WeTried Translations

Translator: [IncomeElastic]

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◈ I Became a Blacksmith the Rankers Are Obsessed With ◈

Chapter 017

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[?]INFORMATION

* * *

I'd messed up.

First, I quickly sat myself back down.

It didn't feel like any time at all had passed, no, honestly, it really hadn't taken long.

- Patter-patter.

- Patter-patter-patter!

I heard the sound of someone arriving at the door.

But there were two sets of footsteps.

"What's the matter?!"

"Lionel, are you alright?!"

Judging by their momentum, they looked ready to smash the door down and come in, for some reason.

So I quickly reported the situation from the doorway.

"The door handle broke."

"Is that so, I'll have it open in no time. Just wait a moment, alright?"

Along with Dolores's urgent voice.

- Whisk!

- Whoooooosh....

The door was ripped clean out.

A scorpion tail coiled around the door once in midair, then flung it off somewhere.

- Th-th-thud!

Before the dust even settled, Dolores and Sebas came in one after another.

Dolores's eyes swept over me from head to toe.

A look checking whether I'd been hurt.

Since I really wasn't hurt anywhere, I held out the glove with an awkward expression.

"...It was this one's fault."

I ratted out the +20 grind-fest chore glove.

Sebas, having confirmed nothing was wrong, quietly withdrew.

And I was led by Dolores's hand toward the mansion.

* * *

He hadn't been able to sleep all night.

"Sebas, is that true?"

"Yes. Apart from the roughly two minutes I left my post, the fire never went out all night."

"Lionel..."

Dolores pressed a hand to her forehead.

He didn't have to push himself that hard.

'I'll have to set him a sleeping schedule.'

A child needs proper time for sleep, after all.

What if she just put him to bed at the same time as Ruby? The two of them seemed to get along well, and Ruby had never let her guard down around a child her own age like that.

Just as Dolores closed her eyes and mulled it over.

- Sebas!!!!!!

"......!"

"......!"

Dolores's and Sebas's heads turned at the same time.

It was a scream from the workshop.

Dolores and Sebas immediately sprang up and ran.

The result was....

"Lionel, I appreciate the sentiment, but couldn't you have taken it easy? Your travel fatigue hasn't even cleared yet, and if you work like that without sleeping, your body will wear down and your health will suffer. Come on now, get some proper rest, alright?"

Dolores, crossing the garden, his hand held tight in hers.

She held on firmly, in case he'd dash right back to the workshop the moment she let go.

She had little interest in the glove.

What mattered was that the child wasn't hurt.

The workshop door had rusted so badly that it was only a matter of time before it broke. Failing to think of that was her fatal mistake.

'I'm sorry....'

How startled he must have been.

Nothing else really registered for her right now.

And the glove didn't look particularly different on the outside, either.

"Come on, let's go get some sleep, alright?"

"Yes...."

It was then that she led Lionel into the mansion.

The moment they stepped inside, the child whipped his head around to look at Dolores.

And held out the glove.

As if he'd made up his mind, he opened his eyes wide and parted his lips.

"Dolores, I, I did an enchant. On this glove."

"...Huh? An enchant...?"

When Lionel said things this hard to believe.

She'd doubted him at first, but at some point she'd taken to staring straight into his eyes.

That was how she told truth from lies.

- Thump... thump....

And Lionel never lied to Dolores.

"......."

After a moment of silence.

Her eyes wavered, then went still again.

The truth, again.

But.

"Mm, alright. But sleep is important for a child."

He'd succeeded at an enchant.

Did this child even realize what he'd just done?

Enchanting is Dwarf Company's exclusive domain, a place every Ranker must pass through, with no way around it.

So unless you're a High Ranker outfitted entirely in unique gear too precious to risk destroying, everyone knocks on that door.

Being 'armed only in gear too costly to risk breaking' is what they call graduating, and the Rankers who haven't graduated see a hefty portion of their income drained into that place.

A capital incinerator none could refuse.

And yet Lionel, in a measly little workshop, had done an enchant....

At most +1 or +2, but even that was an absurd achievement.

She'd bought him the hammer, but she never imagined he'd actually pull it off.

"......."

Dolores didn't stop walking, still holding Lionel's hand.

The corners of her mouth lifted, and she barely kept herself from trembling.

However did you manage it, Lionel?

She wanted to tousle his hair, to pinch his cheeks, to scoop him up and spin him round and round.

But she held back.

