Another World Metal Factory

Chapter 52

Timothy spent a few busy days after his vacation ended. There was a backlog of work, and he had to go to Yeongdo, the capital city.

Even amidst his busy schedule, he made time to have dinner with his family.

Talking about various things at the dinner table became the most important and enjoyable time of the day for Timothy, his wife, and daughter.

“I went on a picnic in the forest today.”

Kara said, lifting a chicken leg, and Timothy smiled and tore off a piece of bread, dipping it into the soup.

“Is that so? I guess you went to the forest behind the mansion.”

“Yes. I saw a fox there. It was a fox with a mix of red and yellow colors.”

Kara chattered excitedly in response to Timothy’s question.

“A fox… After summer passes and autumn comes, and the harvest is over, it’s the season for fox hunting.”

“Oh, again… You get so excited whenever you talk about hunting.”

Penny grumbled at Timothy’s words, and Timothy coughed, swallowing his words.

“I wish you wouldn’t hunt because I feel sorry for the foxes.”

“See? Even Kara says so.”

When Kara and Penny spoke up, Timothy sighed.

“Sigh… Alright. But fox hunting is also an activity for the residents of the territory. Those foxes steal chickens and dig up crops…”

“Timothy!”

Penny raised her voice as Timothy continued, and Timothy eventually closed his mouth. Seeing her parents like that, Kara burst out laughing.

“Even Dad can’t say anything to Mom.”

Timothy coughed and raised his wine glass, and Kara and Penny burst into laughter at the sight.

“Let’s just eat. The food will get cold.”

“I won’t tell you not to do it completely since it’s your hobby. But I just wish you’d cut back a little.”

“Ahem… Alright. I’ll try to cut back a little.”

Timothy replied to Penny’s words, and the three of them started eating again.

***

After several days of preparation, Timothy rode his horse towards Yeongdo. It wasn’t the time to assist the Lord with his duties, but he had something to report.

Timothy, who left for Yeongdo early in the morning, arrived in Polchis, Yeongdo, just past noon.

The gatekeeper, after checking Timothy’s documents, saluted and let him pass, and Timothy rode his horse straight to the Lord’s Mansion.

The soldiers guarding the gate of the Lord’s Mansion recognized Timothy and immediately saluted.

As soon as he entered the gate, Timothy jumped off his horse, and the Lord’s attendant immediately ran towards him.

“Sir Timothy Ellamein! We’ve been waiting for you.”

“Please let my horse rest. It must be very tired from running since dawn.”

Timothy stroked his horse’s neck.

The horse, drenched in sweat, shook its head and took deep breaths, and the groom quickly ran over, took the reins, and moved the horse to the stable.

“Is the Lord waiting?”

“Yes. He’s waiting in his office.”

The attendant answered, walking beside him, and Timothy nodded, catching his breath.

“It was a sudden summons, but I’m glad he’s available.”

“It seems there’s a matter to discuss.”

The attendant’s voice trailed off slightly, but Timothy didn’t pay much attention.

Guided by the attendant, Timothy entered the Lord’s office and saw the Lord sitting at the table in the center of the room.

And he noticed two other people sitting around him and shifted his gaze. Upon recognizing their faces, Timothy was startled.

“Fo… Former Lord and the Bishop?!”

Realizing who they were, Timothy quickly knelt and paid his respects, and the elderly former Lord, sitting in the seat of honor, gestured in greeting.

“Rise, Timothy.”

“Yes.”

At the former Lord’s words, Timothy rose from his position, straightened his posture, and waited, and the former Lord spoke again.

“Come and sit. I’ve read your letter. And as it happens, the Bishop and I were discussing the same matter.”

Timothy carefully sat down on the chair, and Kyleoch, the former Lord’s son and current Lord, spoke.

“After reading the letter about the black-haired blacksmith completely transforming the old inn in your manor, I immediately reported it to my father. Because of something I heard a while ago, Timothy.”

Kyleoch looked at the former Lord, and the former Lord drew the sword from his waist and placed it on the table. Timothy cautiously looked at the sword.

“It’s not a particularly unique sword. Hmm… Judging by its appearance, it seems to be a sword made by a quite skilled craftsman, but seeing the lack of decoration, it seems to be a sword made for battle. The unique pattern in the middle of the sword is a characteristic, but it’s not very noticeable.”

Listening to Timothy’s explanation, the former Lord pointed to the mark in the center of the sword with his finger and said.

“That’s a mark where it was broken.”

“What?! You mean this was a broken sword?!”

Timothy was startled.

He hadn’t even thought it was a mark of a break until the former Lord mentioned it. Because the technique of mending a broken sword was unimaginable to him.

It was common for swords to break during battle. In such cases, the sword would be disassembled, melted down, and then a new sword would be forged.

This was because there was no way to cleanly mend a broken sword. That was the common sense Timothy knew. However, this sword had its broken part cleanly mended.

The image of someone came to Timothy’s mind.

“To think it was a broken sword that was mended… It seems this is also the work of that black-haired blacksmith.”

“Then, would you like to see this as well?”

This time, the Bishop placed a cross on the table.

It was a golden, shining sacred object. The appearance of the sacred object, with its brilliant gold color and red jewels adding to its sanctity, was captivating.

“It’s a wonderful sacred object.”

“This was also originally without jewels and discolored black. That’s also the skill of that black-haired blacksmith.”

