Gatto

My name is Gatto.

I was once the son of the head of Howlin Village and the designated successor to his position.

Yes, I was.

Perhaps it had been a mistake to take a wife from a human village?

No, that wasn't it.

Naci is a human, but she is a wonderful woman.

She was simply unfortunate enough to come down with mine cough.

On the night it was decided that I would part ways with Naci, I loved her so much that I spent the hours weeping, unable to find sleep.

A lot happened after that, but eventually, I was able to be with Naci again.

I hadn't known that she had given birth to a child while we were apart.

She is my daughter, no matter how you look at her.

She’s quite big for her age, too.

Apparently, she’s four years old.

I often regret that I didn't simply abandon my status as the village head's son and follow Naci back then.

But having a child is a joy, plain and simple.

I will protect my daughter, Nart, with my life.

And, of course, I'll protect Naci as well.

After all, we’re going to be together forever from now on.

I am currently in the Village of the Great Tree, a place that Howlin Village is indebted to in many ways.

I'm not here as a guest, but as a member of this community.

……

To be honest, it’s terrifying.

Since I was a child, I was told never to go near the Forest of Death.

Even Galf, the strongest warrior in Howlin Village, says it’s a place where you'll die the moment you let your guard down.

And here I am, right in the thick of it.

Furthermore, there are Inferno Wolves and Demon Spiders everywhere.

These are magic beasts and monsters we were ordered to flee from at first sight—not just to prepare for death, but to run in the opposite direction of the village to ensure we didn't lead them back to others.

And there are plenty of them here.

So many I can't even count.

It's okay.

I can do this.

I can work hard.

While I was busy trembling, Naci was proactively trying to fit in as a member of the village.

And Nart…… she was playing by riding on the back of an Inferno Wolf.

Hang in there, Gatto.

I've learned that in this world, as long as the food and sake are good, most things have a way of working out.

I’ve finally recovered my composure.

I can't stay cooped up forever.

My younger sister, Sena, is working hard too.

I have to do my part.

The first thing my wife and I had to be careful about in the Village of the Great Tree was our relationship with Sena and the others who had migrated here before us.

In Howlin Village, my status was higher, but things are different here.

I am Sena's junior.

I have to keep reminding myself of that.

She may be my younger sister, but she is my senior in this village.

It's fine.

One look at the way Sena and the other members of the Beastman Race work is enough to make me bow my head in respect.

I tried helping with the work Sena and the others were doing, but every bit of it was grueling.

Furthermore, I saw that Sena was skillfully holding her own in the social battles among the women.

I was impressed by how much she had grown during the time we were apart, but at the same time, I felt a bit pathetic for my own lack of progress.

No, it's not like I haven't grown at all.

I pride myself on my smithing skills being among the top one or two in Howlin Village.

But I worried those skills wouldn't be useful in the Village of the Great Tree…… Or so I thought.

Was that the sound of iron being struck?

What?

The High Elves had a kiln and were processing iron.

It was a small, crude kiln compared to the ones in Howlin Village, but to my eyes, it looked radiant.

I bowed to the High Elves and asked them to let me use the kiln.

The High Elves' smithing was more of a hobby for a few individuals.

Technically speaking, I was the better smith.

Naturally, I ended up working as the official blacksmith for the Village of the Great Tree.

That said, working at it full-time was difficult at first.

Given the scale of the kiln, I could only manage repairs on iron products or create small items like nails and arrowheads.

But that was fine.

I was just happy to have a job that suited me.

By the time spring arrived, I had acclimated enough to give morning greetings to the Inferno Wolves and Demon Spiders I used to be terrified of.

It was then decided that humans would live in Village One, located to the west of the Village of the Great Tree.

They were new migrants.

I was asked to teach them various skills, so I decided to teach them smithing.

An artisan's instinct is to keep their techniques a secret, but I felt such a debt of gratitude toward the Village of the Great Tree that I felt I couldn't repay it even if I shared everything I knew.

Teaching them was a small price to pay.

Besides, being taught doesn't mean someone can become a blacksmith overnight.

It takes at least five years to become full-fledged.

I knew that even if they came to the smithy every day, it would take twenty years for them to catch up to me, so I wasn't worried.

Now then, I didn't mind teaching, but the question was how.

It's difficult to teach if you aren't standing next to a kiln.

Should I have them come to the Village of the Great Tree?

As I was pondering this, a High Elf who was a fellow smith muttered a suggestion.

"Wouldn't it be easier to just build a smithy in Village One?"

……

Nice idea.

Adopted.

I built a magnificent kiln in Village One.

The High Elves' construction techniques are truly incredible.

A kiln that would normally take months to build was finished in about ten days.

Using magic to dry it was also highly effective.

It was a splendid kiln, every bit as good as the ones back in Howlin Village.