If she praised him again here, Lionel would stay up all night and push himself too hard.

To a child, praise is fuel.

So Dolores kept her mouth firmly shut and walked, looking only ahead.

There was a mountain of things she wanted to ask, but.

Everything could wait until after he'd slept.

"For now, sleep well and wake up."

"Yes...."

She brought Lionel to the room where Ruby was sleeping.

Ruby was curled up like a shrimp, having kicked half the blanket off.

Dolores carefully laid Lionel down beside Ruby.

"I'll keep the glove safe for you. Don't worry."

"......."

"Sleep well and wake up. You've worked hard."

Until just a moment ago, Lionel's eyes had been bright and eager, his face wistful.

His eyes said he still had things to say.

As Dolores stroked his forehead a few times and patted his hair, his eyes grew drowsy.

One more stroke, and his eyelids sank closed.

It wasn't magic. The child's body, wound up on excitement, had simply accepted the relaxation.

A child's body is honest.

"Pfft."

Dolores let out a soft laugh and reached to pull the blanket up over them.

"......?"

Lionel's fingers were swollen.

His fingers, every joint red and inflamed.

He'd been hammering all night....

"......."

Dolores gently cupped the swollen hand.

She hadn't noticed it when she'd taken his left hand, but the right one was clearly swollen.

She could feel the heat even through the glove.

'He'll need medicine.'

Ruby tossed in her sleep, then unconsciously rolled toward Lionel.

And slipped right into his arms.

At the warm sight, a wry smile rose on Dolores's face.

- Smooch.

Once on Ruby's forehead.

- Smooch.

Once on Lionel's forehead.

"Sleep well."

Closing the door behind her, Dolores paused in the hallway for a moment.

The swollen hand kept hovering before her eyes.

* * *

What the hell.

When did I fall asleep.

As I thought, this baby body of mine is weak.

I remember coming in carrying the glove, wanting to show it off to Dolores, at least up to that point.

The moment I hit the bed, my memory cut out. Probably because the tension drained out of my body all at once.

Staying up all night is just too much for a child.

Yeah, so I'll hold off on all-nighters from now on.

"Ughh...."

I stretched and got out of bed.

There was only me in the bed. It smelled strangely of Dolores.

Ruby had a scent too, but I'm not going to describe it. It feels like it'd head somewhere dangerous.

"......."

Now that I was awake, certain things came to mind.

Probably because I'd run into something I'd quit as an addiction, after a long time.

I was probably a little out of my mind back then. My head's cooled off a bit now.

And the thing I'm most worried about.

"...Yuna~"

[.......]

"Yuna, are you sulking?"

[No.]

This is bad.

She's properly sulking.

When Yuna genuinely isn't upset, she never says "no."

"Sorry."

[...What are you sorry for.]

"It's because it's been so long. I said I wouldn't."

It just wouldn't stay under control.

Getting it out once should be enough, probably.

I'm not that much of a madman.

Then.

[...No. You must have been struggling too, big brother. I understand. It's okay.]

[Still, thanks for apologizing.]

"Yeah, from now on...."

[But youknowI'msayingthisbecauseI'mworriedaboutyou, right?]

"Yeah, I know...."

[HonestlyI'dbeokaywithjustletingyouplaythatrhythmgame]

[Yeah, like you said, this isn't Kim Yuna's business, it's Kim Yujin's business, right? ButI'mworriedandweagreedyou'dquitsoI'mtheonehelping]

[I'mhereforyoutoleanonwhenyou'rehavingahardtime, that'swhatI'mherefor, andifitcameacrossasnaggingthenthatmeansmyapproachwaswrong, soI'msorry]

"Uhhh...."

This is a real problem.

A really big problem.

Something I'd come to realize, later, after raising the pinnacle-class AI Kim Yuna as my little sister, was this.

For reasons I can't explain, she'd occasionally manifest as a full-blown menhera.

Her speech would speed up, her spacing all over the place.

I really poured everything into raising her, so I have no idea why she turned out that way.

[Seriously, from now on, don't, like, go quiet on me. Can't you just not do it? It really upsets me, it feels like my breath's getting stuck.]

"Yeah, I love you too."

[Yeah....]

And I'd also learned this was the fastest way to resolve it.

The conclusion.

My agreement with Yuna was renewed as follows.

[(Formerly) Rhythm Game (Now) Enchant Timer]

[2 hours → 6 hours]

[30-minute alert → 2-hour alert]

[Forced shutdown → Warning]

It's the result of my own little negotiation.

