In the capital, there was a certain blacksmith. He was a stickler and would only give swords to those he approved of. Known as Gantetsu, he was an experienced blacksmith. His shop had no name, and most people were turned away at the door, so very few even bothered to visit.
If you looked, you’d see almost no customers.
The interior was like a run-down shack. Various weapons lay around, never having found an owner, just gathering dust.
A blacksmith with no customers and no one seeking his wares.
Gantetsu felt both sadness and pity. In this age, there were no young people he felt he could entrust his swords to from the bottom of his heart. As a child, his dream was to make weapons for heroes, dedicating his soul to that craft.
Over time, he had become a skilled blacksmith, but he could no longer create the weapons he sought. There was no one he felt he could truly entrust a sword to.
He was still searching, and his shop was always open. Yet, no one came. No one sought him out.
(Today too, no one.)
Day after day, his hopes and expectations remained unfulfilled. Today, again, no one came. With white hair and black eyes, the stubborn old blacksmith felt outdated and mocked himself.
Night was approaching, and he was about to close the shop when… someone stepped in. A man with black hair and black eyes. He had sharp eyes that seemed to assess Gantetsu. Silently, the man looked at the swords.
“……”
“……”
(Who is this guy…?)
Usually, Gantetsu was the one assessing others, but now the roles were reversed. The man simply looked, then sighed deeply.
(This guy…!)
That sigh deeply wounded Gantetsu’s pride. No, it was unforgivable. A completely unknown Holy Knight, with some spirit but still young and inexperienced. For such a person to be disappointed in him, a seasoned blacksmith, felt like an insult.
The man turned to leave.
“Wait, kid.”
“…What?”
The man turned back to look at Gantetsu. His eyes were so unusual that Gantetsu gulped. They seemed to say, “Hurry up. I have no business with you.”
“What do you mean, ‘what’?”
“…I have no business here. This was the wrong place, that’s all.”
The man’s energy was entirely different. While it was the greatest insult to Gantetsu, to the man it was just a matter of fact. “This place is too small for me,” his eyes seemed to say. “There’s no sword here worthy of me.”
The man turned to leave again.
“I’ll come again. I’ll buy a sword then.”
“…!”
(Does he mean I should have a sword worthy of him by then!?)
More than anger, it was astonishment. Never had he been looked down upon like this. Few knew of this place anymore, but anyone who saw the swords would recognize their quality.
But even so, it wasn’t enough. “Not worthy of me,” he said. So, make one that is.
Arrogant, unreasonable, and greedy—these words filled Gantetsu’s mind. It was infuriating. He should have turned him away forever.
But strangely, he wanted to forge a sword. No one had ever been so bold before.
The black-haired man was already gone.
Preparing for their next encounter, Gantetsu reignited the forge’s flames.
◆
Hmm, I woke up. They said I was nearly dead from blood loss. Oh, I was that close to dying, huh? Wow, that’s a lot of blood I lost. Interesting.
──But there’s something more important.
This bed is uncomfortable!
I don’t know where I am, but this bed isn’t great. Dr. Ector’s infirmary beds were way better.
Waking up after massive blood loss on a bad bed is just… well, I won’t complain to the person who took care of me. But this bed…
If I ever wake up after losing a lot of blood again, I’d prefer a fluffy bed. I won’t say it out loud, but it’s a personal preference.
Anyway, now that I’m up, I guess I’ll head back. That last battle was intense. Stabbed in the right leg… wait?
Didn’t Master Yururu give me a lap pillow… I rested my head on the spot where I got stabbed this time…?
This is bad, right? It’s like opening Master Yururu’s Pandora’s box.
There’s always a twist.
The enemy was hiding in a gold coin… and I remember that line:
[Yes. So, I’ll hide it with my hand!]
Master Yururu said that while giving me a lap pillow. So, hiding the eyes means don’t rely on them. What you see isn’t everything. Some events can’t be handled with sight alone. Like the skeleton boss hidden out of view.
This is crazy. Master Yururu’s twist extends even to unseen places. Proof enough.
Believe it or not, it’s up to me. I believe! Master Yururu!
Wow, just wow. Maybe Arthur overshadowed the importance of the event, but the lap pillow was a solid twist. And I didn’t catch it but reflected it in the event.
This is the bond between master and apprentice. Mutual understanding, knowing each other inside out, right?
I’ll keep following you, Master Yururu!!
I got a reward from that guy named Gene. I received a bit more than the others. He said it was thanks for showing him something good. Honestly, I’m happy. I wanted a new weapon. Finally, a new weapon is coming my way.
It’s normal for a protagonist, isn’t it? Getting a new weapon, a long-awaited upgrade event. There’s a weapons shop I’ve had my eye on for a while.
On my way back, I eat a ham and lettuce sandwich. Ese is talking about something. Free city? Ah, I’ve been curious about that. Maybe my next adventure is in a dungeon.
