Ah. So this is the feeling of sympathy.
Of course, I am capable of such an act… I experienced sad events in my life too.
When Pops and I had a fight and made us distant for a long a time…
That time when I committed my first mistake in the smithy and as a result, the customer threw a tantrum at me and made me feel embarrassed in front of the other patrons…
When I was locked in the dark and cold forging room for the first time and stayed there for two hours…
It is rather natural for a human being to act sympathetic to someone when you realized that they are experiencing tough times as well. Since you also dealt with the difficult scenarios in your past, you do not want to let anyone experience the same for themselves.
Especially for someone that you know very well.
I was crying in a childish tone due to the surprising confession of Nada about his life as I saw that his dark past was just revealed in front of me. I knew that he did not want to open up the scars that he spiritually covered in his life, but here he is: trying his best to open them slowly for our sake- with a smile.
I was contemplating for a reason behind his sudden confession… for all of the times that we had in the smithy, why did you just tell me about this now? If you have just told me sooner… I…
Perhaps, there was indeed a reason why.
Nada, while also slurping for the freshwater that he prepared, asked me an odd-sounding question:
"Hey Lady-smith, do you still keep those azurites you have collected?"
Huh?
You told us the saddening past of your childhood, just for this?
My contemplation was deepening ever-so slowly when I realized that I was lost in my thoughts.
"HA? The azurites, you say? Hmm… I haven't seen them for a long time. All I know is that when I was done on the quest, Pops already took them."
I said my reply while still contemplating for his unknown reason for that query.
Nada stopped in slurping his water and laid the cup in the wooden table. With a short sound of the cup upon its contact on the table, he then asked me further:
"Hm. So, it was Pops that took the azurites…"
He said those words with an expression of deep-thought.
"Y-Yes. He was the one who requested those minerals, after all!"
Nada fell in a deep contemplation when he heard my reply.
I feel like this conversation of ours just turned into something that is off-putting… Like it was just thrusted into a realm of topics that I was not even accustomed about.
I was about to ask Nada regarding his sudden question but he went in first:
"Uhm, Lady-smith? If it is alright for you, can I have a request?" he said with a reformed smile.
"What is it?"
Nada paused a bit when he heard my sudden reply while fidgeting about in the table.
"C-Can you please make a sword for me?"
HAH???
"HAH?"
Both Roy and I slightly jumped from our seats and let-out a gasps of surprise.
"Ahhh. Is it a bad request after all? He-he. Well, I just gave it some thought when you left for your quest and upon realizing your generous offering, I figured that I should not turn you down." Nada said while smiling faintly.
Ah. So that is his reason for asking questions like this.
Really, this kid loves to ask queries that give anxiety for me!
"W-Well! I am glad that you finally let me do this for you! Good for you! Alright then…what do you want for your personalized sword?"
I hastily took out my little parchment for notes with my writer and enthusiastically waited for him to describe his preferred sword.
Due to seeing my energized behavior, Roy and Nada smiled a bit.
"Well, kid? What would it be? Just say the features! Do you want your to have a single edge? Make it a coreless blade? Oh, or would you prefer if your sword was light in its weight with a double-edge and a single core? Hmm? Say it, boy!"
Nada just kept looking at me with a faint smile.
"Aha… to be perfectly honest with you, Lady-smith… I would just prefer my sword to be made according to your own preference…" he said shyly.
"Eh? That is rather vague. Besides, it is your own sword so your preference is a key here! I wouldn't want to make you a sword that does not fit for your taste!"
"Uhhhhm."
Nada grasped for a thought that will help him in this situation.
He fell in a long session of cogitation and afterwards...
"AH!"
"Y-Yes? What is it!"
"Make my sword strong, Lady-smith!"
"BEWH-!"
I dramatically collapsed from that anticlimactic answer he provided.
Way to destroy the build-up!
Seriously kid! You worked with us, remember? You should have at least remembered some sword-related terms!
"W-What else, Nada?" I said, trembling from embarrassment.
"Please, make my sword short, alike to a dagger."
"AH! A Balisao, then?"
"Oh… and also…"
We took a lot of time in discussing the premise of his personalized sword, that the emotion I had accumulated from his melancholic confession suddenly disappeared.
