My Protect skill can take my life but it can also help me flirt and make love with cold beauties!
Chapter 19: A new sword

A few days has passed since the ogre incident in the forest of Est (which I just named myself). I spent my mornings carrying cargo and my afternoons hunting jelly monsters, collecting their cores, and selling them to Fine-san.

My level has safely risen to 2, and my abilities has increased even further. Thanks to my increased strength and stamina, I am able to handle the morning cargo work much more easily, and my colleagues at work are impressed.

However, for some reason, it was becoming more difficult to attack the orange gelatin monsters. I felt like I was able to cut through their bodies more easily before my level had increased.

"Hey, are you taking good care of your sword?" When I talked about this at the guild after work, Raul-san looked at me in disbelief.

"Take care of it?"

"Like, polishing and sharpening it. Even though the gelatin monster's body fluid is harmless to the human body, if you neglect it, your sword's sharpness will decrease."

What?! Looking back, I realized that I haven’t really taken care of my sword properly, aside from wiping off the gooey stuff.

"Taking care of your weapon is the basics of being an adventurer."

"Is that so...?"

"Well, if the sharpness has decreased, it's better to have a professional take a look at it than to try to fix it yourself."

"A professional, you say...?"

So, I headed straight to Naguri's Blacksmith Shop after leaving the guild. The fever of the owner Naguri-san and the craftsmen has cooled down, and the shop has reopened.

Emily-chan was intervened by the commotion during the ogre incident, but it seems like she collected plenty of medicinal herbs to use as a medicine for fever.

Thanks to that, the shop was able to reopen earlier than expected.

"Excuse me." I entered the workshop, where heavy metal sounds echoed. My voice was drowned out by the noise of the workshop, and no one seemed to notice me.

By the way, El isn’t with me. On the way to the blacksmith shop, I asked her what was wrong since she seemed odd. Apparently, fairies don't like iron.

It's not a problem if they just live their daily lives, but the blacksmith shop, which is filled with the presence of iron, is tough for her.

Even though she said she would come with me, her complexion was clearly bad, so I sent her back to the inn first.

"Excuse me!!" After waiting for a moment, I shouted my greeting again.

"Hey, you don’t look familiar? Are you from the pork butcher?"

A middle-aged man with bulging muscles not inferior to his fellow workers in carrying loads noticed me and spoke with a loud voice that could be heard well even in the midst of such a hustle and bustle.

He had his arms folded, and he seemed to be looking after the workshop, so he might be the boss. However, he judged me by my appearance.

"No, I wanted to ask you to clean my sword."

"Sword? What, are you an adventurer?"

The man came up to me boldly. He was slightly shorter, but his dark, sunburned skin was deeply wrinkled. He has an overwhelming atmosphere when he came close.

"That looks terrible. Are you taking good care of it?"

He frowned when he looked at the short sword I held out, but it didn't seem to be deteriorating significantly or had any chipped edges. Perhaps he had a professional eye for these things.

"Ah! Kazuya-san!"

A voice that I had heard before came from the back of the workshop. I knew who it was even without looking. It was Eva-san.

"Did you come all this way to see me?"

"Yeah. I came to have my sword checked."

Eva-san was wearing a slightly dirty apron. She must have been helping out in the workshop.

"Kazuya...? Oh! So you're Kazuya!" The man's face lit up in an instant. "You should have said so earlier! My daughters owe you for what you did for them!"

If he mentioned daughters, then this man is surely the boss here, Naguri-san. He has the same black hair color as Eva-san, but his facial features are not very similar. It may be rude to

"No, it was like I was helped by Raul-san for the most part."

"Don't be humble!" Naguri-san slapped my back. "You risked your life to save my daughter. That's all that matters."

"Yes, and if Kazuya-san hadn't come, I don’t know what would have happened to Emily." Eva-san nodded in agreement with Naguri-san's words. If they said so, I am relieved.

"If you're Kazuya, I have to thank you properly."

"You don't have to thank me."

"No, I should have gone to the guild to thank you in person. But work has been piling up while I was off, so this is perfect."

With that, Naguri-san pointed to the back, and had Eva-san bring a sword. It was a full-length sword with a longer blade than the one I was using, a genuine long sword.

"Take this with you."

"What? I'm sorry. Besides, I broke the sword I borrowed the other day."

"That's it! It's a problem for us if our swords are thought to be dull and weak like that."

Eva-san nodded in agreement. "The one you broke the other day was a real dull one that couldn't even be sold as a product. This one is not a luxury item, but it is made by skilled craftsmen and is more durable than the sword you have now."

Eva-san thrusted the long sword in front of me. Both Eva and Nagri looked at me and nodded at once.

Seeing this, I knew I had to accept the sword. I took the sword from Eva. It was heavier than the dagger. If I had just arrived in this world, I might not even be able to hold it in one hand.

"Thank you very much."

"No, it's actually me who should be thanking you. Now, what do you want to do about this short sword?" Naguri held out the weapon as he restrained me from bowing too much.

It was my old partner that I had been using until now, even though I had received a new long sword. Its length was suitable for cutting ingredients as well, so it would be a waste to just throw it away.

"Well then, I'll have it sharpened so you can use it."

"Thank you," I replied as I left over the short sword. Naguri-san told me to come back tomorrow to pick it up.

I wondered why he couldn't just sharpen it for me on the spot, but I left the workshop with my new long sword at my waist. Perhaps due to the noise inside the workshop, my ears were ringing.

"Um, Kazuya-san." Eva followed me out of the workshop. So I have to pay for the polishing fee of the short sword upfront?

"Um...are you free tomorrow?" she asked, glancing over at me. If she meant financially, then no, I wasn't free. I needed to work to make money.

"Uh, would you mind taking on a job for me?" she continued.

"A job? You should go through the guild for that," I suggested.

"Yeah, I know, but I wanted to specifically request you..." She trailed off, looking sad. Is she really asking me, a low-level adventurer, for a specific request?

"Is it a difficult job?" I asked.

"No, not at all. I just need someone to guard me while I mine for ore in the grasslands," she explained.

"The grasslands nearby?"

"Yes, that's the one. I'm a girl, and it's a bit nerve-wracking to do it alone," she added. I hunted Orange Jellies in the grasslands every day, so I am confident I can handle it.

"Alright, I'll take the job," I agreed.

"Really!? Oh, thank goodness. I thought you'd say no," Eva exclaimed.

"No, I wouldn't turn down a job like that," I assured her. Perhaps she was grateful to me for the sword and wanted to show her appreciation by offering me work.

"Okay then, meet me at the castle gate when the four bells ring tomorrow!" Eva happily returned to the workshop.

If she is that pleased, then it is worth accepting the job. However, my errand at the blacksmith's was finished earlier than expected. It’s still bright outside when I look up at the sky.

I want to test out my new sword, so I headed to the grasslands alone. As I swung the sword, I could feel the difference from the old one.