We were headed by taxi to the address of the swordsmith Juzo-san had recommended. While the train line ran nearby, there were no other means of transportation from the station to the final destination.
After leaving the city center behind, the taxi drove through rural farmland for a while before arriving at the gates of a forge located at the foot of a mountain.
"We’ve arrived. That will be 3,860 yen."
"All right. Ah, sorry. I don’t have any small change—is a 5,000-yen bill okay?"
"That’s fine... Here is your change, 1,140 yen. Thank you for your patronage."
I paid for the group and stepped out. I pulled the transport bag containing Shiranui from the trunk and watched the taxi drive away.
Looking at the workshop, I saw it had a rather grand gate, though perhaps not quite as imposing as the one at Yuji’s house. The rhythmic sound of iron being struck echoed from within, confirming we were at the right place. I pressed the call button on the intercom beside the gate. The chime rang out, weaving through the clanging of the hammer.
A few moments later, a woman’s voice came through the speaker.
"Yes, who is it?"
"It’s Hirose. We had an appointment."
Yuji stepped up to the intercom to answer.
"Hirose-san? Yes, the master mentioned you were coming. I’ll open the gate, so please come in."
"Understood."
After the brief exchange, the intercom cut off and the gate opened automatically. It seemed to be a remote-operated system.
As the gate swung open, a dry landscape garden appeared before us. Large, moss-covered rocks were scattered across a field of white, rippling pebbles.
We hurried past the garden and reached the entrance of a single-story main house. I rang the doorbell beside the entrance and called out.
"Excuse me. It’s Hirose."
Seconds later, I heard footsteps, and a plump middle-aged woman opened the door.
"Sorry to keep you waiting. Welcome. Thank you for coming all this way."
"Not at all."
"Please, come inside."
Prompted by the woman, we stepped into the house and put on slippers.
She led us to a reception room.
"I’ll go fetch the master, so please wait a moment."
"Ah, yes."
After serving us tea, the woman bowed and left the room.
As I sipped my tea in the quiet reception room, I felt a nagging sense of being out of place. I glanced at Yuji and Hiiragi-san; Hiiragi-san looked just as restless as I felt, but Yuji was calmly drinking his tea while admiring the hanging scroll and the flower arrangement in the alcove.
"...Yuji. You’re looking at those pretty intently. Is there something special about them?"
"Hmm? Oh, that landscape painting on the scroll. I was just thinking we have one like it at home."
"...Oh, really?"
"Yeah. Apparently, my grandpa used to collect them as a hobby. There are quite a few scrolls tucked away in our storehouse."
"Huh..."
While we were making idle chatter to distract ourselves from the discomfort, the sliding door opened. A mild-mannered elderly man wearing a traditional work tunic entered.
"I apologize for the wait."
"Not at all. Thank you for accepting such a sudden request," Yuji said.
Daiki and Hiiragi-san hurriedly followed Yuji’s lead and bowed.
The conversation began once the man sat down across the table from us.
"Let’s start with introductions. My name is Heizo Takimiya, and I am the swordsmith here."
"I am Yuji Hirose, Juzo Hirose's grandson."
"I'm Daiki Kokonoe."
"I'm Yukino Hiiragi."
Heizo-san nodded as we introduced ourselves. He didn't seem to be the prickly, difficult type of craftsman.
"So, you are Juzo-san's grandson..."
Hearing Yuji's name, Heizo-san stared at him intently. I wondered if he had some history with Juzo-san.
"Ah, no, my apologies. I didn't mean to be rude."
"Please, don’t worry about it."
"It’s just that you look so much like Juzo-san did in his youth."
"Takimiya-san, have you known my grandfather for a long time?"
"Didn't he tell you? Juzo-san and I have been friends since our teens. We were quite the troublemakers when we were young."
Perhaps to put us at ease, Heizo-san shared some nostalgic stories about his youth with Juzo-san. His stories helped both Hiiragi-san and me relax a little.
"Regardless, I heard the details from Juzo-san. He says you’re all explorers who visit the dungeons frequently..."
"Yes. Though only on weekends," Yuji replied with a wry smile.
"I see. Well, now that the introductions are over... shall we get down to business?"
"Yes."
The atmosphere shifted, and a slight tension filled the room.
"I’ve heard the gist from Juzo-san, but the request is for the reforging of your swords and spear, correct?"
"Yes, that's right."
"Then, could you show me the weapons you want reforged?"
As requested, we took our respective weapons out of our transport bags and placed them on the table.
After Heizo-san examined each piece, he reached a conclusion.
"Indeed. Given the state of these blades, none of them can be used any further."
