Bastard Swordsman

Quietly Splitting Firewood

As the cold season approached, people walking around town in their casual attire eventually remembered, 「Oh, right, winter is cold.」

People's clothing gradually switched from casual wear to layers of thick clothing, and the sound of chopping wood could be heard all over town.

However, because Regor was considered a city—at least somewhat—people didn't chop firewood with tree stumps as they did in the countryside.

Instead, they procured the necessary amount for winter from specialized firewood dealers. I wondered if the price of firewood had gone up a bit this year?

At those specialized dealers, they became overwhelmingly busy with the mass production of firewood during this time of the year.

They would use a large saw to cut logs into rounds, then split those rounds with wedges and a big hammer.

Such strenuous labor required more manpower or rather, sheer physical strength.

What was needed was power. In other words, the muscle power of those ruffians skilled in body enhancement.

This, then, was a chance for the guild members to step in.

「Ah, the firewood splitting season has come!」

「Mongrel, you're the only one who seems so excited about splitting firewood.」

「All boys love splitting firewood.」

「If you grew up in the capital, maybe so...but Mongrel, you're not exactly from that kind of background, are you?」

「Nope, I'm from the countryside.」

「I figured as much.」

I was at a sawmill near the east gate at the moment. This was a large plant that handled everything from cutting logs into rounds to turning them into lumber. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that most of the wood in Regor was produced here.

During this time of year, they became frantic with mass-producing firewood in preparation for winter.

My job this time around was to support them behind the scenes.

「You're quite the enthusiast, aren't you? This type of work doesn't really pay much through the guild. Usually, it's just kids who come for this.」

「Ah, well, it's more like living day-to-day, I suppose.」

「You really are peculiar. But if you're willing to do it, we're paying you, so you better work hard. Once you're done, we'll give you a few bundles of firewood, so do your best.」

「Thanks a lot.」

The middle-aged man I was talking to was named Thomas.

He was a somewhat stoic person, working while holding a cigarette in his mouth. I wondered how many decades he had been in this line of work. He wasn't the type to talk about that sort of thing himself.

「The ones over here are last year's rounds. I wanted to let them dry a bit more, but the higher-ups are in a hurry, so we're cutting them this year.」

「I heard there's a wood shortage. Can't be helped.」

「Use whatever tools are over there. When you split the wood for the first time, use the wedge and hammer...or maybe you don't need them, Mongrel.」

「Oh, you saw me last year, didn't you? I'll be using this.」

I grabbed a large axe that had been leaning against the wall of a shabby warehouse and hoisted it onto my shoulder.

They call it a great axe. The blade was thick, and more importantly, it was heavy. It was a tool that required a lot from its user, but I loved these kinds of somewhat simple-minded items.

「You're always surprising me with how well you handle that... I'd throw out my back trying.」

「Never underestimate a guild member in their prime, Thomas-san.」

「Guild members in their prime usually don't take on jobs like this...well, whatever. I'll place the logs on the stump there, so you, Mongrel, focus on splitting them.」

Thomas stuck a log pick into the cut end of a round piece and placed it on the stump with a thud.

It was okay to split it into suitable thicknesses.

The Baroa wood, despite its fast growth, was dense and offered a good, long burn, making it excellent firewood.

「Thomas-san, I won't mess up, but be sure to watch your hands, too.」

「I got it.」

I infused my axe with magic power and swung it down.

With just that, the log split in two with a satisfying crack, falling left and right off the stump.

「Try going vertically next. Bet you can do it in one swing.」

「Leave it to me.」

Another hearty crack. The lively sound of splitting the wood in one go with this large axe was really satisfying.

In a past life where I couldn't enhance my body, it was enjoyable to be able to easily handle wood like this. It was much better than dealing with goblins.

「Alright, keep them coming.」

「You're fast—save your back.」

「Are you retiring soon, Thomas-san?」

「Don't be stupid, I'm still going. Just give me a minute.」

「Oh?」

Thomas tapped his hips and walked into the warehouse, but soon emerged.

In his hands was a contraption that at first glance looked like a toy—a mechanism with a UFO catcher claw attached to the end of a magic arm.

And I knew the name of that iron contraption.

「Thomas-san, what is that...thing?」

「Heh, you can't tell by looking, huh? I couldn't at first either. This, you see, like this...look.」

Thomas pressed the crane's tip against a horizontally lying log, and the scissors opened.

Just trying to lift it, the crane tip bit into the log, and it was picked up effortlessly.

「Whoa.」

All it took was a gentle press and lift, all done while standing.

But I was amazed. I had sent the plans, but to think they could actually create an iron device of this level.

「They call it a lifting tong, apparently. It's a recent trend, designed by some Lord of Chaos or something, who sent the plans to our forestry association.」

「A new invention, huh? That sounds really handy for moving a log.」

「Yeah. And you don't have to bend your back. Using this log pick, even things you couldn't normally pick up can be moved. Well, making these cost quite a bit, but after trying one, we ended up making them for everyone.」

「So it handles well then?」

「My active years are extended, you see.」

Thomas skillfully maneuvered the tong and pick, placing the round log with a thud onto the stump.

「I'm not joking. Thanks to this I won't have to quit my job because of my back.」

「That much, huh?」

「Yeah. Thanks to this, two old colleagues have returned to work here. I'd like to send a thank-you letter to this Lord of Chaos, but no one seems to know where to send it.」

「Wow...returning to work after retiring? That's impressive... Thomas-san, should I relay your sentiments to the Lord of Chaos?」

「Don't be cheeky.」

It may have been only meant to ease the work, but the fact that it was so effective surprised me.

Certainly, not having to stoop down to handle heavy logs was a huge benefit...so many retired due to back issues? It really was a tough job.

「Mongrel. I'm the best here at using these tongs. If you dawdle, I'll keep bringing them over until they overflow.」

「Really, Thomas-san? Then let me show you my true axe handling.」

「You can't call it 'axe handling' with those amateurish leg movements. Your legs should be positioned horizontally, not vertically.」

「... Like this? Alright, let me show you my true axe handling.」

「Persistent little brat, aren't you.」

Crack, crack—the firewood split cheerfully.

The silent Thomas swiftly positioned the logs, and I cut through them with a satisfying crack.

Immersed in our work, our conversation dwindled, leaving only the sound of wood splitting.

A wind carried a distant whiff of glue and that distinctive, pungent smell drifted by.

Come to think of it, the leather tanning of the furs I left with them should be about done now.

Once this job was finished, maybe I would go see if the furs were ready.

With firewood on the hearth and a cozy Charge Deer rug spread out in front of the fire, maybe I could come to appreciate this winter's chill.

-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=
It's a slow laid-back life.
【ദ്ദി(⩌ᴗ⩌)】