Chapter 10: First-Class Blacksmith

We took care of the lesser dragon swarm without much trouble and were now on our way back to town.

"Hey, Kazuya. What are you planning to do about the party members? You’re still planning to add more, right?"

I asked, thinking it made no sense to challenge the Demon Lord with just a two-person party.

But Kazuya responded without hesitation.

"Nope. I’m planning to defeat the Demon Lord with just the two of us—me and you, Miki."

…What?

Was he serious? Sure, I’m confident there aren’t many mages who could outdo me, but I’m still just one person. We’ll need support, and besides Kazuya, we’ll need more frontliners too. Two people? That’s just reckless.

"I’ve got my reasons. First off—I don’t want to add any guys. Every single one of them would fall for you. No way I’m dealing with that. And the other reason… well, women might get mad if they hear this, but—I just can’t see any other girl the same way anymore. Not like I used to. I can be polite with people at the guild counter and all, sure, but that’s all. I don’t see any other girl as a woman anymore. Just you, Miki."

…Unbelievable.

How is that a reason?

…Wait a second. Aren’t both of those my fault?

Still, I feel like Kazuya’s overthinking it a bit…

"Not every guy is going to fall for me, you know? I mean, most of the men at the Adventurers’ Guild don’t even try to approach me."

But Kazuya shook his head hard and practically exploded.

"You don’t get it, Miki! You have no idea how much trouble I go through! I keep showing people you’re mine, always acting super lovey-dovey with you, going on and on about how much I like you—that’s why none of them try anything! But if we actually had a guy in our party? He’d go after you right away! I only manage to hold back because I’m your best friend! That’s how irresistible you are! Start realizing it already!"

"Come on, that’s… Wait, who’s being lovey-dovey with who!?"

"Then how about you act more like a girlfriend and make it clear to everyone around us?"

"No way. I’m not your girlfriend."

Kazuya slumped his shoulders and let out a heavy sigh.

"See? That’s why we can’t have any guys in the party~"

Well, putting aside his reasons, I could tell he was dead set on not adding any male members.

"What about women then? You said all you need to do is treat them politely."

"…How about you, Miki? Wouldn’t it bother you if I got friendly with another girl?"

No, not really… or so I thought. Let’s try imagining it for a second.

I closed my eyes and pictured Kazuya getting close with some girl I didn’t know, all touchy-feely, flirting and smiling… while completely ignoring me.

…Yeah. I hate that.

"…Yeah. I’d hate that."

"Well, of course you wouldn’t care—wait, seriously!?"

Oops. I must’ve said that out loud.

"No, no! That’s just—like, a friend thing! You know, jealousy from not wanting my best friend to get stolen! It’s not the kind of feeling you’re thinking of!"

Exactly! It’s just possessiveness toward a close friend. Anyone would feel jealous if their best friend suddenly prioritized someone else, right? That’s all this is!

"Ohhh~? But back when we reunited, you were all, ‘Hurry up and get a girlfriend already,’ weren’t you~? Hmm, suspicious~"

Ugh, this little… But no, this one’s on me. I can’t blame Kazuya for running with it.

"Fine! Fine, whatever! We’ll keep it as just us two! We’ll defeat the Demon Lord together! Happy now!?"

I tried to end the conversation there, but Kazuya stopped me.

"Hold on! We’re not done till we talk this through properly! ‘Whatever’ isn’t good enough. So what part of it do you actually dislike? Let’s talk it out."

Kazuya was grinning from ear to ear. The tables had completely turned since just moments ago.

All I wanted was to end the conversation. I clenched my teeth and forced the words out.

"Hero Kazuya, I am in total agreement that two people are more than sufficient. I would never dream of opposing you. Let’s go with that."

I was being this humble—he better take the win and drop it!

As my last act of defiance, I glared at him.

"Ehh~ what to do~… Oh well, I guess I’ll be nice and end it here. I’ll be counting on you, Miki."

Kazuya, looking smug, finally wrapped it up after seeing my face and realizing he was pushing his luck.

Saved… I guess? Not that it’s anything to get flustered about.

Honestly, I was worried about a two-person party. But since I can't bring it up again myself, I’ll just have to get stronger. I’ll study more magic and try to be as useful as I can.

Kazuya still looked happy, almost giddy. He was completely misunderstanding everything—but whatever. He was smiling, so I let it slide.

"Alright, I’m gonna go report in."

Back at the guild, I saw Kazuya off as he went to report the quest completion.

Not long after, the front desk exploded with excitement. It was a huge deal—they’d taken down twenty lesser dragons and two full-blown dragons. No question it was an A-rank quest.

But this kind of thing shouldn’t surprise people. Kazuya’s capable of even greater things. Our goal is the Demon Lord, after all. We need to be able to handle this much without breaking a sweat.

As Kazuya continued his report, both the receptionist and the guildmaster—who had apparently joined in at some point—turned to look at me.

Curious, I listened in. It sounded like Kazuya was in the middle of talking about how I took down sixteen lesser dragons with a single large-scale spell.

I could hear him going on and on about how amazing I was, praising me like crazy. With everyone staring too, it was getting a little embarrassing.

