episode_0045

I released my stance and looked at Evan.

“Why are you here?”

“Me? The professor said that an inspector shouldn’t be without a decent weapon, so he gave me a voucher for this place.”

Ah, right. I forgot about that.

Since Evan is the main character, he gets all sorts of things from the people around him. The [Orange Smithy] voucher is one of those cases. He got it by making a pretty impressive impression on the professor.

But the voucher isn’t for a high grade. The smithy’s prices are hefty, so even the professor couldn’t just hand them out recklessly.

“Did you come alone?”

“No, I came with Veil. He said he’s been here before and would show me around. He’s getting his equipment serviced downstairs right now. But what brings you here, Brother?”

“Same reason as you.”

“Whoa! You too, Brother…!”

Evan’s eyes sparkled. Just then, a roar erupted from the side.

“Get out of the way and stop bothering me, you rascal!”

It was a dwarf. Evan then stuck to him with a suave attitude.

“How can you say that when my brother is here? And Gramps, I’m upset that you’re suddenly acting cold when you were so kind earlier.”

“Who are you calling Gramps! I’m still a vibrant 100 years old!”

Dwarves live as long as elves, so 100 years old is young for them.

“By human standards, you’re already a grandpa.”

“Bah! Get lost and stop bothering me!”

He knocked Evan away from the scarecrow.

“I’ll just watch, just watch.”

“Just try bothering me again. I might just break your weapon!”

“…Okay.”

Seeing that scene, Evan must have already passed the test and started making his weapon. After that, Evan approached my group.

“Lana-senpai! Ellaime-nunim! It’s good to see you!”

“Hello, Evan-hubae?”

“It’s been a while.”

Leaving the three of them to exchange greetings, I stood in front of the scarecrow again.

“There was an unexpected disturbance, now try again.”

“Yes.”

With a slightly softened tone, I took my stance again. And slowly, I drew up mana.

The mana flowed calmly. Sword energy formed on the sword, my senses expanded, and the surrounding conditions were transmitted.

The first thing I felt was the condition of the scarecrow. The scarecrow, said to be made of iron, far surpassed the strength of ordinary iron. Judging by its hardness, it seemed to be an alloy of several metals.

Next, I felt the condition of the sword. This sword is by no means a good sword. The blade is completely dull, lacking any sharpness, and the center of gravity is off, making it unable to cut even wood.

It would probably break into pieces after a few swings. Whoever made it, it was terribly crude.

According to my experience and intuition, I can’t cut that scarecrow with this sword. It’ll shatter with just a little force, so how am I supposed to cut it?

Even so, I have to do it. This is a test to see how well I understand the sword.

In fact, this crude sword has a very cleverly crafted part. It’s only 1cm, but if handled well, it can make a scratch on that alloy scarecrow.

Some might ask if it’s unfair. If I fail, shouldn’t I just go back?

But no. The fact that I’m taking this test means that I’ve been recognized to some extent, and they won’t send me back easily.

It’s a surprisingly unknown fact, but dwarves treat their favorite people more curtly. Once you pass the test, they start giving you things like crazy. Evan went through the same process.

I calmed my scattered mind and put a moderate amount of force into my shoulders and arms.

This test is also a process of finding a sword that suits me.

Dwarves are as good at appraising people’s emotions as they are at appraising objects. If you show them mediocre swordsmanship, they’ll make a sword of that level.

I didn’t come to the Orange Smithy to make such a worthless weapon.

Therefore.

‘I put everything into it.’

I focused all my attention on the sword. I gathered all the understanding of the sword that I possessed. And I squeezed out as much power as I could with this wretched body, and swung it.

Whoosh-!

The sword drew a line and came down.

The alloy scarecrow was cleanly split in half.

Crackle-

The sword, unable to withstand the force, turned to dust and disappeared.

“Hoo…”

I lowered my arm and exhaled. Applause erupted from behind.

“Whoa! Brother!”

“Kyle, awesome!”

Those were the first two to react. They were as happy as if it were their own accomplishment.

Ellaime was a little dazed. She had recognized the countless principles contained in the sword. Well, like magic, she didn’t ask about it separately.

