Volume 8 Chapter 15 Interlude： G&R Smithy Workshop
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
*Rosella’s Perspective
It’s been about a month since my sister and I became the lord’s concubines in Capital City, and in that time, our lives have completely turned upside down.
Back when we were in Capital City, we barely scraped by honing knives and crafting farming tools to make a living.
But when we followed the lord’s directions to South District, he said he’d set up a workshop just for us in this new city he’s building.
I almost collapsed when I heard that, but when I actually visited the site and saw the territory, my knees nearly buckled.
I mean, it was dozens of times the size of the shop we had in Capital City, and they had even brought in high-quality forges, bellows, and anvils that they used at the summer palace!
It seems Rosana had sweet-talked the lord into it, and considering her skills, I was dying to get my hands on those tools, so later I made sure to show my gratitude to the lord with some special services of my own.
Even more surprising was that right next door to our workshop, it turned out Mr. Golerg──the most renowned blacksmith in South District, possibly even the entire Demon Continent──was setting up his forge.
My heart nearly stopped when I heard that.
Mr. Golerg is known for crafting rugged yet practical equipment, and his weapons and armor are famous for their sharpness and solid defense. But what set him apart was his rare ability to embed magic tools into his creations.
His air-conditioning unit incorporated into plate armor had sold like hotcakes to the soft nobles of Capital City, and I’ve even heard tales about a greatsword he fitted with a booster that sliced a supposedly indestructible monster clean in half.
The thought of him setting up shop right next to us made my legs tremble uncontrollably.
And then, hearing that he’d let us help out at Mr. Golerg’s workshop in Abyss Vena until our own workshop was ready, I couldn’t help but pinch Rosana’s cheek to make sure it was real.
Now, here we were, lending a hand in Mr. Golerg’s workshop, assisting him with his work.
Rosana swung the massive hammer, her blows resonating with Mr. Golerg’s as they forged the metal, extracting it from the blazing furnace.
The metal they were forging was pure silver, incredibly hard and difficult to process, but Mr. Golerg masterfully channeled Rosana’s hammer strikes into the silver, crushing internal voids, refining the crystals, aligning their structure to enhance strength, all while shaping it into the desired form.
I couldn’t manipulate Rosana’s hammer with such precision… Truly, Mr. Golerg deserves his title, the Blacksmith of Black.
”Hey! Little Lady Rosella! Don’t zone out. You’re supposed to add decorations to make my products sell even higher, aren’t you? Or did I get that wrong?”
Mr. Golerg seemed to sense my hands had stopped, and he urged me to get back to work from behind.
When Mr. Kent brought us this job at the Golerg workshop, the agreement was for me to decorate Mr. Golerg’s rugged equipment.
He had taken an interest in the sword we made for the Lord’s trial in the Capital City, and now he had commissioned us to decorate a shield for a noble.
The design was a coat of arms, so there wasn’t much freedom there, but we were told we could use precious stones freely as long as we stayed within budget.
Honestly, there are plenty of jewelers like me around, but since I was given this job, I intend to see it through perfectly.
”Ah! Sorry! I’m working on it as hard as I can!”
”The Crimson Gemstone, Azure Gem, Emerald, and Diamond are all sourced from Kent’s mines, so they’re super cheap! So go ahead and use them lavishly. After all, we’re dealing with the nobles of Capital City and landowning lords. They’ve been finished to withstand real combat, but the more extravagant the decoration, the better the pay, you know?”
Mr. Golerg was not just a craftsman but also a businessman, always strategizing to ensure that every product he made turned a profit.
It wasn’t that Mr. Golerg’s equipment didn’t sell; I had heard that many customers had been requesting even flashier decorations for his products.
Until now, even when he wanted to meet those demands, there hadn’t been many jewelers in the South District, and those who were there were all amateurs who didn’t meet Mr. Golerg’s standards. But now, with me having proven myself worthy, he’d finally made the decision to let me adorn his products.
Considering he believed in my skills as a blacksmith from the Capital City slums, I couldn’t afford to mess up on any decoration.
”I-I will do my best! I’ll pour all my skill into completing this!”
