Kuro no Maou

Chapter 216 – Stratos Smithing Workshop

I’m currently walking in the industry area near the academy with Simon- it’s filled with smithing workshops. Simon’s favorite store, Stratos Smithing Workshop, is our destination. It’s a tiny workshop, but the owner of the shop, Stratos, is a blacksmith with abilities on part with the blacksmiths the royal family hires, or so Simon says.

Our purpose for coming here is to use the right arm of the Wrath-Pun as material for making a new item or weapon. It would have been fine to deliver it to the Guild, but Simon said to use it for myself because it is a rare material, so for the being I decided to see what he wanted to show me.

“It might be late evening before I return”

“That’s because we talked for too long”

Our conversation with Wilhart, the third prince of Spada, started with things about the Alsace defensive battle, then became about the Spada Army, then guns, then black magic. The conversation kept on changing topics before it became a normal chat. While talking about those topics, I heard about serial murders conducted by a sword-wielding beastman. We didn’t hear about this until now because a week before, we were in the Galahad Mountains completing our Doltos capturing quest.

The story of the serial murderer is that the murderer uses a longsword, he only attacks young women in the dead of night, and he kills everyone with just a single stroke, the murderer has physical strength and is thought to be a rank 4 adventurer. The progress of the investigation performed by the『Law Guardian』is unknown, but from the information of a witness, the race of murderer is deemed to be a beast person.

The murderer is yet to be arrested, so caution is needed when going out at night.

“This area is populated, a perfect place to attack people, and really dangerous.”

“But aren’t only young women being attacked?”(Simon)

“Mistaking the silhouette of Simon in night as a young girl is 50% possible”

(editor note: fufufufu)

“That……”

Simon briefly tried to refute, but he sighed and nodded- perhaps he understood my words were not a joke but the truth.

“But if I’m with Onii-san, it’s fine”

“I’ve also got a new gun.” Simon says, swinging his new rifle on his shoulder.

Incidentally it’s called『Yatagarasu V.02』, its base form is the same as version 1 but important points we talked about earlier have been improved.

“But it could be an unexpectedly powerful enemy, it is said to be above rank 3, right?”

“Aren’t you worrying too much? There aren’t many people who can pick a fight with you, Onii-san”

I’m glad that he believes in me, but I wonder if I am I seriously worrying too much. I wonder if, after encountering out-of-norm existences like the Apostles several times, I’ve always been followed by a bad premonition of someone more powerful than me appearing in front of us.

But, because the murderer is a beast person, so neither can it be an Apostle, nor rank 5 monster, who would become the trials.

“In a time of emergency, use all your strength”

“Yeah”

While talking like that, the shop, our destination, came into view. It is a building made from reddish-brown bricks. And compared to other workshops we saw along the way, it really is small. But since it’s a workshop for forging iron, compared to common houses, it is a big building.

While thinking that the chimney part spouting out black and thick smoke must be the workshop, I hear the sound of Simon opening the door of the store.

“Yes, welcome……oh, Simon-chan”

“Hello, Oba-san”

An old lady, with the width of a dwarf female, started a calm and mild conversation with Simon. She is sitting near the counter, but her height is somewhat smaller than Simon, considering the small height feature of dwarves, her height is average.

Her olive brown curly hair has been bound up behind her, her face has some wrinkles showing her age, and she is gently smiling. The smile is so warm it is probably not the smile of business, but a smile from her heart.

Well, this only shows that they have known each other for a long time since the contender gun he had at first and the『Yatagarasu V.02』he is equipped with right now were both made in this workshop.

“Oh, is that person perhaps……”

The old lady pointed her gaze at me, from her reaction it seems like she has heard about me before.

“Nice to meet you, I’m Kurono, an adventurer”

“Ah, as expected, you are the so-called ’Onii-san’ of Simon”

It may be my imagination, but for some reason, despite Her smile not being any different, I feel that there is some hidden meaning behind it.

After completing some talk with old lady she says,

“Okay then, wait for a bit and I’ll call him”

She disappeared towards the interior of shop, calling the owner of this Stratos Smithing Workshop, her husband. I didn’t come here to purchase a weapon, but the check if the right arm of Wrath-Pun could be used to make a weapon or item, and unless I hear it from the blacksmith himself, I’m not doing anything with it.

In my head I have the image of a stubborn, short-tempered & grim old man about a blacksmith dwarf. This is not just because of novels and movies from earth, but because the dwarf blacksmiths in this world are actually like that.

