My Quiet Blacksmith Life in Another World: Volume 3, page 1
Prologue
In the deepest recesses of the demon kingdom stood a castle. Here, the Demon Queen lived and presided over her lands.
A demon woman was walking through the venerable corridors of this palace, her steps light as snow. Although this demon was attractive in both face and figure, what really drew the eye was her blade—it rested in its scabbard, strapped to her waist. For whatever reason, it was a Japanese-style sword. It was exquisitely made and had drawn many admiring gazes since she had received it.
And now, one such admirer was approaching.
“Nilda.”
Upon hearing her name spoken and registering the voice behind it, the demon woman stopped in place and dropped to one knee. “My Queen,” she acknowledged.
As should be obvious by now, the voice who had called the demon’s name was none other than the ruler of the castle herself—the Demon Queen.
She, too, was alluring... Her visage was beautiful like a painted portrait, almost as if she had stepped out of a gilded frame just a second prior. The queen signaled for Nilda to stand with a wave of her hand and then gestured to the sword at Nilda’s waist.
“You’re in a rather pleasant mood,” the queen remarked. “It’s thanks to your sword, no?”
“Yes, My Queen,” Nilda answered. “The scabbard is the work of one of our craftsmen—I commissioned it upon my return to the kingdom. However, the sword was forged by a smith of human blood. It is sturdy, beautiful, and cuts like a dream. I intend to treasure it.”
“Aaah, a human,” the Demon Queen responded simply.
Nilda furrowed her brows. “Does that displease you?”
The Demon Queen smiled and waved her hand to assuage Nilda’s worries. “No, not at all. I do not know how the opposition thinks, but I, for one, have no reason to seek further animosity between our kingdoms.”
The queen did not mention the great swathes of hostile history between humans and demons that had predated her era. The fact of the matter was, Nilda’s purchase would not have been viewed so kindly during the great wars a few centuries ago. But those battles had been fought under the previous reign’s banner, during an age that the current queen had little connection with.
Nilda sighed in relief—she was being let off the hook without a dressing down. She could’ve hoped for no better outcome.
“May I see it?” the Demon Queen asked.
“Of course.” Nilda unstrapped the sword and handed it to the queen, who slid it from its sheath.
The blade was long and slender. It glowed from the light cast by the corridor’s candlesticks.
“You said it cuts well? You’ve blooded it, then?”
“Yes. It has felled its fare share of foes,” replied Nilda. “I had a need to test its performance in battle.”
“I see,” the Demon Queen mumbled before returning her gaze to the blade.
A sword accumulated nicks and dents in proportion to its kill count, and each repair left marks of its own. However, this blade was flawless.
“It seems that this sword has not needed repair.”
“You are quite right, My Queen. I handle routine maintenance such as wiping the surface to prevent rust, but the blade has yet to chip or bend,” Nilda answered.
The Demon Queen’s eyes narrowed in consideration. “Is that so...?”
A sword with little need for upkeep... That was perfect for the queen’s lifestyle, busy as it was. She considered acquiring a blade—a rapier, perhaps—for herself. “And your human smith serves demons as well?”
“Yes,” Nilda said. “According to the smith, he does not discriminate. Nevertheless, there is a single condition he enforces.”
“Tell me.”
“The commissioner must go alone to his forest forge to plead their case.”
“That’s it?” The Demon Queen was thrown by the simple requirement. She had imagined the blacksmith would want gold and jewels, or perhaps the client’s most treasured belonging, just as people did in stories.
The queen was doubly surprised by Nilda’s next words.
“I must admit, the journey was harrowing.”
“Harrowing?” the Demon Queen parroted incredulously. “For you?”
And it was no wonder that the queen was skeptical, for Nilda’s duty was to patrol the border between the demon kingdom and the outside world. The large forest adjacent to the border was home to ferocious beasts that posed a threat to demons, even those who were veterans in battle. With Nilda’s abilities and experience, she should’ve been more than used to forest terrain. Yet, the journey to this blacksmith had been tough? Unimaginable.
But then, a thought struck the Demon Queen. “Perhaps...is that the forest you’re referring to...?”
“Exactly,” Nilda said, confirming the queen’s hunch. “The forge is in the Black Forest.”
At that, the Demon Queen sighed deeply.
The Black Forest was the largest in the world and was a place best avoided by unsuspecting travelers. The beastfolk claimed its peripherals as their territory, and dangerous creatures skulked about in its depths.
According to Nilda, that was the place her smith had chosen to live. It was difficult to believe, but Nilda had visited the forge in person. If she said so, it must’ve been true.
“Of course, there is a benefit to us—magic is thick within the bounds of the forest. But the wolves pose a great threat. They have powerful noses and razor-sharp wits,” Nilda explained. “As if the dangers of the forest weren’t enough to contend with, the workshop itself is shielded with magic to repel visitors.”
The queen’s eyes widened. “We are still talking about the forge of the blacksmith, yes?”
When had the queen begun to show her emotions so openly? Nilda stopped to ponder. After a breath, she answered, “Yes, the very same.”
