1.
Early morning.
Once again, I practiced light magic with the same mindset as scratching off lottery tickets.
"Moon... Moon... please give me some magic..."
Yeah, unfortunately, it seemed I had no talent for magic.
After roughly an hour, I went outside.
The sun had already risen.
I had left the leather soaking in water overnight, but...
I suppose I hadn’t expected much.
The leather I had tanned came from a spotted cow.
It was much tougher than it looked.
So I hadn’t thought it would be ready overnight.
"Huh?"
Splash.
The leather I pulled from the water had a smooth surface while retaining its grain.
There was barely any grease or smell left.
It felt like it would turn fluffy and soft as soon as it dried a little.
It was even supple.
I could feel the philosophy of the elves in this.
I immediately hung the leather outside.
The sun was blazing, so it looked like it would dry quickly.
"It’s okay to dry it outside, right?"
[It’s actually recommended.]
Good.
So what should I do with the spare time?
Just in case, I hadn’t put all the leather in water yesterday.
I had no idea what might happen if I soaked all of it, so I couldn’t put every piece in.
That left me with a piece of leather I had done nothing but beat the hell out of.
I would try making gloves with this one first.
The fluffy leather would be ready soon enough anyway.
This would be practice—an experiment, of sorts.
"All right... let’s get started."
I spread out the half-tanned leather.
It was a miserable sight.
The parts where less grease had been removed gleamed, while the parts I had scraped were thin.
Well, it was only for practice anyway.
I had never intended to make perfect gloves with this.
I was just getting a feel for working with the material.
[Leatherworking]
The essentials of dwarven leatherworking were patterning, cutting, and stitching.
"Want to open it?"
I brought up the textbook.
Then...
I focused.
How much time had passed?
Prick.
"Ow."
A bead of blood formed on my finger.
I must have stabbed myself with the needle by mistake. I should watch out for tetanus... well, if I got it, that would be a damn shame.
I raised my head and looked outside.
"...?"
The sun was high in the sky?
The only way to tell time in this world was by the sun’s position.
[3:00 p.m.]
"What are you talking about? How do you know that?"
[I checked the built-in clock on the Outer Tower community.]
No, if you knew that, you should have told me sooner.
"...Anyway, how long was I at it?"
I had pretty good concentration.
I was the type to win through sheer ability to sit still.
[Eight hours.]
[Good work.]
Good work, my ass...
"Damn, I almost missed it."
And in my hands...
...was a glove on the verge of completion.
"...Shall we take a look?"
My personal assessment was simple.
It looked more like a leather pouch than a glove.
But you couldn’t get full from your first spoonful.
"Throw it out, throw it out. No, give it to Eric. Give it to Eric."
I had worked hard, but perhaps because the leather was wrong in so many ways, it hadn’t come out well.
Let’s say the attempt itself had meaning.
It seemed like it would suit Eric’s chubby hands.
Still, I should finish it first.
The final step in making gloves was to stand under the sun and expose them to its light for thirty minutes.
Apparently, it was to imbue them with the sun’s energy or something.
Since they were Sun Dwarves, I could accept that.
I took the gloves outside.
Beneath the blazing sunlight, I held them spread open.
Thirty minutes.
All I had to do was stand there. It was the easiest process.
Then, as I stood there blankly...
Sizzle...
"Huh?"
A black pattern began to form on the lower part of the leather pouch—no, the glove.
A sun-shaped design was slowly engraved into the leather.
[It’s an engraving that only elite blacksmiths and Heirs of Fire can inscribe.]
Yuna continued her explanation.
[Apparently, apprentices get a sun pattern, and as their skill improves, the number of patterns they can inscribe increases?]
[It seems you can customize them a little, too. To make them pretty.]
"...Is that so?"
That was not what mattered right now.
I waited for the next window.
[Would you like to register it?]
"Huh?"
A window appeared before my eyes.
I blinked and pressed Register.
─────────────────
[Apprentice Blacksmith’s Grease-Soaked Gloves] [☆☆☆☆☆]
[Compatibility] [—/10]
─────────────────
【You can’t get full from your first spoonful.】
『Throw it out, throw it out. No, give it to Eric. Give it to Eric.』
- Civilian L -
─────────────────
Since there was no wearer assigned to the compatibility rating, the number was blank.
And on top of that, the words I had said while making it had been engraved exactly as they were.
Civilian L. That was probably me, right?
It seemed the creator’s words got inscribed somehow.
