Novel Leonel's Workshop

Hello everyone,
I just recently started trying writing web-novels, and as I have a huge fascination towards crafting, I am currently trying to write about that topic.
I am currently writing a story titled "Leonel's Workshop", and I do hope you enjoy the story! I also have the story written in my personal site, which you can see here (I use wordpress, by the way).
I am also posting this story on RoyalRoad, in case you're uncomfortable with the way it's posted here. You can click here to go to the RRL page.

Synopsis: Orphaned at a young age due to flash flood that struck his village, Leonel was rescued from death's door by the sacrifice of his mother and the bravery of "Master" Klaus Schmitz, the local workshop owner. Left with no living relative, Leonel then comes to live in the world of crafting, along with his now step-father and his two apprentices.

Genre: Crafting, Fantasy, Slice of Life

Table of contents:
Chapter 0: Prologue
Chapter 0.5: Siren's Song Workshop
Chapter 1: A (Not so) Humble Beginning
Chapter 2: The First Task
Chapter 3: From Ingot to Ingot
Chapter 3.8: A Mysterious Item
Chapter 4: Rebirth (Part 1/2)
Chapter 5: Rebirth (Part 2/2)
Chapter 6: A Magic Learning Experience
Chapter 7: A Futile Request?
Chapter 8: "Copy"
Chapter 9: And Then, There were None
Chapter 10: In Memoriam
Chapter 11: A New Leaf

 

Chapter 0: Prologue

“How are things looking on that side?” The tall, burly man asked, seemingly desperate.

“Not good, master. The landslide is too severe, we can’t push forward any further.” A man answered. The rain keeps on pouring, mocking them as they try to search for survivors amidst the sudden squall.

“Damn!” He screamed, punching one of the nearby trees. “Is there really nothing we can do?”

“I’m afraid not, master, if we go any further we might end up dying ourselves.” The one called “master” grinds his teeth begrudgingly. He was often called to help settle disputes and fights, and he has often feel proud to be a “peacekeeper”, as people often say to him. But now, against the flurry of nature, he can only stand there helplessly as he knows that there are no saving the families whose house are by the river. As he starts to despair,

“Master! Come Quick!” Someone shouted from below the cliff edge on his left side.

“What is it?” He replied quickly.

“I need your help! I found a survivor, but there’s not much time! Their house is already flooded, and it will be carried off by the flood any second now!”

“I’m coming! Hans, wait here and notify me if the condition worsens. I’m going down there.” Master said while he quickly ties a rope on the trunk of one of the still standing trees. The man named Hans nods, as he helps secure the rope. The master then quickly descends upon the cliff side, tied on his waist, rushing as he knows they may have not much time. After fighting against the slippery rock after a while, he finally reaches the bottom, where the man that shouted earlier meets him. He quickly undoes the rope.

“Which way, Mark? And be quick!” Master barked.

“Right this way, master! Follow me!” The man called Mark said, rushing towards where the riverbed is.

“Not good,” He thought. He rushes along towards where Mark went, and after a minute of running he arrived on the riverbank, where a single house is already on the verge of getting swept away by the current. He can see a single woman trembling in fear through where the front wall used to be, and instinctively he rushed there.

“Mam! Hold on, we’re going to save you!” He shouts.

“No! It’s too late! I beg of you, take him!” The woman said, showing a baby that is in her cradle.

“Stay calm! We’re going to save both of you!” He shouted, although he knows it’s probably too late; the foundation of the house is already getting swept away, only seconds are left before the both of them are completely gone.

“Master…” She said while crying, knowing the end is nigh. “Please…” As she stands and runs towards him.

“NO!” He can only shout as the house as swept away, but not before she does one final, desperate act: she threw the baby she was holding towards the master, and then resigns to her fate as she is swept along with the building she once stayed in. The master, seeing this happens before his very eyes, can only watch as she sinks under the flood.

“No,” he thought. “There’s one more thing I have to do!” He run towards the riverbed, diving forward, catching the baby moments before he falls to the river. His clothes now dirty with mud, and he can only kneel as he holds in his arms a baby; The sole survivor of maybe his whole family. The master is lost in a trance for a bit, before being forcefully shaken by Mark.