Hmmm. That is rather a tricky one to consider, but we are talking about me here! There is no such thing as a hard and difficult sword for me!!! I am Astoria, after all!
I happily closed my parchment notes and made a mental note that I shall provide this child the accurate sword that he will own!
"All right! I guess that is all of the speculations I need for your sword! So? When do you want to accept this sword of yours?"
I have to ask him this question since we are talking about a crucial factor here: the time.
In making products, our smithy made a legacy in swordsmithing industry due to our branded, high-quality, and long-lasting swords. No matter how daring and tough the situations may be, our creations can withstand the pressure from its user any day!
Now, there may be a drawback for making these durable swords…
In our smithy, our creations will require a span of a single week or even three weeks, depending on the specification designed by the customer. Both Pops and I are aware that the majority of swordsmiths in all of Ea can only take one or two days in order to forge a full sword… but not for us.
Because, we both committed in a principle to not rush in forging a sword.
We wouldn't settle less for the request of our dear patrons.
"Ummm… you can just give it to me once you are done, Lady-smith!" Nada said while still maintaining his smile.
"Roger that, then!"
"Oh… and also…"
Nada seem to be extremely timid this day.
"How much will the sword cost me?"
"Oh. It is free."
"EHHHHH? FREE?"
Nada parroted my words with a degree of certain emotion. An emotion that definitely belongs to bewilderment.
"Hm? I told you before, didn't I? I want to finally forge you a sword that solely belongs to you as a gift!" I said while portraying a genuine smile.
"uuuuuuuuu…" while making an odd sound, Nada drooped his head in front of us.
Seriously, this kid. You don't have to feel nor act distant to me. You are basically a family!
"I just cannot accept that! You and Master are already clouded with a lot of sword requests so adding further my request to your gigantic queue might destroy your schedule!" he said with worry.
"Do not worry about the schedule. We got this! Besides, there is no need to charge you for a gift, Nada! Seriously, do you even know what a gift is? You give that to a person without charging them!" I said to him.
"Ah… about that."
Roy raised his index finger in front of me as if about to make a clever rebuttal to my statement.
"Hm? Do you want to share something? Oh, Flemeroy "Flintstone" Arsonstel?"
I leered at him with a dejected expression.
"!!! N-Nothing…"
That is better.
"B-But! It just does not feel right! Troubling you just to make my sword amidst your Myrmidon duties does not sit well with me! So… in any ways, I must give you a sort of a compensation!" he said, not budging off in my reassurance to him.
Hm. You are a tough one huh, kid? Well, if you insist…
"How about this way, if you do not want to receive the sword without an exchange, Pops and I will just subtract your monthly salary to the expense of the sword! That way, you will feel like you just bought the sword with your own Evees!"
"Hmmm… I guess that is a good way! Yes! It is a good idea! I will agree to that, Lady-smith!"
Finally, a childish smile.
The three of us talked extensively regarding our support for Nada and her mother. We tried all of the available ways on how to make their lives easier. We thought of transporting their house to the city, the other one is to request to Boss so that they can live to available lodges in the village, or finally, Nada and her mother can stay with us momentarily in the smithy.
Deciding for their new home is a first step.
We cannot afford them living in this animal pen… no!
However, our two suggestions might fall apart due to the nature of Nada and his mother…
Both of them are Swordless.
So, requesting for Boss seems to be the only viable option we have here.
The other one is for the well-being of his mother. I do not know if mental illnesses can be cured but…
I will try my chances by talking it with Doc Rafael in the city.
In the end, both Roy and I assured to Nada that things will become better for him and his mother for a couple of days.
"Do not worry, Nada. Your big sister-smith will be here for you!" I said with a resolute smile.
"Indeed, Nada! Even though you are not part of the city, I will do my best to help you." Roy agreed with me while also smiling.
Nada only managed to smile from our reassuring.
At midday, we said our goodbyes to Nada and his mother with a promise of visiting them again.
***
"WHAT?! But I thought that Nada was living in a decent house here in the village?!"
Back at the Boss' headquarters.
We were about to go back to the city for our well-deserved rest upon the successful clearance of our first-ever quest.
Besides, we are worried about Malthur in the Guild, alone. He might have caused a ruckus already there…
However, due to our recent talk with Nada, we came here to request for something to Boss.
But… the boss' answer made us wear our face of confusion.
