The Ideal Sponger Life: Volume 14 [Parts 1 to 8] by Tsunehiko Watanabe

Author:Tsunehiko Watanabe
Language: eng
Format: epub

Chapter 3 — An Artisan’s Aspiration

“This is a shock. I’d honestly expected to be stuck with this for the rest of my life.”

Indeed, the aged smith’s expression was one of utter disbelief. The man had been given the name Volundr as proof that he was the best smith in Uppasala, and he was currently stretching and flexing his joints.

They didn’t hurt. None of them did.

Standing in front of the smith as he was released from the decades of aches and pains in his back and hips was a man and a woman. The woman seemed to still be in her mid- to late-twenties, and the man had a tired air of someone middle-aged.

They were within a courtyard of the Capuan royal palace, commonly called the Craftsmen’s Garden, as Margarita of the Sharou royal family met with the skilled smith. The middle-aged man at her side was a healer under exclusive contract to her.

He was technically part of the Gilbelle family, but low enough that you would get to his place in succession quicker if you counted in reverse. He was also known as the most overused healer in the Twin Kingdoms. Margarita actually spent more time with him than either her parents or husband.

“So, Sir Volundr, will you fulfill your promise and take me on as an apprentice?”

The man scratched his white hair awkwardly as the princess smiled at him in satisfaction.

It was not overly complicated to explain how this situation had come about. No sooner had Margarita arrived via Zenjirou’s teleportation and dealt with the bare minimum of welcome parties and meetings with Aura, than she had gotten permission to meet with Volundr with the express purpose of becoming his apprentice.

It had been a completely obvious request for her, but things were not so simple for him. While Volundr may have been somewhat lacking in manners, he still knew how things worked. He already saw himself as part of Capua, and he was well aware that he could not be careless as he dealt with the royals of an allied nation.

However, there were still issues that prevented him from accepting on the spot. She was a princess. An already married one, at that. He wasn’t sure he could teach her as he had all of his other apprentices, with harsh words and the odd jab. As far as her standing went, the answer was: obviously not. The cause of his lack of surety, though, was from looking at her.

She had visible muscle tone on her arms at even a cursory glance. Her hair was dried out from the heat of the forge, and her right eye was clouded from constant staring at the flames. She had the visible signs of a wholehearted smith. The like of which was rarely seen even in Uppasala.

While it would be rude not to treat her as royalty, it would also be rude not to treat her as a smith.

As a result of that hesitation, Volundr had—rather unusually for him—offered an excuse and left rather than an honest response.

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