Cat, Fox, and Dog ②
After a short while, the three of us calmed down.
For a moment, we fell silent, our faces, no, our entire bodies flushed crimson in our own unique ways.
Yeah, well, once you calm down and think about what you were just doing, it’s mortifying enough to make you die of embarrassment.
Then, the Witch placed a hand over her mouth and gave a deliberate cough.
“Kon kon. Now, now, let’s put the jokes aside, shall we?”
“R-Right you are. Indeed.”
“Wafu, um, um, wan. Let’s do that. Yes, ma’am.”
“…Well, fine by me.”
Phew, I wondered what was going to happen. Seriously. Suddenly going feral like that is just unfair.
The Witch asked again, as if starting fresh.
“Now, now, why are you all here?”
“And why are you here, Witch?”
I countered.
For that perpetually shut-in Witch to come all the way to the Blacksmith’s, even if she was feeling disheartened.
There must be a significant reason. I’m curious.
“Well, well, there’s a large Legendary item that this Blacksmith I’m acquainted with uses, you see. It’s mainly used for repairing OOPArts, but I received word that it wasn’t working properly, so I came to check on it. It can’t be moved, so I had no choice, you see.”
“Is that so?”
It was a more sensible reason than I expected.
Despite appearances, the Witch is an expert in Legendary repairs.
She’s capricious, but I don’t think there’s a repairer as skilled as her.
She even has a cheat-like Relic: [ God Does Not Roll Dice Thrice: Guarantees success on the highest difficulty techniques three times a day ].
“Um, um, being able to repair a Legendary is amazing! As expected of the Witch!”
“Oh my, oh my, what a good doggy you are.”
“Wafu!”
Juicy-san beamed at the praise. Cute.
“So, so, why are you all here?”
“Well… it’s like this.”
I explained the sequence of events. How we received valuable materials from Ax-san.
How we planned to make a gauntlet with them.
How we were short on funds, and then Verent-san proposed a gathering quest, which we accepted.
“Sounds like a win-win situation, you see. I see. I see.”
“So, Witch. Do you know about Magic Metal?”
“Oh my, oh my. Now that’s the name of quite a rare item you’ve brought up.”
“I know it’s highly rare.”
“But its value is low.”
“Um, um, um, is it useless like a Three-Eyed Rabbit’s eye?”
The Witch watched us bombard her with questions with keen interest.
Her jade-green eyes narrowed, appearing slightly darker.
She lightly licked her crimson lips before speaking.
“Well then, well then, allow this Witch to give you the straight answer, you see. Magic Metal has more than double the adaptability and conductivity for Legendaries and OOPArts compared to Magic Silver, you see. It can be shaped into various forms at a much lower heat than what’s needed to melt Magic Silver, and it’s superior to Magic Silver not only for repairing Legendaries and OOPArts but also for various other uses. It’s an exceedingly rare item, you see.”
“And yet its value is low?”
“That’s right, you see. Its value is lower than Magic Silver. However, its price is higher than Magic Silver, you see.”
“Hmm, now that is a curious thing.”
“Um, um, that’s strange.”
In other words, it’s a complete upgrade from Magic Silver. And yet its value is low.
“Its price is higher?”
“Yes, yes. To begin with, you see. There are very few people who would even try to use Magic Metal, you see.”
“Hmm. So few people use it.”
Even though it’s so high-performance?
“Um, um, wan. Wawan. Does that mean only specific people can use it?”
Only specific people can use Magic Metal?
“Oh, oh, you’re close, doggy-chan.”
“Wafu!”
“Now, now, my brilliant disciple, Wof (boy). Have you figured out the answer?”
The Witch turned a somewhat challenging gaze towards me.
And her expression shifted to that of a master teaching something.
A trial for her disciple? Interesting. Master, I accept your challenge.
Magic Metal is a complete upgrade from Magic Silver. High performance, but only specific people use it.
Therefore, its value is seen as low. But its actual price is higher than Magic Silver.
Low value, but high price.
More than the value, the fact that only specific people can use it feels like the key.
“Hmm. High performance, yet only specific people can use it…”
“Wof…”
“Wafu, wan. Lord Wof…”
The two of them looked at me with worried expressions. It’s okay.
There’s one thing that bothers me. In the Witch’s explanation of Magic Metal— I see.
So that means… I see. So that’s how it is.
“I understand. Magic Metal is much more difficult to handle than Magic Silver. The reason its value is low despite its rarity is that very few people can actually work with it, isn’t it?”
“But shouldn’t the price be low in that case?”
“I think the high price is still due to its rarity. The low ‘value’ probably refers to its low general utility. Meaning, since almost no one can handle it, its common value is low. Also, the Witch didn’t mention anything about its handling in her explanation. Normally, you’d expect her to say something like ‘it’s easier to handle than Magic Silver too’. But she only talked about its performance. Witch. Is the sole drawback of Magic Metal its difficulty to handle?”
The Witch applauded quietly at my answer.
