Chapter 60: Taking a short break (5)

Chapter 60: Taking a short
break (5)

With
my back to Zirnier, I sat down on the small stool brought to me by
Nos. 1 and 2.

Then,
carefully, I removed my helmet.

The
air felt fresher than it had in a long time.

Actually,
it wasn’t so fresh.

The
air, cooked by the immense heat of the furnace, was quite hot and
stifling.

However,
there was a strange odor wafting from behind me.

I
removed my helmet, sharpening my sense of smell and immediately
recognized the smell for what it was.

‘The
body odor of Zirnier.’

I
could smell the slight odor of iron from the hammer she’d swung
earlier.

But
more than that, the rusted scent of a sweaty female began to rise up,
drowning out the metal.

‘Even
with the body of a superhuman, the immense heat of the furnace can be
felt.’

As
I was contemplating this, I felt a movement behind me.

Zirnier
had come to me and squatted down on the backless chair, just like me.

The
distance is much closer than I thought. If I leaned in even slightly,
my back would touch her.

To
top it off, her body is quite hot, and I feel like my back is on
fire.

“So,
are we touching?”

Zirnier
said, still in a nonchalant tone.

‘You’re
not interested in the opposite sex because all you care about is
blacksmithing.’

An
explorer and a blacksmith. Pretty good for business partners.

“Yes.”

I
nodded lightly, and Zirnier’s hands came into view, extending from
behind me.

At
first glance, they are rather crude hands.

Rough,
callused, and scarred from past injuries, they were the hands of a
master craftsman, built up through countless hammers and hard work.

As
if even such a master’s hands were only the hands of a mere female,
Zirnier’s hands on my cheeks were softer than I could have
imagined.

The
two hands on my cheeks were quite warm. It felt like rubbing a hot
pack against my cheeks on a cold winter day.

“I’ll
move.”

“Okay.”

Zirnier’s
fingers moved up to my brow, gently brushing the skin.

A
hand, warm as a hot pack, wrapped around my eyeball and naturally, my
vision darkened.

Only
the tiniest bit of light filtered through the gaps between her
fingers, and I could smell Zirnier’s scent through my nose, which
was even more sensitive now that my eyes were covered.

‘⋯This
feels like something very naughty.’

I
honestly didn’t think much of it until she touched my cheek, but now
that my vision was blocked, it suddenly felt very stimulating.

“⋯hmmm⋯”

I
hear Zirnier mumble, sounding strangely troubled.

-Kirik.
Kiririk. Chirp!

A
trio of mechanical arms clanked and moved.

-Rub.
Rub. Rub.

Zirnier’s
hand moved slightly over my eyeball.

‘Such
a simple task, to determine the wearer’s field of vision.’

It
was only because she was a Zirnier, after all. No other blacksmith
could pull off such a trick.

-Rub.
Rub.

“⋯⋯”

The
longer it takes to do this, the more difficult the task.

-Rubbing,
rubbing, rubbing.

The
hand rises from the cheek, passes over the eye sockets and brow, and
presses against the temples, forehead, and crown of the head.

Then
it moved back down, skimming the bridge of my nose, stroking my
jawline.

“Ms.
Zirnier. This is…”

“⋯Don’t
open your mouth for a second. I need to concentrate.”

Zirnier’s
voice could not have been more serious.

‘Yes.
I shouldn’t interrupt the craftsman’s work.’

I
felt the craftsman’s touch for a long time without speaking.

Her
hands, crude and rough but with a feminine grace, caressed every inch
of my face.

-Mmph.

Her
index and middle fingers pressed firmly down the philtrum as they
passed.

Philtrum=
the
vertical groove between the base of the nose and the border of the
upper lip.

“Ouch.”

I
chuckled, finding the situation strangely amusing. Suddenly, a memory
came back to me.

‘I
never thought I’d have my face touched like this by a woman other
than my sister.’

But
the thought didn’t last long.

The
tiniest of laughs caused a giant snowball to roll and Zirnier’s
concentration was broken.

“Oof.”

Zirnier’s
finger pushed past my lips.

Zirnier’s
other hand, which had been roaming my face, writhing eagerly,
stiffened.

I
felt Zirnier’s finger on my tongue.

An
obvious accident. A catastrophe.

I
reflexively clamped my mouth shut, embarrassed as much as she was.

I
bite down on Zirnier’s finger, very lightly.

“Hyaahhh!”

She
let out a huge scream and Zirnier’s hand was out of my mouth in an
instant.

“Are
you okay?!”

I
reflexively turned around to look back but Zirnier grabbed my head by
the chin and I stood rigid, unable to turn my head even halfway.

“⋯You
don’t have to look at me, I’m fine! I’m sorry. I’ve never seen
anything like this before.”

“Oh,
no, it’s me⋯”

She
was only touching my face with her fingers, so this could have
happened.

Moreover,
even though it was an accident caused by my negligence, Ms. Zirnier
said it as if it was her fault.

I
don’t know if this is the pride of a craftsman.

“⋯Yes,
I’ll keep touching it.”

Zirnier
expressed her willingness to continue working, focusing more on her
work than on the series of accidents.

I
nodded in admiration at her work etiquette.

Zirnier’s
fingers traced over my face again.

Out
of the corner of my eye, I could see her fingers tracing my
midsection once again.

I
tried not to think about it, but the moment of catastrophe came back
to me.

‘A
little salty.’

I
could still feel her fingers rolling across my tongue.

The
vague sensation of touch, the vague sensation of taste, the vague
sensation of flavor, kept floating around in my head.