The report went smoothly, and before long, a crowd had formed around Kazuya. Dragon horns and other materials were already laid out on the counter, and everyone there acknowledged his strength without question.

For a while, he was bombarded with questions. That’s only natural—dragon subjugations aren’t exactly an everyday occurrence.

"Welcome back."

"Hey. I’m back."

Eventually, Kazuya returned, just before lunch. We decided to go get something to eat.

The dragon subjugation quest had taken about two days, and we’d only just returned to the guild on the morning of the third. We hadn’t even spent a single night in the fancy inn we’d rented. It felt like a waste… but I guess that couldn’t be helped.

Just as we were eating lunch, it suddenly came to mind, so I asked about the broken sword.

"By the way, what are you planning to do about your broken sword? Gonna fix it? Buy a new one?"

"Actually, about that—I had the Guildmaster introduce me to the best blacksmith in town. This is the letter of introduction. I’m planning to have it repaired there."

He said that as he pulled out an envelope.

Blacksmiths are ranked by grade, and those ranks reflect their skill level.

Naturally, their prices go up with their skill, and most first-class blacksmiths are dwarves.

They’re notoriously particular, and since they don’t want just anyone walking in, first-rate smiths usually don’t deal with strangers. Some even refuse to forge for anyone they haven’t taken a liking to.

That’s why this letter of introduction was necessary. With this, they’d probably take the job.

And so, after lunch, we immediately headed to the first-rate blacksmith’s shop.

Inside the shop, there were only a few weapons and armor displayed. Not a single person in sight.

When Kazuya called out loudly toward the back, it took a moment before a dwarf finally emerged.

By the way, elves and dwarves have never gotten along.

Damn dwarf, keeping us waiting like this.

The moment the dwarf saw Kazuya’s face, he spoke up.

"We don’t take walk-ins. Get lost—...wait."

He suddenly stepped up and began touching Kazuya all over, like he was inspecting him.

After checking his muscles and the palms of his hands for a while, he finally stepped back.

"You’ve got the kind of muscle that’s well-versed in swordsmanship. And a solid foundation too. So—what brings you here today?"

"Ah, right. Well, the sword I was using broke... I came to ask if you could fix it."

"It broke, huh? Hmph. Let me see this so-called broken sword."

Looking a bit annoyed, the dwarf took the sword Kazuya handed over, sheath and all. Inside was the broken blade—essentially snapped clean from the base—and its hilt.

He took it out, gave it a look, and spoke.

"This sword’s no good."

Kazuya panicked when he heard that.

"What!? Uh—can’t anything be done? I also have a letter of introduction from the Guildmaster!"

The dwarf glanced briefly at the letter and waved it off.

"Doesn’t matter. Even with that, it’s no use. I don’t waste my time on pointless work. If it’s not possible, then it’s not possible. Give it up."

"What!? After going through the trouble to get introduced to a first-class blacksmith, getting turned away at the door is too cruel! At least hear us out properly!"

Kazuya was desperate, and I found myself raising my voice along with him.

"Yeah! The least you could do is listen to what he has to say! What kind of attitude is that!?"

The dwarf looked at me and frowned.

"What’s with this elf? I’m not talking to you!"

What the hell! This is exactly why I hate dwarves!

As I fumed, Kazuya raised a hand to stop me.

"Sorry. Um, could you at least explain why it can’t be fixed? I just want to understand."

Kazuya kept his voice calm and composed as he asked.

The dwarf stroked his beard, then gave a nod like something had clicked in his mind.

"I see. Looks like you two are misunderstanding something. I said the sword was no good—not because it can’t be fixed, but because even if I did, you wouldn’t be able to handle it."

"Huh!? What do you mean by that?"

Kazuya looked confused, and the dwarf answered with a look of exasperation.

Don’t mock him—just give a proper answer!

"What I mean is exactly what I said. And just picking up some sword from the shops around here? That’d snap again in no time. Don’t get the wrong idea—this isn’t about you being reckless. It’s just that your strength—and the kind of opponents you’re up against—are too much for a sword like that to handle. That’s all."

"Then what am I supposed to do... I can’t go without a sword."

"Let me finish. That’s why I am saying I’ll forge you a new one."

The dwarf crossed his arms and spoke like he was doing us a favor.

Kazuya’s eyes widened in surprise, then lit up with joy.

"Wait—really!? You’ll forge one for me!?"

"Yeah, I will. But there are conditions. To forge your sword, I’ll need mithril ore. You’ll have to go get some. And also... wait here a bit."

With that, the dwarf turned and headed into the back.

Don’t come back—...no, wait, if he doesn’t, Kazuya will be stuck. Just hurry up already!

After a while, the dwarf finally returned, holding a sword. Took him long enough!

He handed the sword to Kazuya.

"Take this one for now. Then show it to me again when you return."

Kazuya drew the sword from its sheath and admired it.

"This is... amazing. It’s a really good sword. Are you sure I can use this?"

I can’t tell a good sword from a bad one, but even I could sense that this sword was on a completely different level from the one Kazuya had been using before.

"Hmph. It’s nothing special. Anyway, as for the mithril ore’s location—"

And just like that, we took on the dwarf’s conditions, and set off for the mithril mine to get Kazuya a new sword.