Reincarnated as an SSS-Ranked Blacksmith Who Refuses to Forge Weapons-Chapter 102. The Liar’s Punishment

Chapter 102: 102. The Liar’s Punishment
Three days after the Critic’s Spoon incident, which made Lylia’s Kitchen the most talked-about restaurant in three provinces, Greg was finally able to get back to his real work. The fence posts for Thomas’s house were only half-finished, the merchant wagon was still being planned, and he hadn’t even started making the inn’s cooking pots yet.
Felix walked into the workshop looking suspiciously pleased while he was drawing out patterns for the fence’s reinforcements. That should have been a red flag on its own, since Felix only looked that pleased when he was about to cause trouble or had already done so and was waiting for someone to notice.
"Good morning, Sensei!" Felix said, bouncing over to Greg’s workbench with the energy of someone who had not stayed up all night doing what he was supposed to be doing.
"Morning," Greg said without looking up from his drawing. "Did you do what I asked and finish organizing the scrap metal?"
"Yes! Of course I did it!" Felix said right away.
Donetta looked up from where she was helping Mira dust the shelves across the workshop. Her face was carefully blank, but there was something in her eyes that made Greg stop.
"Felix," Greg said slowly as he put down his pencil. "When did you finish putting the scrap metal in order?"
"Yesterday! Just like you asked!" Felix’s smile was so big that it hurt. "I worked really hard on it. You asked for everything to be sorted by size and type of material."
Greg got up and walked to the corner of the workshop where the pile of scrap metal had been for the past week. The pile looked the same as it had three days earlier when Greg instructed Felix to organize it. In other words, it looked like a metal hurricane had decided to take a nap there.
"What the fuck, Felix?" Greg said, turning to look at the younger man. "This isn’t put together."
"Of course it is! I put it together based on how it looked, I guess?"
"That’s not a real way to organize things."
"Now it is! I just made it up!"
Marina, who was sitting in her usual corner chair and reading a book, put it down and smiled. "Felix, are you really trying to lie your way out of doing what you were told to do?"
"I’m not lying! I did put it together! Kind of! ’In my head!’"
Donetta walked over with her usual calm smile on her face. "Master Felix has been playing cards with the boys in the village instead of working late at night. I know this because I can hear him sneaking back in at three in the morning."
"Donetta, you snitch!" Felix squeaked. "You should be on my side!"
"I am on your side," Donetta said in a sweet voice. "That’s why I think you should learn about the effects of your actions. It’s good for developing your character."
Bork smiled and looked up from where he was making a set of horseshoes. "Oh, this will be great."
Greg pinched the bridge of his nose and tried to remember why he had agreed to hire an eighteen-year-old reincarnator as an apprentice who didn’t want to work. "It’s one of those days, isn’t it?"
"Felix," Greg said with forced calm. "You should clean up that pile of junk now! Don’t make excuses."
"But Sensei, I have things to do that are important! Like... um... study! Yes! Research for my Infinite Luck System!"
"Your Infinite Luck System that only brings in house cats right now?"
"They’re great cats for the house! One of them caught a mouse yesterday!"
"Felix."
"Okay, fine! I’ll do it! But can I do it tomorrow instead? Please?"
"No."
"But—"
"Felix, just be honest and sort out the fucking pile."
"I’m being honest! I completely set it up! You’re just looking at it wrong!"
Donetta’s smile got bigger, and Greg felt like he was going to die when he realized she was going to make things a lot worse. "Master Greg," she said in her sweetest voice, "maybe Felix needs help learning how to be honest."
"Maybe you could make something that makes people want to be honest."
Everyone in the workshop stopped talking. Everyone who had been there for the Critic’s Spoon incident knew exactly what was going to happen.
"Donetta," Greg said in a warning tone. "Don’t."
"Don’t what?" Donetta asked, her eyes wide with fake innocence. "I’m just saying that maybe a tool to help Master Felix stop telling creative truths would be good for everyone."
"I don’t have a habit of telling creative truths!" Felix objected right away. "I’m very honest! "I am probably the most honest person here!"
Marina began to laugh. "Oh, that’s actually a good and useful idea! You have to do it, Greg."
"I don’t have to do it at all."
"But think about it," Marina said as she got up and walked over. "You could create something that makes people more honest. That is a helpful tool! That’s the kind of peaceful, useful thing you love to make!"
Greg said, "Every time someone tells me to make a ’helpful’ item, it ends in chaos."
Bork replied, "Yes, but the chaos is funny. And we all need a delightful laugh."
"I don’t need to laugh!" Felix said. "I need everyone to stop picking on me!"
Seraphine looked up from her notes on her research. "Positive reinforcement for honesty could be good from a psychological perspective. I’m interested in what kind of reinforcement that would be, given Greg’s history."
"It would probably dance like the vest," Elwen said softly, not looking up from her drawing. "Or a tool that can talk. Or give your lies a score from one to ten."
Greg said, "The spoon only rates food."
"For now," Marina said in a scary way.
Greg looked around at the family he had found. Everyone was looking at him with different levels of expectation and amusement.
Felix looked scared, which was probably the right thing to do. Donetta still had that calm smile on her face that meant she was definitely up to something. And Marina was so excited about the idea of more chaos that she could hardly sit still.
"Okay," Greg said with a sigh. "But if this turns into another restaurant riot, I’m going to blame all of you."
"Yay!" Marina cheered.
"No!" Felix yelled. "I say no! Isn’t this a democracy? We all should vote!"
Greg said, "This is a workshop, not a democracy," and then he started walking toward his forge. "And you were the one who lied about doing your job."
"I didn’t lie! I just... used my imagination to do the assignment!"
"Felix, you really didn’t do anything."
"I thought about doing it! That should count!"
It didn’t matter, and twenty minutes later, Greg was at his forge with Felix, who was getting more and more worried as he watched from a safe distance. He’d gotten leather for boots, bronze to make them stronger, and enchantment crystals that seemed to have a mischievous energy that made them pulse.
"What kind of support are we talking about here?" Felix asked with a lot of worry. "Like, telling the truth will make me feel good?"
"That sounds good."
"I could use some good vibes."