WeTried Translations

Translator: [IncomeElastic]

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ I Became a Blacksmith the Rankers Are Obsessed With ◈

Chapter 015

──────

I Begin Enchanting

* * *

Teacher.

To Ruby, Dolores was the sky.

Looking down on her from above.

Holding her close, watching over her, that was the sky.

But that sky’s chest always looked so cold. Always.

Always holding Ruby close, showing her nothing but a warm world.

But she could tell there was something being hidden.

Ruby was young, but she was sharp enough to have figured all of it out.

Then one day, Ruby’s sky grew warm.

Her teacher’s face, which used to go blank more often than it smiled,

had recently turned bright.

And the thing that made her happiest, that felt like the greatest relief, was.

She no longer went into that room.

Ruby knew that room.

She didn’t know exactly what was inside.

But every time her teacher came out of that room, her eyes had gone hollow.

That had always terrified her.

The biggest reason her sky had changed was, of course.

“La la la~”

this boy right in front of her, dancing around gleefully with a hammer in hand.

His name was Lionel.

Ruby’s first friend, too.

Or maybe, family.

He’d warmed her teacher’s hands.

Taught her how to tie her shoelaces, too.

‘He made her smile brightly again.’

They had to be around the same age, or close to it.

She had no idea how he’d managed it.

Ruby studied magic.

For her teacher’s sake. Because she wanted to be useful someday.

But right now, she couldn’t do anything.

She couldn’t cure her teacher’s illness.

She couldn’t warm her cold hands.

But this kid in front of her had. It wasn’t quite jealousy, more like…

- Whirl, whirl.

“I’m pretty cool, right?”

The very thought she’d just been holding inside.

Yeah, fine. She’d admit it.

“…Yeah.”

“Huh?”

Honestly, he did look kind of cool.

* * *

Dolores had given me a rough rundown of what came next.

I figured we’d swing by the orphanage again before heading out.

Turned out we’d left with no intention of going back at all.

Not that it mattered to me, I didn’t have any belongings to pack anyway.

The cottage was probably something they’d handle sorting out on their own.

‘Bye, Eric.’

I’ll miss him, though. Our Big Mac.

I’ll go make a lot of money, big brother style. We’ll meet again someday.

Take good care of the gloves.

Maybe it was obvious, but apparently the trip from this plaza to Duchess Dolores’s territory was shorter than the trip back to the orphanage.

Made sense, I guess. That place was the middle of nowhere, and this was a full-on city.

We climbed into the carriage without much fuss.

A second carriage, loaded with Ruby’s spellbooks, was hitched on behind like a cargo cart.

My hammer stayed right where it belonged, in both my hands.

“…Lionel, want me to hold that for you?”

“No, I’m fine.”

Dolores offered, but I turned her down.

“I need to get used to holding it starting now.”

“I see.”

Honestly, right now,

I was itching. Really, really itching to get going.

When you hand something to someone addicted to a certain activity,

there’s a tendency for it to be all they can think about.

‘I want to try something already.’

Powder in my pocket, hammers in both hands.

I had the material, I had the tools, but doing it right here felt like it’d raise some eyebrows.

Inside the carriage: a small table, a fruit basket, a curtain rod.

Huh, I wonder what would happen if I enchanted the curtain rod.

Would it get sturdier?

[What am I gonna do, pfft ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ]

Yuna, I was joking.

I passed the time with jokes like that, not particularly funny ones.

I closed my eyes and set the enchant hammer down on my lap.

Patience. Once we got to the territory, they’d apparently, so generously, be setting up a workshop for me.

Even without a workshop, worst case I could just lie down on the roadside and get to it.

Let’s not decide what to hit just yet.

It made me a little nervous, the forum said gear could actually get destroyed.

“We’ll be there soon.”

“Okay.”

Hurry, please.

The carriage rolled on.

The lights of Eriel Plaza faded into the distance.

The scenery outside the window darkened again.

At some point Ruby had fallen asleep, face buried in her book.

Dolores had her eyes closed too. Whether she was sleeping or just resting, I couldn’t tell.

Quiet moonlight seeped in through the curtains.

The hammer on my lap trembled faintly with the carriage’s motion.

That’s when-

The moonlight outside the window grew stronger.

Wondering if the moon had just gotten brighter, I pulled the curtain back a little.

Moonlight, my foot. Lanterns lined both sides of the road in a neat row.

They stretched on so far I couldn’t see the end.

And where the lanterns ended.

“…”

there was an iron gate.

A massive pair of doors swung open on either side, tall enough to stack three carriages on top of each other, easily.

A crest was carved above the gate, probably something of Dolores’s.

Past the iron gate, the scenery changed again.

