Episode 46

“Still… an apprentice, huh.”

“Talking about Rig?”

After Rig left, I muttered that line quietly.

I nodded once to Alicia, who had latched onto the topic.

“Yeah, yeah. That kid Arme.… I was thinking that blacksmiths sometimes train apprentices and occasionally work together on tasks.”

I have talent in magic of all attributes, so I can do all the work by myself, but in some cases the work is divided among people.

Splitting the work among one to four people can shorten the working time.

If you want to produce more weapons, increasing the number of people is indispensable.

“…You want a girl as an apprentice?”

Alicia stared at me. N-no, that’s not it, okay? It’s not about cheating or anything like that.

“It’s not that she has to be a girl. I thought having an apprentice might be better for the future.”

That said, it wouldn’t be something you find easily.

“Alicia, want to give it a try?”

“…There’s something I find very hard to say.”

“What is it?”

“I don’t really have much talent for magic…”

…I see.

Because I have the ability to see magical information, I thought she might manage to some extent, but I see—it’s difficult.

If you’re going to be a blacksmith, it’s still better to be able to use magic of several attributes sufficiently.

“But taking an apprentice isn’t a bad thing, right? It reduces the burden too.”

“…Yeah.”

It won’t mean the burden is reduced immediately, though.

Until an apprentice can stand on their own, the master needs to keep a close eye on them.

“By the way, Faik, where did you learn blacksmithing?”

“I was raised in a rural village, and the parents who took me in were blacksmiths. They taught me.”

“They took you in?”

“Yeah. Apparently my parents abandoned me when I was little. So those people took me in.”

“…I see.”

When I said that, Alicia averted her eyes apologetically.

“Don’t worry about it. I was apparently abandoned as a baby; I don’t even remember my parents’ faces.”

“I see.”

After talking for a while, the remaining weapons were sold off.

The final earnings came to 1,020,000 gold.

What should I do next week? The week after next there’s already confirmed sales worth 1,450,000 gold, but right now there’s nothing for next week.

As I pondered that, I began tidying up the shop.

With the sun beginning to set, the surrounding shops were also starting to pack up. The lively market was coming to an end.

Just as I finished cleaning up the shop, Ivas and Weather rushed over here.

“Mr. Faik!”

Ivas waved happily. Behind him came Weather, looking a bit excited.

“What’s up, you two?”

“We did it! We were promoted to D rank!”

“It’s thanks to this sword.”

They said that, and I exchanged a look with Alicia.

“That’s great! And wow, you jumped up all at once… congratulations.”

“It’s all thanks to Mr. Faik’s weapon! It was insanely easy to use! We feel like we can sprint up to C rank like this!”

Weather nodded vigorously as well.

Faced with their admiring gazes, I gave a wry smile.

“I only made the weapon. It’s you two who mastered it and rose to D rank.”

“…Ah, thank you! If we want another weapon, we’ll stop by again!”

“Got it. By then I’ll stock up on better Magic Ore.”

“Also, if we get new companions, we’ll bring them next time!”

“Alright, you do that. And don’t push yourselves too hard, okay? You’re still young, so work steadily to raise your adventurer ranks.”

“Yes!”

It seemed they hurried here just to give that report. After reporting, they left. Even from their backs, you could tell they were in high spirits.

“That’s good, isn’t it?”

“…Yeah, it is.”

It made me happy to see the two who liked the weapons I made growing steadily.