Chapter 603 – 603. Mistletoe (4)
Kaaang!
The clear sound of hammers filling the forge hit Erin’s ears.
As much as her senses were sensitive, the impact hit her ears more intensely than others, but at some point Erin was concentrating on the work at the forge.
It is not adapted to the violence of the sound.
It’s just that she had a strong desire to prioritize her work over that.
Erin did not take her eyes off her even for a moment at Orichalcum, which had intense heat in front of her eyes.
Erin’s role was to assist her Eunhyun so that she could focus entirely on hammering.
Kaaang!
As soon as Vulcan’s hammer struck, Orichalcum’s vibration, which absorbed all of the impact, was transmitted to Erinn’s hands through the fixed anvil.
The vibration almost caused Erin to lose her string that held Orichalcum firmly in place.
Erin clenched her fists and held her string tightly so as not to let go.
“Hey! The furnace temperature has dropped! Burn some more firewood!”
Amidst the echo of hammers striking Orichalcum, a dwarf’s loud cry was heard.
The heat of the forge has already exceeded the level of the realm that ordinary humans can endure.
Erin felt cramped in the hot air entering her lungs just by being here.
But even so, she didn’t feel like quitting.
She repeatedly wet the sleeveless shirt she was wearing as work clothes with the sweat that was released from the heat and evaporated again.
Kaaang!
The shrill banging of her hammer was no longer a noise that bothered her ears before she knew it.
“Four hours have passed! Shift!”
When the appointed time came, the Dwarves who were busy with other tasks were replaced by the Blacksmith Dwarf in the next turn.
It was the best way to prevent fatigue from accumulating, but it was very ironic that they, who were among the best in the village, were taking on the role of assistants in this work.
But the Dwarves didn’t care at all.
It was because it was a great honor to be able to participate as an assistant in the weapon production of the Thousand and One Nights.
In fact, while taking turns, the Dwarves all smiled with satisfaction.
“The field manager is really great!”
“Say it! How could he beat a hammer like that for 16 straight hours!”
Eun-hyeon’s amazing stamina in striking a hammer is also stamina, but his skill in striking a precise part and the ability of a special hammer are also amazing.
Moreover, what surprised me the most was Erin, who continued to assist Eun-hyeon.
“Even the bride of the field is really amazing.”
“How can a human body…”
“As expected, the bride chosen by the field chief is a bride.”
Erin was also deprived of all the moisture in her body due to the continuous work and heat, and on the contrary, fatigue was accumulating, but she continued to follow Eun-hyeon’s pace.
When the time for the dwarves’ shift came again, Eunhyeon threw Orichalcum, which he had beaten dozens of times, into the furnace.
The short time waiting for the metal to heat up again was a precious time to recover even a little from the fatigue of the body tired from continuous work.
“Hyunah. Ruler.”
When another short break was given, Erin quickly ran outside and approached Eunhyeon with a bucket of water and bread she had prepared in advance.
“Thank you.”
Eunhyun smiled and accepted the water and bread Erin gave her.
She immediately put the bread in her mouth and drank water to quench his throat.
As the stiff bread meets the water, it passes well into the throat, replenishing even a small amount of moisture and calories.
Likewise, Erin, who had been mumbling as she poured bread and water into her mouth, filled both her cheeks with bread and puffed out her smile.
“Hi-Hi.”
She immediately sat down in her chair and she dug into Eun-hyeon’s arms and she sat on his lap.
“Can I sit down?”
“You are already seated.”
“Actually, I didn’t mean to ask permission.”
Erin chewed and swallowed the bread and buried her face in Eunhyun’s chest.
Eunhyun smiled bitterly and stroked Erin’s hair.
“I must smell bad now.”
“Are you okay. Rather better.”
No matter how much he sweated, the smell permeated his shirt and body several times stronger than usual.
The hot air that entered his lungs with each inhalation made his chest feel tight, but the strong smell of Eun-hyeon that came in with him made him feel very good.
“It smells like me too.”
“It doesn’t.”
Erin, like Eunhyun, was wearing a white sleeveless shirt that showed off his arms.
Her bare arms covered in sweat are very attractive as they reveal her healthy beauty.
“There’s no way I hate Erin.”
“Lol. Happy!”
Erin smiled and nodded her head.
Soon after, the two of them resumed making swords together with the dwarves who finished the shift and handover.
The work that had been going on for 16 hours continued again, and unlike the dwarves who take turns taking breaks, Eunhyeon and Erin did not take a break.
When 24 hours passed and the long 32 hours of work were spent.
“Great job.”
“It’s over!”
Finally, when Eunhyeon announced the completion of her work, Erin stretched out her arms and shouted in a loud voice.
“Ohhhhh!”
“This, this… !”
“A thousand and one nights work!”
The dwarves who had been eagerly awaiting the completion of the sword made by Eunhyeon all cheered and showed expressions stained with excitement and anticipation.
The blade, which was made after being heated at a high temperature and beaten hundreds or thousands of times, reveals its fine shape and boasts its sharpness generously.
In addition, the white blade reminiscent of pure white snow was enough to steal the eyes of the dwarves.
“Beautiful…”
A dwarf muttered, looking at the sword made by Eunhyeon in a state of fascination.
The shape of the sword body and the beautiful color reflected in the light are more attractive to the dwarves than the curvaceous body of a beautiful woman.
“Whoa…”
Finally, Erin, who had been holding on until the work was over despite exhausting her strength, sat down on the floor as if her tension was relieved.
“Turn off the fire in the furnace immediately and start ventilation!”
Doran, who was in charge of all the dwarves in the forge, belatedly ordered the dwarves to organize the forge.
