[Re:write] Episode 11: The Blacksmith of Oak Haven

—Rewrite despair.

[For first-time readers] If you want to grasp the world setting first
The beginning of the story, the link to the first episode is here
👉 Episode 1: The Observer Wakes in the Forest
Work information and synopsis are here
👉 For first-time readers | Please start 'Re:write' from Episode 1

...Hey.
Irritation seeped into Leon's voice.

You've been silent for a while, what are you thinking?
Route analysis.
Kai answered while staring straight ahead.

The shortest route from our current location to the royal capital. Food consumption. ...Survival probability is 87%.
I told you not to talk in numbers!
Leon clutched his head.
Aria smiled troubledly.

Kai's feet stopped abruptly.
...What's wrong?
It's too quiet.

Kai's gaze was directed toward the forest behind them.
The birdsong that had been audible until just a moment ago had unnaturally ceased.
(...Missing environmental sounds. Ecosystem's intimidation response.)

Kai knelt on one knee and touched his fingertips to the ground.
A faint, yet rhythmic vibration.
(...Vibration pattern match. Multiple quadrupeds. ...Armed cavalry.)
They're coming.
Kai stood up.

Pursuers!?
Three horses. ...Estimated 3 minutes until contact. At this rate, we'll be caught.
3 minutes!? There's no way we can outrun them!
Leon raised his voice in frustration.
Leon reached for the sword at his waist.

Are you going to fight?
No. That sword will break.
Kai's gaze was directed at the hilt of Leon's sword.
The mouth of the scabbard, worn out from repeated battles, was frayed.

Metal fatigue has accumulated. If you clash with the knights' steel, it will shatter in three strikes.
Wha...
Leon was at a loss for words.
It was the truth.

However, Kai calmly pointed to the direction they were heading—the hill ahead on the road.
Calculatedly, there is a chance of winning.
Route change. We'll flee to the next town—Oak Haven. We'll blend into the crowd and fix our equipment.
Eh...?
If we sprint at our top speed, we'll make it.

Kai looked at Aria and Leon.
Run. Don't look back.
Damn it, so that's how it is!
Leon took Aria's hand and started running.
Hurry, Aria! Don't trip!
Y-yes!

◇

Oak Haven was a city that smelled of soot and iron.
The sound of hammers echoed from everywhere, and the heat clung to the skin.
Leon entered the alley he had heard about at the tavern.
Kai stopped in front of an old stone workshop in the back alley.

There was no sign.

Only the heavy, precise sound of a hammer echoed like a heartbeat.
This is it.
Here? There's no sign.
The sound is different. ...Here, they can forge decent iron.

When they entered, a blast of hot air hit their faces.
A roaring furnace.
Flying sparks.
In the center of it, a small man was struggling with a massive block of iron.

...What is it, you chicks?
The man—Drake—stopped what he was doing.

Arms like logs.
A face stained with soot, and a sharp gaze.
If you're just looking, go home.

Leon held out his beloved sword as if he had made up his mind.
I want you to fix my sword. ...It won't last any longer.

Drake glanced at it and snorted.
It's a mass-produced item. It's a waste to fix it. It's faster to buy a new one.
What did you say...!
The core is worn out. Even if you patch it up, next time it'll take the owner with it.

...Good iron.
Suddenly, Kai muttered.
He was staring at a sword hanging on the wall.
Estimated 15 folds. The uniformity of the carbon distribution is abnormally high. ...Can you achieve this level of precision by hand-forging?

Drake's eyebrows twitched.
...Ho. You've got a good eye.
I've only stated the facts. ...However,
Kai pointed toward the furnace.

The bellows design is old. The air supply efficiency is poor. The furnace temperature is fluctuating.
...Huh?
Drake narrowed his eyes.

The air in the room freezes.

"Kid. Are you trying to pick a fight with my work?"
"It's not a fight. It's a proposal for optimization. There is a ±3.7% error in the furnace temperature. That is the cause of microscopic cracks in the steel's strength. If you introduce a temperature control system, the quality will improve even further."
"A system? Is there any machine that can beat a craftsman's intuition!"
"The uncertain element known as intuition is exactly what causes inconsistencies in quality."

"You two, cut it out!"
Leon shouts.
"Stop arguing in space-speak! I don't understand a word of it!"
"Well, hehe."
Aria starts to laugh.
"Brother, you both seem to be having fun, actually."
"How so! We're on the verge of a fight!"

Clang.
The dry sound of a bell cuts through the heat.
Standing at the entrance was silver armor.
The crest of the Knights.
"--Found them! It's those outsiders!"
The soldiers come pouring in.

There is no exit.

"Capture them all!"
Drake grins.
"...Heh. You've got some nerve causing a ruckus on my turf."
He heaves his massive warhammer onto his shoulder.
"You kids, stand back. ...It's time for the festival."

A closed space with nowhere to run.
The heat exhaled from the furnace collides with the cold outside air at the entrance, distorting the view like a heat haze.
In that red-hot air, only the shadow of the warhammer Drake raised high seemed about to cover the entire wall like a monster.

Deep in my nasal cavity, the smell of burning iron clings, heavy and hot, refusing to leave.

Revised 2025/12/28

To read the continuation/background

Click here for the link to the beginning of the story, Episode 1
👉　Episode 1: The Observer Wakes in the Forest
Click here for work information and synopsis
👉　For first-time readers | Please start "Re:write" from Episode 1

👉 Click here for a summary of the story of the novel "Re:write" so far.