◆ Royal Capital of Kashiram, Hans’s Workshop ◆
“Where did you hear about this place? Get out!”
As soon as I stepped into the workshop, filled with the pungent smell of iron and earth, a bottle was hurled at me. It shattered against the wall near the entrance without hitting us, but that was the least of my concerns. I was more shocked than anything else.
“I’m not forging weapons anymore! Can’t you see I’m closing up shop?!”
The reason I had come to visit this grumpy old man with white-streaked hair parted down the middle was, of course, to have Disballade reforged. According to Seigel, this Hans is one of the top three craftsmen in the world, with bookings full for the next three years. Alongside Borg, who forged Tiferia’s weapon, Twilight Bringer, Hans is said to have crafted the spear Grand Run, wielded by the A-Rank adventurer of this country. Seigel explained that most famous adventurers, aside from Baran of the Demon Race who doesn’t use weapons at all, have their gear made by renowned craftsmen like him.
He also lectured me, a girl, that a man who can’t discern a good weapon is unfit to be a warrior. But when I heard that Seigel’s weapon was made by a famous craftsman, only to be told it was bought from a weapon shop, I felt a little irritated. What is up with that guy?
When I asked Seigel about skilled blacksmiths, he mentioned Hans. I didn’t know much about blacksmiths, but I wondered if they were all like this—throwing bottles at customers. With his flushed face and drunken demeanor, he hardly looked capable of forging weapons.
“Um, excuse me. We came to ask Hans to reforge our weapons…”
“You little brat! Were you not listening? Sit there and I’ll kill you!”
“Yikes! Lua-chan, come over here!”
“Hey! Enough already!”
A sharp smack echoed through the room as a woman, presumably his wife, struck Hans on the head. She looked considerably younger than him, with healthy brown hair tied back, and her slap seemed to have quite the effect. Hans cradled his head in pain.
“Ouch… what the hell was that for?”
“Are you really so stupid as to take your anger out on a child?! If you don’t want to forge, then stop sitting around in this workshop!”
“It’s my business! Damn it, that hurt! I was just trying to scare them!”
“That was more than just a scare… You were more intimidating than the average monster…”
Kurinka was readying her Fire Rod, so it must have been quite the scene. Hans’s wife smacked him again, finally calming the situation. I felt a little sorry for Hans as he teared up, but it was clear he needed a wake-up call.
“I’m so sorry about this, you two. Ever since our daughter ran away, he’s been like this.”
“Shut up! That’s not the issue! I’m not forging anything anymore!”
“Then why are you still here?!”
“Ugh!”
I was overwhelmed by the rapid-fire exchange. Hans curled up on the floor, crying like a child. Marriage is supposed to be between people who love each other, but I wondered if Hans really loved such a fierce woman.
“I’m so sorry you had to see this… His blacksmithing skills are world-class, you know. He used to have so many customers he barely had time to rest.”
“All those fools don’t understand what a weapon is. They’re satisfied with cheap junk sold on the street.”
“Even now, there are still people who recognize your value and come to see you!”
“Who knows about that…”
“Really… You wanted that runaway daughter to take over, didn’t you? That’s a big part of why he’s sulking.”
“She has nothing to do with this!”
I was lost in the conversation. One thing was clear: if this continued, I wouldn’t be able to get Disballade reforged. Seigel had introduced Hans as a miraculous blacksmith who could purify even cursed weapons. The Dragonfolk had said that humans couldn’t do anything about Demon Race weapons, but I didn’t want to give up. If Hans was truly that skilled, I wanted to ask him for help.
“Hans, please, can you help us? Lua-chan’s weapon is in terrible shape.”
“…By the way, do you know the going rate for me to forge a weapon?”
“Uh, no, I don’t…”
“Depending on the item and its condition, I charge at least 100,000 gold.”
“One hundred thousand?!”
In the past, that amount would have made us faint. It was a mystery how Kurinka could even consider it, but I was relieved it wasn’t an amount we couldn’t pay. However, 100,000 gold was still a sum that B-Rank adventurers would struggle to afford. And since he said “at least,” it was likely to go up depending on the conditions. The weapons sold at the weapon shop in the Kingdom of Avangarde were only a few thousand gold at most. With a few thousand gold, I thought I could live comfortably for nearly a year without doing anything. When I considered that, 100,000 gold seemed utterly outrageous. Yet, I realized that I was an A-Rank adventurer who could think of it as just a number. Seigel earned quite a bit, but it seemed to vanish quickly as he spent it on dates and gifts for girls. Kurinka had even told me not to become a reckless adult like him.
“Um, will this be enough?”
“Huh? Is that your allowance…?!”
“Are you okay?!”
