Chapter 86.1

Princess-style Dungeon Attack (2)
We advanced to the fourth level in just one day. Nothing was left in our wake. The golems were destroyed by Master's rocket launcher and the dogs, and we collected all the traps. The pitfall traps were filled with leftover soil, so they wouldn't activate anymore.

Since it was now 5 PM, we decided to spend the night in the Treasury. Even if hundreds of golems came, they couldn't get in here. Though it was just a small shed, it had a house. Naturally, it also had a bath and toilet. It was enough for a night's stay. Moreover, we had years' worth of food, so that was not a problem, either. I am quite useful as a pack mule.

"This is so convenient. I don't feel needed. By the way, what are you doing?"

"We've collected various things like swords and arrowheads, so I'm turning them into ingots. Otherwise, they'd get in the way, and with all the accidental explosions in the Treasury, they'd get blown away."

Master and I sorted the collected metals by type and processed them into metal blocks using Factory. Essentially, we were making ingots from the metal loot.

"That's a lot. The hidden treasures are of quite a high quality."

Today, we collected a large amount of metal and a decent number of magic tools. It seems this dungeon had some repair functions, and we found rooms where spare magic tools were stored. How did we find them? By listening to the sound echoes to check for rooms behind walls. Since they are artificial structures, we could roughly guess the locations of hidden rooms. By investigating structurally suspicious spots, we discovered two hidden rooms. We used magic to erode the walls, captured the guard golems inside, and took the contents.

Honestly, Master was in a rampage mode, so all I did was set up barriers. The puppers worked in groups and dragged broken golems with the wires I gave them, hoping for a treat of jerky.

"Princess~ dinner is ready."

"I have confidence in today’s meal’s taste."

"It'll probably be delicious."

Probably, huh? Well, Alicia is a good cook, so there's no way it'll be a failure, and she wouldn't make me eat anything bad. We responded and returned to the shed.

Big brother was outside the shed, practicing his daily sword swings, but now he seemed to be maintaining his sword.

"Hey, Missy, can I talk to you for a bit?"

"What is it?"

As I was about to enter the shed, Master stopped me. He was staring intensely at my brother—or rather, at my brother's sword.

This is bad. The sword itself is dull. Master is definitely angry. It's not like I skimped on making it; I did everything I could, but I'm not a blacksmith, so it was more like a sword-like object. I covered up its flaws with material strength and enchantments. Thanks to those two effects, it boasted a sharpness that rivaled famous swords, but Master was likely displeased with the sword itself.

"You know what I'm about to say, don't you, you idiot apprentice?"

"~~~!!"

Out of nowhere, he gave me a knuckle sandwich. And it was a serious one. My vision went white for a moment. I struggled to stay conscious, but the intense pain made me burst into tears on the spot.

"You made such a dull blade!! Is that something you could give to your own family? You understand the importance of weapons. You covered up its flaws with enchantments and sword strength, didn't you?! What will you do if the magic runs out?"

"I thought it could manage with the Magic Power Absorption Jewel... Ouch!!"

"Not everything goes according to plan. That doesn't solve its inherent flaws!!"

It's true that the Magic Power Absorption Jewel, if misused, can drain the user's magic power completely. Big brother receives magic power from magicians daily and infuses his own magic power into it, so he's not likely to run out soon, but it's not infinite. When his magic power reaches a critical level, he won't be able to use the jewel, and at that time, he'll have to rely on his own skills and the quality of his equipment. But the sword is just hard; its cutting edge is lacking. Master wasn’t satisfied with that. He demands perfection. Anything less is trash to him. He doesn't tolerate any half measures.

"Lord Grantz, that's too much. This sword is exceptional as long as it's properly managed. Besides, it has been significantly improved through multiple revisions."

Big brother immediately stood in front of me to protect me, but I stepped around him to face my master. This was a situation where I deserved to be reprimanded.

Seeing my stance, Master seemed satisfied, but he scolded me for another five minutes.

"Tch, I haven't shown you the proper way to forge a sword, so I'll let it go this time. Tonight, we're reforging that dull blade, and you'll help. I assume you have a forge here?"

"… Understood."

I did have such facilities, and I had made various prototypes to further advance Arland's ironworking techniques.

"Alice, you've been through a lot. Are you okay? You have a bump on your head."

"Lord Grantz, what will you do if Princess Alice is left with scars?"

"Shut up–"

"… It's fine. Master is just uncompromising. Besides, it's my lack of skill. I think it's a good time to refine that, too."

Alicia, on the verge of tears, checked my head, but it was just a bump. I didn't feel any anger towards my master, since it was my fault. Rather, I saw it as a chance to learn his techniques. When I used to try to steal his skills before, he always barred women from the forge. His willingness to teach me now meant he recognized my skills.

"Your skills are exceptional. When it comes to precision crafting, you probably surpass me. But your forging is amateurish. I'll show you a few examples, and you need to master them tonight."

That's an unreasonable demand. He expects me to master his advanced blacksmithing techniques in just a few hours? It's beyond harsh. But if I refuse, he'll be in a bad mood, and he must think I'm capable of it.

That night, I ended up missing dinner. My worried brother and Alicia tried to call me several times, but my master, focused on the work, threw things at them and yelled until they stopped coming.

I memorized Master's movements and used a technique called Marionette, classified under puppet arts, to control my body. By doing this, I could replicate his skills. This method allowed me to bypass the accumulation of experience typically needed for skill acquisition. A clear image directly translated into precise bodily movements.