WeTried Translations
Translator: [IncomeElastic]
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ I Became a Blacksmith the Rankers Are Obsessed With ◈
Chapter 92
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I'm Sorry.
* * *
Dolores had gone back to the Tower with Camilla.
The reason was simple: Lionel had overworked himself, and she needed Camilla's emergency medicine for it.
He might be fine for now after treatment, but once he got started on work, he simply wasn't the type to think ahead or hold back.
Just before she reached Camilla's hideout, though, someone caught her.
A pale green light bloomed up from beneath her feet, and a scatter of small, cute leaves pointed toward the temple.
"... A summons?"
There was really only one being who could call Dolores like this.
Mother didn't usually summon her to the temple over nothing, she was always considerate of her apostle's schedule.
She sent word to Camilla that she might be a little late, then headed straight for the temple.
The priests guarding the entrance opened the way the moment they saw her.
When she opened the door to her private chapel, what met her eyes was a floor blanketed entirely in green grass.
'She's already here....'
The moment she stepped into the room, a voice rang out in Dolores's mind.
『Come in, elder one.』
Dolores had only recently become the "elder one."
"I greet the Mother of the Earth."
As Dolores bowed her head respectfully, the grass around her swayed as if in welcome.
『Yes, no need for long formalities. The reason I called you here today is...』
Mother didn't get straight to the point, taking a moment to choose her words.
Dolores couldn't guess what it might be about.
Her climb up the Tower was going smoothly, and nothing had gone wrong.
『Elder one. I want to ask you something honestly.』
"Yes, Mother."
『Have you perhaps been neglecting the little one?』
"......?"
The little one....
There was only one person Mother would ever call that.
Dolores's own child, Lionel.
"Have I... to Lionel...."
At first she thought she'd misheard, but....
『If you can't even satisfy the child already in your arms, what will you do later on, elder one...?』
- Flinch.
Dolores's body trembled.
That last remark, the voice might have sounded warm, but as far as Dolores could tell, it was about as harsh a scolding as Gaia was capable of giving.
『I was quite surprised to see him turning his eye to another woman already, even while you hold him in your arms every single day. It seems the little fire one is also plenty pleased that her own child has been chosen.』
Ah.
Now she thought she understood.
Normally, which god a climber served, that is, who was whose apostle, was kept secret....
But among the Apostles of Dawn themselves, they tacitly knew. They simply didn't say it out loud in public.
For instance, Dolores served Gaia and Yeomhwa served Ignia, but neither of them made a point of showing that they knew.
"... The flower."
So this was about the gear Lionel had made for Yeomhwa recently.
Word must travel fast among the gods.
『But elder one. I'm not blaming you for this. And I certainly don't mean for you to try to control the little one, either.』
"......."
『I only mean that the little one might not always put you first forever... so treat him well enough that he never feels slighted.』
Making gear for Yeomhwa was something Dolores herself had allowed.
Lionel had even said he'd take full responsibility for it, making the gear out of sympathy for Yeomhwa....
So there shouldn't have been any reason to worry....
『And, always satisfy him.』
There shouldn't have been....
'...... He might not always put me first.'
Mother's words kept nagging at her.
Just then.
『...... Oh my.』
Dolores felt Mother stir, and all the blades of grass lifted their heads at once.
『It seems the little one is about to ring the Divine Bell.』
Mother's ever-leisurely voice grew hurried.
『Elder one, I'm sorry, but I must go now. Do take care of yourself, and talk things over slowly with the little one.』
And with that, Mother was gone....
"......."
Dolores stayed behind alone in the temple, turning Mother's words over and over in her mind.
No matter how much she thought about it, she couldn't figure out why the words wouldn't let go of her.
* * *
The first time is hard. The second time is easy.
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[Divine Bell: True (眞)][★★★☆☆]
[Divine Implement (神具)]
─────────────────
A bell that notifies the gods that a Skilled Heir of Flame has opened their forge.
Upon hearing it, the gods will come flocking in humility.
