After entrusting Count Python with the variable, I ran into an unexpected person on my way back.
Not a dangerous opponent. Well, in a sense, you could say he is dangerous.
“Oh, Johan. You haven’t been showing up lately. What have you been up to?”
“And what brings you all the way out here, Professor Georg? This place is far from the academy.”
“Hmm, I was running low on my food supplies, so I came out to restock.”
“Were there actually edible things besides coffee?”
“I’m human too……”
Can you really call someone like that human?
A guy who tries to stick a needle into people’s necks every chance he gets?
“Ahem, Johan. I hate to say this, but you should be more careful about who you hang out with.”
“So you saw me with Count Python.”
“Ahem, hmm……”
He doesn’t look it, but he’s quite a sly one.
“Don’t worry. It was official business. You know I’m part of the knight order, right?”
“Oh, I see. But if it’s a knight duty, then don’t tell me……”
“I came with a warrant.”
“And he accepted that?”
“He has to. If he doesn’t, the Guillotine Knights will move.”
I mixed a bit of truth and lies to smooth things over. Still, it would sound pretty grim if I said I came to deliver a death sentence.
“Well, if that’s the case, fine.”
Professor Georg shrugged with a grin. He could’ve just passed by, but it seems he was worried about me.
Even if he doesn’t show it, he’s a rather unsettling person.
“Alright, I’ll get going. Come by the workshop once you’re done with your business.”
“I’ll think about it.”
Attendance is already a hassle. Do I really need to go all the way to the workshop and do odd jobs?
Honestly, I’m not sure.
Now that I’ve resolved most of my problems, going to the workshop feels more like an obligation than anything else.
Well, either way, I’ll decide once things are settled.
***
Meanwhile, Lobelia and Yuna were being bombarded with questions from Cintia.
“Wow, that really happened? Well, if that’s the case, I guess it makes sense you’d look like that.”
After hearing about Yuna’s background, Cintia let out a sincere note of admiration.
If a cowardly, self-preserving, and selfish man throws himself into danger to save someone, it’s bound to be a moving story.
That’s how Cintia listened to Yuna’s story, deeply impressed.
With her motivation for work further heightened, she lightly nudged the stiffened Lobelia and asked,
“And you?”
“I’ve already told you. I don’t particularly like Johan.”
“Sure, sure. I’ll hear the rest later when no one else is around. Honestly, my little sister doesn’t look like it, but she’s quite shy.”
“No! That’s not it?!”
“Right, right.”
Lobelia shuddered, while Yuna watched her with an expressionless face. To anyone else, it would’ve been a suffocating atmosphere. But for Cintia, a complete outsider, it was nothing short of entertaining.
“Well then, shall we get started?”
“……Please, as soon as possible.”
“Alright, alright. You know this was all necessary, right? I need to know what kind of people you are to make proper weapons for you.”
“……”
She wasn’t wrong.
You need to know why a weapon is needed in the first place.
On top of that, the user’s personality and preferences matter too. Only then can you create a weapon that truly suits them.
“First, step back a bit. You might get burned if you stay too close.”
“As if that would—”
“Well, I wouldn’t be so sure about that.”
With a sly grin at Lobelia’s indifferent expression, Cintia unleashed her ability onto her palm.
“That’s…!”
Lobelia had no way of knowing what kind of ability Cintia possessed.
After all, Cintia had left the imperial palace before Lobelia was old enough to remember.
Beyond that, she was a person shrouded in mystery in many ways.
Lobelia had even considered the possibility that she never awakened an ability at all. Just like Lapis.
But only now did Lobelia realize why Cintia’s power had remained hidden.
“Hellfire. The same damned ability as that father of ours. In the end, we really are family. We can’t help but resemble him.”
The one and only person who had perfectly inherited Emperor Abraham’s power.
In terms of legitimacy, Cintia was more suited than any other member of the imperial family.
That is why she never revealed her ability to the outside world. If this fact had become known, it was obvious things would’ve gotten even more troublesome than with Theseus.
Just looking at how Theseus ended up returning to the imperial palace of his own accord made that clear enough.
“Do you think I became a Meister for nothing?”
The hellfire blooming in her palm spread into the furnace.
Infused with the power of destruction, the heat wasn’t just hot. It was sharp and stinging, forcing Lobelia to step back.
At the same time, she couldn’t help but focus on the furnace imbued with Cintia’s power.
The power of destruction destroys everything it touches. That should’ve applied even to the crude-looking furnace right in front of her.
“Fascinating, right? From the furnace to the anvil, even down to simple tongs…I made all of it myself. It took me over three years just to make these.”
“How…?”
“They say iron gets stronger the more you hammer it, don’t they?”
Cintia placed iron ore into the furnace.
Crack!
Unable to withstand the power of destruction, the iron ore split into small fragments before finally beginning to melt.
“I started at lower temperatures and gradually conditioned it. Of course, stuff like iron ore is easy to work with. If you keep repeating the process of melting and solidifying it, it naturally seems to build resistance.”
“So that’s why the weapons you make are considered masterpieces…”
Metal refined to withstand the power of destruction. There was no way it could be on the same level as ordinary iron.
“Hey now, that’s a bit disappointing to hear. If all I had was refining skill, how could I be called a master craftsman?”
Cintia showed Lobelia a confident smile.
“I’ll make you the finest weapon.”
Seeing that smile, Lobelia realized something.
The woman before her was no longer part of the imperial family.