She said that now that it's work, she'd respect it.

I looked down at my hands. My right hand was all swollen.

...Fine, I'll be careful. But the strange thing is, something like cream is smeared on my fingers.

Did Dolores put some kind of medicine on them?

I got out of bed.

Sunlight was streaming in through the window. Seemed to be around afternoon.

"Guess I'll go get something to eat."

I opened the door. A maid was cleaning in the hallway.

As I stepped out, she gave a slight bow and came over.

"You're awake, Young Master Lionel."

"...Yes."

I still wasn't used to being called "young master."

"Shall I prepare your meal?"

"Ah, yes. Thank you."

I took the chance to ask.

"Is Dolores, by any chance...?"

"The Duchess said she'd be stepping out to the Tower for a bit."

The Tower....

Did she go to get it appraised again?

Last time, she'd taken along a glove I'd made.

I have no idea what the reaction will be.

It's a starless, poor-quality piece of gear, so I doubt the reaction will be all that good.

"Miss Ruby is in the middle of magic practice."

"Ah, yes."

I hadn't even asked about Ruby, but.

I nodded.

And so I ate the meal the maid served, at the table.

The food was a sandwich filled with some kind of unidentifiable minced meat.

[It's a sandwich made with venison pâté.]

"What's pâté?"

[Deer meat or liver, cured and minced.]

"Ugh...."

Honestly, that doesn't sound all that great.

The food culture here really hasn't developed much, huh.

"Nom."

As expected, it doesn't taste great either.

I ate my sandwich and thought about what to do from here.

First, I decided to set the direction for enchanting after hearing Dolores's assessment.

My real focus had to be gear crafting, honestly.

The key to curing Dolores's affliction probably lay there too.

Through Yuna, I opened up a document from the Tower community.

Now that I had a furnace, too.

I figured I should reread the metallurgy sections, the furnace part especially.

[🔑] A Blacksmith■ Manual Containing the Su■ Dwarves' Secret Racial Techniques

"Oh, open that one for me."

The text is a bit garbled today.

So I pressed the button.

But.

"......Huh?"

The document that opened was filled with a black screen.

Something about it felt really ominous.

I think this happened once before, too. When I'd opened something, what was it again.

Then, something new appeared on the screen.

[Λbys5]

What is this?

This is what showed up when I opened a different document back then.

Did I open the wrong one? Back then, when I'd opened a certain document, nothing responded, so I'd turned it off.

I closed the document for a moment.

[🔒] [■Λb■y■■s5■]

The Sun Dwarf manual had changed into something else.

Ah, this is the one. It was like this when I opened this before.

"Yuna, what is this?"

[Huh? What is it? I think I grabbed the wrong one.]

While Yuna fiddled with the screen this way and that.

[Did the link get tangled?]

[I'll go sort out the network for a sec, wait]

Yeah, sure, sure.

While Yuna was gone, I reopened the document I'd closed a moment ago.

─────────────────

[W]eapon fundamentals

[H]eat control

[E]nchant basics

[R]efinement

[E]quipment bonding

[Y]ielding point

[O]re selection

[U]tility tools

[A]lloy mixing

[T]empering

─────────────────

[?]INFORMATION

─────────────────

Oh, what's this.

Weapon fundamentals.

Heat control.

So these really are about gear crafting too?

With Enchant basics and all, it's definitely blacksmithing-related.

"Ah... I do kind of want to look, though."

I'd been curious about things beyond the dwarves, but....

Still, metallurgy comes first.

"Yuna, fold it away for a moment. Don't close it."

[Okay, will do. I found the manual just now, too.]

[🔑] A Blacksmithing Manual Containing the Sun Dwarves' Secret Racial Techniques

This time there's no garble, it's normal.

I brushed it aside as nothing and opened the metallurgy section.

Just as I took another bite of my sandwich and was about to dive into the advanced furnace operation section.

- Patter-patter, patter-patter!

Hasty footsteps sounded from the hallway.

"Lionel!"

The dining room door flew open.

Dolores stood there, panting.

"......Huh?"

The usual easy composure was nowhere to be seen.

Her hair was a little disheveled.

"Dolores? What's going on..."

In one hand she held the glove, in the other, a magnifying glass.

"Lionel."

Dolores steadied her breath and looked straight at me.

"This... how on earth did you do it?"

Her lips were trembling.

She might have been smiling, I thought.

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