What kind of blacksmith would purposefully use magic to discourage visitors? Clients equaled money, so common sense dictated that the more clients one had, the better.
“And another thing,” Nilda added.
“There’s more?”
“Payment is determined by the commissioner.”
The Demon Queen was at a loss for words. This blacksmith operated outside the bounds of her comprehension, and there was simply no use in trying to understand him any further. “What an eccentric fellow,” the queen remarked, chuckling.
With eyes reflecting on a past unbeknownst to us, Nilda echoed, “Yes. He truly was.”
Chapter 1: Amid the Forest
The Black Forest was home to a great number of creatures, dangerous and docile alike. I was currently trekking through this forest alongside the three women I lived with.
Samya was one of the beastfolk, a tiger-type who’d moved in with me after I’d saved her life. Rike was a dwarf who I’d taken on as my apprentice. And Diana had joined our household after I’d helped to resolve her family’s internal conflict.
Just then, a squirrel with green fur scampered out of the shadows. The first time I’d seen one of its kind was...that’s right, the day I’d awoken in this new world. It was the first living creature I’d encountered.
As usual—though, perhaps nothing about this was “usual”—the squirrel blended into its surroundings. However, it was standing right in my line of sight as if it had purposefully moved to a spot I could see.
“It’s a squirrel,” I said to the others.
Samya spotted it right away, but Rike and Diana weren’t able to find it until I pointed. When the two of them caught sight of it, they practically melted from the impact of its cuteness.
“Adorable,” Rike cooed.
“Hard to believe that cute animals like that live here,” said Diana. “I always thought that everything in the Black Forest had sharp teeth and claws.”
I turned to Samya. “You know, it’s not the first time I’ve seen these squirrels,” I said. “Are they harmless? They’re not poisonous, right? And they won’t try to attack people?”
I’d been curious about them since way back. The whole time I’d been in this world, I hadn’t interacted with them at all—not because I’d fallen for their fluffy tails and precious faces, but because I hadn’t wanted to risk the chance that they were secretly dangerous.
“Nope. Not poisonous and not jumpy either,” Samya answered.
“So, we could eat them?”
Diana swallowed heavily. Catching small critters for sustenance was probably not a custom amongst the noble class.
“Yup, we could. They’re honestly pretty tasty,” Samya replied. “But...there’s little meat on their bones.” She pursed her lips in dissatisfaction.
Is she thinking about a bitter memory?
She continued. “They’re nimble, smart, and more wary than foliage birds. Slippery little fellas... It’s tough to catch enough of them to make it worth the effort, so I usually don’t bother.”
“Aaah, I see.”
I’d heard that there were regions on Earth where squirrel meat was a major component of the diet, but that seemed far from the case in this forest. Particularly for Samya, hunting wasn’t a sport but a matter of life or death. There was no reason for her to expend time and energy without the promise of a reward.
The squirrel stared down at us from the branches for a while longer as if it could sense that we had no intentions to harm it. Then, it suddenly darted up the tree and disappeared into the canopy.
We made our way deeper
“Come to think of it, what about the horned deer? They’re different from tree deer, right?” I asked, recalling that Samya had mentioned them before.
Tree deer had antlers that resembled the branches of trees in the forest. They were a regular sight around these parts, but I’d never seen a horned deer before.
Could it be that Samya had been steering us away from horned deer before we encountered them? When we traveled to and from the city through the forest, Samya was always on lookout duty. Personally, I thought that if horned deer weren’t a threat, I wanted to see one at least once.
“Horned deer have short, straight antlers. It’s no joke if you get stabbed by one.” Samya used her hands to mimic the antlers, which was a cute sight in and of itself. “Tree deer can be dangerous when angered, but horned deer are more temperamental.”
Rike nodded appreciatively. Her family home was near a mountainous region where it was easier to mine ores and minerals, so she was often as unfamiliar as I was with the fauna of the forest.
“Horned deer will attack if you so much as set a wrong foot toward one. Every once in a while, I’ve seen them take the upper hand against wolves.”
“Wow,” I mused. I’d assumed that since horned deer were, you know, deer, they were herbivores, but the idea of being cornered by one when you’d intended to be the hunter... That was a frightening proposition. Of course, kill or be killed was the same from both the hunter’s and the horned deer’s perspectives.
I glanced around to distract myself from the brutal reality of the food pyramid, and my eyes landed on the branch of a nearby tree. “Look, it’s a foliage bird!” It was pecking at some fruit.
Foliage birds were named for their feathers that resembled leaves. When they sat still, they blended perfectly into the flora. Did this world have predators with sharp eyes that were skilled climbers? Perhaps a reptile of sorts? Why else would foliage birds have evolved a camouflage mechanism even though they nested high up in the trees?
“Are there any snakes that are good at climbing?” I asked.
“Uh-huh, there are,” Samya said offhandedly like it was everyday knowledge. Maybe it was. After all, snakes populated every corner of Earth except for the polar regions, so the chances were slim that they didn’t exist here at all.
