To Deprive a Deprived Person

The sound of metal rang out from here and there――at the same time, a hot wind that burned the skin rushed through the workshop. Facing the fire and steel were the people of the fallen demon tribe. Originally descended from dwarves, the fallen demon tribe has been mingling with the demon tribe in search of demonic power. How many years did they spend together? The skin is gray and the head is probably a remnant of a horn. If you touch it, you can see that there is a thin mass. The same is true for the pair of masses on the back. When noticed, it was transformed into a figure that did not look like a dwarf except for its beard and body shape.

In the beginning, it was only the men of the demon tribe in Nameless Kingdom who used the forge, but now there are many demon women and people of other races who want to learn how to forge. It was not hard to imagine that the workshop, which had been built with plenty of space in the beginning, would become too small as the number of people increased. Every time Mauno, the head of the demon tribe, cried at Yuu, the workshop was expanded and now it is inferior to the blacksmith workshop of Tencassi, the royal capital of the Udon Kingdom. If it is a single workshop, it will be comparable to the dwarven village where you can mine the only iron meteorite on the vast continent of Raem――this workshop under the direct control of the royal family of 『The Star Fall Country』.

"Aaa......"

Muttering, a demon man wipes his sweat with his arms along with his hair stuck to his forehead. Not only his hair, but also the fine beard and clothes that are characteristic of demon men are stuck to his skin due to the sweat that travels through his whole body. That should be the case. This is because this workshop only considers the minimum air flow and is not air-conditioned like the underground facilities that are the residences of the deprived people. There is a reason for this. Dwarves and demons――no, blacksmiths are extremely reluctant to change the temperature in the room. One of the oldest anecdotes among blacksmiths is that a disciple who stole the temperature of the water when quenching the sword his teacher struck was cut off by his teacher. There is. He is cut off his arm just by checking the temperature of the water. It's an unbelievable story, but there are many anecdotes like this. As you can see from this anecdote, you don't know if it's a lie or a truth. The race of blacksmiths is so noisy about the temperature of the furnace and the water to be hardened and it is one of the secrets. It is a common sight here that newcomers and inexperienced blacksmiths are yelled at just by forgetting to close the door that connects the workshop to the outside. However, if you look around, the fire is roaring from the furnace all over the place and the blacksmiths are pouring magic power in search of more firepower. It can be said that there is no temperature change or shit in the workshop. In other words, this is like a good luck charm.

"Woods-dono, old Gonbugur, can we take a break now?"

Mauno, the chief of the Demon Tribe, calls out to Woods, carrying a hammer on his shoulder. Roughly wiping his face with his opposite arm causes sweat to run down his arm to the fireproof apron.

"Hmm. I agree with Mauno-dono"

"Huu. I understand"

Woods asks the apprentice blacksmiths to keep an eye on the furnace and walks out of the workshop, his shoulders thumping.

"Come on, let's go"

Mauno sat down on a wooden bench outside the workshop. When Woods and Gonbugur sat down as well, the bench creaked as if it were screaming. Dwarf and demon tribe men are shorter than humans, but instead they are barrel-shaped and muscular――much heavier than humans.

"Why don't you guys take a break too?"

Woods called out to Kin and Gin. These two corpses――or perhaps he should say two, since they were once a knight and mage of a renowned human race. Anyway, these two were undead demons that Yuu had prepared to guard Woods. Kin and Gin, who are literally guarding Woods at all times, raised their hands lightly as if to say, 「Don't worry about it」, at Woods' invitation. Woods smiles at them and says, 「You'll get tired if you take yourself too seriously」.

"Hmm. I've heard that the Nameless King has returned, but he hasn't come to show his face at your place?"

"Yuu has a lot to do, right"

Woods' wording wasn't very, if not appropriate, for Gonbugur, who pays homage to even the dwarven king. However, Gonbugur nodded 「Hmm」 without any notice. He is wielding a hammer together at the blacksmith's workshop. Gonbugur knows more than enough about what Woods is, without anyone telling him. And it showed that for Gonbugur, the man named Woods was a straightforward and very likable person.

"The king, too. I guess the king can't keep giving special treatment to Woods. Nowadays, there are people among the demon tribe who are jealous of him. However, in the case of the demon tribe, the women are different"

When Mauno said that, he laughed 「Gahahaa」 as if to make fun of Woods. Dwarven and demon women tend to look awkward or unfriendly and in fact, prefer gentle and handsome-like people. In other words, Woods and Morpheus, contrary to their appearance, look attractive to their relatives.

"Don't be so naive. I'm just teaching them how to smith. You're the head of the tribe, after all"

"Oh, scary, scary. Woods-dono, you've got to be kidding"

When Woods and his friends were chatting in the warm sunshine, they saw children running towards them from afar.

"Uncle Woods!!"

The first was Hende, a beastman, who was holding a picture book tightly in his arms.

"Ou. What's up with all these people again?"

"You're on break, right?"

Mauno must have sensed something when the children asked with sparkling eyes.

