The job of Jewelry Craftsman felt, at first, like a perfect fit.
Having been raised in a wealthy family, accessories with "real jewels" were never out of her reach. The pieces she had begged her parents for were her treasures, and she had been promised a new accessory for her next birthday. Expensive and sparkling jewels were fitting for someone like her.
Being brought to another world meant she wouldn't get her birthday present. Her favorite accessories, and her clothes, could no longer be worn. Therefore, she felt she should at least be allowed to touch jewels, to sell them, and become rich.
—She had been truly filled with anger when that guy named Ren had mocked her.
Learning the techniques of gem processing and earning money became her new goal. With money, she could buy various things. Once her life had some stability, she planned to buy good equipment and delve into the dungeon. If people like them could do it, she certainly could too. With this determination in her heart, she sought instruction from the man who was both her employer and master, taking her first step as a craftsman.
The setback came quickly.
The craftsman's work was far more mundane than she had imagined. Cutting and polishing required not just skill but strength. She couldn't casually practice with expensive materials. So, she was started on watching her master's finished pieces while polishing, and drawing sketches to deepen her knowledge of three-dimensional forms. A dazzling world? Not at all.
Every day was a struggle, sweating in clothes she didn't mind getting dirty. Her master was not the type to scold harshly, but he absolutely refused to listen to her complaints, which she disguised as whining or protests. If she slacked off, her wages were mercilessly cut. Despite dealing with high-value items, her salary was never high.
"Only a limited number of people buy jewelry. Expensive goods mean that one failed piece results in a significant loss. I cannot pay a high salary to an apprentice who cannot produce saleable goods."
When she announced, "I quit," he responded,
"Do as you wish. However, if you have no source of income to live on, don't say it lightly. ...Though, if you have someone who will generously provide for you for free, that might be fine too."
It felt like cold water had been thrown over her. She could earn income by going to the dungeon. But she was exhausted from her daily work (or rather, training) and had no energy for it. It was too dangerous alone, and the only people who might accompany her were her two classmates. They, too, were equally exhausted from their respective jobs.
Someone to help her. There was no such person. Other classmates looked down on her and kept their distance, and she had no family or lover. Flirt with men for protection? No way, her pride would never allow that.
In the end, she continued her training as a jewelry craftsman.
She began to feel the results after about a year. If she worked hard and diligently, her level increased accordingly. Stamina and muscle power directly contributed to the ease of her work, and acquiring skills dramatically improved her output. Her pay gradually increased, and she could finally afford to eat something delicious occasionally.
She still hadn't gone to the dungeon. She had come to realize that her class wasn't suited for combat. While she wasn't entirely without combat-usable skills, it was better to level up her processing skills instead. Before she knew it, she was slowly starting to enjoy facing the jewels.
"Master. You insist on uniform shape and transparency for a certain percentage of the gems, rather than visual beauty, right? Why is that?"
"It's because mages, especially Enchanters, use them. Uniformity is more important than beauty for catalysts, apparently."
"Do they really consume valuable gems for magic?"
"It's important. Magic items are essential for dungeon conquering, and there are magic items that make life easier, too. Besides, we can acquire gems relatively easily here."
One source was the dungeon. Gems dropped by monsters were often uncut and unpolished, so craftsmen bought and processed them. While rare, there were people who bought gems processed for appreciation or accessories. The few veteran female explorers were good customers because they paid well.
The other source was the gem mine built beneath the workshop. It was a dream-like place created by her master using a "Fragment of the World," a place that defied physical laws and yielded various gems at once. The production speed increased according to the number and skill level of the craftsmen affiliated with the workshop, allowing new gems to be harvested in just a few years.
"For the past year, the speed of gem production has slightly increased. Do you know why?"
"Is it because I came?"
"That's right."
Knowing that even she, still an apprentice, was useful, gave her renewed motivation for her work. The next year passed in the blink of an eye.
"Your expression has improved considerably."
"Do you mean I look like a craftsman?"
"That too, but you had a terrible look on your face when you first arrived. Have you managed to forget some of your grudges and dissatisfaction?"
"...I suppose so."
She had believed she was a chosen person. She had been a central figure in her class, and she had tried to behave that way even here. But it hadn't worked out. She had been angry, feeling she had been disgraced, but now, she thought she was simply inadequate. She lacked both wisdom and the quality to be a leader.
"Repeating this mundane work calms my mind."
"It's not all mundane work. Jewels are also things that delight people's eyes."
"Yes, Master."
Should she apologize to that party—to Ren and his group? Since she knew Shion, mediation would make it easier to talk. After much deliberation, she decided against it. Her hostility was mostly gone, but apologizing now felt awkward, and she feared she might say something strange again if they met face-to-face.
Then one day,
"Six gems for wedding rings?"