I looked at the dwarf.

“Are you satisfied now?”

“Well done. I am Brand.”

“Nice to meet you.”

Brand, who introduced himself, held out his hand, and I grabbed his palm.

“You don’t have any calluses, so they’re soft, but they’re good hands.”

He fiddled with my hand and praised me.

“Thank you.”

He smiled contentedly at my words, let go of my hand, and said.

“Follow me. I’ll show you around. Lana, lead the way so we don’t get lost. We’re going underground.”

“Yes, Mister!”

Brand, who said that, strode forward. His legs were short, but his pace was fast.

“Follow me! The path to the underground is complicated.”

So we moved, following Lana.

The [Orange Smithy]’s furnace is fueled by a special stone called ‘Dragon’s Breath’. The temperature alone is basically thousands of degrees. But if they did that on the surface, everything around them would burn from the heat.

Let alone doing that in the middle of the capital? The dwarf race would soon be kicked out of the empire, not to mention becoming enemies of the empire.

So the furnace is installed deep underground with a special design that controls the flow of heat.

As a result, the path to the bottom is not easy. The smithy’s underground passage was notorious, to the point where even people who had been there several times would always get lost.

Moreover, the heat gets worse as you go underground.

“I just came here earlier, but I feel like I’m going to get cooked.”

“Don’t be so dramatic.”

“That’s because you haven’t been here before, Brother. It’s so hot. I don’t know how you old guys can stand the heat.”

“You guys are just weak!”

Brand roared.

That’s because dwarves are inherently sturdy. It’s no wonder they can drink so much fire liquor and be fine. Drinking 10 containers of that stuff when they’re resting. They really are a crazy race.

“Wait. We can’t just go from here.”

He stopped at a certain point. Then he opened a box stored next to him and handed out rings to each person.

“It’s hot down here. Too hot for you youngsters to handle.”

He explained the situation below and warned them not to take off the rings.

This is a magic tool that radiates cold air around the body to protect it from the heat. It’s the dwarves’ consideration for weak humans.

“So Kyle, don’t take this off. Okay?”

Lana put the ring on my finger herself.

“Don’t worry about me, put yours on first.”

“U-Um…”

She was good at putting it on me, but Lana blushed as soon as she did.

Brand seemed unhappy with the sight and shouted for no reason.

“Okay, stand here!”

Following his instructions, I stood on the platform, and Brand roughly kicked the wall.

Woong-!

The floor vibrated slightly, and the platform began to descend with a floating sensation.

“What is this…”

“Ugh, I still can’t get used to this.”

Ellaime, who was riding an elevator for the first time, was startled, and Evan’s reaction wasn’t great either.

“Huh? Kyle’s fine? This elevator is the only one here, so I was surprised at first.”

“I’m fine. How about you, Lana?”

“I’ve ridden it several times, so I’m okay!”

I thought it was odd that superhumans who could split rocks would be surprised, but elevators are not a well-known technology. Why use them when there’s magic? And the feeling when you go down is a little strange.

The platform went straight down for a long time. Had we moved about 500m? Small gaps formed between the platforms, and orange light leaked out from below.

Soon, the color filled our vision, and a huge furnace spewing flames appeared.

“Welcome to the birthplace of Orange.”

It is said that the blacksmith god was born from that crimson flame. Therefore, orange is also called the god of fire.

Clang, clang!

The sound of metal clashing echoed from everywhere. Dwarves were working around the furnace.

-Hey, you old geezer! Be careful when you move things! You’re interfering with my work!

-Mind your own damn business! Before I cut off your hands!

In addition to the sound of metal, there were also sounds of fighting everywhere. Maybe it’s because they do rough work, but their voices are amazing.

Thud! In the meantime, the platform reached the floor.

“Hey! Stop fighting and see who’s here! Lana’s here!”

At that moment, the work stopped as if on cue. All that could be heard was the sound of air being supplied to the furnace.

Almost all the dwarves looked this way at the same time. At the same time, a voice erupted.

“Lana, you little rascal! I almost forgot your face!”

“You’re too late! It’s been so boring without you!”

