episode_0083

The pouring gaze of the villagers is disturbing.

······You must strike while the iron is hot. We must reveal to them that this is not an evil power, but a servant’s power.

I pretended not to notice and stood in front of the workshop, but Deberg at the counter greeted me with wide eyes.

“Hello.”

“Ah! I was really thankful yesterday. What brought you here today?”

A person who appears to be well over 40 is friendly to me.

That sight was very disturbing.

“Speak comfortably. I have a lot of things I want to share. Is that okay?”

“Oh, of course it is possible!”

This person must have felt bad because he saw me saving Shir. The first meeting was bad, but now it will be difficult to talk.

“I’m sorry. The bow and crossbow I gave you last time were taken away by some wall guard, saying they were expensive.”

“···Goan bastards.”

Deverg frowns.

······Are the soldiers of the Great Wall of poor quality?

“They are robbers. Forget it, I’ll give you another one as a good guy. After all, anyone can make it if they know how to make it. Would you like to come in with me?”

“Yes.”

Mugwort—!

uh···?

Deberg suddenly fell down the counter.

Oh, you were stepping on a box. The inside of the workshop was quite spacious.

The dbergs were crowded into the dirty beds and moats, enjoying a nap, and only a few dbergs were lighting candles and writing something down.

Although the text was unreadable, it looked like a drawing.

All types of weapons were curved swords, and although there was armor, most of it was leather armor.

As I went deeper, I found dozens of bows hanging on the wall on something similar to a hanger.

“Do you want the same bow as before?”

“Yes. And I want to make a fire-starting device.”

“···Fire-lighting device? Are you talking about an oil lighter?”

uh? Do you have a lighter?

···What on earth can’t these people make except guns?!

“Yes. That’s it.”

Deberg rummaged through his locker and took out a round cylinder.

“This is a new prototype made in Doomheim, so no one in the south will know. Where did you hear about it?”

“The Wall Keeper said that? They say there’s a tool to start a fire in Doomheim. I heard it in passing. He said he wanted to start a forest fire with that.”

“······You’re not asking for that, right?”

There was wariness in Deverg’s eyes.

Nevertheless, there is no hesitation in introducing the product. When I removed the lid of the cylinder, what I saw was a crude flint lighter.

The shape of flint is also quite uneven compared to what I know. ···Wow! The smell of oil! Deberg closed the lid of the lighter.

“The oil smells bad, right? Because it is a prototype, oil leaks. So I can’t use it.”

“Why is oil leaking? All you have to do is fill it with cotton and wet the cotton with oil.”

“What?”

“Som. Then the oil won’t leak.”

Deberg opened his eyes wide, cut open the belly of the pillow, tore out the cotton, and ran in with it. Next, I stuffed the cotton into the oil lighter and carefully filled the oil that was stinging my nose.

Even though they are listening to me, they have a worried expression.

Perhaps to check, he wipes the oil lighter cleanly with a cloth, lights it, and carefully sets it on the desk.

But no oil came out. Deverg let out a laugh.

“Haha! Because the work we do is so spread out. Those who touch iron only touch iron, and those who cut wood only cut wood. Well, something like this. I never thought about it. It’s a shame. Should I say that all creativity outside of my major has disappeared?”

Deberg smiles shyly.

It’s nothing to be ashamed of. Because the world is such that it is difficult to reach just one well at the end of the wave in one’s lifetime.

“Now let me show you the bow.”

Deberg took out the recurve bow that was hanging on the wall. It is simpler than before, and its shape is more curved.

“It was made by combining water buffalo horn and black silk wood, and the bowstring was made by twisting the web of a silkworm spider.”

“A spider web?”

Deberg nods.

“Well, just take a look.”

It’s an expression that says he knew that would happen.

Deberg pulls the bowstring and lets go…

pick

Only a small sound could be heard, as if the wind was leaking.

“The sound of the bow string… is small?”

Even though this is small, it is too small.

That’s a bow that has a huge advantage for hunters!

“Because it’s a spider web. It’s strong against water, but if it touches fire, everything will fall apart, so you have to be careful.”

Deverg held out his bow to me.

My heart was pounding for no reason.

“I will write well. Thank you so much.”

“No, I’m more thankful for this. If that wolf had died, we would have had to close down our business.”

Deberg joked and sat down on a chair.

The chair squeaks and screams as it bears the compressed weight.

“I really thought I was going to die. I won’t ask you how you saved it, but how can you make eye contact with that leader?”

“It’s possible because we can communicate.”

“Ah. And how can you speak to both us and Hosott?”

I noticed you talking to Hosott.

“Drago······.”

······Grace gave me advice. Then what should I do? There’s no way to explain it.

“It’s Dragonia’s magic.”

Of course, this is the most convenient.

“What kind of person would use magic on a child as young as you?”

Deverg frowned, clicked his tongue, and sighed. uh? Why are you holding your tongue?

“Is magic bad for your health?”

“Do you know how much headaches magic that works on the mind causes? Don’t you have a headache too?”

Magic causes severe headaches?

I’ve never felt anything like that before? Come to think of it, when Grace first treated me, she told me that I would suffer extreme malnutrition.

When reviving Ramrat, he was revived using deer meat. Magic had a price. clearly. Although this is not Dragonia’s magic, it is magic anyway.

So what is the cost of interpretation magic?

“······It seems like a well-made magic. I don’t really have a headache.”

Even if you think about it, it’s a problem that doesn’t have an answer. Now it’s time to move on to the main topic.

