Episode 130

“You really do love Alicia, don’t you?”

“Love, yes, but… I also had a promise to an important friend.”

“…A friend?”

“Yes, Alicia’s biological mother… Lynn.”

Lady Aurera smiled a little sadly and began to speak slowly.

“…I said it would be small talk, but what I really wanted to talk about was Alicia’s biological mother. I thought it would be good for you to know.”

“…Yes, please tell me.”

Lady Lynn had already passed away by the time she gave birth to Alicia.

It’s something that would be difficult to hear directly from Alicia.

Still, to learn about this household, about Alicia, and about Lady Aurera, I wanted to hear this story.

“Alicia’s mother, Lynn, died shortly after giving birth to Alicia. I was friends with Lynn for a long time and I rushed to the scene of the birth… At that time, Lynn entrusted Alicia to me.”

“…I see.”

“And, well. Because of that, Goral asked me… so I married him and raised Alicia, I suppose. But Alicia is like Lynn—serious and a good girl—so she didn’t cause much trouble.”

“Indeed, she’s serious.”

“That’s right. She found Faik and even promised marriage… Now I feel a bit relieved, like perhaps my role is finished.”

…I’m glad to hear her say that, but being told it so bluntly makes me a little uneasy.

Am I truly someone worthy to stand beside Alicia?

“So, as my last duty I’m observing whether Faik is a bad person or not, but from what Refy’s said, he does seem all right? Faik seems to like Alicia too, doesn’t he?”

…So that’s one reason Refy has been taking care of us.

Lady Aurera stared at me, so I nodded once.

“I… cherish Alicia.”

“Is that because she helped you?”

“No, none of that matters. It’s not because she’s a noble or anything. Even if there were nothing, if it’s okay to marry Alicia, I want to marry her.”

“Is that so.”

The words I said to show sincerity to Lady Aurera came out easily.

Lady Aurera then laughed, looking embarrassed.

“Oh my, when you say it so boldly it makes me the one who gets embarrassed.”

“S-sorry…”

“I believe the words you said earlier.”

“Yes.”

“And, don’t just tell me—tell it to Alicia too, okay?”

“Eh!?”

“Do your best!”

“N-no, that’s…”

“A man doesn’t go back on his word, right!? Well then!”

Lady Aurera, smiling happily, slowly rose from her seat.

Without listening to my excuses, Lady Aurera quickly left the room.

Refy bowed her head smoothly, and then,

“I’ll be looking forward to it.”

She laughed teasingly and left the room with her.

… Wh-what sort of people are they.

Having been tricked into saying it, I seriously worried about what situation would be right to tell Alicia.

The next day.

I immediately headed to the smithy and began making swords.

The plan was for ten blades, and since I’d already made seven yesterday, I quickly completed all ten.

The remaining ones are mine and Alicia’s swords, huh.

Putting myself aside, I’ll start with Alicia’s sword first.

The Magic Ore that would be suitable for Alicia’s sword was already prepared.

I remembered the sword Alicia used in morning training.

It was a thin sword, like a rapier.

A rapier excels at thrusting compared to other swords. It’s a weapon for stabbing rather than slashing.

It’s more likely to be used against people than against monsters.

Because of the rapier’s characteristics, its durability is somewhat worrying.

Of course, that’s talking about a normal rapier.

Depending on the quality of Magic Ore and how you apply Enchantment, you can reinforce it as much as needed.

I think the scariest thing when using a weapon isn’t failing to wound the enemy, but having it break.

If your sword breaks during a fight, it’s over at that point.

I want Alicia’s sword to be sturdy above all else.

That said, if I recklessly use too much Magic Ore, the weight will also increase.

It’s difficult.

I made the rapier while remembering Alicia’s height and arm length.

Basically, the process is the same as for other swords.

But this time I focused on making it slim and long.

Thus, after several trials, I completed the rapier.

Holding it in my hand, I swung it while recalling Alicia’s movements.

It’s light.

I briefly tested it against another sword I had made, and it had a strength that in no way felt inferior.

…It might be the best among the swords prepared for the dungeon expedition.

As expected, knowing the user made it much easier to decide what kind of sword to make.

It can’t be helped since, other than the two people who attended the last meeting, the participants for the next dungeon run haven’t been finalized.

Above all, these swords will be managed by the Barnast family after the dungeon expedition ends.

Apparently they’ll be lent to soldiers when needed, so if I make them specifically for someone, that will cause its own problems.

I sheathed Alicia’s rapier, but it ended up looking quite plain and rugged.

My sheaths are meant purely to cover the blade, so they have no special decoration.

If a noble is going to wear it, it might be better to ask someone else to add decorations.

I placed Alicia’s sword on the desk and then thought about my own sword.

As for size, I think a standard longsword would be fine.

Even if I made a greatsword, I’d probably be unable to handle it.

As for the blade length, I’ll just have to make several and adjust it.

In any case, it needs to be a fine sword capable of protecting Alicia.

Keeping that in mind, I began hammering the Magic Ore.