The gem gleams on the kitchen table in the workshop. It’s not broken, just cracked. Even though I can sense the aura it gives off, I still haven’t been able to figure out its effect. I also don’t know how to repair it. If they threw it away, it’s because they considered it useless.

  I’m fairly sure the gem can be repaired. If only I had the information. Maybe I can find something about it in the mansion’s library, though enchantments are usually performed by high-level people.

  I need to go down to the city. I’m still the only one at home, and it doesn’t look like the others will be back anytime soon. Maybe in a few days.

  I enter my storeroom. There are several things I need. With the scrap I can make nails and a few other things, but there’s a limit to it. I also can’t easily melt it down to reuse it.

  Lighting the forge is easier than on the first day. The embers crackle and the heat lashes my face. I think I’m starting to enjoy it. There’s something hypnotic about watching the flames dance. I activate the gem and use the bellows to increase the airflow. Little by little, I see the flames reach an orange color.

  “Clank!”

  “Clank!”

  “Clank!”

  The hammering echoes through the workshop. I realize I’m finding a rhythm, as if I’m following a song in my head. Sparks fly with every strike, and the vibrations spread through my arm, giving me a strange satisfaction while numbing my fingers.

  I’m having more success today than on the first day. I’ve barely wasted any material. Maybe it’s time to try something more complex. There are several tools I couldn’t buy the other day that I’ll need eventually.

  I decide to make my first punch.

  From what I read in the book, a punch is basically a big nail, but made of steel. It’s used to make holes in hot metal, whether in horseshoes, axes, or even sword hilts.

  For material, I use a broken sword blade. It’s missing the tip, it’s dull and chipped, and it has no hilt. It’s perfect for practice.

  I heat the steel. It reaches a deep red color, and I bring it to the anvil.

  I immerse myself in the hammer’s rhythm and the process of keeping the metal hot without letting the forge cool down. If it weren’t for the fire gem, I don’t know if I could manage it all by myself.

  In the end, I’m left with a shiny piece of steel that resembles a punch. It’s not perfectly cylindrical, but I like the tip it has.

  I walk over to a box I had set aside while cleaning the furnace and bury the punch in the ash. I store it in the storeroom and decide to keep the fire inactive for tomorrow. Normally this process wouldn’t last so many hours, but the gem’s mere presence will help me maintain it.

  I follow the steps and sprinkle water over the charcoal. I set everything up as the book said, and that’s it. The charcoal will form a crust that prevents material from being wasted, but tomorrow I’ll be able to light it in seconds. At least in theory.

  I slump onto the kitchen table. I’m exhausted. A silly grin spreads across my face when I think about my punch. Before long I’ll be forging swords capable of killing a dragon in one blow.

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  “As if that were possible,” I laugh in the solitude of my workshop. “First I need to harden the punch. I’ll have time for silly dreams later.”

  I say it out loud to bring myself back to reality.

  I see the gem there in front of me. It deeply frustrates me not to be able to do anything with it, but I know my skill still isn’t enough. Maybe if I get a book on the subject, I can learn more.

  When I step outside, I’m surprised how late it is. It’s practically dinner time.

  “Now that I think about it, I’m really hungry.”

  The walk back to the mansion feels endless. I need to clean up before dinner.

  “Young master,” Porten is waiting for me when I finish bathing. “Your brothers and your father have just returned. They asked me to inform you to join dinner.”

  “I’ll be there as soon as I get dressed.”

  I hurry to dress as fast as possible and head down to the dining room. I haven’t seen them for days, and I want to know how the expedition went.

  “Hi!” I greet Rob when I see him already in the dining room. He doesn’t seem injured, though his face shows fatigue.

  “Hi, Ter.”

  “You look down. Did the expedition go badly?”

  “The usual. Several injured, but nothing truly serious. The problem is the guard post at Ena’s dungeon. The monsters completely overwhelmed them, so we had to chase them all over the area. It’d be a problem if any escaped.”

  “Aren’t the monsters in that dungeon aquatic?”

  “Most are, but several can survive outside the water for days without trouble. At least outside the water they’re fairly easy to take down.”

  “Then how did they manage to destroy the guard post?”

  “Numbers, I guess. But tell me, what have you been up to?”

  I’d like him to tell me more about the expedition, but he looks tired. Maybe it’s better to ask Fred when I get the chance.

  “I finally managed to light the forge,” I puff out my chest proudly at my achievement.

  “Hahaha,” my brother laughs. “Did you make me a new sword?”

  “Just a little over a hundred nails.”

  “And what do you want so many nails for?”

  “It’s for practice. I don’t even have anyone to sell them to,” I answer uncertainly. Until now I hadn’t asked myself what I was going to do with my nails. “But I also made a punch so I can make horseshoes and axes. Though I still need to harden it.”

  He laughs at me, but I know he means it kindly, and seeing he’s in a better mood than before, I forgive him. Not everyone is meant to understand the art of forging.

  The conversation dies when my father enters. His expression is completely serious, and he looks just as tired as Rob, if not more. They must have chased monsters almost without rest.

  The atmosphere is heavy and gloomy, and none of my attempts to start a conversation work. I’m pretty sure there are things I haven’t been told. Even Fred, usually the most cheerful of the three, is quiet and burdened. My father doesn’t even open his mouth during the entire dinner, as if he were completely absent.

  I decide to leave as soon as we finish.

  “I should remind Porten to let me know if any of my brothers go down to the city,” I think when I reach my room.

  Knowing he won’t be asleep yet, I decide to go before I forget.

  The servants have already put out the hallway lights, so I’m surprised to see a light further ahead. It’s just a sliver. I carefully approach my father’s study door, where the light is coming from. I can hear voices arguing inside.

  “We need to organize an expedition immediately to clear that dungeon,” that’s Rob, and he sounds pretty angry.

  “We’ve already discussed it. In a few days I’ll leave for the capital with Lisa. I’ll speak to the king personally so he sends us reinforcements.”

  “And how long will that take? Even if His Majesty truly listens to you, it’ll be at least a month before we see a single soldier. Even longer before we can organize the expedition.”

  “It’s too dangerous to go in without reinforcements. How many times have I told you already? Besides, it’ll be a couple of weeks, if it wasn't for the situation at the frontier...”

  “I know, but there’s something strange about those monsters. Their behavior isn’t normal.”

  “We’ll clear everything up once we have reinforcements.”

  “I hope by then it’s not too late.”

  Something in my brother’s voice sends a chill down my spine. What the hell is happening in that dungeon?