“There is something I would like to ask you.”

“Okay. Let me help you as much as I can. What do you need?”

“I would like you to make a crossbow.”

Deverg’s eyes frown.

“Crossbow? You took something yesterday too, right?”

“No. A crossbow for Hosott to use.”

Deverg straightens his flowing hair to the side.

“Wolves don’t use crossbows. I don’t even feel the need to write. Do you know why there are so many bows and crossbows in the workshop? I made it to sell, but I didn’t buy it so I have some left over.”

“I will make you use it. Please at least listen to the story.”

It’s an unpleasant sight.

But if you listen to it, it will be quite interesting, right? I explained the appearance of the reverse crossbow to Deberg. Deberg likes things that are simple, exciting, and durable.

As soon as he explained the purpose and presented the direction and design, Deberg’s eyes changed sharply, and he immediately came up with a crossbow that could be loaded in the Sunogung style.

“Is this right?”

“That’s right.”

Deverg shook his head.

“I can’t use this. It was innovative, but it was shut down because it was difficult to aim and had a lot of breakdowns.”

It was already made, but it was scrapped?

“However, this method has few minor malfunctions.”

Deberg draws something on the drawing in an instant.

That’s how it was created, a pump action style loading method. I also lightly metaphorized the body of the rifle. But this Deverg understood clearly even if I spoke vaguely.

That is how a modern crossbow was created.

“Okay. If this is the method, it will sell well to the wolves.”

After organizing the blueprint to some extent, the corners of Deverg’s mouth began to turn up grimly.

“There are many crossbows and bows, so you can disassemble them and use them. The same goes for the body. There are about ten extra pulleys.”

It’s a level of imagination that makes you sick of it.

If you explain it in words to someone who has never seen a gun, who will understand?

But this person understands it.

“When can you make it?”

“Making a weapon takes quite a long time. But if we improve what we already have, it will take about three days to produce a prototype.”

“Even if I don’t use iron, does it take that long?”

“Even bows often take a month to make properly. As with all weapons, especially bows and crossbows, balance is key.”

In that case, this bow is not visible to me and is a secret weapon that Deverg kept hidden until the end.

I’m so glad. If such a weapon had fallen into the hands of the watchman, it would have been a disaster.

······Now to the main topic.

“Can I get more pure iron or wrought iron?”

“No.”

“Why?”

The excitement as a creator that was all over Deberg’s face subsided in an instant.

“······You know everything, right?”

“Yes.”

The eyes that were looking at me turned to the table, then he sighed deeply and quenched his appetite.

“Iron ore is heavy and difficult to load, and the distribution of iron ingots is strictly managed by the Drekkar Union.”

It seems that the Drekkar Alliance wants to control the flow of iron to the Yunaira Alliance.

“In particular, pure iron or wrought iron becomes steel when mixed with iron sand or cast iron, so it is quite valuable.”

If you think about it, it’s absurd.

Iron is the most abundant mineral in the world, no, in the entire universe, so why is there no iron only in the South?

“······Why is there a shortage of steel in the South?”

“Because coal is not used in the South. Iron was not originally divided into cast iron and wrought iron. It is determined by the melting method and temperature.”

It was a very strange sound.

Even if you don’t have coal, you can make a furnace and get steel, right?

“Why do you want steel? When it comes to iron, there is a way to use it depending on the smelting method. The same goes for cast iron and wrought iron.”

Deberg looks up at me.

“The most common uses of steel are weapons and armor. Among the people I’ve seen who needed steel, most of them were blacksmiths belonging to noble estates or merchants heading to them.”

That’s right. Because I’m preparing for war.

“Cast iron can be used to make enough knives and cooking utensils for home use.”

Deberg finishes and looks at me.

If you blatantly say bullshit about not having enough iron, it will be over. The crossbow issue may also fall through. If you talk about Immortal, Dverg may withdraw completely.

“There is no need for weapons. All you need is some armor.”

“Why?”

I told Deberg a story I had experienced in Puri Village. Originally, I would have told Shir’s story, but it’s a sensitive matter and I can’t trust Deverg yet.

You might get rejected, but if you’re honest, you might be able to maintain a relationship. But Deberg’s expression only got worse as time went by.

“The watchman’s attack was brought on by those little man-eaters. The same goes for the white wolf being hit by a bow. And···.”

Deverg looked up at me with narrowed eyes.

“I can’t help you if you come out like that.”

“I will pay the price.”

“It’s not a question of money. My credibility among smugglers is low. If I do that, I won’t be able to find a railroad to use.”

“There is no need for weapons. Just some armor to block arrows is enough.”

“It’s easier said than done, but the limit for forging that much armor is two sets a month. There aren’t enough people to make it, but there’s also a shortage of materials. The situation is that there is not enough iron to make a curved road for wolves right now.”

Two pieces per month.

There are twelve sets in one year. This means that only about 24 sets can be made by the time Shir becomes an adult.

“In the first place, talking about these military supplies was a conversation to have with the leader of the wolves, not with you.”

Deberg walked past me as if to stop.

“···Yes. I can’t help it.”

“Still, the story about hanging the bow pole upside down was interesting. I welcome such conversations at any time.”

Deberg holds out a lighter to me.

The expression on Deverg’s face as he looked at me with a grin was like looking at an innocent child.

“Yes. I’ll be looking forward to the finished product.”

“Your hand hurt a lot, rest comfortably.”

“Thank you for your concern. I’ll stop by again next time.”

I stood up and greeted Deberg.