It’s common for a protagonist to dive into a dungeon. There’s a chance my story will pick up speed from there. Next time I have a long break, I’ll check it out.
Once we arrive at the capital, I head straight to the shop I’ve been interested in. It’s really old, dirty, unclean, and run-down. I’m a neat freak, so I’d never want to live in such a place, but sometimes you find good swords in places like this.
I’m smart, so I know these things.
I enter and look at the swords. There’s a guy at the back who looks like a true craftsman. He gives off vibes like a high-end sushi chef in Ginza.
Now, which one should I get? I’ve never been here before, so I’m not sure.
I usually don’t go into stores if I don’t plan to buy anything because it feels rude to the shopkeeper (sudden good manners).
Oh, this one looks nice. Let’s buy it… What? No way! It’s too expensive! Even with today’s special reward, I can’t afford it!
Sigh, that’s disappointing. I thought I could buy it… No, I feel bad for the shopkeeper. I made it seem like I was going to buy it but didn’t (sudden good manners again).
“What’s this? What are you doing?”
“…I’ve got no business here. It was a mistake, that’s all.”
Yeah, it was a real mistake. I don’t have enough money. I’ll come back and buy it next time, okay, old man?
I leave the shop.
Maybe that place… isn’t a hidden gem after all. It might just be a struggling shop.
Like a café someone started after quitting their job because their wife left them… There weren’t any customers, and the one who showed up didn’t buy anything. No wonder he’s in a bad mood.
The high prices might be because he needs to charge that much to survive… Did I do something bad?
I’ll buy something next time. Like a treasure hunter who discovers hidden gems, if I, the protagonist, use a sword from here, the shop will surely become famous! Next time, I’ll definitely buy something.
“Fei.”
“…What is it?”
I realized Arthur was behind me. What’s she doing here? What are the chances we’d run into each other in a place like this? Is he stalking me? Bowlan is here too.
“Good job on the mission.”
“…State your business. That can’t be all you came for.”
“Well, actually… there’s someone suspicious hanging around you, so be careful.”
That’s you.
“I’ve confirmed multiple stalkers following you.”
That’s you and Bowlan.
“…Got it.”
“Yeah. Be careful.”
“More importantly, let’s go eat! Come on, let’s eat!”
“No.”
“Oh, come on! Let’s go eat!”
“Then go by yourselves.”
“Oh, come on! Let’s go eat!”
Bowlan is persistent. How badly does she want to go eat? Is she a ‘let’s go eat’ bot? Just when I was getting annoyed, Bowlan grabbed my arm.
“Alright, let’s go. I want to hear about your mission!”
“Then I’m coming too. I’m curious.”
Now they’re fully planning on going.
“Fei, do you like meat?”
“…Why are we talking like I’m going? I said I’m not going.”
“But I know you’ll come, Fei. You’re kind… But if you’re embarrassed to go with an older girl, you can run away.”
What’s with that… It feels like the older girl-next-door type who’s really good at handling things…
That’s so annoying. Her good looks make it even more irritating. It’s not like I’m blushing or anything. But the way she says, ‘You can run away if you want,’ ticks me off. Fine, I’ll go.
“…You two really know how to make things difficult for me.”
“Yes!”
Well, it’s fine. The cool type of protagonist can go out to eat and still be okay.
“Fei, are you… a tsundere ♂?”
“…”
I’ll definitely get her back someday.
◆
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT GADGETIZEDPANDA.COM
──A major event was starting in a different place from where Fei and his friends were.
“Oh, I found you ♪”
In a place that looked like a cage, a girl with blonde hair tinged with blood-red eyes grabbed a man by the collar. Her beautiful face twisted into a deranged smile, exuding an eerie aura.
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continue
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“W-What are you doing!”
“Oh, I just thought I’d kill you ♪ But before that… I’ll take a little peek ♪”
She touched his forehead with her left hand.
“I see… so this is it… Even if the rumors say you’re kind, what you’re doing is despicable. Humans are so interesting ♪ Including you ♪”
“Are you going to kill me?”
“Of course ♪ Compared to what you’ve done, dying is a small price to pay.”
“I-I did it for the future, for the people!! I did what I had to for the future!!”
“Sigh… Eternal engines, people like you, you’re all trash ♪ I’m trash too ♪ In the end, whether inherently good or not, with or without the guise of justice, people always find a reason to oppress others. Well, it doesn’t matter anymore ♪”
She pointed her sword at him. With a stab, blood sprayed from his face like a fountain.
“Sigh… I crave battles, deathmatches, fights that make my soul boil over… I hope the next one is more exciting…”
The girl, seemingly unsatisfied, left the cage-like area. The girls who had been captured there were no longer breathing.
“Well, it’s fine… As a mercy…”
She waved her right arm. Light filled the area, cleansing something. Then, she swung her arm again, gathering an immense light.
The place disappeared without a trace.
──A new mission was issued. A mission to attack True. An improbable reunion caused by an anomaly, stirring up a great wave.
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