My Quiet Blacksmith Life in Another World: Volume 8, page 12
I gulped anxiously.
“You don’t have to be so on guard,” she said, smiling once more under the pale moonlight.
So she says. But whether I can believe her words so easily is another matter entirely.
“We don’t need to stand and talk, do we?” I asked, gesturing to the terrace that still should’ve had some chairs set out. “Please, let’s sit over there.”
“Ah, I’ll take you up on your kind offer.”
Lluisa walked in front of me. The terrace wasn’t hidden from view, so she apparently knew where we were headed. Dressed in a toga-like garment, she boldly turned her back to me, seemingly letting her guard down. I wasn’t sure if that gesture implied some level of trust toward me, or if she was confident that I couldn’t lay a finger on her.
I had a knife hidden on me just in case. But even if I were to ever unsheathe it, I doubted it’d be aimed at Lluisa. I wasn’t naive enough to believe that I had even a minuscule chance of besting the master of the forest in battle.
We headed to the terrace and sat across from each other. It sort of resembled a talk show that I’d seen on Earth.
Lluisa exhaled. “Let’s get started, shall we?”
I nodded, curious to hear what she had to say.
“Since it’s just the two of us here, I’m sure you have an inkling of the subject at hand,” she said. “But it’s about the circumstances surrounding your presence here.”
“I guessed as much.” No other topic had come to mind.
“First, as I’ve said before, the Dragon of the Land—including myself, the master of the forest—has approved of you staying here. Even if you aren’t a person originally from this world.”
“Thank you,” I said, bowing my head.
As long as I had their assurance, I had nothing to fear. At this point, the margrave was a more troublesome existence.
I wasn’t sure if Lluisa knew my thoughts, but she nonetheless continued.
“With that in mind...”
Here it is.
“Would you be able to teach Gizelle, or even the other fairies, some knowledge from your original world? Not often—just every once in a while. But I would like you to occasionally share your experience with them.”
“My...original world?” I asked.
“That’s right.”
“But what are they going to do with that knowledge? This world contains magic, but the technology here is leagues behind that of my old world. The fairies likely won’t be able to create most of the stuff I’m familiar with.”
Precise machines that didn’t require electricity—like the Myriad year clock—or even tools that required minimal electricity could possibly be created. But I doubted that anything beyond a difference engine could be made (especially not a computer). The main source of energy in this world came from steam engines, and no one had yet invented the internal combustion engine. Even if people were able to use magic to create pressure within machines, it would be impossible to create precision parts.
In the future, this world might find a way to do those things, but I didn’t understand the necessity of this knowledge in the present time. This might be a clumsy and rude analogy, but if I explained the concept of a smartphone to a person from the Edo period, I doubt it would be of much use.
And...
“Personally, I don’t want my knowledge to make too great of an impact on this world.”
Hence my initial trepidation about developing a leaf spring suspension system. I’d also given up on building a hand crank pump for the well. According to the explanation I received from the Watchdog, I wouldn’t have much of an effect on this world, even if I ran wild. Regardless, there was no need for me to go out of my way and turn the hands of time forward.
“I see. You’re very sincere, aren’t you, Eizo?” Lluisa said with a graceful chuckle. “I expected that response from you. Which is why I specifically requested you to tell only the fairies.”
Eyes wide in shock, I was unable to process her words for a moment. I thought for a few seconds before I came up with an answer.
“Because there aren’t any humans who would believe the words of the fairies.”
“Precisely.” Lluisa silently put her hands together. “There aren’t many humans who are aware of the fairies’ existence to begin with. And the humans who do know don’t hold a fairy’s word in high regard. Should the fairies babble about knowledge that’s unheard of in this world, it would most likely be brushed off as nothing but nonsense.”
I nodded. “From a technological standpoint, many inventions from my old world can’t be produced in this world yet. However, some items might be possible.”
“We’ll make sure the fairies won’t leak that information. But, on the off chance that one does, everyone will simply think that a human inventor received a hint of inspiration from the fairies. Either way, it’s nothing for you to worry about, Eizo.”
“Hm. Oh, speaking of, I almost forgot to ask about something important.”
“And what might that be?” Lluisa’s smile never faltered. If a person sensed that she had some ulterior motive, they would’ve undoubtedly put their guard up at this point.
“Why are you making this request of me in the first place?” I asked. “I mean, if you simply want information without worrying about it leaking elsewhere... Well, I can’t be your only option.”
“Ah. I can’t fault you for wondering that,” Lluisa replied, putting a hand on her cheek and sighing. “To be precise, this request comes from the main body. Unfortunately, this also means that I’m not privy to the details.”
“The Dragon of the Land wants this?”
“Correct. And I’m but a small part of the dragon. It’s impossible for me to know everything about the main body. I’m sorry, Eizo, but that’s all I can tell you.”
“No need to be sorry. It’s not your fault.”
Still, this meant that I would need to divulge information about Earth to the fairies, all without knowing why I was doing it. I had kept my mouth shut about my old world this entire time, and I wasn’t sure if I could just casually change my way of thinking.
