She looked at me blankly for a split second, but then she rose to her feet. “You are correct.”

  Helen, Samya, and Diana swiftly moved in front of me.

  A nonplussed expression flashed across Anne’s face, but she was soon smiling again. She then dipped into the elegant curtsy of a noblewoman.

  “I am Annemarie Christine Weisner, the seventh princess of the empire.”

  Chapter 2: To Forge or Not to Forge

  After Anne—Annemarie—introduced herself as the empire’s seventh imperial princess, she sat down again. Helen, Samya, and Diana (who’d all stepped forward to guard me) returned to their seats too. On the outside, I projected a calm that belied the surprise this situation warranted, but a good part of me was simply too shocked to react.

  That being said, since Anne was the seventh princess, she was far down in the line of succession. Counting princesses alone, there were six people ahead of her; with princes added to the mix, she was probably even further from the throne. After all, it was highly unlikely that the emperor only had daughters.

  Regardless, her presence here posed a risk. She was still a blood relation of the emperor, no matter how low in rank she was. If we were to treat her with impropriety, it was almost certain that we would cause an international incident. As a lowly forge, we were in no position to be rude—we could only be a target for rudeness.

  On the other hand, you could say that the empire was showing us preferential treatment in a way. The emperor could have sent a spy or—if it had to be a noble—someone from a branch family, but he had intentionally sent one of his own family members. Which meant...

  I sighed and mumbled to myself, “She’s here as a hostage...”

  Though she shared the emperor’s blood, the disappearance of a seventh princess was unlikely to cause the empire significant trouble. It wasn’t a bad strategy to send her in as a hostage. It was strange for the empire to have sent a hostage of their own volition, but in my previous world, there had been a similar system during Japan’s Sengoku period. Hostages had been sent as reassurance for an alliance or vassalage. In this case, it was the former.

  Of course, all of that was assuming that Anne had told us the truth. I glanced at Samya, who dipped her head a fraction; she hadn’t sensed any signs that Anne had been lying. However, if Anne was able to lie with perfect composure, then not even Samya would be able to tell.

  Anne overheard my mutterings and smiled. She was calm and appeared to understand her own position well. That was the most dangerous type of person to deal with.

  I heaved a second sigh, deeper than the first. “In any case, I acknowledge that neither you nor the empire mean us any harm.”

  “Thank you,” Anne said with a dip of her head.

  “But let me confirm one thing,” I continued.

  “What is it?”

  “Naturally, this includes Helen as well, correct?”

  Anne’s eyes narrowed into crescents. Her expression could’ve been mistaken for a smile, but it was the smile of a predator who had spotted prey.

  Helen stared fixedly at me. For a while, her mouth opened and closed, but no words came out.

  Silence descended upon the workshop. Flames in the forge and firebed flared, stoked by the magical breeze. The crackle of the burning charcoal resounded through the room. I thought I heard someone swallow nervously.

  “Well... Yes, of course,” Anne replied after a beat. “Should we harm her, you would turn hostile toward the empire, correct? We should like to avoid such an outcome. It appears that you are not a staunch nationalist, and there is no reason for us to intentionally court your enmity.”

  Helen and I simultaneously breathed sighs of relief. She could rest easy now, and she would no longer need to wear a wig when we traveled to the city.

  “All right, then let’s move on from this tiresome topic,” I said. “I will make you a weapon. Will that satisfy you?”

  Anne looked taken aback. Since we’d discussed everything necessary, I could’ve kicked her out now. But it was raining, and a customer was a customer. I’ll complete her commission before sending her on her way.

  “If possible. It would be for His Majesty,” said Anne.

  “Hmmm.” I scratched my head. “Our rule is that we only forge weapons for people who come here in person and alone. In this case, that means His Majesty himself would have to visit.”

  I didn’t want to make any exceptions to this rule. The mithril rapier Camilo had commissioned had been a special case...but that’d also been an opportunity to experiment with a new metal, and more than anything else, it had been Camilo asking the favor.

