First challenges (1)

On the next day, Aileen and I finally began the task, though it was more accurate to say that she started while she sidelined me like a clueless novice.

"Watch a true master at work," Aileen deftly began mixing something in a mortar in front of the furnace. "It'll take you ages to get to this level, but I'm not willing to wait that long. Spoons, cups, pots, and other kitchenware don't need to be forged individually; we'll stamp them. For that, we need highly durable molds for these items, which will take their place on the press."

After she finished mixing the ingredients, she tossed them into the furnace, and in an instant, they burst into a bright flame that clearly couldn't be produced by simple coal.

"This reminds me of the coin minting process, but it's different there as they work with gold alloys."

"Yes, exactly the same method, though of course, it's easier with gold since it's a softer metal. But that's not what we need. For starters, we just have to melt this red metal into a mold."

"That's adamantium, and you won't be able to melt it in that furnace, even if you try."

"Heh," the girl smirked mischievously and placed a bucket with ingots taken from the blacksmith over the furnace. "In a regular furnace, you're right; it's impossible. However, I explored the entire city to find the necessary chemicals. With some additives, we can achieve the required temperature, although it will consume much more charcoal, but it will burn brighter and more intensely."

She left the bucket undisturbed and walked toward other pre-prepared mechanisms.

"And this will be our press," she pointed to two large stones hanging on supports with openings in the center. "Here, we'll place the mold of the desired shape and be able to extrude the needed items from the steel."

"No matter what you say, you won't be able to forge steel with this method!"

"Not with ordinary steel, but with heated steel, quite possible. You don't understand it yet, but when heated, the structure of iron changes, making it softer. That way, blacksmiths can forge weapons of specific shapes, and I'll do the same, except instead of forging, I'll be shaping them with this press. Afterward, by cooling the hot molds, we'll get the final product, and we can do this with most metals, though knives might be a bit tricky."

"Hold on, how do you plan to lift those stones? They weigh about fifty kilograms each!"

"Oh, it's simple," the girl pointed at the belts that extended from the handle of the press to a massive rod in the ceiling. "I made an unauthorized modification to the mechanical energy transmission system, hehe."

"What?" I couldn't make sense of her last sentence.

"In short, I connected the shaft of the mill to the main forge, so now it not only pumps air but also lifts and lowers our press and even rotates this!"

The girl removed the canvas from the wheel that I had brought from above yesterday. Now it was installed on a tripod, and similar leather straps were attached to the axis at its center.

"An old grinding stone. Well, if I don't have to turn it manually, it'll be very helpful. But it's almost completely worn out, and there's hardly any abrasive left on it."

"Hy-hy-hy, what would you do without me? Look what I bartered from the local boys!" Aileen handed me a bag with strange sparkling stones inside.

"Glass? Well, no, it's too clear. Maybe crushed crystal."

"These are real diamonds! And I thought you knew about these things."

"WHAT?! Where did the kids get diamonds from?! And HOW did you manage to barter for them?!"

"Don't freak out! There used to be an old diamond mine here, and these are the small remnants left in it. You can't make jewelry from them anymore, so they're not valued in the market, but they might come in handy for me."

"Why did you buy them from them?! Even if you don't sell them, they are still diamonds!!"

"Well, I gave them a coin each for the bag. That's all."

"Hmm, that was quite cheap. And why did they sell them to you like that?" Suddenly, it dawned on me. "Stop! You've only been in our country for a week, you haven't even received your stipend yet. Where did you get so many coins?"

"I gave them my own coins."

"IMPERIAL COINS?!?"

"Yeah," the girl, ignoring my panic, scattered the diamonds around the press.

"Do you realize that if they show these to their parents, a mob of peasants with pitchforks and torches will come after you?!"

"They won't show them! First, it's their treasure now, and secondly, if it's discovered that they were mining diamonds in the feudal lord's mine, they and their families will be executed."

"But that's absurd! They're worthless anyway," I was perplexed. I knew our feudal lords did whatever they pleased, but this was too much.

"That doesn't matter. They encroached upon the feudal lord's property, and that's what matters. That's why I despise your country. Absolute subjugation and no freedom of choice. I'm glad I was born in the empire."

Unfortunately, Aileen was right, and I had nothing to argue with her about.

"Well, okay, how can I help you?"

"Now, lower this lever," the girl pointed to a lever on the press.

"Are you planning to crush them?"

"Yes, as stones, they're useless, but as dust, I can still use them. Lower it, don't hesitate."

Well, there's nothing I can do. I obeyed the words of the guardswoman, and after a few attempts, the stones turned into a fine powder. Thanks to the engineering devices, the press almost lifted itself, and it didn't take much effort on my part.

"That's what we need. Now it's time to fix the sharpener," the girl took out a pot of viscous liquid from a corner and began applying it to the circle in a thin layer. "Do you know why diamonds are valued besides their beauty? It's because of their hardness! The main thing is to distribute them evenly on the surface, and we'll get the best sharpening wheel. With my drive, it will work much faster, and we'll be able to sharpen knives in seconds!"

