Chapter 77 Kajima's Associates

*Klang Klang Klang*

*Whoosh Whoosh*

In the workshop was Kajima who was currently tempering and forging a new katana for one of his clients. He was in the process of doing the final process for forming the blade's shape.

He had already finished the arduous task of folding the metal numerous times to allow for the creation of numerous layers of carbon within the blade. Kajima did not know of this as his technological knowledge of chemistry and modern metallurgy were not that advanced.

But he nonetheless believed in the process and knew to look for the right signs that showed him that what he was doing was correct. He had learned his craft from a blacksmith turned soldier when he was drafted into the army at the young age of 16.

This was before Ozen was king and before hostilities with Uzuru had sparked. In fact, this was just another war with a now long forgotten nation to the west that was absorbed into Kujyuri's territory.

It was still a small nation in the empire and had little power but the current king was ambitious and wanted to grow the nation through conquest rather than through the taming of the wild lands he governed.

The king had somewhat grown arrogant when he obtained the gift of refined steel from the emperor.

This was, in fact, just an arbitrary gift from the emperor as all nations had obtained the knowledge of its creation when they agreed to join the empire. But the king of Kujyuri coveted the new metal as it was superior to the outdated iron and bronze weapons that populated the ranks of his military arsenal.

With the new metal in hand, he called upon and hired many blacksmiths from the empire's capital. He wanted to rearm his military with weapons forged from this new metal and after he had completed the task, he set out to conquer the nations that were not willing to join the Empire.

This was why Kajima was drafted and subsequently met his blacksmithing teacher. As Kajima finished forming the shape of the katana, he examined the surface for any imperfections or any misalignment.

He then proceeded to heat the blade to a certain temperature that could be indicated by how red hot the metal became and how warm it felt through his leather gloves.

After sufficiently heated, Kajima plunged the blade into a pool of water to temper the blade. As the steam rose from the water he was reminded of his days as an apprentice. It did not matter what the weather was, whether it be cloudy, rainy, or sunny he and his master would continue their work in the forge.

The rising passion they both felt made the atmosphere palpable with a fire heat that seemed to come from every labored breath they heaved. As he remembered his past, he looked at the katana that was cooling and recalled when inspiration hit him when he was forging his first katana.

This was Kajima's first commission given to him by his master during that long-forgotten war, and he was hesitant to accept such a task but due to dire circumstances and a bit of encouragement from his fellow soldiers like the young Ozen. Kajima took to the task like a fish to water.

He and his teacher were part of the supply crew when he was a simple spearman, so he had ample time to learn how to handle and maintain weapons.

In the end, he smiled upon the finished shine of the blade that he forged with his own two hands. Bringing his attention back to reality, he realized that he had lost track of time as he had already finished tempering the blade and was already in the final stages of sharpening and polishing the blade.

Kajima smiled and felt a sense of pride in his work as he recalled the thanks he received from the soldier at the end of the war. The man told him that the blade he created was what helped him keep him alive to be able to keep his promise to his lover back home.

Somewhat embarrassed by the praise, the young Kajima attempted to downplay his work, but the soldier gripped his waving hands and deeply bowed in reverence. It was this gesture of pure thanks that helped Kajima find his calling and did much to fill the hole left by the loss of his comrades during the king's foolish war of conquest.

In the present, Kajima sheathed the katana into a scabbard that he had prepared the day prior. The black lacquered sheath now reflected the aged and wrinkled face of Kajima's visage. He would be turning 45 years old by the end of this year's winter and he realized just how far he had come.

He somewhat wished that his beloved Luna and two children were still with him to see the magnificent creation he had just labored to create but knew that those days were already long gone. They were gone and he would soon join them in the coming decades.

Kajima sighed a bit but did so to put the fatalistic thought away to the back of his mind, he banished the buried sorrow in his heart and refocused. Sure, his family, his comrades, and even his master were gone from his life but that didn't mean he would so easily fall to depression.

He was a stout soldier, a loving husband, and a proud blacksmith. He would not yield to anything, and he would continue to protect what was precious to him. But did Azi truly need to be protected?

Standing up from the stool he was sitting on, Kajima felt and heard a few pop sounds coming from his now stretched back. The sensation was pleasant as it helped to release the tensions from his body. Stretching his arms to relieve a bit of the soreness from his taxing work, he moved to a nearby table to grab a drink of water.

His throat was parched as he had forgotten to give himself a break since he was lost in his thoughts while he worked.

*Knock Knock Knock*

From the door came the sound of knocking and Kajima wondered who it could be. He knew that it wasn't Shizu as she didn't have the decency to knock, it wasn't Azi since he was in the bath with Shizu, and it was not Yashimu, Rulu, Nosuri, or Ougi as they had left to attend to matters in the village.

