Chapter 10
1.
“I wonder if you'll like it.”
There was no question of whether I liked it.
She was giving me a hammer, so I should accept it gratefully, but….
If there was a real problem, it was that this hammer was for combat.
“I'm not sure I should accept something like this….”
“I had to get it in a hurry.”
I suppose so.
It did look really nice, though.
I didn't really want to fight.
No, wait. Did my wishes even matter? Was she planning to raise me as a combat mercenary….
It looked quite heavy.
Doloris was holding it out to me as lightly as if it were a stick.
Just then.
A window activated.
──────────────
[Enchantments]
[Weight Reduction][LV.4]
[Thunder Enchantment][LV.3]
──────────────
Whoa?
What was this?
Suddenly, the equipment's enchantment list appeared.
It was an interface I'd never seen before.
Had equipment simply not had anything like this until now?
The moment I wondered how powerful these enchantments were.
[Level 1 reduces it by 30 percent, level 2 by 60 percent, level 3 by 90 percent. Level 4 reduces it by 99 percent.]
[I guess it isn't easy.]
“For now, I had the weight reduced considerably in a hurry. Would you like to try lifting it?”
She really seemed to intend to give it to me. She must have rushed to prepare it because she was worried I wouldn't be able to lift it.
It was touching.
I carefully accepted the hammer.
Despite its incredibly heavy-looking appearance.
- Tap.
The hammer felt light in my hand.
Yet it still had a satisfying heft to it.
“…Nice.”
“…….”
It was nice, really nice. I was truly so grateful.
“Are you really giving this to me?”
Doloris didn't answer my question right away.
“There are many things I can't understand… but I tend to focus on what I can see.”
She pointed to the gloves on her hands.
“In that sense, this is.”
Doloris bent down to meet my gaze.
“A reward for the gloves.”
“…Thank you.”
Doloris smiled brightly.
The background showed behind her. Sunset light slanted in through the window.
Her unreal beauty made my eyes swim slightly.
The insulated gloves. The verification result must have been good.
I couldn't think of anything particular to say.
I'd forgotten when the last time was that I'd been rewarded for working hard.
The same went for this kind of kindness. A strawberry latte my advisor bought me near the end of my PhD.
My memory ended there.
It was strange.
It settled somewhere in my chest.
And if there was another thing those moments had in common, it was that the kindness that came my way didn't suit me.
I had been allergic to strawberries back then, and.
This hammer was for combat.
I should say something.
First, how should I put it? I couldn't say, “I don't like this,” after she'd bought it for me for no reason.
I needed to give a rational reason and explain what made it impossible.
I decided to use the most beautiful questioning technique in the world I had lived in.
“Lady Doloris, if I may, I would like to ask whether I may ask a question requesting permission to inform you that I have some doubts about the hammer you bought me, and whether I may report that I would like to ask if it would be all right for me to ask whether I may tell you that I am wondering if I may dare ask….”
As my question continued, a smile slowly spread around Doloris's lips.
“Pfft, Lionel.”
She smiled brightly.
It was a genuinely delighted laugh.
Apparently, my string of nested questions had been quite refreshing.
“You can speak comfortably. Don't be nervous.”
“…Yes.”
I took one deep breath.
[Want me to help?]
Uh, please.
I closed my eyes and opened my mouth.
“The thing is, actually.”
I looked down at the hammer once more.
Saying, “It says ‘combat use,’” wouldn't work. She wouldn't accept that.
“The length of this hammer's handle is right. Short-handled forging hammers are normally about this long.”
So far, so safe.
“But the head—that is, both sides of the hammerhead—looks exactly the same, doesn't it? Normally, a blacksmith's hammer is flat on one side and narrow or rounded on the other. The spreading face and the finishing face are different.”
“…….”
“But this one is flat on both sides… and it's a little narrow. It's shaped so the impact converges on a single point.”
[So, it's a hammer you can't finely adjust with your wrist— (Pause for one beat! Make a wounded expression~) It seems like a combat hammer.]
“…It seems like a combat hammer.”
Thanks to the excellent script Yuna had prepared, I was able to keep talking without interruption.
Doloris listened quietly, then slowly nodded.
As I always said, lying in front of her was impossible.
