Chapter 35 : Steel Mountain Range (3)

“Failure, again.”

My cold voice made Garuda flinch, her shoulder trembling.

Her small hand shook as she dropped the hammer.

Clang-

“Eeek!”

She tried to pick up the hammer but failed, her hand trembling. When she sat on the floor, her long hair cascaded down.

“OO…”

“Stop crying and get back to the workbench. Make at least one more while you have time.”

The furnace light tinted the forge red. Countless materials were neatly arranged on the workbench.

From low-grade minerals to S-class materials. All part of the curriculum I had prepared.

“Now, let’s start again. This time, with gold ore.”

Garuda carefully chose the materials. It was a basic material, but her eyes flickered with uncertainty.

But the moment she gripped the hammer—

Clang—

With the first swing of the hammer, her demeanor changed. Her previously hunched shoulders straightened as if enchanted.

Clang, clang, clang!

The rhythmic hammering. Like the heartbeat of a craftsman.

‘As expected!’

A smile formed on my lips. The original story didn’t lie. This girl was the legendary blacksmith.

Her forging of iron looked like a masterpiece. The movement of the hammer was artistic, and her control of the flames was instinctive.

‘But she’s still far from it.’

When the work was done, I lifted the sword to examine it. Most of it was satisfactory, but…

“Failure.”

Thud—

The sword shattered in my hands. Garuda’s face turned pale.

“Why… why are you doing this…”

“The rune pattern is off. The mana flow is unstable.”

“But this is only the basics…”

“Your standards are too low. It needs to be perfect.”

“You devil, pervert, demon king!”

“Sorry, but I’m a hero.”

“Eeeek…”

Tears welled up in Garuda’s eyes. Her long hair covered her face like a curtain.

‘Sorry, but this is necessary.’

Only she could handle the decisions of chaos. To grow into the best blacksmith, she needed this kind of training.

“Next, let’s move on to mithril. This time, the rune pattern should be more refined.”

“4||…..”

Garuda’s hand reached for the mithril. Her touch was delicate, worthy of a master craftsman.

Clang, clang—

The hammering resumed. The precise rhythm carried the soul of a craftsman.

‘This is how a magic sword is made.’

To handle the decisions of chaos, her talent needed to reach its peak.

I watched Garuda start working again.

The clumsy girl was gone, replaced by a blacksmith sitting before the fire.

The furnace’s flames reflected in her amber eyes. Her gaze seemed infused with the spirit of a craftsman.

Despite my harsh evaluations for every small mistake, Garuda rose again, tears in her eyes, and gripped the hammer.

In the repetition of destruction and rebirth, she was growing step by step.

“Again.”

With that last word, the sound of the hammer echoed through the forge once more.

Clang, clang, clang—

Done.

Hidden beneath her cute, doll-like appearance, the soul of a craftsman was awakening.

Some time later, even though the sun was high in the sky, the forge remained dark and quiet. The furnace’s flames and the sound of the hammer were gone.

“Could it be?”

I pulled the door handle. It was locked.

I walked through the dwarf’s district. Even in the marketplace full of hawkers, I couldn’t find her.

‘Did she run away?’

The magic of the contract faintly reacted. No, she was still in the city.

“Excuse me.”

I stood in front of an old wooden house. Faint light seeped through the small upstairs window.

Knock, knock.

At the sound of the knock, I heard rustling from inside.

“Hmm, can’t be helped.”

“Thank you, Nia. I always learn so much from you.”

When I opened the front door with a cat’s lockpick, I heard thumping sounds from upstairs.

She must be running away, her long hair flying behind her.

I climbed the stairs and opened the door. On the bed, there was a lump of blanket.

“Running away won’t help. Hide well, your hair will give you away.”

“I’m not visible! Ga… Garuda is resting today… No, I’m not! I’m just in another dimension for a bit…”

A small voice muttered from under the blanket. It was an adorably un-dwarven excuse.

“And how did you find this place?!”

“Don’t underestimate the hero party’s tracking skills.”

Actually, it was thanks to the magic of the contract.

“Now, back to the forge…”

Just as I reached for the blanket to pull it away—

“I don’t want to!”

Garuda clung to the blanket, struggling. Her long hair fluttered like a waterfall.

“I… I’ve reached my limit! I work late every night… start early in the morning…”

Her voice trembled.

“And every time I fail, my work… ugh…”

Tears streamed down her cheeks.

“The hammer gets heavier… my arms hurt, and my head is pounding…”

She muttered, shivering under the blanket.

“So, you’re quitting?”

“No! It’s not that… I just… need one day… just one day off…”

A small sigh escaped from under the blanket.

“Just today… please…”

Garuda’s voice grew softer. Her shoulders trembled.

‘Maybe I pushed too hard.’

The harsh training of the last few days. Even I thought it was a bit too much.

“Alright.”

The lump of blanket slightly lifted.

“Really…?”

“Alright, let’s rest today.”

“Wow…”

With a sigh of relief, the blanket slid off smoothly.

“But.”

Her shoulders stiffened again.

“From tomorrow, we’ll work even harder.”

“OO…”

I heard sobbing sounds from under the blanket.

Let’s just go back today. Sometimes, rest is necessary. After all, she’s a person, not a machine.

I was about to leave with that thought when…

“What’s this?”

Beer bottles were scattered all over Garuda’s room. Instant food wrappers were everywhere, and fallen hair covered the entire room.

“This is a bit much.”

