Chapter 207: The Secret Techniques of Iron

“I lose.”

After the battle concluded, the Dwarf chief resolutely declared his defeat.

This sportsmanship is truly what makes Dwarves warriors.

“To think my masterpiece would be cut so easily… and not shattered, but cut,” the Dwarf chief muttered while staring at the cross-section of his battle axe.

“Your sword seems to be quite the masterpiece.”

“No, it’s just a normal sword made from whatever materials I had on hand.”

The Dwarf chief praises this sword as amazing, but since it was made with whatever materials I had, its performance isn’t really all that great.

Rather, it’s more surprising to me that the Dwarf chief’s battle axe could be cut so easily.

Dwarves are a natural-born blacksmith race capable of forging weapons with the strength of steel even from poor-quality iron.

Why did he make such a soft weapon?

“Hmph, the guy who made your weapon must be either incredibly humble or quite eccentric.”

Sorry, I’m the one who made it.

“Well, whatever. We Dwarves acknowledge your strength. You Elf geezers have no objections either, right?”

Addressed by the Dwarf chief, the Elf chiefs opened their mouths with faces like they had bitten into a bitter bug.

“If the Dwarf chief acknowledges it, we suppose we can acknowledge it as well.”

“Hmph, if you’re that unsatisfied, why don’t you try fighting him yourselves? How about challenging him with the spirit magic you’re so proud of?”

“Th-There is no need! We do not favor pointless battles!”

Told by the Dwarf chief to try fighting, the Elf chiefs flatly rejected it saying there was no need.

In reality, partly due to their long lifespans, Elves are a race that doesn’t act proactively.

“What about the rest of you?”

“…If the race of warriors and the race of arms acknowledge it, we, the race of messengers, have no choice but to acknowledge it as well.”

The Dwarf chief didn’t just address the Elves. It seems the chiefs of other races, like the Halflings and Beastmen, also acknowledged us.

Still, it’s rare to see chiefs of so many races in one place.

Recalling the sight of the town from earlier, the most numerous seem to be Elves and Dwarves, though.

“Alright, then that concludes this discussion. Follow me.”

Once the audience with the chiefs ended, the Dwarf chief stood up and told us to follow him.

“Where are we going?”

“I’ll take you to an interesting place.”

“An interesting place?”

Everyone tilted their heads wondering what kind of place the interesting place the Dwarf chief mentioned was, but if a Dwarf calls it interesting, it must be that place.

$diamond$

Where the Dwarf chief brought us was a building erected on a thick branch near the trunk of the World Tree.

There were dozens of Dwarves there, all working in front of hot furnaces.

“This is our Dwarven workshop.”

Yeah, I knew it. When it comes to fun things for Dwarves, it’s blacksmithing.

“Uwooh, it’s freakin’ hot. How do these Dwarf geezers work in a place this hot?”

“Indeed, this is tough…”

“I’m melting…”

I understand how Jairo-kun and the others feel. If I didn’t adjust the temperature with magic, it would be too hot for me to stay here too.

“You’re right, it certainly is hot.”

“Yes, this is a bit harsh.”

Ah, Liliera-san and Mina-san are secretly cooling themselves with ice magic.

But well, utilizing magic in situations like this helps improve delicate control skills.

“Hahahaha, it might be tough if you ain’t used to it! But it’s a sight worth seeing! After all, there probably ain’t a place in the outside world where this many Dwarves work together!”

“It’s certainly my first time seeing this many Dwarves,” Liliera-san affirmed the Dwarf chief’s words.

Is it true that other races are rare in the current era?

Or is it just that they happen to be scarce in the countries around here?

“We Dwarves are a race of blacksmiths. It ain’t rare for us to take up weapons and fight ourselves, but as expected, blacksmithing is our main trade.”

That’s true. Dwarves are strong even when viewed simply as combatants, but where they shine the most is when they show off their blacksmithing skills.

“But hey, what do you do for iron then?” Jairo-kun threw a question at the Dwarf chief.

“Eh? What do you mean?”

“I mean, we’re on top of a tree, so you can’t mine iron, right? But outside the fort is swarming with monsters, and you can’t outrun them with Dwarf legs, can you? Do you have the Elves go get iron from a mine for you?”

