WeTried Translations
Translator: [IncomeElastic]
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ I Became a Blacksmith the Rankers Are Obsessed With ◈
Chapter 80
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Our Wind Spirits Are Way Better Than Sunlight Spirits
* * *
"Waaaaah!!"
I do like cute things. I really do like them.
But that was supposed to mean cute puppies, cute kittens, that kind of thing.
'Cute... spirits?'
This was just too much to process, wasn't it?
"He can really see us!"
"He can hear our voices too!"
"He looked this way!!"
The little ones scrambled up my arms and shoulders in an instant.
They weren't particularly heavy though, so I just lay flat on the floor and let them climb around as they pleased.
If there was anything strange about it, it was that the red little ones were warm, and the blue ones were cool.
One blue one that had climbed onto me, seeming thrilled, bounced up and down on my chest.
It wasn't heavy at all. If anything, it felt cool and pleasant.
... Okay, fine, it's cute.
"Hey! Get off! He doesn't like it!"
"I've got this, don't worry!"
The red one immediately butted in to block. Guess the two of them don't get along.
"......"
And the female-presenting spirit who'd stammered "Y-y-you can s-see me?" earlier,
was covering her face with both hands, peeking at me through her fingers.
"...Um, sorry, but could someone explain the situation to me?"
She seemed like the one most likely to actually talk to me, so I asked.
The blue-haired woman approached and knelt demurely before me.
She didn't need to go as far as kneeling. I could just sit up myself.
"Ah, s-sorry... hello..."
The blue spirit scrambled back to her feet and smoothed down her skirt.
She had sky-blue hair and wore neatly matching sky-blue clothes.
The little ones, well... they didn't even have clothes.
"I'm Millien, a high-rank Wind Spirit and direct disciple of the Queen of the Faraway Wind Spirits..."
"I'm Lionel, blacksmith of House Dolores."
"Wow... a blacksmith... eep."
Millien let out a small gasp of admiration, then clapped a hand over her mouth and bowed her head.
The Queen of the Faraway Wind Spirits, if I remembered right, was the one who'd been eyeing my underwear with great interest.
So this was her direct disciple.
Well, a high-rank spirit would be about disciple-level, I guess.
"Where is this place?"
"It's your workshop, Lionel. The location itself hasn't changed. The mortal realm and the spirit realm exist in the same space, you know, they just can't perceive each other."
So using Totality had flipped the boundary and let me see the spirits?
Wait a second.
A flash of my past misdeeds crossed my mind.
Sleeping with a blanket pulled over my head, shouting to myself alone.
I'd basically used the workshop like my own bedroom, so there were way too many scenes I'd never want anyone else to see.
"...So then, do spirits normally live alongside humans? We just can't see you?"
"Not exactly."
Millien shook her head, her face flushed, unable to meet my eyes.
"It's a bit of a long story, but..."
The spirit hesitated, then slowly began to speak.
"It's been a long time since spirits had any real contact with other races."
"...Is that so?"
That was strange, though.
Weren't the Elves originally a race quite close to spirits? Even the Children of the Forest's own textbook made heavy use of spirit stones as a matter of course.
"...... Then what about the Elves?"
At my question, Millien's expression darkened.
"The Elves committed a grave sin against us spirits, long ago."
"A sin..."
"War."
- A flinch.
My body flinched at the word.
If there was a war worth naming among the Elves...
it could only be the interfloor war with the Dwarves.
"We were companions who had stood alongside the Elves for a long time. So when the war began, we willingly lent our strength."
Millien's expression slowly darkened further.
"But as the war dragged on... the Elves began abusing our power to win, extracting it without contract or consent and turning it into spirit stones and weapons."
"......"
"Because we cared for them as dear companions... we helped as much as we could... but in the process, countless spirits were destroyed."
This was a far heavier story than I'd expected.
"For that sin, the Spirit Queens took away the Elves' sight into the spirit realm. They sealed off every connection to the mortal realm as well."
It was a fairly heartbreaking piece of history.
Ah.
Now I finally understood.
Why there'd been essentially no spirit stones in circulation at all.
There simply hadn't been any channel for spirit stones to circulate through in the first place.
The Elves, the one channel of contact, had committed their sin and lost their sight into the spirit realm.
Whatever spirit stones remained would just be sitting in some Elf storehouse, and even those, they'd have to use incredibly sparingly.
"But there's someone living here who possesses the qualities of a Spirit Handler capable of turning an entire era on its head."
