WeTried Translations
Translator: [IncomeElastic]
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ I Became a Blacksmith the Rankers Are Obsessed With ◈
Chapter 98
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The First Customer, a Perfect Score
* * *
The Grand Duchy's manor has various amenities set up for the Apostles of Dawn.
Facilities prepared by Dolores, broad-hearted and kind as she is.
Starting with the parlor, there's a meditation room, a hot spring, and more, all with a bit of a retreat-like feel, and any of them are available with just Dolores's permission.
Except Isabella, who'd recently had her privileges suspended.
"It's nice bathing together after so long, isn't it?"
"... Yeah."
Today, Yeomhwa had succeeded in dragging Dolores out.
Having enjoyed the hot spring, the two of them stood side by side in the changing room, drying their hair.
Their topic of conversation was, of course....
"What's the longest it's ever taken Lionel to make a piece of gear?"
"Two months... and two weeks."
"So this one's pretty much a record, then."
"... Yeah."
Dolores answered while folding a towel, but the corners of her mouth were turned up.
Was it because she was happy the longest stretch yet had gone into gear made for her?
Of course, she still wished he hadn't pushed himself so hard.
Once their hair was dry, the two of them started changing in front of their own lockers.
- Click.
Yeomhwa stared intently at Dolores as she fastened her bra.
"... Elysia."
"Yeah."
"Did you change your underwear?"
- Freeze.
Dolores's hands stopped.
"What about the one Lionel made you? The baby's going to be upset."
"........."
Yeomhwa had asked without thinking much of it, but....
From Dolores's side, it was an ex-ex-extremely hard question to answer.
Today was Sunday, and the time was currently five in the afternoon.
Since the paper bag had to be left at the workshop door by tomorrow morning, she needed to actually wear it for about twelve hours.
But she'd rather duel the person in question to the death than try to explain that to someone else.
"... Something got on it."
"........."
That was all Dolores said.
* * *
First, the reward I'd been given: the divine implement promotion ticket.
I'd wondered what form it would take, and....
"A ticket...?"
Between my fingers sat a single red ticket, like a movie ticket.
Its edges were lined with gold, filled in bit by bit, and even the texture felt soft to the touch.
"... Huh?"
- Slip....
It vanished, just like that.
I had no idea where it had gone, but somehow I felt like I knew how to bring it back out.
I opened my hand and pictured the ticket from a moment ago again, and it slipped back into existence on my palm.
It didn't seem to have been lost, then.
I didn't need to decide how to use it right away. I figured I'd talk it over with Dolores eventually.
Why Dolores, obviously?
Who else would I even give this to.
I looked back at the emblem's status.
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[Kargon: Genesis Garden][★★★★✦]
[Unique Equipment] [Compatibility Rating][- /110]
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[Divine Implement (神具)] [Target God: None]
[Blessing][None]
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『A flower of fire, blossomed from the earth. People call it a volcano.』
『When the flower of fire blooms, the earth splits open like its petals.』
『Here, the ancient conflict between earth and flame comes to an end.』
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【Volcano】
Gathers the mana the wearer leaves behind after casting spells into the earth, forming a bud of flame.
The bud grows stronger as mana accumulates. When the wearer causes a flower to bloom, the power gathered beneath it erupts up through the ground.
【Genesis Garden】
Any ground where a flower has bloomed becomes the wearer's garden.
Within the garden, power gathered in one place can be made to erupt from any other.
A natural disaster (天災地變).
Any eruption that occurs within the garden ignores the target's defense.
The target can never defend against it.
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『I can't believe it... how could the power of the earth... fire....』
『Just what kind of world... are you trying to show me...?』
- The Fire Goddess, Ignia -
『Ah... ah....』
『How futile a fight we carried on, for how long....』
- The Earth Goddess, Gaia -
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Looking at it again, I was satisfied. It was good, but....
- Slide....
I tilted my head down a little to look.
A line too long to have fully seen before caught my eye.
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『Wow, she's sooo pretty... so this is what a goddess looks like....』
『Her neckline's a little long and her shoulder line's soft, so the design should play up the curves too. With skin that fair, red would suit her well, but... Maman's the same way, so it doesn't matter either way.』
『Her face is so pretty that even fancy ornamentation won't bury it, right? Might as well give it everything I've got.』
- Skilled Blacksmith L -
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Hm....
What a raging pervert. You little sh*t.
Honestly, when you're crafting, you have to keep your mouth running.
It's work you do sitting alone, so the longer it goes on, the more bored you get.
So there's no stopping the habit of muttering nonstop.
I'd been like that even before I crossed over here.
This was probably a habit I'd never fix, not till the day I died.
But.
"This is fine, right...?"
Dolores Maman, even seeing an Origin Script like this, would just smile warmly and pat my head, but....
Gaia, well, she's a goddess....
The only remotely polite part of the whole Origin Script was the "Skilled Blacksmith L" signature.
Still, it's the thought that counts.
I shook my head.
Now I had to go offer this to Gaia, but....
Looking quietly down at the emblem, what caught my eye was the pattern of the Children of the Forest and the pattern of the Heirs of Flame.
"........."
But as I looked at it, one line came back to me.
『A single piece of jewelry cannot bear two engravings, that is the rule. Since this is a divine implement (神具), its engraving will only appear in the realm of the gods. Have no worry.』
Words from our Sun Dwarf ancestor, the professor.
But right now, there was a pattern engraved on my emblem.
What was this...?
What worried me was the possibility that, with the engraving showing here on the jewelry, the piece Gaia would receive wouldn't carry an engraving at all.
Gaia would need something to show off to the other gods too, and it'd be a shame if there were no engraving.