"Yes. I'd like all of them to be for ladies."
The Sage, the leader of the town, came to the workshop and made an odd request. Wedding rings were usually one for the man and one for the woman. She had handled two ladies' rings a while ago, but six... She paused, then understood.
There was no one else who formed a community exclusively of women, and what's more, was in a romantic relationship with each other.
"Ren recently became pregnant. She is an indispensable person for this town. I thought we should celebrate grandly."
"So, rings. Six gifts is quite extravagant, though."
"We need to prepare it, or it seems they might skip the ceremony altogether."
A ceremony involving six people, all women, was unprecedented. The fact that Ren became pregnant before holding the wedding meant that the conversation had stalled at "What should we do?" She could understand that, somewhat. What did it mean for a woman who was a man until she came to this world to be pregnant with the child of her partner (a woman)?
While she was still pondering, her master accepted the request. The fee was paid upfront, and the Sage said, "I'll leave it to you," and calmly left. Since the previous incident, he had become someone she felt uncomfortable with, so she was relieved she didn't have to talk to him.
"So, there it is. Since there are many, I'll have you help me."
"Me? Is that okay?"
"Are you dissatisfied?"
"No. I'm happy, but..."
When she hesitated, her master returned to his work and said without looking at her:
"If it's hard to express with words, why don't you repay it with good work?"
Those words became a small salvation.
"What should I do?"
"Draw up some designs. I will draw too, but since it's six pieces, and all for ladies, I'm a bit lacking. You might have better ideas."
"Understood."
From then on, she spent days cutting down on sleep. She couldn't spend too much time on the design drawings. The effort of processing could be significantly shortened by skills and stats, but the work of setting the processed gems into rings had to be entrusted to another craftsman. She drew many, rejected many, and showed the ones she thought were good to her master. The ones she thought were masterpieces were rejected one after another, and despite feeling discouraged, she bucked up and drew more. This was the cycle.
And finally.
"...We're done."
"Yes, we are."
Ultimately, only one of her designs was adopted entirely. However, parts of her ideas were incorporated into the other gems.
Ren's stone was a pale blue gem with a rainbow shimmer—Water Opal. They chose a rare natural specimen with high transparency, whose appearance changed significantly depending on the angle. It was finished with a bold cut to showcase its beauty, followed by careful polishing.
The stones for the other five were uniformly Purple Sapphire. These were also top-quality stones reserved for special clients, with a different, high-grade cut applied to each.
By wearing purple, which was Ren's color, their bond as a group would be further strengthened. And Ren, with a multi-colored gem, would remember her responsibility to love and protect multiple people.
"It's a fine piece of work."
The Sage also complimented the finished gems.
"I wondered how things would turn out for a while... but you might actually become a good craftsman in the future."
"I'm honored."
In the end, the wedding ceremony was planned under the initiative of the Sage and other adults and was held when Ren's belly had begun to swell. The location was the Temple, not the Shrine. This was due to the fact that Shion, the Shrine's proprietor, was one of the brides, and because it was judged that people would be difficult to gather in a remote location. Dungeon exploration was banned that day, and the ceremony was grandly held in the Temple, which was beautifully decorated with flowers.
Over a hundred people attended. Including those who stopped by just for a glimpse and those who gathered in the shopping district where they walked down the aisle instead of a traditional virgin road, it might have been nearly everyone in the town. Even she was practically dragged by her master, who said, "Come on, let's go," to witness the event.
Six brides, dressed in pure white wedding dresses.
"...It doesn't suit her at all."
Black would have suited the indigo-haired succubus with black wings better than white.
Though she didn't think Ren could have heard her sulking murmur—suddenly, Ren turned towards her and smiled sweetly. Thank you, she was told. The moment he spoke with the movement of his lips alone, a single tear tracked down her cheek.
"What was that?"
This was a complete defeat for her. She had been shown the difference in their leagues.
"If you insist, then you'd better be happy."
The ceremony was officiated by the young girl named El, who was a "True Person from Another World." Although she didn't see the whole thing, the girl, who was raised as a Miko, apparently carried a large scripture given to her upon her departure and saw her role through to the end. It was a wedding ceremony that was a chaotic mix of Otherworld, Japanese, and Western styles.
"Do you swear to walk through the rest of your lives together, to share in sorrow and joy, and to fulfill your love until death comes?"
"We swear."
The sound of applause echoed loudly through the town. The wedding of the party that had cleared the 50th floor in record time was held on the largest scale ever and concluded with an abundance of smiles.
A few days later, she happened to see them in town, and the wedding rings were firmly on their fingers. She squinted her eyes at the sparkle of the jewels in the sunlight.
"Well, it's not bad, I guess."
In her heart, she firmly vowed to grow further as a craftsman and create works even more magnificent than those jewels.
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