Chapter 4

The mirror in the room was a large polished metal mirror.

Its reflective surface was clear enough to distinguish colors without difficulty, so there was nothing functionally wrong with it.

It was probably the finest mirror Rodericus could obtain.

Glass mirrors which was a new technology already existed, but the technique was controlled by another nation, and it had not yet advanced enough for them to be widely available.

“I don’t want the decorations covering the mirror’s surface. If even a single scratch ends up on it, I won’t forgive you.”

Serena was a bold woman.

The timid first impression she had given was long gone.

Perhaps she had merely been putting on an act in front of her husband.

Her request wasn’t particularly demanding.

“I’ll build it as a wooden frame. I’ll construct the frame from pre-made wooden pieces and assemble them around the mirror, then finish it like a picture frame. Even if you end up disliking the decorations, the frame can simply be taken apart and the mirror will be restored to its original state. It’ll also make any changes during the process much easier to accommodate.”

“…I hope you’re not all talk.”

Now that the direction had been decided, Maxime measured the dimensions of the mirror in Serena’s room and left.

She seemed both bewildered and pleased that he intended to leave the mirror exactly as it was.

Maxime found himself puzzled.

She doesn’t wear makeup or seem interested in dressing herself up. Why is she so attached to that mirror?

Unable to shake the question, he headed to the workshop and searched for suitable lumber.

The wood stored there fell short of his standards. Not only was none of it the right size, but its quality was lacking as well.

The timber came from the same suppliers as the wood in Domrémy, but it had been stored poorly and the post-processing techniques were inferior.

So that’s why they had to look for a craftsman from another town.

The craftsmen of Neufchâteau might actually be more skilled than expected.

But with materials in this condition, no matter how hard they worked, the finished pieces would never reach a high standard.

After giving it some thought, Maxime went to see Rodericus.

“I couldn’t find any materials worth using. I’d like to bring suitable lumber from Domrémy.”

“Why? Are the materials here not good enough for you?”

“……”

He didn’t view Maxime’s stubborn insistence as a bad thing.

“No matter where you get the materials, I’ll pay for all of them. Don’t worry about the cost. Just go.”

Rodericus took Maxime’s request as the pride of a true craftsman.

Maxime was satisfied as well, knowing he would be compensated for the additional expense.

***

I arrived back in Domrémy that afternoon.

The smithy was empty.

That was unusual, but I headed to the storeroom first to gather the lumber I needed.

Just then, my younger brother appeared, gripping a hammer like he was ready to fend off an intruder.

“Oh, it’s just you, Brother? I thought we had a burglar. You’re already done with the commission?”

“My head almost got smashed. I just came back to pick up some materials. More importantly, where’s Father? Shouldn’t he be working?”

“The grown-ups are treating him to something.”

“…Treating him?”

“Mhmm. I don’t really know why.”

By the time I’d packed about half the lumber I needed, Jeanne and Agathe stopped by the smithy.

I had no idea how they’d found out I’d come back.

“Want a snack?”

“Mhmm!”

I handed some treats to my adorable little sister.

Fortunately, before I could leave the smithy again, my parents came home.

“Our son’s back? Our precious boy!”

The moment she saw me, my mother kissed me on both cheeks.

She wasn’t acting like her usual self. She was so overjoyed that she reminded me of an overly excitable neighborhood aunt.

“How’s the commission going?”

“It only just started. I’ve got the materials now, so I’m heading back to make it.”

“Sit down first. We have a lot to talk about.”

My mother pulled me into a seat just as I was about to leave.

“I’ve been thinking. Our son is such an outstanding craftsman that even nobles are commissioning his work. Come to think of it, you’ve always seemed unusually dependable, even when you were little.”

She looked so pleased that I simply listened in silence.

By the time I’d heard essentially the same speech for the tenth time, she took both of my hands and asked in an almost casual tone,

“If you’re already this dependable, I suppose it’d be fine for you to get married early, wouldn’t it?”

“…What?”

“We keep getting marriage proposals for you. There were already a few before, but after you left for Neufchâteau, they’ve increased dramatically.”