  “I understand,” Anne replied, getting to her feet.

  Is she going home now that she’s completed her duty?

  I stood as well, but Anne dipped into a curtsy. “Please, forge me something,” she said. “A greatsword.”

  “Greatsword...?”

  She nodded. “Yes.”

  Considering her height, a downstroke with a greatsword would carry devastating force—I didn’t have any difficulty imagining the damage she might cause. Maybe she wouldn’t be able to cleave a person in two...but she’d be able to crush a skull or two as if she were splitting watermelons.

  The question of whether she knew how to wield a sword in the first place crossed my mind. It was hard to tell because of her height, but she had a solid physique. Her figure looked like the result of someone stretching Rike vertically upward.

  “Can I assume you are proficient with the weapon?” I asked.

  “Yes. I am no match for my siblings in terms of brains, and Harriet, my elder sister, is the expert at smaller weapons. My mixed blood is the reason for my appearance.”

  Anne is definitely no fool.

  Huh...? Mixed race? I thought she was tall, but could she be...?

  “Pardon my bluntness, but are you perhaps a member of the giant race?” I asked.

  “Yes. It may not be well known within the kingdom, but it is no secret in the empire. There is no one who particularly minds either,” explained Anne. “His Majesty is human. My mother is a giant.”

  “Oho.”

  So that was it. I’d easily believe anyone claiming that the male giant I’d seen was three meters tall, but apparently, a child born between a giant and a human parent didn’t grow to the same stature.

  “Harriet is half-lizardman, and Eleanor is half-dwarf. My elder brother Leopold’s mother was one of the beastfolk. His Majesty does not show favoritism in that regard.”

  Anne looked at me meaningfully as if she wanted to ask, “You would know something about that, no?” And while it was true that I tried not to discriminate, this and that were two completely different situations.

  They were different, right?

  “I understand,” I said, continuing the conversation. “In that case, I shall make you a greatsword.”

  “Thank you.” Remaining seated, Anne bowed her head deeply. “What of the payment?”

  “Ah, yes—you can decide on an appropriate price for yourself after you see the finished sword.”

  “Eh—?”

  Apparently, I had bewildered her with my answer. Rike sighed and told Anne, “This is just the way Boss is.”

  “I see. If you wish to commission a first-rate craftsman, you must have the eye to appraise the price,” Anne concluded after hearing Rike, but she seemed to completely misunderstand.

  I was about to correct her and explain that I simply wanted my customers to pay what they wanted to pay. But then, someone reached out from behind and stopped me. Judging from the strength in the hand that was now placed over my mouth...it was Diana. She was signaling me to let sleeping dogs lie. I tapped her hand to tell her I received the message, and she removed it from my mouth.

  I refocused my attention on Anne. “I’d like to get a feel for what sword would fit you. Let’s see... Can you take this pole and try a few moves in the open space there?” I handed her a piece of wood that was stacked in the forge, just a scrap piece used for making scabbards and the like. It was a little thick to be the hilt of a sword, but it was a good length. The wood of the trees in this forest was dense and not too light, so it would make a decent substitute for testing purposes.

  “All right,” agreed Anne.

  The ceiling in the forge was high, so Anne would have ample space to swing the pole.

  “Hah!”

  She put her strength behind the swing. The wood sliced through the air with a heavy swoosh. I’d thought she would be slower, but her movements weren’t dull at all. Her attacks could easily break a bone or two. And a person who was hit in the head might really end up crushed the way I’d pictured earlier.

  She continued attacking and defending for a while as if she were facing a real opponent. After she stopped, her shoulders heaved as she tried to catch her breath. “Haaa...haaa... How...was that...?”

  “Thank you,” I replied. “I was able to gain a general sense of where to go from here.”