“Hey.”

“Huh?”

Ruby had woken up at some point.

Seeing me gawking outside like some country bumpkin, she snorted.

“This is my teacher’s territory.”

“Yeah, I know.”

I know that much myself.

“…”

She turned her head away again.

What’s with her?

Anyway, past the gate, rows of trees lined the road, and between them I could see buildings with red roofs.

Lit windows. People actually lived here.

A village.

I really had read some fantasy romance novels back home, but I never expected to actually see one of those noble-territory villages with my own eyes.

Yuna, what’s this look like from a woman’s perspective? You like that genre.

[It’s kind of hard to focus on that right now]

Heh heh heh.

Still worried, huh. Guess I was a little harsh.

We rode on for a good while longer.

Then, at the top of a long slope.

a massive building finally came into view.

“Should we get ready to get off?”

“Okay.”

Dolores stroked my hair and smiled softly.

A building glowing under the moonlight.

Several spires rising to sharp points, a fountain out front.

It honestly looked like it had been lifted straight out of a fairy tale.

Might as well have been a castle.

“We’re here.”

Dolores said, smiling.

“This is our home.”

“Thank you…”

“Hm?”

This had to be a top 0.1 percent kind of life.

To think I’d get to live somewhere like this…

I no longer envied the world I used to live in.

The carriage stopped, and the door opened.

A man stood at the mansion’s entrance.

A monocle, a white beard. Straight-backed, and a black suit that fit him well.

Given the setup, this had to be the butler. Perfectly fantasy-flavored.

“Welcome home, Your Grace.”

“Sebas. It’s been a while.”

“I’m relieved to see you’ve returned safely, Your Grace.”

The butler, addressed as Sebas, bowed respectfully and turned his gaze to Ruby.

“Welcome home to you as well, Ruby.”

“Yeah, I’m back.”

Ruby bowed her head, still half-asleep.

Then the butler’s gaze moved to me.

I figured he probably didn’t know me yet and was about to introduce myself, when-

“Lord Lionel. It’s an honor to meet you.”

“Nice… huh? Ah, yes… nice to meet you.”

Guess word had already gotten around.

“I’ll have the books moved to Lady Ruby’s study.”

“There are some of Lionel’s in there too. Just set aside the ones loaded in the front seat and take them to the workshop.”

“Understood, I’ll see to it.”

Wait, there are books for me too?

This was the first I’d heard of it. And she’d just said workshop, hadn’t she…

Sebas gestured, and two waiting servants headed for the cargo cart hitched behind the carriage, loaded with books.

Just then, a servant approached.

She reached a hand toward my hammer.

“I’ll take that to the workshop for…”

Who are you.

I instinctively pulled the hammer back and tensed up, and she flinched, eyes wide, and bowed her head.

Ah, sorry, of course she hadn’t meant any harm.

I’d just been startled for a second. I thought someone was trying to take it from me again.

I’d been through the wringer with Yuna in the past, so I was a little sensitive about it.

“Ah, yes, yes. Thank you.”

Maybe how much I clearly treasured that hammer left an impression,

because Dolores covered her mouth and laughed.

The truth was a little different, though.

“Dinner is ready. Please, come inside.”

Dinner, huh.

Checking with Yuna, it was seven in the evening.

Right about the perfect time for it.

Dolores glanced back at me as she walked.

“You must be hungry.”

“…Ah, yes.”

Honestly, I wasn’t.

Food wasn’t exactly what was on my mind right now.

Dolores led the way, and Ruby and I followed behind.

Stepping inside the mansion, the first things I noticed were the high ceiling and the chandelier.

The floor was marble. Paintings hung on the walls.

Part of me wanted to ask about the workshop, but the right moment never seemed to come.

After dinner would probably be the best time.

We walked down the mansion’s hallway.

The hallway alone looked wider than the entire orphanage building I used to live in.

Getting used to this was going to take a while.

Before I knew it, we’d arrived in front of a door.

- Creak.

It opened smoothly on its own.

Two maids stood on either side, bowing their heads as they held the door open.

Beyond it looked to be the dining room.

“…Whoa.”

Countless dishes covered a long, narrow table.

Meat, bread, soup, fish, fruit, and dishes I couldn’t even name.

Three place settings had been laid out.

What was it I used to eat, in my past life? I couldn’t even remember.

Ruby had already climbed into her chair.

Judging by how her eyes sparkled, a meal like this wasn’t an everyday thing even for her.

Not that I’d expected it to be.

Dolores said as she took her seat.

“Today’s a special day, after all.”

She looked back and forth between Ruby and me.

“Welcome, Lionel.”

“…Thank you.”

I took my seat.