Zirnier’s
index and middle fingers pressed firmly against my upper and lower
lips.

“This
is necessary to pinpoint the location of the entrance hole.”

“Ah,
yes.”

Zirnier
didn’t have to say anything, but she excused herself.

For
about 12 minutes, Zirnier pressed, stroked, and patted the area
around my lips, taking the sensation into her hands.

“Mmm,
mmm,” she said, “there you go. You can use your helmet, but
keep it on the side while I get it repaired.”

Finally,
it was done. I felt strangely exhausted, even though I hadn’t done
anything.

I
put on the other helmet Zirnier had brought me and rose from the
chair, another helmet with no special features.

I
turned around and saw Zirnier standing there, looking nonchalant. I
can’t see her expression through the mask.

Her
left hand was wrapped tightly around the index finger of her right
hand.

Maybe
it was on purpose, but it was the same finger that had been in my
mouth.

“Are
you sure you’re okay?”

It
was obvious what I was asking. Zirnier wrapped her fingers tighter
around her own and replied in a nonchalant voice.

“Huh?
Me? Huh? Uh, yeah. I’m fine. I’m really fine, right? Number one.”

-Tsk,
tsk, tsk. Chirp. Clack!

The
trio of mechanical arms huddled together, their forearms and fingers
crossed.

What
the hell, they’re broken.

-Puck!

Zirnier
kicked the trio into a corner.

“It
shouldn’t take long to repair the helm or make the axe, I’ve got the
framework, I just need to work on the details with the minotaur soul
stone you gave me.”

I
made an appointment to visit in three days and bowed to Zirnier.

“Thank
you. I don’t have much I can offer you, but if you come to the inn
later, I’ll pour you a glass of dwarven brew.”

“Hm,
hmm. How the hell did he know I liked that stuff?”

“You’ve
been drinking it every time I see you, so I knew you liked it.”

“Hmm.
So you have an eye for more than just weapons, I see. I’ll be there
soon, so clean your glass.”

Zirnier
spoke with a smirk and clapped her hands.

I
followed her lead and exited the underground workshop.

Outside,
I saw the customers still looking dumbfounded.

They
looked like they wanted to say, “I’ve been waiting for a long
time.”

“Sorry
for your trouble~”

What
can I do about it? If they’re upset, they should have managed their
connections better.

I’m
realizing that I owe a lot to Diana.

***

Zirnier
recalled the sensations left on her fingertips.

Lips
that were strangely hard and rough at the same time, a soft tongue⋯
sticky saliva⋯

Zirnier’s
fingers twitched in her mouth.

Her
nose was inexplicably drawn to the finger.

In
her defense, it was the curiosity of an artisan.

She
sniffed the air and smelled a strange minty scent. He’s surprisingly
good at self-care.

But
more than that, there was a strange smell that made her stomach
tickle.

‘⋯What
is it?’

I
can’t say it, not when I’ve created one of the most satisfying pieces
of work in my life.

A
shiver, strangely similar to that one, shot up her lower stomach to
the peak of her chest.

“Hick⋯”

Zirnier
sank back in her chair, her legs trembling at the strange sensation
but her back strangely relaxed.

She
pulled her finger away from her nose as soon as she realized what was
wrong.

This
is dangerous. I shouldn’t smell this anymore.

‘⋯Why
did my mind wander.’

Zirnier
shook her head to clear away the faintest trace of his scent.

She
began to focus on her work.

She
looked at her first creation, the Great Helm, and looked for ways to
improve it but to do so, she had to recall the sensation of touching
her face again.

From
the crown of his head to the tip of his chin, she recalled the shape
of the face she hadn’t seen with her eyes, only with the sensation of
her fingertips.

His
short-sleeved forearms were covered in pockmarks and scars, and she
expected the same for his face, but to her surprise, there were no
such marks.

When
she touched the skin, it was surprisingly good, and when she
calculated the viewing angle by looking at the ratio between the
forehead, brow, and eyes⋯
it was surprisingly good.

The
face is small, the bridge of the nose is high, and the jawline is
tough, so even if the pitching size becomes a little smaller⋯

Hmm⋯

Zirnier
pondered, pressing her tongue against her index finger, which was now
wet with saliva.

The
vast majority of people would never be able to deduce a human face
from this little information but not Zirnier, one of the Labyrinth
City’s finest craftsmen.

“It’s
not exactly the same, but it’s a rough sketch.”

As
she visualized his face in her mind’s eye, the tingling sensation in
her chest grew stronger.

Her
bandaged, sweaty breasts flinched at the tingling sensation.

After
a moment of red-faced distress, Zirnier absentmindedly remembered her
former comrade.

“Ha.”

Suddenly,
she wondered why she’d taken in a part-timer she’d never cared about
before.

“Diana
bitch…how cute is he?”

***
*** *** *** *** *** *** *** ******

I
finished a big job early in the morning.

I
made my way to the Explorers’ Alliance for my next routine.

Ignoring
the strange stares, I headed straight for the training room, where I
found Idelbert training alone.

Her
pale copper-colored skin exuded a healthy glow, and her body was lean
and toned to perfection.

She
wore a shocking leotard that precariously hugged her breasts and
buttocks, which were the height of her athleticism.

She’s
someone you can’t get used to looking at.

“You’re
here, apprentice. It’s been a long journey.”

“Yes.
Thank you for your concern, Master.”

“Prepare
for the duel, I’m curious to see how much you’ve improved.”

With
that, Idelbert gestured to me.

Master⋯
Even if she said that with an emotionless expression⋯

I
think it’s a bit too much to demand that from a student who’s just
returned from a near-death experience.