  Naturally, weight was a priority this time around, but the question was how to balance the heaviness of the sword against the speed of the swing. That was the key to forging a custom-model greatsword.

  I looked at Helen, and her expression gave me pause. I quickly warned her off what she was thinking. “It’s raining today...so that’s going to be a no.”

  “I-I know that!” she stuttered in reply.

  She had been staring at Anne, her eyes alight.

  ⌗⌗⌗

  The approximate usage of our forge’s metal plates could be described as follows: one plate to make a knife, two for a shortsword, and three for a longsword. These were, of course, only estimates, so it wasn’t unusual for us to use a little more or a little less. Besides, we had to adapt the quantity on a case-by-case basis for weapons and tools that weren’t one of the aforementioned three.

  The question was, how many plates of metal were needed to forge a greatsword? We had standardized our casting process, so making more plates wasn’t a problem. However, it seemed like an exercise in futility to make a lot of plates just to use them all up immediately.

  “Why don’t we skip the plate metal and start from scratch at the forge?” I suggested to Rike.

  She nodded. “Yeah, using the plates seems like it would take double the effort.”

  This time, it was my turn to nod. “I think so too.” Being able to exchange ideas with Rike in this way was invaluable.

  Rike gave an order to Samya and the crew—start throwing ore into the forge. It would take some time before the ore was heated through and the metal could be extracted.

  I turned to Anne and asked, “Would you like to rest?”

  “No,” she replied. “If possible, I would like to watch you work.”

  “All right,” I agreed.

  Surprise flashed across her features. A normal blacksmith would be reluctant to work in front of a person who wasn’t even their apprentice, but our forge was far from normal.

  Since Anne was going to be observing for the time being, I drove any worries about the guest room and our guest herself from my head—it was time to focus on the task before me.

  Once the ore in the forge was as molten as it could be and ready to be removed, I poured it out. I continued pouring past the amount needed to make one normal-sized plate, so we ended up with a larger plate. It would’ve been convenient if one large plate was enough for Anne’s sword, but it wasn’t, so I continued to smelt more ore.

  The forge was another magical item (supposedly). It prevented the workshop from heating up to some extent, but the scientific realities of having an object that surpassed 1,000℃ in a room were unavoidable. I was dripping with sweat before much time had passed. Everyone in the family knew to stay hydrated and had wooden cups they refilled from the water jug, but Anne didn’t drink anything.

  “You should change and drink some water sooner rather than later, otherwise the heat might make you feel sick,” I advised her. “We wouldn’t want that.”

  “I-I understand.”

  Lidy handed Anne a cup reserved for guests. Were she to collapse from heatstroke, we had no IVs for fluids, and our means of treating her were limited. It would be better for all of us if she took steps to prevent such an outcome.

  By the time I finished the second round of smelting, I was as soaked as Anne, who had traveled here in the rain. I had to wait for the iron to cool, and we needed time to cool off too. The morning had already come and gone, so we all filed out of the workshop for a lunch break.

  I remembered to tell Diana to show Anne the guest room.

  It might be smart to construct another guest room. If a different customer happened to come right now, we wouldn’t have a spare room to put them up in.

  Once I clear Anne’s commission, I’ll bring up the issue to everyone, and we can decide together.

  I shut the door to the empty workshop.

  We decided to hang Anne’s soaking clothing and mantle out on the terrace beside our own laundry. Anne then followed Diana to the guest room to store away her belongings and change. Diana lent her a dress, but on Anne it was the length of a regular shirt. On the bottom, she changed into loose pants that looked easy to move in.

  “Thank you for all of your help,” Anne said to Diana, bowing her head.

  “Not at all,” replied Diana.

  Their mundane conversation was a far cry from a sophisticated, highbrow conversation between a noblewoman and a princess, and the discrepancy was off-putting.

  Rike and Diana returned from hanging Anne’s clothing with Lucy at their heels. The pup had been napping outside. Perhaps she’d wanted to be in a place where Krul would be able to sense her, even if just a little.

