I... open my eyes.
As consciousness returns, a terrible pain stabs through my stomach. No, rather than pain, is this hunger...? Since I'm not thirsty, someone must have given me water while I was unconscious...
"Uuugh... Is anyone there...? Where is this...? Who am I...?"
"M-my goddess! He's awakeeeee!"
"Food... Give me food...! No, my greatsword...!"
Once I registered the terrible pain in my stomach—hunger—the first thing that came to mind was the Greatsword of the Great King I had completed at the very end. My first masterpiece, the product of all my efforts!
"I-I have to... find it... Urgh...!"
I try to go outside and look for it, but simply moving one arm or one leg brings an overwhelming wave of weakness crashing down on me.
"Hey, you're conscious!"
"S-senior..."
"You crazy bastard! Does it make any sense to hammer metal for four days and nights without eating a single thing, you lunatic?!"
"M-my..."
"What, should I go get you something to eat? Come to think of it, you must be starving! What do you want?"
"My... greatsword...!"
"..."
"Senior...?"
"Um... Well... about that greatsword..."
"Senior...? What is it...? Why are you making me nervous...?!"
"..."
"Senior...!"
What? What happened? Tell me what happened! Did it crack when I collapsed and hit something? Did something go wrong with the finishing work? What the hell happened? Why is this senior just sitting there dragging it out? Just try messing with me. I'll kill you with my own hands. Please, God, Allah, Confucius, Buddha, Odin, Zeus, Trimurti, Hephaestus, Creator, you god bastard who sent me here—please let nothing have happened to it.
"Pfft..."
"Pfft...?"
"Pwahahahahahaha!"
"..."
"Just kidding, kidding! Nothing happened to it. I left it right on top of the anvil you were working at, so stop worrying and relax that face."
"..."
"Uh... Smith? Um... well, it was just a joke... Could you relax your face...?"
"...Grind"
"Hahaha... Why is our good little Smith acting like this today~? Come on, smiles bring good fortune. Smile~"
I'll kill you I'll kill you I'll kill you I'll kill you I'll kill you I'll kill you I'll kill you I'll kill you I'll kill you I'll kill you I'll kill you I'll kill you I'll kill you I'll kill you I'll kill you I'll kill you I'll kill you I'll kill you I'll kill you I'll kill you I'll kill you I'll kill you I'll kill you I'll kill you I'll kill you I'll kill you I'll kill you I'll kill you I'll kill you I'll kill you I'll kill you I'll kill you I'll kill you I'll kill you I'll kill you I'll kill you I'll kill you I'll kill you I'll kill you I'll kill you I'll kill you I'll kill you I'll kill you I'll kill you I'll kill you I'll kill you I'll kill you I'll kill you I'll kill you I'll kill you I'll kill you I'll kill you I'll kill you I'll kill you I'll kill you I'll kill you I'll kill you I'll kill you I'll kill you I'll kill you I'll kill you I'll kill you I'll kill you I'll kill you I'll kill you I'll kill you I'll kill you I'll kill you I'll kill you I'll kill you I'll kill you I'll kill you I'll kill you I'll kill you I'll kill you I'll kill you I'll kill you I'll kill you I'll kill you I'll kill you I'll kill you I'll kill you I'll kill you I'll kill you I'll kill you I'll kill you I'll kill you I'll kill you I'll kill you I'll kill you I'll kill you I'll kill you I'll kill you I'll kill you I'll kill you I'll kill you I'll kill you I'll kill you I'll kill you I'll kill you I'll kill you I'll kill you I'll kill you.
"Eeeek!? Smith, I'm sorry, it was a joke! A joke! Please spare me!"
"I'll kill you...!"
"...A full-course dinner at the Hostess of Fertility for three days!"
"...Full course?"
"Of course I'll pay, and if you want, booze too...!"
"Hmm... A full course and drinks... Three days is too short. Let's make it two weeks."
"Two weeks...? Heh... two weeks?"
"Two weeks."
"How can you increase three dinners fourfold? Let's make it four days, and lunch on the fifth day."
"Two weeks."
"...Six days. That's double, double!"
"Two weeks!"
"...Nine days!"
"Two weeks...!"
"This is ridiculous... How can this be... Nine days!"
"Listen, Smith. That's triple. It's gone up to three times as much. This is an outrageous price hike!"
"Two! Weeks!"
"This is driving me insane... Fine, two weeks!"
"Okay, thank you! Okay, two weeks!"
Clap clap clap clap
I applauded, immensely proud of myself...!
You were right, Kim Doo-hwan...!
"But this is the last time. This is the absolute limit of what my income can afford...! Don't try to [kill] me anymore!"
"Anyway... Give me anything to eat... I'm dying..."
"Yeah, I'll get you food right now... For now, chew on this jerky. If someone who hasn't eaten anything for four days eats something greasy, it'll wreck their stomach. I'll bring you porridge or soup in a little while."
While my senior was gone, I chewed on the jerky they had put in my mouth and thought.
'I did make it, but... who am I supposed to sell that thing to? It may not look like it, but it's my masterpiece, so I don't want to give it to someone who'll just get themselves killed somewhere... But I'd feel bad leaving it buried in the forge until the original cast arrives... And the only people in Orario right now who could wield that thing without easily dying would be upper-class adventurers at the point where the original story begins. And among them, the only one who could make use of a greatsword is Ottar... But Ottar has stopped going into the Dungeon, so he has no reason to buy one either... Ah, who would suit that guy best...? This is a problem...'
"Yo, you're awake."
"Ah, you're here."
"...Yeah, I should give up. How's your body feeling?"
"Well, aside from my stomach skin and back skin trying to share a deep kiss, there's no real problem. Munch munch."
She's looking at me like I'm pathetic, but I'm not pathetic, you know?
"But how did you know I'd collapsed, and how did I end up lying here?"
"Hey, you were so obsessed with making that thing that, while you were hammering away, people with spare time took turns checking on you every three hours to see whether you'd collapsed or not. Thank the people who kept watch at night later."
"Damn... I caused everyone a lot of trouble."
I'll have to buy them a meal later... with my senior's money, of course. Nobody said I couldn't bring other people along, right? Grin.