A Spirit Handler... I guessed that here it didn't mean the thread, but someone who commands spirits.
Wait a moment....
Could it be Ruby?
Going by what I'd seen before, Ruby seemed to have Spirit Magnetism.
She'd gotten a spirit stone with just a few words, more like wrangled it out of someone, really.
"...Is it Ruby?"
"...Yes! That's right! It's Princess Ruby."
I knew Ruby had talent, but I hadn't realized it went this far.
Princess, though... did she mean it like some pampered fairy-tale-princess type?
Ruby had been raised like precious royalty, sure, but "princess" felt like a stretch...
Fffuck, since when is there a princess who can bench 150kg.
"So I suppose you could say we're spirits dispatched to persuade Lady Ruby. It's just... it's been so long since a Spirit Handler appeared again..."
Millien glanced around at the little ones nearby.
"I came to convey Her Majesty's will, and I'm her eyes and ears as well. These little ones came to serve and support Lady Ruby too... but recently, Her Majesty suddenly started showing... interest... in you as well..."
"So that's why you all ended up in my workshop."
"Yes, that's right."
"But it's astonishing that you can suddenly see us this clearly, Lionel... even Princess Ruby can't see our true forms."
"Oh, is that right?"
So this rod could definitely boost Ruby's power further, then.
Seemed like it granted the eyes to actually see spirits.
That was a relief. I'd worried it might turn out to be a useless ability, since Ruby could already sense spirits to some extent.
I nodded, satisfied.
So the Queen of the Faraway Wind Spirits had taken an interest in me, huh... I think I could guess why.
"Hmm..."
Honestly, I had a pretty good idea what she wanted, too.
Well, since she'd come all this way... it felt a bit rude to send her off empty-handed.
I got up off the floor and opened the wardrobe.
This was where I kept my prototype garments, rows of sample underwear made for Dolores.
From Windless Zone to Land of Storms,
each one named according to just how much skin it showed.
Honestly, putting them on Dolores had felt like a waste, well, not a waste of the underwear, I mean a waste to cover Dolores's body with them, so I'd kept them tucked away.
"Pretty..."
An admiring murmur came from behind me as I opened the wardrobe.
Guess this style of underwear was popular with wind spirits.
There wasn't much point hoarding them anyway.
I pulled out the most modest, decent-looking one of the bunch.
─────────────────
[Windless Zone][★★★☆☆]
[Compatibility Rating][-/60]
─────────────────
An underwear set crafted with the Spirit Thread of a high-rank Wind Spirit.
The wind held within the Spirit Thread supports the wearer's movements, increasing agility.
─────────────────
『El-elegant... this is elegant and luxurious. C-could this... perhaps have been made for me……?』
- Queen of the Faraway Wind Spirits -
─────────────────
Guessed she liked Windless Zone, then.
"Can you get in touch with the Queen right now?"
I asked Millien, the corner of my mouth curling up.
- Nod nod.
Her eyes sparkled as she nodded.
"Then tell Her Majesty to pick whichever one she likes."
"Ohh..."
I gestured at the underwear hanging in the wardrobe.
Millien clasped her hands together and closed her eyes....
- Poof.
A small cloud shape bloomed above her head.
Oh, that's cute.
"Yes... yes, Your Majesty, ah... yes, understood...!"
Millien seemed to be conversing with someone,
then opened her eyes and pointed to Windless Zone.
"That...! She says the one you're holding right now is the most beautiful...!"
"She has an eye for these things."
I handed Windless Zone to Millien.
"Ah, is there anything you need too, Millien?"
Well, sure, the exposure got a bit more extreme, but anything one tier up in daring was still perfectly wearable.
A little racier, maybe, but nothing beyond the pale.
"Oh, I'm f-..."
Just as Millien was about to continue,
- Poof-poof.
the cloud above her head swelled up twice in rapid, urgent succession.
"...What?"
Millien's voice shrank.
"No, I'm fine... yes... ah, y-yes, yes......... understood...."
What kind of conversation were they having?
Millien's face flushed as red as if it might burst, like some sunlight spirit.
She hesitated for a long moment before bowing her head deeply.
"I-if it's not too shameless of me... then maybe..."
Her finger pointed toward one side of the wardrobe.
"Could I... have the one on the far right……?"
"......What?"
I followed her finger with my eyes,
and, for the record, the one hanging on the far right was Land of Storms.
An extreme piece, with even more exposure than what Dolores was currently wearing.
Looking at it again... I honestly wondered what I'd been thinking when I made it.
