Chapter 447: Appreciating The View

The moment Mavis entered her workshop, she sprang into action.

Her black leather apron went on first. Then her tools were laid out in precise order. The furnace was stoked until the flames roared with hungry intensity.

Luca, meanwhile, had opened a portal and stepped through. He returned a few minutes later, and from a second portal, several heavy objects dropped onto the ground with resounding thuds.

Mavis stared.

“What…what is all this?”

Luca picked up a massive anvil, one that should have been impossible to lift with one hand and placed it beside the furnace.

“My anvil. I brought some other tools as well.” He smirked. “I don’t need a power hammer like you do. All I need is a clamp, a hammer, an anvil, and a good flame. That’s more than enough to make the most powerful armor in existence.”

Mavis clicked her tongue, annoyed by his casual display of strength.

But then she noticed something else. A pile of metal blocks and rods that Luca had brought through the portal.

“What’s that metal? I have plenty of scrap over here. There’s no need for more.”

Luca picked up a piece and held it to the light.

“This is a special alloy. High quality. Very durable.” He turned it over in his hands. “We need to make a lot of horseshoes, and they need to last. This metal is easy to work with when heated, but once it cools, it becomes incredibly strong.”

Mavis took a piece and examined it. Her eyes widened.

“It’s so light…but so dense!” She tapped it against her fist.

Luca pointed at the other tools he had brought.

“These will help too. They’re specially designed for horseshoe making, so they’ll make even the most tedious steps easier.”

Mavis quickly discarded her scrap metal and rushed over.

“Show me how to use them! Tell me everything!”

She was like a child with new toys, her earlier bitterness forgotten.

Luca chuckled at her enthusiasm and began explaining each tool one by one.

Mavis was a quick learner. Within minutes, she had mastered every tool and was ready to begin.

Luca put on his apron and picked up his hammer.

“Ready?”

Mavis donned her metalworking mask and gave him a thumbs up.

They plunged their tongs into the furnace, pulled out the glowing metal, and began to work.

Bang. Bang. Bang.

Mavis’s power hammer struck the metal in rhythmic succession, shaping it with each blow. The scraps Luca had brought were perfect, small pieces that could easily be welded and curved.

Luca, meanwhile, worked at his own anvil. Every strike of his hammer shook the ground, sending tremors through the workshop.

But more impressive than the power was the precision. A few hits, and he had shaped a perfect horseshoe.

Mavis watched him from the corner of her eye.

‘Unfair, she thought. It’s completely unfair.’

But rather than discouraging her, it only made her more determined. She redoubled her efforts, working the metal with increasing skill.

The horseshoe took shape under her hammer, a beautiful U-curve. She checked the measurements, then punched the holes using her template.

A quick reheat, and she refined the shape, smoothing out irregularities, adjusting the branches, making sure it was perfectly symmetrical.

She brought it to Luca for inspection, suddenly nervous.

He examined it carefully—checking for cracks, dents, any flaw that might cause discomfort. Mavis held her breath.

Finally, he smiled.

“Perfect job.”

Her face lit up beneath her mask.

“Continue just like that. It won’t be long before everyone has their own set.”

Mavis felt invigorated. She threw herself back into the work with renewed passion, her hammer singing against metal as she shaped horseshoe after horseshoe.

—

Near the doorway, at a safe distance from the heat, the little ponies and young centaurs watched with wide eyes.

“Wow…Mavis looks so cool!”

“She’s manipulating fire and metal like it’s nothing!”

“I thought being a knight was the coolest thing in the whole world.” Nella said in awe. “But she’s just bending metal. She tells it what to do and it does it. That’s—” She hopped on the spot, and her tail whipped around behind her. “That’s so cool!”

Mavis heard every word, and went faster.

Meanwhile, Riley and her friends had their eyes on something else.

Luca.

This was because he had taken off his outer shirt, as there was no surviving a forge in long sleeves, and he was working in a sleeveless vest.

This meant that every time he brought the hammer down, his shoulders rolled and his forearms corded.

And every time he reached to pull metal out of the fire, his shirt pulled tight across his chest.

It was a rather intoxicating sight for young ladies like them.

Even Riley found herself biting her lip unconsciously.

“Riley?” Nella’s voice cut through her thoughts. “What are you looking at?”

Riley jumped. “What? Nothing!”

“You’re staring at the Evil Hero.”

“I’m not!”

“You are! You look like you want to eat him alive!”

“”Yeah!” Another pony added. “Don’t go charging in there and bothering him, he’s working.”

“We’ll protect him.” A third one said, and the whole group of them raised their hands like tiny barricades. “You can’t attack the Hero right now. He’s making our shoes.”

“I’m not attacking him! I wasn’t—I was just—” Riley’s voice cracked. “I was looking at the metal! It’s hot! It’s bright!”

“You weren’t looking at the metal.” Said one of her own friends, deadpan.

“Shut up!”

And she turned and limped away up the hill as fast as her bandaged hoof could carry her, with her friends trailing behind her and laughing the whole way.

Word got around fast, after that.

Within half an hour, centaurs who had gone home came back. Mothers, aunts, older sisters, the whole population drifting up the stream path until the yard outside the workshop was full.

And the mothers were not subtle.