Oops, I can't get carried away.

The goal was to teach the migrants.

I resolved to teach them with everything I had!

But my enthusiasm only seemed to scare them.

I should have known.

Many people in Howlin Village want to try smithing, but very few actually stick with it.

It's awkward for me to say this as a smith, but it's because the work is brutal.

The workplace is scorching regardless of the season, and it's nothing but heavy labor.

Looking back, I sometimes wonder why I do it myself.

I suppose it's for the sense of accomplishment when a piece is finished and the joy of seeing people use what I've made.

It would be faster if they could experience that for themselves, but you can't just start striking iron from day one.

First, I had them observe the work.

After that, I asked them to help with menial labor.

None of them could keep up.

There was one man who tried his best, but he collapsed from the heat.

I should have watched him more closely.

I'll have to reflect on that.

However, I fully intended to make use of the kiln I built.

It was a brand-new smithy, after all.

Yeah.

It was actually easier to use than the kiln in the Village of the Great Tree.

But now that I had this, I found myself wanting a specialized kiln—no, a forge—just for melting iron.

……

No, no.

I need to focus on working hard at this new smithy first.

Besides, here I can strike iron at night without having to worry about the neighbors.

In the final stages of smithing, the temperature of the fire is crucial, and you judge that temperature by its color.

The color is hard to see during the day, so it’s standard practice to work at night.

However, in the Village of the Great Tree, I’d been warned that the noise was too loud.

The kiln there was practically right in the middle of the residential area, so the complaints were understandable. I’d given up on night work there, but I thought I could get away with it here!

……

I got a talking-to here as well.

What a shame.

I decided to consult the Village Head regarding night work.

With the High Elves joining the discussion, it was decided that a new kiln would be built in the Village of the Great Tree Outbuilding.

Furthermore, the High Elves put forward five Reward Medals and requested an enhancement of the facilities.

I also…… well, I’m sorry, I only had one left, but I offered it up!

I’d already exchanged the rest for gifts for my wife and daughter.

The result was three magnificent forges.

They incorporated all sorts of improvements based on my past experience.

The workshop was spacious, and there was even a place to display finished works.

If my old smithing colleagues from Howlin Village saw this, they’d probably start begging to migrate here too.

I was truly moved.

We performed the first lighting……

And then I crafted a fire god, the guardian deity of the smithy.

I’d made one for the Village One Smithy as well, but I still felt nervous.

The item made immediately after the fire god is considered the forge's first true product.

I asked the Village Head what he wanted.

"Then, a katana…… let's go with a sword."

A sword?

I was surprised.

Knowing the Village Head, I had expected him to ask for farm tools.

A sword.

Did he know that blades were my specialty?

Or perhaps it was for the migrants in Village One?

To give them even a slightly better weapon for defense.

In that case, a spear would have been more practical, but……

Maybe it was purely symbolic?

Personally, I thought farm tools suited the Village of the Great Tree better.

Come to think of it, Urza had been playing with a sword recently.

It was a magnificent piece.

Maybe I should aim to create something of that caliber.

Fortunately, this village has a mountain of special materials.

"Is a sword no good?"

Oops, I'd been lost in thought for too long.

I bowed my head.

"Understood. I would be honored to forge a sword for you."

I would make a blade worthy of being called a masterpiece.

A few days later, now that the new smithy was complete, the Village Head consulted me regarding trade with Howlin Village.

He said he wanted to provide some form of compensation because the amount of iron products they purchased from Howlin Village would likely decrease……

He was worrying about my home village more than I was.

I felt a wave of self-reflection.

He was right.

For Howlin Village, the Village of the Great Tree was a vital customer for their iron goods.

If I began smithing in earnest here, I would become a rival to my own people.

I’ll have to make sure the items I produce don't overlap with theirs too much.

If there was anything he could do for Howlin Village, I suggested stabilizing the purchase volume of their mined ore, and then……

"I have some disciples I left behind over there. Would it be alright if I invited them to join us here?"

There were two of them.

Their gender?

"A man and a woman…… Yes, they plan to marry once they become full-fledged blacksmiths."

The Village Head gave his approval to bring them here.

The reason I wanted to call my disciples was that I had no intention of giving up my craft.

If I worked as a smith here, the demand for Howlin Village's products would inevitably drop.

That meant there would be surplus blacksmiths back home.

When that happens, the ones with poor skills or the least experience are the first to lose their livelihoods—and my two disciples would likely be at the top of that list.

It was partly because they were my students, but mostly because I wanted to protect anyone who truly knew the joy of smithing.

I knew those two would be overjoyed once they saw this smithy.

I wanted to show them the sword I forged, too.

Well, before that, I suppose I’ll have to teach them how to get along with the Inferno Wolves and Demon Spiders.

I remembered how I felt when I first arrived at this village and laughed.