You know, like a gala show outfit. That kind of thing.
─────────────────
[Land of Storms][★★★☆☆]
[Compatibility Rating][-/60]
─────────────────
An underwear set crafted with the Spirit Thread of a high-rank Wind Spirit.
The wind held within the Spirit Thread supports the wearer's movements, increasing agility.
─────────────────
『No!! It's way too risqué!!! I can't wear this!!!』
- Queen of the Faraway Wind Spirits -
『Mm... then I'll wear it myself. What do you say, little one?』
- Rustia, Goddess of Lust -
『Wha...? No, don't... not that one... I'll wear it!!!!』
- Queen of the Faraway Wind Spirits -
─────────────────
"......Here you go."
I pulled Land of Storms out and handed it to Millien.
"Th-thank... you..."
Millien took the underwear with both hands, unable to meet my eyes.
The little cloud above her head bobbed happily for a moment,
- Poof.
then vanished.
"......"
I wasn't an idiot.
I could tell Millien was getting some kind of pressure from above right now.
Millien probably wouldn't get to wear anything, in the end.
I let out a short laugh and closed the wardrobe.
She's surprisingly into this stuff, this Queen of the Faraway Wind Spirits.
"Office life is hard no matter where you go, I guess."
"......"
Of course, I've never worked a corporate job!
Not once, not ever.
Millien couldn't answer.
At some point, two little squirmers had settled side by side on my shoulders.
One red, one blue.
If I kept them around like this, I'd be warm in winter and cool in summer, sure...
but unfortunately, Totality wasn't mine to keep.
I'd only spun the rod in the first place to test its function anyway.
"Millien."
"Yes."
"Actually, this rod is a gift I made for Ruby."
"Then...!"
"Ruby will be able to see you spirits properly now too."
"Ahhh...!"
Millien's expression lit up.
The little ones perched on my shoulders looked at each other and started bouncing up and down.
"The princess will be able to see us!"
Seeing them so happy, well, I still wasn't sure if Ruby herself would like it, but I figured I'd gotten the gift's direction right, at least.
Let her put her spirit-handling power to full use too, that had been the whole point of making the rod.
Though once Totality passed to Ruby, there was a good chance I'd never see these little guys directly again.
A little disappointing, but well, I'd made it for Ruby to begin with.
"Well, I should get going and hand the rod over to Ruby now."
"Ah........"
Millien's bright smile stiffened into something odd.
She'd probably just realized what I'd been thinking a moment ago.
"Well, I'll see you again if the chance comes up."
"Ah... yes, thank you so much for the gift, Lionel..."
Just as I grabbed hold of the rod again,
- Slip.
Millien's hand suddenly wrapped around mine.
"......?"
Wow, that's strange.
A breeze slipped in and out between my fingers, feather-light.
It tickled, but it was soft too.
Just then.
- Poof!
A cloud bloomed above Millien's head,
"......!"
- Whip-whip.
but she hurriedly waved her hand and wiped it away.
The little cloud scattered into the wind in an instant.
"I... really appreciate this!"
"Ah, right."
Still holding my hand, Millien met my eyes and spoke, quiet and soft.
"I hope... we can meet again sometime......."
"Yeah. I'd like that too."
The little squirmers were pretty cute too. I'd probably miss them sometimes.
"And if you ever need a spirit's power or blessing sometime......."
Millien stared straight into my eyes,
"please choose us wind spirits."
"Wind spirits?"
"Yes...... our wind spirits are way better than sunlight spirits. Your body gets lighter, you can move fast wherever you need to go...... and you'd probably stay nice and cool while you work, too...."
"What?!"
The warm little squirmer sitting on my other shoulder shot upright.
Millien flinched but didn't let go of my hand.
"...We're way better at it, you know."
"...I see."
Better at giving blessings, or something like that, I figured.
- Slide....
As if she'd said all she needed to, Millien released my hand and stepped back.
Then,
- Bow.
she folded her hands neatly and bowed her head low.
I gave a light nod back in return,
- Whirl.
then turned Totality a half-rotation.
Along with the sensation of my vision flipping inside out....
"...Whoa."
There was nothing left in front of me anymore.
Not Millien, not the little ones.
I glanced back and forth between my shoulders for no real reason.
"...My shoulders feel kind of empty."
This might turn out to be a bit of a loss.
- Whoosh-whoosh.
I swung the rod as I walked straight out of the workshop.
It was time to deliver the item... to its rightful owner.
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