Chapter 25 – Steel Mills and Black Smoke

Hirune entered Morgul steel mill, the largest steel mill in the frontier city, to find out the cause of the burning smell.

The large doors were heavy, but she used holy magic to create a gap for one person.

It was hot inside the steel mill, and the air felt thin.

(It’s hot. …… No wonder, they’re burning iron. ……. Oh, that’s the steel-making equipment. It’s huge.)

She looked up at the steel-making equipment in the center of the building.

Craftsmen with their shirts rolled up were hard at work.

A wheelbarrow of black stones was being wheeled by hand and thrown into the bottom of the flaming device.

“There’s not enough heat! Add more demon coal!”

The person who seemed to be the master of the place shouted. “Yes!” A reply echoed.

(Put the demon coal into the oversized furnace and burn the iron raw materials on it.)

Hirune looked at the bottom of the steel manufacturing equipment, then to the top. She also moved her face to the side.

(The liquified iron flows through there and is poured into the mold, where it becomes iron…….)

There are two main types of iron.

Square and Rod-shaped.

The Rod-shaped is taken out of the mold and beaten with a hammer to turn it into a shape like a square.

(Hey, why are they hitting it with a hammer……? Why don’t they just pour it into the mold without hammering and turn it into the shape of a square?)

Hirune looked at the hundreds of craftsmen at work.

All of whom were moving at a brisk pace.

(But the black smoke is so terrible, it looks like it’s sticking to the ceiling because there’s not enough ventilation.)

Smoke was rising from everywhere.

The air was filled with the smell of burning leaves.

“Alright! Team 2, take a break! Let’s go, let’s go!”

A craftsman who seemed to be the master gave the order.

He was coughing, probably because of the smoke.

Hirune yawned and approached the device, rubbing her eyes.

As she approached, she could feel the heat on her skin. Sweat began to pour out of her body.

(There’s not that much smoke coming out of the demon coal. The problem is …… is it the iron ore?)

As she stared up at the iron making equipment, a craftsman who seemed to be the master of the equipment, who was going around giving orders, spotted Hirune and approached her in a stride with an angry look on his face.

“Hey, hey, hey! What is a kid doing here at this hour?”

(Oh, he’s going to get angry. Was it too much to go for a civilian appearance?)

She looked up at the craftsman who seemed to be the master, vaguely thinking about that.

He was wearing a sturdy-looking short-sleeved shirt with thick arms extending from the sleeves.

There were numerous burn marks on his arms.

He looked to be in his mid-forties, with deep wrinkles etched on his large face.

“Get away from here, it’s dangerous. If a little girl gets hurt—-“

He noticed something and froze when he saw Hirune up close.

Blue eyes like a sea of stars, a well-defined face, blond hair that almost reached her knees…

It was the Great Saint Hirune, who was rumored to frequently appear in the city in stealth.

She looked just like the picture he saw at the bar yesterday.

Everyone in town is saying, “If you come to our store, pretend you don’t know she’s the Great Saint.” All the citizens were of the opinion that the Great Saint was worried about the citizens and was cutting down her time to make rounds.

He had burst into laughter yesterday, saying, “There’s no way she’s coming to the steel mill. Hahahaha!”

“…………”

Even he, who had several hundred subordinates, was speechless, surprised at the appearance of the Great Saint.

When he looked at her sparkling eyes, he wanted to kneel down right there and make the holy seal, thanking her for saving the city.

“I’m sorry for entering without permission.”

On the other hand, Hirune apologized anyway.

There was zero planning involved.

(Is he the big guy? I’d like him to show me the steel-making equipment for a good night’s sleep.)

The craftsman who seemed to be the master somehow managed to resist making the holy seal at the sound of Hirune’s voice.

“…… Miss, what brings you to the steel mills? This is a dangerous place.”

“Well, I came as part of a field trip.”

“Oh, I see. Hmm. Well, come back in the morning. It’s already late.”

The craftsman who seemed to be the master of the company smiled and bent his back to look at Hirune.

“I can’t do that. It has to be now.”

Hirune stuck out her lower lip and put her hands on her hips.

There was nothing he could do if the Great Saint said so. He made a serious expression, wondering if there was a serious situation.

“okay….. I understand. I’ll show you around then.”

“Yes. I’m sorry for the sudden visit. Thank you very much.”

(I’m glad he’s a nice person. Even a child could be shown me around, right?)

Maybe it’s because she was a great saint, but Hirune doesn’t quite understand how things work.*

“I’m from the southern branch of the Mephistopheles Church,….I live nearby ………… and my name is …… Makura (Pillow). What’s your name?”

