Chapter 2-4 : They Call Me Scrap Iron Lady (part 2)
「So… You want to see me making products with these top-quality iron ores…?」(Sheila)
「Yup!」(Kako)
Sheila seemed surprised and confused with my reason, but it wasn’t a lie. I genuinely want to see her ultimate products.
However, there’s another reason why I want to give her these top-quality iron ores for free, and that is because her senior apprentices pissed me off.
They bully Sheila just because they’re jealous of her skills and because she is a girl.
That is not acceptable! I want to see their faces when they see Sheila make a product a hundredー no, a thousand times better than theirs.
「You want to take the exam, right? It’s not wise to waste this chance, you know?」(Kako)
「Hmm… You’re right.」(Sheila)
「So? What do you think? Can you make ultimate products with these top-quality iron ores for the exam?」(Kako)
「Of course I can do that. I may be a girl but don’t underestimate my blacksmithing skills. But… I still don’t understand your intention. Why do you want to give me a chance to take the exam?」(Sheila)
「Say, Sheila, don’t you wanna see your seniors’ faces when you beat them with your ultimate products in this year’s exam?」(Kako)
Sheila opened her eyes wider when I said that with a smirk on my face.
「Kako, you…」(Sheila)
She turned her face and looked around the workshop.
There was no one here except Sheila. It seemed that her master and her annoying seniors went to some shops to deliver some goods.
She then returned her gaze to me and smirked too.
「Honestly, I want to see their miserable faces so badly!」(Sheila)
「Right~?」(Kako)
「But, Kako… As a blacksmith, I do want to make ultimate products out of these top-quality materials and I do want to punish those assholes with my victory, but I still can’t accept these iron ores for free because I know how precious they are…」(Sheila)
「Geez, you’re so stubborn… Alright, how about we make a bet?」(Kako)
「A bet?」(Sheila)
「Yes. If you can make ultimate products that can satisfy me and your master, you don’t have to pay for these top-quality iron ores, but if you can’t, you have to pay me even if it would take you years to pay it off. Do you accept this challenge?」(Kako)
「…Khu… Khu khu…」(Sheila)
Sheila smiled and giggled in excitement for some reason. She looked like a craftsman who was eager to show what she was capable of.
I’ve never seen her making this expression.
「Interesting… This is so interesting! But, Kako, are you sure about this condition? Because I will definitely win this bet!」(Sheila)
Oh! She took the bait!
It seems that she has the confidence to be able to make ultimate products. She just doesn’t want to accept the iron ores for free.
Challenging her to a bet seemed to be a good decision!
「Hoho~ Seems like you are really confident in your skills. Go ahead and try if you can!」(Kako)
「Hmph! I accept your challenge! I will make the ultimate products that no apprentice in this village can make!」(Sheila)
「It’s a deal then!」(Kako)
Ahh~ I’m glad it went well.
This is getting interesting. Now I’m really curious about what kind of products she will make.
◆◆◆
Now that I’ve handed the iron ores to Sheila, all I have to do is wait until the blacksmith apprentice exam starts.
By the way, the exam was surprisingly close.
I thought the apprentices would take their time to make the goods for the exam, but it seemed that they didn’t have much time to make them.
The reason is that professional craftsmen need to be able to make and deliver their products to the customers before the predetermined deadline.
That’s why the apprentices have to make as good quality products as possible within a limited time to test if they are ready to become professional blacksmiths or not.
I thought of leaving this village tomorrow after I handed Sheila the iron ores, but since the exam seemed to be close, I decided to stay in this village until the exam was over.
There wasn’t much I could do while waiting, so I decided to make him Nyat meals every day. He looked very happy and excited when I told him that.
For that reason, I had to see the old farmer couple who lived a few blocks away from the inn and buy some vegetables from them again.
They were happy to see me again and kept treating me as if I were their grandchild or something. Honestly, I didn’t feel annoyed at all. It wasn’t bad, but… It gave me complicated feelings.
Of course, I didn’t just cook for Nyat.
I spent my days visiting the shops in this village to hunt scrap iron and apprentice-made equipment and then experimenting with my Synthesis Skill in my room.
As I continued doing that for a few days, the clerks in the shops I regularly visited began to see me as a regular customer.
As a merchant myself, I took the opportunity to hear their stories and learn a lot of useful information from them such as things to pay attention to when purchasing goods and tips on how to deal with troublesome customers.
By the way, there was one shop I had never visited at all, and that was the shop that worked with Sheila’s annoying seniors and tricked Sheila into buying scrap iron.
One day, the shop owner of that shop came to see me at the dining hall in the inn when Nyat and I had just finished our breakfast.
He asked me why I visited all the shops in the village except his shop.
It seemed that he didn’t know what was going on, so I told him about how the clerk in his shop scammed Sheila.
He was shocked and mad after I told him that. He then interrogated the clerk working in his shop and discovered that the clerk had taken money from Sheila’s senior apprentices to scam Sheila and prevent her from taking the exam this year.
The shop owner was furious when he found out that his subordinate, who had worked for him for years, had committed such a disgraceful crime.
The clerk was severely scolded by the owner and then chased out of the village.
He wasn’t fired but was forced to work for the owner as a peddler in a remote area near a monster habitat.
Since he needed a job and didn’t have any other choice, the clerk reluctantly accepted the punishment.
Well, he got what he deserved.
I was glad that the bad clerk had been punished, but… there was another problem.
After staying in this village for a while, I realized the villagers’ behavior toward me had changed.
「Oh, it’s Scrap Iron Lady!」
「Scrap Iron Lady, good morning!」
「Have a nice day, Scrap Iron Lady!」(villagers)
Yup. The villagers started calling me Scrap Iron Lady because I always ask people if they have scrap iron to sell…
I’m glad that they welcomed me in their village and treated me like I was one of them, but… I hate that stupid nickname…
You can gain access to [Early Access] page and read up to ten chapters ahead by supporting me on [Patreon]
Lmao, eventually they will think you are lady who buy scrap then make them into pure high quality
Thanks for the chapter! ❤️❤️❤️