"So it’s true after all."
It wasn't that I hadn't believed Juzo-san, but hearing it from a professional swordsmith confirmed that Shiranui and the others had reached their limit.
"Regrettably, yes. On the surface, they still look fine, but a tremendous amount of fatigue has accumulated internally. Was it... the level up? I’ve heard that an explorer's equipment is strengthened alongside them, but everything has its limits. If these were ordinary blades, they would have snapped long ago."
That felt like the final verdict.
Heizo-san was being blunt so that we wouldn't let our attachment to Shiranui and the others lead us into danger.
"Thank you. Hearing you say it so clearly, Takimiya-san, has finally given me the closure I needed."
It seemed Yuji felt the same way I did. I glanced at Hiiragi-san, and she also seemed to have found her resolve.
"From the looks on your faces, it seems you’re ready."
Heizo-san looked a little pleased when he noticed our expressions.
As we were talking, a voice came from the sliding door. It was a young man.
"It’s Kyosuke. Master, are you in?"
"Yes. Come in."
"Excuse me."
The door opened, and a young man in his mid-twenties wearing glasses entered.
"Let me introduce him. This is Kyosuke Morihashi-kun. He passed the Swordsmith Licensing Examination last year and just received his sword-making permit this April. He’s a promising rookie."
"Haha, Master. 'Promising rookie' is a bit much. Ahem. Once again, I’m Kyosuke Morihashi. Nice to meet you."
"I’m Yuji Hirose."
"Daiki Kokonoe."
"Yukino Hiiragi."
We bowed as we introduced ourselves to Kyosuke-san.
"Kyosuke-kun. These are your clients."
"...Eh? Them?"
"Yes. Their ages might surprise you, but they are excellent explorers. Apparently, they’re Rank D despite their youth."
"Rank D..."
Kyosuke-san stared at us as if he were looking at something impossible, glancing up and down several times.
Well, I can understand why he’d look at high school students that way after hearing we were Rank D...
"Now, now, Kyosuke-kun. It’s rude to stare at your clients like that."
"Ah! M-My apologies!"
"It’s not me you should be apologizing to; it’s them."
Chastised by Heizo-san, Kyosuke-san realized his mistake and hurried to bow to us.
"I am very sorry!"
"Ah, no. It’s really not that big of a deal, so please don’t worry about it."
"Eh, but..."
"Kyosuke-kun. They’ve said as much, so just be more careful in the future, all right?"
"...Yes."
Ashamed of his blunder, Kyosuke-san slumped his shoulders and sat at the edge of the table, looking quite small.
Heizo-san let out a sigh at his apprentice's behavior.
"Kyosuke-kun. Stop shrinking and listen to what they have to say."
"...Yes."
"Sigh... Very well. Their request is to have these weapons reforged."
Heizo-san prompted Kyosuke-san to look at the swords and spear on the table. Kyosuke-san looked up, asked for permission, and began to examine Shiranui and the others.
"These... can’t be used anymore."
"Yes. That’s why we’re asking for a reforging."
"? But Master. Instead of reforging these, wouldn’t it be better to just buy new ones?"
"I thought so too, but after hearing their story, it seems reforging is the better option."
"? Why is that?"
Heizo-san explained our reasoning for wanting the reforging—to keep the level up bonuses.
After listening to the explanation, Kyosuke-san nodded in understanding.
"I see. If that’s the case, then I definitely think it’s worth the effort to try."
"Yes. It’s an experiment with many unknowns... but a worthwhile one."
"Indeed. In that case, the procedure should follow the techniques used when forging with antique steel..."
Kyosuke-san seemed to have grown interested in the challenge and was becoming quite enthusiastic.
It looked like we had successfully avoided being turned away.
"This will be your first official job as a swordsmith. Do your best."
"Yes! Master!"
The matter seemed settled.
Kyosuke-san responded to Heizo-san’s encouragement with a face full of determination.
"Then, Hirose-kun, Kokonoe-kun, Hiiragi-san. I shall take my leave. Please work out the details of the request with Kyosuke-kun. He’s an unknown rookie right now, but his skills are certain. I’m sure he will meet your expectations."
"Yes. Takimiya-san, thank you very much."
Thank you very much.
"You’re welcome. Now, Kyosuke-kun, I’ll leave the rest to you."
"Yes!"
Heizo-san gave us a light bow, quietly opened the sliding door, and left the room.
Once the door closed, Kyosuke-san moved to the center of the table and sat facing us.
"Well then, shall we hammer out the details?"
"Yes. We look forward to working with you."
"Likewise. Still... I never imagined my first commission would come from high school students."
