"Then I'll take them."
"Alright."
Popper shouldered the iron stakes and walked out of the workshop, and the Factory Manager saw him off and went back inside.
-I'm useless now. I thought I was made with legendary techniques, but I was just an old thing, and I don't know how I ended up talking like this. Yeah. Like the little lady said, what good is a sword with a broken blade? Well, thinking about it, being a farming tool wouldn't be so bad. Digging in the dirt might be fun once I get used to it...-
"Mr. Sword..."
Illia, who had placed the sword on a chair and crouched down to meet its gaze, was looking at the sword babbling with a pitiful expression.
-Still, it's a relief to be used as a tool by the hands of a pretty girl like you, little lady. When you become an adult and are old enough to get married, melt me down and make me into a kitchen knife. If I melt down like that, I probably won't be able to talk or think anymore. Yeah. That wouldn't be so bad either.-
"Oh, you're really noisy."
The Factory Manager picked up the sword, which was lamenting its fate, and placed it on the workbench.
-Hey! Human! Leave me alone so I can at least lament my fate.-
"Look at this guy, acting all noble earlier and now changing his tone again. Stay still."
The Factory Manager clamped the sword in a vise and started grinding it with a grinder blade.
-Whoa! Wait a minute! Eek!-
"Be quiet! It feels weird."
When the sword made a strange noise, the Factory Manager quickly moved the hand grinder.
He polished the sword by changing the grinder sandpaper several times, and carefully polished the surface with a belt sander.
Finally, he attached a wool wheel coated with polishing compound to the bench grinder and polished the surface of the sword.
Under the Factory Manager's touch, the sword began to shine brightly in an instant.
After carefully examining the sword, the Factory Manager placed it on the workbench and walked to the corner of the workshop.
"Ah, Illia. Don't come close. This stuff is toxic."
The Factory Manager, who opened the hazardous materials storage cabinet and took out a small container, spoke to Illia, who was watching from the side, and carefully tilted the container to pour the liquid and dipped the sword handle into it.
-Whoa! What is this?!-
"Bear with it."
The Factory Manager said that to the sword, and after a while, he took the sword out of the liquid and wiped it carefully with a cloth.
"Wow!"
"Huh?!"
When the Factory Manager finished cleaning up and showed the sword, Illia was so surprised that she let out a cheer, and Channing let out a short scream.
Illia and Channing hurriedly approached the Factory Manager and looked at the sword.
The pattern on the surface of the sword was more pronounced. The black geometric pattern on the silver, shining blade stood out even more, making it look even more magnificent than before.
Channing and Illia looked at it in wonder.
"The pattern has become darker? What is that liquid?"
"It's etching solution. It's called ferric chloride solution, and it's a very strong acidic solution."
"Acidic? What's that?"
The Factory Manager thought for a moment at Channing's question and then opened his mouth.
"You know vinegar, right?"
"Yes."
"Vinegar is also an acidic solution. Think of this as vinegar that's even stronger, strong enough to melt iron."
Channing glanced at the container with the solution and stepped back.
"Wow... it melts iron. That's some powerful solution. But what does that have to do with the pattern appearing?"
"When you treat it with acid, steel and wrought iron react differently. They melt at different speeds. That's why the pattern becomes so much stronger."
-I don't know what you're talking about, but you're a great craftsman. Are you an alchemist?-
The Factory Manager flicked the blade of the sword with his finger and replied.
"I don't make things like gold. I'm going to finish up now, so stay still."
-I can't move on my own anyway.-
"Damn it. Alright. Channing! Come here!"
The Factory Manager drew something on a piece of paper with a pencil and gave instructions to Channing.
Channing nodded as he carefully examined the blueprint drawn by the Factory Manager, and then went to the pile of scrap metal and looked around.
Meanwhile, the Factory Manager carefully washed the sword with water to remove any remaining acid, and brought a piece of wood and marked it with a pencil. Then he started cutting and carving the wood with the grinder.
After cutting it in half and carefully carving the surface with the grinder to make it round, the Factory Manager clamped the piece of wood in a vise and carved it down with a carving knife. He was carving out a space for the tang of the sword to fit in.
The Factory Manager carved the inside with a carving knife, fitting the sword in and out, and when he had carved it to fit perfectly, he applied glue and attached the two sides to the handle of the sword.
He finished it off by smoothing the surface with sandpaper and then carefully wrapping the handle with cotton string for the final touch.
The empty handle of the sword was beautifully completed.
"Now you're making handles too, Factory Manager-nim."
"I saw it a few times at Popper's workshop. It would be nice to wrap it in leather, but let's do that later when we have time."
The Factory Manager answered Illia, who had come closer to watch, and then shouted at Channing.
"Channing! Bring what you made when you're done!"
"Yes. Here it is."
At the Factory Manager's call, Channing brought the finished product.
After inserting the sword into the object and putting it on a nail driven into the wall next to the door, the Factory Manager nodded.
"Hmm. Not bad."
"Looks good."
"Wow. Is that a sign?"
Channing spoke after the Factory Manager, and Illia also came over and looked up at the sword.
The sword was inserted into a ring welded to the back of a small, shield-shaped plate cut from a sheet of iron.