As I was lost in these thoughts, Lluisa offered a faint smile. “You don’t have to give me an answer now. I said I’d tell you the location of a hot spring vein, didn’t I? Gizelle will pop by sometime soon with that piece of information—if you’ve got any intention of sharing your knowledge, you can tell her then.”
“I...understand.”
“Then I’ll see you later.” Lluisa waved before suddenly vanishing.
With a very deep sigh, I sank into my chair. My thoughts seemed bottomless as I stared up at the glow of the moon. Why does the Dragon of the Land want my knowledge? If this world were to repeat the historical events of my previous world, I would essentially become a man from the future (though, with magic and different geographical locations, it wouldn’t be a perfect one-for-one redux).
Did the dragon truly want to know about future events and technology?
“It’s probably not just because of curiosity,” I said, shaking my head.
If curiosity was the goal, then why were the fairies acting as an intermediary? Why couldn’t the Dragon of the Land come to me directly and ask? Maybe it’s not possible—perhaps there’s something preventing it from reaching out, some hidden reason I’m unaware of. That reason might even be confidential information that only the Dragon of the Land can know. Or...maybe the dragon actually wants the fairies to whimsically tell others their knowledge. At this point, that seemed to be the most likely conclusion. As Lluisa had said, knowledge of Earth’s technology would be a revelation to the people of this world, and anything that sounded impossible would be brushed away as nonsense gibberish.
Take, for example, the simple leaf spring suspension system I’d made and divulged to Camilo—someone could’ve received a huge bolt of inspiration and invented something absurd like that. And if that sort of thing happened with my other knowledge, I honestly wouldn’t be able to do anything about it.
While I can’t explain anything complicated like nuclear fission (it’s not like I’m very knowledgeable on that topic anyway), I think it’ll be fine to explain other concepts. I didn’t want to replicate King Midas’s folly and earn my own pair of ass’s ears. But, having fewer secrets could be better for my mental health and overall well-being.
“Okay,” I said, my voice full of new resolve. “I think I’ll be fine if the fairies come tomorrow.”
So, I did some stretches and then decided to try and rest before dawn. I probably still have enough time to catch some z’s. I returned to my room and slowly got back into bed.
Tomorrow, I will return to my normal lifestyle.
⌗⌗⌗
The next morning, everyone woke up like usual—it was as if yesterday’s events had never transpired. The only real deviation was the summer heat, but everyone still acted like their usual selves. Krul and Lucy happily tagged along with my morning routine; the family ate breakfast and prayed in front of the kamidana, just as we always did; and when we split up the tasks in the forge, we all cheerfully worked and fell silent during times that required concentration.
But of course, yesterday had happened, and the fight was a popular topic during lunch and dinner. Even now, Helen was voraciously eating some deer meat and passionately discussing the battle.
“If you ask me, the troll’s shrieks were the real problem,” she said. “If we coulda suppressed them somehow, we would’ve had an easier time beating it.”
“They did make us falter for a moment and miss our timing,” I admitted.
“Yep. Luckily, the thing didn’t have a foul stench—the troll’s screaming was the only factor that really tripped us up.”
Agreed. Though, obviously, the troll had no intention of going down quietly without a fight.
Diana slowly gulped her soup and then added, “We were in a cave this time around, so we had no choice but to fight up close. Maybe it’s better to have a few weapons for battles where we need to maintain our distance.”
“That’s something to think about,” I replied. “Longer weapons are better for a fight in the forest, no matter who or what our opponent may be.” The short spear we had was about my height or a little taller. That might’ve been enough, but I still felt it was important to have a stock of weapons that could cover an even longer range.
“If we plan to stay here long-term, it might be good to install a catapult or ballista somewhere,” Helen said, munching on some meat.
I raised an eyebrow. “In a blacksmith’s forge?”
“In a blacksmith’s forge.” She grinned, though her eyes indicated that she was quite serious.
Well, it’s not like I don’t romanticize those weapons. I would be excited to reveal that I had hidden armaments in the cabin. Though I was mentally forty, I was still a boy at heart.
Usually, nothing dangerous ever ventured too close to our home. But if Helen, Diana, and I were out, and something like a bear appeared, it would be quite troublesome for the rest of the family. That much was as clear as the flames in the firebed. During such occasions, having a siege weapon would be incredibly useful. It’s certainly not a ridiculous suggestion.
“I’ll think about it,” I said.
Helen (and even Rike) stared at me with sparkling eyes. I gave a strained chuckle. Setting aside the plans of turning our cabin into a fortress, I had a few other things that I wanted to build.
“So, Eizo, let me get this straight—you want to construct a new covered walkway that connects Krul and Lucy’s hut, our storage shed, and the cabin?” Samya pondered this with a spoon in her mouth. “Hmmm.”
Usually, Rike would scold Samya for her bad manners, but the dwarf was currently chewing on some meat and gulping down her fourth mug of alcohol for the day. She had her hands full.
“Right.” I nodded. “And if we have a hot spring nearby, we’ll want to create a bathhouse for it, right? I’d like to add that as a stop along the walkway as well.”
