272 Client or client




 Even though today is better than yesterday, I'm still a little baffled by the fact that anyone would want to come to the Kuro Forest on a rainy day.
 I unbolted the door to the forge and opened it gently, being cautious just in case it was someone with bad intentions.

"Yes, what is it?

 I say the usual line. There's only one reason to come here on a day like this (or any day, for that matter), unless you have something bad in mind.

Oh, excuse me, I heard that you can make weapons here: ......

 My caution was in vain. A woman in a cloak stood in front of the door, which opened with the buzzing of a mosquito. She was quite frightened.
 But she's quite tall. Helen is about the same height as me, or a little taller, and I've heard that people in this world are quite tall, but she's even taller than that. I'd say she's close to two meters tall. The door to the forge is quite large, but the head doesn't fit through.

It's raining, so please go inside. Be careful not to hit your head.

 I turned around to see Helen standing nearby. When did this happen? I wondered if Helen's presence was part of the reason he was so frightened.
 I patted Helen on the shoulder and asked her to get me a towel.

 The woman took off her cloak, put down the backpack she was carrying underneath it, and sat down in the simple log-chopping chair I had urged her to sit in. The backpack is also awfully big. There seems to be two long pieces of something in it, but I don't know what they are.
 Then Rieke came back with a towel. It's two towels, considering his size.

Thank you very much.

 The woman takes the towels and bows her head. She is sitting just a little lower than Rike, so she looks like a daughter handing a towel to her mother. I don't want to say anything about it because I'm afraid of what might happen if I do.
 Fortunately for the woman, the temperature in the forge is rising because of the fire, and the air is drying up. Eventually it would become "hot".
 Liddy brought me a glass of wine mixed with hot water. Mint tea has a cool feeling, so this is better for warming up.
 I listened to the woman who had finished wiping herself, while Samija was there to judge the authenticity of the story, and Helen was there to guard her just in case. Everyone else went on with their work as planned.

The rest of us went on as planned.
"No, no, I'm the one who barged in. ......

 The woman is extremely grateful. If you want to order from me, it's almost impossible to contact me in advance, so I have no choice but to come at short notice. Unless you're going to maintain some kind of messenger pigeon, messenger crow, or messenger dragon with Camilo's place.

Don't worry about it, it's just the way it is. And just to confirm, you came here alone, right?
Yes.

 The woman nodded vigorously. The woman nodded vigorously. Samija nodded lightly as well, so she was sure that she came alone.

It's all right, then. Welcome to the workshop. My name is Eizo. So, what can I do for you?

 I tried to smile cheerfully. ...... I will. Samija was clearly stifling a laugh, and Helen's face was contorted in a curious way, but I didn't care.

"Oh, I'm Anne.

 I'm Anne," she said, drinking a little of the hot water wine she had served, her eyes fluttering. She took a sigh of relief and fumbled around in her backpack, pulling out the long object I had seen earlier.
 When I put it on the table, my eyes widened. Helen pulled out a knife from her pocket with great speed and was about to slash at Anne.

"Wait, Helen!

 I managed to shout. The knife stopped just short of Anne. "I guess the name 'Lightning' isn't all it's cracked up to be.

"Wait, wait, wait! No, no, no, no! I'm ...... not going to do anything to you guys!

 Anne, who would certainly have been hunched over if she had been standing, raised her hands above her head and insisted desperately.

 On the table was the shortsword that Helen had lost in the Empire, the one I had struck.