“Master! We have to go, NOW!” Mark shouted in front of him. He then snaps, returning to reality, and he stands up, still holding the baby in his arms. He and Mark then runs back towards the cliff where they came from. As he started running, he noticed a rumbling from the mountains, from where the river flows.

“Definitely not good.” He speeds up, and in no time reaches the cliff from where he descends.

“Hans! Lower another rope! Quick!” He shouted. Before long, another rope is thrown down, and he quickly ties that rope to the baby, and the other one to his waist.

“Go!” He says to Mark. “And watch so that this kid doesn’t get any bumps on his way up!”

“Yes, master!” He replied, and starts to climb the cliff-face.

“Hans! Pull the second rope slowly! A baby boy is coming up!” Master shouts again.

“Yes, master!” As soon as Hans replies, the baby slowly ascends. He, too, starts to climb, although it’s noticeably slower rather when he descended. Meanwhile he can feel the rumble getting stronger. It seems that Mark realized it as well, for his face has turned pale.

“Climb!” Master shouted to him, and he seemingly jerks, and resumes his climbing. After a few while, the three of them reached the top, and not long after, the cliff where they were at is flooded. Master’s and Mark’s breath raggedly, as Hans unties the ropes and tidies up.

“That was too close,” Mark said. But the Master didn’t hear him. He didn’t hear anything; the rain, the rumbling of the flood, the sound of trees snapping under the cliff–nothing. His attention is fully on the baby in his cradle, as the boy suddenly cries and shows signs of life. And, for the first time in many years, he shed a tear.

 

Interesting story. Keep it up!

 

Chapter 0.5: Siren's Song Workshop

The Town of Elchkreuz. Located on the Nirs Highlands in the Yoroppa Continent, it is a town famous for its' Iron and Copper mining at the nearby Fleurs' Cave. It is surrounded by a forest named after it, and a river flows through the town; the spring is located higher upon the highlands. Many traders pass through this town, making final preparations before traversing the mountains nearby to get to the neighboring country, therefore creating a small but bustling town.

And, in the southern part of town, stands a workshop from which the sound of hammering rarely stops. That shop's name is Siren's Song Workshop, where "Master" Klaus Schmitz, along with his apprentices Hans Schneider, Mark Fulton, and Leonel Schmitz provide the town with weaponry, armor, and furniture. Almost everyday they receive requests from the townspeople or the travelers, and each and every time the proprietors do their best to fulfill the expectations of the requester. It is no different with the request of an adventurer, who is currently making his way towards the workshop from the Flowing Waters Inn...

 

Chapter 1: A (Not so) humble beginning

*clang* *clang*

The sound of hammering fills the workshop, along with heat of the forge. The master of this workshop, master Klaus, is currently working on a request from one of this town's visitor, who is currently staying at the Inn.

"But still, it is a peculiar weapon..." Hans remarked as he lifted the weapon requested by the adventurer. Hans, who is currently assisting master Klaus in crafting the weapon, is one of the two apprentices of master Klaus, although he is now also responsible for requests and orders.

As for the weapon in question, it is indeed a peculiar one for Hans; the customer, who hailed from the far east continent, usually called higashitairiku, called this weapon a kusari-gama. It is basically a sickle with an iron weight attached to a long chain from it's handle.

"I can't really imagine how this can be used in a fight..." Hans contemplated.

"That's because you lack imagination. Precisely why you're not the glass maker." someone said from the back.

"Is it really that fun rubbing salt in my wound, Mark?"

"More or less." The one called Mark answered. He is the other apprentice of master Klaus. Unlike Hans, who specializes in armor and weaponry, Mark is especially fond of glass making, although he can also take care of leatherworks and furniture requests.

"How is the request progressing?" Klaus asked to Mark without stopping the hammering process.

"Finished with one of the two pieces requested." Mark was working on a request from the town hall; they requested two pieces of decorations made fully from glass. "Trying to show off their riches, huh." Mark said when they first received the request.

"How about him?" Klaus then asked.

"Unfortunately, he's not really suited to work with glass. He is way too patient." Mark answered. At this, Klaus' hammerings stopped for a moment.