Neither her red hair nor her destructive power defined her anymore.
No matter what traits she possessed, what stood before her now was simply a craftsman who had found her own path.
***
“Phew…”
After finishing the forging,
Cintia sank down with a soft sigh. It was so hot that even her breath carried embers.
“That wraps up the forging. Since you two told me such interesting stories, I think I ended up making something pretty worthwhile.”
On top of the anvil lay pieces of iron, still glowing red.
“The rest is just making the handle and putting it together, so let’s take it easy. It’s already getting late.”
“Thank you for your hard work.”
“Wow! I’ve never used such a high-end weapon before! Thank you so much!”
“Yeah, yeah. Where else would you ever get the chance to handle a weapon like this?”
Cintia watched the two, their faces bright with excitement, and smiled with clear satisfaction.
“Oh, and you over there. Your name was… what was it again? Anyway, you.”
“Ah! It’s Dietrich.”
“You’re a hassle, so just pick a sword lying around nearby and take it.”
“Ah….”
Dietrich, who had been watching the forging process with growing anticipation, slumped.
Of course, the finished pieces were undoubtedly excellent as well.
But after watching the earlier process, his expectations had only grown.
“Why not hear this one’s story as well?”
“Where have you been wandering off to? Do you have any idea how much work this takes?”
Cintia frowned at Johan, who had shown up late and was now making suggestions. The story she had heard earlier was interesting, but that was separate from the fact that she didn’t like him.
What was lacking in her younger sister that she’d fall for a guy like that?
“Maybe it could spark some new inspiration?”
“Hmm? I doubt it.”
“I guarantee your opinion will change if you hear it.”
“Well then, go ahead and ramble while I take a break.”
“Understood. Dietrich? You’re okay with this, right?”
“Uh, I’m not sure what this is about, but if it’s something you’re doing, senior, then I’m fine with it. I’ll leave it to you!”
“Good. Just trust me.”
And so, Johan’s embellished story began.
***
I had a rough grasp of what kind of person Cintia was. She was someone bored with life, chasing after dopamine.
Stirring the emotions of someone like her was simple.
A bit of skillful embellishment.
A performance filled with grief, delivered through carefully chosen lines.
“In the end, Dietrich had no choice but to decide….his friend, or his friend’s younger sister.”
“Damn… that’s rough.”
“In the end, Dietrich picked up his sword. Because he knew that was the only thing he could do for his longtime friend.”
“How could he….”
Cintia covered her mouth like a young girl, her feet tapping restlessly.
The audience’s reaction felt vivid and real.
“In the end, Dietrich drove his blade into his friend with the very swordsmanship he had honed to one day help him.”
“Ah!”
“And so, Dietrich….”
By the time the story reached its end, Cintia was already gripping a hammer.
It seemed the fire that had gone out in her had been lit once more.
“Don’t worry, I’ll make you the finest weapon! You punk! If you had a story like that, you should’ve said so sooner!”
“Ah, yes….”
“Heh, that lukewarm expression must mean you still haven’t shaken off your grief, right? I understand it all.”
That lukewarm look was probably just genuine awkwardness. Though the story had been somewhat embellished, Cintia had already come to see herself as someone who understood Dietrich.
“Dietrich, I’m sorry. I went and spun your story however I liked. But you did say you wanted to become stronger.”
“Huh? Ah, yes?”
Feigning guilt, I patted Dietrich on the shoulder with a stiff expression.
Dietrich looked completely confused, but what did it matter.
It was true that I had talked about his past, and while I didn’t feel entirely sorry, it wasn’t like I felt nothing either.
It was also true that Dietrich had said he wanted to grow stronger.
Even if I had added some embellishment, I didn’t lie, and I had even asked beforehand if it was okay to talk about it.
“Alright, shall we get to work before the furnace dies down?”
All’s well that ends well, right?
“But what about you?”
“Huh?”
At that moment, Cintia who had been stoking the furnace back to life looked at me with sparkling eyes.
What is with this relentless busybody? She really doesn’t know when to stop.
“What about you? I mean, I’m curious about your story too.”
“…I already have more than enough weapons, so I’m fine.”
“Weapons aren’t what matter.”
That’s a strange thing for a blacksmith to say.
“It’s the story that matters.”
How long is that thing going to take to heat up?
I just wish she’d stop talking and get to work already.
“You’re not planning to spill someone else’s life story and then leave yourself out of it, are you?”
Well, when you put it like that, I don’t really have a comeback…
***
When we stepped out of Cintia’s workshop.
There was now an additional sword strapped to my waist.
“Look on the bright side, Johan. You got something you couldn’t buy even with money.”
“That’s true. It wasn’t even something I had planned to buy in the first place.”
Cintia was ruthless.
Saying it was part of the process of forging the sword, she pried into all sorts of things.
What was even more annoying was how obvious her uncanny sense of empathy was.
She really has no sense of restraint.
“Good thing it’s all stuff everyone here already knows.”
My face felt completely flushed.
Why did I have to explain the story of my first kiss with my own mouth…
“…I don’t even know if I’ll ever get a chance to use this.”
I took out the pure white sword Cintia had forged and stared at it for a moment.
The smooth blade reflected the moonlight. Maybe it’s because it was made by a master, but it really is beautiful.
Then I took out the demonic sword and compared the two.
“……”
I felt sorry for Senior Javir and Professor Georg, but I couldn’t help thinking it might be okay to part ways with this vicious thing now.
Honestly, the look of it is a bit much.
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