Ch.133133. Gwendolyn’s Ensis Weapon Shop

“Gilbert!”

“Hmm…”

Lost in thought, Gilbert barely managed to regain his senses at Gwendolyn’s call.

Looking around with quick turns of his head, he noticed that the area around the shop was completely empty, with no sign of the many people who had been there earlier.

Gilbert shook his head, recognizing that he had been too deeply immersed in his thoughts. He was trying to shake off the unpleasant aftertaste of those thoughts.

“You waited long, didn’t you? I tried to finish as quickly as possible, but there were too many customers.”

“Is that so? That’s good news.”

“More importantly, please come in! I can’t keep such an honored guest outside!”

Gwendolyn grabbed Gilbert’s hand firmly and pulled him with force. Being a blacksmith who hammered iron for a living, she certainly had impressive strength in her pull.

Gilbert pretended to yield and followed her into her weapon shop.

Gwendolyn’s weapon shop, Ensis, was almost unchanged from his previous visit. The worn interior decorations, creaking floor, and smell of oil were all the same as before.

However, the display that had once been filled with swords was now completely empty, without a single blade remaining. Compared to just a few months ago when there wasn’t even an ant in the shop, let alone customers, this was truly remarkable progress.

“Business seems to be going well.”

“It’s all thanks to you, Gilbert. As soon as rumors spread that I was regularly supplying swords to House Hart, everyone became desperate to buy my swords! I’ve been making a lot of money because of it!”

Gwendolyn spread her hands wide and exclaimed joyfully.

She was living each day to the fullest, happier than she had been in a long time.

In truth, she had a dream that she had never told anyone about.

A dream she had held since she first picked up a hammer and stood before the forge.

That dream was to present the finest sword to the finest swordsman.

This was the dream of every blacksmith, and Gwendolyn too had made it her life’s goal to give the best sword to the best swordsman.

For her, money was merely a means to create swords.

The materials needed to forge excellent swords were all expensive, and she needed money to buy those materials.

But when did life ever go as planned?

Until she met Gilbert, her weapon shop, which stubbornly specialized in swords, had been empty of customers. While she was going through days of doubt, barely making enough to survive on the few swords she sold, she met her savior.

Gilbert Lyon Hart.

Though she was obsessed with swords, she was not unfamiliar with his name.

The black sheep of the count’s family.

The shame of House Hart.

Known by various titles, he had begun to walk a different path since entering Demeia Academy.

What she had paid most attention to was his becoming the exclusive disciple of Briana, the Empire’s Sword Saint.

Becoming the disciple of the Sword Saint who ruled the Empire with just a sword was not something anyone could achieve. While taking Princess Seraphina as a disciple had clear political motivations, accepting Gilbert was a different matter entirely.

In fact, from a political standpoint, it wasn’t a particularly good choice, which could only be explained by Gilbert having an innate talent for swordsmanship.

Perhaps that’s why Gwendolyn had been so interested in Gilbert. Since her goal was to give the best sword to the best swordsman, it was only natural for her to pay attention to Gilbert, who might become the greatest swordsman in the future.

Eagerly anticipating meeting him, she had finally come face to face with the famous Sword Saint and her disciple a few months ago. Even now, she thought she might have used up all her life’s luck on that day.

The Sword Saint she met was indeed impressive, but Gwendolyn was more interested in Gilbert.

Rather than the Sword Saint who had already reached a high position as a swordswoman, she wanted to see Gilbert, still relatively unknown, rise to the top with a sword she had made.

Perhaps it was because she herself had not yet been recognized as the greatest blacksmith.

While she couldn’t give the best sword to the best swordsman yet, there was a certain romance in giving a sword that would become the best to a swordsman who would become the best.

Although, regrettably, she lacked both the funds and materials to make a sword worthy of him, so that would have to wait for the future.

“I’ll get straight to the point. I want to commission a sword. Here’s the material to start with.”

“This is…?”

The item Gilbert presented was a metal Gwendolyn knew well. It was Moon’s Tear, a rare metal known for its excellent mana resonance.

Moon’s Tear was said to form only when metal capable of absorbing mana was exposed to the power of the full moon for an extended period.

As far as she knew, Moon’s Tear was mainly used in mana transfer devices in magical engineering or occasionally in crafting staffs for mages.

