WeTried Translations
Translator: [IncomeElastic]
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ I Became a Blacksmith the Rankers Are Obsessed With ◈
Chapter 93
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I'll Tell You Everything, Even the Elder Child's Tastes
* * *
To a god, a divine implement is the one means of glimpsing what their own power alone could never reach.
No being handled fire better than Ignia, and none understood the principles of the earth more deeply than Gaia.
The trouble was, having already reached the summit, further growth was next to impossible for them.
Everything achievable alone, they had achieved long ago.
For them, a divine implement was the last ladder left to climb to a higher tier.
Which meant it was nothing at all for gods to set aside everything just to be chosen by a mere mortal.
Especially when the maker in question was an Heir of Flame...
"...... I wasn't composed at all...."
Gaia pressed a hand to her forehead and sighed.
Realizing the Divine Bell was ringing and rushing back, that part had been fine.
The problem came after that.
While she'd fumbled with the difficult, complicated contact window, the little one had gone and picked one of the other gods to start talking to.
She didn't know which god it was, but to begin with, gods were never kind and gentle.
Plenty of them whispered every sweet word imaginable just to draw someone into their own hands.
She'd heard that more than a few Heirs of Flame had actually been pulled that way, into some god's skirts.
So it wasn't unreasonable that Gaia had panicked.
In the end, she'd had no choice but to play her strongest card, her relationship with Dolores.
That she was the elder child's mother.
"...... Not exactly dignified of me."
It was a fact she'd have revealed soon enough anyway, just told a bit early, but...
honestly, she couldn't shake the feeling that she'd cut in line.
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the realm of the gods.
The Fire Goddess, Ignia.
She'd pulled out a bucket list she'd kept carefully hidden away, and was just about to name the item written small on it, the one she wanted, when-
"I've decided-"
[Just a moment, Ignia.]
"?"
[Could you possibly wait just one year?]
"...... What?"
A message arrived that instantly tanked her mood.
"Why."
She wouldn't get angry.
She was a noble goddess, so she'd simply hear the reason out.
She'd even looked after the dwarves of the 89th floor for the heir's sake.
The dwarves of the 88th floor, of course, were excluded, the breed Ignia despised most of all.
Those blinded by money.
Ignia, who loved intangible things like effort and pride, hated that sort more than anything.
She'd already been deeply disappointed in the dwarven race since the Heir of Flame vanished.
On top of that, rumor reached her that the dwarves had fallen in with some merchant company run by lesser creatures and become obsessed with nothing but money, after which she couldn't stand the sight of them and hadn't so much as glanced at the dwarven floors.
But looking again this time, she'd found a settlement that still refused the Company's reach.
They were even making some effort, in their own way, to revive the old craft.
'There'd been a change like this?'
The dwarves she'd last seen had been fat, complacent pigs, so this was a bit different.
The heir was probably from there too, most likely.
So, thinking it a rather nice find, she'd gone and supported them, and now-
Out of nowhere?
"I'll hear the reason."
[It's nothing else. It's just that with my current skill, I don't think I can fully realize the standard you're hoping for, Ignia.]
"......."
[If I'm going to make it at all, I don't want to give you some clumsy imitation. I want to build other divine implements over the next year, sharpen my skill, and then finish you the very thing you've pictured in your mind, without a single shortfall.]
- Flutter.
The flames at Ignia's back fluttered.
A sign her mood was fine.
"Hmm...."
What made this heir seem decent wasn't just the confidence, but...
'Finish.'
She liked hearing that he wanted to make it perfectly.
Detail, detail, and more detail.
That was what Ignia obsessed over and loved.
"If that's the reason..."
Other divine implements... meant some other god would end up with the practice pieces, then.
She liked that too.
A single year was an instant to a god, and if it meant receiving something all the finer for it, she could wait.
"It's worth the wait."
It was only wanting the fruit to ripen into something delicious.
Ignia nodded, rather pleased with herself.
* * *
"Ah."
It seemed to have gone well, at least for now?
I'd said I'd build up my skill making other divine implements.
And the reaction was, well...
『If that's the reason...』
『Then some other god gets the practice pieces?』
"...... Let's not answer that one separately."
Didn't look bad.
Seemed like I'd dodged anything that would've soured her mood for no reason.
