After a whole week and after I also paid back to Alice by washing the blackboard two times, I was finally able to finish the sword, looking proudly at the finished product and have my uncle review it.
“Hmm… Pretty straight, seems sturdy, the handle feels good and-… Is this leather an imitation?”
He pointed at the leather that covered the handle and I smashed the anvil with the hammer enraged by his comment,
“It’s real leather! What would my customers say if my materials were imitations?! My rating would drop like crazy!”
“Oh yeah? Then why does it feel so shitty? You sure you didn’t get tricked?”
“Oh shut it, give me that!… Hm?”
I snatched the sword from his hand then gripped it firmly feeling like the leather was indeed a bit too rigid and not as elastic as normal leather. After I took a better look, it seems that whatever I used to glue the leather to the handle made it simply too rigid.
“Hmm… maybe the glue was too strong for this.”
“Glue? You used Glue?! Bahahahah~!”
“S-shut it! It would simply not stay fit otherwise!”
“How did you f*** it up so bad after making such good weapons until now?! Baahahahah~! GLUE~!”
Uncle completely cracked and almost fell from his chair backward. I turned red from embarrassment as I knew all too well that using glue to make the handle of a medieval sword was simply too stupid, even for me.
B-but it simply wouldn’t stay! What should I have done?! Buy new leather? I’m not made of money, damn it!
Afterward, I tried to make the leather more elastic by using some other chemicals and let it dry, only later to send it via a courier car to the client. Later that day I looked through my blog and saw the review of the blade,
[A beautiful creation to feast your eyes on. A Teutonic Sword of the XIII-XIV century, used against heavy armors with one hand, normally used by cavalry. The blade is beautifully done, straight, with a great feel as the weight is perfectly balanced by the button at the end, a button typically used by the Teutonic Order. The guard’s also made in a way as to be used as a secondary weapon, just like back in the days, showing the knowledge of the blacksmith that created such a sword. The handle feels a bit rigid, but all in all, a perfect representation of the Teutonic sword from the 13th century. 5/5 stars]
Reading this I was sweating bullets and my uncle was holding his stomach while laughing loudly.
“A bit rigid~, only a bit? Bahaha~! Lucky you that the one who got the sword was just another history-passionate that only needed a sword to fight in Buhurt, and not some actual blade-master. Otherwise, your rating wouldn’t have been a full mark. Hahaha~!”
“Sigh~ I’ll be sure to look carefully at the leather I’m buying next time.”
“Why? The glue was a revolutionary idea. Especially for a 13th-century weapon.”
“Just leave already!”
“Wheezee~!”
While leaving, his laughter filled the whole house and a vein appeared on my forehead, his loud wheezing giving me a headache.
At least I’m done with this one as well.
The website I was on was created by a web developer passionate about history, who decided to contact multiple craftsmen and create a bibliography with slots where customers could choose what type of item they want to be crafted, like: clothes, utensils, armors, weapons, and so on, then whoever crafter thought that he could do it, he would just take any from the listed requests and post the amount of time it might get until it was finished and the approximate total price, each adding amount to be reported directly to the customer and the reason behind it. Besides that, they were also able to just craft something then post it on this website per category for those interested. The customer was also able to make special requests from respective craftsmen, just like how my uncle gets requested to craft imitations of ancient pieces for collection almost all the time.
Oh well, now that I sold a sword worth 267 Euros, taking out the 2% from the website usage – 50 Euros as in the materials… that would be a total of 212 profit. Huehuehue~ 212 Euros + 175 Euros from that chicken-killer, a total of 387 Euros made in a week, not bad~.
I laughed like a maniac as I saw the money coming in. Although it was nothing much in this time and age, the fact that I was still making nice money on my own was still a bonus. Luckily enough, I was able to stroll around a few weeks ago and find some trash thrown out that was filled with things made out of metal. Indeed, is not really the best thing to be searching in the trash, but if I can make money out of that, then why not?
As long as I can make my worth, then who needs pride? I would fight with dogs if that means winning some more cash.
Although I was able to make money through what I was crafting, the real income wasn’t from my blacksmithing skills, but through the investment I made. Together with uncle, we learned how to research different business groups and invest in their stocks to get some profit, the bonus money then reinvesting in gold and silver as their value only grew while the dollar fell, while also in crypto as it continued to grow for the past two years since it appeared.