The bowl Jeanne was holding slipped from her hands.

Beans scattered all over the floor.

“…Jeanne?”

The bowl slipped from Jeanette’s hands, and she opened and closed her mouth like a goldfish.

My father chimed in to support my mother’s argument.

“Madame Milena says she’s willing to act as a matchmaker. One family even offered to pay the newlywed registration fee.”

My parents had never been the type to bring up marriage.

I’d always thought they were steadfast, but the moment attractive offers started coming in, they were clearly tempted.

“If it’s Madame Milena, she’s the one who insisted I get engaged to her six-year-old niece last time.”

“…She may be ambitious, but she does have a sense of propriety. She approached us with a very favorable proposal for you. There’s nothing wrong with marrying young.”

No matter how favorable the terms were, I had no intention of marrying a six-year-old.

“I still have a lot to learn. Whether it’s marriage or an engagement, I don’t want to tie myself down at such a young age.”

“Maxim.”

I had no idea what kind of treatment they’d received. They’d been thoroughly won over.

The only way to persuade someone who’s been won over is to win them over with something else.

Fortunately, I knew something that was practically a cheat code for convincing my parents.

“I heard you two got married when you were twenty. You waited until you’d fully grown up before marrying, and that’s why you were able to build such a wonderful family. I want to be like you, Mother, Father. I’m not at an age where I need to rush into anything. I’d like to grow into a mature adult before I get married.”

Saying I wanted to be like my parents had the desired effect.

The conversation came to a halt for about twenty seconds.

My father was the first to break the silence.

“Let’s give him some time.”

“…A good opportunity has finally come along, and you’re just going to let it pass?”

“Like our son said, there’s no need to rush.”

My mother still looked reluctant, but she grudgingly let the matter drop.

I was finally able to return to Neufchâteau.

…

…

The room was left with Jeanette and Agathe.

“Big sister, are you okay after dropping your snack earlier?”

Jeanette was grinning from ear to ear.

“Hehe. Hmm?”

“…Never mind.”

Seeing her older sister acting so strangely, Agathe quietly drooped with disappointment.

***

The furniture workshop in Neufchâteau.

As soon as I returned from Domrémy, the craftsmen gathered around me.

“That thing you’re carrying on your back….I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like it. Where’d you get it?”

“It’s called a jige. It’s made using a technique from the East, on the far side of the continent.”

(TN: It’s like a wooden pack used for carrying heavy loads)

The craftsmen said they had no idea I was this strong. When I told them it was all thanks to the jige, it immediately piqued their interest.

I traded some of the lumber I’d brought back for materials from the workshop.

Most of what I exchanged it for was pigment. The quality of the local timber was poor, but for some reason the pigments used for coloring wood were remarkably good.

Maybe their woodworking techniques weren’t very advanced, so they’d become obsessed with using pigments to hide the flaws.

Whatever the reason, I was happy to get my hands on some high-quality pigments.

I sketched the outline of the mirror on the floor, matching the dimensions I’d measured beforehand.

What kind of decoration would suit this? Since it’s something people use every day, it’d be better to make it easy on the eyes rather than overly flashy.

If the theme is comfort, what kind of mythical motif could evoke a sense of peace and stability?’

I thought of the Promised Land flowing with milk and honey and of Plato’s ideal Forms.

The Promised Land and the Theory of Forms both fit the theme, but neither could be expressed clearly without words.

Was there a better theme?

Then I remembered the smiles of the children I’d seen in Domrémy.

It was the kind of bright, innocent smile that appeared whenever they were running around and playing.

Those carefree smiles were among the greatest treasures I’d gained in this life.

The magic hidden within a smile.

An image formed in my mind.

Mischievous little cherubs climbing all over the mirror, playing pranks from every corner.

I decided to use a modern joinery technique.

Joinery is the craft of connecting two pieces of wood together.

In fact, the ancient Egyptians had already been using these methods thousands of years ago, but for some reason the techniques had disappeared from Europe.

If I were ambitious enough, history might one day remember me as the pioneer who reintroduced advanced wood joinery.

