The Great Sage Who Did not Remain in Legend - 44.2

Hmm, I’m hesitant to jump in. But if I just leave now, that might be bad too. Maybe I should listen a little more.

“Rikka’s mother, is Rikka on bad terms with her dad?”

“They’re similar, those two. Stubborn and poor at explaining, and they act immediately when they think something.”

Come to think of it, when I first met Rikka, she approached me suspiciously, and I shouted at her. But later, I thought she was a good person.

“I heard Rikka wore men’s clothes for the coming-of-age ceremony. Is that related?”

“Well, that might have been the decisive factor.”

Rikka’s Past

“Talil, if it’s a boy, he’ll be called Rock, and if it’s a girl, Rikka. Nice names, right?”

“Oh my, have you already decided on the name? The baby isn’t due for a long time yet.”

“I decided that when I married you.”

“Come on, you decide everything on your own.”

“What? Are you unsatisfied with this name?”

“No, I think it’s a good name. You must be happy since you’ll be able to spoil her so much.”

Rikka’s mother rubbed her slightly enlarged belly and spoke to the child inside, saying how happy she was.

Grumman’s parents, who were blacksmiths, died early, and he struggled to establish his own workshop. Just as he began to gain a reputation as a promising blacksmith, he got married and had a child.

Just Before Rikka Was Born

“Hey, dear. If it’s a boy, how do you plan to raise him?”

Talil, rubbing her enlarged belly, asked Grumman.

“Well, if it’s a boy, I want him to inherit the workshop. If he’s interested in blacksmithing, that is. If it’s a girl, I hope she’ll be raised beautifully like you.”

“Well, you certainly have a lot of confidence.”

By the time Rikka was three, the workshop was doing well enough that Grumman was taking on apprentices.

“Damn it! Do you even have an ideal of what you want to make? Creating something half-baked like this!”

“I think this one is quite well-made…”

“Huh? You think this is well-made? If you want to make something like that, go somewhere else!”

Grumman was strict with his apprentices. The blacksmithing work itself was nearly the same wherever you went. Grumman thought that what he wanted to make and what his apprentices wanted to make were not the same, and he was trying to convey that the way of being a blacksmith was more important than technical skills. However, those who came hoping to learn Grumman’s blacksmithing skills left in droves.

“Thank you for your guidance…”

“Tch, just disappear already.”

When Rikka Was Five

“Dad, I want pants like yours instead of a frilly dress.”

“Why not? The fluttering clothes are cuter!”

“No, this makes it hard to move. I want to be a blacksmith like Dad.”

“Rikka, being a blacksmith is difficult for a girl.”

“Eh? Then I’ll become a swordsman with the sword Dad made!”

“A swordsman, huh? That’s difficult too. You have to practice a lot to handle a sword well.”

“Then I’ll practice!”

“Right, shall I buy you a new doll?”

“I’d rather have a sword. Dad, make Rikka a sword!”