“A bathhouse?” Samya asked, tilting her head to one side, the spoon still in her mouth.
I paused for a moment. “People don’t usually wander around the Black Forest, but you wouldn’t want to take a bath for the world to see, would you? I want to build a structure that’ll give us a little privacy.”
“Huh.”
“And wouldn’t it be convenient if you could change your clothes or get dressed there? Even with all of us living here, you wouldn’t have to worry about anyone seeing you.”
Everyone always cleaned themselves in their own rooms (usually with a damp cloth). Unless I forcibly entered a room without permission, there was little chance of me ever stumbling upon someone’s naked body. I also made sure to stay within my room for prolonged periods of time while the women were washing. However, if I rushed out of my room with an urgent matter to attend to (most likely a physiological response), I could potentially glimpse something I shouldn’t.
If we had a separate building for washing, I wouldn’t have to worry about any of these situations—I could wander around our cabin freely.
“So that’s how it is, huh?” Samya asked, scrunching her nose.
Was she worried about our first meeting, when I’d seen her in a compromised state of dress? Or was she just being carefree toward her family? I was a bit happy, but also a bit curious. The feeling was somewhat complicated.
“Yep, that’s how it is,” I replied. “Once we find the location of the hot spring, we can figure out what resources we need and plan out a whole project. At least for now, though, we can begin on the walkway. Oh, but there’s no way we can complete it in one day. It’ll be a larger undertaking than that.”
We’d defeated such a powerful monster, and it was unlikely that any other beasts would emerge in the near future. So, the only thing on our docket currently was the standing order for Camilo. Better to start soon and complete this project while we have the time—if we get any more special requests in the future, our home renovations will need to be delayed. Though with that mindset, I’ll just keep making myself busy.
“I understand the benefits of building all of this, but if we add another connecting walkway to the cabin, won’t we create an odd shape?” Lidy asked quietly. “I think it’s best to have a cleaner and more organized floor plan from the beginning.”
This was true—I couldn’t deny that adding a hallway like that might cause some inconvenience. “Hmm. As long as we don’t try to build something in the center of the garden, I figured we had some leeway and flexibility,” I said. “Is my thinking a bit too naive?”
Lidy placed her hand on her small chin. “The garden here is large.”
“If the hot spring ends up being far away from the cabin, we could decide against extending the walkway all the way out to it. But it seems like a waste to not work on anything in our free time. And if the spring is nearby, maybe we can quickly build a little something to connect it. I’m just spitballing here, though.”
For some reason, I felt like a husband begging his wife to buy him that expensive camera he’d always wanted. My state of mind is probably not so different from that hypothetical husband.
After thinking for a while, Lidy finally relented. “It seems like we’ll need something either way. It might be better to be prepared than to panic later because we haven’t built anything.”
“Right?!” I asked excitedly.
She giggled, and it was like she was lightheartedly communicating that I was a somewhat troublesome person.
“Is that okay with all of you?” I asked.
“Fine by me,” Samya said.
Rike seemed enthusiastic. “Whatever you say, Boss.”
Diana nodded. “There’s nothing else going on at the moment, so let’s build it.”
“I’m good here,” Helen said.
And finally, Anne also agreed. “If it improves our quality of life, then I’m all for it.”
I wasn’t sure if everyone was gung ho about this project, but they’d all given me their assent. With a new walkway, we’d be able to take things out of the storage shed without worrying about the weather, and we could easily visit Krul and Lucy’s hut on stormy days. Rain or shine, our normal routine could proceed uninterrupted. That would be nice. It would be a minor quality-of-life change, but my mind was filled with plans of how to build and ideas about what the completed project might look like.
⌗⌗⌗
A few days later, we were back to forging weapons for Camilo’s order. The summer heat was sweltering, but we all managed—no one fainted. Everyone was somewhat used to hot temperatures (this was a smithy, after all), but I was glad that we didn’t have any accidents.
I was grateful that we’d built the well before the incident with the troll. The cool water was refreshing on these hot days, and it allowed me to wash myself more thoroughly. Most of the time, the water I brought from the lake every morning was enough for us; however, we utilized the well on days when it looked like our lake water might run dry. As summer progressed, we would need more water than ever—building the well when we’d had the chance had been an excellent idea.
On the day of our delivery to Camilo, we packed our cargo as usual and had Krul take us through the forest. As was typical of summer days, the sun’s rays were beating down on us; though we were amongst the trees, the heat was getting to me.
“We’ve got this much shade in the forest, but it’s still so hot,” I griped.
“Is it because you’re from the Nordic region, Boss? You don’t handle the heat well?”
“Er, well, I guess so.”
To be precise, I was just too used to having an air conditioner with me at all times. On Earth, I would usually commute to my workplace by train, so I’d had constant access to an AC. Lluisa was the only one who would understand that, though. I kept quiet.
According to my installed knowledge, it seemed like summer here was similar to Japan: hot and incredibly humid. It was indeed quite warm here, but being under direct sunlight was a different kind of heat than I’d ever experienced—maybe my body just wasn’t used to it.