That’s probably going too far. It’s not like anything I make is going to survive into the distant future anyway.

I carved the wood into the shape of the mirror I’d sketched earlier. Then I reinforced it with strips of wrought iron to prevent the frame from warping over time.

Cutting joints that fit together perfectly required meticulous craftsmanship. I carefully fitted the tenons into the mortises I’d already prepared.

Just because my hands moved faster than everyone else’s didn’t mean I could afford to sacrifice precision.

My hands were still small since I hadn’t finished growing, but that actually worked to my advantage for this kind of delicate work.

Once I’d finished carving every piece, I inspected the finer details, leaving only the main joints to assemble.

In truth, the key to strong joinery is good adhesive.

I melted pine resin and mixed it with several other ingredients to make glue.

This is calming.

There was something deeply satisfying about handling the materials so freely.

Maybe this was what craftsmanship really meant. Having complete confidence in what I was making and taking genuine satisfaction in the finished piece. That was the spirit of a true craftsman.

Thanks to the way the media portrays them, people often think of craftsmen as the sort who smash their own pottery once it’s finished. In reality, that’s less about the spirit of craftsmanship and more of a commercial tactic to preserve a product’s value.

The craftsmanship I believed in was much purer. Even if you started making something for money, there was no reason to look down on what you gained through the process.

Before I knew it, my hands moved almost of their own accord.

When I’d first started assembling the frame, no one had paid much attention.

At most, they thought, “The kid has an unusual way of building things.”

But their reactions changed the moment I began carving.

Those small hands were creating something astonishing.

“…Could he be a student of Pisano?”

I carved the angel’s wings down to the individual feathers.

Considering the entire figure was only about the size of a fist, the level of detail was extraordinary.

Ever since my reincarnation, the senses that had already been sharp in my previous life had become even keener.

The wings aren’t difficult, but recreating the children’s smiles is another matter.

A facial expression can change completely with the slightest adjustment.

It wasn’t easy to faithfully recreate the image I saw in my mind.

I was so completely absorbed in the carving that I no longer heard the voices around me.

…..

The craftsmen chose not to interrupt Maxim, despite witnessing someone so young reach such an astonishing level of skill.

Instead, they simply watched and tried to imitate his movements as best they could.

The smiling angel was complete.

Unable to contain themselves, the craftsmen dropped to their knees. Several grown men offered prayers before the wooden angel statue.

It was an era with few spectacles and even fewer forms of entertainment.

A sculpture capable of expressing genuine emotion had an overwhelming impact.

The innocent smile on the angel stirred memories of the childhood they had long forgotten, leaving the craftsmen trembling.

Adding to that was the psychological shock of realizing the person who had created it was younger than they were.

There is one concept in this world that explains situations this unbelievable.

Religion.

…Whoa. What’s everyone doing?

Looking around at the craftsmen kneeling in prayer all around him, Maxim was completely dumbfounded.

I thought the people back home were the most devout, but the folks in Neufchâteau are just as religious.

Maxim’s father had worried that his son’s talent would only invite jealousy.

What he didn’t realize was that when talent reached such an overwhelming level, it inspired not envy but awe.

***

I spent a long time deliberating over the painting.

In the end, I decided not to color the angels.

Part of the reason was that the selection of pigments was too limited. Rather than painting them in crude primary colors, I thought it would be better to emphasize the wood’s natural beauty.

I’d carefully designed each carving to complement the grain from the very beginning. Even without color, the angels stood out beautifully.

“Master Maxim, are you planning to sell the leftover carvings separately?”

For some reason, ever since the prayer incident, the craftsmen had become almost excessively courteous toward me.

“There aren’t any leftover carvings. Every piece is part of a single work.”

From what I’d overheard, rumors were already spreading that this latest piece possessed a sacred aura.

There was no shortage of people willing to buy even the smallest carving.

If I’d known people would react this strongly, maybe I should’ve worked in front of an audience more often.

The carvings had been made as separate pieces so they could fit neatly around the mirror’s curved frame.

I sent word through the servant that the piece was finished.

Not long afterward, Rodericus himself came to the workshop.