181 - Katana
――It was a small village.
However, it had begun to grow over the last few years.
The population, once around three hundred, had now swelled to roughly four hundred. It wasn't as if they had any particular specialty. Yet, this small village had suddenly become prosperous.
Previously, when the village youths reached a certain age, they would set off for the urban areas of the country or for Beim, but that had not been the case for the past few years.
Rather, a phenomenon had occurred where the youths who had left the village were returning.
In the village, the youths carried weapons, defeated surrounding monsters, and obtained magic stones and materials.
Traveling merchants visited frequently to buy up the magic stones and other items.
Today, one such traveling merchant was visiting the village.
「My, it's a great help to have a place to stay provided and to be able to obtain this many magic stones on a regular basis.」
The merchant, who had arrived in the village yesterday evening, had stayed overnight before buying up magic stones and materials and selling off the goods he had brought with him.
He had made a profit this time as well, and the merchant looked pleased.
「That's good to hear. Please come again. The young ones are out hunting monsters now, so they'll gather together pretty quickly.」
A village that had become more prosperous than it was several years ago. And the man who could now be called one of the village's notables was a middle-aged former adventurer who had returned from Beim.
He was a man no one had ever heard of, but when he returned to his home village, the village became wealthy.
Surely, he was teaching the young ones how to fight and helping them defeat monsters.
The merchant believed this and did not doubt it.
「That is a great help. If you can defeat the monsters around here, travel will become safer as well.」
The former adventurer's response was slightly hesitant.
「...I suppose. Well, be careful on your way back.」
The merchant decided to leave the village after finishing his business. After carefully loading the purchased magic stones and materials into his wagon, he planned to begin moving toward the city along with a group also heading from the village to the city.
The ones going from the village to the city were the youths.
Rather than leaving the village for good, it seemed they were heading out to buy food.
The merchant saw this and thought.
(I heard that recently they've been paying taxes in kind with magic stones and materials, but are they so devoted to that that they have to buy food? I can't imagine the lord would allow such a thing...)
Recently, he had the impression that many youths in the village carried weapons and took the lead in defeating monsters.
The merchant thought.
(I hope it's not... no, that can't be. If he's a former adventurer, he must know how scary labyrinths are.)
Could the village be hiding a labyrinth and not reporting it? And were they profiting from it?
However, many villages and towns had been destroyed for doing such things, and he couldn't believe the village would do that with a former adventurer present.
Besides, if there were a labyrinth, they should be able to obtain even more magic stones and materials. A village that acted so foolishly would surely be suspected for selling off massive amounts of magic stones and materials.
They were certainly earning a certain amount, but it wasn't particularly excessive.
For that matter, it wasn't as if such villages didn't exist. There were villages where monsters were so numerous that they had no choice but to fight. There were villages that paid their taxes with magic stones and materials obtained by defeating monsters.
It varied depending on the country or the lord, but such villages were demanded higher taxes than others. Possession of weapons and the crops harvested in the village were not subject to tax.
However, they were tightened up in other areas. Furthermore, if a war broke out, they were required to provide manpower.
The merchant thought that the village had simply leaned in that direction――.
――Once the merchant left the village, the former adventurer, Brani, gathered the village youths.
It was not in the square, but in a place like the corner of the village. From the atmosphere, it didn't look like they were discussing anything bright.
In fact, what they were discussing seemed dangerous.
Brani spoke to the youths working under him.
「Hey. You're still dealing with the monsters around the village, right? If you go to the caves too often, people will start suspecting us, saying the number of monsters around the village hasn't decreased.」
The youths in the village, ranging from their late teens to mid-twenties, nodded repeatedly to Brani. Brani had been an adventurer in Beim, and in their eyes, he appeared to be a strong man.
「Big Brother, we're making sure to hunt monsters around the village just as decided. But if we go to the labyrinth, we can defeat way more than we can by hunting around the village, right? Why don't we just do that?」
At this, Brani spoke with an exasperated look.
「You idiot. If we did that, we'd be suspected. I told you the policy is to keep it low-profile and earn slowly in the labyrinth. If it looks like we're about to be found out, we'll just say we found the labyrinth. Or we'll just destroy it. Until then, save up steadily.」
This man, Brani. He was a former adventurer, but in his party, he had been a luggage carrier and wasn't a particularly excellent adventurer.