“Would you look at that…”

“Look at his arms! Look at his back!”

“Honestly, when he first arrived I thought it was a shame he hadn’t been born with hooves. Now?” A low whistle. “Who cares about the hooves.”

“I would let that man pick me up and carry me up a mountain.”

“He could put me over his shoulder and I’d say thank you.”

Even the elders, those dignified, mature women found themselves blushing. They tried to maintain their composure, telling themselves they were too old for such thoughts, but their eyes kept drifting back to Luca.

Sigrid arrived to check on the progress and found herself staring at Luca.

But her gaze was different from the others.

She looked at him with pride. ‘That’s my rider. That’s the man I’m bound to.’

She allowed herself a smug smile, as though showing off her lover to the world.

But most of her attention was on Mavis.

She watched her sister shape metal and command fire and felt nothing but overwhelming pride.

No disdain. No hostility. Just pure, uncomplicated admiration.

‘That’s my sister. My amazing sister who’s going to save the entire village.’

—

Eventually, the noise from the crowd grew too loud and Mavis finally snapped.

“Everyone get out! No peeking until the products are ready!”

She slammed the workshop door shut, leaving the villagers outside.

The centaurs waited patiently outside, playing and talking among themselves as the sun set and the moons rose.

Inside, Luca and Mavis worked at full speed, producing horseshoe after horseshoe, labeling each set carefully so no one got mismatched.

But Luca’s eyes kept drifting toward Mavis.

She looked…so cool.

Her face was smeared with soot. Sweat dripped from her brow. She wielded her hammer with the confidence of someone who had spent her entire life mastering her craft.

He appreciated strong women. And seeing Mavis do something usually reserved for men made her look even more beautiful in his eyes.

But his gaze also drifted lower.

Because her blouse was white, and the forge was hot, her cloth was soaked through and stuck to her skin from neck to waist.

It showed every line of her—the small waist, the narrow shoulders, and, most insistently, her chest, which was not small at all, pressing out against the damp fabric as she leaned over the anvil.

He couldn’t help but comment.

“You know, I appreciate the view, but you might want to cover up. Unless you want burn marks on those snow mountains.”

Mavis realized he was staring at her cleavage and felt heat rise to her face.

“It’s not like I have a choice! If I cover up completely, I can’t breathe! It’s too hot in here!” She glared at him. “Stop looking, you pervert!”

Luca raised his hands in surrender and put his mask back on.

But even through the mask, Mavis could see his eyes drifting.

And strangely…she didn’t mind.

In fact, the thought that Luca was so captivated by her body that he couldn’t focus on his work made her feel proud.

Without realizing it, she began pushing her chest out more, letting her breasts bounce as she swung her hammer.

‘Look.’ She seemed to say. ‘Look as much as you want.’

—

Seven hours passed.

Outside, the little ones were getting sleepy. The mothers were considering bringing them home to bed.

Bang!

Then the workshop door slammed open.

Luca and Mavis stood in the doorway, both covered in sweat and soot, both looking utterly exhausted—and utterly triumphant.

In Luca’s hands was a large sack, clinking with the sound of metal against metal.

Sigrid rushed forward first, handing them each a bottle of cold water from a nearby spring.

“Here.”

Luca took his, pulled the stopper out, and drank the entire thing in one go.

“Ahh.” He dropped his head back and breathed. “That’s exactly what I needed. Thank you.”

“Did everything go well?” Sigrid asked hastily. “Did you make every single horseshoe for all the centaurs?”

Before Luca could open his mouth, Mavis stepped forward.

“Of course it’s done.” She said, and pushed her chest out so hard her apron creaked. “When have I ever failed you? Every sword you bring me comes back fixed. Every shield comes back mended.”

“And now, every single one of your horseshoes is sitting in that sack right now, ready to wear!”

The square erupted.

“WE’RE GETTING SHOES!”

“Shoes! Actual shoes!”

“I’ve never had shoes!”

“I thought only humans wore shoes!”

“I hope mine are pink!”

“I hope mine are blue!”

“I hope mine help me jump higher!”

Luca nodded. “Just like Mavis said, it’s all finished.” His eyes glinted. “Now it’s time to put them on.”

Everyone froze.

“Put them on…you mean…right now?”

“With nails?”

They had forgotten about that part. The fear returned.

Even the most stoic elders looked uncomfortable. The thought of nails being driven into their hooves was terrifying.

Then Riley stepped forward.

“Like I said earlier—I’ll be the one volunteering first.”

She spoke bravely, though her voice wavered slightly.

“My feet have stopped hurting and I’m probably the one who needs these most. So…I’ll go first.”

Luca smiled approvingly.

“The first brave challenger.” He patted her horse body gently. “You’ll be fine. Don’t worry.”

Riley relaxed slightly at his reassurance. But then he whispered,

“And don’t worry. If it does go wrong somehow and you lose a leg, don’t panic. I’ve got a friend back home who builds replacement ones. He does amazing work. He’ll have you fixed up in a week.”

Riley shrieked. “WHAT?!”

Luca laughed. “I’m joking! I’m joking! You don’t have to take it so seriously!”

But Riley didn’t look entirely convinced.

Still, she had no choice. She limped over to the pedestal and placed her hoof on the surface.