"What do you mean 'too patient'?" Before resuming the hammering motion.

"Well... He had no problem in the heating process itself. The problem is when it's time to shape the hot glass."

"Which is?" Hans interjected.

"He will receive nothing less than a perfect shape. As in if he's not satisfied with the shape, he will try again and again, and sometimes the glass would have cooled down without him noticing."

"Sounds like Leonel alright." Klaus said. Finished with the hammering, he then prepares to cool the blade for the sickle.

"And where is he now?"

"I'm right here, father." Another voice answered from the glassmaking room. Afterwards, out comes a teen boy, holding what is supposed to be glass in his hand. He is of medium build, although the muscles in his arms stand out as a result of growing up in the workshop. His hair jet black, and his height is at around Klaus' chest. "Did you call for me?"

"Yes, I did. And first, as I told you times and times again, in this workshop you are to call me master, not father." Klaus answered as he cools the blade in oil.

"Yes, I'm sorry, Fa... Master."

"Good, please remember that, all right? This is our workplace; professionalism is needed. Do you understand what I mean, Leonel?"

"Yes, I understand perfectly, Master."

"Good," Klaus said as he smiles. "Now," at that moment the bell rings, indicating someone has just entered the workshop.

"Excuse me, master." Someone said from the storefront.

"Yes, give me a minute." Klaus said. "Leonel, go to the front and ask what his business is. I can't take my eyes off this," he said as he points to the blade.

"Okay, master." Leonel said as he then goes to the front. There stands a young man wearing a leather armor and a bandanna.

"How can we help you today?" Leonel asked him.

"Are you the apprentice?" He asked. "Yes, I am."

"Ah, then please," he said as he takes out a broken sword, a scabbard, and a leather pouch, and puts it on the shelf. "As you can see, I broke my sword during a fight against a goblin horde. If possible, I want it repaired; if not, I want to buy a new sword, using materials made from this old one, if possible."

"I understand," Leonel said as he takes the three items. "Do you want any enchantments in it?"

"Oh, no, please, my wallet will get extensive damage if that's the case," he said while smiling. He seems like a good guy, Leonel thought.

"Please come back in around 5 days for your order," Leonel said.

"I'm counting on you!" The customer said as he exits the store. Leonel then goes toward the back, bringing along the pouch and broken sword to the back.

"How did it go?" Klaus asked, checking the cooled down blade.

"He asked for a sword repair," Leonel said as he shows the items to Klaus. "Or a forging of a new one, using the old one if possible."

"Hmm..." Klaus falls into thinking upon hearing the request. "Smelting and sword smithing request..." He ponders upon it for a few moment, before then saying something completely unexpected.

"Then, Leonel, you do the job."

 

I will try, thank you m8 Still need to do a lot of research regarding the various smithing processes though, so initially the update may be a little bit slow until I have gathered enough research material to write it "seamlessly", so to speak. Hope you will keep on enjoying the story!

 

Woah, this is good, hope there's no crafting cheat or something here

 

sad no subscribe button~

 

Thanks for the compliment! I have no plans of making that kind of story for now, maybe a minor improvement to the MC here and there, but nothing like instant godlike, I hope I don't have to go that way.

Sorry

 

u can bump me or mention me if u have new chapter released XD

 

Bumping~

A/N: Regarding the currency, it goes like this: 1 Platinum = 100 Gold, 1 gold = 10 silver, 1 silver = 100 copper. a night's stay at an inn will cost around 5 coppers (without food) or 7 coppers (with a simple breakfast of bread and soup), and a laborer's wage is roughly 15 coppers a day.
Chapter 2: The First Task

"I'm sorry?" Leonel asked in disbelief.

"I said you do the job, Leonel. Don't tell me all the hammering has made you deaf?" Klaus asked in return.

"No, I understand perfectly, but..."

"But?"

"Well..." Leonel couldn't answer back to Klaus. He tried looking for a reason, but found none.

"So there's no problems then, yes?"

"Yes there is, master! Your shop's reputation is at stake here!"

"And you have been training with the us three for... Let's see. You started going to the workshop at 5, and at that time you already started watching us work around the requests. You're 15 now, so that makes it 10 years. I believe you can make it, Leonel." Klaus said, still smiling towards Leonel.