I see, Jairo-kun’s question certainly makes sense.

However, it’s a question born out of not knowing what the World Tree is.

“That’s a good question, boy.”

He must have thought the same thing as me. The Dwarf chief floated a smirk and lifted a large chunk placed on a workbench.

“This is the answer.”

” ” ” ” “The answer?” ” ” ” ” “

What the Dwarf chief lifted was a large piece of tree bark.

“This here is young bark from the upper layers of the World Tree.”

“Bark? As in tree bark? How is that the answer for iron? Did you mistake it for firewood?”

Told it was the answer for how they get iron, Jairo-kun and the others tilted their heads in bewilderment when presented with tree bark.

“Don’t panic. Listen, the World Tree ain’t just a big tree. Everything about it becomes high-quality material.”

” ” ” ” “Heh.” ” ” ” “

“And regarding this young bark of the World Tree: actually, it’s hard enough just like this, but by shaving the surface and unspooling it, it becomes armor harder than average hard leather armor.”

” ” ” ” “Just by unspooling it!?” ” ” ” ” “

Hearing that it becomes high-quality armor with just a little effort, everyone raised voices of surprise.

“But this thing has another important use. That is…”

Saying that, the Dwarf chief tossed the World Tree bark into the furnace.

“Eh!? What are you doing!?”

“Look below.”

“Below?”

Everyone was surprised by the Dwarf chief’s sudden action, but looked below the furnace as told. And there, glowing red iron was pooling.

“The World Tree’s bark contains a lot of iron. So if you burn the bark, you can extract just the iron inside.”

” ” ” ” “Iron inside the wood!?” ” ” ” ” “

Seeing the extracted iron, everyone raised even louder voices of surprise.

“Iron ain’t the only thing contained in the World Tree. From medicinal ingredients to whatever else, you can produce all sorts of things necessary for daily life.”

“Heh. The World Tree is amazing, huh.”

“Surprising.”

Hearing about the World Tree’s usefulness as a material, everyone was surprised with their eyes wide open.

Certainly, the World Tree can be utilized for many things.

That being said, that’s only talking about it as a substitute when you don’t have the primary materials.

Even if the bark contains iron, the content is low compared to ore obtained from a mine.

While convenient, when you consider the drawbacks of it growing endlessly and sucking up all the nutrients from the surroundings by the roots, you end up tilting your head and going ‘Hmm…’—that’s the general evaluation of the plant known as the World Tree.

“Using this iron, we make not only weapons and armor, but also tools for daily life.”

“Heh, that’s interesting.”

“Does it being harvested from the World Tree mean the iron itself is just normal iron?”

“Want to know what the other parts can do.”

Everyone seems highly interested in the performance of the World Tree’s bark—or rather, the World Tree as a material.

“Therefore, I’ll teach you all how to make weapons and armor as a special treat.”

” ” ” ” “Eh?” ” ” ” “

At the sudden proposal from the Dwarf chief, everyone tilted their heads wondering what he meant.

Ah yeah, this happens sometimes.

Dwarves casually teach their blacksmithing techniques to people they’ve taken a liking to.

Of course, because they are amazing techniques, some are dangerous if misused, but these are the techniques of a natural-born blacksmith race.

A half-hearted person can’t master the techniques, and to begin with, Dwarven training relies on Dwarven robustness, so even if other races undergo the training, they end up running away before they make anything of it.

Yeah, I went through a terrible experience with that too.

I was forced to gather ore in a mine where magma flowed nearby while being told, ‘If you use air conditioning magic to touch the ore, you won’t be able to tell the subtle changes when high-quality ore receives heat, so don’t use magic!’…

However, not knowing such things, everyone was excited to hear about receiving instruction from a Dwarf.

“Uwoh! Seriously!? Will I be able to make a weapon exclusively for myself like Bro!?”

“If I can make high-quality weapons and armor myself, it’ll be cheaper than buying them at a shop, and it can be a way to make money when I’m broke.”

