Published: January 13, 2026
Lady Lynette, Lord Ritsugo,
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When I drew my twin swords from their sheaths and showed them to the dwarves, they all widened their eyes.
“…Indeed, it’s an Orichalcum Sword. And one with a shape I’ve never seen before…”
“…Havel. Could it be that this wasn’t made by humans?”
The dwarves murmured amongst themselves before calling out to the dwarf standing closest. The dwarf named Havel looked over and nodded.
“…That’s right. It definitely used a dwarf forge, but it was forged by a human blacksmith. If there’s a furnace capable of refining Orichalcum, there must have been dwarves involved. Sure, there are rumors of dwarves living in human lands and working as blacksmiths, but those kinds of oddballs are rare.”
After saying that, Havel glared sharply at me.
“…In other words, that weapon is a fake without the soul of a dwarf. Even if you get a dwarf’s forge, if there’s no dwarf there, you can’t get a true dwarf weapon.”
He spat out those words in a low voice and stepped toward me.
“Just because the material is Orichalcum doesn’t mean anything if the smith is second-rate. We dwarves have held hammers and refined metal since we were kids. We can forge copper, iron, silver, and Mithril to the highest level and can even hear the voice of the metal.”
Saying that, Havel drew his own thick longsword. It looked heavy, but he handled it with ease.
“Only then does the weapon gain a soul. Among dwarf blacksmiths, the one best with metal melts the Orichalcum, forges it, and quench-hardens it to complete the weapon. Humans just melt and pour metal into molds and call it done, right? I feel sorry for the Orichalcum used like that.”
While tracing the blade with his finger, Havel muttered this. I nodded and raised my twin swords before my face.
“Indeed, forging is considered superior to casting. Melting iron in a furnace to remove impurities, then separating it into suitable and unsuitable batches. Using only the best metal, melting it again in the furnace. Repeated forging and folding, then trial and error with water and oil temperatures and amounts during quenching to find the best condition… Blacksmithing can only be done by those who do not compromise.”
I quoted what I’d read in manga, showing agreement. I’d thought Japanese swords were cool and had seen their making process in manga and on the internet.
I wanted to show off a bit, but the dwarves blinked and looked at me.
“…You’re skinny, you’re not a dwarf, right?”
“I’m human.”
I denied with a wry smile. Surprisingly, the dwarves seemed to accept me as someone with blacksmith knowledge. However, Dee—who had been quietly observing with arms crossed—got angry at Havel’s tone.
“You dare speak like that to Lord Van, the lord of this town! Do you want to get cut down, you scoundrel!?”
Dee’s anger was fierce enough to cause a commotion inside the adventurers’ guild.
“Hey, Dee’s husband’s lost it!”
“W-wait!? You damn god of wine (Bacchus) lot! Apologize immediately!”
The panicking adventurers caused more noise, but Havel and the others shrugged and snorted at Dee, provoking him.
“We’re from the dwarf country. Why should we be bossed around by nobles from other lands? And don’t mock us just because we’re short, big guy. You think you can win?”
Havel complained to Dee with the attitude of a delinquent from a manga, drawing his sword.
Immediately, Dee gripped his greatsword with both hands and swung it down from above. The sound of metal ringing out, and before I knew it, Dee’s huge sword appeared right before Havel’s face.
Havel’s eyes widened in shock, but within a second he noticed his own sword had been cut in two.
“…w-what!?”
He stepped back unsteadily, staring at the sword severed cleanly in the middle.
“W-what skill…! No, this cut surface isn’t just from a swordsman’s technique… Hey, big guy! Who forged that sword!?”