She must have finished analyzing this just now, too. It would have registered as the truth.
“…You know an incredible amount, Lionel.”
“My dream was to become a blacksmith.”
This wasn't a lie either, merely a dream I'd chosen a week ago.
It was kind of funny.
“I'm sorry. I don't know much about hammers. I thought a short one would be enough. Hmm… what should we do….”
Just as Doloris rested a hand on her chin and pondered.
- Knock.
Ruby lightly bumped her head against the folds of Doloris's skirt.
Cute.
She was saying, Pay some attention to me, too.
Doloris looked down at her with a smile, then.
“All right. Since it's late tonight… let's go on an outing tomorrow.”
“!”
Ruby's movement stopped.
“Ruby, you like Ariel Plaza, don't you?”
“Mm… I like it….”
“Good.”
Doloris soothed Ruby with practiced skill, then looked at me.
“We'll go buy a new hammer, too. Pick one you like.”
“Would that really be all right….”
“It's all right.”
Good heavens.
Was she really going to shell out a billion gold for me?
Wait, then what would happen to the hammer she'd already bought?
When my gaze turned toward Tozar's hammer and I fidgeted helplessly, Doloris lifted the hammer and looked at it.
“Come to think of it, what should we do with this one?”
“How much was it…?”
“Two hundred thousand gold. It wasn't expensive.”
Two billion?
Two billion gold?!
My hands trembled. There probably wasn't any such thing as a refund.
Doloris had brought in a two-billion-gold hammer as casually as if she'd picked up some bread, then said it wasn't expensive.
“The materials do look pretty good.”
“…….”
“Do you want to melt it down and use it as material?”
“Pardon…?”
It did seem to be made from good Thunderlight ore or whatever.
You want me to melt down two billion gold?
“Melt it down and use it as material.”
- Stroke.
Doloris stroked my head.
I found myself leaning my head into her hand.
“A greeting?”
“Thank you….”
Doloris was apparently.
Extremely rich.
2.
Doloris treated me to a delicious meal as thanks for looking after Ruby.
I thought we might go to a restaurant, but she suddenly pulled something out of thin air.
- Hum.
A rift opened in the air, and a steaming sandwich and.
A bottle of orange juice that looked cold settled onto her hand.
“……?”
Where had that just come from?
“It's a subspace.”
Seeing that I was wondering where it had come from, Doloris answered with a smile.
“You'll naturally learn when you climb the Tower someday.”
No, I didn't want to climb the Tower.
I didn't answer.
The sandwich was surprisingly ordinary, with ham and vegetables. The bread was soft, as if freshly baked.
By the time we finished eating, the sun had completely set.
Stars had been appearing one by one outside the window for quite some time.
It was time for bed.
Well, I should get going soon.
Today had drained me too much.
“I'll be off to bed, then….”
“Where are you going?”
“Huh? To my room….”
“Sleep here.”
Doloris pointed to the door at the back of the cabin.
It was fairly large, with something of a vacation-home feel, and had about three rooms.
She seemed to be pointing to the spare room.
Resistance was pointless.
“Then I'll just go wash up!”
I quickly left the cabin and headed for the showers.
I was worried she'd tell me to wash up here for some reason. That would have been a little too much.
I gave myself a quick rinse and knocked on the cabin door.
- Knock knock.
- Come in.
When I went in, Doloris was sitting at the dining table.
Perhaps she was getting ready for bed; she was wearing sleepwear, and starlight streamed through the window and settled on her shoulders.
The ends of her silver hair glimmered blue.
She looked like a painting just sitting there.
Since I had nothing to say, I asked where the little brat who had disappeared had gone.
“Where's Ruby?”
“She went to bed. She's always been a sleepy child.”
“Ah.”
“A mage can train even while sleeping, so the more she sleeps, the better.”
What kind of convenient and efficient profession was that?
That was useful information. It made me want to become a mage too.
“Yes, then, good nigh—”
“Sit for a moment.”
“Yes.”
Escape attempt: failed.
I swallowed my sigh inwardly and sat across from her at the table.
Doloris gazed at me quietly with her fingers interlaced.
Starlight illuminated only half her face, while the other half was lit by the lamp.
“Lionel.”
