Magic Warrior Chapter 13 (Patreon)

Making a Wooden Sword

My father was home this morning.

Lately, he seems to have some business to attend to and is either out early in the morning or comes home in the evening, so it is rare for him to be here at our breakfast time.

"Mina, we are going to make wooden swords today. Help me this afternoon."

I was surprised to learn that it was my father's handmade sword. I thought he bought them in town.

"It's okay, they're for me, but what do I have to do with them?"

"A few things."

Dad grinned and didn't elaborate. He didn't elaborate. He looked like he was up to something.

I spent the morning helping mother. Claire is with us today, so there's not much to do.

Since father is also here, I decided to fill the bathtub with water. I used to take a bath every day in Japan, so it would be better if I could take a bath every day here, as well.

Even if it's a hassle, if I just put water in the bathtub, I can use it anytime because I only need to boil it with the [magic machine]. I think it would be convenient if I could make a [magic machine] that draws in water, since the distance is not that great. Like a hose with a motor?

In addition, I wrote down on a piece of paper the recipe for Mock Curry that I asked mother to make.

Everyone seemed to like it because they ate it silently, but it was a little too spicy for my taste. I'll make some changes.

While I was relaxing after lunch, my father, with a sword and dagger at his waist, called out to me that he was going to cut down some trees.

I followed him as he pulled his cart, and it seemed to be heading toward the southern forest.

The area from the village to the south of the forest was like a logging camp, and there were many logs that had been cut down. On the other side from there we could see many stumps.

"I got a permit for dealing with the trees around here, so it's okay to use them."

There were lots of logs of different colors, but I had no idea which trees were good.

"The trees that can be found around here are mostly Tamia, Hashigana, and Asimao trees. If it's going to be used for a wooden sword, it should be Tamia."

Dad told me a lot about this.

Tamia wood, which looks like oak, is used for a variety of products and is very reliable and easy to process.

Hashigana, which has a slightly bluish color, is used for tools around water features because it repels water easily, and Asimao, which has a darker color, is often used for carts and wagons because it is resistant to vibrations. I can tell the difference by looking at the bark of the logs, but once they are processed, I can't tell the difference.

I guess a professional might be able to tell the difference in the grain of the wood, though.

"Plaice is better suited for wooden weapons and shields, but it's not available around here."

As I was admiring the variety of wood, my father lifted the logs and put them on the cart and carried them to the nearby workshop, which only had pillars and a roof.

Whenever he needed wood, he would ask permission from the village lumber manager and cut the necessary amount of wood here. When making furniture such as chests of drawers or beds, it takes several people to work together.

If Dad can carry it by himself, why did they call me here?

"To make a wooden sword, you first cut it roughly, and when you have a certain shape, you sharpen it with a knife to make a fine shape. The final step is to wipe it carefully with a cloth soaked in antiseptic oil, which takes a lot of time."

"Uh-huh."

"So, you see, could you use the same technique as before to cut it, even if it's rough?"

"What?"

Wait a minute, didn't he tell me not to use this technique without a reason?

"I'm sure the carpenters won't be here at this time of the day, and I'll keep an eye on them."

Dad, I don't like it when you say that with a smug look on your face.

"Well, if you say so, I will try, but..."

"And by the way, this one should be about this size."

And he gave me the dagger and tapped his finger on the log.

There was no point in arguing here, and it was getting kind of tedious, so I followed Dad's instructions and cut it with the [Vento Spada].

Even the stone statues were cut cleanly with this technique. It was as smooth as butter.

Dad seemed to think I was going to use the [Fueco Spada] that I showed him that night, so he told me to make it a little bigger, so it wouldn't burn.

He made me make it a little smaller in the process.

"When we get home, it would be nice if you could shave it down a little finer, can you do that?"

"Fine, but it's almost time for this dagger to go bad, you know?"

When magic is forced to flow through it, it becomes difficult to maintain it as a material, or perhaps it becomes harder for magic power to pass through it. I think it will deteriorate as a weapon as well.

My sense is that I can still use it the same way a couple of times, but I informed him just in case.

I don't want people to complain about it after it breaks.

"Oh, really?"

"The wooden sword also broke, didn't it? Even if the metal is sturdier, I think it will break sooner or later.

"I see..."

My father was somewhat disappointed. This was another way he was trying to use me for his own convenience.

On the way home, I heard father muttering, "This isn't worth it... or maybe if we had a metal that could pass magic power easily..." but I ignored him.

I knew that if I used Mithril or an Orihalcum weapon, it wouldn't be damaged, but I didn't think I would have the money to buy such a thing when I was concerned about the cost.

"In the meantime, try to carve as much as you can with that dagger."

"Yeah, but..."

"You might as well try until it breaks down to be safe."

Dad handed me back the dagger that I returned after we were done in the workshop.

I guess he wanted me to know how well a metal weapon would hold up against a Magic Sword in case of an emergency. I thought he was just trying to have fun, but I guess he has a lot of things in mind.

If I can't make it right, I can just ask my father to finish the job, right? I started shaving the wooden board with a casual feeling.

"Big Sis, are you going to make a scimitar?"

That was the first thing Claire said when she came home from the church.

The tip of the sword is bent!

I can still fix it, I can still do this!

"...Big Sis, it's going to be a rapier, huh?"

Claire, who had just returned from putting her luggage in her room, prodded me.

Too thin!

...I can't fix this one.

"...Was I this clumsy?"

Even father, who was in the workshop making wooden tableware out of small pieces of wood, chided me. Gununu!

"We prepared three wooden planks just in case something like this happened!"

"I made them myself, you know, for precautionary reasons. To be honest, I didn't think I'd use them, so I was thinking of using them as cutting boards or shelves."

I gave up on the one I was just scraping and took the spare one.

"...Big Sis, isn't that too thick?"

It seems that he had sharpened it too carefully, and the sword blade was obviously thicker than it should be. It's a sword in shape anyway, but it's like a blunt instrument, so it's fine.

"Claire, don't you have anything to do?"

"It's nice to be near you as you make that sword!"

"Oh, I thought it was easier to work with the shaved pieces of wood flying right off earlier, is that what you mean?"

I asked if Claire, who was nearby smiling and watching me work, had nothing to do, and this is what she said. Even my dad is convinced it's weird.

My [Vento Spada] is not a fan!

Oh, just as soon as I got excited and let too much magic flow, the dagger started to crack.

"For a dagger, that's about it, I guess."

I put the dagger on the desk, averting my gaze a bit.

"If it's like this, I guess it would be cheaper to use a wooden sword instead."

"I just used it for work, so it lasted quite a while, but I think it would break even faster in a real battle. It's too heavy to walk around with a bunch of wooden swords."

"Well, I'm sure you could master it."

Dad seems to think it's better to make the most of my power as much as possible, instead of never using Magic Sword.

"For now, I'll do the finishing work on that wooden sword you're working on."

My father took it from me. He was planning to make a lot of things, and I think the wooden board was valuable to him.

...I could have managed to do a bit of DIY, like sewing or whatever, you know?