Chapter 88: I Want to Talk (4) |
I got off the boat as late as I could to avoid all the events I might get involved in.
To be honest, I hadn’t planned to get off that late, but it somehow ended up like that. What the Archmage said about me being quite popular in Jacrati was an utter understatement.
Less than five minutes after disembarking as quietly as possible, I was suddenly surrounded by a gathering of a hundred people. In addition, my distinct appearance made it impossible to mistake me for anyone else.
No, they didn’t even give me time to deny anything before rushing toward me, full of confidence.
“You’re Jacrati’s hero now.”
Because of that, even Windhand, who’d grown a bit more distant from me, briefly sympathized with me. This was so unfair.
Given how things went, Windhand should also be treated as a hero, so why was I the only one…!
“Dang. This is the first time I’m glad my face is so plain.”
He only had to change his clothes and could walk around all leisurely—he even brought those seven million Gal to me without much trouble—which made me feel strangely aggrieved.
“Open the road.”
Still, when the escort sent by the Lord arrived, the crowd dispersed. That definitely felt more comfortable.
“You’re here.”
…It was comfortable, but I never asked the Lord to welcome me like that right before the castle gates!
After counting how many guards were lined up behind the Lord, I met her eyes. While I knew this could be comparable to a stroll in her front yard, I wondered why she only took ten people with her.
Was there some reason behind it?
“Ah, the others are probably resting in the rooms we provided them. Don’t worry. We’ve also prepared one for you.”
Meanwhile, the Lord seemed to have interpreted my gaze as me looking for my companions. Her answer revealed the location of my party members to me.
I wasn’t all that curious about it, but it wasn’t bad to know.
“More than that, let me welcome you to Jacrati.”
“Not needed.”
“Is it? Still, let me do this much. I came out as I felt rather regretful that we couldn’t even give our savior a proper Jacrati welcoming ceremony.”
I walked behind the Lord, who had turned around seemingly to try and lead me somewhere. As such, the personnel guarding the Lord and those accompanying me here merged into one big group.
To note, seeing that Windhand and his crew had also almost reached the castle, the guards became even more cautious.
“I heard you weren’t feeling well because of the curse. Are you feeling better now?”
Curse…? Well, that wasn’t exactly wrong. It seemed the Archmage didn’t give her all the facts.
“The sword.”
I quickly changed the subject. Unless someone was trying to exploit your weakness, people usually wouldn’t ask any further questions if one changed the topic so blatantly.
“Don’t worry. The sword has been completed.”
See? She wouldn’t say anything further about the other matter, right?
“It’s just that the craftsman… said he desperately wanted to meet you. Would that be fine with you? If you feel offended by this request, then—”
That aside, why was he asking for me? There was no reason to refuse, but was he calling for me?
Something like ‘I need to know who’ll wield my masterpiece!’ maybe?
“I don’t mind.”
If the sword was well made, it wouldn’t be such a difficult request for me to fulfill. Moreover, he was none other than the craftsman himself.
“Understood. I shall call him here tomorrow morning, then.”
“I’ll go to him myself.”
Ah, I needed to buy some more things. I’d never managed to go to a blacksmith’s shop myself, after all.
“…I see. In that case, I shall provide you with a guide.”
“Someone who won’t get in my way.”
“They would never dare.”
Instead of getting angry at my rude responses, the Lord always gave me gentle answers.
The guards standing around us would occasionally flinch. However, they didn't dare to stare daggers at me like before.
“We have placed your reward in your room. For your convenience, we have divided it into platinum, gold, and silver coins. I hope it’s to your satisfaction.”
The Lord even paid out the bounty she had promised me.
It was rather unexpected. From what I’d heard on the ship, the Lord was currently scraping together everything she had to rescue people.
As such, I was prepared to hear a request to delay the payment date a bit, but it seemed that was an unnecessary worry.
“Let me know if you would like to request anything else. Given the situation, fulfilling some may be a bit difficult, but… that doesn’t mean we are completely incapable.”
Could they actually afford that, though?
I didn’t even pay any mind to that talk of additional compensation and just looked around indifferently.
After finally entering the castle, the first things I saw were the stone walls and floor. The halls looked somewhat desolate.
“Is there really nothing else you wish for?”
…Was this how they looked originally? I didn’t think this place seemed so desolate last time.
Suspecting something was wrong, I looked more closely at the castle and soon realized what had happened.
Everything that had served to decorate the castle, including carpets, curtains, and decorative pieces, had disappeared. When people said she was ‘scraping together everything she had,’ they meant it literally.