Afterward, I looked around and thought of what I should take with me to the next school trip in the mountains.
“Damn that Alice…”
I sighed troubled after remembering what happened a day ago.
.
When we had a class with the classroom teacher, we were told that we should report who exactly comes to the trip on the mountains for the next week. As always, I decided to just skip it as I didn’t want to waste any money on it, only to suddenly have Alice shout for me that I’ll come as well, leaving me with no words as I was just too stunned for a moment. Of course, I stretched her cheeks for making me waste money, but she seemed stupidly happy with the thought that I was going, making me in the end just sigh and get along with it.
What was actually even more annoying was how the others stared at me in utter shock. Is it such a big deal for me to join the trip? Damn those people…
Not having any other projects, I thought of just repairing the already had weapons, trying to see if I could make at least some of them into sellable products until we had to leave.
A day before departing and while I was daydreaming in class, Alice came to my table excited, her eyes beaming with joy.
“Hey, hey! Did you prepare for tomorrow’s trip? You won’t suddenly call it quits, would you? I won’t forgive you if you do that.”
“As if I’d ditch a trip I already paid for. Calm yourself, why are you even that excited?”
“What do you mean why? It’s a trip! And to the mountains! I love mountains and trips. This makes for the best opportunity to dethatch from the school’s monotone routine. That’s why I moved to this school, it has a lot of trips.”
“That was your reason…?”
I looked at her plainly then she leaned closer and lightly touched my nose playfully with a boop sound, making me freeze baffled.
“Stop being so meek. My other school would barely do a school trip once per year, and even those weren’t 100% sure as many times they had to cancel for random dumb reasons.”
“Alright, alright. Just calm down…”
I sighed as I felt too dizzy only by looking at her energetic spirit. She stared at me confused then asked,
“You don’t like trips, Leon?”
“I loved them before. But now they’re just a waste of money and time.”
“What?! Why would you say that?”
“Just figure it out on your own, dimwit.”
I gently pushed her forehead away with a finger as she was too close to my face, smiling calmly as I found her behavior, although tiring at times, quite refreshing.
Alice retreated for a bit with a blush forming on her face, then another idea struck her, sneaking an eye at my bag.
“Hop! Hey, I think I’ll stay here for today.”
She suddenly grabbed my bag then sat in its place, putting my bag on the table. I looked baffled then I grabbed her cheeks annoyed.
“What do you mean I think I’ll stay here? So I have no say in this or what?”
“B-bwt I haitch tho shtay aloun!”
“Woah God, don’t speak like that, hahaha~!”
I laughed out loud after seeing her pitiful face together with hearing her childish and broken words in a girlish voice, making me unable to hold my laughter. Seeing me laughing like this she also started laughing, and then she quickly grabbed her stuff and sat beside me. I stared sharply at her then pointed out one finger,
“Only for today.”
“Buu~ stingy.”
“Alright, I see you don’t want this day either-“
“No, I’m fine, I’m fine!”
I wanted to take her bag and bring it back to her table, but she quickly grabbed my hand and held me back.
Before starting class, I made sure to take off the blades from my right shoulder and arm, but leaving those on the wrist, making her frown displeased.
“Why are you still keeping those?”
“I see no problem. Is not like we’ll hold hands in class anyway.”
“… Do you distrust me that much?”
“…”
I didn’t expect her to make such a pitiful face, and so I took them off as well and before she could feel better I quickly added,
“But other than these, the rest from my collar and left arm will stay on. Understood?”
“Yes yes, I don’t mind.”
She then leaned with her back on me, feeling relaxed as if I was a pillow.
“Wow~ your body emanates such a strong heat. Is it because you’re near the fire every day?”
“You little…”
For a moment I thought that maybe I should just put back my blades. But after smelling her sweet and refreshing scent, feeling her warm body, and observing her relaxed expression from above while she was leaning on me, I ended up just calming down as well and taking a position more comfortable for her, Alice responding back by also leaning properly on me.
Only this time… only once…
I thought to myself as I felt a sense of ease and relaxation that almost turned foreign to me after a whole year.
After all of this, it seems I’m still a kid.
I sighed lightly then just supported my chin on my hand while continuing to stare at the sky, waiting for the day of the trip, curious if I would be able to have at least a bit of fun.
