Asta Silva - Childhood and travel

Chapter 16

<Asta>

Turns out that the local populace isnn't so bad after all. I woud even dare say it's better in here than in Clover. In Clover, a child on the streets is a common sight and people mostly ignore it. It's sad, but that's reality. Here, when I looked for a job with Liebe's help, who translated what the people are saying, I got food instead. I'm not complaining, but I'd rather have a job. But apparently child workers are incredibly rare here and are stigmatized, because when I went to a different village, I managed to get a job as a cleaner. For one day, because when in the evening I started cleaning, the visitors got angry and called the guards, who are apparently an equivalent to magic knights. Before the guards came, I was dismissed. I wasn't mad at the man, but he could have at least paid me.

I sighed sadly, walking around the forest with a blue backpack, which I got from some lady and collected shining rocks, hoping to sell them. The rocks were light blue with navy lines. I got a lot of them, because for some reason, I saw lines which lead to them.

"Let's go to the village. It will get dark soon" Liebe warned.

"Alright" I tossed the last rock into the backpack and turned around, going in the village's direction.

"Isn't it heavy?"

"No..."

Of course it was heavy as hell, but I had to get used to it. I was homeless, after all.

***

"Whoa, kid, seriously? Where did you get so much Zeonite?!" The shocked man asked, looking at the rocks in my bag.

He was tall and muscular like a gorilla. He had black disheveled hair, tied back into a short ponytail, and dark brown eyes. He was wearing a white undershirt and thick pants.

"What did he say?" I asked Liebe.

"You're not from here?" The man said in my language.

"No. Wait, you can understand me?"

"Yes. You're from the continent of Four (the name of the continent where Clover is located, I came up with it btw)?"

"Mhm. Where did you learn our language?" I asked with curiosity.

"I'm a blacksmith, my clients are from different places, so I have to know different languages. There aren't that many of them, but still" the last statement was muttered.

"Who's a blacksmith?"

"It's a person that makes weapons"

"Woah! That's cool!" The man laughed.

"No one has reacted in such a way to this profession in a long time"

"Why?" I tilted my head, not understanding. It's a wonderful job!

"Now, when people make weapons using magic, blacksmiths are not needed" he sighed, shrugging. "But of course, there are exceptions"

"Mister Blacksmith!" I started, looking at him with determination "Teach me how to be a blacksmith, please!" I said loudly with courage.

The man froze for a second, looking at me with surprise, after which he barked out with laughter. I looked at him, confused, and Liebe grabbed his head and groaned.

"Brat, you were supposed to look for a job!" he said woefully.

"But I want to be a blacksmith" I pouted.

Liebe looked like he lost the motivation to live, and I, ignoring that, looked back at the blacksmith, who was now looking at me with a smile.

"Have it your way, kid. But I'm warning you, it's hard work"

"I'm not scared!"

"That's what I like to hear! You got a place to stay?"

"No"

"Alright. I have a spare room. If you give me that bag of Zeonite, you can live with me, as long as I'm teaching you. Deal?"

"Deal!"

***

Living with mister Blacksmith was nice. I've been living here for almost a week and I like him very much. After I told him I see lines leading to the rocks, he said it's probably because I made a connection with nature somehow. People in town don't get mad because I work anymore, because mister Blacksmith told them I'm an intern or something like that. There were no downsides for now, except for one. It turns out he sucks at cooking, so after one burned dinner, I took over.

"How did you survive for so long, eating practically pure coal?" I asked, looking at the man with annoyance. Really, I don't understand how he does that.

"Hey! For your information, I'm young! I'm 25 years old!"

"Old geezer" I stuck my tongue out.

"You little...!" He looked at me gravely "Before, I was living with my father and brother. My brother cooked, but after he vanished, it turned out that neither I nor my father can do that" he looked away as if embarassed.

"Hm? What happened to your brother, mister Blacksmith?" I asked curiously.

"Ah, one day he went with father to sea during a storm, and only father came back. But then he also died shortly after" he sighed.

"Oh, I'm sorry, mister Blacksmith"

"Brat, my name is not mister blacksmith" he got irritated.

"Really?" I was honestly surprised. After a moment I remembered that we don't know each others names, even though we've been living together for a few days now. "Oh..."

"My name is Mikuno Sukehiro"

"Well, my name is Asta Si..." I paused. Theoretically I'm dead in Clover, so I have no right to call myself a Silva, isn't it? "Just Asta" I corrected myself quickly.

"Alright, just Asta" I looked at him, not knowing if I should be offended or amused, so I picked both. Because who will stop me. "Now, before you start doing anything in the forge, you need to read this" He threw an old book on the table. It was big with a brown cover and some rock on it. I looked at the blacksmith, lost. "You have to know what ore has what properties. I won't let you destroy my resources" he explained "Now get to work!"

It's going to be a long day.

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I swear to god I hate editing on wattpad. A little more and I will stop publishing it here at all 😡