After that, I went about my day normally. I worked and ate normally, laughed at silly things, got slapped on the back,…,, the daily routine that had been going on for the past eight months.
So three days later. Tia finished up the work she had taken on, and when it was finally time to go on our journey…… back to our world, she didn’t do anything special. “See you” “Ah, good luck”… After an exchange that sounded like we were going shopping, we said goodbye to this world for good.
“……Whew, We’re back.”
I opened my eyes to see a familiar white landscape. Tia, who was holding my hand, spoke softly to me.
“Hey, Ed, that was pretty easy, is that okay?”
“Hmm? Yeah, it’s fine. We’ve said our goodbyes.”
“Yeah. I hope so. …… Fufu”
“? What?”
When I tilted my head and asked Tia, who smiled softly, she slowly walked forward with her smile still on her face.
“I’m kind of … jealous. I was really just an afterthought to Ed this time, you know? Dalton-san was nice to me, but we didn’t get to know each other that well, so I thought the relationship between the two of you was great.”
“I-Is that so? hehehe…”
Tia turned around and said to me, and I scratched my head with a wry smile, feeling somewhat embarrassed. Nooo, while I’m happy, this is really embarrassing, isn’t it? The atmosphere here… Ah, Right.
“Hey Tia, can you give me my sword?”
“Yeah, sure.”
At my request, Tia used the [Single Bank] to retrieve a single sword from my [Stranger’s Box]. My equipment was restored to its original state when I arrived here, so I couldn’t retrieve it myself since I couldn’t use my banishment skill here.
“Here you go.”
“Thank you.”
I received the sword, put it on my waist, pulled it out of its scabbard, and held it up in front of me. The dawn that was born in a world that had been completely white was so beautiful that it awakened the eyes.
“Really, it’s a beautiful sword. … Oh, by the way, you said before you were going to do some blacksmithing here, are you going to do that?’
“Uh,…. no, that’s on hold for a while.”
When I left this place, I was certainly full of motivation. However, now that I have met my master again and have been shown how inexperienced I am, I don’t think I could make a sword more powerful than this no matter how much time I spend on it.
“I’m going to go around the world more, collect materials and stuff ….and then we’ll see.”
“Really? So you won’t even practice here?”
“Practice ….?”
Tia’s words make my head go blank for a moment. Practice …. practice? Well, it’s not just to make the best swords that I do blacksmithing. Isn’t it normal to train here to improve my blacksmithing skills?
Or rather, there’s no other world like the 048th world where I could devote yourself to blacksmithing, so I guess I have to practice here?
“…………I’m sorry, Tia. I withdraw my previous statement. Do you mind if I do some blacksmithing? ”
“Why are you being so servile all of a sudden! Of course it’s fine. I’ve already bought all the furniture and stuff while I was working.”
Tia, smiling, took out beds and other things one after another from the black holes in the space. I hurriedly helped her, and in no time at all, a luxurious and comfortable living space appeared in a corner of the white space.
“How is it? It looks pretty good, doesn’t it?”
“It’s good, but … you bought a lot of stuff.
Furniture was not cheap. Or rather, good quality furniture was clearly expensive, at least not the kind of furniture that Tia, a new adventurer by background if not by ability, could afford to buy with her earnings. She probably purchased them from the money she had earned in the past.
“I didn’t know how long you would be in this world, so I thought I’d just prepare everything I could think of. You know, I bought some tasty preserved food, too.”
“Oh!?”
I unintentionally raised my voice at Tia who nibbled on the dried meat with a nice color. Ah, this is… well, it’s still okay, but…
“Eh, what? There’s also your share, you know?”
“No, that’s not what I mean, …. I told you this world doesn’t make you hungry or sleepy, right?”
“Yeah, I know that. But if we’re going to spend a long time here, it’s easier to lie around and eat good food and–“
“Wait, wait, wait, hear me out. If you’re not hungry, that means, for lack of a better word, that your organs aren’t working or maybe something like that, right? What do you think will happen if you eat something in that state?”
(T/N: Okay This is a good question)
“Eh….?”
At my words, Tia looked at the dried meat in her hand with a surprised expression, then rubbed her own stomach.
“Does that mean the food I eat will stay in my stomach forever?”
“I don’t know. I’ve never tried it because I couldn’t use my banishment skill here. It’s possible that since it’s such a strange place to begin with, it doesn’t matter how much we eat…but if the food we eat stays in our stomachs, if we eat at our usual rate, we’ll be full of food in no time, right?”
“……………………”
The dried meat slowly left Tia’s mouth. Her complexion is obviously pale … Oh, but I must add an additional explanation for my even more heartless prediction.
“Well, there is a possibility that the amount of food you eat is digested normally! But in that case, in this world, it probably won’t return to the soil, so it might stay there forever. ….After that, it could be that the moment you land on the next world, you start throwing it all at once. In that case, it would be like a jab, or a bang, or something like that, at the moment you transfer to the other side――”
“I won’t eat! I will never eat or drink anything!”
Tia shot dried meat at the black hole in the space with the force of a smack. I was used to that kind of problem when I was a mercenary or an adventurer, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have a sense of shame, so I guess it’s a reasonable decision.
“Hahaha, I think that’s wise. Then, let’s set up the furnace right away… well, before that, let’s check over there first.”
With Tia looking sullen and pouty, I walked toward the white table that had been there since the beginning. There, again, a new book appeared, and after confirming the presence of Tia, who had arrived at some point and was peering at me from behind, I slowly turned the pages.
There we read the journey of my teacher. The contents of the book, however, were all about how he was devoted to blacksmithing, which was very different from the [Result Books] we have been reading up until now. I was fascinated by reading it, but when I looked to the side, I saw that Tia had her eyebrows furrowed.
“Hmm, I know he’s been working very hard, but I honestly don’t understand how he’s improved his blacksmithing skills, even if it’s written so meticulously ….”
“It’s almost a technical book. It’s hard to read this unless you’re experienced. All right, let’s skip a little.”
Since it was not something that could be read only once, I skimmed through the page. Then, in no time at all, I was at the last chapter of the book, which was quite thick.
–The final chapter “Sword Of The Hero.” in the 006th World {Records Of the Hero’s Story}
Thirty years after his apprentice left his nest, Dalton, the hero blacksmith, put everything he had into the forging of a sword. He named the sword [Twilight, Sword Of Dusk] and retired as a blacksmith. He died of old age at the age of 143, an average lifespan for a member of the mining tribe.
With the death of the great blacksmith, the battle for [Twilight] intensified. The [Test of the Sword] a test left behind by Dalton, which until then had only been allowed to be attempted by Heroes recognized by the countries, was now open to all, and people from all over the world came forward to challenge it, but none of them were able to do it.
Three hundred years have passed since then. The former master craftsman had become a legend, and the [Twilight] was enshrined in a shrine built in the town, as it had become a tourist attraction and no one challenged the [Test Of The Sword] except during the annual festival. Some experts speculate that “By imposing a trial that cannot be achieved, Dalton may have wanted to convey the message that we should not easily challenge the Demon Lord and threaten the current peace.” While that was becoming commonplace, a certain girl finally completed the [Test Of The Sword].
While the whole world was in an uproar, a young girl set out on a journey to defeat the Demon Lord alone, holding the [Twilight] which did not have a trace of rust on it. It is said that she carried a sword similar to [Twilight] on her back.