Riot Grasper

In Merveille

Hey, where are you going?

Weve barely just arrived in town, and youre already so busy.

Were almost there.

I walked down the main street of the familiar industrial district of the city without hesitation, not even bothering to reply to the two people following behind me.

Ive gotten used to the occasional passerby looking at the two people behind me. Im sure women will look back if they see a well-dressed man with a nice face walking around in such an outfit.

The woman would get a lot of attention as well if she were dressed in a similarly nice outfit, but shes only pretty when she isnt talking.

But it doesnt matter to me now.

When I turned down an alleyway, speeding pointlessly, and saw the dirty black chimney poking out amongst a line of buildings, I felt uplifted.

Whenever I hear the hard sound of metal hitting metal around me, my heart starts thumping, and I start to worry myself that I might be half sick.

Here it is.

After bypassing a number of workshops, I reached my destination and stopped in my tracks.

A building with a roof with a soot colored chimney protruding from it, like the other workshops, and a combined store space where the armor created in the workshop is kept.

Its kind of an old-fashioned workshop, I think it would be better to set up a more magnificent one, but

..Ren, shut up for a minute.

What?

I shot my words at the male, Ren. He seemed a bit surprised by my unusually cold voice, but anyone who complains about the workshop of someone I heartily respect will not be forgiven by me, no matter who they are.

Whats going on? Come on Rei nee-chan, say something.

Rei doesnt agree with her brothers words.

I rather like these old workshops, dont you? A workshop that has been used for a long timer will be able to produce more fine and detailed work.

She cut him off.

Yeah, yeah, sorry about that. It was rash of me to judge it by its appearance.

Twin sister and brother Rei and Ren Xiao. Even though they are twins, it is more rare for them to agree with each other than not.

But I know. you know. Rei!

What. what are you doing with your hand?

Rei stared at my outstretched hand with a curious expression. I smiled and asked for a handshake, but my palm was brushed away by her with a questioning look on her face.

.. I had lost myself in the joy of our agreement, but I just remembered that Rei is not the type who likes this kind of familiarity.

Furthermore, due to their position, it would be very difficult for them to travel on good terms with someone who was their enemy and the person who captured them,

She doesnt have any ill feelings towards, but she doesnt seem to have any intention of changing his position towards me as a travel companion.

Even for a light joke like the one I just made, she hates me enough to get somewhat red-faced and angry.

Oh, well. Im sure this will change as we continue our journey.

Well! Lets get ourselves together and take a step into the dream-filled workshop now, shall we?

When I pushed open the door, a unique smell stimulated my nostrils.

Its not just the smell of iron, but the harmony of smells emitted when various metals and monster materials are heated. Its not a bad thing,

The walls are decorated with weapons such as swords, axes, spears and hammers. As always, the art of creating such beautiful items is something I honestly admire.

Thats right. Ill become a blacksmith.

..No, I dont mean right now. its just that when Im old enough to travel around the world, I think it would be exciting to reorganize my skills, get some blacksmithing ones, and build armor and weapons the way I like them.

Why are you in such a daze?

Oh, no. Im not.

Rei pulled me out of my fantasy world, and as I looked around the room again, I cant see the person for whom I am looking. Is he in the workshop in the back?

Im sorry to interrupt your work, but I have no choice but to ring the doorbell on the counter table once.

No reply.

Second time.

Still no reply.

Third time

Shut up! I could hear it the first time!

My body sizzled. I missed it. This feeling.

Zig emerged from the workshop at the back of the room, a dwarf with a magnificent beard that obscured the outline of his face. He was short in stature, but his muscular body was well-trained for hammering metal. His shaggy black hair reached almost to his waist, and his brown eyes were sharp as he looked at us.

Holding a hammer and wearing this special apron is his style.

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Zig Saruman.

That is this dwarfs name.

Hey may look like a stern, stubborn old man, but his blacksmithing skills are top-notch. His blacksmithing skills have reached Lv. 4.

And despite the violent tone, the gap between the two is very destructive.

Oh? Its Seiji, isnt it? You came to greet me and tell me that you were going to Kings Landing, so I thought we wouldnt have to see each other for a while. Youve come back very early. How are you doing, ahh?

This is what I heard once I converted Zigs words in my brain.

Since you suddenly said you were going to Kings Landing, I thought I would never see you again. Im glad to see you so soon. I was worried about how you were doing, you know.

Hmm. Its business as usual. You could say that I have accurately read the other partys true intentions.

But what will happen if Zig-san finds out that Im doing this kind of mental conversion? Im sure hell make me dive into a hot furnace.

Well. So much for having fun, lets get back to the point.

Got it.

I took the object from my tool bag and placed it on the table.

A pale, luminous silver fang the phosphorus dragon crystal reflects in his dwarven eyes.