But, sadly, he wasn't an idiot. He was a cunning man. And, at the same time, he wasn't wise. He was a man who was slightly quick-witted and had a bit of a knack for things. That was Brani.
However, he believed himself to be wise.
In Beim, he was an adventurer whom no one would deal with, but it was different once he returned to the village. He could easily handle the monsters that lived around the village.
And it was easy to deceive the elderly who had never left the village.
For better or worse, for the youths who had left the village and succeeded, this home village was not attractive.
Therefore, no adventurers from the same hometown returned.
Because of this, many villagers fell for Brani's smooth talk. There were villagers who opposed him, but they changed their tune once their lives became prosperous.
(That's right. If I become a notable of the village like this, I can be a respected existence here forever. I'll have a wife soon, too. I'll live a better life than those adventurers in Beim who made fun of me.)
Brani, who had lived his life being cunning and flattering the strong, was walking a second path in his hometown.
Without knowing that it was a very foolish thing to do――.
「I refuse.」
Facing a dwarf craftsman with coarse white hair and a beard, and a body that remained sturdy despite his age, we were in a predicament.
The sound of metal being struck could be heard around us, and many dwarves were working busily.
He was a craftsman introduced to us by Vera, a talent capable of processing most rare metals.
However, when we visited his workshop, he flatly said, 「I refuse,」 after only a brief conversation.
Vera, who had visited the workshop with me, was also troubled.
「Grandpa Ratata, I'm asking you too, you know?」
Then, the craftsman, Ratata, spoke while smoking a cigarette.
「It's a request from a young lady. I'd like to listen, but I can't. That brat Fidel came by here. He told me absolutely not to lend a hand. I've known that brat for a long time. Besides, the one I owed a debt to was your great-grandfather, you know? I believe I've repaid that debt in full.」
The stubborn-looking old man looked at me with drooping eyes. Then, he looked at the saber hanging at my waist and shook his head.
「Young man, unlike that brat, I have no interest in whether you're suitable for the young lady or not. But listen, if you have that kind of skill, you should choose your weapon properly.」
It seemed he had judged that I possessed a reasonable amount of skill. And he had immediately seen through the fact that the saber at my waist was a mass-produced item.
He must be an excellent person.
But he was stubborn.
「Couldn't you somehow do us a favor? This is a metal that no one has ever handled before. I want to request this from you, one of the finest craftsmen in Beim.」
Then, the old craftsman laughed.
「Quite the evaluation for this old fogey. I'm happy my skill is appreciated, and it is indeed an attractive proposal. But no.」
Vera spoke, sounding a bit angry.
「Why! You don't have to worry about Father. He's just being stubborn.」
Grandpa Ratata laughed upon hearing that. Then, he spoke to Vera as if admonishing her.
「Then, go and persuade him properly. Sorry, but I have work to do here. By the way... that work is to maintain the young lady's ship.」
When Vera dropped her shoulders and apologized, we were at a dead end. It didn't seem like we could negotiate any further. The only thing I could think of was to persuade Vera's father, Fidel-san.
Grandpa Ratata, who was laughing while looking at Vera, glanced at me.
「Well, you should at least show your boyfriend some of the merchandise. I have better weapons prepared than the thing hanging at your waist. Good luck persuading that brat.」
There was no doubt that the person even Vera couldn't persuade was a famous craftsman in Beim. Even among dwarves, who are many blacksmiths, he was an excellent craftsman whose name was well-known.
I really wanted his cooperation.
Then――.
「Father, there's a customer at the shop. Something about wanting to see a saber.」
When a dwarf woman entered the workshop, Grandpa Ratata made a sour face.
「You... I told you not to bring in just anyone, didn't I? Listen, let the grandchild handle them. This kind of thing is an important experience.」
Then, the dwarf woman slapped Grandpa Ratata on the shoulder.
「Shut up! I'm telling you that the grandchild is troubled, so please deal with them! Are you saying you can't even listen to the request of my precious son!」
Even Grandpa Ratata seemed flustered by his daughter's anger, cleared his throat, and stood up.
「A-Alright, I get it. Honestly... I raised her wrong. Sorry, young lady. I have to deal with the customer. You're welcome to look at the goods. I'll give you a discount.」
Once Grandpa Ratata left the workshop with his daughter, we also went outside and headed around to the front of the shop.