"..."

"Leonel, just tell us the truth, what is it you're afraid of?" Hans asked.

"Like I tried to say, i never even tried forging a complete dagger once in the 10 years I've been here."

"But you watched us through that and many more."

"There's a difference between watching and actually trying, you know! What if I fail?"

"Then that will be a good experience," Klaus said. "Nothing beats failure, mistake, and defeat as your source of experience, as long as you don't lose your life from that mistake."

"But still...!"

Klaus then lets out a sigh after hearing Leonel's words.

"Leonel, let's be frank here. I am already 50 years old. I've lived quite a long life, but I have no idea when this life I have will end. Mark and Hans are already 35, and what's keeping them from parting ways and opening up their own workshop somewhere else? If I am to die, and these two are to leave, how are you expecting to survive?"

"I don't know, through your inheritance I guess?" Leonel said without thinking. Upon hearing this, Mark and Hans both turned pale, while Klaus only looked downwards. After a few seconds,

"Leonel, grit your teeth."

"Eh?" He barely managed to understand what Klaus said before he finds himself looking at the feet of the other three men. At first he is confused, but then suddenly he feels a searing pain from his cheek. He also felt something warm trickling inside his mouth. "What just..?" He looked up and finds himself staring at the eyes of Klaus; his face red from ear to ear.
"..." Leonel soon finds out what has just happened. Wordless, he stands back up.

"I'm sorry, master. I went too far." Leonel said, apologizing while bowing.

"..." Klaus didn't speak for a few seconds, and a tense silence fills the air of the workshop.

"Do you know what your mistake is, Leonel?" He finally asked.

"...Yes. I'm sorry. I won't do it again." Leonel said, apologizing from his heart, although he can't be sure whether or not his father catches his heartfelt apology.

"Good. You know what to do, then." Klaus said, before going to the grindstone, preparing to polish the blade he prepared earlier. After Klaus exited the room, Mark and Hans then extends their hands towards Leonel.

"Are you all right, Leonel?" Hans asked worriedly.

"Yes, I'm fine. I've gathered my thoughts together."

"You do know that you went too far there, don't you?" Mark asked.

"...yes..."

"Oh well. What's done is done. Like master said, let this be an experience; namely think before you speak."

"Yes..." Leonel mumbled. His cheek stings, and when he tried to spit, blood is mixed with his saliva.

"Open your mouth. Let me see that." Mark said. Leonel obeyed and opened his mouth widely.

"Hmm. two cuts, right where your upper and lower teeth's edge is supposed to be. Well, it will heal in a bit., no need to worry."

"You know that you can ask me for advice, right, Leonel?" Hans asked.

"I still think it's better for you to take the job, though."

"Not possible. I don't want to go through another experience like that again."

"I guess there is no choice, is there..." Leonel said as he stands up. He then takes a look at the broken sword.

The sword is clean, no rust, no smell of blood on it; proof that the owner takes care of it extensively. The scabbard... also clean. "I have no idea how he can keep a leather scabbard as clean as this... I can't even smell the faintest of blood from it."

"He probably uses another scabbard when he's out adventuring." Hans chimed in.

"Then that means this sword is like a beloved one for him, huh..." Leonel sighed. Hans just shrugged his shoulders. Leonel then takes a closer look. The edge is chipped here and there, but it is still very sharp. He can feel it even by just running his finger along the edge of the sword. As for the cut, it was clean; The sword split perfectly in two, and you can attach the two parts together and not see the crack.

"Well-kept can't even justify this sword, huh..." Hans said, scratching his chin. "So, with that said, what are you going to do?" He asked.

Leonel opened the leather pouch before he answered him. Inside is 5 silver coins. "Well," Leonel contemplated for a bit. "To the smelter it is." He said as he grabs the sword and goes out from the workshop.

 

/o/

 

Interesting story so far! One point that bothers me a little though, is you keep switching between present and past tense, especially with speech nouns, so it's a little jarring. Eg:

Should be:

In the last chapter you also switched to First Person POV twice near the end.