Of course, the divine implement I'd offer the Earth Goddess couldn't be a practice piece.
I hadn't said it myself, it just felt like Ignia had come to that conclusion on her own, so there wasn't really any need to correct it...
But just as I was about to wrap up the conversation,
I thought there was one thing I really ought to set straight.
"I'm not a dwarf, after all."
The Earth Goddess, for one, knew perfectly well I wasn't a dwarf.
She'd seen my face, confirmed my identity.
Ignia, on the other hand, had no idea.
But she kept going on about "your kind, your kind," believing I was a Sun Dwarf, and supporting the dwarves because of it, wasn't that exactly what was happening?
What she'd done was good, no question, but if I said nothing, it might look like I'd known the whole time and deceived her.
She was a god, after all, so I had to be careful about every last part of this.
If she ever concluded, even later, that I'd deliberately tricked her, that would be a real problem.
Being a fire goddess, she might flare right up over it.
"As politely as possible."
[Mm-hm.]
"And there's one misunderstanding I'd like to correct."
I'd just go straight to the point.
"I'm not a Sun Dwarf."
『......?』
『Was that a joke, just now?』
Of course it'd sound like a joke.
"I thought the proper thing would've been to tell you in person, once I formally introduce myself after entering the Tower someday, but..."
I had a feeling this was going to run long.
"But once I realized you were investing your precious authority believing me a Sun Dwarf, I felt that staying silent any longer would be deceit."
In other words, you're spending resources on this, and it's been bothering me, so I have no choice but to speak up.
"I'm human. I learned the craft of the Heirs of Flame... and earned the qualification."
I'm not a dwarf, fuck, so don't go changing your story on me later.
『...... Human?』
This time, the reply took a little while.
"That said, if this fact ever got out, it could put not just me but everyone around me in real danger, so it's something only a very small handful know, but..."
"I judged that you, Ignia, noble and great mistress of fire, were someone I could trust with it..."
You're an insanely great god, so it's only because you're the caliber you are that I'm telling you at all.
So please, for the love of god, keep the secret.
I couldn't very well tell a god outright to keep her mouth shut, so I mixed in a little flattery.
I'd said everything I needed to say.
Now the only question was how Ignia would take it.
And not long after,
『Pfft! You've got a good eye. Spot on. I'm naturally tight-lipped. Very... very accurate of you.』
Her tone had suddenly turned bright and bouncy, like her mood had lifted.
『I'll keep your secret on the name of fire. I won't leak it to a soul until you reveal yourself to the world yourself.』
『And you don't need to overthink it, either. My daughter got a flower from you, so it was a fact I'd have found out before long anyway.』
Wait a second.
The only person I'd given a flower to was Yeomhwa?
Yeomhwa....
Flame....
And I remembered the Origin Script on that flower, too.
"...... So Yeomhwa is Ignia's apostle too."
Probably along the same lines as Dolores.
So her finding out I was human would've just been the natural course of things. A matter of time.
She'd surely have asked Yeomhwa.
Wow, insane call.
Good thing I confessed early.
Things like this always go easier on you if you come clean first.
[...... Whoa, I just looked it up, and swearing on the name of fire apparently means basically staking your life on it?]
...... Really?
Somehow I'd ended up with a much sturdier guarantee than I'd expected.
And her mood seemed fine, too.
"Thank you soooo much!!"
『And, heir? You don't need to worry about the authority I've shared with the dwarves. Looking after a handful of mortal settlements is nothing that burdens me.』
『It's true the heir's the reason I looked their way again in the first place, but whether they deserve to keep receiving it is on them to prove. You being human is no reason for me to take back the fire I've already granted.』
...... Didn't expect this to resolve itself too.
And it seemed like no one was going to starve to death right away, either.
She'd keep the secret, and unless the dwarves screwed up big again, they'd get just enough to keep from starving.
And I'd gotten the one-year postponement approved, too.
Clean sweep, huh?
Ignia might be a more reasonable goddess than I'd thought...?
『Honestly, if anything, I'm even more curious now, how in the world a frail human body ever managed the craft of the Heirs of Flame...?』
『But, well, since I'm the "great, noble Fire Goddess," as you put it, I'll wait.』
Um....
Seems like what I said earlier really landed well.
Good thing.
"Thank you. When the time comes, I'll be sure to come see you again."