As soon as I showed him the money in my bag, he lost his balance and fell to the floor in shock. What a dramatic person. It’s not like we were carrying over 1,000,000 gold or anything.
“W-What the hell?! Sit down! Tell me honestly! Where did you steal this from?! Speak the truth before sitting down!”
“We didn’t steal it! How rude!”
“We’re A-Rank adventurers, you know! We have plenty of money, so please, can you help us?”
“Impossible… No, I’ve heard that the age of adventurers is getting younger, but…”
“Please!”
“…A-Rank, huh? Well, that’s acceptable.”
Hans’s demeanor shifted completely from before, and he calmly sat back down on a round chair. He raised his thick black eyebrows slightly and looked at us intently.
“Do you know why this workshop of mine is so desolate?”
“No…”
“In recent years, the distribution of weapons has accelerated. The increase in adventurers is a major factor, but… Recently, more countries have begun to strengthen their military, increasing the demand for weapons. Weapons have always been expensive and not something anyone could easily afford. The mines that yield ore are limited, after all. But look at how it is now; every town has a weapon shop filled with cheap goods, right?”
“Now that you mention it…”
“There are various reasons why weapons can be easily obtained at low prices. One of them is that someone took notice of these recent circumstances. They built weapon factories all over and began mass-producing weapons to sell in the market. That in itself is fine, but the problem lies in the quality. There’s no way mass-produced items can be of good quality. It’s questionable whether they even use decent ore. Junk that doesn’t even look like a proper weapon is circulating, and on top of that, fools who can’t see through it are treating it like treasure. There are even wannabe adventurers who started just because they admired the S-Rank. It’s no wonder the number of foolish adventurers keeps increasing. Fewer and fewer people come to have their weapons forged by a blacksmith.”
“I see… But we came to see you, Hans.”
“Shut up and listen.”
Hans’s serious gaze was completely different from the wild man he had been moments ago. I didn’t quite understand what he was getting at, but it seemed best to stay quiet and listen. He had an air about him that suggested he might actually forge something for us.
“Reaching A-Rank means you must have some accomplishments. But to put it bluntly, I don’t want to forge weapons for just anyone. So, I’ll test you to see what you’re made of.”
“T-Test?! I don’t want to do anything difficult!”
“Lua-chan, I think you’re imagining the wrong kind of test…”
“If you pass this test, I’ll forge your weapon. How about it?”
Hans’s mischievous smile made me wonder if this was really necessary. I wasn’t even sure if he could reforge Disballade, and we didn’t have much time to waste. I wanted to head to the Demon Lord Castle as soon as possible, but here I was, stuck in this place.
“Lua-chan, shall we? After all, your one-of-a-kind sword might be revived!”
Kurinka exclaimed, striking a triumphant pose and urging me with a bright smile. She was clearly concerned about my inability to draw the Hero’s Sword. Since then, she had patted my head and comforted me countless times. That’s why she was so happy that this Disballade could officially become my sword. If that’s the case, I should do my best for my own sake.
“It seems like we’re going to do this.”
“Yes, I’ll do my best as much as I can.”
“Well, it’s not as exaggerated as a test. As I said, I’ve lost the will to forge weapons lately. But I can’t let this arm go to waste. I’ve passed fifty, and I don’t know how long I can keep all my limbs moving. So, here’s the deal.”
Hans raised a finger and smiled with his mouth closed. At this point, I could somewhat predict what was coming. I could guess the unreasonable challenge Hans was about to throw my way.
“Bring me anyone who is worthy to be my successor. Of course, they must have a sense of craftsmanship that is equal to or greater than mine.”
“…Huh?”
“What’s with that response? You sound like a flat beer. I’m giving you a chance here!”
I was certain of it now, seeing Hans’s mischievous smile. This man had no intention of reviving the weapon. He was just throwing unreasonable challenges to trouble others and send them away. I felt a light disappointment. I never imagined that a blacksmith recognized by Seigel and the world would be such a person. He hadn’t even done any blacksmithing and suddenly got angry at us for coming here, preparing some nonsensical challenge. The way he cheerfully shook the bottle of alcohol in his hand made it all too clear. It was outrageous; we didn’t come here just to play around.
“…Kurinka, let’s go. This is enough.”
“Huh? W-Why?”
“This man is just being mean. He has no intention of reviving my weapon at all.”
“That can’t be… Um, Hans-san. If we bring someone truly worthy of that condition, you will revive the weapon, right?”
“Yeah, a man never speaks twice.”
“…Understood.”
While I sighed deeply beside her, Kurinka pulled my hand and led me out of the workshop. Given her surprisingly calm demeanor, it seemed she had decided to give up.
◆ Royal Capital of Kashiram – Outside Hans’s Workshop ◆
“Let’s search. I’m really mad now.”
