kscans

Chapter 20 - The Workshop and the Dwarf's Confession

Aidan's workshop was in the district where the blacksmiths gathered. That said, this was a small town, so there were only three such establishments lined up. The largest stone building, the one with a garden, was his workshop. I was hesitating, finding it a bit intimidating, but Mizuki paid me no mind and walked right in. Inside, several dwarves who looked like craftsmen were on a break. They glared at us. I felt an urge to leave.

"Excuse me. We're here to see Aidan-san,"

Mizuki called out. One of them shouted, "Boss!"

A moment later, Aidan appeared.

"I see,"

Aidan nodded as we relayed the information about the dungeon's third floor.

"I've got a stock of bows and kunai. I'll go get them, so wait in the backyard."

At Aidan's prompting, we headed to the back. It was too small to be called a field, more like a small, empty lot. I wonder if he makes bows here at the workshop, too. It feels a bit odd. Then again, Aidan used a bow himself. Maybe that's why he was willing to part with his stock. Same for the kunai. Was there even a demand for them in the first place? Or was this town secretly crawling with ninjas without me noticing?

"Famu, do you know what a ninja is?"

"Yes, I've heard it's an advanced profession. I don't know the details, though."

"So they do exist!"

Maybe there was a niche demand after all. After a short wait, Aidan returned with a bow and some kunai. Mizuki stared intently at the bow.

"This shortbow... it's made of carbon, isn't it?"

"Hmph, you know of it?"

"Ah, well, um... Mash probably knows too."

Why drag me into this? I suddenly remembered telling her not to say anything that might reveal we were from another world. This felt like getting caught in the crossfire. For the record, I knew nothing about the material.

"Just as I thought. Someone used one of these in the Demon Lord subjugation a hundred years ago. Same goes for these kunai."

What exactly did you think? I wanted to ask, but I kept my mouth shut.

"Did you make this, Aidan-san?"

Mizuki asked.

"I did. Carbon can't be made here, so I used my [Workshop] skill."

"Aidan-san, how old are you?"

"I'm one hundred and twenty-four."

"Which means you know about the Demon Lord subjugation a hundred years ago, don't you?"

"Aye, I was with the Paladin army."

Aidan nodded. To think someone who knew about the Demon Lord was this close by.

"Did you defeat the Demon Lord?"

"Someone who came from another world defeated him."

"Is there any chance he wasn't completely defeated, or that he's still alive somewhere?"

"Who knows. I haven't heard any stories like that."

Aidan shook his head as Mizuki pressed him for more.

I was handed the bow and an arrow.

"See that target hanging from the tree branch? Give it a shot."

There was a target hanging about five meters away. Not knowing what I was doing, I drew the bow and let loose an arrow at random. The moment it left the string, the arrow spun through the air and flew straight toward Famu, who was watching beside me.

"Kya!"

Famu cried out as she dodged. Mizuki was trying to stifle her laughter. What a piece of junk.

"Hmph. I'll teach you how to shoot."

"Could you teach me, too?"

Mizuki asked. What was with her knack for just sliding into people's good graces? I would have just stood there silently spacing out.

"I-I'd like to learn, too,"

Famu added.

"Alright. I'll go get some more bows. Wait here."

So, the three of us learned how to shoot a bow. Mizuki was the best. Her high physical ability allowed her to get the hang of it right away. Famu was next. But because she lacked strength, she struggled to pierce the target even when she managed to hit it. I had the strength, but I couldn't hit the target. It was probably the bow's fault.

"Mash, use your wind magic to support the arrow when you fire. Eventually, you should be able to do it without the assistance."

My wind magic, which I had thought was completely useless, finally had its moment to shine. By compensating for my lack of skill with magic, I became as proficient with the bow as Mizuki.