Thinking that it was likely a client, Kajima made himself presentable as he wiped the excess water from his lips and dusted his clothes off with his now bare hands. He did not have a sink or basin of water to clean his hands in as it had slipped his mind due to how Rulu was usually so attentive to the chores in the house.

He realized that he would have to thank Rulu for her work next time and remembered to check if he had everything he needed the next time he forged. Approaching the workshop's external entrance to the outside of the house, he called out to whoever was at the door.

"Who is it?"

"Kajima? It's Ben and Bail. You got time to chat?"

Hearing the familiar and gruff tone of two of his compatriots, Kajima opened the door with a smile as he stated with a jovial laugh.

"Of course, Ha ha ha. Let's head inside to discuss."

Bail, the one at the door, returned the smile and presented a bottle of liquor from the bag at his waist. Seeing the proffered bottle, Kajima grinned in anticipation as he knew that this meant some good news was on the way.

After cleaning their hands and feets before entering the living room, Kajima, Ben, and Bail sat upon the couches as they began pouring each other a drink. They had removed their boots and walked barefoot into the living room. It was proper to wear indoor shoes while in the house, but the men wanted to relax.

They also did not have to worry about getting drunk for the alcohol as the drink was a lighter variety of sake and they only had a single bottle to share amongst the three of them.

Before drinking his portion of sake, Kajima asked with an expectant smile.

"So, what's the good news? Alcohol from you two usually means something good happened."

"You got that right." Said Bail as he then drank his portion of sake in glee. Letting out a content sigh he then added. "The materials for Azi's house have been delivered to the village. He should have his workshop running by the second week of the month of Undice."

"Business had also been booming with Azi's blood steel weapons as well. While he can't forge the weapons himself right now, my apprentices have been making a supply of weapons to the village armory. Manu is paying top price for the fastest rate he can get them." Added Ben, who then proceeds to take out a large pouch full of silver and bronze coins.

"This is Azi's share, we agreed to split it 60-40 and Azi forty percent comes out to a little over 1,000,000 Minos. An impressive amount for a young blacksmith."

The usual earnings of a blacksmith that was starting out was usually between 10,000 to 25,000 Minos a month. It depended on how skilled the person was and how connected they were to their clients, but every blacksmith made enough money to live a somewhat comfortable life with some money to spare as savings.

Experts like Kajima would usually receive a few million Minos per month depending on how busy he was, but the more business-oriented Ben and Bail made about the same but was more stable from month to month thanks to Bail's business acumen.

While the trio would be considered rich by the standards of the village of Shisayama, this paled in comparison to the blacksmiths in the capital of Yamato. That was where more ornate or artistic pieces of equipment would be created and sold.

These creations, while beautiful, lacked functionality as they were more a symbol of wealth among the nobility. A commissioned blacksmith to a wealthy noble family usually made tens of millions of Minos which enabled them to live debaucherous lifestyles.

Kajima disdained this kind of work as it went against his principles of creating tools for the sake of protecting others and to aid in the professions of others.

Ben and Bail felt jealous of their wealthier blacksmiths but knew that they would dislike the kind of work found in the capital as their brash attitudes made it hard for them to deal with the prideful nobles in the capital of Yamato.

Bring their thoughts away from how they felt about the nobles in Yamato. Kajima whistled a bit in amusement at how much Azi was making.

"I'm somewhat proud of that boy. It's been only about a month since he came to Shisayama but he is already starting to make waves. I'm somewhat worried that some "other" people will start to take notice."

Kajima gave a knowing look to Ben and Bail which they picked up on as they noted a slip of paper that was peeking out of the large pouch of money. Kajima picked the pouch up and fastened the string to prevent anything inside from being seen by any uninvited guests.

After placing the pouch into a pocket on his toolbelt, Kajima continued to speak.

"Nevertheless, thank you for the good news. While I'm sure we still have much to discuss about Azi's workshop. I must ask that you leave, Azi and Shizu will be finishing up their bath soon and I must get back to work."

Ben and Bail's eyes widen at the mention of the two bathing. They knew that Kajima's house only had one bath due to how they had helped him create it in the first place.

Bail was a businessman, and he did his job very well as he handled numerous dealings in the village, one of those being the construction industry.

With a bit of trepidation in his voice Ben asked.

"Don't tell me, Have the two of them done the deed yet?"

"Ha ha ha, No No. I have made it clear on how far they can go in this house. Unless they are married, I won't allow such lecherous acts in this house."

"I see" Said Ben and Bail plainly, they still had looks of amazement on their faces as they were influenced by the rumors of Shizu's aversion to men and how any man that tried to court her would usually meet a grisly fate.

As if on cue, the trio of men heard the sound of a door sliding open and saw the sight of Azi and Shizu leaving the bathroom.

Ben and Bail turned their sights to the entrance of the bath and they had slack jawed expressions on their faces. Kajima could only smile wryly and felt as if he was going to see something amusing today.