ETA bc I don't want this comment to just be nitpicking:
Enjoying this story so far. Crafting minigames are my favourite parts of games, so I'm really fond of crafting novels, and I'm very excited to see where this goes. A very crisp and smooth writing style that makes it easy to read and digest. Great job.

 

Ah, I didn't even notice! Thank you for pointing that out! Lemme fix that real quick, and I hope you can keep enjoying it!

 

Chapter 3: From Ingot to Ingot

Leonel is walking along the town's defensive walls. His destination: Fleurs' Cave, or to be precise, the smelter that operates nearby. In his hands are the items the customer left at the store: The broken sword, the scabbard, and the leather pouch containing 5 silver coins. In order to get there, he has to walk from one end of the city to the other, as the smelter is north, near the mountains, outside the town's protective walls. As he walks in front of the Flowing Waters Inn, he heard someone called him from where the inn is.

"Hey, mister apprentice. working hard I see!"

When Leonel turns towards the inn, he spotted his client standing in front of it; now stripped of his leather armor and only wearing cloth shirt and pants. He's waving his hands towards Leonel.

"Hello, sir. Is this where you'll be staying while you're in this town?" Leonel asked as he approached the customer.

"Well, seeing this is the only inn in town," he said. "But still, for a monopoly, this inn's services are actually really good." He said, looking at the proprietess.

"My, thank you for the compliments," The proprietess said, smiling widely.

"In any case, where are you going, uhh..." The adventurer looked troubled.

"Leonel, sir customer. I'm heading towards the smelter. As you requested, I will try to remake this sword to ingot before I process it."

"Just call me Albert," he said. "Is it really impossible to fix it as it is?"

"Unfortunately, sir, there is no way to reattach this sword, not with this kind of cut. It will only break again as soon as you use it," Leonel answered.

"Is that so?" He asked, looking a bit sad.

"My deepest apologies, sir." Leonel said empathically. He knows just how much care Albert must have put into his sword.

"Well, if it really is the case, it can't be helped." Albert said. "By the way, if I may ask, who will be working on my sword?"

"Well here comes a problem," Leonel thought.

"Well, at first I put in your request towards the master, but instead of working on it, he tells me to work on it instead." Leonel answered truthfully. Upon hearing this, Albert casted a worried look.

"Did he? Sorry for asking you a sensitive question, Leonel, but have you ever worked on something like this before?"

"No, sir. This is actually my first time to attempt a smithing process from the beginning to the final product. Usually I only help with a little bit here and there."

"Hmm... What to do..." Albert then pondered, scratching his head. Of course, his worries are understandable; in front of him is the apprentice who said that his sword will be his first experience when it comes to crafting a sword.

"Don't worry, sir customer." The proprietess suddenly said from inside the inn. "Oho?"

"True, this may be his first experience, but I can assure you, he's one of the most thorough person I have ever met in this town."

"How so?" Albert replied, looking intrigued.

"Would you mind coming in here for a bit? There's something I want to show you."

"? I don't really understand, but of course," Albert answered. "Ah, Leonel, wait for me for a bit, will you? I'm going to the smelter together with you after this." He said as he steps inside the inn.

"Understood," Leonel replied. He then waits outside, near the entrance to the inn. He can see through the open door that the proprietess and Albert goes in to the kitchen, but he can't see anything else because the walls and the counters block his view. After a bit, Albert then goes out of the kitchen and approaches Leonel.

"Well, I can see why she said that," he said happily. "Shall we go, then?"

"Ah, of course, Sir Albert." Leonel answered meekly. He looks back toward the inn, only to find the proprietess smiling widely and waving her hand towards Leonel. Seeing this, he bows and departs.

"Did something happen in the kitchen?" Leonel asked.

"That's my own little secret," Albert answered while smiling. Feeling confused, he then walks together with Albert, having various little chats along the way. After a few minutes, they find themselves in front of the smelter. Welcoming Albert and Leonel is a male dwarf; sporting a thick beard, he stands around Leonel's waist. They can see his chiseled arms even through the shirt he's wearing.

"Ah, if it isn't the young lad from the workshop. What can I do for ye, eh?" The dwarf said.

