Before today's preparations, it's customary for me to ponder upon my own identity.
As I've said, I've become the traveling merchant Saiwa, and for now, weapon shops are out of my reach.
The comforting role of village dweller is no more, and I find myself sinking back into the fear of defining who I am.
As the saying goes, know thyself!
This famous quote does not teach me how to know myself, so I must think for myself.
This time, I've come to a firm conclusion.
I am a traveling merchant.
It may seem merely a job, but if you were a game player, you'd know all about those roaming general and weapons merchants who follow you into your dungeons. Occasionally, after clearing a dungeon, mysterious merchants would appear selling fantastic goods at fair prices.
Imagine: A hero had just been through a deadly fight, his equipment and weapons severely damaged, and then I, by chance, come along to lend a hand, engage in a conversation and befriend the hero, and in the process, I not only become a passerby but also make a profit. How splendid is that?
Thus, a nomadic merchant is also a role, or rather a very important role!
A few days ago, I knitted a hat for Ilan.
I took apart her old hat and re-knitted it. It was a simple task aimed at improving ventilation, considering that she wouldn't be able to freely remove her hat while traveling with Karona.
I inquired about her preferred style.
"The same style as before. If possible, I want some patterns..."
In the end, I stitched a chibi-style pattern of Ilan and a furry creature snuggling up together.
Tiring as it was for me, a grown man, to sit over the counter stitching like a maiden, it was, though I hate to admit, quite entertaining somehow. Have I gotten in touch with my inner girl?
I’m not praising myself, but maybe in the future, this fine piece of work will be discovered by artists and exhibited in museums. If I were to sell it now, I could probably fetch a decent price.
Ilan fell in love with the hat, playing around with the remaining thread when she thought no one was noticing. However, I turned a blind eye. Yesterday, she shyly showed me the hat and there, next to the chibi forms of Ilan and the furry creature, was a bizarre humanoid figure. Even though it was much more abstract than Karona's drawings, I recognized it as a representation of me. Simply because the only person Ilan would stitch was myself. If it wasn't, I would chop that man to pieces.
"The stitching is... not very good."
"Are you kidding? I love it."
I gently pat her on the head.
Well, there's work to be done today.
Choosing a tent.
Since we're traveling, we have to consider camping out.
It seems like a minor problem but actually contains profound implications. If Ilan and I were to share a tent, then Karona would have to sleep alone. She would definitely fight for Ilan's company under the pretext that 'girls should stick together'. But then, Ilan's secret would be exposed. So I must find ways to persuade Karona and come up with a flawless plan.
But such matters are no challenge for me. I've come up with 42 contingency plans, covering all possible responses from Karona. I must make her understand that Ilan needs to stay by my side. Of course, I'm also prepared for a variety of possibilities such as letting Ilan sleep on hers and myself keeping watch outside.
"Master, are we getting two tents?"
"Yes."
"I have an idea. To save time, we can sleep in the wagon. You and I can take turns driving the wagon."
"..."
An enigmatic silence.
"Ah! Good idea, worth praising."
What on earth! My 42 contingency plans were completely useless!!
I can't let Karona see it, but I'm totally devastated inside.
Bought three sleeping bags. If we use this, even the head can be wrapped up, so I don't have to worry about Ilan's horns being exposed.
Next, I need to put all my heart and soul into creating the best sword I've ever made.
If I'm to visit that principal, I need to present my sincerity. Forge a sword to embody my skills so that she can identify my shortcomings. I'm there to improve, to learn from someone far better than myself, and this is something I must keep reminding myself of constantly.
A high-quality sword involves a process of first shaping it and then continuous adjusting and re-forging, so it's not a project that can be completed in a jiffy. Once I'm truly committed to it, I'll find flaws everywhere and no matter how much adjustment I do, I can't say this sword represents the pinnacle of my abilities.There's something else that bothers me, as a weapon maker, I can tell the quality of a weapon at a glance. It's surprising to find out that the silver sword is not the result of multiple modifications; rather, it's made in one go without even a bit of alteration.
Considering this, I gave up my original idea.
I forged a katana in one breath, and after a short rest, it was finished. I remember that the first weapon I ever made was also a katana.
Holding this black-back, purple-striped long sword in my hand, in the basement, I can clearly sense my progress over the past two years. With a unique framework that perfectly runs intermediate magic and smoothly runs superior magic, and considering the fragile feature of the katana, it has been considerably reinforced as well.
In other words, this reflects my true skill level. One-time completion represents the limit of my sword-making process.
However, only I know that even with this sword, I do not have the confidence to face Karona's deadly move head-on.
Next, it's time to handle various procedures and say goodbye to the villagers.
Goodbye, weapon store.
When I become stronger, I will come back.
After that, I'll make the best sword in the world.
