Almost half a year had passed since the moment of my appearance in the Greenfield family. Despite the fact that my consciousness formed a language base on its own, I still diligently studied words and concepts together with Elara, who was able to find various books for me that helped me quickly master writing, reading, and fluent speech.
In the time free from language learning, I continued to engage in learning in other various fields. To everyone's surprise, I was drawn to everything, whether it was the craft in the forge, help on the farm, or work in the shop. I was ready to do everything and learn everything, greedily absorbing into myself knowledge of everything that surrounded me. This trait allowed me to quickly adapt to the village and its culture, earning trust and becoming friends with many residents.
Even Bernard, though not immediately, I was still able to win his trust and become "one of their own" for him. I often came to him in the forge to help and learn blacksmithing, strengthening my body along the way. But first and foremost I devoted my attention to helping Elara with the household, taking care of the livestock, the garden, and her shop, where she sells various decoctions and herbal infusions, for the ingredients of which we go into the forest.
---
While in the coastal grove, Leo and I were testing his latest invention. Solar rays, breaking through the dense foliage, lay in golden spots on our skin.
"Like this... I think this is enough" - Leo muttered focusedly, fastening the automatically unfolding wooden shield to my forearm.
Having finished, he stepped back two paces, while I in turn examined the small folded device on my forearm with interest, feeling its light weight despite the many steel gears and rods forming the unique mechanism hidden in the rear part of the device.
"It fits perfectly... and the weight isn't that much... do you think it will really be better than a normal shield?" - I ask with interest, still examining the device.
The boy's eyes shone with feverish excitement as he wiped his oil-stained forehead with the back of his hand.
"A normal shield? Ha! A normal shield is just a piece of wood, Aren. It's heavy, it gets in the way when you run, and you can't hide it. And this... this is my original masterpiece!"
"It embodies the best protection and convenience, which cannot be said about ordinary shields".
The boy came closer, pointing to a small release ring connected to the central core of the mechanism.
"Inside are springs made of hardened steel and a system of levers. You only need to snap your wrist. If my calculations are correct, it will unfold in a second. Come on, try it!"
With a light sigh, I changed my frontal body position to a semi-combat stance, merely shifting my right foot back and slightly bending my knees, thereby taking a defensive posture.
Pulling the ring, the sharp and short sound of the mechanism triggering in an instant was abruptly replaced by a prolonged and ringing sound of the steel rims of the wooden panels striking, which only strengthened the impression of this invention.
The shield, which unfolded in a fraction of a second, sat perfectly in my hand and provided the same area of protection as a regular shield.
"Woah..." - I said, with eyes full of admiration and surprise. "It's truly convenient..."
While I rotated my arm, inspecting the shield, Leo, in turn, looked at it with a characteristically calm and analytical face, rubbing the tip of his chin.
"Hm... it unfolded perfectly, but the sound from the steel rims striking is a bit strange... it seems the vibration isolation of the mechanism and the main frame is underdeveloped... in that case, from ordinary sword strikes, this shield will immediately fail... needs more work..."
Raising my eyebrows at Leo's words, I looked at the shield again.
"You think so? To me, it looks reliable."
Leo, sighing with a smile, rubbed the back of his head and slowly came closer.
"The key word is 'looks'. It must 'be' reliable."
Suddenly we heard a familiar approaching voice.
"Leo!"
It was our mutual friend named Mortis. An 11-year-old boy from the Siever family, who live next door to us.
"What is it, Mortis?" - Leo asked.
"Elara is looking for you. She asked me to tell you to come home earlier and collect more boxes for the next trip to the capital" - Mortis answered, meanwhile glancing at me, standing with the mechanical shield.
Leo sighed with light disappointment, wiping his hands on the fabric of his T-shirt.
"I thought those boxes would be enough... oh well, we'll do it. Aren, you can fold the shield by pulling the same ring" - said Leo, looking at me.
I took hold of the release ring again and pulled it to trigger the reverse mechanism, but nothing happened. I was slightly surprised and tried a couple more times, but nothing worked.