─────────────────
『Will you... accept my call...?』
- To Skilled Blacksmith L -
─────────────────
This time I'd made it out of bronze, to make the sound ring out bigger and bolder.
I'd forged it with Dawn Bringer, trying to get the craftsmanship right too.
The goal, for now, was two-way communication... though I wasn't sure if it had actually worked.
"Hey Yuna, what was the last Divine Bell like again?"
[Hold on]
─────────────────
[Divine Bell][★★☆☆☆]
[Divine Implement (神具)]
─────────────────
A bell that tells the gods an Heir of Flame has opened their own forge.
Upon hearing it, the gods will ask for what they desire.
─────────────────
『Answer the call.』
- To Certified Blacksmith L -
─────────────────
So this was the old one... it really had gotten a lot better.
One more star, and the description read a lot more solid, too.
Above all, the Origin Script....
"Heh heh."
Someone's had some manners drilled into them?
How had I done it last time, I'd gone somewhere the moonlight fell brightest at night, set the bell down, and struck it.
As it happened, enough time had passed making the bell that it was already growing dark outside.
I could go try it now.
"... But she still hasn't come?"
When's Maman coming.
This was the first time she'd ever been this late.
I grabbed the bell, stepped out of the workshop, and sat down in the yard.
I set the bell down beneath the moonlit night sky....
"This should do it."
I struck the bell with Dawn Bringer.
- Doonngg....
Starting with that first ring....
- Dong... dong... dong....
"Ugh, it's starting again."
The ring-and-run had started again.
It was surprisingly hard on the ears.
─────────────────
[The Divine Bell has received a response.]
[A divine oracle has arrived.]
─────────────────
"Yeah, yeah."
A window popped up in front of me.
A divine oracle... last time it was completely one-way and kind of exhausting, was it going to be like that again?
But contrary to expectation, the window looked quite different from last time.
─────────────────
[The Skilled Blacksmith's Divine Bell rings out through the heavens.]
[The gods request contact with you.]
[You may speak directly with any god whose request you accept.]
[Photos and videos may be exchanged during the conversation.]
[However, you may only connect with one party at a time.]
─────────────────
"Oh...?"
This had changed quite a bit.
Didn't this mean it was two-way communication now?
Kind of like, uh, yeah, like the Tower system's DMs.
Meaning there'd be no more getting kicked out after three knocks and a self-introduction, like last time....
"That's true, but...."
『Never let yourself be tempted.』
That line kept nagging at me.
At times like this, I needed to set up a safeguard.
"Yuna, if it looks like I'm about to get tempted, stop me, okay?"
Might be a bit much to ask of Yuna, too.
[sorry but that's literally my day job big brother;;;;; that's my whole business.]
[i guarantee no god's gonna out-seduce a rhythmgame for you tho?????]
Suddenly typo soup.
Okay, trust level MAX.
Just then.
- Pop!
The first order had come in.
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[Contact Request]
[Pamola, Empress of Storms ▸ Skilled Blacksmith L]
『First place last time, and first place again this time... will you talk with me?』
『I ask you politely.』
[1 photo attached.]
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"......."
She really was different this time.
Last time she'd made a huge fuss about being first and burned through her chance before getting shown the door, if I remembered right.
This time she was calm and courteous.
The photo would probably only be viewable once I accepted the contact.
- Pop!
The next message came in before I'd even accepted.
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[Contact Request]
[Rustia, Goddess of Lust ▸ Skilled Blacksmith L]
『First, think of the appearance you like best, I can become anything you want, you know?』
『I'll let you do anything you want.』
[1 video attached.]
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"... Wow, so this is how it is."
This was way more serious.
I could really feel her trying to seduce me.
Now I got the feeling exactly.
Even why the manual had warned me so insistently.
[Big brother...?]
"No sleeping around, big brother's good."
Honestly, I really was curious about the video.
But just watching the video or reading the message and then bailing felt kind of shady, right? Honestly, I didn't think I'd end up taking Rustia's commission anyway.
It'd be like doing ten free samples in a row and then running off.