On the shield-shaped back plate, the words"Jinwoo Metal"were cut out in the language of this world. Channing had fabricated it from sheet metal.
The surface was well polished and shiny, and the indented letters added a stylish touch. And with the patterned, shining sword hanging from it, it was a wonderful decoration.
The Factory Manager nodded as he looked at the letters.
"You cut the letters well."
"Haha! I cut them with the plasma cutter and finished them with a handpiece. Looks good, right?"
"Yeah. I didn't tell you to engrave letters, but it looks good, so it's fine."
Channing smiled brightly and rejoiced at the Factory Manager's praise, and the Factory Manager clicked his tongue and shook his head.
"If you're done, go and clean up! Organize the tools too!"
"Yes. Yes! I understand."
At the Factory Manager's shout, Channing went to his work area with a smile, and the Factory Manager adjusted the angle of the hanging sign.
The sword spoke to the Factory Manager.
-So, you're just going to hang me up as a sign?-
"It suits a chatty sword. When someone comes in, talk to them and let us know. Isn't that better than being a farming tool?"
"You look so cool, Mr. Sword!"
Illia shouted after the Factory Manager replied, and the sword didn't answer. The Factory Manager and Illia's expressions darkened because it was too quiet.
The Factory Manager thought it was probably disappointed. He thought that was probably how it felt, to be told to be a sign when it was a sword that had been used on the battlefield.
After a while, the sword spoke again.
-...Tha...-
"What?"
-Thank you!-
The sword shouted loudly.
Only then did a smile return to the faces of the Factory Manager and Illia.
"What? You can talk like that too!"
-Shut up! I should know how to be thankful when I'm thankful!-
Illia smiled as she watched the Factory Manager and the sword bicker.
And so the sword became a new member of the workshop.
6.
Several days had passed since the sword became a sign.
At first, people who opened the door were surprised by the sword hanging on the wall, but since the metal workshop was already known for being a unique blacksmith's, it soon became widely accepted that there was nothing strange about a talking sword hanging there.
In the end, it even got to the point where people came to see the talking sword out of curiosity. Thanks to this, the workshop became even busier.
-You won't regret ordering that, human. What's made here is quite excellent.-
"Haha! It must be good if the talking sword says so. Then I'll leave it to you. Owner!"
"Don't worry and come back to pick it up tomorrow!"
The man shouted after hearing the sword, and the Factory Manager, who was cleaning up inside, also shouted. After the man left, Illia walked to the back door.
"Ugh... I shouldn't have made the sword into a sign. People don't think about leaving because they're busy chatting with it."
"But the number of orders has increased. What's wrong with that?"
"That's what I hate the most, you punk! If you want to finish the orders we have now, you'll have to work overtime tomorrow."
"Ah... I don't like that."
Illia smiled as she listened to the Factory Manager and Channing's conversation.
-What's wrong with the workshop flourishing thanks to me? Human! It's thanks to my legendary performance.-
"It was flourishing enough before you came, you lump of metal! I regret not melting you down."
-Humph! All the customers who come these days are the ones I brought in, so if you melt me down, they'll be angry! I'm already a celebrity on this workshop street!-
"Oh, is that so?"
Illia chuckled and started sweeping as she listened to the Factory Manager and the sword bickering.
******
"After dinner, Illia finished tidying up and looked at the sword by the door.
-It seems we're done now, Illia.-
"Yes. Thank you, Mr. Sword."
Illia pulled a chair over and climbed up to retrieve the sword hanging there.
Back in her room, Illia began meticulously wiping the sword with an oil-stained cloth.
-Yes, there. Ah, refreshing.-
Following the sword's instructions, Illia thoroughly cleaned every nook and cranny and hung the sword on a nail in the wall.
The nail had been hammered in by the factory manager, annoyed because the sword insisted on sleeping with Illia.
Having finished her shower, Illia returned to her room. She changed into her pajamas and sat in front of the wall where the sword hung, smiling.
-Hmm... It's cute, but sleeping in cat-themed clothes... Truly, the world has changed too much during my 400-year slumber.
"Other people wouldn't wear something like this. But the factory manager gave it to me. And it's incredibly soft. The blanket he gave me is the same—soft like an angel's embrace."
Illia gently touched her pajamas and the blanket. Both were made of ultra-fine silk, lightweight, and warm.
Her pajamas were a one-piece style with attached pants and a top, fastened with buttons down the front. The hood was also part of it, shaped like a cat doll.
The hood had cat eyes and ears, making it unmistakably cat-themed.
-Well, if you like it, that's what matters.-
Illia smiled at the sword's words.
She loved the pajamas so much that she wore them every night. Channing had playfully criticized her, saying they didn't suit her, but the factory manager had praised how well they suited her.
So, she felt even more fond of them.
"Then sleep well, Mr. Sword."
-Yes, Illia. See you tomorrow.-
Illia bid the sword farewell and turned off the light.
In an instant, the room turned dark, and Illia nestled into her blanket, hugging the bear doll lying next to her. It was casually tossed into the blanket bag.
The doll had a face that looked like it had been thrown in there, and Illia closed her eyes quietly.
-The pajamas reveal too much...-
As if uttering a risky statement, the sword's voice echoed, and Illia drifted off to sleep, feeling content¹."
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