"Good afternoon, master Grunag. I have a request for you today." Leonel said while bowing.

"Thought I told ya to stop with the master, didn't I? It makes me a bit stuffy, ya know."

"As much as I like to try, it appears master Klaus' teachings are already too deeply rooted," Leonel replied.

"Bah! Far too uptight, that one. And this other one is?"

"Nice to meet you, master. My name is Albert, I requested a sword repair from the workshop where Leonel works, and I'm staying at the inn for the time being."

"Ah, done snapped yer sword eh? Seeing ye're here, lad, then that means..."

"Yes, as you might have guessed, master. I come today to request your help in melting the sword back to ingot." Leonel replied as he pulled out the sword, then he hands it over to Grunag.

"Well I'll be..." Grunag said upon seeing the sword. He sniffs the sword everywhere; the handle, the hilt, the blade, even the inside of the scabbard.

"Tis' a shame, lad." Grunag said. "But ye need not be sad, uh, Albert, ye said? If this sword can speak it'll tell ya not to cry and mull over it. It might even say 'I love you back' towards ye, ya know." Upon hearing this, Albert's face turns red from ear to ear.

"Well, considering the state of this one, we can work on it right away." Grunag said. "Come with me, ya two." Leonel and Albert nods and follows Grunag towards one of the furnace. There, he skilfully strips the sword of the hemp grip that is twisted on the handle, before holding the remnants of the sword towards Albert. "Ye do the honors," he said. After Albert takes the sword, he lights up the furnace; Leonel and Albert can feel the heat from where they stand.

"..." Albert then takes a final look towards his now bare sword. He stands motionlessly for a few seconds, before resting his forehead on the broad side of the sword. Leonel sees his mouth mutter something, but he couldn't hear anything. After a short moment, Albert then puts his sword into the furnace.

"Alright ya two, stand back. This will get even hotter," Grunag warned. So, Leonel and Albert take a few steps back. They both then see Grunag touching the furnace, and mutters something. After he finished what seems to be a magic chant, they both can feel the fire burning even hotter. Leonel even feel like it's a little bit too hot, although Grunag doesn't seem to mind it. He keeps it for a few seconds, and then the two of them reflexively take a few steps even further thanks to the heat that they felt.

"No way..." Leonel muttered. Even now he can feel the temperature rising even more. After a few seconds, he notices a red liquid pouring out from the tube attached to the furnace, gathering at a cast placed at the end of the tube. After the liquid fills up the cast, Grunag then takes his hands off the furnace, and the temperature slightly decreases. Instead of resting, he then puts his hand over the ingot, and chants another spell. This time, in front of Leonel and Albert's eyes, the hot ingot rapidly cools down, revealing a bright red color of iron ingot. Grunag then picks it up, weighs it, and then throws it towards Leonel, who swiftly catches it.

"How did you..."

"Surprised, are ya? Well, I cheated a lil' bit," Grunag grinned.

"Cheated?"

"Ya can say it that way. I can use a magic that greatly helps in these kind of processes."

"Which is?" Leonel asked.

"I can freely heat and cools things, including the inside of the furnaces." Leonel shakes his head upon hearing this.

"By the way lad, listen carefully." Grunag said, suddenly turning serious. "Ye know that initial stage of smithing? The one where ye hammer out the impurities after heating the ingot?"

"Yes?"

"Don't do that one for too long. Ye see, I don't exactly know the details, but Albert here managed to take care of his sword so well, this ingot is already nearly pure Iron."

"...What?" Leonel asked confusedly.

"Just like I said, that ingot ye're holding there is almost perfectly pure. Don't hammer it off too much, otherwise ye'll just waste the good parts."

Leonel stood dumbfoundedly. An ingot with almost perfect purity is unheard of, even for the best of smelters. Meanwhile, Albert stands in silence, his face a combination of embarassment and happiness. "Ye got that, lad?"

"Yes, master. Thank you very much for your help and advice. As for the payment, how much will it cost?"

"Ah, nearly forgot that one, I did. Gimme 2 silvers and we can call it a done deal." Grunag said. Leonel then takes out 2 silver coins from his pouch and passes it to Grunag.