A maid draped a white cloth over my lap.

Ruby was already tearing into a piece of bread.

I picked up a fork too.

Cut off a piece of meat and put it in my mouth.

“…”

It’s good.

Good enough to bring tears to my eyes.

I thought of the past week, corn soup and stale bread.

[Are you crying?]

Yeah.

I really was crying.

* * *

Dinner was over.

Being full brought a wave of drowsiness, but that wasn’t the priority right now.

“There’s no way you could take in the whole layout in one go.”

Dolores said as she walked down the hallway.

“I’ll just show you the second floor today.”

Ruby rubbed her eyes and followed along.

We climbed the stairs, and as we entered the second-floor hallway, moonlight from the garden shone in through the windows.

“That white door down at the end.”

Dolores pointed toward the end of the hall.

It was clearly different from the other doors. White paint, a silver handle.

“That’s my room. Or, calling it my study might sound a little formal, it’s more where I spend most of my daytime hours.”

Study, confirmed.

I nodded.

Dolores moved on and stopped in front of a door roughly halfway down the hall.

“This is Ruby’s room.”

She opened the door to reveal a fairly cute, cozy room.

“Ruby’s actually supposed to sleep here too, but…”

Dolores looked down at Ruby with a small smile.

“She still sleeps with me.”

Ruby’s face went bright red.

“…Th-that’s because you get scared at night…”

“Did I?”

“You did!”

I had no idea what kind of nonsense that was supposed to be, one that wouldn’t fool anyone.

But she was a kid. I’d let it slide.

“Sure, right, of course.”

Whoops, there goes my true colors.

“Grr…”

Dolores chuckled and moved on to the next door.

Right beside Ruby’s room.

“And,”

she stopped in front of the door.

Turned to look at me.

“This is Lionel’s room.”

The door opened.

It was spacious. The bed was big, the view from the window was great.

It had everything you’d need, and a lamp was already lit on the wall.

Great, all great, no complaints.

And yet.

“…”

Dolores peered at my face.

“You don’t like it?”

“No? No, I love it.”

“…”

Had she seen through me?

“There’s somewhere else you actually want to see, isn’t there?”

“…Yes.”

Dolores let out a short laugh.

Unable to hold it back any longer, she turned around.

“Ruby, do you want to see it too?”

“Yeah.”

“Everyone, follow me.”

Dolores led the way,

down the stairs, and when she opened the mansion’s back door, the night air rushed in.

A garden came into view right away, and a stone-paved path led off into the darkness.

Ruby walked along holding Dolores’s hand.

I reached for the hand on the other side…

- Grip.

It got taken.

We must have walked about a minute down the path.

A little ways off from the main building stood a separate annex.

A brick building, a single chimney.

And above the door.

a small sun emblem had been carved.

She’d gone this far for me.

“…”

Dolores stopped in front of the door.

“Want to open it?”

I grabbed the door handle.

- Creak.

The moment the door opened.

- Click.

a soft light switched on inside.

Orange lamps, one, then two, lit up one after another along the walls, filling the space with light.

“…”

First thing I saw was a forge worth an estimated three hundred million gold, at the very least.

Next to the forge sat an anvil, the kind of furniture that would probably rank in a top-ten list of “things a modern person will never actually see in real life.”

Tools hung on the wall.

And beyond that, all sorts of materials too varied to even list.

And then.

On the workbench, two hammers sat laid out side by side.

The Earthborn Hammer, and the enchant hammer.

“Do you like it?”

“Yes.”

I answered instantly, without even turning around.

Then slowly turned my head to look at Dolores.

Once again, a man swears loyalty to the one who truly sees him.

“I’ll work hard.”

So, this time around, it’s you, Dolores.

I know it sounds cheesy, but that was genuinely how I felt right then. This time, not even Yuna threw in some comment to ruin the moment.

Instead of answering, Dolores leaned against the doorframe and smiled quietly.

“You don’t have to push yourself like that.”

“…”

Dolores stepped closer and crouched down in front of me.

Our eyes were level now.

“Don’t overdo it. Take your time.”

“…”

She brushed my bangs aside.

“Got it?”

No.

“…Yes.”

Looking satisfied, Dolores stood back up.

“Shall we head back now?”

Dolores and Ruby turned to go, but

I didn’t budge an inch, planted like a siege tank.

If anything, I was inching backward, toward the hammers.

“Sorry, but,”

“Hm.”

“Could you give me a piece of gear that’s fine to throw away?”

“…Huh?”

And then.

I picked up the hammer.

“I’ve got the itch.”

Which hammer, you ask?

Obviously, the enchant hammer, damn it.