Hmm? ..Where in the hell did you get this?

Well, you know. It was given to me by someone.

Zig asked quietly, lowering his voice.

Ill take a look at it.

With a serious look on his face, Zig began to appraise the legendary metal which was actually a rare form of dragon bone and traced its surface. He traced the surface and listened carefully to the echoes of light taps with a small mallet.

..looks like a fang, but is it from a monster? Its unusually hard.

Scratching his shaggy hair, his brown eyes gleamed at me.

I heard its called a phosphorus dragon crystal. This is not a bone, but a fang.

Hmm. Ive at least dealt with dragon fangs and scales, but this is not the size of something that grows on a small dragon like a scaled or wyvern.

If you ask me, how big is the dragon itself that can grow such huge fangs? The tusks that Rook, my cavalier, has are only about the size of my fingers.

In comparison, the size of a phosphorus dragon crystal is as big as an arm.

I havent heard much about traits changing over the years. Who told you that?

What. is that what it is?

Thats what the Dragonewt girl I met in Kings Landing said.

Muttering uneasily, Jig-sans eyes widen slightly and he shifted his gaze from the Phosphorus Dragon Crystal to me.

A Dragonewt? Youve met a member of a very unusual race. Then its not too reliable is it?

What do you mean?

It is said that they are the descendants of as wise dragon that burned down the evil demon tribe during the great demon war of the past. Im not sure if thats true or not because its so long ago, but its certainly a race that has a lot to do with dragons. Im sure they have more knowledge than us..

Zig, who had been continuing his words while looking at the crystal again, laughed in amusement.

So, you brought this all the way to me. What do you want me to do with it? Huh?

You know what I want.

. But, I can feel that Zig is waiting for an answer.

Perhaps being confronted with a rare material shook his underlying feelings as a blacksmith.

In other words, how good can I make something out of this with my skills?

Of course, theres only one answer, right?

I want you to make me another sword with this crystal.

The old blacksmith arched his eyes and nodded his head in a clear reply.

Alright. By the way

At the same time, he glanced at the sword I have on my hip.

Red Noir a gem created by Zig from the horn of a mutated Blood Ogre. (TL: No idea what to call the sword based on the MTL, so Red Noir it is.)

This magical sword is a bit scary, as its sharpness increases every time the user slays a member of the same species.

How is the sword I made for you before? I dont suppose youd want a new one, would you?

Its not broken!

Its not like I can just pop it out of its sheath.

I have a record of once shattering the sword given to me as a parting gift, so Ill deny it just in case.

Then what are you going to do? Are you going to keep one of them as a backup?

Is it wrong to use both of them.?

Oh? Do you mean duel wielding, by any chance?

Yes. But Im a little nervous because it might be difficult to handle What do you think?

Zig-san nailed me with that question.

I dont know anything about that!

Sorry, Im sorry.

Thats right this is not something I should be asking Zig-san, the blacksmith.

Were blacksmiths! Im only going to hammer out what you order with all my heart and soul. And you already know what you can do. Dont make me say it.

Yes. Decision made.

Im going to try duel-wielding.

I wont regret it.

I quickly approached Zig to discuss the design of the sword.

You know what? If its possible, you can use. like this, and. here

Oh, thats no problem with a little work. It looks pretty interesting.

The dwarf, in a good mood from the side, tries to walk towards the workshop, shaking his shoulders.

Follow me. As a reward for bringing in such a rare material, I will now forge you the sword you desire.

Dont tell me youre going to let me visit your workshop!

Unable to hide my excitement at my first visit to the workshop, I followed closely behind Zig-san.

Wait, what are we supposed to do? Can we just go wander around somewhere random?

.. Im sorry. I completely forgot about the twins.

Zig turned around at Rens question and rubbed his beard a few times as he observed their faces.

Well, I havent seen those two in the back. Are they Seijis fellow adventurers?

Im not an adventurer, but more like a traveling companion.

You look just like her!

My impression of the twins is the same as my initial one.

If youre not busy, it would be great if you could guard our store. Were a small store, we dont have many products, and we dont get many customers.

Watching the store, huh? Well, I dont have anything else to do, so I dont mind.

Sorry. Can I ask Rei to stay a while too?

I asked her nicely.

Why should I have to do that? Why do I have to go along with you to create your weapons?

Thats the reaction I was expecting. I knew this would happen.

Its nice, isnt it? Its a great way to get more customers. Im sure youll be able to find something that works for you. Hahahaha!

Laughing wildly, the dwarf delivers a quick and embarrassing line.

But wait.

No, no, no, Zig should pay us for store keeping then.

Id appreciate it if you wouldnt dump it back on me so carelessly.

Hmm. I dont mind.

..Huh? Thats a rather strange reply for Rei, isnt it? She doesnt normally agree to things so easily. No way!