“Yes, ma'am.”
“We'll be returning to my domain tomorrow.”
Oh.
Her domain? Since Doloris was a duke, it was probably her duchy.
She had a home, too, I supposed.
“That's good news.”
I said it without much thought.
Once Doloris left, the insulated-glove commission would be over, and I'd return to the orphanage.
Back to my everyday life.
“You’re coming too.”
Huh?
“Pardon?”
“Lionel, you're coming with me.”
Doloris calmly emphasized it once more.
I hadn't misheard her.
“The orphanage….”
“Would there be a problem if I took you with me?”
“No, not at all.”
“I'll build you a workshop in my domain.”
A workshop?
No, seriously?
As far as I knew, a normal workshop meant a well-appointed place with a forge and everything else needed for a blacksmith's life.
“There… work hard and improve your skills.”
“…….”
“I can provide you with anything you want.”
I couldn't answer right away.
It wasn't that I disliked the idea. I had absolutely no reason to refuse.
Telling me to improve my skills meant she believed my skills could rise further.
It meant she had seen my potential.
For a moment, I remembered the past.
Over the past five years, how many people had told me that?
“…Thank you.”
My voice cracked slightly.
A real man devotes himself to the person who recognizes his worth.
Yes, in this life, I've chosen you, Doloris….
[Simping.]
I know.
I shook my head slightly to clear it, then asked why she was treating me so well.
“What should I do after I improve my skills?”
I thought I had a rough idea of what she meant, but.
“I don't know how you figured it out, but.”
Doloris paused for a moment.
“You were certain that I suffer from Nine-Yin Blocked Meridians, Lionel.”
“Yes.”
“Make equipment that can cure it, or… at least slow it down further.”
Doloris smiled faintly, with a hint of cynicism.
“It may seem ridiculous for me to ask this of a child. But I mean it.”
She looked at me.
“I won't spare any support.”
From Doloris's perspective, she was clinging to a thirteen-year-old child and asking him to save her.
A duke. The ruler of Floor 5. A high-ranker.
For someone like her to ask an orphanage child for help at all.
Didn't it mean she'd tried countless things, and I was the only option left?
“I'll do whatever I can.”
Those were the words I used, but.
My mindset was that I would absolutely do it.
“…Yes. Thank you.”
- Stroke.
Doloris stroked my head.
This time, I didn't lean into her hand. Even so, she didn't withdraw it.
She smiled sweetly and slowly rose from her seat.
“Come on, let's go to bed. We'll be busy tomorrow.”
“Yes.”
Doloris opened the door to the room inside.
“…….”
Ruby was sleeping inside.
She was curled up in the middle of the large bed, with half the blanket kicked off.
Where was my room?
But then, something entered my view.
A blue pillow lay neatly beside Ruby.
Wasn't I supposed to sleep in the spare room?
To make matters worse, there was a white pillow to Ruby's left.
In other words, it was Doloris, Ruby, and me, side by side.
“…Me too?”
“Of course.”
Doloris answered nonchalantly.
“Babies are afraid to sleep alone at night.”
I'm thirty.
Of course, I couldn't say that.
Doloris waited until my body had entered the room.
- Click.
She locked the door.
“…….”
“…….”
Ruby tossed and turned in front of us, murmuring in her sleep.
I really was supposed to lie down here.
I placed my head on the blue pillow and stared at the ceiling.
Starlight quietly streamed in through the window….
- Kiss.
“…….”
Doloris lightly kissed the forehead of sleeping Ruby.
She did it as naturally as though it were routine.
Oh, right. She had done that at noon too.
Wait, no.
Of course not… This was just my overactive self-consciousness….
Just then.
- Kiss.
“Sleep well, Lionel.”
I had my eyes closed, but something touched my forehead.
Soft, warm, and brief.
“…….”
It was already too late to respond.
I heard the blankets being tugged slightly, then the bed across from me sank.
With Ruby between us, Doloris lay down.
Soon, only the breathing of three people remained.
More precisely, two people. I couldn't close my eyes.
- Pinch.
What the hell?
Someone suddenly pinched my thigh with a finger.
‘…Ruby was awake too.’
More precisely, it was the breathing of one person.
My forehead stayed warm for a long time.