This time, the story’s from the perspective of Van, the blacksmith.
Please be aware of this.
The sword I forged after a long time was a masterpiece. A bastard sword made of Wootz steel.
It will never break or bend unless something extraordinary happens.
I thought I might need to make a few more to get rid of the rust on my skills, but at this rate, it seems like there won’t be any problems.
“So, what did you want to talk about, Neil?”
I’m guessing it’s something he doesn’t want anyone else to overhear. Since he sent Katia and the others back first, that must be it. It’s not exactly a place to invite customers, but I decided to listen to what he had to say in the workshop’s storage room.
“From your perspective, Van-san… how do I look as a swordsman?”
“Isn’t the evaluation of a swordsman something the Soldier’s Guild does? …Hmph, just kidding. You came all the way here to ask me, so you want my opinion, and only my opinion, right?”
“Yes, I would very much appreciate your insight.”
“I hate beating around the bush. What the hell are you worried about? Spill it all out first.”
I can tell just by looking at his face.
Don’t underestimate an old man’s experience. I also noticed that he had a dark look on his face for a moment when he saw my sword earlier. Although, unlike the others, Katia seemed to be the only one who noticed. She’s very observant for her age. Tim seems to have raised her well.
“You noticed, as I expected.”
“Yeah. Come on, hurry up and tell me.”
“To put it bluntly, I’m worried that I might be a burden to Katia-san…”
“Huh?”
It’s not hard to understand. There aren’t many people who can fight alongside a swordsman of her caliber.
“I’m afraid that I can’t even be like the impurities in the material of this sword, something that is not useless but enhances it, and I’m just…”
I see, this is something he couldn’t talk about in front of everyone. If Katia were a man, the difference in their strength would be clear, and he might have been able to talk to her about it. But she’s a woman. A man’s stupid pride gets in the way; he doesn’t want to show weakness to the opposite sex.
――It makes me sick. His clumsiness reminds me of myself when I was young, and it’s unbearable. I want to do something for him.
“Oh, that’s right.”
I just thought of something. I have some business to take care of, so I’ll drag him into it too. He knows what I was like when I was young, so he’s perfect. He’s also quick-witted.
“Van-san?”
He looks puzzled. But it’s faster to take action than to explain.
“Hey, come with me for a bit.”
“Wh-where are we going?”
“You’ll see when we get there. Let’s go!”
About a five-minute walk from here, behind the second-largest workshop after ours, there’s a house. That’s our destination.
“Hey, I’m coming in!”
I don’t bother knocking; this guy likes to pretend he’s not home. When I open the door, a slender, human old man with glasses is sitting in a chair. He’s reading a book. It’s annoying how elegant he looks for a blacksmith. If you talk to him, you’ll understand, but he has a youthful tone despite being an old man. It’s a familiar face to me.
“Wh-what is it, Van? You surprised me.”
“The house behind Mark’s Weapon Shop… could it be?”
“Hmm? I don’t recognize your face. Nice to meet you, I’m Mark.”
That’s right, this guy is Mark, the former owner of Mark’s Weapon Shop and a blacksmith.
“N-nice to meet you! I’m Neil Raza!”
“Now that the introductions are out of the way, the matter at hand is to discuss this guy’s worries.”
“You’re always so impatient. What’s the problem?”
This guy is a logical thinker. He’ll be better at giving advice than I am.
“Actually—”
Neil explained to Mark what he had just told me.
“Hmm, I see. So, basically, you’re saying your abilities have stagnated?”
If he’s considering the possibility of being a burden, it means he hasn’t reached the level of ability he’s aiming for.
“Probably. Mark, what did you do when you got stuck in your blacksmithing?”
It might be a sword problem, but we’re blacksmiths. We can only offer solutions from a blacksmith’s perspective. It’s up to Neil how he applies that to his swordsmanship.
“I identified the problem areas and eliminated the weaknesses. I just kept repeating that.”
That’s typical of him. He’s a perfectionist, or rather, meticulous.
“What do you think, Neil?”
I haven’t seen his swordsmanship, but judging from his stance, he seems to have more openings than Katia. Although, the comparison is unfair since the person he is being compared to is exceptional. He still exudes the aura of a skilled swordsman.
“In my case, if I used that method, I’d be full of flaws and wouldn’t live long enough…”
“You’d go that far? Mark, is there any other way?”
He’s so much like me. I was full of flaws as a blacksmith too.
“Then you should be better at this, Van.”
“Me?”
“Think back to when you first came here. My shop was already big, but you were just a peddler, weren’t you?”
“Are you trying to pick a fight?”
He’s talking about when I left my country and came to this city. The difference between him and me back then was like heaven and earth. He already had a large shop and was well-known, while I was selling weapons on the street and forging them repeatedly. It’s a memory of my younger days when I was still training.
“No, no, how did you improve your blacksmithing skills? How did you become my equal? You must have been thinking about something, right?”
“Well, you see, I’m clumsy. I relied on my confident eye for judging the quality of iron and hammered away until I learned the proper temperature control by feel. I hammered weapons.”
“That’s it.”
“Huh?”
What does he mean?
“You honed your senses regarding iron. It’s the opposite of me, a way of training that focuses on one breakthrough point and extending your strengths.”
“What do you think, Neil?”
That’s certainly how I honed my blacksmithing skills. Maybe it can be used for swordsmanship too. Polish your strengths and use them against your enemies. If it doesn’t work, polish it until it’s so sharp that it can pierce through any enemy. Finished swordsmen like Tim and Katia are good, but I prefer swordsmen who excel in one particular skill.
“Strengths, you say? I think I have at least one…!”
“It seems you have an idea. Then you should cherish it. Outstanding talent and trained abilities can sometimes exert unexpectedly great power. I was often surprised by Van.”
“Tch, don’t say that. You’re just getting cocky because you beat me in the overall competition scores.”
“Jealousy is unbecoming, Van. What do you think, Neil? Was that helpful?”
Oh, Neil’s face looks a bit better now. He should be fine now.
“Yes! Thank you both very much!”
With that, the young man returned to the inn where his companions were waiting. Experiences from your youth are treasures. Do your best, Neil.
“So, was that all you needed, Van?”
“Oh, that’s right.”
Even after Neil left, I stayed at Mark’s house. This is the main issue for me.
“I have a favor to ask.”
“What is it? That’s rare.”
“It’s no fun since you retired. Would you consider coming back to the weapon shop?”
“No, I retired because you said the loser of the next competition would retire…”
“Did I say that?”
“You did. Why did you forget? Are you already going senile? If you say it’s okay for me to come back, I will.”
It can’t be helped, something happened that made me lose my memory. Besides, it’s his fault for taking a drunken promise seriously.
“Well, I put so much energy into that sword. I made an amazing sword, even if I do say so myself.”
“You made a foolish declaration that it was the best sword of your life. But it certainly was a unique sword.”
Well, I was feeling unmotivated because of that sword. I finally got back to normal after seeing Katia’s sword.
“I made it as if I was driven by something. I finished it before I knew it, but I was really tired.”
Looking back, I was in a strange state at that time. I don’t think that sword is the best anymore. The quality is the best, but a sword without a soul is not my sword.
“You ended up delivering it to the royal family, right? The inscription was—”
Blood Sword. That’s the name of the sword I delivered to the royal family. I named it that because it had a sinister appearance with a blade as red as blood. I wonder who ended up using that sword.