In a spur-of-the-moment decision, the Great Saint said her name was Makura.

The craftsman who was the master of the company was a man who had devoted his life to making steel. He was not good at belly tricks. He nodded, exaggeratedly.

“I’m the master of the steel mill, Zuguri. Nice to meet you.”

“Master Zuguri. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Hirune bowed to him and he smiled.

Even though she was a great saint, she didn’t pretend to be high and mighty, and was a polite child.   He could understand why everyone was whispering that she was the alter ego of the Goddess Sophia.

Besides, talking with this girl made him feel strangely peaceful.

Master Zuguri smiled naturally and looked at Hirune – or rather, Makura.

“What do you want to see, Makura-chan?”

“I want to see the muffled place.”

(First of all, the center, right?)

Master Zuguri nodded and guided Hirune.

The other craftsmen were surprised to see the master with a blonde girl, and even more surprised when they realized that it was the rumored Great Saint.

Of course, they didn’t show it on their faces.

They understood what was going on and went back to their work.

The news of the Great Saint’s secret visit was instantly relayed to the entire steel mill.

“Cough, cough, cough…”

“Master Zuguri, do you have a cold?”

Hirune was worried about the coughing master. He seemed to be in a lot of pain.

“It’s not that. It’s called the steelmaker’s Medal.”

“A medal?”

“Yes.”

As they ascended the stairs to the central part of the ironworks, Zuguri took a wooden water bottle from the water station on the way and handed it to Hirune with a smile on his face.

“It’s hot, isn’t it? Take some water. And take some salt.”

“Thank you.”

Hirune accepted the bottle and opened it to drink some water.

(I was so thirsty it was sinking in. I also have to take some salt. ……)

She took a pinch of salt from the plate piled high next to the water station and licked it off.

It was salty but delicious.

She took another drink of water. Then took out a sugar muscat from her pocket and offered it to Master Zuguri.

“Here you go, sir. It’s the last one.”

“The last one? Are you sure?”

“Yes. I ate a lot on the way here.”

(Master Zuguri is a good man. I’d like him to have some.)

He took the yellow-green sugar muscat from Hirune and threw it into his mouth.

When he chewed it, he heard a crunching sound and the sweetness spread to his mouth.

He hadn’t eaten a sugar muscat since the days when the miasma hadn’t contaminated the frontier city to this extent and sugar muscats were still in circulation. It was about seven or eight years ago, Zuguri thought.

“It’s …… delicious.”

“That’s right. It’s very good.”

When Hirune smiled, Master Zuguri laughed along with her.

After drinking some water, Hirune put the water bottle in a used basket and followed Master Zuguri.

When they arrived at the central part of the iron manufacturing unit, the surroundings were a scorching hell of flames and the heat of burning iron.

(It’s hot. …… this is outrageous. ……)

Sweat was dripping down her face.

She could see why the steel mill was so bright even though it was the middle of night.

“It’s like magma. It’s so thick, it’s flowing over there.”

“Yes, it is.”

The liquefied, red-hot iron flowed.

The black smoke rose incessantly.

“It’s smoky. Cough, cough”

“Don’t inhale too much, or you’ll end up like us.”

“Are you all sick because of the smoke?”

At Hirune’s question, Master Zuguri looked away and crossed his arms, staring at the flowing iron.

“I don’t think we’re sick.  but it’s what we call burning lungs. When you work for a long time in a row, you can’t stop coughing.”

Zuguri squinted up at the ceiling as if looking for something that wouldn’t come back.

“The iron ore from the frontier cities is full of impurities, and the quality of the iron is poor even when it’s processed, and when it’s shipped, it’s bought at a low price.  So we have to work until midnight like this to sell as much as we can.”

“…… I see.”

“I… I hate this black smoke.”

Zuguri mumbled and laughed.

“I’m sorry. I couldn’t help, saying all this to Makura-chan.”

“No, I didn’t know there was such a situation, and I called the smoke smelly. I’m sorry.”

Hirune bowed her head.

She couldn’t help but be reminded of herself when working in her previous life.

She worked for a black company, and no matter how hard she worked, her salary never went up. Her body was tired, her mind was tired, and she was losing hope. But still she kept working.

She was sure it’s the same for the steel mill workers. No matter how hard it is, they work until midnight, swinging hammers and burning coal to make iron for their families.

“Before the arrival of the Great Saint, their faces were much darker. That’s why I’m really grateful to her.”

Master Zuguri looked at the craftsmen and laughed, his face blackened by the heat from the steel mill and with many wrinkles.

“I see…….”

(Is there anything I can do to help? ……)

Hirune turned her large eyes to Master Zuguri.