Tenkomori: The Homecoming Club Conquers Another World

After the midterm exams ended, it was time for what you could call “summer vacation” in my previous life.

While the students were taking a break, I was refining my skills in [Magic Tool Creation] and [Blacksmith], and honing my decoration techniques by reworking cheap accessories.

And today, since morning, I’ve been diligently working on blacksmithing—

The midsummer forge was a hellish place.

If there were a thermometer, it would surely show an insane number.

With the windows and doors mostly shut to avoid bothering the neighbors, except for ventilation, it was an environment unfit for human presence.

[Fire Resistance 3]

Shortly after I started blacksmithing in the summer, I acquired [Fire Resistance 1], which quickly rose to rank 3.

Even during winter forest walks in Lidorwald, I only had [Ice Resistance 2].

I stared at the furnace that lit up the forge, moving the bellows while using [Operate Air] to send in some wind.

Though I’ve also mastered [Operate Fire], it’s not been very useful.

After all, oxygen seems to be more crucial for combustion.

I heated the iron ore until it turned white, hammered it, folded it, and returned it to the furnace.

After repeating this several times to remove impurities, I shaped it into a rod.

After a while, I stopped hammering and inspected the still-red iron rod.

No problems.

I stacked it against the wall and scraped out the charcoal, leftover iron, and impurities from the furnace.

The furnace was made of firebrick and was well-maintained, but even so, it still deteriorated.

I had asked Doval, the creator, for regular inspections.

To learn about its structure, I also helped with the inspections, and thanks to that, I gained a basic understanding of how the furnace works.

When I return to Lidorwald, I’d like to build a furnace in a corner of the garden.

I checked that the fire was out and left the forge.

Freed from the hellish environment, even the midsummer hot wind felt pleasant.

Activating [Operate Water] on the basin of water I had saved up, I cooled down my entire body while washing off the sweat.

Then I called toward the window of the living room, which was wide open, and Koyane-sama, who had been waiting inside, came closer.

“Good job.”

A small basin was placed on top of Koyane-sama, filled with a large amount of ice and several small bottles.

I took a bottle and drank it down.

“It’s a great help that you mass-produce these. But what kind of sense do you have?”

The contents of the bottle were a drink made from Tejiril grass, which I had devised.

When Colton, Lola’s father, released it, he named it “Stimulation Water.”

I still vividly remember how Lola, who came to tell me, looked embarrassed.

Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses—I thought, but unexpectedly, this name caught on.

Tejiril grass has a slight fatigue recovery effect.

The name clearly reflects its effect, and since it’s relatively inexpensive, more and more workers are drinking it daily.

At a tavern near the Breos Trading Company, a bizarre drink called a “Stimulation Water cocktail” was even created.

According to Doval, who came for a regular inspection, “Drinking it as a chaser makes the next day’s drink taste better.”

I’m a bit worried it might be creating a bunch of useless people, but since it’s being stably supplied, I’ll let it slide.

As I returned the empty bottle to Koyane-sama, Quince, and Kyle came walking up from the end of the alley.

Noticing me, they ran over with smiles.

“We’ve made the delivery!”

“We’ve brought this from Narbano-san!”

They said, handing me a sword wrapped in cloth.

An additional candidate for a magic tool, perhaps.

“It must have been hot. There’s chilled fruit water on top of Koyane-sama. Drink as much as you like.”

“Thank you!”

The two greeted Yane-sama and Koyane-sama, then went upstairs carrying the fruit water, and cups.

In the second-floor workshop, Emily and Ginny were processing and bagging General’s Tea.

Judging by their conversation, they seemed to be taking a break.

I had concerns about Quince and the others’ future lives.

Most of their cash income comes from me, which will stop next spring.

Ted and the others will probably look after them, but I want them to be as self-sufficient as possible. After all, they are both children.

But the competition is fierce for plants that can be sold, and I don’t think they’ll be trusted to exchange strictly regulated alchemical solutions.

After all, General’s Tea is the only option.

Even if the labor costs for harvesting and processing are minimal, it provides a stable income.

If they gather even a few more materials, they should be able to make a living.

At the very least, it would reduce the burden on Ted and the others.

After asking various people to sample it to find good buyers, Narbano and Katie liked it.

Narbano because of its flavor, and Katie because it wakes her up.

We also asked the Breos Trading Company to carry it, and though it’s only a small number, some regular drinkers have emerged.

They even bring it to taverns and enjoy it mixed with alcohol.

I’m puzzled as to why they’d want to mix it with alcohol, and I’d like to say something to Katie, but it’s still good news. This ensures income for next year as well.

I rested in the shade with some chilled General’s Tea in hand, looking at Narbano’s sword after unwrapping it.

Narbano has been enthusiastic since his self-made weapon became a magic tool.

Though there’s not much sign of growth, he’s been entrusted with swords beyond his current skill level more often.

In the near future, he might level up.

As I kept my gaze on Narbano’s sword, I reflected on myself.

Since the beginning of this year, I’ve been focusing on training [Magic Tool Creation] and [Blacksmith].

With Yane-sama, Koyane-sama, and the pendant on the jumping rabbit, [Magic Tool Creation] has been progressing well, partly thanks to [Concentration Up].

Lately, even with cheap accessories, I can make decent-quality items, so after discussing it with Samini, we decided to make a few high-quality items, while lowering the effects for the rest.

Most adventurers seek affordable magic tools.

But as expected, [Blacksmith] was slow to progress.

My current rank is 2, and it hasn’t grown much since the end of last year.

With [Alchemy], if you have multiple alchemical tools, you can work on several things simultaneously.

Although [Magic Tool Creation] takes time, most of it is waiting for the solution to soak in.

But [Blacksmith] is different. From start to finish, it requires a lot of time and effort.

If the higher the rank, the harder it becomes to level up, I wonder how much time would be needed to reach rank 6, where I can process Majumag.

Samini is expecting it to happen while I’m still in school, but no matter how optimistically I estimate, it doesn’t seem possible.

“The difficulty level should increase experience, but…”

I looked up at my home and pictured the shelves in the alchemy room.

There’s the mithril silver and Tabor ore Samini gave me, and the difficult-to-handle Onkram black ore.

Leaving aside the last one, I can process the first two.

Mithril silver can be alloyed with the non-magical metal powder called Hols Silver, and Tabor ore can be melted by adding coal to the fuel.

As the proportion of catalyst increases, the melting point decreases, but the power of the magic metal decreases proportionally. If it exceeds a limit, the magic metal designation disappears from its name, and even with [Appraisal], it’s treated as just a component or not shown at all.

But that’s not a failure. It’s the mainstream way to use it.

I guess Mercant’s Holy Strike Axe and Valerie’s Alua Sero are probably made by mixing a small amount of magic metal with iron.

Weapons like Haleist’s Mithril Mace and Klaus’s Tenkei’s Sword of Law, where the magic metal is explicitly stated in the name or appraisal results, are rarer due to their high purity.

The [Blacksmith] skill also helps in judging such content, but at rank 2, it’s almost non-functional.

Processing magic metal would provide significant experience for [Blacksmith].

Even so, they’re too precious to use while expecting failure.

There’s just enough mithril silver and Tabor ore for one knife each.

I just have to spend more time on blacksmithing and raise my rank, but…

At this time of year, I could only work in the mornings.

It’s too harsh in the afternoon, and at night, I can’t work because of the noise, regardless of the season.

“Maybe I’ll work in the afternoon too…”

I sighed as I looked at the heat seeping out of the forge.

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