The heat from the furnace disappeared, and the cold wind from the wide open door filled the forge.
Even though it wasn’t such a cool breeze, the fact that I felt cool for a moment must mean that the temperature difference between the smithy and the outside was that great.
The dwarves, who were fascinated by the new sword Eunhyeon made with Orichalcum, hurriedly came to their senses and began to organize the inside of the smithy.
Eunhyeon and Erin sat on the floor and stared at the dwarves, but the dwarves didn’t feel dissatisfied with the two who didn’t help clean up the surroundings.
Even if they had a little break in this forge full of heat, Eunhyeon and Erin, who pounded hammers and assisted for 32 hours, were the ones who suffered the most.
“Hyunah.”
“Huh?”
“That sword. Have you decided on a name?”
Erin’s body was so tired that she didn’t even have the strength to move her body, but unlike him, her mind was intact.
Rather, she is full of interest in the sword that Eun-hyeon completed and is holding in her hand.
“Hmm… I have a name in mind.”
“What?”
Erin’s eyes shine brightly, as if expressing curiosity.
“Mistiltane. In another sense… Call it mistletoe.”
With Orichalcum hidden inside a snowy mountain covered in pure white snow, Eunhyeon had this name in mind from the beginning.
“Well, Master will make the decision… Because Master doesn’t have a good sense of naming names.”
Probably, if you tell me the name of this sword, there is a high possibility that you will call it as it is.
“First…”
Originally, she wanted to show Shiete the sword right away and boast that she made it for her master, but Eunhyeon didn’t have the energy left to do so.
“Let’s go to bed first.”
“Huh… I’m so sleepy right now…”
◆ ◆ ◆
“Lady. I brought the estate’s financial documents for this month.”
After a simple knock, Lily, who entered the office of the duke’s mansion located in the center of the Duchy of Armitas, put a bunch of papers on Eleanor’s desk.
“Thank you.”
Eleanor’s eyes, which simply answered her thanks, continued to stare at the papers.
Eleanor, who was in charge of the internal affairs of the dukedom on behalf of Alex, who was busy preparing for Princess Yuria’s coronation as queen, was currently spending her busy days.
“I will make black tea.”
“Huh.”
Eleanor is in the midst of managing the dukedom’s temple and the internal affairs of the territory at the same time, carrying out two duties at the same time as a priest and lord’s agent.
Have to be busy
Worried about Eleanor, who felt her exhaustion from her excessive work, Lily assisted her Eleanor during the day and took care of her pregnant daughter, Illyana, together with Eleanor at night.
“… Whoa.”
Eleanor, who was watching her office, let out a small sigh.
“Are you having a hard time?”
“… It’s still fine.”
Currently, the Duchy of Armitas could not accept all the refugees flowing in from outside the territory and reached saturation level.
The number is gradually increasing due to the fact that the damage is spreading to neighboring areas, starting with the destruction of the kingdom of Rendir.
Refugees continued to come after hearing rumors that the Duchy of Armitas had good security and accepted refugees without any other conditions.
Of course, among these refugees, there were many who came from places that had nothing to do with the kingdom of Rendir.
As Eleanor said, the internal affairs of the territory still had the capacity to accept all these refugees.
But of course that doesn’t mean it will be fine in the future.
“The number of people that can be accommodated is already close to saturation, but this is a problem that can be solved even if it takes time if the building is expanded with the help of the Dwarves. But another problem…”
“… It must be food and security.”
“That’s right.”
Eleanor nodded her head with a heavy face at Lily’s guess.
The supplies that can be provided to the ever-increasing number of refugees are limited.
Right before the kingdom of Rendir collapsed, it was possible to secure food while managing a large farmland by bringing the small lord Teez and his territories that belonged to the territory of the kingdom of Rendir, but even with that, there was a clear limit.
“Because we don’t run the territory by digging the ground either.”
“… Yes.”
Lily nodded her head with a heavy expression as if agreeing.
The scale of moving resources and money is so different from just sponsoring a small orphanage.
No matter how much Armitas was currently enjoying the greatest prosperity in the kingdom and accumulating tremendous wealth, the amount leaked out was by no means small.
“Consulting the owner… ?”
It wasn’t that she hadn’t thought of that, but she wanted to use it as a last resort, so Eleanor shook her head.
“I don’t want to bother him with this matter. That person… I am very busy right now.”
Eun-hyeon is currently on a trip with Erin to find Orichalcum, which is needed to make Siete’s sword in the northernmost part of the continent.
Even so, the fact that the Duchy of Armitas is currently experiencing its greatest prosperity was due to Eun-hyeon’s help.
However, I didn’t want to bother him with a lot of thoughts and schedules while receiving counseling from Eun-hyeon on even such a small problem.
In addition, as the number of refugees and migrants increases, it is a very important task to stably maintain public security, which is bound to deteriorate.
“… Ha.”
Eleanor was troubled by a tired problem.
“Miss Eleanor.”
“Yes. Come on in.”
Hearing the servant knock at the door, Eleanor allowed her to enter.
“What are you doing?”
“Guests have come.”
“Customer?”
Reported by the servant, Eleanor tilted her head and looked at Lily.
Currently managing Eleanor’s schedule is her assistant, Lily.
There were no guest visits on the schedule today, so Lily shook her head and explained that it was an unscheduled visit.
“Who are you?”
“That is… They are merchants.”
“… Merchant?”
“Yes. That… If you tell me that it’s a bit and a doji at the top of the coin, you’ll know…”
“…”
Eleanor’s Lily’s eyes narrowed at the same time.