“I’ve also heard various other stories. It seems he also made perfectly identical metal plates and cups, carriages with less shaking, a machine that does laundry, and a metal pot that cooks food quickly. As you said, he’s no ordinary man. And come here.”

The Lord beckoned with his hand, and a young knight standing in the corner approached.

“He’s my nephew. He recently joined the Knights. Show it to him.”

The young knight drew the sword from his waist and placed it on the table. That sword was also of ordinary shape.

However, the surface of the sword was different. It was black. It wasn’t the kind of black that was painted on, but a black that retained the original metallic luster.

Looking more closely at the sword, Timothy realized it was no ordinary object. The left and right sides of the blade were perfectly symmetrical, and the edge was very straight.

“A… A sword that shines with a black light?!”

“Surprising, isn’t it? This was also made by that blacksmith. I’ve lived a long life, but I’ve never seen anything like this in the world. What do you think, Bishop?”

“I’ve never seen anything like this either. Black iron is a common sight, but I’ve never seen it shine black like this.”

Listening to the former Lord and the Bishop, Timothy gulped. It was truly a magnificent sword.

“Anyway, we were discussing such matters when we received your letter and were waiting. To talk about this. We don’t know where or how he came to live in our Yeongdo since there are no records, but it seems certain that he’s a person who can be helpful to our territory.”

“I think so too, Lord. However, I tried to persuade him, but he wasn’t a person who was particularly concerned with positions or such things. He’s an unpredictable person.”

When Timothy replied to the Lord, the former Lord stroked his beard and thought for a moment.

“Well, if he’s such a remarkable person, that’s understandable. Those who have achieved mastery in their field sometimes reach a state that transcends life itself. Trying to force such a person could backfire. In such cases, it’s best to approach them person to person.”

The former Lord looked at his son, the current Lord, and the Bishop.

“Good. Then, I’ll try to build a friendship with that blacksmith!”

“Father, you yourself? No. I should be the one to…”

“Oh! Does the Lord have that much free time! And since that blacksmith is also quite old, it might be easier for an old man like me to become friends with him. Hey, Bishop. I’ll need your help too. You’ve been there before.”

“I’ll help you. It reminds me of my younger days. Those days when we used to go on adventures together.”

“Indeed. Back then, we roamed the continent under the King’s orders. We infiltrated enemy castles and built friendships with nobles. This is just an extension of that! Hahahaha!”

The former Lord burst into laughter, and the Bishop smiled faintly.

“Then, let’s set a date and go together. Alright. What scenario should we use to approach him?”

“Grace’s 16th birthday is approaching, and I promised to give her a sword as a gift, so we can approach him by asking him to make that sword.”

“You say that, but you’re hoping that blacksmith will make a unique sword. You really can’t resist swords, can you, Meldof?”

“Haha! You caught me. Good.”

Seeing the Lord and the Bishop talking, Timothy and Lord Kyleoch smiled faintly.

“Unfortunately, we’ll have to postpone reminiscing about the time you and I roamed the battlefield. Since Father is so full of energy.”

“There’s nothing we can do. We’re still young, aren’t we?”

As Timothy and Lord Kyleoch smiled, the former Lord and the Bishop talked with bright smiles, discussing how to make things go more smoothly.

***

The Factory Manager was sitting at the table, drinking. On the iron plate in front of him was an appetizing fish dish.

The Factory Manager poured soju from a green bottle into his glass and drank it. Shellen approached him and sat down in the seat opposite him.

“Let me pour you a drink.”

Shellen said, lifting the soju bottle, and the Factory Manager silently offered his glass.

“Thank you. Thanks to you, the inn is lively. The number of visitors has increased too.”

“That’s because you’re working hard and doing well.”

“No. It’s thanks to you, Teacher.”

The Factory Manager smiled slightly and brought the glass to his lips. Silence fell between them. Neither of them spoke. The Factory Manager drank, and Shellen just sat there.

Only the gas lamp hanging on the wall flickered.

“Um…”

“I’m grateful.”

Shellen interrupted the Factory Manager as he started to speak. Shellen had a slight idea of what he was going to say. However, she couldn’t answer that.

The Factory Manager also sensed Shellen’s behavior. He drank all the remaining alcohol.

“Well, I had fun too. It’s the first time I’ve come this far and made such a big splash.”

“I’m glad to hear that.”

Shellen said so and looked at the Factory Manager. They fell silent again. They made eye contact, but neither of them spoke.

Then, the gas lamp flickered and went out. The room was filled with darkness. Moonlight coming through the open shutters illuminated the inside of the building.

Seeing the light, the Factory Manager raised his empty glass. The moon shimmered through the glass.

“Then, I’ll leave tomorrow morning.”

“I’ll prepare for you. You’ll have breakfast before you go, right?”

“I should. I’d appreciate it if you could pack something simple for lunch.”

The Factory Manager got up and walked to the wall, taking down the hanging gas lamp.

He opened the top of the lamp, poured the burnt ashes into the ash bucket next to the fireplace, picked up a burning coal from the fireplace with tongs, and put it into the gas lamp.

Finally, the Factory Manager lit the gas with the heated coal fragment and hung the gas lamp back on the wall.

“Then, I’ll go to bed.”

“Yes. Good night.”

That was the end of the conversation.

Watching the Factory Manager’s back as he left the room, Shellen dabbed at her eyes.