But looking at the contact requests coming in now, I could see it must be structurally brutal for an Heir of Flame.
Blacksmiths, especially becoming a Skilled Blacksmith, seemed like the kind of people who probably never even got fresh air, let alone met a woman, just pounding away at the forge day in and day out.
And if a socially clueless type like that suddenly got hit with temptation like this, I figured they'd have no choice but to fall for it completely.
"She's even matching my ideal type while doing that?"
And filming videos, too...?
Fuck, that's an instant GG.
"...... Hm."
It reminded me a little of my seniors, somehow.
The seniors who'd done nothing but study, and the moment a woman finally spoke to them, they were already picking a wedding date....
Granted, that took real skill.
As for me, I never even got a call, since I couldn't land a job.
Anyway.
"Pass on Pamola, pass on Rustia."
Might as well look for a familiar name first.
"... Gaia... Gaia... Gaia...."
I said it while scanning for Gaia's name first.
They'd told me not to get tempted, but well... it wasn't temptation if it was something I actually liked.
Plus, I had a bit of loyalty in me.
She'd been the one to come find me first last time, and she'd even given me a flower in the Tower, so I wanted it to be Gaia again this time.
Especially since, as the Earth Goddess, it would help with Dolores's gear too.
"... Hm?"
But no matter how far down I scrolled, there was no Gaia.
"Doesn't she need one this time?"
... That was a variable I hadn't planned for.
I hadn't considered the possibility that Gaia simply might not need a divine implement.
Just as I was tilting my head, puzzled.
- Pop!
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[Contact Request]
[Ignia, Goddess of Fire ▸ Skilled Blacksmith L]
『You must have heard the news, haven't you? What I did for your kind.』
『I think highly of you, diligence and passion always burn the brightest... let's talk.』
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She'd been showing up like a regular in my Origin Script lately, so she felt a little familiar, at least.
I didn't know the details. About as much as I knew was that she'd abandoned the dwarves....
But that first line didn't really make sense.
There was no way she'd know my race, it wasn't like she'd seen me directly the way Gaia had.
The manual said what the gods could see was limited to gear.
"... By 'kind,' does she mean dwarves?"
Seemed like she'd gotten the wrong address, somehow.
Still, the line below it, I had to admit, was pretty appealing.
No photo attached, so it didn't seem like blatant seduction... and more decisively, Gaia still hadn't reached out yet, so it seemed worth talking to her.
"Guess I'll hear her out~"
I pressed the accept button beneath Ignia's contact request.
[Ignia, Goddess of Fire]
『An Heir of Flame...?』
Oh, there it is.
The DM windows popped right up.
As always, we'd go with me talking and Yuna typing it out.
"Hello."
[Hello.]
"Hey hey, wait a second."
No, Yuna, you usually adjust it just right, why type it out exactly like that all of a sudden....
[oop sry]
No, no... friendly... that's the vibe we're going for, I guess.
Ignia's reply came back almost instantly, as if she'd been waiting.
[Ignia, Goddess of Fire]
『Sure, hello. First, I've gone and done a few things I thought you'd like.』
Good, she didn't seem to mind.
But Ignia suddenly veered into a strange topic.
Honestly, I'd expected her to whine straight for gear.
『In the outlying dwarf settlements that had frozen over from lack of sunlight, I sent down fire to thaw the ground, and starting this year, they'll be able to grow crops again.』
『I've also returned embers to the dead hearths, so smoking meat to get through the coming winter shouldn't be a problem either.』
『Along the paths leading to the settlements, I've set up torches that never go out, to keep the monsters from approaching.』
『And to the two young dwarves who'd fallen ill from weak fire energy, I gave each a small ember of their own.』
"......?"
A sudden briefing on charity work for the less fortunate?
『I took care of the settlements no one had ever reached first, so your kind's circumstances should be considerably better now.』
『How is it? Do you like it?』
"Hm...."
What I was feeling right now was.
How should I put it....
It read like something a kid would write while waiting for their parents to praise them, going "Look how much I did!"
