Death March kara Hajimaru Isekai Kyusoukyoku (WN) - Volume 7 - Chapter Int1

Chapter intermission 1

Intermission: The Melancholy of Zajir

 

"You idiot! Put yer' back into it if you want to use the phase hammer!"

The master's fists roar again today .
I've been under master's care for 30 years now, but I still can't use the phase hammer to his satisfaction . Even among master's personal pupils, the only two who could wield the great hammer are only me and Garir . After that, I just have to become able to swing it properly . I'll show that I'd be able to do it in 10, no 5 years . And then, someday I'll build a family (shotai) with Jojori .

"Zajir-san, what's wrong with true character (shoutai)?"
"Jojori huh, nothing, just something trivial . "
"Is that so? We have a guest for grandfather, is he in the hall?"
"Yeah, he's in a bad mood, so take care . "
"I understand, thank you . "

She's lovely today too .
She answers properly even though I act brusque . Truly a nice woman .


◇


The guest that Jojori mentions is a humankin Kozou (youngster) . I don't really know humankin age, but he's probably just at coming of age .
However, master tells the youngster to try and make a sword . Moreover, not with iron but mithril? What a waste .

There's a failed mithril from that idiot Rodar's failure earlier, I guess I'll bring that . An amateur probably won't know the difference anyway .

"Use this . "
"Yes, thank you very much . This is the first time I'm blacksmithing with a mithril, I feel nervous . "

It looks like he has experience of making an iron sword, he's probably not a total amateur, but the ones here are all tempered warriors, even the lowest seat, Rodar, has been making sword for 50 years . It'll be pitiful to compare him with them . Master is cruel for letting this .

The motion of Kozou who smoothly put fire in the furnace slightly catches my attention when I see it . Is this guy really an amateur?

That small doubt becomes conviction when I see Kozou holds the mallet .

That unwavering stance .

He looks like master .

That impression isn't wrong .
Kozou looks puzzled as soon as he strikes with he mallet . Did he notice that slight difference?　He could discern failed mithril even though it's the first time he hit one .
The master's fist drops on me for the mithril thing, but such thing doesn't matter . If I give this guy the best mithril, what kind of sword will he make? It's been awhile since my heart boils .

I run to the mithril refinement furnace before master and the others .
I've entrusted it to Rodar . This time, I'll prepare the best mithril myself .

"Yer' bastards!　Get fired up!"

I motivate them with rough words but the refinement furnace's guys keep lying on the floor .

"Zajir-san, today, the gnomes aren't here . Because of that there's not enough magic power . "
"Spirit! If you just put your spirit, anything can be done . "
"Please don't say unresonable things . Then, Zajir-san, please pour your magic power . With spirit!"

That Ganza has also gone to the meeting with the gnomes huh . That's why the mithril today come out bad huh . It's not because of Rodar being careless in his supervision . I'll treat him to a liquor next time .
I try to pour my magic power, but it's not something that an inexperienced person can do . I can only pour around 0 . 5% . Seems that I'm bad with putting magic power into magic tools .

"It's fine to put magic power into this right . "

Looks like Kozou is filling magic power as ordered by master . Judging from the short cane on his waist, he probably can use magic, but the furnace is an equipment that's normally filled by 10 gnomes magic power . It's not something that one person can somehow do, I've experienced it myself just now .

And yet, that guy has accomplished it alone .
The head of the refinement group is surprised to the point that his jaw looks as if dislocated, but I can't say that I don't understand his feeling .

Master is checking the finished mithril with examination apparatus . I know by just seeing it . That's a first-class one . In addition, extremely so . This is the first time I see master especially uses examination apparatus .


◇


Ordered by master, I bring out a great hammer made of mithril alloy from the warehouse . It's far heavier than the usual phase hammer . Unbelievably, master tells Kozou to swing this great hammer .


Telling non-dwarves to swing the great hammer?
Garir and me express our opinions to master, but we only gets dropped fists . I can't go against master's decision .

Kozou who has been asked to swing the great hammer by master also becomes dumbfounded when he's in front of the great hammer .

No wonder . It's not something that a thin humankin kid can lift . When I show him how I hold it with one arm, he's greatly surprised . Kozou admiring me makes me ticklish . We're in front of Jojori . Say more .

"Oops-a-daisy . It's really heavy after all . I can't stabilize my shaking body . "

When I look back, Kozou is lifting and practice-swinging the great hammer .

