After we have all bowed, we get to work. I put a fire in the fire pit and let the air blow to raise the temperature. When the temperature rises, I put the mithril sword into the fire to heat it. I also set the furnace on fire. This one is for Rique and the others to work on.
　When the mithril temperature rises to just above the workable temperature, I take it out and hammer it. A clear, glassy sound echoes through the forge, and glittering light dances about. I hammer quickly so that I can hit as many times as possible.
　However, it's not enough to just hit quickly here. If you are even a little off, you will lose the magic that is woven into it. You have to be careful and quick at the same time. It is true that only a few people can handle this. This is especially true for blacksmiths, most of whom do not understand magic. It's doubtful that I truly understand magic, but I can still see the flow of magic.
　And if you can see the flow of magic, in this world where the number of people who can use magic is quite limited, you can become a wizard and not a blacksmith, and your life will be safe.

　Mithril, which is probably filled to almost the limit of its magical power, has a clear sound but is very heavy to the touch and does not stretch well. Within a few strikes, it's out of processable temperature. I put the sword back into the fire, heat it, remove it, and tap it. The glassy sound of my tapping mithril and the metallic sound of Rike tapping the sword to make a generic model echo loudly in the workshop. Beside me, Samija and Diana are making molds and pouring molten iron in the furnace.
　Fire, wind, hammering, and people are all doing their jobs, making their own sounds. It seemed to me that this space was very comfortable.
　That being said, the mithril is not growing at all, so my progress is very poor. Still, it's a relief to know that I'll be able to meet the two-week deadline.

　In the end, on this day, I was able to stretch out half of the remaining 2/3, or 1/3. Probably this is still quite fast compared to a normal blacksmith, but the progress is slower than the usual steel sword, which is quite stressful. The saving grace is the beautiful sound of the strike. To be honest, without it, my progress would have been even slower.
　However, with Apoitakara and other unseen ores on the horizon, I can't just sit around re-hitting mithril. I have to get through this and be confident.

　The next day, considering yesterday's progress, today is another day where I'm going to spend the whole day beating mithril. I've made it a new routine to change the water and salt on the altar, and I don't forget to pay my respects. Rikke and the others are working on general models today. Mr. Liddy will be observing my work as usual today. However, she only watches as I hammer and stretch mithril all day.
"Mr. Liddy?
What is it?
　What is it?" I asked as I heated the mithril in the fireplace, and Liddy answered in his same cool, clear voice.
Is it fun to watch?
"Yes, it is. If it were a normal job, you might find it boring at some point after watching it for a whole day, but Mr. Eizo's work is anything but normal.
Thanks for that.
　I thanked him, figuring that he was probably complimenting me in his own way. It's not normal.
Besides, elves have a long life span, so a day seems shorter than a human day.
　I thought he sounded intelligent but relaxed, but then I realized that he felt time differently. Wait, if that's the case, then the five years of Samija's life must have been quite long. It's a feeling that I, as a human being, will never understand, even with the cheat.
The sound is good, too. There is no blacksmith in my village or any other village that can produce such a beautiful sound.
Does the sound differ depending on the person hammering?
Yes. The more efficiently you can put magic into it, the better the mithril will sound. I don't think there are many elven blacksmiths who can do it at your level.
"Hmm.
　I pretend not to notice Rike nodding out of the corner of my eye as I hammer away at the heated mithril. The mithril made a beautiful sound as it was hammered.
The sound of the mithril as it was struck made a beautiful sound, though the degree of refinement of the mithril also had an effect.
"Is that so?
Yeah. The closer the mithril is to pure, the more magic it stores and the more beautiful the sound becomes.
Haha, I see.
　I'll make that sound that seems to be hard to make. This explains why it feels different from the last time I struck Mithril's fine sword. The mithril had a lower level of refinement than this one - in other words, it probably had more impurities. It's not so far-fetched to think that this meant that less magic power was cocooned in it and less effort was needed to strike it.
　I will explore ways to increase the degree of refinement in the future. I thought to myself as I listened to the beautiful glassy sound.