Chapter 1-19 (1/2)

Blacksmith Volume 1 Chapter 19

*Abel’s POV* (New Character!)

My thoughts kept going back to that meeting this morning.

Holding a bow larger than the norm, and carrying a pair of small game on my back, it wassupposed to be a regular trip to the mountains.

You see, every spring in the mountains nearby the village, many bears appear after coming out of hibernation.

Had they come out yet? I didn’t know, I hadn’t seen any yet.

Selling the materials from bears nets a good profit.

It’s fun hunting, and I get gold out of it too, so it’s the perfect pastime for me.

From the moment I woke up this morning, my body was aflame with energy.

Today was going to be a good day, I could feel it.

Funny enough, almost immediately after I entered the mountainous area, I found a bear bigger than any I had ever seen.

It hadn’t seem to have noticed me yet.

More precisely it couldn’t have noticed me, it was busy glowering at some girl carrying a bunch of mountain-plants.

Why would you come to the mountains now of all times?! What a stupid girl.

She didn’t even have any weapons on her.

The bear fixed the girl’s figure in its gaze, and swooped down on her with the full momentum of its size.

I drew my bow.

This was a mighty bow, so mighty in fact, that it took me two years of training before I was able to use it properly.

In the village, there is nobody strong enough to use this bow other than me.

…or so I say, but right now my arm was screaming in protest to the bow’s tension.

The arrow I took out was drawn to the bow’s limit.

Along with the fact that the arrows are considerably heavier than normal ones, this would definitely be a deadly shot.

Focusing on the moment that the bear moved, I released the arrow.

Slicing through the air, the arrow let out a sharp ring as the beast was struck.

Right in-between the eyes.

It’s a simple thing if you focus enough.

That’s good, we’ll get to have some good bear this year.

As a bonus, I even got to save a damsel in distress.

‘Thank you for saving my life, as thanks take whatever you want’. ‘Then don’t mind me as I help myself!’ Something like that maybe? Well, I’m fine with anything though.

“Hey girly! You okay?!”

“Yeah, you saved me there, thank you.”

After approaching and getting a good look at her, it actually looks like she’s my age.

…and she’s really cute.

I was so focused on taking down the bear that I didn’t notice.

If I had known she was this cute I would’ve been a bit more friendly when I called out to her.

“What are you doing in the mountains during this season? Didn’t your father ever teach you common sense?”

“…no, umm… my father’s not here anymore.”

“Oh, um…”

Crap.

I didn’t mean to bring up a touchy subject like that, hopefully she hasn’t started grown unpleasant feelings towards me.

Argh whatever! A cute girl is trying to thank me so why am I driving her away?!

“Well around this time, all the bears sleeping in the mountains wake up from hibernation, haven’t you heard?”

“Unfortunately no, I just arrived in this area recently.”

So that’s how it is…

“Does that mean, you’re one of Elenoire Academy’s new students?”

“Yeah, my name is Iris Parala.”

Well what do you know? Turns out she’s one of the young mistresses going to that noble school.

It’s a good thing I saved her when I did.

Though now that I’ve helped her, what’s she gonna do to return the favour?

Around five years ago I helped another Elenoire student out of a pinch, and they ended up giving me five gold.

This girl’s not only cute, but she’s rich and I just saved her life. I should definitely get something at least worth ten gold this time.

“Love, for a saving a beauty like you, I’ll only charge you ten gold coins.”

“Eh?! There’s no way I can pay off that exorbitant amount of money!”

“Really? Well, if you can’t pay cash, I’m fine with taking something of equal value. Don’t you have any jewelry on you? Hurry up and take it out.”

“Sorry, I’m not wearing any jewels like that.”

“It doesn’t matter what it is, as long as it’s gold I don’t care.”

Her face scrunched up in confusion towards my statement, and instead of gold, she offered me some of the wild plants she had picked.

“…don’t you have like a gold necklace or something?”

“The only thing I have are these edible wild plants.”

Taking another look at the girl, her dress wasn’t any different from us commoner folk, there wasn’t a single expensive thing on her.

She even looked a bit skinny.

“Just what are you?”

“My name is Iris Parala.”

“You already told me that.”

“Then what am I supposed to tell you? All I have are these wild plants I’ve picked, so what else can I give?”

“Nonono, I mean, why are you picking wild plants in the first place? Noble kids don’t eat stuff like that.”

“I never said I was part of the aristocracy, I missed eating wild plants like I did back home, so I came to pick some.”

“But you just said that you’re one of Elenoire Academy’s students.”

“You can enroll there even if you’re a commoner you know?”

Eh?! Really?!

I didn’t know that.

The moment she said she was actually a commoner, for some reason the unpleasant feeling I had disappeared.

I took another look at her face.

Yup, it’s still really cute.

“A commoner at a school for nobles… That must be tough.”

“Really? I don’t think it’s that bad though?”

“Are you sure? I can feel my nausea coming up just by thinking about it.”

“Hmm… I guess everyone has there own opinions, no?”

As our conversation started to come to an end, my stomach started rumbling.

That reminds me, I still had the two birds I shot down this morning while riding my horse.

It’ll be ready to eat if I just grill it.

“I’m going to cook some game I caught earlier, you want one?”

I heard that in that noble school, they’re given lavish meals to eat every day.

We get to eat a fair share ourselves, but I don’t think they serve wild birds there.

I’ve never heard of them eating something like that.

“N-no thank you…”

Told you so.

I tried to leave the way I came, but then I saw it.

…That person’s face, its the face of someone who wants to eat messily!

That’s what I could tell from her face, but I could also tell that she had experienced the taste of grilled wild birds before!

“Are you sure?”

“I’m sure.”

“The birds I caught this time have a good amount of fat on them you know?”

“…”

She didn’t reply, but I definitely heard her gulp!

“Despite what you say, you definitely have the face of someone who wants to eat some.”

“Who are you talking about?! Are you talking about me?!”

“Oh yeah? Well I don’t mind, I can finish one bird no problem, finishing two grilled birds instead won’t be that big a deal.”

“…What do you mean?”

“Well, if you were nobility I would’ve never offered, but since you aren’t, along with the fact that you’re a bit skinny, I think I’ll let you have some. Come on, I’ll start the fire.”

“…okay.”

With a hearty fire created by the two of us, I grilled the birds.

A fragrant smell started drafting about.

My only regret is that I didn’t have any salt or anything on me, but that couldn’t be helped.