Chapter 392: Speak with Hammers


    King Goban’s smithing is in the orthodox dwarven style.


    His chosen material was adamantite. Refined adamantite to be used to make a single sword.


    Of course, the repeated folding sword steel method like that in Japan wasn’t used.


    In the workshop, a skilled cksmith took up his hammer.


    The rhythmic sound of hammering metal.


    The lump of adamantite in the magic furnace changed shapes.


    A longsword was being forged in front of me.


    Heated many times over, the impurities were hammered out, and the metal structure was being adjusted with each temper.


    It would seem that the titles of the only two people dubbed with the title of God Craft in the country was not just for show, and in this ce, it would bepleted by tomorrow.


    King Goban hammered the longsword in a day, corrected it with Smithing Magic and a file, and tomorrow he would quench it.


    Even with magic metals, the hardening process by way of quenching didn’t change. However, the temperature at which it is heated to is by each craftsman’s eyes.


    On the day of quenching, the lights illuminating the special magic furnace room were all extinguished, and only the fire from the furnace dimply lit the surroundings.


    The heated de glowed orange. King Goban watched the timing and finished it by rapidly cooling the de through quenching. The lights were turned back on, and from the look on King Goban’s face, he was satisfied with the sword he forged.


    「All that is left is to make minute adjustments and sharpen it. If you ept defeat, do it immediately.」


    「Haha, I do not want to make Gn-san lose face, so I will do my best.」


    The next day, in the basement of the workshop, I walked to the magic furnace. In my case, I would mainly be using alchemy, Earth magic, and Smithing magic to create the sword, so the magic furnace was only to help cut my MP consumption.


    This time, I decided to avoid making a long sword like King Goban had. If Ipeted with the King of a country in the same field and I win, King Goban would lose face, and if I lose, Gn-san would lose face. That’s why the sword I will make would be a Japanese sword.


    For Japanese swords, high carbon steel used for the exterior and edge, and the low carbon steel used for the heart, back and tang were repeatedly folded together based on their purposes then molded into a sword.


    I will substitute most of this process with magic to shorten the time.


    That said, I will be using a fantasy metal that doesn’t exist on Earth for this weapon. It wasn’t simr to iron. However, Gn-san and I researched it from time to time when we worked together. We tested whether it was possible to reproduce “unbreaking, unbending, well cutting” Japanese swords with adamantite. There, we discovered that we could if we used a bit of mithril and 0.3-0.6% orichalcum.


    Orichalcum, the divine metal which stands at the top of the magic metals, is a pliable metal that is harder than any other, and also highly sturdy. However, as might be expected, a sword’s worth of orichalcum can’t be used even in the Sanctuary, but there’s no problem if it’s 1% of the entire weapon.


    By mixing 0.3-0.6% of orichalcum into an adamantite alloy blended with a bit of mithril, I was able to reproduce metal parts for the edge and the heart.


    When I was making the Japanese sword, the fold forging, the so called mechanical alloying was reproduced with Alchemy and Earth Magic, and Ipleted four kinds of alloy (edge, shell, back, and heart) with various levels of hardness and toughness.


    Ibined the four raw materials with Alchemy, and molded it with Smithing Magic.


    The metal structure and the de’s form changed ording to my image.


    From employing the earth to the quenching, I reproduced it with magic based on the image I had.


    The ideal form I had in my head was one of the Five Great Swords, national treasures of Japan in museums, which I had admired in my previous life. The greatest masterpiece of Ohara Yasutsuna of the Hoki Province, a legendary sword. A sword which possessed both refinement and power…… Doujigiri Yasutsuna.


    When quenched by magic, the volume expansion associated with the structural change on the de edge causes the curving unique to Japanese swords.


    Annealing at low temperature…… once the structures stabilize, it recovers its tenacity.


    Smithing magic polished the de with plenty of small imperfections sticking out.


    Perhaps because it’s an adamantite alloy, the ore was close to ck, but even so, a beautiful pattern showed that the sword making was a sess.


    「Takumi.」


    「Ah, yes.」


    While I was gazing at the sword, Gn-san called out to me. I handed Gn-san the sword.


    「……it’s even more perfect than before. It’s a sess.」


    「Thank you very much.」


    「I will help with the Enchantment.」


    「Please do, Gn-san.」


    While Gn-san and I were reveling in satisfaction, King Goban yelled out.


    「Wh- what’s with that swordーー!! Moreover, you barely even touched the hammerーー!!」


    Having witnessed the sword created practically with magic and a never-before-seen hamon emerge on the single edged sword, Goban-san could not hold it in and screamed.


    「Ignore that loud one, let’s talk about the enchantments to grant it.」


    「Umm…… is that fine?」


    「Yeah, the match has been decided. The sword he made is exactly the same level as it was a decade ago. He made no progress at all. At that point, that was his loss. Now then, let’s hurry up and go.」


    Gn-san pulled me by the arm and headed out the room, and from behind us, I could hear King Goban screaming.


    ***