It was a blacksmith shop that also had a storefront, and the largest building in the vicinity was Grandpa Ratata's shop.
He took on commissions, but he also made and sold his own products.
He had many apprentices, and the shop was managed by three generations: the manager who was his son-in-law and successor, and his grandchild who was in training.
When we entered the shop from the front, Grandpa Ratata, who had been reluctant until a moment ago, was shouting loudly.
「That simply won't do! I must prepare a magnificent saber for that one! Buying mass-produced ones in bulk isn't bad, but you need a weapon you can rely on in a pinch!」
He was happily attending to the customer. And when I looked at the counter, there were two familiar figures seen from behind.
One had bright brown hair in a side ponytail.
The other had blonde twin-tails and was wearing a maid outfit.
「What are those two doing?」
When I said that, Vera replied.
「Isn't his reaction different from before? He looks incredibly happy. Am I being treated worse than them?」
I gave a wry smile to the slightly dissatisfied Vera and joined Novem and the other.
「Weren't you guys out shopping today?」
Then, Novem and Monica turned around. Neither of them seemed surprised to see me.
Monica explained the circumstances.
「No, we happened to run into each other here. Normally, I would hate shopping with a female fox... ah, but if ordered, that's different. This Monica is prepared to proactively do even things she hates if it's an order from the chicken coward!」
Since that didn't matter, I looked at Novem. Then, Novem smiled.
「I thought I'd take this opportunity to give Lyell-sama a saber as a present. Using only mass-produced items leads to heavy wear and tear, and more than anything, I want to express my daily gratitude.」
What a good girl. Shannon should brew some of Novem's dirt and drink it.
However, Novem gave a wry smile.
「The thing is... Monica-san says that instead of a saber, it should be a katana.」
「A katana?」
When I tilted my head, Monica spoke excitedly.
「Yes! After all, a katana suits the chicken coward! It's the Yamato spirit! The Yamato spirit! No, was it the heart of a samurai? Well, such small details don't matter! I'm sure you'll like it!」
(What's a Yamato spirit? Samurai? Isn't it a knight?)
However, I didn't know a weapon called a katana. To ask what kind of weapon it was, I looked at Grandpa Ratata.
「No, I don't know either. After hearing the explanation, I understood it's something like a saber. But... while I could make it if told to, I don't want to sell something half-baked. Please understand it'll take time. Or rather, to be blunt, there are problems with it as a weapon.」
Hearing about the problems as a weapon, Vera asked.
「What? Is the reach too short? Lyell, you should make guns your main weapon too. If used as magic tools, they have considerable power.」
The fact that I can't do that is why I'm troubled. However, from within the jewel, the Seventh Generation agreed.
『As expected of Vera-chan! Yes, guns are the weapons that will change the world! Lyell, choose guns here. Sabers are old-fashioned.』
I've been swinging that saber around for years, though...
Grandpa Ratata spoke.
「It's the same as a saber. It's a weapon that can thrust and slash, but when it comes to that, the durability is an issue. Moreover, it seems more delicate than a saber. To be blunt, it's no good if you use iron or other rare metals. It breaks easily. Unless you use a higher quality rare metal, it's mediocre as a weapon.」
Hearing that, Monica said.
「The same can be said for sabers, right? Now, chicken coward! Let's get a katana! It's okay! Only the blade part is slightly different, so it's almost the same as a saber!」
Unable to understand why she was recommending it so much, I looked around with a troubled face.
But when he saw Novem, Grandpa Ratata spoke.
「By the way, you guys were acquaintances. Truly, coincidences do happen. Alright, I've decided. Since I'm at it, I'll take the young ladies' request as well. I've suddenly felt motivated.」
Vera was surprised by Grandpa Ratata's words.
「...Eh?」
Novem, perhaps understanding what had happened after looking at us, thanked Grandpa Ratata.
「Thank you very much.」
「Don't worry about it! Besides, the brat's request is a personal one. I don't need to be complained to for prioritizing this.」
Novem had always had a tendency to be liked by demi-humans.
(Is this a blessing from the goddess――no, the evil god? Well, whatever.)
I was happy that I had managed to secure the craftsman, but Vera was different.
「...I don't know. I just can't accept this. Even I was rejected, but he agrees immediately for Novem.」
She had a look of dissatisfaction on her face.