This was what they called flavor text... I think.
Was there no privacy here? Was it really okay for words like that to be stamped on it?
I wouldn’t be able to say anything freely.
"Whatever."
It was only for practice anyway.
What mattered was what kind of number it would show for Dolores.
"I’ll register it."
I registered the glove in front of me.
Then I pictured Dolores in my mind.
A status window appeared, and the glove slot opened.
Dolores’s gloves were still glowing white.
[Would you like to replace it?]
Yes.
Then Dolores’s equipment changed into my leather gloves...
[Apprentice Blacksmith’s Grease-Soaked Gloves] [☆☆☆☆☆]
[Compatibility] [2/10]
[The sun engraving slightly suppresses yin energy. However, the grease does not suit the wearer’s stature.]
For starters...
Several things had changed.
First, the compatibility score had risen above 2 for the first time.
On top of that, the description itself was fairly positive, and if I considered that the grease was unavoidable because this leather had barely been tanned...?
I had a feeling about this.
Quickly.
I hurried over to the leather I had hung up.
But...
"...Huh?"
Someone was already there.
The child Dolores kept by her side.
It was Ruby.
"Oh, hi."
I greeted her and naturally headed for the leather, but...
"...Hey."
Our cute but idiot little brat stepped in front of me.
Fortunately, I had successfully debuted as a blacksmith.
I was in a good mood, so I had the leeway to deal with her.
"What?"
"Is this yours?"
Ruby pointed at the leather hanging out to dry.
"Something like that."
"What are you going to do with it?"
Her eyes were wary. It was the same look she had given me when I took her candy.
I considered it.
Would she tell Dolores?
And whether, regardless of whether she did or not, there was any reason to hide it.
Even whether Dolores might have sent her.
Those thoughts crossed my mind, but...
She had told me not to lie, after all.
"The Duchess looked cold."
"...?"
"I thought I’d make her some gloves."
"Ha!"
Ruby laughed as if that were ridiculous and immediately rattled off a flood of words.
"My master wears super, super amazing gloves, okay? She would never, ever wear gloves made by you!"
"Yeah, I see."
Judging by her reaction, she seemed to have come on her own, unrelated to Dolores.
I moved past Ruby and headed for the leather.
"Grr..."
When I ignored her, she puffed out her cheeks.
It was the reaction I had expected.
It would be nice if she went and told Dolores outright.
If she knew in advance that I had been doing something besides magic, it would be easier to explain later.
But perhaps her pride was stronger than I expected. Rather than going to Dolores, she silently followed me.
Hmm, I didn’t like this. I had no hobby of babysitting.
I stopped in front of my door.
I had no intention of showing her the entire process, so I turned around.
"Want me to tell you a secret?"
"...What?"
"I’m actually a Sun Dwarf."
Somehow.
An Heir of Fire, too.
Then...
Bang.
I shut the door.
Huh? Grrr!!
I could hear Ruby getting angry, but...
‘It’d be nice if she went and told her. If not, whatever.’
I returned to the workbench.
Then...
I spread out the leather, now dry and fluffy.
It was completely different from the practice piece.
The grain was even and uniform, and it wasn’t stiff when bent.
Now, it was a repeat of what I had done before.
Patterning, cutting, stitching.
Even the feel of the knife cutting into it was different.
Creak...
Scritch.
The thread passed through the hole.
"...Damn it."
I pricked my finger once.
Once was fine. I had pricked it three times earlier.
This was growth, too.
Several hours passed like that.
I sewed the final stitch and lifted the gloves.
They were different from that potato sack from before. At least these looked like gloves.
Only the final process remained.
I took the gloves outside. The sun was setting. That was close.
Before the sun went down...
I held the gloves spread open beneath the sunlight.
Then...
Crackle...
The engraving began to form.
I had barely made it in time.
Maybe because I had made a test piece, the second attempt was definitely easier.
Watching the gloves take shape, I felt a surge of pride...
Wait a second.
I had to say something, didn’t I?
If the creator’s words would be engraved like before, I needed to make this one clean.
It was my first proper piece of equipment, after all.
I had made it with Dolores in mind, putting care into it.
Well, not care exactly. I made it because my place here was at risk.
Anyway.
I cleared my throat and straightened my posture.
"A very fine pair of leather gloves. Excellent warmth retention."
Perfect. You could feel the dignity of a master craftsman.
There. Take it.
