“Yuri-chan~ Where are we going now?”
Elise floated behind, like a curious child, bombarding her with endless questions.
Aside from that little incident with the bread earlier, Elise had spent most of the time looking around Iron Anvil City with wide, inquisitive eyes, fascinated by all the different buildings.
“We’re going to repair some weapons.”
During her days in the Withered Mountains, Yuri had hunted plenty of beasts, and the battles with Abyssal Beasts had worn down her weapons considerably. The materials that made up the Abyssal Beasts’ bodies were especially corrosive to ordinary weapons.
Maintenance had become absolutely necessary.
Besides her frequently-used short knife, the grapple device needed improvement as well.
With the hands-on experience she’d gained, Yuri had discovered a few issues that had to be addressed right away.
As for how to improve it, she already had a clear blueprint in mind and had made modifications to the original design; all she needed was to commission a craftsman for the remodel.
She wasn’t worried about the craftsman’s skills, but the problem was, with the few coins left in her pocket, she wasn’t sure if it would be enough.
It really was true—heroes could be stumped for want of a single coin, and yet this was an expense she couldn’t cut. After all, these were things she relied on to survive out here.
After passing through several streets, a shop with a hammer-shaped sign came into view. Even before she got close, the rhythmic clanging of metal was already clear in the air, carrying a vibrant beat.
A wave of heat greeted her as she entered the shop, where the furnace blazed, casting a warm red glow around. A sturdy, shirtless middle-aged craftsman with bulging muscles was hammering a red-hot iron billet, sweat streaming down his body.
“What do you need?”
Noticing her pause at the entrance, a craftsman’s apprentice immediately came up to greet her.
“I’d like this repaired, please.”
As she spoke, Yuri took out the short knife hanging at her waist.
After fighting the Abyssal Beast, several corrosive marks marred the blade, like ugly scars, and the edge itself needed to be sharpened again.
“Anything else?”
The apprentice took the knife and examined it carefully. That, at least, was easy enough.
“And this.”
Yuri unfastened the grapple device from her left arm and also took out the modified blueprint.
“Please make the modifications as marked on the design, then sharpen this grapple, and forge two more just like it.”
Glancing at the intricate device Yuri handed over, then at the design in her other hand, the apprentice looked troubled for a moment.
“Sorry, I can’t handle this. I’ll have to ask the master.”
With that, the apprentice took the blueprint and hurried inside, interrupting the middle-aged craftsman who was still hammering away.
While they discussed, Elise’s attention shifted to the grapple.
“This is the little thing?”
She remembered that when they’d run into the Abyssal Beast earlier, Yuri had used this device to assist in battle.
It could hook onto an Abyssal Beast and pull the creature closer—she wondered if it could be used for movement too. The thought made Elise’s eyes light up with excitement as she suddenly imagined something fun.
“Hey, Yuri-chan, could you use this to swing through the forest by hooking onto trees?”
“Not strong enough.”
“Eh, too bad.”
It worked fine for ground movement, but using it to swing around in the air was a different story. Even if the steel cable could take the strain, the device’s structure probably couldn’t handle it.
At most, it would manage a swing or two before breaking.
Unless she absolutely had to, Yuri generally didn’t use it for movement.
If she could reconstruct it with high-strength materials and redesign the inner workings, maybe it would work like Elise imagined.
But for now, it was just a dream. With her purse nearly empty, Yuri couldn’t afford those expensive materials, let alone the labor.
So, when she’d commissioned this in the first place, Yuri had used only the cheapest, low-grade materials.
Luckily, its strength was decent enough to support her in real combat.
Still, it wasn’t like the grapple could pull anything. It depended on the target’s size and weight.
Fortunately, the Abyssal Beasts she’d encountered so far only looked intimidating— in reality, they weren’t all that heavy, so they were within the grapple’s pulling limit. But if the target was too heavy, it would just pull Yuri toward the opponent instead.
If she ran into a large target in battle and needed to close the distance, the grapple could help her get in close quickly.
As for when to fire the hook, that had to be judged on the spot. It really tested Yuri’s timing.
While she pondered, the apprentice finished talking with the craftsman. The apprentice picked up the hammer and resumed working on the billet, while the craftsman, blueprint in hand, walked over.
“A familiar mechanism. I made the original at your request, didn’t I?”
Back then, the person who’d brought the blueprint was a black-haired youth.
Looking at the long black hair peeking from under Yuri’s hood, he couldn’t see any resemblance to that person.
“I remember this clever device—the boy commissioned me to forge it last time. Where is he? And you are?”
“I’m his younger sister. He left this to me.”
Hearing that, the blacksmith understood and didn’t press further.
In a border town like this, life and death were all too common. A boy disappears, and his sister carries on with what he left behind, struggling to survive—hardly an unusual tale.
“Alright, got it. Shame, really. To come up with something like this, he must have been a genius.”
The craftsman sighed as he spoke.
He glanced over the blueprint again and quickly grasped the idea behind the requested modifications.
“You want to speed up the grapple’s retraction… Hmm, I’ll have to adjust the springs and gear assembly inside, and swap out some materials. Then there’s sharpening the hook, making two more spares, and repairing the short knife. Is that all?”
Seeing Yuri nod, the craftsman quoted a price.
Yuri pursed her lips slightly at the amount.
Three silver coins—not bad, still within her budget.
“It should be ready by tomorrow at noon. Just come pick it up then.”
After taking the payment, the craftsman carried the grapple and blueprints to the workbench and began pondering how to proceed.
At that moment, Yuri still had a spare short knife left for self-defense.
But after paying to repair her weapons, her already-thin wallet was now emptier than ever.
All she had left was a single silver coin and a few coppers.
Out of money.
She’d have to head to the Adventurers’ Guild for a few suitable commissions, or else she wouldn’t make it much longer.
Leaving the blacksmith’s shop, Yuri saw that it was still early. It was a bit too soon to return to the inn.
Before heading back, there was still one place she could visit.
“Where to next?”
As soon as she asked, Elise caught a grave look on Yuri’s face.
“Hey, hey… you’re not going anywhere filthy, are you?”
In a sense, Elise was right.
“Hey, hey, you really are going!”
Seeing Yuri stay silent, Elise frowned at the unspoken confirmation.
“Yuri-chan, you’re not some rat from the sewers, are you? Why do you always like going to these dirty places?”
“Maybe.”
Yuri didn’t deny it. She just said quietly, “It’s just that I’m rather fortunate. Compared to those who are trapped in the sewers with no hope, at least right now, I’m still free to stand here beneath the sun.”