Chapter 59
Chapter 59
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 59
Chapter Title: The Blacksmith Test and Magic Tower Results
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After wrapping up my business with the knight order, I didn't head home but went straight to the smithy.
Elizabeth, the Lady Elizabeth, tagging along because she wanted to see it through to the end now that she was out was an unexpected variable, but I'd anticipated something like this ever since we met today.
"The smithy? What brings you here?"
"I need to hire a blacksmith for the clothes I'll be making from now on. We've only talked about it up to this point, so now that I have some time, I figured I'd wrap it up quickly."
"Hmm~"
The lady nodded slightly, letting out a little hum, and smiled as if she found it amusing.
"I'll just quietly observe again this time, right?"
"Yeah."
The lady stepped back a pace.
It naturally turned into me leading the way with the servants following behind.
I thought she could just stand side by side with me, but she seemed to be subtly enjoying the current setup, so I let it slide.
Her maid naturally falling in step beside her suggested this wasn't their first time doing this.
"......"
Poor Emily was the only one sandwiched awkwardly between the lady and her maid, but there was nothing I could do even with those trembling eyes looking at me.
Avoiding Emily's pitiful gaze, I stepped into the smithy.
The moment the smithy door opened, the screeching and clanging of metal greeted us, and Miss Isabella, who had been murmuring with someone who looked like a staff member near the entrance, glanced our way.
"Miss Isabella, good day."
"Oh my, Sir William~ You came quickly after saying you'd drop by."
"Yes, exactly. Did I arrive too soon, by any chance?"
"No, your timing is perfect."
"I'd like to meet that boy right away, if possible?"
"Of course. Patrick has been waiting around nonstop, wondering when you'd come, Sir."
"Haha, I've been a bit mischievous then."
"Hehe~ But it's good you came early."
After exchanging some light banter and laughing, Miss Isabella turned around and called out loudly toward the depths of the smithy.
"Patrick! Patrick, come out here quick!"
"Yes!"
From deep in the smithy, behind some unnamed machine, came a neutral voice—too thin for a man, too thick for a woman—and a short-haired boy? poked his head out over the machine.
The boy? first glanced around cautiously like a wary meerkat, then spotted me standing with Miss Isabella and broke into a big grin, scurrying over like a puppy bounding toward a frisbee.
A lively voice, a girl-like appearance, and a petite stature similar to that of an adult woman.
For a split second, I wondered if it was a girl after all, and if Miss Isabella had called the wrong person, but...
Seeing the faint burn scars dotting his face, the bulging Adam's apple on his throat, and the prominent muscles and veins on his forearms and upper arms convinced me she'd called the right one.
"This is the person I told you about before. He came to meet you today because he wanted to see you."
"Hello! I'm Patrick Gordon! It's an honor to meet you, Sir William!"
"Good to meet you too."
I accepted Patrick's bow—which looked like he was about to slam his head into the ground—by patting his shoulder.
He then sprang upright like a coiled spring and looked up at me with sparkling eyes.
I met Patrick's gaze, smiled, and spoke.
"You said you dreamed of becoming a blacksmith, right?"
"Yes! That's right."
"Miss Isabella, did you show that drawing to this boy before?"
"Yes."
That makes things quicker then.
I pulled a sheet of paper from my pocket and handed it to Patrick.
"What's this?"
"Take a look."
"This is..."
The drawing I handed to Patrick was exactly the same wire I'd shown Miss Isabella last time.
The difference was that this time, it was drawn to the exact specifications I wanted.
"How long does it usually take to make a pair of these wires?"
"It varies by material and precision, so it's not exact, but usually three or four hours."
"Can you make them by tomorrow morning then?"
"Tomorrow morning?"
"Yeah."
At the condition of tomorrow morning, Patrick scrutinized the paper intently, then looked at me with a serious gaze and asked.
"Do they have to match these dimensions exactly? What's the tolerance for error?"
"Under 1mm."
"1mm..."
At my condition, deep wrinkles formed between Patrick's brows.
While wires that fit the body snugly do reduce discomfort a lot, there's no need for this level of precision.
Human bodies change slightly every day, so even the most precise fit will eventually become loose.
I'd set a tight condition on purpose to test Patrick's skill level.
"Hmm..."