  We took seats around the dining table to eat lunch (Lucy waited on the floor), and together we chorused, “Itadakimasu.” Anne looked daunted, but she mimicked us.

  “Sorry about the simple meal,” I told Anne. “This is all we have to offer.”

  “There is no need to apologize. I am the one who is intruding on your household.”

  I had been worried whether the food would be to her liking, but it appeared that I shouldn’t have been. She was working through...well, to put it tactfully, a serving proportional to the size of her body. She would be fine for the next two or three days.

  Having to eat food you don’t like, even for a short time, is more unbearable than it sounds.

  After we finished lunch, we returned to the workshop. Back to work.

  I had now smelted enough iron for the greatsword. Everyone besides Rike continued working on making standard metal plates.

  “Rike, can you help me?” I asked.

  “Of course,” she replied, smiling and flexing her biceps for show. You wouldn’t think it by her diminutive frame, but she was strapped with muscle.

  It would be tough to make a greatsword by myself, and I certainly needed the help. Rike would lighten my burden, and this would serve as an opportunity for her to learn by observation.

  A large lump of iron filled the firebed, and I worked hard to heat it through. The process was the same as any other sword—once it was the right temperature, we’d hammer it on the anvil. However...

  “It’s scorching hot and it weighs a ton...” I grumbled. I had felt its substantial weight when I’d carried the metal to the firebed, but now it was hot too. And, since I could only hold it using the tongs, it felt even heavier.

  After I transferred the lump to the anvil—a feat which took all my strength—Rike and I hammered it out, our breath and movements in sync. I was working, but at the same time I was pointing out the places I wanted her to hit. Rike picked up on my signals immediately and did exactly as I directed. Maybe she had experience working on a single item with her parents too.

  Once the metal had cooled slightly, I returned it to the firebed to raise its temperature back up. It was still just as heavy.

  “My back is going to hurt after this,” I groused.

  “My father sometimes had back pain too,” Rike said. “Please take care of yourself.”

  “You’re right...”

  As I checked the fire, I hammered my lower back with my fists. The steel sat in the glowing red heart of the magical firebed. Slowly, it turned the same color as the flames, almost as if it were being absorbed into the fire.

  When it was ready, I removed it again, and we hammered it out longer. Since it wasn’t even the right length yet, imbuing it with magic was taking a back seat to elongating the metal.

  Next to us, Lucy was curled up on Anne’s knees. Diana peered our way with a tinge of envy in her eyes.

  It can’t be helped. Lucy sweetens up to people fast.

  “Oh, if it’s not a bother, can you give her water too?” I asked Anne. “If you fill this dish, she’ll drink by herself.”

  With her fur coat, Lucy heated up faster than the rest of us in the sweltering forge. We had a water dish just for her so she could stay hydrated.

  I’ll keep an eye on her. If she starts looking fatigued, I’ll ask Anne to bring her into the house.

  The gears in my head spun as I brought my hammer down on the metal, which was considerably longer than when we had started.

  Rike and I repeated the same steps over and over until the metal plate was at our goal length of 170 centimeters.

  The long metal plate was of course going to be the blade, but we would have to make another plate for the handle. This process wasn’t much different from forging a shortsword or longsword. However, from tip to hilt, this custom sword would end up around 180 centimeters—nearly the height of Anne herself.

  It was going to take a long time to finish. This wasn’t a one-man job, and at some point, differences in the process would start cropping up.

  “Come to think of it, you and I used to forge longswords together,” I mused, turning to Rike.

  “Ah, that’s right,” she replied.

  When did she become able to work independently?

  Rike was a quick learner. Not even a year had passed since I’d come to this world. Even so, the days when we used to work together felt nostalgic, a feeling that Rike shared, judging by the emotion on her face.

  “Let’s stop here for today,” I declared. “I’m counting on your help tomorrow too.”

 

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