I talked with them in Alsace village, and during that the guild master Biin-san intermediated, so they listened to a rank 1 adventurer like me. Well, I’m currently a normal rank 2 adventurer, not the leader of the emergency quest. If I said something bad, there is a possibility of getting yelled at like「Don’t come here again!」

“I need to be very careful.” I thought to myself. While in thought, I looked around the store interior. In the somewhat narrow room, many types of weapons are exhibited. All are of simple shape, and thinking back, they are the same as the ones displayed on Mordred Weapon Company.

A sword with iron blade, spear and axe, all are weapons that novice adventurers can get hold of, there is no weapon with magic imbued in it. Wondering if this place is a subcontractor supplying weapons to Mordred Weapons Company, a single dwarf appears from inside the store.

“Yes yes, welcome! It’s rare for a new customer to come here, so say whatever you want, and I will answer your questions as much as I can.”

A middle-aged male dwarf appears in front of me in a relatively modest attitude. His work clothes, blackened at some parts, showed the years of working. Looking at it, I can tell he is the blacksmith here. His height is average for a dwarf, and being a male he is slightly taller than the old lady.

“Ah, I didn’t introduce myself, I’m Regin Stratos, a humble blacksmith, nice to meet you”

This dwarf named Regin, didn’t have a long beard, which every other dwarf seems to have. If not for his physique and pointed ears, he would appear to be a short human male. With a hairstyle like that of a priest, drooping eyes wearing round glasses with black rim and a thick lens and gentle facial features along with thick eyebrows and big nose like that of a dwarf, he looks completely different from the stereotypical image of a grim dwarf.

To Regin, bowing in front of me while smiling I say,

“Ah, Yes, nice to meet you, I’m Kurono, an adventurer”

While being disappointed that my imagination was wrong, I, being a Japanese, reflexively returned the bow. No, well, this was quite an unexpected reaction, I thought it would be like「Who the hell is this baby rank 2 adventurer, don’t you dare come here again!」

Well, if he is going to treat me friendly, there’s no harm in that.

“Oji-san, we have something to ask today――”

Simon, the regular customer, intervened and explained the reason for our visit. This Regin person, not only manufactures weapons from iron and mithril, but also from monster materials containing magical power, so he might be able to make good use of the right arm of Wrath-Pun, or so Simon said, praising his abilities.

He showed an understanding expression with our brief description.

“Wrath-Pun. Now that’s some old name, I still remember using it 20 years ago”

I’m surprised to hear that he has manufactured the materials of a very rare monster like Wrath-Pun. As expected of an expert blacksmith.

“But without the『Fist of Wrath』, manufacturing a single arm is insufficient”

“Eh~ no way~”

Though I won’t raise a regretful voice like Simon, I am disappointed too. The right arm of Wrath-Pun is completely inside my『Shadow Gate』, so its condition is good, and using it as material for armor is no problem.

For making weapons from materials, they can be made either by using the materials as they are, like『Fang Sword「Evil Eater」』, or the materials can be fused with other metals using magic, called『drilling』.

I came here expecting the useful parts of the right arm being『drilled』to make a weapon which exhibits fire magic, but the jewel I offered to God Mia, has come to interfere as the bottleneck.

“I can use it to enhance an existing weapon, but, from the characteristics of Wrath-Pun, unless the weapon being enhanced has fire attributes, don’t expect much effect out of it”

“Equipped with fire attribute means it has already become a magic weapon, right?”

Magic Weapons are pricey stuff, not suitable to get into the hands of a rank 2 adventurer. Yeah, I do have a cursed weapon, but never had a magic weapon containing power inside of i――

“Ah”

Then, I remember one weapon. That’s right, I almost forgot about it, but I’m holding a weapon containing fire magic inside it.

“How about『Thumb of Ifrit』?”

Taking it out from my bosom, I handed it towards Regin, a single knife. This is the『Thumb of Ifrit』, a multipurpose knife, that has been doing covert activity of being a knife, igniter and ’insect repellent’, since I have again started my life as an adventurer in Spada.

But because I’ve been using it as a tool, I almost forgot it could be used as a weapon as well. Though the fire attribute is faint, but it does have the attribute, using this is a lot better than using a sword as a base. Now he just needs to agree on it……

“Oh, the『Thumb of Ifrit』, eh, I see, using it will not harm the ’fire power’ of Wrath-Pun, and it could easily be enhanced”

The thick lens of the black-rimmed glasses flashed and he gave affirmation. Alrighty then, it’s decided.

“Then, please enhance this『Thumb of Ifrit』”