"It seems... it's not working anymore..." - I said with uncertainty, examining the shield.
"What? Already? No way!" - Leo approached me confidently and began trying to do the same, simultaneously inspecting the shield.
"Strange, I think it's not a matter of-" - Leo muttered thoughtfully under his breath, then pressed on the gap of one of the plates.
Suddenly the mechanism triggered, instantly folding the shield and pinching the tip of Leo's finger in the process.
"AOUCH DAMN IT!" - Leo's loud scream rang through the grove, followed by Mortis's and my frantic voices, momentarily frightened and trying to help the little inventor.
- - -
Later, when we had already returned home, Bernard's laughter filled the room upon hearing my account of what happened.
"Haha, little Leo still hasn't taught himself safety procedures?"
The blacksmith's speech, though accompanied by a kind smile, was still not hard to sense light notes of mockery in his words. In turn, I sat on the floor, carefully assembling boxes from thin wooden plates fastened with special steel corners with a clamping mechanism, while Elara sat with Leo opposite.
Elara cast a reproachful look at the blacksmith while bandaging her brother's finger:
"You're always laughing, Bernard. A couple more millimeters and Leo would have had to learn how to hold a screwdriver with his left hand. Inventor..."
Leo pouted and hissed in pain as the herbal-based antiseptic solution touched the wound.
"At least the mechanism worked! All that's left is to figure out the vibration isolation of the mechanism, and the shield will be ready".
Continuing the assembly of the boxes, I raised my head and looked thoughtfully at the boy.
"Maybe add some kind of safety catch? Something like what the Aisengard weapons have? You know... so you don't hurt yourself if something goes wrong".
Leo smiled hopelessly, looking at me, while Elara finished with his finger, carefully getting up from her chair and putting the extra bandages in the box.
"The idea is interesting, but in practice it won't help at all, since one of the features of the shield is its triggering speed. Do you remember we read a physics textbook brought from Aeris-Lund with you not so long ago? There was a topic related to kinetic energy".
I lowered my head, sinking into deep thought and digging through the endless library of knowledge gained from the most various spheres of life lived in this village, until I finally remember what I read in that very book.
"Kinetic energy... yes, I remember, but how can that be conne-..."
Without finishing my question, my eyes widened with realization, after which I chuckled, accepting that my idea looked quite foolish in view of such an obvious fact, which in reality was obvious only to inventors.
"That's right. Even if some kind of safety catch did trigger, it simply wouldn't have time and wouldn't neutralize the kinetic energy formed from the high triggering speed of the mechanism, the weight of the plates, and the rigidity of the steel edging of the shield. Thus, no matter how you look at it, you'll still get injured..."
"Spot on!" - Leo replied, simultaneously snapping his middle and thumb fingers, with his index finger pointed at me.
However, the boy unconsciously used the injured middle finger to snap, causing him to scream in pain again a moment later.
"AAH DAMN IT!"
He immediately covered his mouth with his other hand when a bad word flew out of it, making Elara turn around immediately, looking him straight in the eyes with a frown. Meanwhile, Bernard's low chuckle complemented the scene unfolding before him as he slowly rose from his chair.
"Well, kids, before my brain boils again from your next highbrow conversations, I'd better go."
Bernard was heading for the exit when Elara quietly approached him, carefully brushing dusty spots off his shirt.
"Are you going straight home?" - she asked with a little interest.
"No, I need to finish with the arrows and spears for the festival, so today I'll have to stay until late" - Bernard replied with a smile.
"By the way, Aren, could you stop by my forge tomorrow when you have time and sharpen old Toran's axe?" - he asked, turning to me.
"Of course, I think I'll find time tomorrow" - I replied.
Bernard nodded with a proud smile, leaving the room. Bernard's heavy footsteps faded outside the threshold, replaced by the barely audible crunch of gravel under his boots. A cozy evening twilight reigned in the living room, pierced only by the red rays of the setting sun.