“What are you looking at so seriously? Ah, you’re feeling awkward because the interior has changed, right? This style is fairly popular these days, so I did some restructuring.”
Was this what one called vintage? But it would be rather strange for this style to reach any form of popularity in this world.
I withdrew my gaze from the bare walls after hearing the Lord’s words, which clearly served as cheap excuses. However, there are sometimes matters one should just turn a blind eye to, even if one knows the truth.
“This way.”
Anyway, after walking for some time, we reached the annex building. There were several signs that our group was staying here.
“Wait, before you go in, please take this.”
Then, just when I was about to go in, the Lord stopped me.
“Originally, we intended to hand this to you during the victory ceremony, but things somehow turned out like this in the end.”
White light flowed from her hand as she took something from her escort. It wasn’t made of Arcane Power or anything, just pure light.
“Highest praise to the savior of Jacrati.”
Like the light of the moon, fractured into small pieces and scattered in all directions by a massive jewel.
“And the honor to go with it.”
A medal was placed in my hand.
“No matter what anyone may say, you are the benefactor of this land, a hero who lifted the dark clouds of despair and brought us the flame of hope. Even if hundreds of years pass, this fact will never disappear from our minds and will be remembered in this land for all generations to come.”
It was my second Medal of Honor.
“So, please do not forget this for even a moment. Some may think of you as the deepest darkness, but you shine brighter than any light in this world.”
…Looking back, it seemed I really hadn’t received my first one properly after all.
“If you have the money to spend on something as useless as this, it seems you don’t care much for your people, after all.
“Haha. Are you worried about them? No need. This isn’t something I ordered to be made, but something the citizens made voluntarily and delivered to me.”
“…!”
“So, please accept it. No, take it. This is the gratitude of the people whom you have saved.”
In the end, I received even more stuff to clutter my inventory.
But I didn’t feel too bad about it.
* * *
Instead of saying anything more, Pion chewed her lip a couple of times as she looked at that person’s departing back.
She hadn’t realized the last time she saw him because of the fierce expression he always wore, but looking at him closely now, he seemed rather young.
“What a strange thing.”
“Pardon?”
“I came to accept what I thought I would never tolerate or forgive for as long as I lived, and I feel so grateful for something I should have hated with all my heart.”
She thought it was extremely sad. Yes, so very sad.
They had offloaded such heavy burdens onto the backs of such young kids.
“…Things done by such young kids, as well.”
She lowered her gaze. When she thought about them, the first person who came to mind after the Demon Knight was a girl with very beautiful, bright red hair.
『Yes, I know. There are still many people in this region who hate religious organizations. However, I never expected to resolve everything to begin with.』
Her statement was as bold and provocative as her hair color. That was the first time someone had followed ‘There are still many people who hate us’ with such words.
『The responsibility to atone for what happened, to never forget, and to always remain alert so something like that will never happen again shall always be ours to bear. Lastly, it is also our duty to try to make you want to accept our help again.』
…It was her first time hearing such a simple speech before.
『So, it’s fine. God favors those who work hard, so we will knock on those closed doors as hard as we can until you decide to open them for us.』
She had witnessed many things for the first time today, so she ultimately wanted to believe and trust those words.
“…The Demon Knight doesn’t seem very young, though.”
“Hmm. Do you think so?”
The red-haired priest succeeded in capturing her heart. That young Knight also became the beacon of hope for her people through his own strength.
They were so young, so very young.
“He looks just as young as that red-haired priest.
…Or maybe they were capable of this because they were young?
Since this was the world they would have to live in until the end, could they put in so much effort to make the world a better place?
“…When we see young people put in so much effort, doesn’t it leave us old people unable to sit still, too?”
She didn’t know. It probably wasn’t that important, either.
The important thing was…
“Well then, let us return. There is still much left to do.”
She shouldn’t waste the opportunity these young kids had worked so hard to give her.
The fight against the Demons was over, but the fight for Jacrati’s future had just begun.
* * *
* * *
The next day, I headed to the blacksmith shop at the break of dawn. I had to, fearing I may get overwhelmed by crowds of people.
The fact we had to set sail soon also contributed to this.
“That’s it.”
Fortunately, the smithy wasn’t too far from the castle, and the guide was considerate enough to only lead us there through more deserted areas.
I reached the smithy safely.
“It’s smaller than I thought.”
Deb chirped from a place where he could easily see the smithy. He followed me, claiming he also had something to buy… Anyway, what he said wasn’t wrong.
The smithy seemed rather small, even from a distance.