The basic principle was, "two engravings cannot appear on the same piece of jewelry." Which meant, by rights, it shouldn't have shown up in the mortal realm at all.
Normally, whenever a question came up, I liked to ask right away to get it off my chest, but unfortunately, Yuna couldn't answer this one for me.
Which meant....
"Guess it's time to duck into the Formless Divine Forge real quick."
Let's go show Hareungar.
The living Sun Dwarf encyclopedia.
I leaned back in my chair and closed my eyes.
Maybe because I was so exhausted, my eyes shut almost instantly.
- Rumble....
The sound I always heard reached my ears.
I opened my eyes to find the Formless Divine Forge, where I did my work, right in front of me.
"Heir."
Hareungar was there too, for the first time in a while.
"It's been a while."
"I have something to show you."
- Slip.
I closed my eyes, pictured it, and held out my hand, and the divine implement I'd just made appeared in it.
"........."
Hareungar took the emblem without a word and looked it over.
He examined the flower, turned it over a little.
"Was my mouth hanging open, by any chance?"
"Yes."
"... My jaw wouldn't close, that's all. I'd appreciate your understanding."
That was a first, praise like that.
The hair on my head suddenly stood on end.
That... that much, really...?
This was a man who, even looking at Dawn Bringer, had only given my shoulder a pat or two.
Same with the rose.
Since he seemed to be looking closely, I added an explanation from the side.
This was gear made for my benefactor... where the emblem she'd originally worn had fallen short.
And what kind of gear I'd tried to make for her because of that.
At first, I'd tried to blend fire and earth together and failed....
And only after burning through every attempt did I decide instead to let each energy keep its own strength, without one killing the other.
Among blacksmiths, you're not supposed to just hand over the finished piece and call it done.
Even at a Michelin-starred restaurant, the chef comes out to explain, doesn't he? What ingredients went into this dish, what intent it was made with.
It's just like that.
"... That was my intent, but then it ended up with an engraving on it."
"Since it's a divine implement, the engraving shouldn't have shown in the mortal realm."
"Yes. That's right."
Hareungar looked back down at the emblem again....
His beard curved upward slightly. He seemed to be smiling.
He studied the two patterns for a moment, thought it over, then spoke.
"When you made your first divine implement... how did you feel, hearing that the engraving wouldn't show?"
"It was good."
I remembered that. It would have been quite a problem if the Princess had found out about the Sun Dwarf engraving.
"I was glad I could keep it hidden."
"I'm curious how it was, this time...."
"........."
- Tap, tap.
Even though it was only a dream world and the emblem could have been handled roughly without consequence, Hareungar tapped the flower petals carefully.
I turned over what Hareungar had just said in my mind.
This time, making it... I'd never once tried to hide anything.
I hadn't tried to blend the flame and the earth together, but worked to draw out the maximum power from each.
Telling both of them to show me the very best performance they could.
That was the intent I'd shaped it with.
"There's a saying that you shouldn't even breathe carelessly in front of the gear you're making."
"... I agree."
"... Because everything ends up poured into it."
Not just the Origin Script alone.
Even the things muttered here and there in between get captured, so how much more the mindset I'd carried for two straight months.
This time, I hadn't tried to hide either side....
"Both engravings showing through...."
Might have simply been inevitable.
I'd told both of them to give their best performance, so of course, with the Children of the Forest's engraving sitting right there alongside the Heir of Flame's, there was no way it could stay hidden.
I never even meant to hide it in the first place, did I.
"Having made gear like that... more will come seeking you out from now on."
"........."
Hareungar took his eyes off the emblem, looked at me, and smiled slowly.
- Thump.
A palm thick with calluses landed on my shoulder.
"You may take pride in this, heir. Gear is nothing more than a vessel for your own intent."
"... I understand."
"Come see me again. It seems there won't be many days left where I can still see the heir's face like this."
- Flinch.
My body trembled.
Somewhere in the back of my mind... I think I'd kept assuming... that Hareungar would just stay by my side.
That he'd always be here, and whenever a question came up... I could come find him and ask, anytime.
"... I'll bring the next one too."
I couldn't bring myself to say "don't go."
I'd already received far too much help from him.
"... I'll be waiting."
With those words, the scene before my eyes began to blur, little by little....
"........."
When I opened my eyes, the familiar ceiling I always saw after waking from a session of work came into view.
A soft bed, the emblem I could feel in my arms, and....
- Snuffle....
Right in front of me, Dolores, sleeping while holding me in her arms.
No leftover scent on underwear could ever beat the real thing.
And maybe because tomorrow was delivery day, today she was wearing the "East Wind Embrace," the very piece due to ship tomorrow.
"... Mm, Lionel...?"
Dolores rubbed her eyes and lifted her head.
- Smooch.
I kissed the back of her hand, lightly, playfully.
It felt like I was always the one receiving, after all.
The face was still way too much for me.
"?!?!"
Dolores's eyes went round.
She bolted upright, as if she hadn't quite understood what had just happened.
- Click.
I used the opening to carefully pin the emblem to her chest.
A red emblem hung over her white nightgown.
It was the image I'd pictured for over two months....
'Just as I thought, it suited her perfectly.'
"Shall we go, Lady Dolores?"
"...... Li, Li, Lio... Lionel...."
"To pray to Gaia."
Time to go offer the divine implement now.
After all, Dolores wasn't the only owner.
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[Kargon: Genesis Garden][★★★★✦]
[Unique Equipment] [Compatibility Rating][110 /110]
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The first customer.
Dolores passed with a perfect 110 out of 110.
Now it was Gaia's turn.
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