378-Father's disciple




 <Using the Gatom, we came home again.

No, no! That's not it! Like this!

 It was my father's voice coming from the workshop.
 His tone of voice was more serious than ever.

Oh, welcome back, Anos. Dinner will be ready soon.

 Mom comes out of the kitchen.

'Look, it's not a small skill. Blacksmithing is the heart! The soul! Before you sharpen your blade, you must first sharpen your mind!

 Dad's feverish voice echoed loudly from behind the door.
 Sasha and the others glanced in that direction to see what was going on.

Your apprentice is here. It's the first day, father, and he's pretty excited about it.

 Mom says happily.
 Come to think of it, did I say something like that?

''By the way, we're going to have lunch now, will Eleonor and Zesia-chan join us for lunch?

Well, maybe we're not too hungry.

 That was the moment Eleanor refrained from doing so.

'Zesia is........hungry.......!

 Drawing a magic circle and sticking her hand into it, Zesia took out her My Spoon and My Fork.

 Eleonor laughs shyly.



I made so much food today, if you'd like to help me eat it, Eleonor.

Uh ... yeah. Then we're in for a treat.

 Scowling, Eleonor said.

'Hmph, thanks. You'll have to wait a bit longer. I'll be ready soon.'

 Mom went back to the kitchen.

'--Okay! Yes, yes! You're starting to get the hang of this! Keep it up!

 Dad's spirited voice sounded louder than ever.

 Sasha and the others turned to the workshop door.

''Well I'm a bit curious.

 Eleonor looked half interested and half anxious.
 Misha was nodding persistently.

'Shall we take a peek?'

We don't want to be disturbed.

So I'm just going to peek. I'll try to stay out of your way. I'm sure you're wondering what kind of apprentice Anos's father got, Misha.

 Misha thought carefully and nodded persistently.

''Zesia is also........curious.......!

Then it's gonna be quiet. Sneak. Sneak.

 Gently, Eleonor and the others approached the door of the workshop.

'Well, now it's time to keep it that way. This is the foundation, but it will take daily practice to keep it in good shape.

 As his father's voice echoes, Eleonor brings his eyes closer to the keyhole.
 Because it's a cheap one, it's designed to allow you to see into the room.

Can you.... see...?

Hmmm, I see it, but I don't really know what it is...

 Then Sasha smiled gracefully behind the girls.

'I guess it's my turn.'

Sasha, can you do anything about it?

 Sasha nodded confidently and walked over to Eleonor.

'Would you mind taking over?'

 Sasha replaces Eleonor and stands at the door.

'Let's go, !

Hey, don't break it!

 Sasha brings her fingertips to her eyes in a graceful gesture.

'Who does she think I am? O Averniu, god of the order of destruction. What you destroy is determined by a single blink of my eye.

 A magic circle floats in Sasha's eyes.

'We just need to widen the keyhole a little so we can see clearly inside, right?

'Yes, but are you that drunk and can you control your magical eye?'

 Sasha sneered and glared in front of him with a scowl.

''The power of the God of Destruction, I'll show you.

 With a thud, the door of the workshop collapsed on itself without a trace.

''Ehhh! What are you doing, Sasha?

It's blown...

 Eleonor and Misha stared at the traces of the now defunct door, stunned.
 'Hmph,' exhaled Sasha with satisfaction.

'Would it be easier to see if the keyhole was this wide?

Sasha, you're an idiot!

 I could see the inside of the workshop through the open door.

 With a pouty expression on his face, my father turns to me to see what's going on.
 Eleonor hurriedly lowers his head.

''I'm sorry. I tried to sneak a glimpse of you teaching your students, but I failed--

 She looked up and saw Dad's apprentice in front of her and rolled her eyes.

 A one-eyed demon with a large eye patch and a blacksmith's mallet slung over his shoulder, his legs crossed over his chair and he struck the same pretentious pose that my dad always did.

If you wanted to see it, I could have shown it to you as many times as you asked. If you wanted to see it, I would have shown it to you.

 Kiran and his toothy grin, and his father seemed pleased, kneeling in front of his apprentice in a pretentious manner.
 Then he pointed with his hand as if to introduce the demon race.

"From now on, I am going to be working as an apprentice in our home, the ejus code. You are your father's first apprentice.

 Dad was ecstatic at the prospect of having a disciple.

A disciple? You?

 Sasha stepped forward and pointed at Yggess.

'What are you planning to do, Dark Lord Iggess? I won't allow you to do what you want in the house of Anos while my eye is still intact.

Sasha is drunk.

 Quickly, Misha followed up.

It's just a matter of chance. It's just a coincidence that I happened to be studying under them.

 Ijeth says, still in the same tone of voice.

I can't believe it. What do you mean you just happened to be studying under him?

 Sasha pursues.
 Then Dad shook his head quietly.

Sasha," he said. If a man lives long enough, he has a past or a past that he can't talk about to others.

 Dad said, like an enlightened craftsman.

"When you're my age, you can't get away with one or two things. No, not even 10 or 20 will do it for you.

 It is a life full of shame.

'Uh ... what ... what ... even women have it.

 That's not the point.