“They are very skilled, though.”
At Deb’s words, the guide immediately jumped to defend the shop.
There was no real basis for that claim, but I put my faith in those words. Unless the Lord had suddenly gone crazy, she’d never have entrusted this task to someone incompetent.
“Uncle! Can I eat this?”
“You can, but take turns! The other kids also need to eat, so don’t be too greedy!”
“Sir, the refugees have sent us food as thanks for our help…”
“They should put that stuff in their own mouths. Why the hell are they sending us their supplies?! Return them!”
“Sir, I bought some corn flour with the money… I managed to sell the knives for a lot, so I got more than I expected, as well…”
“What? You bastard! Are you exploiting others' misfortune to make money?”
“I’m sorry…”
“Rotten bastard. First, make some porridge with that stuff! The kids will come soon!”
…Perhaps.
“…Is this actually a smithy?”
Deb truly had the outstanding ability to say the things I couldn’t.
I also wanted to ask the guide that question. Was this really the right place?
“Yeah, this is it.”
“This place looks more like a community kitchen, though?”
“The old man is just a very nice person, so it turned out like this.”
As we seemed to gradually lose faith in this person’s skills, the guide hurriedly spoke up again.
What followed were explanations of how good a person the smithy’s owner was and how much good he had done.
He was the biggest supporter of the orphanage; he recruited many talented children and taught them for free; when the incident broke out, he distributed weapons, which had been his goods, to the people so they could hold on somehow; and now that everything was sorted, he bought food using the money from his weapon sales to feed everyone around him.
“He’s that good a person?”
“Of course.”
Just knowing he was one of the Lord’s people made me believe he truly was a good man.
“He’s really great. The weapons he makes are so good that even people from the mainland come here specifically to buy them.”
Of course, in many games, people who seem good often turn out to be shockingly evil… Well, I had no intention of digging.
And the evidence of his good deeds was too clear. Those who seemed to be his apprentices and those receiving his help were all wearing smiles.
“I’ll wait outside, then.”
“Yes.”
I left the guide outside and walked into the vicinity of the smithy. Everyone’s eyes focused on my head, covered in two-toned hair recognizable from even 300m away.
The once bustling area suddenly fell deathly silent.
“Th-That person is…”
“Sir Knight? Isn’t that Sir Knight?”
Why did my name and appearance spread so well throughout this city?
I tried to make myself appear as unapproachable as possible so people wouldn’t flock to me so readily. While I felt sorry for the kids, who looked pretty scared, I really didn’t like getting surrounded by crowds.
“I came to get a sword.”
Standing in the middle of the yard, I calmly stated my purpose. I then saw someone straightening their back before coming toward me.
“Is it you? The guy who asked the Lord to have a sword made?”
He was a rugged man with a stubborn-looking face.
“You guys take care of the rest! Follow me. The finished product is inside.”
“Erm, can I come along?”
“…Then come!”
“Yes.”
The elderly man led me and Deb toward the building past the yard. When I heard he wanted to see me personally, I thought he would test me or something, but luckily, that didn’t seem to be the case.
“Are there any other products?”
“What are you looking for?”
“I was planning to buy a dagger…”
“I sold everything, so there aren’t any.”
“Is that so?”
The inside was divided into a product display area and, further in, a workshop.
All the shelves were empty, as though everything really had been sold. Deb, who seemed to have come to replace his broken kukri, lowered his ears and tail in disappointment.
“I could make you one, though.”
“I don’t have the time to wait until it’s done, so it’s fine.”
“Tsk.”
Meanwhile, the craftsman went to the workshop and rummaged through a box. Not long after, he pulled out something completely wrapped in cloth.
“This is it. Check it over.”
After setting the sword on a display table, he lifted the cloth.
For a second, admiration was about to press itself between my teeth.
“I made the blade by melting down those things that looked like scales, and the hilt and scabbard were made from carving those bones. To not cause too much distraction, I only placed some small gold and jadeite decorations on it. What do you think?”
I placed my hand on the half-exposed sword. The first thing my fingers touched was the pommel inlaid with jadeite.
Then, I passed my hand over the ivory hilt wrapped in a jet-black leather strap and reached the dark blue blade.
“Pretty…”
I ignored Deb’s muttering and silently swept my fingers over the blade. The blade, a dull dark blue not the least bit shiny but with an elegant yet dangerous charm, was cool to the touch.
I was completely satisfied with its appearance.
Rustle.
“…?”
“Huh?”
Its appearance really was more than satisfactory.
It really was, but…
“…It’s short.”