Next, the three of us learned how to use kunai. However, since Aidan wasn't exactly an expert, it seemed we'd have to learn the rest through practical application. Famu, who I thought would lack the strength for this as well, skillfully threw them by using her entire body like a spring. The worst, as expected, was me. It was genuinely disheartening.

"I'll sell you one bow and ten kunai. The price is one Mana Seed."

Aidan's bow even had a strengthening enchantment on it.

"No, that's not nearly enough. Even if I don't have it on me now, I'll make sure to bring the full amount. Tell me the proper price."

"It's fine. You need to break your daughter's curse, don't you? Keep it."

"...Aidan, wait. Like I said before, I've done nothing to deserve this kindness. I need you to tell me why. Otherwise, I can't accept this."

At my words, Aidan looked up at the sky, seemingly gathering his thoughts.

"Right then. It's almost time for a meal. Let's eat together."

The sun was beginning to set. A considerable amount of time had passed.

Since we had the opportunity, I decided to make omurice. The ingredients, like rice and tomatoes, I'd bought at the market. I was surprised to see rice being sold, but it was clear that there were other people from another world besides me and Mizuki. From Aidan's story, I could imagine there were transmigrators a hundred years ago, too. They must have been the ones to introduce it. The eggs came from the chickens Aidan kept at his workshop. I thought making ketchup would be a pain, but with Aidan's [Workshop] skill, it was done in a flash. While storage preserves items in the state they were put in, [Workshop] could control the passage of time, and even heat or cool things. It seemed convenient, but having everything affected like that would be a hassle.

"Nah, you can create partitions to divide the space,"

he explained. Apparently, adventurers level 15 and above could do the same with their storage. You could create up to six partitions and even lend out a partitioned space as shared storage. I immediately set one up for Famu. Now, whenever she was with me, Famu could freely access the storage space assigned to her.

Mizuki was making stew, and Famu was helping her. Does Mizuki have cooking skills, too? She's a perfect superhuman. The spread also included some meat that Aidan had grilled up. Mizuki had a beer in her hand.

"..."

"Hmph, today's a good day, right? I haven't had a drink since that day!"

"Well, I suppose one is fine. This is my own brew. Sometimes it sells for more than my weapons."

Aidan handed me a beer. I'm not a fan, but I had no choice. I accepted it and took a sip.

"Whoa, this is good."

Aidan just grinned silently. Famu was staring, so I handed her my cup.

"It's better not to drink alcohol until your body is fully grown. Not until you're twenty. I'm not part of some advocacy group, so I don't know the real facts, but if you become an alcoholic, I'm leaving you behind."

"Yes. Then, just one sip."

Gulp. It was a big sip.

"Pffhaah—"

She had a look of pure bliss on her face.

"Oh, right, Aidan-san, I want one of your swords, too. Could you sell one to me next time?"

Aidan glanced at Mizuki.

"You're with Wind Blade, aren't you?"

"Um, actually, I'm thinking of leaving."

"What? I haven't heard anything about this,"

I interjected.

"Mmph... I was waiting for the right time to tell you. I want to join your party, Mash."

"Hey, are you serious? I'm planning on quitting this dungeon delving stuff before long. We're heading to the eastern city of Miglutt soon. This is just training for that."

"I haven't heard about that either, but that's fine with me."

I was at a loss and looked to Famu for help. In these situations, Famu's judgment was clear: she'd leave it up to me.

"Let's talk about the party later. Sorry. I interrupted,"

I said, steering the conversation back to Aidan and Mizuki.

"Nah, I don't have anything to add. If you're leaving Wind Blade, I don't mind."

This smelled of nothing but trouble.

"I thought it looked very fluffy, and it was very fluffy."

Famu gave her review of her first omurice. It was my masterpiece. I wanted to draw a heart on it with ketchup, but since I only had a spoon to pour it with, it was impossible.

"It's so delicious... so good. Master, I want to eat this again."

Her cheeks were flushed. Her words were a little strange. Was she drunk?

Mizuki was also savoring her food.

