「Oh, there’s a lot here.」
Inside Father’s special woodworking set were all kinds of tools and pieces of lumber. Some of the tools I didn’t even recognize, and the wood came in all shapes and sizes.
「Oh, oh. Oh… hm?」
Just as I picked up a file and a piece of wood, something felt off.
「Eh, what is this… amazing.」
In my right hand was an iron file, in my left a piece of lumber about thirty centimeters long. The moment I held both together, I clearly understood how to use the file most effectively to smooth the wood. This must be the blessing of the 【Woodworking】 skill.
When I let go of the file to test it, the strange sense of omnipotence vanished completely. Then, when I held a knife instead, I suddenly felt I could skillfully carve the wood with it.
「Heh… that’s incredible.」
「What’s the matter?」
While I was busy picking up and putting down the tools and wood, Mother had returned home at some point and called out to me.
「Mother, this is amazing. Right now, I feel like I could smooth any piece of wood to perfection.」
I lifted the file and wood with pride, showing them off to her.
「Ah, that’s the effect of a skill. It takes me back. When I first held a bow, I was shocked because I felt like I could bring down any prey.」
「…………」
The coolness of our stories is on a completely different level…
Me, holding up a file and saying, “I can smooth any wood!” versus Mother, saying she could strike down any prey with a bow. Hers was so much more fitting for an elf. I wish I had gotten something like that…
「Alec?」
「…It’s nothing, really. But it’s interesting. If I hold wood in one hand and a knife in the other, I feel like I can use the knife skillfully. But the moment I put the wood down, I lose all sense of how to handle it.」
「That’s what a skill is. You’re allowed because you have the 【Woodworking】 skill, but don’t use a knife for anything other than cutting wood, alright?」
「Okay, Mother.」
After that, I kept looking through the tools until Mother suggested, 「Why don’t you try making something?」
Even if I have the skill, I’m still a beginner… I’d never done anything like DIY before.
「Ah, this might work.」
I found a wooden board, about forty centimeters long, thirty centimeters wide, and three centimeters thick. I decided to try making a woodblock print. Luckily, there were carving knives included. I had done woodblock printing back in elementary school.
Though, at the time, I made the stupid mistake of resting my left hand in front of the carving knife in my right hand, and when it slipped—
…Even though it was decades ago, just remembering it still makes me shiver.
But now, with the 【Woodworking】 skill, I shouldn’t make a mistake like that. Time to begin—
◇
「――Done」
…Wait, how many hours have I been at this? My focus was incredible. Is this also thanks to the 『Woodworking』 skill? I had completely lost track of time while working.
When I first started carving the block, I thought, 『Isn’t this more like something that would fall under art or fine arts rather than woodworking?』 Still, thanks to the skill, the work went smoothly.
By the way, the subject was Mother. I tried carving her image.
Honestly, if a child tried to carve their parent into a block print, the result would usually end up looking like something out of a nightmare… but thanks to the skill, it didn’t.
Actually, it wasn’t even a block print anymore. Even if I applied ink, transferring it onto paper was impossible. It was a normal sculpture, or rather, a carved relief.
「…This is seriously amazing」
A few hours ago, it had only been a wooden plank, but now it bore the figure of a beautiful woman with a gentle smile, sculpted in three dimensions. I knew I carved it myself, but it still moved me.
Could something like this really be done at level 1? Maybe the model was just that good? …It sounds like I’m flattering her, but all I did was try to faithfully carve Mother’s likeness into the wood. If I had an actual artistic skill, maybe it would have turned out more original.
Either way, this skill is incredible. As I admired the piece, I suddenly felt the urge to pee.
It seemed I had been so absorbed that I forgot my own bodily needs. I’d clean up the wood shavings after using the toilet.
◇
When I returned after giving thanks to the slime as usual, I found Mother staring at the work.
That was when I realized she had left while I was working. Which meant I had already broken my promise to Father, 『Only work when my parents are around.』
Still, Mother had left her young son handling sharp objects for the first time and simply walked away…
She must have watched long enough to judge it safe. Yes, that had to be it. It definitely wasn’t because she got bored. I wanted to believe that.
「So, this is finished? Is this me?」
「Yeah, I tried carving you, Mother」
「I see. Well done. This is lovely」
Oh, Mother looked pleased. That made me happy too.
「Um, if you’d like, I can give it to you」
「Ara, really? Then I’ll gladly accept. I’ll put it in my room」
If she went that far, it made all the effort worth it.
It occurred to me that the 『Woodworking』 skill probably didn’t enhance the artistic side. But maybe it allowed me to faithfully reproduce models. If so, maybe I could make dolls too?
Should I try it? If I could faithfully carve Mother, wouldn’t that basically be a beautiful girl figurine? Well… calling Mother a “girl” might be pushing it a bit…
「Just now, I felt terribly insulted.」
Scary! What? Is she some kind of mind-reader?
「Even though Alec carved me this beautifully… why? Why would you?」
Even if you ask me why…
No matter how I look at it, you’re not exactly a “girl”…whoa, she’s glaring at me…
next chapter: Othell◯
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