『If it hadn't been for you, I never would have done any of this.』
And to add, a kid who'd never once done a good deed before now.
And right now, this person, no, this god.
"She must think I'm one of the Sun Dwarves."
Well, that couldn't be helped, I supposed.
Still, I could tell the dwarves had gotten an unprecedented amount of help.
Even though I wasn't a dwarf, being good to dwarves wasn't a bad thing... at least.
Honestly, though, none of it benefited me personally.
Hareungar would be pleased.
"Wow, you really worked hard, good job, good job."
She seemed hungry for praise, so at least a compliment....
[I marveled at the benevolent Fire Goddess's will. Those who received her help will surely be overjoyed as well.]
『Right?』
Her reply came fast.
"Yes, but is there anything in particular you'd like to receive?"
I could tell she'd put in the effort, at least.
But let's... get to the actual point.
"Ah, wait a second Yuna, um... it's not that I'll make it just because someone applies, more like, if it looks interesting when I see it, I'll consider it, can you phrase it like that?"
[yeah hold on]
A moment later, Yuna's polished, typed-up reply appeared.
[Should you have a divine implement in mind, might you tell me its form and purpose? My forge's capacity is limited, so I cannot accept every request, but should something move my heart, I will gladly devote my full effort to it.]
Wasn't that, wasn't that a little bit rude?
Basically saying, I'll hear you out and maybe make it if it's good enough.
『That confidence... I liked it, keep going.』
『Ordinary things don't satisfy me, you feel the same way, don't you?』
Her reaction wasn't bad at all.
"Yes, I do."
『Let's have a deep conversation, just the two of us. There's something I've always had in mind, just give me a moment.』
Alright, got it....
That was when it happened.
I'd been told that accepting one contact meant I couldn't open another, but requests themselves kept coming in regardless.
But then.
- Pop!
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[Contact Request]
[Gaia, Goddess of the Earth ▸ Skilled Blacksmith L]
『I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, child... I'm not used to speaking this way, so I was a little late.』
『Did you wait long? It seems you're already speaking with another child first....』
[1 video attached.]
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"......."
A video from Gaia????
So it wasn't that she didn't care, she was just running late....
The problem was, to open that, I'd have to close my current conversation with Ignia.
I had loyalty, how could I....
Loyalty to Gaia, and loyalty to Ignia too....
"What am I supposed to do about this...."
Whichever one I picked, I'd end up feeling sorry toward the other.
Just as I was agonizing over it.
- Pop.
Another message arrived from Gaia, right after.
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[Contact Request]
[Gaia, Goddess of the Earth ▸ Skilled Blacksmith L]
『Child. There's one thing I hadn't yet had the chance to tell you.』
『Dolores has served me faithfully for a very long time as my apostle, and she is the elder child I cherish above all others.』
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What?
Alright, time out.
Dolores was Gaia's apostle?
"What even is that."
I'd known from the Origin Script, more than once, that she called Dolores her daughter and cherished her.
I'd gone with her to the temple to pray in person before, and I'd even seen her get scolded.
But I'd just figured Gaia doted on her because she'd built such a grand temple and prayed so often.
"... An apostle?"
I didn't actually know what an apostle was.
"Yuna, what's an apostle?"
[apparently it's like a proxy who serves a god and acts in their stead.]
[since they're chosen by the god, if the god they serve rises in rank, that power apparently flows into the apostle too?]
"...... Wait, what?"
That changed things.
The whole reason I'd decided to make this divine implement in the first place was to make better gear for Dolores.
But if simply offering Gaia a divine implement raised Dolores's own rank....
Hm....
Make Gaia's divine implement, get a feel for earth-attribute power in the process, and have Dolores grow stronger along the way, too....
However I looked at it, it was practically a Dolores gift set....
"......."
It seemed the scale of my decision had tipped, just a little.
『I'll tell you now.』
"Ah, just a moment."
Ignia's message, arriving out of nowhere.
"...... Um."
『?』
I was really sorry, but.
"Could we put this off for just one year? Goddess of Fire...?"
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