"This is nostalgic. It brings back memories... I think I might cry."

She must have been thinking about our previous world. I'd been craving the taste of rice, too. I should have just cooked plain rice and prepared some side dishes separately.

"Hmph, delicious,"

Aidan said, pleased.

"By the way, about what we were talking about earlier. You're going to tell me, right?"

"Aye. The day before you bought Famu, I'd heard there was a dog-eared girl locked in a cage and left to rot, so I went to check on her. That situation was abnormal."

"Don't tell me you wanted to buy Famu?"

I was very surprised, but Aidan shook his head.

"Same as you. I don't like that sort of thing either. I was waiting for a chance to rescue her, but you went and negotiated to buy her."

"Is that what happened..."

"No, it was just a thought. You were the one who actually acted. Since I couldn't do anything, I wanted to help you two instead."

The one watching over Famu had been one of those thugs. Even Aidan might have had a hard time taking him down. A fight would have drawn attention, and if it became an incident, Aidan would have been the one punished for attacking.

"I understand. I'm grateful to you, Aidan. But this is too much."

"If you think so, then grow until you're strong enough to defeat the Demon Lord. You're from another world, aren't you?"

Aidan must have met someone from another world a hundred years ago. That's probably how he knew.

"Wait a minute,"

Mizuki interrupted.

"From what you just said, it sounds like all that happened was Famu's ownership changed hands. Sure, she was freed from a cage, but she's still bound as a slave. That's meaningless. She hasn't been freed from anything."

Mizuki was directing her anger at me. I really should have cleared up this misunderstanding.

"Famu, if you would."

"Mizuki, I am a free citizen."

Famu pulled down her arm cover.

"The Slave Mark... it's gone. Then why were you pretending to be a slave?"

"Well, that would be my fault."

That was right. It was Aidan who had told me to act as her owner to avoid trouble, since there was discrimination against non-humans in this town. Come to think of it, I was just following Aidan's advice. When I explained this to Mizuki, her head drooped.

"If that was the case, you should have told me sooner!"

"We were in the guild at the time, there were people watching!"

Famu knew how I felt back then, but she was kind enough to stay quiet.

"Even this morning, things got so tense between us!"

"Hold on. That was because Famu made that defiant speech, which made the atmosphere too awkward to..."

"...You're right. I was the one who got heated first. I'll reflect on that."

Mizuki apologized. I felt like it was my fault, but I decided to go along with it for now.

"Do you know of the Crimson Brigade?"

Aidan asked, having waited for my argument with Mizuki to end.

"No, I don't."

"They're bandits. They wear crimson hoods when they commit their crimes."

"What?"

It was Famu who reacted to Aidan's words.

"I got it out of that merchant caravan. It seems they didn't buy her directly, but that group is apparently famous as an illicit slave supplier. They're the ones who attacked Famu's village. You might run into them if you head east."

Famu's shoulders were trembling. The ones who attacked her village must have been wearing crimson hoods. I didn't understand why criminals would leave behind such obvious evidence. Was it for notoriety? I gently pulled Famu's shoulder closer to me.

"Got it. I'll keep that in mind."

"Are you sure the Demon Lord is really gone?"

Mizuki asked Aidan. Now that he knew we were from another world, she probably wanted to gather as much information as she could. Especially since Mizuki planned to defeat the Demon Lord to return to our world.

"I'm not hiding anything. I believe he was defeated. However, it wasn't just a hundred years ago that people from another world were summoned here. It seems to have happened before then, too. The elves might know more about that. They live long lives, after all."

"Is that so?"

"Also, you should be careful. You're not the only ones who have been brought here. A god probably summoned you. Likewise, other gods are summoning others. If you meet, you'll likely end up fighting."

"...Why would we end up fighting?"

I asked.

"Who knows. A hundred years ago, it just seemed like we were being pushed into it. And the one who survived was the one who defeated the Demon Lord."