However, due to its poor strength and hardness, it wasn’t highly valued and was now treated merely as a rare metal.

Make a sword with this?

Gwendolyn’s brows furrowed.

It was an idea she had never considered. A metal with poor strength and hardness could only be used for ceremonial swords at best.

It didn’t align with Gwendolyn’s aesthetic of creating only swords that could be used in actual combat.

But she hesitated to outright refuse the request from Gilbert, who could be considered her benefactor.

Should she just close her eyes and accept the commission this once?

Her dilemma deepened.

“I can see what you’re thinking. Moon’s Tear isn’t for the blade itself. It’s not even enough quantity to make a blade anyway.”

“But it can’t be used for the grip or guard either…”

“I plan to melt the Moon’s Tear in a mana furnace and mix it with mythril and black iron.”

“Melt it in a mana furnace…?”

Gwendolyn’s mind began to race. The technique of melting in a mana furnace was commonly used in magical engineering.

It was primarily used to create alloys by mixing metals with high mana resonance with other materials, and Gilbert was talking about mixing Moon’s Tear with mythril and black iron.

“Even if you melt Moon’s Tear in a mana furnace to create an alloy, it won’t make much difference. Magical engineers have already experimented with this, and the effects weren’t particularly impressive.”

“They wouldn’t have used mythril and black iron.”

Under Gilbert’s calm gaze, Gwendolyn swallowed hard.

Indeed, as far as she knew, they hadn’t attempted such a crazy combination.

Mithril was a metal highly effective against undead magical beasts. Imbued with purifying energy that destroys the unholy, undead hunters were desperate to get their hands on mythril equipment.

However, mythril production was concentrated in the Holy Empire. Most of the mythril produced there was used to arm the Holy Knight Order, with only a small surplus reaching the market.

As a result, whenever mythril appeared on the market, the price was exorbitant. With starting auction prices in the hundreds of gold, magical engineers with limited budgets couldn’t even consider purchasing mythril.

Black iron, the other material Gilbert mentioned, was in a similar situation. Unlike mythril, black iron wasn’t concentrated in one production area, but its price varied greatly depending on quality.

The black iron from the mines near Bismark, the central city of the Lituania territory, was considered the finest, and most of the famous swords on the continent were made using black iron from Bismark.

Fortunately, the Lituania territory was ruled by Gilbert’s family, the Hart County. Although the Empire strictly controlled the export of black iron, it wouldn’t be a major issue for the eldest son of the Hart family to use some black iron to craft a sword.

Moreover, wasn’t he the Empire’s hero, used for propaganda by the Imperial family?

As long as he wasn’t smuggling it out like a traitor, such usage could be easily arranged.

“With you here, Gilbert, getting black iron shouldn’t be difficult, but mythril alone could cost as much as a territory’s annual budget.”

“That’s not something to worry about.”

Gilbert pulled out several pouches of gold coins he had prepared in advance. Combining the reward money he had received so far with the support funds from the Hart County, it amounted to a dizzying sum.

Even for Gwendolyn, the gold coins Gilbert had just placed before her were more than she had seen in her entire life, so there would be no shortage of funds.

“B-but mythril isn’t something you can just buy with money.”

After opening a pouch filled with gold coins, Gwendolyn carefully closed it with trembling hands. The amount was so unreal it made her head spin.

“Gwendolyn Ensis. You’re forgetting one thing.”

“Forgetting what?”

“Yes. Who is my patron?”

“Ah…!”

Gilbert Lyon Hart’s patron.

Seraphina Rector Infractus.

She was the First Imperial Princess, said to be closest to becoming the next Empress. With her help, obtaining mythril wasn’t impossible.

“I hadn’t thought of that. But I still don’t understand why you want to create an alloy by melting these three metals in a mana furnace. Just mixing metals doesn’t necessarily create a good alloy. Moreover, Moon’s Tear has recently been evaluated as having poor utility compared to its rarity. It’s only traded at high prices among collectors of rare items. And mixing mythril with black iron would only create a brittle glass-like sword.”

Gwendolyn had returned to her role as a blacksmith and laid out her thoughts. From her perspective, melting these three substances to create an alloy seemed like nothing more than a wasteful extravagance.

Moreover, mixing mythril and black iron, which had completely different properties, was as absurd as trying to combine water and fire. While Gwendolyn acknowledged Gilbert’s greatness, she believed he couldn’t match her in sword crafting.