─────────────────
[Apprentice Blacksmith’s Warming Gloves] [★☆☆☆☆]
[Unique Equipment] [Compatibility] [—/40]
─────────────────
『Because I made them with Dolores in mind, putting care into them....』
- Apprentice Blacksmith L -
─────────────────
What the hell?
No, what kind of bullshit is this?
"Can everyone see this text?"
[It seems you need to go to a high-ranking appraiser to see it.]
[They’ll print it out on an appraisal sheet for you.]
"Ha..."
I placed a hand over my forehead.
Fine, whatever...
Performance was what mattered.
As long as its performance was good.
The funny thing was that I had been Civilian L earlier, but now I was Apprentice Blacksmith L.
That meant I had grown, right?
It was even unique equipment—one of a kind in the entire world.
I took a deep breath.
My heart began to pound.
This had to work.
I pictured Dolores in my mind.
The status window appeared. The glove slot.
The five-star white gloves still shone white.
[Would you like to replace it?]
"Yes."
Then, once again, Dolores’s equipment changed into my leather gloves...
[Apprentice Blacksmith’s Warming Gloves] [★☆☆☆☆]
[Unique Equipment] [Compatibility] [33/40]
[The warming effect of the sun engraving suppresses the wearer’s amplification of yin energy.]
[Severed-meridian symptoms alleviated. Opening of seven out of nine meridians in progress.]
"..."
Thirty-three.
I stared at that number.
It was one star. A one-star pair of warming gloves had utterly crushed the compatibility rating of five-star white gloves.
And that wasn’t all.
Opening in progress, not sealing.
The white gloves froze her, suppressed its progression, and even continued sealing her meridians. This was the complete opposite.
Honestly, Dolores would know better than me what was good.
"I did it."
At least by my standards, it was a resounding success.
The day of reckoning was tomorrow before I knew it.
"Ah..."
I thought I could sleep soundly tonight, at least.
2.
Late in the afternoon.
The night before their appointment.
"Yes, and?"
"...For now, there are no signs that he used magic."
"Is that so?"
Dolores sipped her tea as she listened to the instructor’s report.
Though she had not specifically ordered him to, the instructor would take the initiative to report on that child.
What she heard was ultimately this: as for magical training, well...
He had spent his time handling leather and making strange gloves.
When Dolores said nothing, the instructor bowed his head and slowly left.
Elysia von Dolores.
As she set down her teacup, she thought...
"He seemed quick-witted, though."
Did he simply... play around?
She had not expected this to be so surprising.
"I thought perhaps..."
She was not disappointed.
Disappointment was an emotion that came only with expectations.
His eyes seemed good enough... but what was the point if he neglected magic?
Unless he was a genius who needed no practice.
She gently brushed the hair that had fallen over sleeping Ruby’s forehead and smiled.
"I thought she might make a friend."
What a shame.
2.
I couldn’t sleep at all.
I scratched off my final morning lottery ticket, too.
"Moon..."
Of course, magic failed again today.
But my heart was light.
Because I had a pair of rather classy-looking gloves in my hands.
The strange thing about spotted cow leather was that it turned black once the tanning was complete.
The gloves I had made were black, bearing a gray sun engraving, and they had a subtly attractive design.
Honestly, the leather was doing most of the work here.
"Whew..."
Please, somehow make this work.
I was having my last supper—lunch, in other words.
"Thanks, Lionel."
"...For what?"
"Good luck today."
"...Thanks."
Eric wore the gloves I had given him and grinned.
Give it to Eric. Give it to Eric. That was right. I had decided to really give them to him.
Apparently, he had been managing the ranch at night lately, and he said they kept his hands warm.
Perhaps he had given up on magic, because he seemed to be enjoying farm work.
They actually suited him surprisingly well—potato gloves on chubby hands. A perfect match.
In the end, I left the dining hall without knowing whether I had swallowed my food through my mouth or my nose.
"She says to come after lunch."
"Yes."
The instructor was waiting for me. He hesitated briefly before asking.
"Did you... succeed in using magic?"
Sorry, Instructor. There was no such thing as magic in this world.
"No."
"..."
The instructor’s face hardened.
He had given me a week, and I was telling him that I had failed at magic.
"Do as you please."
With that, he left. The word disappointment seemed written across his back.
It was bitter, but results spoke louder than a hundred words.
I gripped the gloves tucked inside my clothes.
Knock, knock.
I lightly knocked on the cabin door.
Come in~
I slowly opened the door and entered.