"You guys cant. You're not allowed in the workshop"

The children in front of him were all boys. At this age, boys are always fascinated by knives and fire. However, the blacksmithing workshop is a dangerous place to work where it is not unusual for adults to get injured. There are even accidents that can kill someone. That is why children, no matter what race they are, are forbidden to enter the forge. Even so, there is nothing that can erase a boy's longing. Whenever they had a spare moment, they would wander around the forge, occasionally peeking in through the open door, their heart swelling with pride.

"It's different!"

Hende's words were followed by those of the other children, 「That's right!」.

"Different......then what are you doing here?"

Hende and the others glanced at Kin and Gin as if to say, 「That's......」 and Woods smiled and said, 「Hahaa」.

"Hey. It looks like they're looking for you. Give them a little company"

Kin and Gin look at each other. Mauno wonders what kind of exchange took place between them. It seems that Kin will take care of the kids, while Gin stays behind to continue guarding Woods.

"What? It's a good thing you're there too"

Woods spoke to Gin, but Gin did not respond and stood still.

"You're really a serious guy"

"It's as if the king had assigned Woods a bodyguard"

As Kin, surrounded by children, writes on the ground with a twig, Woods and the others are once again engaged in conversation.

"If it's steel, obsidian, or some other familiar material, I'm sure I can hold my own with old Gonbugur. And that's right......I think I'm better at armor with magic power, especially with a magic sword"

Mauno confidently speaks to Gonbugur, who is praised as one of the three great craftsmen.

"Hmm. Many of the techniques I learned were from those who are called Orthodox. When it comes to hitting the magic sword, Mauno may be better"

It was the kind of conversation that only those involved in blacksmithing could have. The conversation became more and more heated and they wondered what kind of materials they used to make their armor. They talked about the precious ores that could be mined in the mountains. There was no shortage of topics to talk about.

"I'm working on a spear for the king. It should be finished today or tomorrow. I've had a lot of trouble with it, but when it's finished, it will be one of the best pieces of armor in the third class. By the way, of all the armor that old Gonbugur and Woods-dono have made so far, what was the one that left the biggest impression on you?"

Eventually, the conversation shifted to the topic of what was the most memorable piece of armor they had made.

"Hmmm. Hmm......the best......hmm"

Gonbugur pondered while stroking his long beard.

"Nuhahaa. If you're as old as Gonbugur, it's hard to narrow down the best one?"

"No. If you say the best, it's decided. It's the spear I made for Joseph Pal Yorm"

Woods and Mauno's expressions are fixed by Gonbugur's words.

"Joseph's Spear――did you make that 『Hollow God Killing Spear』?"

Woods, who quickly regained himself, asks to confirm the truth of Gonbugur's words.

"Hollow God Killing Spear? Hmm. The name of the spear that I gave to Joseph is 『Gorgia Su Spear』, but I heard that the name changed when he killed a demigod"

Mauno seemed to be listening to Gonbugur's words half-heartedly and snickered, 「Killing a god and changing the name of the weapon, isn't that like a myth?」.

"A demigod? You don't think Joseph killed a god?"

"Exactly. Joseph killed God. But I'm sure he'll come back to life. He's a god"

As if it were nothing, Gonbugur nodded and sipped the tea the blacksmith's apprentice had brought him.

"Hmm. Well, it's a ridiculous story, but it's a fact"

"I've never heard of such a story or is it well known among the dwarves?"

"No, I've never heard of it either"

"The five great powers formed a secret coalition to defeat some evil cult, but the damage was too great for either side. It's not something that can be concealed. And aside from Jardalk, the other nations, especially the Derim Empire, had many non-human races in their ranks"

Woods seemed unconvinced by what Gonbugur was saying and pondered with a grim expression.

"It seems that there was a lot of damage to both sides, but from the flow of the story, did the evil cult and others summon a god or an evil god?"

"Umm"

"Gonbugur-dono, it might not be a god, but a high-ranking demon, right?"

"Hmmm. It's possible, of course, but I've heard from the dwarves who served with us that the cult summoned a god"

The less eloquent Gonbugur, perhaps thirsty from talking too much, drank the rest of his tea in one gulp to quench his thirst.

"It's a legend among some dwarves, that there's a demon god with eight limbs, a male body in the front and a female body in the back. His unimaginable beauty makes him worthy of being called a god. However, despite his divine appearance, he is a cruel and inhumane god who plays with the lives of many. The eight great dragon kings, unable to bear witness to his cruelty, set out to defeat him, but they were no match for the strength of the God of Heavenly Demons. They borrowed the power of other gods and divided them into male and female gods, but even in his demigod form, they could not destroy him"

As the apprentice blacksmith poured new tea into the empty cup, Gonbugur thanked him and sipped the tea.

"The eight great dragon kings were so troubled that they sealed the male god into the void and the goddess into some labyrinth. Hmm. Perhaps it was the male demon god that the pagans summoned. I don't know if he was released from the seal of a thousand years, or ten thousand years, or hundreds of thousands of years, but to defeat a god, even in his weakened state...... Joseph Pal Yorm is an extraordinary man. It's a feat that may well be called the savior of mankind"