I Want To Be A Magic Sword Blacksmith! - Chapter 6

Different races have different judgments.

For the human heroes, iron ants were nothing more than annoying monsters that just pops up in chaos.
Their numerous numbers is troublesome, but all you have to do is to kill them all.

But for the dwarves, they were the worst kind of monsters, who deliberately targets the mines that they valued as their lives.

He didn’t know about this because he is a human.
He only learned about it after he befriended the dwarves who have strong ties the mines.
And he once again learned that monsters are an evil that should not be allowed to exist.
Eiji took a deep breath.

“……『Breath of the Might』”

The next instant, he leapt without hesitation and swung his iron sword at the giant ant’s face.

Clank

With a thunderous sound that pierced the eardrums, the iron sword broke cleanly.
It was overwhelmed by the hardness of the shells of the ant that was struck.

“That’s why I said so!!”

Gyariko, who was watching from a certain distance, shouted like a shriek.

“There is no way you can defeat a monster with just an iron sword! They are special! They are special creatures that deviate from the principles of the gods! That’s why they are not from any races, and not beasts! They are monsters!”

Special things can only be defeated by special things.
Weapons that the gods created and gave to the human species specifically for the sole purpose of killing monsters.
Sacred weapons.
For example, the holy sword.

“Only a sacred weapon can hurt the monsters!!”

It was common sense that even children in this world knew.
So to speak, it was an absolute rule.
A sword made of iron that is a mere natural object and is not something special cannot inflict even a scratch on a monster.
With it, it was impossible to defeat the monster.

“Is that so?”

With the broken sword in his hand, Eiji backs away and stand beside Gyariko.

“Gyariko-san, please look closely. Look at the ant’s head”
“Eh? What are you talking about?”

The iron ant was surprised by the sudden attack and stopped moving in fright, even though it had sustained no damage.

“What do you mean by look at its head? What am I supposed to do by looking at it?”
“Look closely. Do you not notice it if you don’t strain your eyes?”

Although it was midnight, the monster’s surroundings were as bright as noon, because many dwarves had set up bonfires in response to the commotion.
Illuminated by the light, she can finally confirm it by squinting her eyes at the head of the giant ant.
It was faint.
It stretches faintly.
A faint streak was carved on the iron ant’s head.

“Ah”
“So you noticed it, Gyariko-san”

Could it be Eiji’s slash left a sword cut on the iron ant’s shell?
It’s too lacking to be called a wound.
Or rather, it was just a line.

“Just because you made a cut like that, what’s the point? That’s almost the same with no damage!?”
“No. At least it was proven that the attack of a mere iron sword, which is not a holy sword, is not completely ineffective. Even if it’s just a scratch, if it hurts then I will hit it as many times as I can and make it lethal!”

Gyariko couldn’t believe her ears when she heard his words.
Does it mean that such scratch could be a fatal wound if he hit it many times?

“But the sword is…… The sword that I hammered is…… !”

Just once.
It broke just by hitting that ant. In exchange for such shallow scratch.

“It’s impossible to strike it again and again if the sword is broken. Pipe dream is useless for reality……!”
“Yes, that’s why……!”

Eiji threw away the broken sword and took out a new sword.
He took out another unbroken sword.

“……!?”
“Sorry, it wasn’t just one sword that I took without permission”

If Gyariko look closely, she will see that he was carrying two more swords on his back.

“This is all that I stole from Gyariko-san’s workshop. With these swords, I will cut that ant again and again”
“Eiji……!?”
“But, this is not enough at all. Gyariko-san, I’m sorry, but please bring the rest of the swords from the workshop as well. Bring it continuously. At this rate, I don’t know how many swords needed to break that ant’s shell”

Eiji also thought that it was an absurd demand.
He can tell that Gyariko has been hammering these swords with great care by holding them in his hand.
The fact that the swords that she made with great care just like her own child are being broken one after another just like disposable items, for the creator it must be as painful as cutting her body.

But even so, there was no other way to destroy this calamity.

“……!”

Gyariko’s expression became firm with determination.

“You guys!”

She called the surrounding dwarves.

“Follow me! There is something that I want you to carry together! …… Eiji. I’m going to empty the workshop and bring it to you, so please hang on for a while!”

At any rate, he must not let the iron ant’s scout escape.
If he let it go, the scout will return to the main unit of the swarm and tell the location of this delicious mine.
In that case, the next visit to the mining village will be an attack by the entire swarm.

“…… It’s going to be a war of attrition”

Eiji faced the giant ant for the second time, and took another breath.

“……『Breath of the Might』”

＊　　　　＊　　　　＊

What happened next was beyond imagination to the spectating dwarves.

With help, Gyariko brings in a large number of self-made swords from her personal workshop.
Eiji who got them, slashes at the giant ant.

All the swords, without exception, were smashed and broken in a single clash.

Break, throw it away, take the next sword, slash, throw it away, and take the next sword.

He repeats it.

However Eiji himself, who is executing it does not let his momentum weaken at all.
No matter how many times it is broken.
Over, over, over, over, over, over, over and over.
He grabs a new sword and slashes at the giant ant.
If he were an ordinary person, his spirit would have been worn out and dispirited in a flash. Eiji’s spirit did not know exhaustion.

Furthermore, the surprising thing is, all of Eiji’s slashes hit the same spot without fail.
The head of the ant that he hit first.
He stacked many slashes on that area, where the thin and fine scratch was made.
Thanks to this, the cut, that at first appeared to be only a faint line, has not become a deep gutter, and has truly been carved into the giant ant’s shell.

It was obvious even to the dwarves watching around him.
It’s working. Although it was little by little, but Eiji’s attacks were penetrating the monster’s shell thought to be impossible to break.

“Hang in there, Eiji!!”
“Don’t lose! Don’t lose!!”
“The fate of this village depends on you! I beg you, please kill that ant here!!”

Their expectations became one, and gathered around Eiji.
They all gathered around Eiji who was wielding the sword and fighting.

Among them, there was one person who felt uncomfortable.

“…… Eiji”

It was Gyariko.
Words of doubt leaked out from her mouth along with cold sweat.

“Who are you exactly?”