Reincarnated as an SSS-Ranked Blacksmith Who Refuses to Forge Weapons-Chapter 106. The Gloves of Overwhelming Love

Chapter 106: 106. The Gloves of Overwhelming Love
The winter season has finally arrived again in Ferndale, so it hurt your bones and made your breath turn to fog as soon as you stepped outside. Even though Lylia did her best to warm up the workshop with the heating stones Greg had made months ago, it was still cold enough that everyone had to huddle closer to the forge and wear three layers of clothing inside.
Greg saw Elwen rub her hands together for the third time in as many minutes. Her fingers looked red and uncomfortable even though she was wearing gloves. They were thin, worn merchant gloves that were clearly not meant for the kind of cold that had settled over the village like a heavy blanket.
"Those gloves aren’t helping much, are they?" Greg asked, looking up from where he was finally cleaning the inn’s pots and pans.
Elwen looked like she was ashamed, like she had done something wrong. "Everything’s fine, Master Greg. I don’t mean to bother you."
Greg said, "It’s not a problem. I should make everyone proper winter gloves anyway."
"It’s getting cold enough that even Bork is complaining, and dwarves usually don’t mind the cold."
"I heard that!" Bork yelled from the other side of the workshop. "And I wasn’t complaining! I was talking about how the temperature wasn’t right!"
Marina, who was sitting in her reading chair wrapped in what looked like four different blankets, said, "That’s called complaining."
"I agree with Greg, too. We need gloves that are better. Even when I’m not doing anything, my fingers are cold."
Felix muttered from where he was still sorting scrap metal, "You’re always doing nothing." He had been doing it for three days, working as hard as someone who never wanted to wear boots that told the truth again.
Marina corrected herself, saying, "I’m doing nothing important. There’s a difference."
Greg stood up and stretched, and his back cracked in a few places. "Okay, I’ll make gloves for everyone in the winter. No strange spells, just simple and warm. And hopefully just regular gloves that keep your hands warm."
Everyone in the workshop stopped talking. They all said the same thing together: ""Hopefully?""
"You just said, ’normal,’" Seraphine said slowly, looking up from her notes.
"Yes," Greg said.
"You actually used the word ’normal’ to describe something you plan to create."
"Is that a problem?"
"Greg," Marina said softly, "you’ve never done anything normal since you got here. Why would you start now?"
"I can make things that are normal!" Greg protested. "I constantly make them!"
"Name one," Bork said.
Greg opened his mouth, closed it, and then opened it again. "The one that talked, not the other one. The other thing... no, that one made earthquakes happen. What about... no, that one became self-aware."
"Exactly," Marina said. "So, when you say you’re going to make ’normal’ gloves, we’re all right to worry about what will happen."
Greg said, "I’ll be careful. I’ll pay attention to the work of magic."
"No personality runes, no consciousness matrices, and nothing that could go wrong."
Felix said, "Famous last words."
"Shut up and get your metal in order, or you’re fired." Greg said without getting angry.
"Hahaha, you start to look like someone from that one show who was a talking gumball machine that always said, ’you’re fired!’."
...
He walked over to his forge and began to collect supplies. The outside is made of excellent leather, the inside is made of soft wool, and there are a few small crystals that give it warmth.
Not hard at all. Nothing that could ever make people dance or rate their food choices or give them a mind of its own. Just a plain, warm glove.
Greg made six pairs of gloves, one for each member of the Brotherhood who didn’t already have enough warm clothes. Two hours later, after finally making the gloves, they looked great, were well-made, and were comfortable. The subtle magic work would keep the wearer’s hands warm even in the worst weather.
"Look!" Greg held up the finished products and said, "I finally did it! Just normal winter gloves that didn’t do any talking or dancing and had no rating system."
"This probably just gave us the warmth we wanted."
Greg’s stomach dropped before he even read the system notification.
[CRAFTING COMPLETE!]
[ITEM MADE: GLOVES OF OVERWHELMING LOVE]
[RANK: SSS]
[PROPERTIES: MAKING YOU WARM, TRANSFERRING LOVE, TOUCH-ACTIVATED EMOTIONAL COMPULSION, LASTING 24 HOURS, AND GETTING STRONGER]
[WARNING: SIDE EFFECTS MAY INCLUDE OVERPROTECTIVE BEHAVIOR, PARENTAL INSTINCTS IN NON-PARENTS, AND A COMPLETE INABILITY TO LET LOVED ONES DO ANYTHING REMOTELY DANGEROUS]
[HAH! You thought it’s going to be normal!? This one is especially concerning even for you]
Greg shouted, "Fuck!!!"
"From that language, I bet it’s not normal... what does it do?" Marina asked, getting up from her chair.
"It says I accidentally turned love into a weapon."
"How do you accidentally turn love into a weapon?"
"I don’t know! I was trying to make gloves that would keep my hands warm!"
Elwen, who had been quietly watching the whole thing, stepped forward. "Can I try them, Master Greg? Even if they have strange qualities, I’m sure they’re still warm."
"Elwen, I don’t think that’s a good idea."
"Please? My hands are really cold right now."
Greg saw the hopeful look on her face and felt himself giving in. "Alright, alright..."
Greg grab one glove, and didn’t noticed that one of the glove fell through the open window. "If anything strange happens, take them off right away."
Elwen put on the gloves, and her face lit up with relief right away. "Wow, these are great! They’re so hot! And they fit like a flaming glove!"
"Do you feel anything else?" Seraphine asked, pulling out her notebook right away. "Any strange emotional reactions? Compulsions? Do you have urges to do things you wouldn’t normally do?"
Elwen said, "Nope, I feel just the way I am. All I felt was how warm this glove is! Thank you, Master Greg!"
She walked over and, out of gratitude, touched Greg’s arm. The effect happened right away.
Greg’s whole attitude changed. He looked at Elwen with the kind of worry that people usually show when they hear someone say they are going to walk into a dragon’s den wearing meat armor.
Greg’s voice suddenly became worried as he said, "Elwen. Did you have breakfast this morning? A good breakfast? With protein and vegetables?"
Elwen blinked. "H-Huh...? Oh! Yes? Lylia made eggs and—"
"Are you warm enough? You seem cold!"
"Here, take my coat." Greg was already taking off his heavy work coat. "Actually, take the coats of everyone. We should build a fort out of coats to keep you warm and safe."
"Master Greg, I’m fine," Elwen said, looking confused.
"You look tired... have you been getting enough sleep? At least eight hours, Elwen."
"You need to rest your body right now! Sit down, but not on that chair, it looks like it will fall over. Bork! Is that chair safe to sit in? Elwen can’t sit in a chair that’s not safe!"
"What the fuck happened to you all of the sudden, boss?" Bork looked confused and scared.
"This isn’t really you!"