Patrick let out a vague groan, crossing his arms and tapping his forearm with his fingers as he fell deep into thought.
The longer he pondered, the busier his eyes darted between the paper, empty space, and me.
"..."
With the metallic clamor as background music, about a minute of contemplation passed before the fingers tapping his forearm suddenly stopped.
Then, meeting my eyes, Patrick puffed out his chest and flashed a confident smile.
"I can do it. Not just by tomorrow morning—I could have them ready by this evening."
Patrick not only answered confidently but countered with an even tighter deadline.
I didn't know yet if it was baseless bravado or skill-backed assurance, but his spirit impressed me.
I lifted one corner of my mouth and said.
"I like the confidence, but the deadline is still tomorrow morning."
"Then I'll show you my absolute best work, so keep your expectations high until the end."
"Good. I will."
"Yes!"
I nodded approvingly at Patrick's resounding reply.
First impressions were good, at least.
_
"That was surprisingly boring."
"What?"
As we left the smithy after giving the test to the kid named Patrick, Lady Elizabeth, who had been quietly watching, suddenly said something out of left field.
I furrowed my brow, wondering if hanging around our staff had turned her into a dopamine-chasing maniac even during work, and eyed her warily. She opened her mouth with a slightly sulky expression.
"I thought someone like you, from what I've seen so far, would make a huge fuss out of it, but it was unexpectedly tame..."
It was so absurd I narrowed my eyes and shot her a slight glare as I replied.
"Just what do you take me for? Even I don't start things without any plan."
The lady nodded skeptically and gave me a sidelong glance.
"What happens if you do start something without thinking?"
"Wouldn't the church step in?"
"Oh..."
The lady looked blankly for a brief moment, then tugged the corners of her mouth down slightly and nodded.
"As much as I hate to admit it, that's pretty convincing."
"Right?"
"Now I'm curious what kind of results come from when you don't hold back. I suppose I'll see it someday?"
"Who knows?"
In my estimation, it was unlikely.
Something like slightly shorter skirts or sleeves might be possible, but bikini swimsuits seeing the light of day?
Not in just a few decades, that was for sure.
If I lived past a hundred, maybe barely.
Or if someone forcibly planted the seeds of reform.
Essentially, impossible.
"More importantly, Sir William."
"Yeah?"
"From now on, I hope you'll think just a tiny bit less."
"What are you talking about?"
"If you keep doing things this way, my life will get boring, so when you think for five seconds, cut it down to three and act. Please."
"Tch..."
I narrowed my eyes and shook my head.
It wasn't even worth responding to such nonsense, so I looked straight ahead and ignored her.
"Pfft~"
The lady hadn't been serious anyway; she just let out a small laugh at my reaction and showed no further response.
_
After parting ways with the lady on the verge of dopamine addiction, I returned to the townhouse to find an unfamiliar letter on the desk.
"What's this?"
I carefully picked it up and checked the sender, finding the Magic Tower's emblem stamped there instead of a name.
The instant I realized it was from the Magic Tower, I flipped the envelope, tore open the wax seal, and eagerly pulled out the paper inside to unfold it.
[Regarding the analysis requested by Sir William Henry Howard...]
Skipping the lengthy formal greetings, I jumped to the middle, and one sentence jumped out at me.
"Oh!"
Startled by the Magic Tower's surprise gift, I reflexively exclaimed in admiration and practically shoved the paper in my face.
They'd said results would be out this week, so I'd vaguely thought 'around Friday then~' and tucked it away in a corner of my mind, but to arrive on Monday already.
Sending infinite thanks in my heart to the Magic Tower for even working weekends to rush it, I rubbed my pounding chest and scanned the text eagerly.
[The results sheet is on the back...]
I flipped to the next page and examined the back.
There was a table filled with all sorts of complex figures.
I worried if I'd understand it since science and I weren't close friends, but flipping one more page revealed explanations for the various terms, so I relaxed and read on.
Boiling down what the complicated numbers and jargon meant: one was a dud, the other two were hits.
Nylon, which I'd predicted, was one of the hits, with properties almost exactly as I remembered, and no unknown toxicity.
A material safe to use immediately, as long as we secured enough raw materials.
"Heh heh heh~"
Letting out an excited chuckle, I sat down and picked up a pen.
Then, writing Lord Hans's name, I began drafting a letter to send to him.