When I showed her the big hammer I had just bought, Nana-san somehow got depressed, embarrassed, and even started punching my shoulder.
She looked extremely emotionally unstable, but as time passed, she finally seemed to calm down.
Honestly, still――
「A hammer and soil, huh……」
「Yes……」
Apparently, Nana-san had misunderstood the word I said, thinking that 『hammer』 meant 『soil』.
She had mistakenly believed that I obtained an 『Soil Skill』 from the cheat roulette.
And today as well, she thought I was going out to buy 『combat soil』.
「Combat soil, huh………… heh」
「……You!」
「Ow!」
Once again, Nana-san punched my shoulder…….
It is not like I was laughing at her. I just thought the phrase 『combat soil』 sounded a bit funny……
「Um, sorry Nana-san. I was not laughing at you」
「No, I am the one who should apologize…… I lost my temper and punched you twice, Master……」
「No, it is fine, Nana-san」
Well, it hurts, and it is not really fine…….
Still, this time it was my fault. In front of Nana-san, who was clearly very sensitive, my earlier response was far too careless. The second shoulder punch was understandable.
By the way, the reason for the first shoulder punch was――
『Even though I was suffering this much, you responded with a vague nod and a spaced-out look, which irritated me』
――apparently.
That explanation hurts even more. Did I really look like that? She said spaced-out twice.
「I will reflect on my actions. If I keep casually punching your shoulder like this, Master――I would feel sorry toward Diana-sama as well」
「Diana-chan?」
「After all, shoulder punches are Diana-sama’s exclusive specialty」
「I do not think Diana-chan considers it her exclusive specialty, though……」
It is true that she is a girl who casually punches my shoulder, though……
「That aside, it seems you and I kept missing each other like this for a whole month」
「Yes. I had been feeling a subtle sense of discomfort for a while now. I felt there was some strange misalignment between us, but……」
「Yeah……」
When I talked with Nana-san about hammers and the 『Hammer』 skill, there really was a feeling like the buttons were being fastened wrong.
Or rather, I had felt that way dozens of times over the past month. Why did I not notice it sooner……
「Haa……」
「Nana-san, are you okay?」
「Thank you, I am fine. ……But perhaps I ended up embarrassing myself terribly in front of the entire village」
「I see……」
「Ugh, this is the worst. The villagers might think I am some strange woman」
That might have already been the case before……
「It is a black history, a black history. At the age of two, I suddenly created a black history for myself. Going around asking everyone about soil…… even asking Jerepapa……」
「Ah, yeah……」
「……Now that I think about it, I even asked Ralipapa」
「Ralina-Papa?」
「Yes. I demanded that Ralipapa produce 『combat soil』」
「I see……」
Well, if she thought it was some kind of special soil, it makes sense to ask Ralina papa, who is a merchant.
「At this rate, Ralipapa might eventually bring some strange soil to us……」
「Strange soil……」
It is not impossible……
Ralina papa is a very capable merchant, so he might actually track down some mysterious soil from somewhere and bring it back.
「……I am starting to feel a bit curious. Just what kind of soil would Ralipapa procure?」
「…………」
It is admittedly a little intriguing……
「No, no, no. That would be unfair to Ralina papa. Making him search for something that might not even exist, and something we do not even want」
「You are right…… I will properly apologize to Ralipapa and ask him to stop searching for soil」
「That would be best」
「……Still, knowing that someone other than myself was also searching for strange soil somehow makes me feel a bit better」
「What kind of way is that to cheer yourself up……」
In the first place, it was Nana-san who had been making people search for it.
「So, Master――」
「Hm?」
「In the end, the skill you obtained was the 『Hammer』 skill, correct? The 『hammer』 skill for things like hammers?」
「Yeah, the 『Hammer』 skill. A skill that makes you better at handling wooden mallets, metal hammers, and the like. ……Ah, I really should have explained it like this from the start. Sorry, Nana-san」
Because the name was simply 『Hammer』 skill, I kept saying 『hammer』 every time.
If I had used the word 『hammer』 even once, none of this would have happened. There would have been no misunderstanding, and Nana-san would not have created a black history at the age of two……
「No, it is fine. So, that hammer is the one you bought」
「Yep. This is the great hammer」
I picked up the great hammer that had been left on the table and held it up with a hint of pride.
「I could not comment on it earlier, but…… what is with that name? It looks like Master’s name is carved into the great hammer……?」
「I had Jered papa carve it for me. It is an engraving service」
「Engraving…… like on wallets or ballpoint pens?」
「Yeah, like that」
When I bought the great hammer at the shop, Jered papa offered an engraving service, so I asked him to do it as well.
「He carved it quite large……」
「Since I had the chance」
Since I had the chance, I had 『Alexis』 carved in big letters on the side of the hammer head.
Jered papa looked slightly bewildered and said something like 『How much do you want to assert your own name……』, but he carved it out in no time and engraved my name in a cool way. As expected of the best blacksmith in the village.
「How should I put it. It is like your own original hammer?」
「Haa……」
「For now, I named this great hammer 『Alexis Hammer No. 1』」
「I see……」
Nana-san’s reaction is lukewarm. I quite like it, though.
……That said, there is one thing that bothers me. Just one thing I think was a mistake.
That is――having my name carved vertically instead of horizontally.
That part feels like a mistake.
When I look at the hammer head with my name 『Alexis』 carved in large vertical letters――
『It kind of looks like a gravestone……』
――that thought suddenly comes to mind.
It looks like a miniature gravestone with a wooden pole stabbed into it from the side…….
No matter how I look at it, it seems like an extremely inappropriate hammer…….And the name carved into the gravestone is mine…….
But there is nothing I can do now. It has already been carved, so complaining at this point would change nothing.
Still, it bothers me just a little…….
「What do you think, Nana-san?」
「Even if you ask me…… Well, if Master is happy, then I think it is fine……」
「I see」
That way of speaking sounds oddly evasive…….
「At least, since your name is written on it, you will not have to worry if you drop it」
「Well, that is true」
「Also, I was reminded for the first time in a while that Master’s real name is 『Alexis』 and not 『Alec』」
「I guess so……」
Everyone just calls me Alec, after all…….
「Come to think of it, Jered papa had also forgotten that my real name is Alexis」
「Is that so. ……Well, you cannot really complain, especially to Jered papa」
「Yeah……」
I only ever call Jered papa by Jered papa too…….
「Well, whatever. For now, I think I will start using this from tomorrow」
「Then, against the giant rats in the dungeon?」
「No, jumping straight into real combat sounds scary…… I think I will have Father help me first」
「Practice against Grandfather?」
「Yeah」
The sword training Father and I do every morning.
During that, I will have him help me practice hammer techniques a little as well.
「I see. Tomorrow, with Grandfather……」
「Yeah」
「Tomorrow, you will strike Grandfather――with that hammer」
「…………」
That is a terrible way to put it…….
It is a very terrible way to put it. Somehow, the phrase 『premeditated crime』 flashes through my mind because of that wording…….
next chapter: Magic Sword Balmung and Alexis Hammer No. 1
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