Twilight Alchemist 11.1

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11.1. Mischievousness Can Sometimes Be Dangerous, As The Saying Goes

"Well, it's not a particularly difficult story, but the content is a bit delicate for me to talk about."

"I consider Persia as a comrade, too. I'd like you to talk if possible."

"...Understood."

After taking a breath, Persia began speaking.

"Within the border viscounty, there's a kind of power struggle or internal conflict. I wondered what would happen if such a potent potion were brought into such a place. It could become a seed for political strife. The military desires it desperately, but..."

"Ah."

"I see."

Just by observing Kyle and his brother Zaid's attitudes, one could easily anticipate the situation.

"Well, let's put it on hold for a while. In any case, I alone can't determine the price."

"True. I think that's a good idea."

"Understood. But if you decide you want it, let me know. I'm not trying to be difficult about selling it."

"As a precaution, let's refrain from reporting for a while."

"That might be for the best."

Having decided on a course of action, Persia seemed relieved.

"Now, I'll go back to being the escort for Kyle-sama and Myrna-sama, but what about you two?"

"I'll... start building the village fence a bit earlier."

"That might be a good idea. I'll go talk to Jitaro again."

"Why?"

"Jitaro is a good hunter. He's different from adventurers. But I want to know why he got injured so easily by Goblins."

"Hmm. I see. I'll leave that to you then."

"Yeah. Well then."

And so, each of them returned to their respective tasks.

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"Hey, Jitaro. How are you feeling?"

"Oh, Craft-san! Thanks to you, I'm in great shape! I can go hunting anytime!"

"No, please don't."

I smiled wryly at Jitaro, who flexed his muscles.

"Rather than that, I want to know why a skilled hunter like you got such injuries from goblins."

"Oh, that. Well, it's a simple reason. My self-defense machete wasn't only blunt but also broke due to its lifespan."

"What? Can you show it to me for a moment?"

"It's in the warehouse where we keep the repaired items."

"I see. Sorry to bother you, but don't overexert yourself, okay?"

"No problem. Carrying things is a piece of cake. The outdoor work is done with this."

At a glance, it seemed that there was no effect from the bleeding.

"After you finish, take a good rest at home."

"Got it!"

Receiving a cheerful reply, I headed towards the warehouse.

This was a warehouse managed by the entire village, where everyone's shared possessions were stored. 

In the corner of that warehouse was a place for storing damaged knives and weapons. 

Leafan would repair them in his spare time and return them. Among them, I found a broken kukri knife.

"Is this it? [Appraisal]... I see."

The result that came to mind was worse than I had imagined. 

The quality was the lowest, the blade was in tatters, and the iron quality was so poor that even if Leafan retrained it, there was a limit.

"Hmm."

With my arms crossed, I searched for something useful from alchemical knowledge. Two solutions came to mind. 

Fortunately, the materials, including magic stones, seemed to be sufficient in the warehouse.

"Alright, let's give it a try."

I returned to my room and decided to alchemize the desired item.

◆

"Leafan, can I talk to you for a moment?"

After dinner, I called out to Leafan, who was starting a fire in the makeshift stove.

"What is it? Craft-kun?"

"Are you going to forge something now?"

"Yeah. I'll melt the broken iron products once and reshape them."

"That's perfect. I have something I want you to test."

"A test?"

"Yeah. This."

I handed him half a bowl of oil.

"What's this?"

"Hardening forging oil produced by alchemy... Hard Forging Oil."

"What!?"

"Do you know about it?"

"Well, if you're doing blacksmithing."

"Isn't it rare?"

"Not at all! This can only be made by those with the alchemist's emblem, so it's not readily available."

"I see. I made it because the emblem's knowledge told me that mixing it during the forging stage would increase strength. Luckily, we had magic stones."

"I see. Then, let me use it."

"Please do."

Although he could make medicine, he couldn't forge iron. Leafan efficiently threw the iron into the furnace, and when it began to melt, I sprinkled the oil I handed him.

"...Hmm. There's no strange reaction."

"By strange, you mean like Jitaro's injury?"

"Ah. It was a bit of an exaggerated reaction. He was even spouting smoke."

I was surprised at that time.

"Yeah. Let's continue."

Then, for several hours, Leafan carefully forged the iron. His figure resembled a master, and it was hard to believe he was just a child. 

Well, not a child, but not an adult.

"After this, just let it cool overnight, and we'll check it tomorrow."

"Got it. Thanks."

"I'm glad there was no explosion."

"No one would do such a foolish..."

While he replied, I wondered if there was a non-zero possibility, and I lay down on the floor, twisting my neck.

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