"Aight, glad doing business with ye, lad. Come again if ye need anything!"

"Likewise, master Grunag."

"And stop calling me master!" He said with a last yell. Leonel and Albert then goes back southward, with both of them stopping in front of the inn.

"Thank you for accompanying me, sir Albert."

"No, no, the pleasure is mine." He replied. Even after everything he heard from Grunag, not once did he boast about his accomplishments. After being with him almost all day, Leonel makes a resolution.

"Sir Albert, I may be inexperienced, but please let me work on your sword." Leonel said while bowing deeply. Albert clearly didn't expect anything like this, as he puts out a flustered face.

"I understand, I understand, so lift your head, please!" He said hurriedly. After Leonel lifts his head, he breaths a sigh of relief. "Well then, I'm counting on you, Leonel." Albert said.

"Thank you, sir Albert. I will not disappoint you." Leonel replied. He then bows towards Albert, and heads back to the workshop. Little did he know, that Albert gazed warmly towards him until he was out of sight.

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"Do you need anything, dear customer?" The proprietess asked.

"Oh, no, no, thank you." Albert replied, still looking at Leonel as he makes his way back.

"Is something on your mind?"

"Nothing much," he said, this time smiling at the proprietess. After all, he can't help but smile after what just happened. The boy who tried to pass the work to someone else, suddenly asked to personally do the job, while bowing even.

"I wonder if someone in the workshop is from Higashi..." He mumbled. He then remembers what the proprietess showed him earlier in the day.

"Come here, please, sir customer." The proprietess said as she opens the kitchen door. Although a bit conflicted, he then enters the kitchen, holding the door for the proprietess to come in.

"You said you have something to show me?" He asked.

"That I did," She answered. She then goes towards the cabinet and pulls out a set of cutlery in a wooden box; fork, spoon, and knife, 12 of each.

"Is this what you wanted to show me?" Albert asked, feeling confused.

"Yes," she smiled. "Did you notice anything regarding this set?" As she beckons Albert to come closer, which he complies with. On the table, he only managed to see 12 sets of cutlery, but nothing else.

"There's a story with this one," she suddenly said. She even chuckled a bit.

"How so?" Albert asked while he looks at the cutleries a bit closer.

"That time, we ordered 12 sets of wooden cutleries with a deadline of 3 days." She started her story.

"Seems reasonable."

"Yes, that is so. The problem was it was delivered on the 5th day," she continued. Albert felt startled upon hearing this.

"2 days late for a simple cutlery request?"

"Yes. He delivered it personally, boxes and all, while apologizing over and over again."

"I'm sorry, maam, but I can't see where we're going with this story," Albert replied. Upon hearing this, she laughs a bit.

"That is because you are looking at this the wrong way," she replied. She then proceeds to take out the cutlery out of the box, She then arranges it in a line; each one has their own line. After she finished, Albert then takes another look upon the cutlery, now lined neatly on the table. He couldn't see what's wrong, but suddenly he realized something peculiar about the cutlery.

"Maam," Albert calls the proprietress.

"Yes, dear customer?" She answered, smiling.

"Does anyone in their shop have a knowledge of the 'copy' magic?"

"Unfortunately, no." Albert felt lost upon hearing this. In front of his eyes, on the table, is a perfectly identical 12 sets of cutlery.

NB: And that's the third chapter, yay~

That aside, I must apologize in advance regarding the use of "cutleries" or "cutlery"; I simply don't know which word to use in this kind of situation, or if the word "cutleries" even exist. If anyone has an understanding regarding this, can you please notify me so I can correct it? Thank you very much for the assistance, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

 

summons @Midnight Rain

 

nice job you did there.. i was wondering what did Albert saw but u told it in the end.. nice!

 

Help desk: "Cutlery" is already a collective noun by itself! "Cutleries" is a modern derivative, but if you want to be correct to traditional grammar, the plural of "cutlery" is just "cutlery".
And now I've written the word cutlery so much it stopped being a word to me.

 

Thank you for the clarification! In that case I think I'll use the traditional form then, thank you for the assistance!

 

No worries, it was a great chapter! Interesting to see a little more of the world, great use of story-driven exposition!