The fragrant scent of tea.
Dolores greeted me with a bright smile.
"You’re here. The air is lovely. Thanks to you... I healed well over the past week."
"I hope today’s result can help you heal as well."
"Hmm?"
When I spoke with unusual seriousness, Dolores’s eyes widened slightly.
Soon, she tilted her head and smiled.
"But according to Ruby..."
Dolores slowly turned her teacup.
"You didn’t do magic. You only made gloves?"
She got straight to the point.
In my thirty years of experience...
...the smile she wore right now was fairly close to a sneer.
Its meaning was this:
‘I told you that you had talent for magic, yet you spent the entire week making gloves?’
Beside her, Ruby stood with her arms crossed and looked at me with a confident expression.
"You told me to show you something interesting."
I opened my mouth.
"Even if it isn’t magic, there may be ways to surprise you."
Then I pulled the gloves from my clothes.
Gray sun engraving on black leather.
My gloves.
Over the past week...
I had not only made gloves.
I had also investigated Dolores whenever I found time.
And I learned one thing. Nowhere...
Not on wikis or communities, nowhere.
Was there any record of Dolores suffering from Nine Yin Severed Meridians.
No one knew. In that case, there was no point beating around the bush. I had to present proof.
"I wanted to make equipment that would alleviate your Nine Yin Severed Meridians."
"...!"
Her eyes widened. The air in the room froze.
Ruby tilted her head. Her gaze darkened slightly.
I continued slowly, but...
"Slowly, but surely..."
"Having a mouth does not mean you may say every word that comes to mind."
Dolores slowly rose to her feet.
"There are things that must not be spoken of."
Slide.
A familiar sound came from behind me.
A scorpion tail.
"Where did you hear that?"
When I turned my head, Ruby was already asleep with her face buried in the bed.
Did she put her to sleep? Magic was scary.
Was this a dangerous situation?
It probably would have been, if I had merely been spouting nonsense.
"I have rather good eyes."
"..."
The scorpion tail that had been approaching me stopped.
Just as I thought, Dolores...
...seemed able to distinguish lies from truth.
When she had told me not to lie on the day we met, it had not just been ordinary advice.
If I was telling nothing but the truth, and she knew it...
"You may kill me, but..."
I did not actually want to die, but I raised the gloves.
"I worked quite hard on these."
Then...
Swish.
I turned the gloves over and showed her the underside.
As I removed the hand covering them...
The pattern I had concealed was revealed.
A gray sun engraving.
For the first time, Dolores’s eyes trembled.
There was something else I had learned during my research.
‘Equipment made by Heirs of Fire among the Sun Dwarves.’
It was a legend in this world, so there was no one who did not know it.
And no one who did not desire it.
Yet almost no one capable of making it remained.
"Would you like to try them on?"
And that engraving was inscribed on gloves made by a child from an orphanage.
"...This..."
Dolores’s gaze rose from the engraving to my eyes.
The scorpion tails slowly lowered and crossed.
I smiled without a word.
"..."
Without saying anything, she accepted the gloves.
Then...
"For the record, they’re genuine."
Though I was only an apprentice blacksmith.
I added it with a smile.
Dolores looked at me for a moment.
Slide.
Keeping her gaze fixed on me, she removed the White Gloves of Gorgonew.
I naturally lowered my head and accepted the gloves.
Sun Dwarves were on that level.
Even if some random child offered you equipment, it was worth being fooled once just to try it.
Her hands were white.
So white they were nearly pale.
Dolores picked up my gloves.
And... slowly put them on.
The response was immediate.
"...!"
Dolores’s eyes widened.
The moment the black leather touched her hands, the gray sun engraving glimmered.
Then...
Trickle...
Water flowed down from between the gloves.
Only a few drops.
As though ice had melted and begun to run.
Dolores looked down at her hands.
"..."
Her lips parted, but no sound came out.
I could not know it, but...
...she would know. No, she would feel it.
[Apprentice Blacksmith’s Warming Gloves] [★☆☆☆☆]
[Unique Equipment] [Compatibility] [33/40]
[The warming effect of the sun engraving suppresses the wearer’s amplification of yin energy.]
[Severed-meridian symptoms alleviated. Opening of seven out of nine meridians in progress.]
Her own sensations would be more convincing than a hundred lines of text.
"...It’s warm."
Dolores spoke. Her voice was quiet.
Her head lowered.
"It’s warm."
She said it once more.
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