Could it be

The reason for her strange attitude is probably because Zig-san praised her as a good-looking girl earlier.

Geez.. Ill admit that Zig is attractive. Im not sure if Id be able to pull that off.

But isnt it too early for that?

.. Oh well. Im not too sure what to make of it. Its a great way to get the most out of their time though.

Well, Ill stop worrying about it.

Leaving the twins to guard the store, Zig and I stepped into the workshop.

The first thing I saw was a large furnace. The temperature inside the bright red interior is impossible for me, an amateur, to perceive. I cant contain my excitement at the sight of all the tools and equipment used for blacksmithing, and I want to dive into the furnace right now.. Im kidding, but the only tool I know of is the cast steel platform, an anvil.

Place the bright red burnt metal on the anvil and beat it up with a hammer.

It truly is a mans romance.

I measured it once before, but Ill measure it again just in case.

Taking body measurements is a prelude to creating the best sword for someone based on height and arm length.

After taking the measurements, Zig picked up the reddish bronze bag that hung around his waist and poured some sort of liquid into the furnace

Suddenly, the heat emanating from the furnace burned vigorously, as if doubling in intensity.

Whats that all about?

This is the Flame Serpents Bag. The liquid inside it is useful as a burning agent. Among blacksmiths, it is used for raising the temperature of furnaces.

If the material has a higher melting point than something like iron, youll probably need an item like this.

And so, without hesitation, the phosphorus dragon crystal was thrown into the furnace with its red mouth open.

But. this is amazing.

What was that?

IN a hot room with all the windows open, I leaned my back against the wall at the edge of the room and called out to him, trying not to disturb him.

Because this is the first time youve handled this material right? It seems like you know what to do.

The sword I made for you was made from the horn of a Blood Ogre, I believe. Did you know that when heated, it takes on properties similar to metal?

Yes. I heard about that.

The materials from dragons tend to be similar. Im not sure if its a good idea, but I think itll work.

Forging is a technique that crushes the microscopic air gaps inside the metal, knocks out impurities, and gives it the desired shape while increase its strength, but it needs to be heated to soften it.

Rather, the crystal must be softened, or it would be difficult to do anything with it.

Dont worry. Many dragon materials are resistant to fire. And if you check your work carefully, you wont make any mistakes thatll ruin the material.

Im counting on you.

While pumping air into the furnace, Zig-san never took his eyes off of the burning hot furnace.

Hot.

.. How long has it been?

After so much time had passed that if I had been thrown into the furnace, there wouldnt even be any bones left.

.. about time, huh?

With a pair of specialized scissors, the white-hot crystal was removed from the furnace and relocated to the anvil.

He grabbed a hammer from his tool case, and slowly raised it.

Kaaan!

And then, as if to signal the beginning, there was a pleasant sound.

But youre a strange one, too, arent you.

While throwing words at me, Zig roared a hot shock into the room without losing his steady rhythm.

Ive been a blacksmith for a long time, and Ive never seen materials like this before. I could understand if an experienced adventurer brought it to me, but. No, that was superfluous.

Zig-san cut off his words there and continued to hammer silently.

I like the moment when it comes to life with each swing of the hammer and changes shape. You can see the moment when a rugged piece of metal is reborn right in front of your eyes.

I muttered to myself.

Yikes

Nice looking.

If I could visualize the look of respect, I have no doubt that I would be penetrating Zig-san with it.

I continued watching him swing the hammer down but then he suddenly stopped moving.

What is.?

I felt bad for interrupting, but since I couldnt see any signs of movement, my interest got the better of me and I walked up to Zigs side.

What happened? Has it been reborn yet?

I know its probably too early to ask, but I thought it would make a nice joke.

Huh?

I moved closer, trying to figure out what he had said.

Shut up! Just be quiet for a second.

With a boom, the hammer strike passed close to me head.

The wind pressure is such that if it hits you, it will change the shape of your skull.

Hey, what are you doing, Zig? If youre not careful youll end up reincarnating me!

Thats a funny thing to say!

What is the cause of Zigs snorting?

I could tell by observing the crystal on the anvil. Even if it is a hard material, if you heat it up and hit it many times, it will deform.

But there is no change at all in the crystals that are placed.

There is not a single distortion in the area where the hammer is supposed to have been hitting, and the beautiful, clean curves of the dragons fangs are still shining.

Im sure Im doing it right. But looks like it needs to be heated to a higher temperature. But if I cant do it with the Flame Serpents Bag, Ill have to go to

After regaining a bit of composure, Zig mumbled a few things.

Hey. Youve grown up to be an adventurer, havent you? I want you to prepare something for me. youre not going to say no. are you?

TN: I never want to type the wordsphosphorus dragon crystalever again. Itll henceforth be justcrystalorthe crystal, unless otherwise necessary.