenness. This was all thanks to my cheats (though I wasn’t really proud of that fact).
“How do you feel today?” I asked Maribel as I handed her the cooled orichalcum knife.
“Hmm? Just peachy!” she replied with a wide grin. “I’d be lying if I said heating orichalcum didn’t take some effort, but, well...it’s really fun! I don’t mind at all.”
“If you get tired, be sure to let me know right away, okay?”
“Roger that!” She pounded her chest and once again worked on heating up the orichalcum.
“Good.”
After lunch, I went through another round of hammering before I was satisfied. The glimmering knife dazzled in my hand. I raised it into the air to check—Rike and Maribel gazed up with me. At a glance, it looked like a ceremonial blade, one used only for special occasions, but the edge looked proper and loudly boasted its sharpness. And despite not putting it to the whetstone, it really is sharp.
“Looks incredible,” Rike said, mesmerized.
She’d improved her skills considerably over the months, and she now spoke her mind more frankly. I knew I could trust her words, but...
“I have to make sure that the handle and sheath can match the greatness of this blade,” I murmured.