Chapter 302 - Marie The Blacksmith (2/2)

”How did you get injured?”

Mercury spoke plainly

”Molten rock”

”Oh… That must have hurt…”

Mercury felt a little sympathy in Marie's gaze, however, it soon disappeared as she snapped back to work mode and commanded

”Grab those pilers, put on these gloves first though”

Mercury put on the heat resistant gloves and took the pliers that were sticking out of the furnace

”Good now bring out the ingot to the anvil”

”Sure”

Mercury lifted the red glowing ingot out of the furnace and over to the anvil where he put it down

”Now hold on tightly”

Marie raised her blacksmith's hammer and swung it down on the ingot producing a loud clang, then she quickly raised the hammer again before she once again bright it down with enough force to mold the red glowing metal, this continued for a while before she spoke

”Back into the furnace now!”

”Yes!”

Mercury bright the ingot back to the furnace, then he looked over at Marie that narrowed her eyes slightly as she spoke

”Let's turn up the heat!”

Then her red eyes glowed like hot metal and in response, the furnace roared as the temperature raised instantly, Mercury was a little surprised before he let go of the pliers and took off his shirt, and threw it over into a corner of the room before he grabbed the pliers again and looked over at Marie that snapped at him

”Don't look at my pretty face! Eyes on the metal, feel it, judge when it's got enough of the heat!”

”Yes!”

Mercury focused on the metal inside the furnace and after a few seconds he brought it out of the fire

”Good! Now bring it over here again!”

Mercury bright the red glowing ingot over to the anvil where he held it as Marie stuck it once with her hammer before she looked at Mercury with surprise visible on her face, she quickly looked down on the ingot again and hammered away while surprised shook her

'It's perfectly heated… Surely this is beginners luck?'

This continued for a while, Mercury brought the ingot back and forth from the furnace, each time Marie would look at him with surprise on her face, he managed to bring it out when it was perfectly heated each time, that was despite the fact that Marie changed the temperature of the furnace each time to test him, soon she stopped testing him however as she focused on her work, over the next half hour the ingot took the shape of a blade

”Now dunk it in that barrel”

”Yes!”

Mercury bright the blade over and submerged it in a barrel filled with oil, then he looked back and saw Marie wiping the sweat on her forehead with her apron showing off her perfectly flat stomach in the process so he quickly looked away again and limped over and took his cane before he sat down on the workshop floor and massaged his right leg, it was aching after he had been standing for so long without his cane, Marie looked over and showed a smile

”Come on Mercury, let's go get some water”

”Okay”

Mercury stood up again and followed after Marie out of the workshop to the back where Marie quickly drew some water from a well and poured it over in two mugs, one of which she handed to Mercury, Mercury took a sip before he noticed how thirsty he was, therefore he quickly down the mug of water when he heard Marie laughing

”Hehe…”

Mercury put the mug down on the table that stood outside and asked

”What?”

”Nothing~ You just remind me of when I was an apprentice”

”...That means I pass?”

”Yeah, you have talent that's for sure”

Mercury did a fist pump which made Marie laugh even harder before she drew some more water and poured it into Mercury's mug who quickly drank it

”Come on Mercury, we got another 3 blades we need to make before midday!”

”Yes, I'll be right there!”

Mercury hurriedly downed the water and followed after Marie back into the workshop, after an hour the two of them managed to make another two blades before Marie suddenly looked at the furnace and extinguished it before she spoke to Mercury

”Come with me”'

Mercury nodded and followed after Marie out into the storeroom where ingots were stacked on the stone floor, Mercury's eyes lit up, this was the first time he had seen so many ingots in one place

”Go ahead and pick one, you are forging a blade next”

Mercury nodded before he turned serious and walked over to the iron ingots and picked one up before he weighed it in his hand and put it down before he picked up another ingot and did the same, Marie followed his every move with her fiery eyes, inside her approval was building for Mercury, along with something else she couldn't quite understand