Questions (Part One)

A heavy rain had fallen the night before, bringing a touch of cold. But once the morning sun shone on the earth, the chill in the rainwater became a source of warm mist.

Rika Town was lively that morning. It was planting season, and many people had risen early. After a heartier breakfast than usual, they headed out to the fields to work and sow their seeds.

Even the mayor and the officials who usually lived in comfort were no exception.

For the people of Rika Town, time was precious.

Farmers walked through the town streets in twos and threes, carrying their tools toward the fields after breakfast.

Nearly every shop had already opened for business.

There was one exception. The blacksmith and his family, normally so hardworking, had unexpectedly kept their shop closed for the past few days.

At first, few people noticed. The family made a living from their craft, not from farming, so it hardly mattered whether they rose early or late. Besides, everyone visited relatives or friends now and then.

But as the days passed, people began to pay attention. The smithy could stay closed for a little while, but those who needed ironwork done were growing anxious.

Rika Town had never needed much ironwork. Apart from farm tools, its residents rarely had weapons forged. One smithy could survive in the town, but a second would have been unnecessary.

And with the town's only smithy closed for so long, people were finding it inconvenient.

"Aike, off to work the fields?"

That morning, a burly man walked down the street carrying two farm tools, just as he had on the previous few days. Townsfolk greeted him warmly as they passed. His name was Aike.

He had always been well liked. During the Demon Calamity, he had rushed