“There are tons of different species, but there’s one type of brown snake that looks like a tree branch and is known for being an exceptional climber,” she explained. “Fast too.”
“And the foliage birds’ camouflage is a tactic to fool the eyes of those snakes?”
“Could be. Though, bough snakes in this forest tend to be peaceful,” she replied. “But you gotta watch out so they don’t end up in your belongings. They like tight spaces.”
“Pardon?” Diana said, shocked.
Is Diana scared of snakes? I had no problem with snakes, and judging by Samya’s composure during her explanation, she was at least used to them.
“I’ll be careful...” Diana murmured.
“Sure, but don’t worry too much,” Samya reassured her. “I’ve accidentally tried to grab them plenty of times before, and they’ve always slithered away without striking. They’re not venomous either, so you’ll be okay even if you’re bitten.”
“Th-That’s good,” Diana said anxiously.
“Still, it’s better to be careful if you’re nervous,” I said. “Samya, you too. There’s no helping it if you don’t notice one, but try to avoid them.”
“I got it, I got it,” Samya said.
There was a type of snake back in my old world called the tiger keelback. Their venom glands were located in the very back of their jaws, but they had no muscles to trigger their venom, so a quick bite was unlikely to leak any into the victim. Because of this, they were thought to be nonvenomous for a long time.
The bough snake could have a similar backstory, though there was no guarantee—the best thing would be to avoid getting bitten, period.
As we continued walking, Rike asked Samya, “Are there any other cute animals in this forest?”
“Tanuki, wolf pups, ummm...foliage birds, and the squirrels? But otherwise...” Samya crossed her arms and screwed her eyes shut in thought. I could practically see a montage of different creatures playing through her head.
Soon, she blinked open her eyes and said, “I got one. We should be able to find some in this season...” She took the lead and gestured for us to follow.
Apparently, we were in for a seasonal treat.
The grass and undergrowth rustled beneath our feet as we walked. When we had been roaming around the forest for a little under an hour, Samya stopped. Rike, Diana, and I came to a halt where we were. Looks like we’d reached our destination.
Samya waved us forward.
I took a cue from her silence and stayed quiet. The three of us padded over to join Samya.
She pointed in front of her to a fluffy ball that was bouncing around on the ground. The pom-pom critter wasn’t alone—there were at least ten of them, all in a group, jumping and frolicking together.
It was a strange sight, but I had to admit that they were cute.
We watched the balls of fluff for a while before retreating as quietly as we’d approached.
“You were right. Those were adorable, but what were they?” I asked.
“Rabbits,” Samya replied.
“So they’re a different kind than the ones with grass-like ears?”
“Mmhmm. In this season, the kind we just saw are still floofy with a full coat of fur. When it gets warmer and the rainy season begins, they’ll start shedding. Their coats would grow too heavy if they got soaked.”
“Wow,” Diana said. “Are they even tinier beneath all the fur?”
Samya gave a big nod. “Yup. When they shed all the winter fluff and grow spring coats, they’re no bigger than mice. They have little meat to speak of, and their fur is coarser and tougher than it looks. We beastfolk never hunt them.”
I thought their fur, fluffy as it was, might’ve been a good substitute for cotton...but it seemed like it would be easier to raise sheep for wool than to catch those rabbits.
“Still, they were precious,” Rike said.
“When I run into some while on a hunt, I always feel at peace just looking at them.” Samya grinned, and we all smiled back at her.
I glanced up at the sliver of sky that was just visible through the trees. “We’ve come pretty far, so we’d better return soon.” Judging by the location of the sun, if we turned back now, we would get home around dusk. In other words, if we stayed out any later, it would be dark by the time we arrived at the cabin.
The other three chimed in with their agreement, so we turned around and retraced our path back home.
Chapter 2: Welcome to the Family
Having finished up the repair work on the elven sword, Forge Eizo was back to its regularly scheduled programming.
For our weekly delivery into the city, we forged the regular lineup of knives and swords. Occasionally, Samya and Diana would go out to hunt, and all of us would help bring back their kill in the morning. Our lives were now back on track.
The days passed quietly until a fateful trip into the city.
It was beautiful weather. The sky, cloudless and blue, spread out high above us, and the breeze rustled through the grassy plains and caressed our skin. As usual, Rike and I were on cart duty, but all of us went along, and the mood was buoyant.
Halfway to the city, we had a rare encounter with a party coming from the opposite direction. Each member of the party had on silver armor, and on top of that layer, they wore a surcoat decorated with the city’s crest. In other words, these were city guards. I’d known that they patrolled this road, but this was the first time I’d come across guards outside the city.
“Hello there!” I called out, trying my best to sound friendly. “Great weather we’re having.”
There were four guards altogether—one of them was the guard we always met at the city entrance. He grinned at us. “Well, well, look who we have here.”
“What brings you out here? Have you got any news?” I asked casually as if I were just making small talk. Considering their line of work, they were likely privy to information that they couldn’t share with me.
