A Bold Bet at Baum Workshop
"Let's make a bet."
The moment I couldn't hold back and blurted it out, all six pairs of eyes snapped toward me in unison. And they were glowing with menace.
"What did you say?"
"What was that just now?"
"What?"
I must have really misspoken. But what could I do? I'd already opened my mouth.
"It means the sound keeps trembling because there's not enough support."
When you're in a spot like this, the key is to act confident. They all stared at me blankly.
"Ha!"
The first to step forward was the burly dwarf craftsman. He roughly stroked his beard, his eyes clearly filled with displeasure.
"Listen here, young man. Do you even know where you are, giving us advice like that? This is Baum Workshop, one of the top workshops in Ramisel! This design was made by the three of us putting our heads together!"
The name Baum Workshop made even me flinch. I'd heard of it before—it was that famous. I'd been planning to stop by and check it out since coming to Ramisel, but I'd forgotten. I hadn't realized it was such a small workshop. Its reputation was practically nationwide.
Hmm. But still, no matter how many heads they put together, weren't they struggling with some kind of problem?
I kept that thought to myself, of course. Voicing it would just be picking a fight.
Next, the elf craftsman standing beside him narrowed his already slender eyes even further and chimed in.
"Do you think we wouldn't know something so basic? Putting a brace like that would just kill the resonance!"
"Exactly! It's like strangling the instrument's soul just to stop the trembling!"
Under the craftsmen’s fierce momentum, I glanced at Monica and Temi. I wasn't bothered myself, but I felt bad for dragging them into this mess. Fortunately, neither seemed too concerned. Monica looked indifferent, and Temi's eyes sparkled with excitement.
Reassured, I spoke up again.
"I don't think so."
Craftsmen in this world have a bit of an obsession with the flow of mana. I could understand it to some extent. Back on Earth, there was no mana, so you never had to worry about it when playing instruments. But things were different here.
Mana was one of the fundamental forces that made up the world. Its density and arrangement around you could affect performances. That's why you'd completely reset an instrument's setup depending on whether you were playing in a mana-rich area or not.
But because of that, they sometimes overlooked basic principles when designing instruments, too focused on mana flow.
"That's only if you place the brace in a straightforward spot. Putting it here makes a difference."
"What?"
"No way!"
The craftsmen gaped incredulously at the spot I pointed to.
"That's the mana channel!"
"What are you going to do, block it?!"
"It won't cause any real issues. Mana isn't that sensitive."
That damn mana channel. I knew mana had an effect, sure. But carving a big groove right in the center of the instrument and calling it a "mana channel" was nothing more than superstition.
Of course, I didn't expect them to understand if I said so. They'd probably just dismiss me as some clueless fool no matter how long I argued.
"How about a bet, then?"
"What?"
"Put a brace there and test the instrument."
Nothing shuts people up like actual results.
Hmm. Technically, I could've just minded my own business and walked away... but oh well. How do you resist giving advice like that?!
Their reactions were priceless, though. They exchanged glances, as if questioning whether they'd heard me right.
"A bet? Did he say bet?"
Once again, the dwarf was first to react. He snorted derisively and opened his mouth to retort, but I cut him off.
"If you're not confident, we don't have to. I already know the answer anyway."
"No!"
The dwarf's face flushed red at my words.
"Fine! Let's bet! But if we do it your way and the sound gets worse, you'll spend the whole day sweeping our front yard! You wasted our time!"
"Sure, deal. So what do I get if I win?"
The dwarf twitched his beard and replied.
"If you win? Ha! We'll give you any instrument in the workshop!"
"Eh, instruments are fine, but I'm more interested in materials. A workshop like this must have some good stuff."
"Deal!"
I'd worried I might be pushing it too far, but the dwarf nodded immediately without a second thought. He didn't even consider the possibility of me winning.
And with that, the bet was on.
"Then I'll do it myself."
I stepped up to install the brace exactly as I'd described. If someone else did it, they might botch the job.
As I approached the workbench, the other craftsmen crossed their arms and glared, clearly thinking, 'Let's see you try.'
Meanwhile, Monica and Temi watched like it was a show across the river.
"You got this!"
"Do it!"
With their cheers behind me, I picked up the dagger on the workbench. It wasn't a familiar tool, but the blade angle and weight were decent.
"Hmm."
Up close, I could tell these three were the real deal—genuine masters. The woodwork alone proved it. They’d just tried a novel modification that clashed with fundamental principles.
I spotted the issue not because I was better than them, but because my perspective was different. I had memories from my past life.
Anyway, a bet was a bet. I grabbed a suitable block of wood, clamped it in the jig, and got to work.
Scrape, scrape.
The steady rhythm of wood being shaved echoed through the room. Since this was just a demo, I finished up roughly.
"I'll slot it in now."
I spread a thin layer of glue, then secured it at an angle crossing right beside the mana channel. It ran against the grain, spreading vibrations across the entire top plate.
"Now we just wait for it to set."
"I'll handle that."
The elf craftsman stepped forward and extended his hand. A blue light shimmered from his fingertips, soaking into the freshly braced spot.
I watched the brace lock into place instantly. So the elf was a craftsman and a mage.
"It's set. Let's test it."
This wasn't standard practice for instrument-making, but it was just a test.
"Shall we hear it, then?"
"Yeah."
The dwarf took the instrument, drew the bow across the strings, and—
————
A clear, crisp sound rang out, filling the space. Everyone's eyes widened—craftsmen, Monica, Temi, all of them. Even the dwarf looked stunned and quickly played a higher note.
——!
No trace of trembling in that high register, despite their claims. And far from being muffled as they'd feared, the tone soared bright and clear, drawing involuntary smiles.
"......Huh?"
Only after several more notes did the dwarf lower his bow, dazed.
"Wh-what the......"
"Impossible!"
The elf and human alternated stares between the instrument and me, faces full of disbelief. And who could blame them? One human had solved in minutes what three masters couldn't fix after days of head-scratching. To them, it must've felt like I'd bewitched the thing.
"How did blocking the mana channel make the sound clearer?"
"The resonance didn't die—it amplified! The trembling's gone completely, and the tone's even brighter!"
I stepped back to let them examine it. They took turns inspecting for a good while before turning to me in unison, as if on cue.
"You!"
"Wh-what's your deal? A craftsman with that kind of insight would've made waves in Ramisel by now!"
They looked convinced I was some famous instrument maker.
I waved my hands frantically.
"I'm not a professional maker. I just recognized the issue from experience."
"No way! Even if it was similar, spotting it instantly?"
"Exactly!"
As I tried to respond, the elf suddenly noticed the case slung over my shoulder.
"Wait! You're that guy! The musician Selenie acknowledged!"
"What? The one with the weird instrument?"
"That instrument! What is it?"
Oh great. Looks like I've been recognized the wrong way.
In the thickening atmosphere that promised no easy escape, I rolled my eyes. Then the human craftsman stepped forward.
"Hold on, hold on. Let's calm down. We lost the bet—time to pay up, right?"
"Oh? Y-yeah."
"Right, right."
"You wanted materials? Follow me."
"Yeah, we'll show you the good stuff!"
I got permission from Temi and Monica, then followed them. They led me to a storeroom inside their shared workshop.
"Whoa!"
Correction: this was a treasure trove. Piles of precious woods you'd never see in a regular shop.
The moment I saw them, I knew. If a World Tree Branch was the ultimate main material, these were top-tier auxiliaries. I could already picture the next instrument I'd craft.