"Have you not seen his current house right now, Boss? He lives in an animal pen together with his mother!" I palely said.
"That is true, Boss. That place is not habitable for people like them…" Roy agreed with me.
Boss let-out a sigh of exasperation and disbelief and said to us:
"Huh… so much for me, being the village boss and all…"
Hey, now is not the time to be depressed to all of your shortcomings as the boss! You are a human being, after all.
"As the boss of the village, I made a policy to ensure the safety of my Swordless villagers. The world outside the village is very dangerous and, due to our nature and culture, we are a primary target for a lot of dangerous events. The Hainu attack is just one of them and I do not know what might come in the future…"
Boss…
"So, knowing that one of my villagers, a person that I recognize dearly, is uncannily living in an animal stable makes me feel incompetent… ugh."
The lively Boss that we knew from being ecstatic and energetic, fell in anxiety and depression.
"Do not worry boss. It is not your fault. Look, you even said yourself that you thought they are living in a good house…"
"Just let them live in a good house from now on. If it will be okay, make them stay on the lodges that you gave to us on our first night of the quest!"
We both tried to cheer the boss.
Hearing him talk like that in a depressed tune makes us weirded-out.
When he finally smiled, he suddenly said to us:
"Do not tell me that…the two of you grew an attachment to this village… am I wrong?"
Roy and I looked in each other and wore an expression of disinclination.
Yeah right, boss.
While still staring at each other, Boss rang a heart guffaw.
Great, he is back now.
In the same manner, Boss commanded Cardamon to escort us back in the city and went with us outside the headquarters.
"Hm? Where are you going, boss?" I asked.
"Where else? While the three of you celebrate for your first ever quest-clearance, I have to work as the boss myself!"
He said that he will go to the animal pen where Nada resides and will invite him to go to the lodges.
Really, boss…
"Just make sure that you come back here, alright?" he said when we are already in the wagon.
"Sure thing boss!"
We said our goodbyes and finally went on our way to the city. This time, the trip was just fast as neither of us made any conversations on our way. Both Roy and I slept due to the exhaustion we felt on our quest and finally, we both experienced rest momentarily!
Before we even knew it, we are already in our city. Cardamon energetically woke us up and told that he will escort us again when we are ready. With a swift goodbye for some reason, Cardamon left with the wagon with a certain emotion.
"Ha! So it is Lady Astoria and Sir Roy! My, I haven't seen you for a lot of hours! So uh, where did you go this time?
A familiar figure clothed in white talked in our backs.
It is the sentry that I broke when we were trying to escape the last time.
"Uh… well met!" when that bitter memory came to me, I only uttered an awkward phrase.
In response to my timid answer, he shot up and gave us a straight and clean salute while saying:
"Tis I, your humble sentry, at your service! I just noticed that Sir Malthur already came first in the Guild than both of you so uh… there is that! There is nothing substantial to report for today… unless…"
The white-armored sentry stepped closer into me and said:
"You haven't forgotten about the deal… right, Lady Astoria?"
Ah, this guy!
"Y-YES! I haven't yet. I go on my word so I will not forsake you!" I said annoyingly.
"Well then! Welcome back!!!"
The both of us strolled normally around the city and while going to our home in order to rest might be a great idea, we want to check on Malthur first.
After all, this is Malthur we are talking about.
While walking, Roy suddenly asked me:
"So uh, what is that 'deal' that you have made with the sentry?"
"O-Oh… nothing… that is just nothing."
He pestered me about it when we nearly reached the loud Guild.
Hmmm. It is rather loud today. I can hear the rowdiness of the people from here.
When I was about to open the door, Roy insisted further:
"Seriously Tori, what was that about???"
Argh. He is being annoying now.
"That sentry and I agreed that I will treat him to a tour around the city when the quest is over."
"HA??!"
I already opened the door upon that ridiculous reaction of Roy and we saw a visual unfold in front of us.
Various people were circulating around the Guild rooms and went rowdy as they were chasing a person clad in the familiar attire of green.
When I saw the figure running in front of me while carrying a small creature in his hands , I suddenly felt an incoming headache.
This idiot! What did you do to the peacefulness of the guild!
Malthur ran towards us while shouting:
"YOU TWO! HELP MEEEEE!!!"