“Yes, yes. Correct, you see. No matter how superior and high-performance Magic Metal is compared to Magic Silver, if handling it is extremely difficult, its value drops, you see. The most difficult part is that Magic Metal melts at a lower temperature than Magic Silver, you see. It requires exquisite temperature control, you see. If you get the temperature wrong by even a little bit, it melts completely, you see. There are other delicate aspects too. In the past, there were more people who could handle Magic Metal than now, you see. The techniques were passed down through generations. But those traditions were lost due to various factors, you see. Nowadays, you can count the number of people on the continent who can use Magic Metal on one hand, you see.”
“So that was it.”
“Um, um, wan. Amazing! As expected of Lord Wof! A brilliant deduction!”
“No, no. It’s thanks to Juicy-san.”
“Indeed. Juicy deserves the credit.”
I was able to figure it out because Juicy-san noticed it.
And there’s more.
“You can handle Magic Metal, can’t you, Witch?”
“Yes, yes. Of course, of course, you see. In fact, Kon is better with Magic Metal, you see. So, so, Wof (boy) and friends, you have some, don’t you? Magic Metal.”
“Yes. We have it.”
“We do.”
“Um, yes. We do.”
Yeah, well, after all that, saying we didn’t have it wouldn’t make sense.
The Witch probably guessed, since she knows about my Relic.
“Just as I thought, you see. From the sound of it, you found it during a Magic Silver gathering quest, it seems. Still, for that stubborn Blacksmith to offer a gathering quest for the fee, you see…”
“Was it wrong of me to offer it?”
Turning towards the gruff voice, I saw Verent-san standing there.
The Witch grinned at the returned Verent-san.
“Oh my, oh my, if it isn’t the stubborn Blacksmith. Did I offend you?”
“What? Yeah, you did. You seem pretty friendly with them. Not like your usual ill-natured self, Witch.”
Verent-san chuckled softly.
The Witch gently placed a hand on my shoulder. As she pulled me slightly closer, her chest naturally pressed against my head.
A marshmallow cushion?!
“Well, well, that’s only natural, you see. After all, Wof (boy) is Kon’s beloved disciple, you see.”
“The kid’s your disciple?!”
“Fox! You’re too close. Get away from him.”
Ms. Pachira pulled us apart, looking annoyed. Saved.
I wasn’t sure what to do with that devilishly soft, bouncing cushion.
“Oh my, oh my, you see.”
“Honestly, one can’t let their guard down for a second.”
“Um, um, Witch-sama. You mustn’t.”
Juicy-san stepped protectively in front of me. Verent-san chuckled wryly at the scene.
I felt somehow embarrassed. Damn you, Witch.
“I’d heard the Witch had a disciple… but I didn’t know it was the kid. That explains the Magic Metal, too.”
“So, Verent. About the Magic Silver.”
“Right. Those three pieces of Magic Silver. How about 1,000,000 Oro?”
“Mm. That is fine. Use it for Wof.”
“Ms. Pachira. Are you sure?”
“That was the purpose from the start.”
Ms. Pachira smiled and nodded.
“Um, um, I agree too! Please use it for Lord Wof!”
“Both of you…”
My chest felt warm. Verent-san placed a hand on my shoulder.
“Yeah. Kid. You’ve got some good women here.”
“Y-Yes.”
“Alright. I’m feeling fired up now too. I’ll forge you the best gauntlet ever.”
“Thank you very much!”
“That’s wonderful.”
“Um, um, Lord Wof. Congratulations!”
“Thank you. It’s thanks to both of you.”
“That’s right. Wof. Tell him about that blade.”
Prompted by Ms. Pachira, I carefully took the cloth-wrapped object from my pouch.
“Y-Yes. Verent-san. Actually, there’s one more thing I’d like to ask.”
“Oh? What is it?”
I carefully unwrapped it, revealing the knife blade.
“What’s this?”
“I want you to make a handle for this. I want to use it as a knife again.”
“…Can I touch it?”
“Y-Yes.”
Verent-san touched the blade. His expression turned serious.
How is it? Is it no good? Is it? Verent-san grinned broadly.
“Yeah. Not a bad blade at all. Alright. I’ll make it into a knife for you.”
“Thank you very much!”
“Um, um, that’s great, Lord Wof.”
“Mm. By the way, about the Magic Metal, what do you intend to do with it?”
“Right. Yeah. I’ll confirm its range first, then pay an amount appropriate for it. How does that sound?”
“In that case, please let Ms. Pachira receive that amount.”
“What did you say?”
“Uh, um, uh, I agree with that as well. I received experience worth far more than any reward. So please, give it to Ms. Pachira!”
“You two… In that case, I shall gratefully accept. My thanks.”
Ms. Pachira smiled shyly.
It was then that, for some reason, I noticed the Witch, who had been watching us from a distance the whole time.
She was watching from the back, arms crossed.
“What is it, Witch? You’ve been quiet.”
“No, no, I was just thinking how youthful this all is.”
The Witch watched on with a fond smile.
Seishun. Youth, huh? Is this what youth feels like?
Youth, huh.