The Unaware Harem Adventure Tale of the Strongest Enchanter ~~I Don’t Know My Companions’ Faces or Identities, but I’m Pretty Sure They’re All Guys~~ - 57. You Can’t Win Against Soft Things

57. 57. You Can’t Win Against Soft Things

Using a fine-tipped blade, I carefully carved the letters one by one.

For spots that were hard to see, I used the head-mounted magnifying loupe I’d brought with me to check as I worked.

“Phew…”

I let out a breath and removed the loupe from my right eye.

The bluish-silver blade was now covered with engraved letters. They were shining as though they had been part of it from the start. From here, the blacksmith would probably add color to the letters or do something else to make it look more luxurious. Or maybe he’d ask a professional colorist to do it.

Either way, my job was done.

“I made some tea.”

“Thanks.”

The thief girl handed me a teacup, and I took a sip.

Tea after work always tasted good. Especially on days when the job went well — my self-esteem skyrocketed. I felt amazing.

“The letters really got engraved. Does that mean if you have an enchanter, you can just keep enchanting equipment endlessly?”

“Good observation. That’s one of the advantages of having an enchanter. The more they grow, the more they can add or remove to make personalized enchantments — a big benefit most people don’t realize.”

“Were the ‘Unknown’ equipment pieces also made by you, Sensei?”

“Ah, I offered before, but they all turned me down. Engraving means they’d have to hand over their equipment to me. Now it’d be fine. But back then both Felice and Grannaughts were hiding their identities. But if you think about it… that means I could engrave them now…”

Just as I was about to sink into thought, a loud clanging noise pulled me back to reality.

It was the sound of metal being struck. It echoed again from the back of the workshop — looks like Nonon had started her work.

The thief girl and I decided to peek in and watch.

“This sound, this feeling — it’s been a while. I’m having fun.”

“What the hell… She’s making that kitchen knife crazy fast!”

The one grumbling was the blacksmith old man.

In front of him, Nonon swung her hammer down.

The glowing red metal looked as though it was changing shape on its own. It was following the command of each strike. I’d seen dwarves forge before, but never like this.

They say dwarves are a race loved by fire and earth — but if she’s an elder dwarf, maybe they’re more like a married couple by now.

“Oops, I almost went full serious mode. Guess I’ll stop around here.”

She said that and dunked the metal into water.

Once it cooled, she quickly moved on to sharpening.

Setting the finished knife on the table, Nonon winked and said, “Done.”

Even I, a total amateur, could tell — that was absurdly fast.

The old man probably only asked her to shape it. Not to polish and sharpen it too.

He picked up the knife. He still looked stunned.

“Try cutting something! Lux, cutting board and ham — gotta test it!”

“Ah, right.”

Doing as he said, I took out a cutting board and some ham from my magic storage.

The old man gently lowered the blade onto the ham. And then — the knife slid through effortlessly. It sliced not only the ham but also cleanly split the cutting board in two.

What a blade. That’s scary.

“Wha—!? What the hell is this knife!?”

The smith threw the knife aside and fell on his rear.

Can’t blame him. Calling this thing a kitchen knife feels wrong — it’s way too sharp. And it even had that hand-carved look. It had a strangely stylish design to boot.

“What do you think? Pretty decent knife, right?”

“Decent!? Are you nuts? This thing’s way beyond a kitchen knife! What do I even do with it…? I can’t sell it like this. Maybe I’ll take a chance and negotiate with the lord’s chef or something.”

“Knew it, I overdid it.”

“Well, it is an insane knife. It just cuts *too well*. No one needs that much performance in a kitchen tool. A tool that chooses its user… that’s no longer a tool.”

“My dad once told me the same thing.”

Nonon slumped her shoulders. She looked uncharacteristically down.

The thief girl patted her on the shoulder and said flatly, “Don’t mind.”

Getting comforted by her junior (?), Nonon smiled shyly and patted the thief girl’s head in return.

“Hey, old man. Can I drop by sometimes? I wanna learn more about making tools outside. Think you could teach me stuff?”

“Teach you? Huh? Sure, I guess. If you’re helping out, I’ve got no reason to say no. But, miss… you’re an elder dwarf, right?”

Nonon kept smiling but didn’t answer.

Still, the old man seemed to take her silence as a yes and handed her his hammer.

“I’m not gonna tell anyone what you are. But seriously — keep that identity hidden. You upper races are being hunted down by nations desperate to find you. Anything too perfect gets destroyed on sight. Got it?”

“Got it! I’ll do my best!”

Nonon took the hammer with a cheerful smile.

The old man nodded at her with a fond, grandfatherly look.

Come to think of it, didn’t his real granddaughter always call him smelly and avoid him? Guess he decided to have a new one.

“By the way, the engraving’s done. Check it.”

“Oh, fast as always. You know, you could quit adventuring and make a living doing just this.”

“I like being an adventurer. If I only did engraving, I’d be stuck alone in a dark room every day, just scratching letters nonstop. I couldn’t stand that.”

“So that means Sensei would be home every day?”

The thief girl suddenly muttered, “If one starts casually making tea, they’re basically the wife already,” under her breath.

Nonon then added, 

“Two people working together in a cozy workshop doesn’t sound bad either.”

Whatever. I just wanted to go home.

These detailed jobs always left me exhausted.

The old man checked the sword several times to make sure there were no mistakes.

Well, all he really needed to verify was that the letters weren’t smudged and that the content matched the order. Only a veteran blacksmith with decades of experience could even check that much. Then again, he’s a dwarf. So maybe it’s more than just decades.

“No mistake here. Just as ordered. Thanks. Here’s your payment.”

“Thanks. I’ll take more jobs anytime.”

He placed a leather pouch on the table.

After checking the contents, I stashed it in my magic storage.

“Since we got paid, let’s go grab something sweet, all three of us.”

“Sensei!”

Nonon and the thief girl looked up at me with sparkling eyes.

Ugh… I just wanted to go home.

Then both of them clung to my arms — soft sensations pressing on both sides.

“I’ll treat you to whatever you like.”

I put on the calm expression of a composed adult.