“I… I’m fine with it just like this…”

Garuda mumbled from under the blanket.

“I’ve decided. From now on, I’ll live here.”

“What?!”

Her amber eyes widened in surprise from under the blanket.

“No! That… that’s…”

But I had already started picking up the empty bottles.

“This goes in recycling, this goes in regular trash… Huh? Hidden beer here too?”

“Ah… that’s…”

“This is all a no-go.”

“No! It’s my beer!”

She tried to hide the bottles, but it was too late. Beer bottles started rolling out from under the bed.

“From now on, one beer per day. Only after finishing your work quota.”

“Ugh… my precious beers…”

Tears streamed down her face, her expression as if she had lost a child.

“Now, go wash up. I’ll clean the room in the meantime.”

“Eek! I… I’ll do it!”

“It’s too late. I’ve already started.”

After the cleaning was done, I headed to the kitchen. As expected, the refrigerator was just as I thought.

“Only instant food.”

“Dwarves usually…”

“Lies. The dwarf households I passed earlier were all eating proper meals.”

Garuda’s mouth shut tight.

“What is this…?”

“This is your new healthy food. Here, the menu. Breakfast will be whole grains and eggs, lunch will be chicken breast salad…”

“Eek! I don’t like vegetables!”

“Dwarves need vegetables too.”

“Meat and beer are the best!”

I prepared a late breakfast for Garuda.

Her face grew pale as she forced herself to eat.

“It’s… it’s not tasty… It’s bland.”

A smile appeared on my face. The shy behavior she used to show was nowhere to be found, now she was confidently speaking out in front of food.

“It’s not delicious. But it’s still decent enough to eat.”

“That’s even scarier! The taste is just enough to eat…”

After tidying up the kitchen, I returned to the room. Garuda was back under the blanket.

“Now it’s time to take care of your hair.”

“Huh?!”

“Come here.”

“No! My hair… it’s the pride of dwarves!”

“I’m not going to cut it. I’m just going to tidy it.”

Garuda struggled, but she couldn’t escape my grip.

I washed her hair like I was doing laundry, untangling the knots.

While I dried her long hair, Garuda continued muttering quietly.

“It hurts…”

“It’s your fault. You should have taken better care of it.”

“Ugh… I’ve always been fine with it like this…”

“Where did your dwarf pride go?”

At those words, Garuda became silent.

After I neatly tied her hair, a new Garuda appeared in the mirror.

“Th… this is weird.”

“This is the normal look.”

“But…”

Garuda fidgeted with her hair and mumbled.

“Why are you doing this…?”

After a brief hesitation, I answered.

“Because I need you.”

“Eh?”

“To become the greatest blacksmith, this level of care is essential.”

Garuda’s amber eyes shook.

To handle the chaos of decision-making, her condition needs to be at its best.

If it requires this level of intervention, then it’s necessary.

A few days later, another problem quickly arose.

“Your stamina is too weak.”

I mumbled while watching Garuda hammering. Less than an hour in, she was out of breath, and her arms started trembling.

“We need to manage your health first.”

“…?”

“From now on, we’re starting exercise too.”

“Eh?!”

Garuda tried to run away under the workbench. But my hand was faster.

“Gotcha.”

“Eek! Let go! I… I don’t like exercise!”

“Are you still going to say it’s fine?”

At that moment, my hand grabbed her belly. The soft, yielding feeling. Hmm, not bad. It feels stable.

“Eek! D-Don’t do that!”

Garuda’s face turned bright red. She tried to hide her face with her long hair, but it failed since I had neatly tied it.

“That’s your belly.”

“Th… that’s… dwarves are usually chubby…”

“Lies. The dwarves I saw earlier were all muscular.”

Garuda’s mouth shut tight. Must be the result of beer and instant food.

“Do you think you can become the greatest blacksmith like this?”

“Aah…”

“A healthy body means a healthy mind. That’s my philosophy.”

“Philosophy, my foot…”

“6 AM every morning, jogging starts.”

“Eh?!”

The next morning…

“Five more laps.”

From the first lap, Garuda’s breathing became ragged. Her long hair became disheveled, and her face turned bright red.

“More… more… I feel like I’m going to die…”

“One more lap.”

“Eeeek!”

Garuda’s scream echoed down the smithy street. Passing dwarves stared, amazed.

“Your posture is off. Again.”

“Waaah…”

Garuda stuck out her tongue. Her long hair, drenched in sweat, hung down her back.

“Now, let’s do some arm exercises.”

“Ughhh!”

Garuda’s scream rang through the morning street.

“Is this training really necessary…?”

“To survive as a traditional blacksmith in the era of magical engineering, stamina is essential.”

A healthy diet and regular exercise.

To create the best weapons, the best blacksmith is required.

And to become the best blacksmith, a healthy body is a must.

“Alright, this is it.”

A week later, changes started to show. The rhythm of her hammering became more stable, and her working hours increased.

“That’s enough for today.”

Garuda, having finished her work, looked different. The loose work clothes now fit her perfectly.

“Um…”

Garuda mumbled while cleaning the hammer.

“What?”

“Recently… I feel like my body’s gotten lighter.”

“You’re still far from it. Keep pushing forward.”

“…Yes!”

The Garuda standing in front of the workbench had changed.

Her posture was steady, her breathing calm. The rhythm of her hammering had become even more precise.

The moment her talent and stamina became one, the legendary blacksmith would be born.

And that moment would be when she creates the magic sword.