The truth revealed as I removed the cloth covering the sword while sweeping over the blade was truly gruesome.
The blade was far too short. The blade alone was only about 30 to 40 cm long, and counting the hilt, it amounted to merely about 70 cm. That should give one a rough idea.
It almost seemed more like a dagger.
“What happened?”
I hurriedly urged the guy to tell me the cause of this. The elderly man watching us a few steps away simply shrugged his shoulders.
“You can’t blame me for the lack of raw materials, can you?”
“There weren’t enough raw materials?”
“Yes.”
No, seriously? That wasn’t enough? Of course, if he made it using only those materials, it might not have been enough… But wouldn’t one usually mix in some other materials to make up for what was lacking?
“If there wasn’t enough, couldn’t you just make up for it by using other metals?”
“Hah, if that were possible, I would have done it right away!”
…It didn’t work?
“From iron to copper and zinc… I tried mixing in every metal I’ve ever used, but nothing worked. They just kept separating like water and oil. I couldn’t even get into contact with the commissioner, either! What could I do?”
It didn’t work…
“So, I had no choice but to make it with what little material I had. If you have any more, I can melt it again and add it in. If not, it seems you’ll have to be satisfied with this.”
I did have more materials: the Archmage told me he’d secured more parts of the dragon corpse in my stead.
But those parts were on the mainland. It would be somewhat difficult to get them here.
As such, I felt utterly disappointed. This wasn’t the old man’s fault, and it wasn’t hard to call it my fault, either, so I felt even more heartbroken.
“Erm, then what should we do?”
“What should you do? You either take it or have it remade.”
Even still, this blade was incredibly beautiful.
In a daze, I lifted the blade that was a little longer than a dagger but far too short to call a one-handed sword. Even considering it as a dagger, it was very light.
“…It’s light.”
“Yeah. It’s light. Compared to an iron blade of the same length, it’s a lot lighter. It’s sharper and more durable, as well…”
The old man spoke as he held something up to me. It was an iron rod, 4 cm in diameter.
“Hit the rod with it as hard as you can.”
I swung the sword as if possessed. Although I could feel some resistance, I easily cut through the iron rod. Even though I didn’t use any Arcane Power, the iron rod was in pieces.
“…When I tested it, I only managed to get it stuck in the iron. But anyway, it’s harder than an iron sword, and its sharpness is excellent. Almost nothing could dull or ruin this blade.”
I quickly checked over the blade’s options: everything was marked with ‘???’. Damn System.
“Just letting you know, but I ruined many hammers on that thing.”
“…Definitely a sword worth having. You cut through that iron rod as if it were a radish.”
I could tell it was a very well-made sword, even if I couldn’t see its options. The problem was that it was just too damn short!
I checked it over a few more times, feeling the urge to hit my forehead repeatedly against a wall.
It was a very, very well-made sword, and its design was also gorgeous, but that length caused by the lack of materials was just too much. Had the blade been longer than 50 cm, it would have at least been usable.
“Hey, Hanta. You there?”
“…?”
As I was lost in lamentation, a familiar voice reached my ears.
“Windhand?”
“Huh? What? Why are you here…? Ah, it looks like the Lord let Hanta forge it.”
“Suriya.”
“Yeah.”
“Why did you come here? Shouldn’t you go make some money?”
“I'm not doing that today. I’m bringing those landlubbers back to the mainland. And… Well, I stopped by to tell you I don’t have any money to give you. I won’t be able to help out for at least a few days.”
“What?”
“Sorry.”
“Tsk, whatever. If you say you can’t help, there must be a reason for it.”
By the way, why was the conversation between the craftsman and Windhand so loud?
Barely suppressing the urge to cry, I put the blade into its special sheath.
While the blade was dark blue, the scabbard was gray-white with an ivory texture and decorated with gold, lending it a certain charm. Looking at it, I wanted to cry even more.
Why did this have to happen to me?
“…I’ll take it as is.”
But in the end, there was only one choice I could make in this situation.
No matter how hard I try to think about it, I couldn’t use it with this length… However, just because I couldn’t use it didn’t mean it was useless.
The old man’s gaze landed on me again.
“Then get out.”
A really cold treatment.
“Right. Let’s go, Mister.”
No, wait. I still had some business left to do.
Clatter.
I put my hand into my bag for a moment, took something out, and placed it on the desk. A clear, crisp sound came from the pouch I’d dropped, making it evident that it contained something metallic.
“…?”
“For your trouble.”
I didn’t particularly like its length, but it was a very well-made sword, so I should at least give him a tip.