“Umm, I am a Priest so I don’t need the skill to make weapons, but it sounds good for being helpful when I stop by villages in trouble during my pilgrimage.”

“I guess I’ll learn it. When Rex-san saved me, my weapon had been broken and I was in a dangerous spot.”

Everyone seems fully intent on begging for instruction.

“I’m a mage, so I think I’ll pass.”

Mina-san was the only one trying to decline because she was a mage, but the Dwarf chief lightly patted her shoulder.

“Ah, what’re ya saying? Even mages might run out of magic power, become unable to use magic, and end up having to throw punches, right? Then there’s no harm in being able to make a weapon out of whatever’s lying around.”

Hahaha, that’s right, Mina-san. Once a Dwarf locks onto someone, they’ll never let them escape until they teach them the technique. So do your best~

“Alright, then come over here. You too, boy!”

Ah, yes. Me too. I knew it.

“First I’ll make a knife, so watch.”

The Dwarf chief poured the iron obtained from the World Tree bark into a mold, creating a thin, plate-like chunk of glowing hot iron.

“You strike this to give it shape, but pay attention here.”

Prioritizing teaching us over finishing the knife, the Dwarf chief went through the steps while explaining slowly.

If you worked this leisurely during actual work, the iron would cool down in the blink of an eye.

Yeah, unlike my master in my previous life, he’s kind.

“And you repeat this. Don’t slack off just because you’re tired. Striking without putting power into it won’t forge the iron.”

Here, I felt a doubt regarding the Dwarf chief’s teachings.

Huh? Why is he skipping that step? Without it, the finished product becomes overwhelmingly worse, though?

Could this possibly be… testing us?

Then I remembered the doubt I felt during the battle earlier.

The battle axe the Dwarf chief used in the battle was strangely soft.

I wondered what meaning there was in using that, but looking at how this knife is made, I finally understood.

In other words, the Dwarf chief intends to teach us the difference between weapons and armor made with the proper steps and lazy weapons made by skipping steps!

Probably, after we make bad weapons and armor, he intends to show off the difference with real weapons and armor to teach us the importance of sticking to the basics.

I see, he used that battle axe on purpose exactly because he was thinking that far ahead.

“Well, it’s somethin’ like this. Now you guys try mimicking it and make one.”

With the Dwarf chief’s command to begin work, everyone also started making knives as they had learned.

Alright, I’ll make a knife too!

But of course, the knife I make will be one that follows the proper steps.

Fufu, I’ll surprise him with the techniques instilled in me by a Dwarf in my previous life!

“Done~!”

“Nn, finished!”

“I-I think it’s done.”

“M-My arms are exhausted…”

“Hmm, is this about right?”

After a while, everyone finished their knives one after another.

“Alright, let me see.”

Called by the Dwarf chief, we placed the knives we made on the workbench, and along with the one the Dwarf chief made, seven knives were lined up.

By the way, the Dwarf chief started making a new knife from scratch at the same time we began working. Probably for comparison.

“How’s my knife! Looks cool, right!”

The one who showed off his knife with full confidence was Jairo-kun.

Unlike everyone else’s knives, Jairo-kun’s knife had a unique shape.

The Dwarf chief carefully observed that knife, then picked it up and swung it down on a wooden stick used for test cutting.

Then, the knife broke with a sharp snap.

“Aaaaaah!? My knife!”

“You got distracted by the shape and didn’t forge it enough. Obsess over the shape after you’ve forged it more solidly.”

“Boohoo…”

“However… the spirit to make a shape different from others from the start ain’t bad. If you solidly build up the basics, you’ll probably be able to make a knife unique only to you.”

Not just being strict, the Dwarf chief also evaluated Jairo-kun’s challenging spirit.

“!! Y-Yeah! I’ll do my best, Master!”

“Umu, become a good blacksmith.”

“No, what are you gonna do by becoming a blacksmith.”

Yeah, you’re a warrior, Jairo-kun.

“Alright, next.”

The Dwarf chief continued to evaluate everyone’s knives after that.

“The strength is passable, but the sharpening ain’t good.”

“Ugh.”

“Too thin. You prioritized sharpness too much and neglected strength.”

“Oof.”

“…Is this a club?”

