Black Iron Magician

「Deris-danna brought in a woman, he brought in a woman!」

「Oi, why did you say it twice?」

This damn woman, shouting nonsensical things the moment we meet. She was screaming as loud as she can towards Gan-san’s workshop. That’s absolutely intentional.

「Haa, I feel refreshed. So, where did you catch that girl? She’s small and cute, ain’t she? Damn you.」

「Don’t poke me with your elbow.」

「It’s surprising that Deris-danna had this kind of taste. I misunderstood you as a pervert who loves big boobs. This is criminal in its own way though. But, I don’t think it’s a good idea to choose this place for a date, y’know?」

「Don’t say something misleading. Haru is my disciple and she has nothing to do with a love affair. Here, say hello.」

I hit the back of Haru who was taken aback by Anita’s preemptive strike.

「Ah, yes! I’m Shishou’s disciple, Katsuragi Haruna. I’m learning as a magician. Pleased to meet you.」

「Oh, that’s very polite of you. I am Anita. What, are you really took a disciple, Danna?」

「Things just happened.」

「… Really?」

「You’re being awfully persistent today, aren’t you?」

Maybe it’s because the shop keeper is usually so bored, so she feels like making fun of me. One day you’ll lose your few regulars, you know.

「Is Gan-san in the back?」

「Das right, he’s swinging the hammer as usual.」

「You’d have a great career too if you could work earnestly like that. Why did your way of talking became like that? That’s fishy, you know?」

「None of your business! It’s the old-fashioned way of talking that I learned when I was a lowly merchant. A long time ago, it was said that Damaya, the god of money, talked like this and then being blessed with money and good business――」

「Okay, okay. I will hear your story later. Just call Gan-san.」

「You are impatient as always. Well, Imma call him now.」

For some reason Anita began to take a deep breath on the spot after saying so. And then, she turned towards Gan-san’s workshop with a bright smile.

「This ain’t a joke! They are living together under one roof, under the same roof!」

「Shut up, Anita! Your damn voice is reverberating noisily in the workshop! I don’t give a damn about Deris’s taste!」

Gun-san, the owner of Bristly Beard, peered out from his workshop with his face blackened by the charcoal. His height is about 150cm, smaller than Haru, but his body is full of muscles. The huge hammer in his hand is probably used for blacksmithing, but it’s a thing that can be used as a weapon as well. He’s a sub-human, dwarf, and the best blacksmith I know.

「Look, he came, right?」

Well, yeah. But I can’t say thank you though.

「…It’s been a while, Deris. So you finally raised a family, eh?」

「Gan-san, I’m enough with that crap.」

「Hmph, it’s a joke. I just heard this girl’s cheerful greetings after all. For the most part, today you are trying to prepare the equipment for this lovely disciple, right?」

Gan-san has some parts that are difficult to approach for the first meeting, but if you deepen your exchange, he’s a nice guy who says jokes like this. He sure tells an amusing joke.

「That lovely part is unnecessary, but that’s the gist of it. I’d like to request you for a custom-made item, so can I talk to you about it?」

「Oh, well, I don’t mind. If it’s your request, it will be quite a big job. Even our poor business can get profits from it. Let’s talk about it in my workshop.」

「Thank you very much. Anita, in the meantime, go find some matching clothes and underwears for Haru. That girl doesn’t have many clothes, you see.」

Underwears will be hard to buy if I, a man, is here, so I ask Anita who has nothing better to do.

「How sloppy… I dunno how much it will cost if you ask me to do something like that, y’know? Imma make you buy it in high price, y’know?」

「Haru, you can beat down the price mercilessly, so buy as much as you need.」

「Understood!」

「Kufufu, you wanna haggle against me, eh? What an interesting joke.」

Anita seems to be convinced that she will win, but I’m afraid that her carelessness is going to bite back at her. Let’s have her learn about a mother’s seriousness. It would be good if she still has a little bit of confidence as a merchant.

「So, what do you want me to make? A specialized weapon? Or an armor?」

As we entered the hot and humid workshop, Gan-san, sitting in a log-like chair, asked me immediately.

「Despite her appearances, she’s an aspiring magician, so I’m going to make her use a robe as her combat uniform. Setting that aside, what I want to request is a specialized weapon. Do you remember the staff that you forged for me a long time ago? I want you to make something similar to that.」

「… Are you seriously going to make that girl use it? She’ll be crushed, you know?」

「I know what you mean. But, I’m convinced that she can do it. That damn Haru, she’s basically a muscle-brain despite her looks.」

「A muscle-brain magician is ridiculous though… well, it’s your disciple. I won’t say anything more.」

「Thank you for your consideration.」

I bow down to Gan-san deeply. Not too close, and not too distant. Gun-san’s subtle sense of distance really helps.

「But, I don’t have enough materials. You have to fetch quite a number of ores before I make it, you know?

「I’m also considering that. I was planning to go to the guild after this, so we are going to collect it while doing a suitable subjugation. I want Haru to get some real combat experience by now, so this is just the right opportunity.」

「…Good grief, you sure are a teacher huh. That’s something I can’t imagine from the previous Deris, you know? Well, you have a tendency to get immersed in something that arouses your interest. Is that girl that amazing?」

「I wonder if I have to call her amazing or strange…. Well, she’s an interesting girl. For the time being, I’m thinking of making her participate in the graduation festival of Adelheit Magic Academy in a month.」

「Hou, at the graduation festival … wait, graduation festival!?」

――Adelheit Magic Academy is a school for talented people who will shoulder the future of this country. It’s an institution for nurturing magicians that are especially regarded as important. All the students are talented people who have passed the rigorous examinations. Graduating from this school and then serving the country is the most honored and the shortest way to success in life.

The Magic Academy’s graduation festival is what stands in the peak. It’s a big festival where participants from that year’s graduating class come together and compete in magic combat to decide who is the best. Participants must be the students that are going to graduate from the school, so normally an outsider like Haru can’t participate. However, there is one slot for non-student to participate in this festival every year.

「I’m thinking of using the president’s recommendation to let Haru participate and then measure her strength. It was created by the olden days’ royalty on a whim, and it hasn’t been used for years. Well, the president there has a debt, so I’ll somehow make her participate.」

Nobody has won the championship using this participation frame in the past, but if they won, they will be acknowledged in the top seat of this academy graduation. As a student, there’s nothing better than this.

「What’s with all that wasted energy… but hey, the power of the students there are the real deal, you know? Many joning the Magic Knight Order after they graduate, and higher-ups come to scout them. I’m sure many that eager to participate. Especially this year, I heard there are prodigies that usually not appear every year. I think it’s going to be tough, you know?」

「What, isn’t that a good situation to test Haru’s strength? Besides, she can get the government’s approval to graduate from the school without any effort.」

「No, work your ass off! You sometimes have a bad personality huh. Well, I’ll try to get it done by then.」

Equipment used at the graduation festival can be brought in if you apply in advance. The only thing you can bring is a staff.

Well, Haru has to do her best for that sake too.