Rosana chuckled when she heard my voice crack from nervousness.
”Sis, you’re too tense! Your decorating skills are the best in Capital City──no, the entire Demon Continent! Just focus on your work and relax!”
Having had the opportunity to watch the great Mr. Golerg work up close, Rosana had drastically improved her hammering technique. Thanks to the skill she acquired as a gift──[Iron Hammer]──she could wield even the heaviest of hammers, earning respect as a blacksmith that could impress even Mr. Golerg.
”You two, remember you’re still at work! Don’t let your guard down. Accidents happen when you least expect them. Anyone involved in blacksmithing needs to stay alert at all times!”
””Yes!””
Mr. Golerg’s warning was completely justified.
The metal coming out of the high-temperature furnace could be heated to thousands of degrees, and if the hammer was swung carelessly, someone could get seriously hurt.
So, maintaining focus in the workshop was more than just necessary; it was critical.
I decided to focus on the decoration work, too.
When it comes to the design of shields, Nobles typically incorporate their family crest, while Monster Hunters usually go for designs that reflect their personal preferences.
Since this is a quest for a Noble, a crest had already been sent to me.
There are 3 major categories to consider when it comes to the crest design: race, place of origin, and the year of nobility.
First, regarding race, each of the 8 tribes has designated designs: the True Demon Clan carries a black magic tome, the Black Dragon Clan features a black dragon, the Asura Clan uses swords, the Dream Demon Clan has daggers, the Rakshasa Clan showcases a staff, the Majin Clan opts for iron chains, and the Ghost Clan goes with a skeleton.
Next up is the place of origin, which typically represents the region where the noble acquired their title.
Currently, 5 different patterns have been established.
The northern design is a snowflake, the western one is a volcano, the eastern region boasts a forest, the Capital City is symbolized by a crown, and the South District has a castle wall.
Finally, we have the year of nobility, which is grouped into 4 main eras.
The first era corresponds to the earliest dates when Demon Lord Orphée Bleu directly appointed the Nobles, and those using round shields are now limited to the Black Dragon Duke family and the True Demon Duke family.
The second era involves the Nobles appointed by the second Demon Lord, Bendavar, who led their houses through the First Demon-Human War; dozens of noble families from the Capital City that are known as prestigious use scale patterns.
The third group includes those appointed after the Second Demon-Human War, up until Arsella Dorman’s blockade of the Demon Continent, who all feature diamond patterns.
Lastly, there are those appointed after the blockade of the Demon Continent; they currently use shield designs.
As I started to combine these designs, I realized that explaining them using the emblem of the Blackdagger family, my husband’s lineage, would help. Originally, the Blackdagger family held their noble title from Lady Miriallia in the South District, so they incorporated a dagger and castle walls into their crest, opting for a shield shape since its nobility was relatively new.
Plus, since my lord is the second generation, 2 star patterns are engraved on it.
Additionally, there are patterns added based on rank, which are updated when a new title is granted. However, given my lord’s unprecedented rapid rise in rank, his emblem has diverged significantly from that of the original Lady Miriallia.
By the way, the animals depicted based on rank are predetermined──those noble lines that produced Demon Lords have unicorns, dukes have dragons, marquises have lions, counts have eagles, viscounts have tigers, barons have wolves, and knights have hawks.
The animal corresponding to one’s rank adorns both sides of the design from the year they were granted the title, while the previous design is drawn smaller above it.
My lord used to hold the title of knight, but he has since ascended to count, and his emblem now features an eagle.
This quest is coming from a noble family of the Asura Clan in the Capital City, so the design includes swords, a crown, and a scale pattern, featuring the eagle from the Count’s family, totaling 53 stars.
I heard they’re also conducting a new investiture ceremony, and apparently, they’ve requested a full set of ceremonial equipment from Mr. Golerg for the occasion.
I immediately began sketching on Mr. Golerg’s shield, but noble emblems tend to have standardized designs, making my job easier but also limiting creativity. So, thinking it would be tough to draw attention with the design alone, I decided to lavishly embed the precious stones I’d been told to use freely onto the shield instead.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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