"Yeejus. Keep your posture.

Yes, sir.

 After making sure that Yeejus is holding his pose, Dad moves with us to the corner of the workshop.

 He asks, as if he were whispering to me.

"So what's up with him? What's going on with Anos and the others?

"Something's just not right! Oh, my God, that's so weird!

 Sasha complains with a serious look on her face.

'How hard is hard?'

'You know ... I know how hard-headed Eagles seems to be, and he looks like he's willing to use any means necessary to achieve his goals, but he's not such a raw thing.

...Wha... is that so?

 Nodding, Sasha said as if to advise her.

'He's actually a nice guy...'

...What did you say?

 Dad lets out an exclamation of surprise.
 He must be drinking in Sasha's atmosphere.

'I knew it...'

 Dad says, glancing in the direction of Iges, and then he says

'But that doesn't sound like a problem to me...'

 Dad looks serious, but I don't need to think about it; it's as if it doesn't matter.

'No, he's going to cheat. He's trying to do something good under the guise of doing something bad... I wonder what good deed she's planning to do this time...

 Sasha says, baring her vigilance.

'Always be prepared to say thank you, or you'll accidentally forget to say it.

That guy's certainly got to be careful...

 Atmosphere.
 Drunk Sasha and Dad are talking in the earliest of moods alone.

'I feel so guilty,'

Sasha is very drunk.

 Misha says, and Eleonor ticks up his index finger.

'By the way, how did you come to be an apprentice to Yeejus?

Hmm? Oh, well, what can I say?

 Dad ducked his head lightly.

'I'm a member of a blacksmith's guild that I join, and sometimes I have to give lectures and training and stuff to fledgling blacksmiths.

 I can't imagine my father giving a lecture.
 I'd like to see that.

That's where you were coming from, Edgess.

Hmm, why?

 Curiously, Eleonor twists his head around.
 Misha turned to me.

'That's what I meant.'

 When she replied, she nodded.
 Then a
"Hey, Misha-chan, even if you only understand it, we don't understand it at all!

"...favoritism....

 Zecia demurred.

'My father told Yggeth that it was my own father, Cerys Voldigord. So he went to check on him.'

 So I returned the to him.

It seems that fledgling smiths can't even do a decent job yet, so besides being taught in their own workshops, they also study various other places like that, it seems to be a bit different from Azation. It's a bit different from Azation, it seems.

 Dad explained, misunderstanding Eleonor's question.

'But after the lecture was over, Edgess stayed until the end. He asked me how the forger's work was going.

 I suppose Yegers wanted to know how his former mentor was living in this peaceful world.

I replied that it's not all fun and games, but when you do a good job, you are exceptional.

 I can picture my dad's smile in my head.

"I tapped him on the shoulder and said, 'You do your best, too,' and he turned over and was shaking. I was so relieved to see the look on Yeejus' face.

 It wasn't the same as when I was talking to Sasha earlier.
 In a true and serious tone, Dad spoke.

"I was wondering why I had forgotten something so important. I'm sure of it. There's no doubt about it, Edgess--

 With a serious face, Dad said emphatically.

''--Unemployed...!

 Eleonor opened his mouth and looked at his father's face in a daze.

'I forgot that it's not just fledglings who come to lectures, it's also unemployed smiths. 'You see, Yeejus, he's a ship's eye. I think he made a mistake in the first workshop he worked in. I think that's why he got fired. I mean, it's tough when you're new and missing an eye, that's why.

 As usual, Dad's mistake is oblique.

'Because I didn't notice. I said, 'I'm sorry about your eye,' and that's when I was convinced, and that's when I got the look on my face that made Yeejus hold back tears.

 I don't remember, even though I know that I know that I have no memory of it.
 I can only imagine what he was going through at the time.

It's the fault of the trainer who taught him to hurt the newcomer's eye. You can't just fire him for that. But even if a weak blacksmith like me says something, there's no way the guild will act on it.

 Dad said, as if driven by righteous indignation.
 Maybe somewhere deep down in his heart he had feelings for IJesus.

I said, "I'll take care of you until you become a full-fledged apprentice," he said, "and that's why I brought you here. Haha, Dad, I think I'm just showing off.

 My dad gave me a crisp look, as if to ask for a compliment.
 For the moment, it was passed over from all of us.

'Well, that's why, yeah. I'm sure you'll be able to find a great deal more to say about it.

 Dad turns around.

 Yeejus was striking a pretentious pose, clutching a mallet over his shoulder, just as Dad had taught him earlier.

 When his eyes meet mine, he spills his words, looking a little punished.

''Like I said before, it just happened...''

 A man who was even called the Four Evil Royals is still a smith.
 Even though my father was mistaken, how could he refuse to do so?

 As if by chance, after two thousand years, his apprentice returned to his master.

Oh. Oh, Yggess. You don't pose well. Isn't that what you taught me?

It can't be. As I said, don't move even a millimeter.

 Dad laughed as if he could see through it all and pointed to the area around Edgess's chest.

'This place is shaking. The heart that says I'm the best smith in the world.

"....my heart...!

 This time, though, your training may be a little more painful than being a ghost.