“…It’s a knife.”

“I-I see. Do your best.”

“Well, it ain’t bad. If you just build up the basics from here, it’ll become usable.”

“Yay!”

Ooh, Liliera-san received the best evaluation today.

As expected of the one with the longest adventurer history among us. To make a knife for the first time and not get scolded. Even though I got scolded terribly.

And finally, it was the turn for my knife.

“Hoh, this is quite something. Do you perhaps have blacksmithing experience?”

As expected, a professional can tell; the Dwarf chief immediately deduced that I had blacksmithing experience.

“Yes, from a Dwarven blacksmith I met a long time ago.”

“I see. However, this is… hmm, what’s this?”

Seemingly feeling some doubt after being convinced, the Dwarf chief picked up my knife and swung it down on the wooden stick used for test cutting.

Then, the knife sliced through the test-cutting wooden stick without a sound.

“What!?”

However, for some reason, the Dwarf chief raised a surprised voice.

“Wh-What is this!?”

As if to verify, the Dwarf chief sliced through the test-cutting wooden sticks with the knife over and over again.

“Wh-What is going on!?”

The Dwarf chief switched to his own knife placed on the workbench and slashed at a test-cutting wooden stick in the same way.

Then, this time, the wooden stick was severed with a loud thwack sound.

“The sound is different, the weight is different, the ease of gripping is different. Above all, the sharpness is overwhelmingly different! What is this!?”

Eh? What? Did I perhaps mess up something?

…Ah, I see. What I know are the Dwarven techniques from my previous life.

In contrast, the Dwarf chief’s techniques are modern, cutting-edge techniques.

It might be possible that, although the techniques the Dwarf chief taught us looked to my old knowledge like they were missing important steps, they were actually cutting-edge techniques that eliminated unnecessary steps from the past.

Oh no. To think I didn’t even notice that; it’s beyond embarrassing!

Sure enough, the Dwarf chief approached me with an incredibly terrifying face.

“How did you make this!? Please tell me!!”

“I-I’m sorr… huh?”

However, the words from the Dwarf chief were the exact opposite of my expectations.

“This tremendous sharpness! Despite that, this thinness and hardness! This ease of use, as if my own hand had extended! This is the first time in my life seeing such a technique! What on earth kind of technique are you using!?”

H-Huh? Wasn’t he going to get mad at me?

“Umm, it’s just the normal Dwarven techniques I learned from an acquaintance who was a Dwarf, though…”

Yes. I didn’t do anything special.

I merely made it using the Dwarven techniques I learned.

“This is normal!? There’s no way… Could it be!?”

Then, seemingly realizing something, the Dwarf chief widened his eyes greatly.

“Could this be the Art of the Dwarf King!?”

” ” ” ” “The Art of the Dwarf King?” ” ” ” “

Hearing the Dwarf chief’s words, everyone tilted their heads wondering what he meant.

Not only that, but the other Dwarves who were working also looked over wondering what was going on.

“The Art of the Dwarf King: it is the Dwarven technique lost along with the collapse of the ancient magic civilization.”

“Eeeh!?”

Dwarven techniques were lost along with the collapse of the ancient magic civilization!?

“I hear that due to the countless disasters and calamities that occurred frequently at the time, many of the Dwarves who possessed the techniques died, and most of the Dwarven techniques that were hailed as the highest peak in the world were lost.”

So that’s how it was. Even so, the collapse of the ancient magic civilization is the cause once again.

“This technique is undoubtedly a technique from the ancient magic civilization era. You cannot make such a tremendous knife with the techniques inherited in this Village of the Spirit Tree.”

Even if he says that, I just made a normal knife, though.

While I was thinking such things, the Dwarf chief suddenly got down on his hands and knees (dogeza) and begged me.

“Please! Teach us that technique! No, please teach us! And then!!”

Changing even his manner of speech, the Dwarf chief begged me for instruction.

“And then, please become the King of us Dwarves!!”

Not only that, but he asked me to become the King… wait, huh?

” ” ” ” ” “Kiiiiiiing!?” ” ” ” ” ” “

Wh-What does this meaaaaaaaan!?