TN: POV changes from 1st to 3rd for some reason.
Awoken in the middle of the night, feeling a bit better, I quietly snuck into the kitchen.
But the noise I made gave me away immediately.
「What are you doing up? I told you to stay in bed.」
「I’m hungry.」
「Well, you could’ve woken me, you fool.」
My wife, Sprudia, lit the magic lamp in the kitchen and sighed again, shaking her head in resignation. I, Novium, scowled through my beard and muttered, ‘Fine’.
It had been two days since I caught a cold.
It happened the day after I delivered the hair ornament that Sui Hatano had ordered.
It was unusual for me. I’ve always been sturdy, rarely ever sick. I can’t even remember the last time I felt unwell—perhaps I was a bit worn out.
「Probably exhaustion.」
Sprudia said, almost as if she’d read my thoughts.
She turned her back, lighting the stove as she spoke gruffly.
「Ever since you got that ‘Iron’ title, you’ve been running around non-stop. You’ve even been helping younger folks, something you’d usually never do. It’s no wonder you’ve worked yourself into a fever. 」
「…Hmm.」
I sat down at the kitchen table and allowed myself a faint smile.
She wasn’t wrong.
It wasn’t as if I hadn’t helped out the younger craftsmen before. In Sidera, I’m one of the older blacksmiths, and my skills are far above average. My stubbornness, inherited from my master, made me terrible at small talk and networking, so I wasn’t well-known outside the guild. But many young craftsmen admired me, and whenever they came seeking guidance, I couldn’t help but mentor them.
But with the title of ‘Iron’, the highest honor a blacksmith could receive, came new responsibilities, especially since I’d also been commissioned to craft the observation equipment for the Void Forest. The title demanded I take on a supervisory role, and the extra mental strain had clearly worn me down.
「Then again, thinking about it, the bigger headache came from family troubles. They got married so suddenly. And then Sui asked me for more fancy trinkets—rings, hair ornaments, one intricate job after another. That’s what really tired me out.」
Sprudia didn’t reply to my grumbling. Only the gentle bubbling of the pot on the stove filled the night air in the kitchen.
「…Here, it’s ready.」
After a while, she placed a steaming bowl of milk porridge on the table.
The milk of the striped mountain goat had a natural, cinnamon-like fragrance, which became even more aromatic when heated. I must’ve been more drained than I realized, as the rich taste spread from my tongue down to my throat, warming me from the inside out.
「…There’s more than just milk in this, isn’t there?」
「Is your palate sharper without the booze dulling it?」
Sprudia shrugged, pointing over her shoulder at a bottle sitting on the counter.
「That’s the stuff everyone’s talking about. It’s finally making its way to homes like ours. Still a bit pricey, but it’s worth it.」
「Ah, consomme.」
It was a new specialty product brought to Sidera by none other than my friend, Sui Hatano.
「This porridge tastes like meat. It’s filling me with strength.」
「If you’d eaten this while you were bedridden yesterday, I would’ve sweetened it instead. But you’re almost back on your feet, so I figured you needed something more hearty.」
Hearing from Berde and others, it seems that thanks to the production of this consomme, the town has become quite lively. Not only adventurers but also the town’s farms and ranches have been bustling with orders and deliveries, to the point where winter stores have become somewhat precarious.
That said, meat, vegetables, and spices, which serve as the raw materials, can’t just be increased in supply because they’re needed. Right now, much of the town still relies on imports from other cities. The town’s economy will likely see a real upturn—and this consomme will become widely available at affordable prices for households—by the time spring arrives.
As Novium chewed on his porridge, he muttered:
「…How long has it been since we set up shop here?」
「Where’d that come from all of a sudden?」
Sprudia raised an eyebrow, thinking.
「You had that run-in with that noble in the royal capital the year after Grandpa died, so… nine years, I reckon. At first, I thought we were in for quite the fall from grace.」
「What are you saying? You were even angrier than I was at that noble.」
「Well, how could I not be, when he spoke about Grandpa’s sword like that? …Still, this town’s a good one. So, what’s on your mind?」
「Nine years, huh… Met some interesting folks. It’s the front line, after all, and the standards for weapons here are high. I’m glad we came. But even after these nine years, nothing’s really changed. The flame’s stayed the same.」
I scooped the last bit of porridge into my mouth. Delicious.
「Ah… so that’s what this is about.」
Sprudia nodded, understanding. Novium let out a breath and said,
「That one’s like a bellows.」
And chuckled.
「I still remember the first time he came into the shop. He had Master’s sword with him, and I had a look at it. I told him the sword’s history. Most people would’ve been thrilled, finding out that their father’s keepsake was such a fine piece. They’d be proud, grateful. But he wasn’t. He just grew quiet, saying it didn’t belong to him. It was my Master’s and his father’s.」
Novium still remembered that day vividly.
「And then, he asked me. To forge him a blade. To do for him what Master had done.」
—Could you make me a set of kitchen knives?
「That one didn’t just ignite this town. He rekindled my fire too.」
Novium could still feel that thrill, bubbling up from deep inside.
The man likely didn’t even notice.
Even now, he wouldn’t know that the food he brought to town had given strength to a man weakened by a cold.
But that’s exactly why…
A blacksmith can’t call himself one unless he strikes iron on the flame that the bellows have stoked.
「I’m going back to bed. Can’t afford to be sick forever… Sorry for making you cook in the middle of the night.」
Novium stood, turned, and left the kitchen to return to bed.
Sui and the Hatano family often drop by Sidera unexpectedly. Who knows when they’ll come next? He couldn’t afford to be bent over, coughing with a fever when that time came.
※※※
The door closed with a soft thud.
Left behind were an empty bowl scraped clean of every last grain and the spoon resting inside.
Watching this, Sprudia sighed deeply but smiled as she muttered to herself.
「It’s absolutely appalling…. he tells the same story when he’s drunk, and even now with a fever.」
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