Read Novel Full Vol 21 Chapter 12
Vol 21 Chapter 12
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Chapter 12 – It’s Kind of Divine
The blacksmith I went to on the guild master’s recommendation was as bad-tempered as the guild master had said. However, with the guild master’s letter and my rare materials, I was able to gain the upper hand over the blacksmith, and even I, who was a nervous wreck, managed to get him to accept my order to make some knives for me with the rare materials.
“Wow… it’s kind of divine…”
Three days after I asked the grumpy blacksmith to do the job, he sat haughtily in front of me. While waiting for the finished product, we kicked around the merchants and thugs and returned to the southeastern island. After doing some work, we visited this blacksmith again.
The members were Rimu, Pent, Marina-san and the others, and myself. Ines and Felicia were on the escort for the Japanese-style boat again this time.
When we arrived at the harbor, a crowd of merchants and rough-looking men came out, so there was nothing we could do about it.
Well, it’s time for me to stop escaping from reality.
The divine object in my hand is the orichalcum bread knife I ordered.
Yes, a bread knife.
The metal’s color is like gold tinted with orange, yet it has a presence and a radiance of its own.
I’ll say it again: it’s a bread knife.
When I ordered it, I thought it was interesting, but when I saw the actual thing, I felt like I had done something terribly blasphemous.
You know, I could have made legendary swords and spears out of orichalcum, weapons that would go down in history, but no, I made a bread knife out of it. I think that’s what it’s trying to tell me.
I’m sorry.
Even from my perspective of having actually seen a god, it’s divine.
“Hey, stop being so quiet and say something, you idiot!”
While I was apologizing to the orichalcum in my heart, the impatient and rude blacksmith spoke to me.
“Well, I think it’s a quality I can be satisfied with, but I’m not an expert, so I’ll let everyone take a look at it.”
I handed the orichalcum bread knife to Marina-san.
“If you don’t think things through, he’s a reliable blacksmith.”
“Is that a bread knife? It certainly conveys a wonderful technique.”
“Wataru, does bread taste better when you cut it with this?”
Marina-san and Claretta-san seemed to be evaluating the blacksmith’s skill without considering the bread knife.
Carla-san seems to be concerned about the taste. I think the sharpness of a knife is important for meat and fish, but what about bread? I wonder if it makes much difference since there are no cells?
No, because the bread isn’t squashed, it won’t affect the taste… A hot sandwich maker…the kind I like is the one that squashes it really tight.
“I-I won’t know until I try it, but if the crunch is good, the cross-section will be nice, and I think that will affect the taste of the food as well.”
Probably.
“I’m looking forward to it!”
Carla-san nodded with a very sweet smile. That’s a lot of pressure.
“It looks fantastic. Thank you very much.”
“Of course, you idiot. So which one are you going to make next? Hurry up and decide, you idiot.”
He responded to my words with insults. I’m not angry because I can see that he’s embarrassed, but cursing and a man’s embarrassed face doesn’t help anyone. This blacksmith also has a bad personality.
That said, next, huh… I felt like I was being blasphemous, but is it okay to continue making kitchen knives out of rare metals?
“…Next time, make a Santoku knife, and after that, make things that are easy to make in order.”
I decided to continue the blasphemy.
If I just make an orichalcum bread knife, it will be the work of a fool, but if I make a set of knives, it might have some meaning.
I can’t finish it halfway, but if I can get past the foolish work, it will be a great achievement—I hope.
“Tsk, I understand. You’re such a pain.”
The grumpy blacksmith grimaces at my request.
Was he hoping that I would stop making knives and switch to swords?
I’m sorry.
I feel a little bad, but I take the order and leave the smithy. Now, all I have to do is go back to the southeastern island and have a hot sandwich party.
I’m really looking forward to it, because I’m going to tell everyone about the hot sandwich party after the order is placed, and then we’ll all make our own and have a competition.
We’ve already taken a request at the Merchant’s Guild before we went to the blacksmith, and the guild master said something about negotiating with the Southern Lord, but I’m useless at that sort of thing, so I’ll leave the negotiations to them.
But I really wanted to have a hot sandwich party with Camille-san. I didn’t even ask her because I thought she’d get really mad if I did.
“Wow, there are more than before.”
When we returned to the harbor, more thugs lay around the Japanese-style boat, and more merchants watched it from a distance.
I can’t help but wonder if they really want the boat that badly, but since I can make enough money in six months to buy the Lutto, well, I guess anyone would want it.
And that’s just for the pickup and drop-off. If you can secure a boat and use the island’s resources for business, you’ll be rich in no time. That is if you can find someone to work on the southeastern island.
“We’re leaving now.”
“Roger that.”
At Marina-san’s signal, we ran towards the Japanese-style boat.
“Wait, please. We just want to negotiate about that boat.”