Idiotic . The weight is not something a humankin can stand--that's what should have been . . . .
He's staggering, but he's certainly lifted it . Garir and me can lift it since we have herculean strength skill, but even for the dwarves in this room, only half of them can do it . Who the heck is he really .

"Zajir, go call Ganza . "

Master shouts while holding the secret medicine pot on one hand . When I tell master that Ganza is visiting his home and not here, master shouts in angry voice enough to fill the whole room while boiling in anger .  

I'm almost given an errand to go to the gnome's hometown, but I get out of the hardship since Kozou can do compounding . What a versatile guy .

Later, Ganza asks me the name of the one who's done the compounding, but since I always call him Kozou, I tell Ganza, "Don't know", and he gets really depressed . He must be dissatisfied for having the compounding equipments used by other people . He shuts up when I says to go tell master if he has complaints .


◇


I burn into my eyes the figures of master and Kozou forging the sword . They could be called twin existences, they match their breaths perfectly . Unbelievably, Kozou swings that great hammer for all night long without uttering even a whine . I can't let a humankin even touches the great hammer, but I allow it if it's this guy . My colleagues have the same opinion too .  

Fairy sword .

The sword that Kozou swings is beautiful .
I will forge a sword exceeding that one someday . It's unreachable for the me now, but I'll show that I will surely reach it after several dozens of years .

Absolutely .




◇


Later, liquor from Kozou for master has arrived .
He's sent it with the barrels altogether, he sure knows dwarves . He's a heavy drinker that beat master and me in drinking bout back then after all . I'd like to drink together again someday .

"Yo, Zajir . Is Dohar-shi around?"

I hear voice of a delicate man with an attitude . It's the eccentric Galhar who's opened a magic shop in the city above ground .

"Fun, there's no reason for you to not use honorifics for me . Call me Zajir-sama . "
"Now now, Zajir-san . Don't talk like that to a childhood friend even as a joke . "

The lovely Jojori shows her face behind Galhar . Childhood friend is a story of 30 years ago . It's a thing from several dozens years ago .

"Jojori, it's just like a child wanting to be glorified . "
"Alright, I accept that challenge!"

I roll up my sleeves and am going to hit Galhar, but Jojori stop it with her body . Why, are you an ally of Galhar . She calls Galhar without honorific even though she uses "san" with me .

"Galhar, you too stop talking with biting words . Please get along . "
"I know, Jojori . "

Even though I get scolded by Jojori, when I see Galhar who's red like an octopus, I become wanting to hit him once .

"Wait Zajir-san, please don't use violence . "

Dang, I unintentionally hit him .
My quarrel with Galhar continues until master comes back from a meal .

"What's this commotion . Do it outside if you want to make noise . "
"Ara, grandfather . "
"F, forgivme, master . "



Fufun, he's been hit too many, he can't talk well . Serves you right .

"Wer' just playing arnd . "

I just have a slight difficulty of talking today . It might even rain later .


◇


Thanks to Jojori-san who calls Don Haan siblings to cure us, both of us can talk now .
Galhar who rarely comes to the underground has come to invite us-which surprisingly include me too--to drink the liquor together- . He should have said so from the beginning . People who brings liquor with him is never bad people .

"This light green liquor is delicious . "
"This crimson liquor is also sweetly easy to drink . "

We can't have a banquet with just the shares that Galhar brings, so we take out the liquor barrels that Kozou has given to master .
As I'm told, it seems that the liquor Galhar brings is also from Kozou .

Why?

"Several barrels of liquor came together with a letter of gratitude . In the letter, along with gratitudes, he says that he's escaped death thanks to the goods that he's bought from me . I've opened the magic shop for 20 years, but this is the first time I've been thanked to this degree . "

I heard that Galhar was forced to buy trash-like things when he went to the humankin city, but it seems he's doing a good work .  

"Galhar, don't forget the feeling now . If you do that, you'll become the best dwarf magic merchant . "
"That's right, Galhar . The best of gnome are Han and me though . "
"That is so, Galhar . Aim to become the best among the dwarves . You'll always be second in this city though . "

Even though master specially gives a good word to Galhar, the Don Haan siblings mix in .
It seems master has approved him, but I won't hand Jojori over . While battling for Jojori's line of sight from across, we gulp down the liquor
cups at the same time .

A good liquor with a nice woman, and a nice rival (friend), is good .
Next time, I want to have a banquet together with Kozou .