“Huh? Didn’t you say you were going to give up?”
“Aren’t you angry, Lua-chan?! I never thought one of the world-renowned blacksmiths would be such a person! At this point, I’m determined to bring someone who meets his conditions and make him eat his words!”
“Uh… But how do we do that…?”
“Lua-chan, you’re unbeatable in battle, but you get scared and give up so easily in situations like this. We’re Adventurers, right? So let’s walk on our own feet! Let’s search! Let’s gather information! Let’s do our best!”
Wow, Kurinka seemed to be fired up. A red flame of determination was blazing in her eyes. But even if we made him eat his words, it wouldn’t be that satisfying. Just imagining that old man being humbled was not exactly thrilling.
“Alright, first to the Adventurer’s Guild! Okay, hop on my back!”
“Huh?”
“Dash! Dash!”
Just like how the Wizard Kingdom moved with One Move, in the Royal Capital of Kashiram, you could pay to ride a Passiv. The fare was about the same as a meal, which was quite a sum, and I figured it would be faster and cheaper for me to carry her on my back. Moreover, it seemed that some people from other places charged even more, so we couldn’t let our guard down.
This country was greedy overall. Just passing through the market, I was grabbed by the arm and forcibly led to a shop, and everyone was desperately trying to sell something with sickly sweet flattery. I wondered if the Weapon Shop was like that too. If it was a place that tried to trick you into buying something that wasn’t worth it, I could understand why Hans had turned out this way.
“One candy that raises your level for 200 gold? Even a child wouldn’t fall for that, right, Lua-chan?”
“Eh?! Y-Yeah, that’s true.”
I could never tell Kurinka that I thought 200 gold might be worth it.
“Excuse me, you two?”
Just as I was about to hop on Kurinka’s back, Hans’s wife, Rama, stepped out of the workshop. I was so embarrassed that both of us instinctively stood upright and dashed away.
“I hadn’t introduced myself yet. I’m Rama, Hans’s wife. I’m sorry my husband was rude to you after you came all this way.”
“Oh, no. It’s fine.”
Kurinka, who had just been fired up, bowed gracefully, as if she had completely switched gears. This ability to adapt might be one of Kurinka’s subtle skills.
“About the conditions my husband set… There’s actually a reason behind it. Though he acts that way, he’s really worried about our daughter who ran away from home. You see, he recognized her talent for blacksmithing and wanted her to be his successor, but… she suddenly said she wanted to join a theater and become a dancer, which led to a huge fight. It’s been two years since she left home now…”
“Oh, I see. So Hans wants to bring back his runaway daughter?”
“Yes, he would never say it outright because of his personality. He pretends not to care, but I know he’s been going to the Guild to look for information about her. So, that’s why he set those conditions…”
“Understood. So we just need to find your daughter and bring her back, right?”
Rama nodded silently. I felt a bit relieved to see a path open up unexpectedly. As Kurinka said, if we just needed to bring back that daughter, there were plenty of ways to do it.
“Why are you telling us this?”
“Because everyone else gets angry and leaves before even hearing the conditions. Even if they do, they still get mad and leave. You two are the only ones who decided to take it on.”
That was close; if it had just been me, I definitely wouldn’t have made it this far. I doubted Kurinka had anticipated this, but at least she was calmer than I was. Ugh, I really couldn’t live without Kurinka.
“However, here’s the problem. I looked into the theater she wanted to join, but it seems there are no traces of her… I wonder where she is and what she’s doing…”
“What’s your daughter’s name?”
“Tatarka.”
Tatarka. We exchanged glances. I felt like I had heard that name somewhere before. Where was it? Where was it?
“Hey, Lua-chan. Tatarka is…”
“Oh, I remember! She was with Formas…”
Even though I should have seen a glimmer of hope, I couldn’t feel happy about it. In fact, I felt a sigh escape me.
“Ah… I hope she hasn’t fallen in with any bad company… She’s always been gullible…”
Considering Rama’s worries, it might be too cruel to confront them with the truth we knew. That’s why I couldn’t feel happy. We both sighed again in unison.
◆ Shin Report ◆
Pashiv, pashiv, pu pu, what a ridiculous creature it is.
With a horse’s head that shrinks and long legs, pu pu pu.
I mocked it, and it spat right in my face.
The smell won’t come off, it won’t come off.
To have that sword reforged by a human is foolish.
That’s not something a human can handle.
Didn’t you listen to the dragon folk’s stories?
Wasting effort, pu pu pu.
Especially on a human like that.
“Hey! Where did that winged brat go?! Peeking into my workshop!
I’ll make them sit in seiza and then kill them! Come out!”
In my excitement, I ended up hiding inside the workshop.
My head is spinning; help me!