『Take care.』
[The contact has ended.]
"...... And it's over."
She'd cut it off pretty coolly.
Maybe it was because I'd played up the noble, cool-god image a bit, but she seemed to be trying to act the part now, too...
Anyway, I think I handled that well.
Now then...
- Rub rub rub.
I rubbed my hands together and opened the contact window to the Earth Goddess.
[Gaia, Goddess of the Earth.]
『Little one...?』
"Hello!!"
『Little one, I'm sorry. You must have been quite startled. It must've come out of nowhere.』
"No, it's fine!"
I grinned ear to ear and tapped the attached video.
Expecting to see the Earth Goddess's pretty, pretty face.
The trouble was, the video that played showed a cross-fading montage of green hills, fields in bloom, and countless other natural landscapes.
[May today, too, be a healthy and happy day....]
right across the middle in giant, garish, rainbow-colored block letters.
"......."
Exactly the kind of video that shows up every morning in some elderly group chat.
The kind that had probably been forwarded around a hundred times already and circled all the way back to whichever elder had sent it first.
"......."
[ㅋㅋ]
I hadn't been tricked, exactly, so why did I feel like I had been...
I closed the video and focused back on the conversation.
"Thank you for the video. I feel healthier and happier already."
『Good, I'm glad... I picked it out very carefully....』
Hm.
I see.
"I'll treasure it."
Treasure it, and only that.
『Ohoho, I'd be grateful if you did. And... if that story just now made you feel pressured, you don't need to worry about it at all. I never meant to bring up the elder child's name to make you offer me a divine implement....』
"No, it's fine."
Honestly, if anything, that was exactly what had made me sure.
"I'd like to make this next divine implement for you, Gaia."
I explained my plan.
That I wanted to understand the power Dolores wielded.
And that, since she was the Earth Goddess, this would bring me closer to that same lineage of power.
"In the end... it's because I want to make Dolores better gear."
After that long letter, that lengthy explanation, no reply came for a while.
『Ohoho....』
『I see. That's something I really want our elder child to hear.』
The Earth Goddess seemed pleased.
But telling that to Maman would be, well... embarrassing.
"Um... could you maybe keep it a secret... it's a surprise, so..."
『Ohohohoho, all right. Understood.』
Nice, nice.
With that, the agreement was settled.
What was left was deciding what to actually make...
"So I'd like to ask you for some advice, Gaia."
『What is it you want to know?』
What else could it be.
"What kind of thing would you like to receive?"
It'd be classified as a divine implement regardless, but a physical piece would remain on this side too, just like the Cradle of the Earth.
So it'd be best, this time too, to make something I could offer to Gaia while Maman could also use it.
"I'd like it to be something you want, and, if possible, something Dolores could actually wear."
『Hmm....』
Gaia seemed to think it over for a moment, then,
『Then how about an emblem?』
"An emblem."
『Yes. The emblem the elder child uses now...』
"Isn't great."
It's really not great.
I'd seen it myself, so I knew.
It wasn't as if I hadn't thought of this myself.
"But... I still don't properly understand the energy of the earth."
Putting something I don't understand into a piece of gear felt off.
I was confident with something like the energy of fire. The rose, and Totality too, had ended up carrying the power of fire, after all.
Understanding the power of the earth came first.
That was part of why I'd wanted to make this divine implement first, too.
Then Gaia answered as though it were nothing at all.
『If you want to understand the energy of the earth, couldn't I simply help you, right by your side?』
"...... Oh."
『Ohoho, we can keep talking like this now, after all. Just tell me whatever you're curious about, little one. Then I'll teach you.』
"...... You're right."
I hadn't thought of that.
Last time it had ended with just a few exchanged oracles, but now it was two-way communication.
I could just ask, even in the middle of crafting, whenever something came up.
Having the Earth Goddess herself teach me the power of the earth, there was no better top-tier tutor anywhere.
The finished piece would become part of Dolores's own matching set.
And it'd help Gaia's own divinity, too.
"I like it, I like it a lot."
『Then it's decided.』
And so, the crafting of an emblem for Dolores...
would proceed together with Gaia, top-tier tutor of earthly power.
『I'll be able to tell you the elder child's tastes too, one by one... every last one....』
"Whoa."
『Heh.』
Gaia laughed quietly.
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