"And you seem to have thought it all through, but what will you do with the rust? The months spent in the basement clearly didn't bode well for the metal's quality."

"No, you worry too much. I've thought it all through. Here, take this, just be careful," the girl gave me a tightly closed bottle. "I managed to make it yesterday evening, finally, but it took some effort. Just don't drink it or spill it on your hands. Soak all the rusty metal pieces in this solution for a couple of minutes, and the rust and mold will come off easily. The main thing is not to leave them in it for too long."

"And what is this?"

"That's what I told you. If I could prepare it under your conditions, then you can too, and then you can also use it against the empire."

"Alright, alright, so I guess I'll deal with the rust?"

"Well, now you're starting to think logically. You'll stay with me a little longer, and who knows, you might even start using your own head instead of obeying laws."

"Yes, yes."

"Alright, I'll work on the molds," the girl returned to the cauldron, and I noticed that the seemingly indestructible adamantium had already started to melt slowly. What temperature had she heated the furnace to! "If everything goes as planned, we'll finish everything tomorrow."

Everything went as Aileen planned. In two days, we set up production and easily completed the blacksmith's task. Though he didn't want to admit it, he gave his word and kept it. We then started making a gift for Serena, and I decided to use Aileen's press to create replicas of my and Algo's swords. But soon, I heard a familiar voice in my head:

"Krito, hurry to the bridge! I fear Grain is in danger!!"

"What the hell!? Why am I hearing someone's voice in my head!?" Apparently, Aileen also heard Kurone, and her first impression was shocking.

"Aileen, this is the special power of Kurone. You can ask her later, but if she says she needs help, it's better not to doubt it."

Rizel peacefully conducted her lessons and then prepared with her students for the upcoming performance. She told the children the whole story of helping Leira's family in detail, which made them question whether she heard it from third parties. But the children didn't dwell on the details and simply wanted to perform everything in as much detail as possible.

"Madam Risa, are you sure we'll have enough time for everything? We had planned for a smaller play, so we didn't count on such a scale."

"Everything is fine. My friends will help with the decorations and costumes. You just need to learn your roles. There are many roles here, and there's enough for everyone."

Extracurricular activities took place amidst lively discussions and rehearsals. Soon, the roles were assigned, and the lively and active class monitor got the part of Katrina, while the role of Krito, her gloomy neighbor, was given to him despite his protests about not wanting to participate in the play because of laziness, which only convinced everyone of his suitability for the role. There remained the quiet girl, Mili, who tried to keep her distance from others and avoid taking part in discussions.

"Do you not want to participate?" Risa approached the girl as inconspicuously as she did with her fellow guild members.

"Huh? Teacher, don't talk nonsense. I won't be able to perform; I'm too scared of the stage, and I have trouble memorizing lines," the girl sat with her head down, working on the accessories for the performance. "I'll help in any way I can, but I won't participate."

"Mmm, what a pity. We happen to have one role left that nobody fits."

"I won't fit either; please ask someone else."

"But it's a role that suits you best. You just have to wear a black cloak covering your face and say only two or three lines throughout the play, although you'll appear on stage quite frequently."

"Hmm," the girl bit her lip, considering the prospect. "What role is it then? Tree No. 3 or Guard No. 4?"

"Haha, no, it's a very important role," the teacher smiled mysteriously. "Shinigami Rizel."

"Hmm, it sounds beautiful, but I don't know much about it. And why is it called 'shinigami'? Why not just a necromancer?"

"Well, it sounds nicer," Risa frowned disapprovingly. "And in one Eastern clan, it means 'angel of death.'"

"Beautiful, although if people find out what it means, they might avoid her even more."

"Actually, that's what she's trying to achieve. That's why she doesn't remove her hood, as too many questions would arise if people saw her, and she doesn't want to answer them."

"And how do you know all of this?" It seemed like the first person who started suspecting Risa's true nature.

"Huh? Well, I'm quite familiar with this guild, and they get along well with other students, so many know about their adventures. Although I didn't know they were so popular among the people, your stories surprised me."

"Well, they are pretty cool. Not many are willing to fight for their people, especially if they're not getting paid for it. Though we fear them, it doesn't mean we don't respect them."

"Hmm, I never thought it could leave such a positive impression on people. But back to the main point, will you play Rizel?"

"Well, alright, but I know she carries a beautiful silvery staff. What do you say about that?"

"You know how to negotiate," Risa smiled contentedly. "You'll get the staff, exactly like Rizel's, and it's not silvery, but silver, completely."

"Really?!" The girl ran off to the side and nudged a classmate. "I told you it was silver, you owe me."

The boy sheepishly handed the girl a couple of candies, and she returned to the teacher.

"You're a dangerous person, Mili."

"Hehe, a business approach is never superfluous."

"I think you're perfect for this role," at that moment, the same voice that had recently warned Krito of danger sounded in Risa's head. "It seems this task won't be as peaceful. Mili, I'm sorry, but my friends urgently need help. I have to go."