Even though they said that, all the dwarves welcomed her. Of course, we… weren’t even noticed.

“Oh my, who is this? Isn’t it our Lana?”

“Hey, you old geezer! There’s no ‘us’ here!”

“You! Are you trying to fight me right now!”

Lana, seeing the fighting scene, asked Brand.

“Mister. Have I been away for too long?”

“That’s part of it, but recently, there have been more requests for equipment, so they’re on edge. More importantly, let’s ignore those guys and go in, Lana.”

“But the greetings…”

“You can do it later. They can’t come anyway because they’re working.”

“Hmm, okay!”

Brand led us to a building next to the furnace.

“Brand, you rascal! Leave Lana alone!”

“Keep working! The iron’s getting cold, you old geezer!”

The desperate shouts coming from behind were naturally ignored. It’s not like they would come running anyway. To them, there’s nothing more embarrassing than failing to complete their work.

Brand slammed the door!

Clang, clang!

The sound of metal could be heard from the inner room, which was separated by a single wall.

“Torca, we have a guest! You’re lucky today. Someone even better than that punk from earlier has come!”

Clang….

The hammering stopped at Brand’s shout. A sonorous voice flowed out.

“Come in.”

The wall was open without a door, so we just went in. When we entered, a rather bizarre sight unfolded.

Various weapons neatly arranged and hung on the wall. Air purifiers installed on the ceiling. The area around the furnace was spotless. Unlike the smithy outside, this place was disgustingly clean.

At the center was a dwarf, unlike any dwarf I had ever seen, with a neatly trimmed beard. Of course, his beard was still full.

“Torca-ajussi, hello!”

“Oh, Lana. It’s been 3 months since I saw you.”

He greeted Lana warmly.

“I don’t know who you are, but I’m glad to see the other kids too. But who is the guest?”

“This guy. He’s the one called the Arden’s Executioner.”

“Executioner… was he the first son of Dekal?”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Kyle Arden.”

I gave a short bow.

“Come here.”

When he called, I approached him. Then he began to grope my body here and there.

“Oho.”

The dwarf exclaimed every time he moved his hand. Next, he handed me a sword.

“Swing it in your usual stance.”

I nodded and immediately took a stance and swung it.

Swaek!

The sound of tearing air fluttered in the air. It seemed like it would blow away everything in front of it, but the wind pressure only lingered in the space it cut.

“As expected, he’s not ordinary enough for Brand to praise so highly. A monster even greater than Veil has been born.”

“Right? These two youngsters are worth making things for.”

Brand patted me and Evan on the shoulder. Evan smiled and said, as if he liked the sound of it.

“Haha, Kyle-hyung is amazing.”

“Don’t belittle yourself. You are no less excellent than him. More than that….”

Torca stroked his beard and began to ponder.

“I don’t know what kind of sword I should make for him. He seems to be able to use all the principles as if they were his own, and the depth is endless.”

“It’s the same feeling I had. That’s right, if we made a mediocre weapon, he would definitely break it soon.”

“Unless it’s a holy sword. There are many options. It would be a waste to make a sword specialized in one type. And it doesn’t necessarily have to be a sword.”

As expected, it was the observational skill of the first dwarf.

“It’s harder than when I made the holy sword.”

“At least you had a blueprint then.”

After that, the two dwarves discussed for a long time. Then they asked me.

“If you have any desired conditions or shapes, please tell us. You can also talk about the swordsmanship you often use.”

“I don’t care about the shape. It can be a greatsword or a dao. Anything is fine as long as it’s sharp and strong.”

What’s important to me is a sword that can handle my power. I don’t care about the ego or abilities that reside in the sword.

“Hmm, then the most ordinary shape would be good, but.”

“Sharp and strong…. Ordinary materials won’t work. But the rare metals have almost been used up….”

“Ah, I think I can help with the materials.”

I took out the pebble I had been keeping in my pocket. No, it couldn’t be seen as a pebble anymore. The blackened metal absorbed light like a black hole, making me wonder if it really existed in this place.

“What is this…?”

“Hmm…?”

And when the two meisters saw this, a hint of interest arose in their eyes.