"Haha, I suppose it’s unusual."
"But getting a request right after receiving my sword-making license is a great start for a swordsmith."
"Um...?"
Seeing our puzzled looks, Kyosuke-san gave an awkward smile and explained the current state of the industry.
"You see, just because you become a swordsmith doesn't mean you get requests right away. Unless you’re incredibly lucky, a rookie rarely gets a direct commission."
"Is that so?"
"Yeah. Besides... if it’s the work of a rookie who hasn't won any awards, dealers won't buy it for much. And did you know? Swordsmiths are only allowed to forge twenty-four blades a year."
"...Only twenty-four?"
"Yep. About one every two weeks. Even then, a rookie’s work might only fetch a few hundred thousand yen at best. After subtracting production costs, you might only be left with a few tens of thousand yen per blade. It’s nearly impossible for a rookie to survive on sword-making alone. I doubt even ten percent of the people in this industry can live off it entirely."
While Japanese swords are often seen as high-end art pieces, the financial reality for the smiths who make them is surprisingly grim.
"Um... there are pieces priced at several million yen, right? Is it the same for those?"
"Hmm? Ah, sure, there are pieces like that, but once you factor in the labor for the smith and other craftsmen, plus materials and overhead, the profit margin is still thin. Do you know about tamahagane?"
"Um... that's the iron used for Japanese swords, right?"
"Right. Producing that costs a fortune too. These days, they only make it about twice a year."
We listened to Kyosuke-san's startling revelations in a bit of a daze.
As the conversation continued, the shadow on Kyosuke-san's smile seemed to grow deeper.
"But things have improved a little recently thanks to the dungeons appearing last year."
"...Because of demand from explorers?"
"That, and the fact that I’m an explorer myself."
Kyosuke-san showed us his Explorer Card.
"I’m only Rank F, though."
"Kyosuke-san, you go into dungeons even though you’re a swordsmith?"
"If you prepare well, it’s a decent-paying part-time job. Besides, the demand is shifting from art collectors to explorers who need practical weapons. As part of my research, I occasionally dive into dungeons with other young smiths."
"I see."
In other words, you can't make a quality tool unless you know how it's used in the field.
These swordsmiths were surprisingly aggressive. But then again, it meant that unless you had a unique specialty, a rookie wouldn't get any work.
"Explorers are actively seeking out Japanese swords now, so the dealer purchase prices are going up."
"Does that mean you and the others make the swords sold by the Dungeon Association?"
"No. Technically, those aren't Japanese swords—they’re industrial cutlery products. They’re outside our jurisdiction. Honestly, I wish they’d lift the restrictions on our production numbers before letting stuff like that flood the market."
Kyosuke-san made a sour face, clearly harboring some resentment toward the Association's mass-produced weapons.
With a small sigh, he turned back to us.
"Anyway, putting that aside. I’m more than happy to accept your commission."
"Um... thank you."
"The pleasure is mine. Now, let’s talk about how you want them made."
We spent about an hour discussing the details with Kyosuke-san until both sides were satisfied. Generally, the plan was to maintain the dimensions of our current weapons. Kyosuke-san estimated the production would take about half a month and cost around 700,000 yen.
However, since we were refining and reforging Shiranui and the others, he mentioned that some loss of material was inevitable, which would make the finished blades slightly shorter. After consulting with Yuji and Hiiragi-san, I decided to give Kyosuke-san a specific item.
"Kyosuke-san, please take this."
"What’s this?"
"It’s iron ore I recently found in a dungeon. I brought it along thinking it might be useful."
"Iron ore? I have a stock of materials, so I should be fine, but..."
"I brought it because I thought dungeon-sourced iron might be better for this than ordinary iron. When the Association appraised it, they said it was ultra-high purity iron."
"Eh?"
Of course, even though it came from a dungeon, it was a drop from a slime dungeon.
When it had first dropped, I’d felt something unusual about it and used Appraisal Analysis. It had come up as Iron Ore (Extra Quality). When I tried to exchange it at the Association counter along with other drop items, it was appraised as ultra-high purity iron with zero impurities, and they offered a valuation nearly equal to gold.
I hadn’t sold it at the time, thinking it might come in handy for something later.
"Can you use it?"
"...Yes, I definitely can."
"Really?"
"Yeah."
Kyosuke-san stared at the ultra-high purity iron for a moment before looking up and nodding at us.
"All right. I’ll give it a try."
"We're counting on you."
And so, our first official commission for custom weapons was finalized.
I’d saved up a decent amount from our hunts, but this was going to be a major expense. I’ll have to work hard to earn it all back.