“Sell it to us. Please!”
The merchants who have noticed me call out to me to negotiate, but I ignore them because I’m not selling. Even when I say no, they don’t give up.
“Stop, girls. Gobuhh.”
Marina-san blows the thug coming at us from the front away. I wonder if he’s still alive?
I won’t say that I don’t think about running while being protected by a woman. Maybe I could even win if I fought.
But Marina-san’s words make me nervous.
When attacked by the enemy, I must defend myself and escape, not attack recklessly. That was Marina-san’s advice.
If I were to fight back out of impatience or fear, she said that various parts of the thugs might be torn off, so I’d be too scared to fight back.
While I was thinking about the scary things, I jumped into the Japanese-style boat, quickly started the engine, and set off… Oh, a boat blocked the way in front of the Japanese-style boat. It seems that the other side had made proper preparations as well since I had to flee last time.
“Gahaha, you can’t escape now. Just give up and hand over the boat to us.”
Was it the thugs who blocked the path of our boat? The merchants didn’t seem to try anything rash in the harbor. Well, there’s a good chance that the merchants were behind the thugs.
“What should we do?”
The boat blocking our way is small, so I feel like I could force my way through, but I’m sure they know that too… I can’t just act carelessly…
“Wataru, let’s go.”
“Oh, yes. Thank you, Carla.”
When Carla grabbed the edge of the other boat that was carrying four people, she lifted it up and moved it aside.
The other thugs were so surprised they couldn’t even scream. The difference in strength is amazing.
Shall we set sail now?
＊＊＊
We returned to the southeastern island and rented a large tent raft.
“Wataru, what should we do first?”
Carla-san, who looked excited as soon as she got on the raft, called out to me.
“Are you sure you don’t want to take a break?”
“No, I’m hungry.”
I had told them about the hot sandwich party before, but it made me happy to know that they were looking forward to it so much.
“Shall we get ready then?”
“Yes!”
“Wataru, I’ll help too.”
“Thank you, Claretta. Um, first of all, let’s prepare the grill. We’ll use two this time.”
The hot sandwich maker takes up a lot of space, so it’s better to have more than one.
Next, we’ll cut up the ingredients so they’re easy to use and lay them out on the table. It would also be good to have some soup.
Personally, I think a simple corn or tomato soup would be better for hot sandwiches than a soup with a lot of ingredients.
Okay, minestrone is a bit of a hassle, so let’s make a simple tomato and onion soup. It’s also the debut of the Dutch oven I just got today.
I get the rubber boat with the ingredients inside the big tent and have Ines and Felicia carry it outside.
First, we need bread—it is the most important ingredient. Then we need cheese, ham, bacon, and sausage. These are the standard ingredients for a hot sandwich, so I can’t leave them out.
I have more than one kind of cheese, and I’ve collected a variety of cheeses from the ferry and the luxury liner. This will make a delicious hot sandwich with a mixture of cheeses.
There are also lots of vegetables: cabbage, onions, tomatoes, carrots, peppers, avocados – I’ve got every vegetable I can think of.
But tomatoes and onions are the same as the soup. Let’s skip the tomato soup and make corn soup. It’ll be easy because I have a commercial can of corn that I got on the ferry.
Oh, I’ll have to get some meat, too. I’m going to use the same dishes as on the ship for the steak, roast beef, chicken, and pork. I’ll also need some seafood.
I think that’s about it. If there’s not enough, I can always make more.
Oh, I’ll need to prepare some alcohol. Since we’re at a party, I’ll skip the strong stuff and stick to beer and shochu highballs.
“Okay, let’s get this hot sandwich party started. Is everyone ready?”
Everyone worked quickly together to get everything ready before the sun went down. It was a little early for dinner, but I couldn’t wait any longer, so I announced the start of the event.
“””””Yes!”””””
“Now, as I explained earlier, please use the attachments of your choice to make delicious hot sandwiches.”
Even though it was an event I had planned, everyone enthusiastically helped with the preparations, and I was happy to see them enjoying themselves so much.
I ordered the hot sandwich maker from the grumpy blacksmith.
I like the type that crimps the crusts of the bread together as you press down, but I also prepared some attachments that can be used to make thick, hot sandwiches.
And Carla-san has already taken the one that can make thick sandwiches. I’m sure she’s going to make a very voluminous hot sandwich. I’m looking forward to that as well.
Everything is ready. All that’s left is to make the hot sandwiches in the style of hand-rolled sushi.
“Rimu, Pent, I’m going to show you how to do it, so watch. Then I’ll make the ones you want to make.”
First, the demonstration. I set up the sandwich maker with the pressure plate on and put ham and cheese on the bread.
It’s a classic combination, but I need to make sure these two hot sandwich novices like the basics. I wonder if they’ll like it?
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