The place Tetsu no Sosuke had mentioned was not far from the Hammer Hut, so he had not exactly lied.
Honmyo Yutaro had not traveled much and knew little about the place Tetsu no Sosuke had mentioned. He merely nodded and said, "Sounds like a nice place."
It was just something polite to say.
Tetsu no Sosuke smiled, and the two chatted idly.
As they talked, Honmyo Yutaro's gaze drifted to the big hammer beside Tetsu no Sosuke and the box behind him.
He was too embarrassed to ask about them.
But he kept sneaking glances at them...
Tetsu no Sosuke smiled. "I travel a lot, often through remote mountains and forests. Sometimes I run into bandits, so this hammer is for self-defense. I'm a blacksmith, and I'm more comfortable with a hammer."
Then he set down the box from his back. "A customer commissioned me to make what's inside. I'm traveling to deliver it to him."
Honmyo Yutaro understood and said with a smile, "Then you must be a master craftsman."
If someone had come from so far away to commission his work, his skill was clearly exceptional.
Tetsu no Sosuke gave a bashful smile. "I'm all right."
From the state of the house, the family was clearly not well-off, though they were far from destitute. They had no trouble making ends meet. They were not rich, but they had enough to eat and wear.
As they chatted, Tetsu no Sosuke could tell that although Honmyo Yutaro had little education, he spoke and acted with tact and observed the proper courtesies. However curious he was about something, he knew when to stop asking.
He was an easy person to be around.
By the end of the meal, Tetsu no Sosuke was not even half full. He had only eaten