* * *

Dolores and Ruby left wearing looks of pure disbelief.

“You’ll come back to your room to sleep before the lamps go out, got it?”

“Yes.”

“I’ll keep the garden lights on late.”

“Yes.”

“…Still, if you get scared coming back to the mansion at night, call for Sebas. If you shout loud enough, he’ll come, without fail.”

“Yes.”

Dolores’s worries came pouring out one after another.

Honestly, I doubted I’d even make it back tonight.

“…I’ll head off now. Lionel.”

She left with Ruby in tow, wearing a look that seemed almost pitying.

I had no idea why she’d feel that way.

Ever since I’d transmigrated into this world, I’d never felt more alive.

I looked down.

The piece of gear Dolores had brought me was.

─────────────────

[Chore Gloves][☆☆☆☆☆]

[Compatibility Rating][-/0]

─────────────────

The so-called grind-fest chore gloves.

In all my years, this was the first time I’d ever seen gear without even flavor text.

Apparently if something’s crappy enough, it doesn’t even get that much.

Didn’t matter to me right now.

“Whew…”

What I was about to do was, of course, enchanting.

I carefully untied the pouch Henrik had given me.

And.

- Shhh…

I sprinkled a pinch of the blue powder onto the gloves.

It might seem like a waste, but I’d reconsidered a bit.

This was my first time doing this, and I couldn’t risk trying it on a good piece of gear right away and having it blow up.

Practice with the cheap stuff.

- Hummmm…

I picked up the enchant hammer.

─────────────────

[Target Gear: Chore Gloves]

[Powder Held: 1.3g]

[User Proficiency: None]

─────────────────

[Attempt Enhancement?]

─────────────────

Yes, let’s do it.

[0:00:10]

This time, I didn’t just space out.

A circle appeared.

From outside, another circle slowly shrank inward, following it.

The two circles drew closer. Slowly.

I timed the moment they overlapped, exactly.

- Clang!

A rainbow-colored glow spread out.

[Perfect!]

This is it… this is exactly it…

My body remembered.

This didn’t even need to reach my brain, it was pure spinal reflex.

The next circle appeared.

Its position had shifted, but it didn’t matter.

I read the shrinking circle and caught the exact moment of overlap.

- Clang!

- Clang!

- Clang!

[Perfect!]

[Perfect!]

[Perfect!]

[0:00:01]

[0:00:00]

Ten seconds flew by in a blur.

─────────────────

[Strike Tally]

[Perfect] [7]

[Great] [1]

[Okay] [0]

[Bad] [0]

[Awful] [0]

─────────────────

[Final Success Rate: 93%]

[Failure Rate: 7%]

─────────────────

【Attempting……】

─────────────────

93 percent.

Unless the odds were rigged, this was a lock.

─────────────────

【Enhancement Success!】

─────────────────

[Chore Gloves][☆☆☆☆☆]

[+0 → +1]

─────────────────

“Whew…”

A faint glow rose off the gloves.

Funny thing was, even with a weight-reduction enchantment written into it, the actual feel of swinging the hammer stayed exactly the same.

[Apparently the enchanted magic supports the weight rather than removing it]

I see.

Like something’s holding it up for you, I guess.

But hey, Yuna.

“There’s something seriously lacking right now.”

The +1 or the weight-reduction magic wasn’t the point right now.

For one, the difficulty was way too easy.

And.

“There’s no music.”

I looked up at Yuna.

“Put on some music.”

The reason I hadn’t gotten an All Perfect was definitely the lack of music.

[…]

“Hurry up and play it.”

[…fine…]

Yuna’s hologram flickered slightly.

A moment later, music rang out through the workshop.

The song settled in quietly.

A rhythm game without music is just manual labor.

We’d sort out the BPM and all that later.

That’s when it happened.

[Rhythm game started! I’ll check in with you every 30 minutes.]

“Huh.”

“…”

[We’re shutting it down after 2 hours. Promise me, okay~]

I remembered now.

Back when I’d been gradually trying to quit gaming, to keep track of how long I’d actually play,

I’d set up a script so Yuna would automatically call me out whenever I started a rhythm game.

A check-in every 30 minutes. Forced shutdown after 2 hours.

Without that, I’d end up playing until four in the morning.

However.

“Yuna.”

I opened my mouth with a benevolent smile.

[…Yeah?]

“You can turn that off.”

[Why…?]

“This is work now.”

[…]

“You can’t let yourself be bound by time.”

Because.

I was a professional now.

And pulling an all-nighter like a true professional was just the natural thing to do.

[Aaaaaaaaah!!]

With Yuna’s scream as my background music,

I picked up the hammer once more.

Join our discord at https://dsc.gg/wetried