“I know. That’s why we’re adding Moon’s Tear.”

“Are you saying Moon’s Tear has such properties?”

“That is its true purpose. Moon’s Tear is a special mineral formed only when it absorbs the power of the full moon over a long period. Its good mana conductivity is merely a secondary effect.”

In the game, it was none other than Gwendolyn, who had become the greatest blacksmith, who discovered the correct way to use Moon’s Tear. She had used all kinds of materials to create the finest sword.

For her, who had already reached the pinnacle, money was no longer an issue, and she spent it lavishly in pursuit of her single goal.

The combination she discovered was using the power of the moon to mix mythril and black iron. This was the ultimate sword available only through a specific limited route in Tactical Combat.

It required an absurd amount of money and fame to create, but the current Gilbert had the wealth and reputation to meet all those requirements. After all, meta-gaming is always relative.

“How on earth do you know this, Gilbert?”

“Just happened to.”

“But more importantly, does it really work? Wait, since Moon’s Tear readily absorbs mana, when melted in a mana furnace…”

Gwendolyn narrowed her eyes sharply and began to consider various possibilities.

Moon’s Tear, mythril, and black iron.

She started calculating the possible reactions when these three were melted in a mana furnace, using all the knowledge at her disposal.

After pondering deeply for about twenty minutes, she judged that Gilbert’s suggestion had sufficient potential. At the same time, an immense excitement washed over her.

This combination might be the key to creating the ultimate sword she had always dreamed of.

“Gilbert. There might be some trial and error. Is that okay?”

Seeing the craftsman’s passion beginning to burn, Gilbert nodded readily. Honestly, while he knew the formula, it was Gwendolyn, not him, who would do the actual crafting.

He was a knight who knew a bit about wielding a greatsword, not a blacksmith.

“Yes. If you can satisfy one more requirement, by all means.”

“Anything.”

“I’d like to embed an artificial spirit into the sword. The location doesn’t matter.”

“What kind of strange request is that?”

Gwendolyn, who believed that a sword should exist as a sword, showed resistance to the idea of embedding an artificial spirit, the pinnacle of magical engineering, into a sword.

Gilbert had anticipated this reaction. This idea itself was something Gwendolyn had thought of after becoming the greatest blacksmith, so it was entirely possible that the current Gwendolyn would not accept it.

His prediction was correct, and he recited exactly what she had said in the game.

“If we can connect an artificial spirit to a sword, we could create an ego sword found only in legends. Isn’t that the dream of a blacksmith?”

“A dream…”

The legendary sword that existed in the mythical age when heroes and demon lords walked the earth, known only through ancient texts.

It was the story of this sword that had inspired her to become a blacksmith as a child.

As he said, creating an ego sword that could choose its own master was indeed her dream as a blacksmith.

Gwendolyn felt her heart beating faster.

A legendary sword from myth.

Recreating a holy sword with her own hands.

With sparkling eyes, Gwendolyn blurted out without thinking:

“Gilbert, would you marry me?”

Gilbert was at a loss for how to respond to Gwendolyn’s sudden proposal.

***

“Your Highness.”

In a room adorned with lavish decorations, a man knelt before a blonde-haired, red-eyed man. Sensing his lord’s displeasure, he bowed even deeper in apology.

“Is it Seraphina again?”

The red-eyed man, one of the few who could address the First Imperial Princess by her name, looked down at his vassal with cold, indifferent eyes.

The prostrating man flinched and trembled under that sharp presence.

“Yes, Your Highness. Seraphina’s faction has announced the eradication of the Slaves.”

“That child again. She truly has a knack for choosing the most uninteresting tasks.”

Though his words sounded like complaints, as if everything bored him or he disliked the entire situation, his eyes told a different story.

They revealed a sticky gaze filled with jealousy and anger boiling up from the depths of his heart.

“It seems the time has come.”

“What do you mean…?”

“It’s time to unfurl our wings. Contact those children immediately. We’ll make our move as soon as we get our hands on either of them.”

“I shall obey Your Highness’s command.”

The man trembled with excitement, realizing that the long-awaited moment had finally arrived, and respectfully bowed before leaving.

The man quietly watched his retreating figure and suddenly curled up the corners of his mouth.

Imagining the sweet fruit he would savor after such a long wait.