Chapter 197

Just Going Along With a Passing Idea
When I asked if Elm was at this venue, they said yes and introduced me.
Elm looked to be in his mid-twenties, with sandy-colored hair, brown eyes, and a build as sturdy as Meyer and the other knights.

Since Marcus introduced me, Elm greeted me with an awkward motion.
When I said, “You don’t need to worry about manners,” he showed a relieved expression.

I told him that I really liked Helena’s and Liesa’s hair ornaments and asked if I could see other pieces of his work. He suddenly broke into a smile and agreed.

Thinking he’d probably be busy with farm work during the day, I asked if it was okay to visit even now. He said it would mean showing me his messy workshop, but I told him that was fine.

Marcus came along with me, and we headed to Elm’s house.
Apparently, there was a workshop in his yard.

“My wife built this workshop for me, worrying about me after I gave up being a metalworker,” he said shyly.

It was a simple six-mat room, with shelves for materials and tools and a workbench.

Looking at his pieces, they were barrette clasps with cutout engravings of flowers, plants, and butterflies.

“Is this silverwork?”

“No, stainless steel. I want everyone to be able to use them casually.”

Still, it felt like it needed one more touch, one extra something.

“Could you make barrettes or brooches using rainbow fish scales?”

“What do you mean by that?”

Rainbow fish scales, true to their name, shimmer in rainbow colors, but each scale has a slightly different hue.
It wouldn’t be a cutout piece, but if you carved a pattern and set the scales into it, wouldn’t it be beautiful?
I explained that to keep the scales from flaking off, they’d need to be sealed with a coating over the top.

Like lacquer inlay—only with scales.

Maybe my explanation wasn’t clear, because he couldn’t quite picture it, so I had rainbow fish scales brought over.
I carefully washed them with water magic and pressed them against a work-in-progress cutout barrette.

“So, you mean instead of doing cutouts, place the scales inside carved patterns?”

“Exactly. Each scale has a different hue, so no two designs would ever be the same. And since it’s a specialty of the village, it’d be a waste not to use them. But since it’s the first attempt, you’ll have to figure out the crafting method yourself, Mr. Elm.”

“Please let me try,” Elm said with a serious face.

“Don’t push yourself, there’s no rush. Marcus, from now on, make sure all rainbow fish scales go to Mr. Elm.”

“Understood.”

“Mr. Elm, could you work with platinum too?”

“Of course. I’ve trained in that.”

“Good. If it goes well with stainless steel, I’ll give you platinum plates. Make two barrettes and two brooches, all with different designs. I’ll pay you properly, of course.”

I asked if they had any kind of adhesive—glue, resin, or a lacquer-like finish for sealing over the scales. He said they didn’t have any here, but it should be available in Eminira.

I handed him one gold coin as an advance. At first, he wouldn’t take it, but I emphasized that even if he failed, I wouldn’t blame him. This was just compensation for humoring my whim, so he finally accepted it.

“When you’ve finished the stainless pieces, send them to the capital estate. Make sure to bill me for materials too. Once that’s done, I’ll send the platinum plates.”

“One gold coin is more than enough to cover the materials, so it’s fine.”

“That coin was your fee. Take another for materials,” I said, forcing another coin on him.

We had talked so long that quite some time had passed, so I left the workshop and returned to the guest room I was using on the third floor of the gathering hall.

“Hey… isn’t Young Master Reinhardt kind of a natural-born genius?”

Captain Marcus asked.
Right now, it was just Vice-Captain Logan, myself, and Wilson, chatting in an empty guest room.

Hamilton and Kamuela were on guard duty for Reinhardt, waiting outside and next door to his room.

“Of course he is. He’s recognized as master by both a Fenrir and a White Dragon. Obviously a genius,” Vice-Captain Logan retorted.

“He himself is completely laid-back. He only gets involved in things he’s interested in, but ignores the rest. Yet whenever he does take action, it somehow turns into an incident… or something big.”

“So that’s why Kyle assigned you all. Babysitters under the title of exclusive guards, huh?”

“Vice-Captain…”

“If Kyle sent in people he trusts, that just shows how dangerous it is. Make sure you fulfill your role properly.”

“It’s been a year of one once-in-a-lifetime experience after another. Turbulent, but also enjoyable.”

“I bet. I’ve only been with him a short while, but just being near him feels fun. Still, this probably means your chances of marriage are slipping even further away, wah-ha-ha!”

““Vice-Captain!!””

“Logan, don’t tease them too much. But still, things are about to get interesting, and if it works out, the village will become even more prosperous.”

“Yeah… I thought I’d be spending my days in peace, but now that I’ve been caught up with Young Master Reinhardt, looks like I’ll be busy again—just like back in the Knights Order,” Vice-Captain said, though his tone and expression didn’t match at all.

Of course, the captains also handle subjugations, but they don’t kill recklessly for money.

Having been thoroughly drilled by the Knights Order to live in harmony with both the Westland family and the great forest, they were probably looking forward to finding the right way to build ties with the Guush.

What do you think about this chapter?