Episode 44

The next day off.

As usual, I went to the market and set up shop in the same spot.

As I arranged the weapons, Ivas and Weather came over.

“Long time no see!”

“Ah, long time. I made swords for you two.”

When I said that, they looked at each other and their eyes lit up.

I had Alicia hold Ivas’s sword, and I took Weather’s sword.

I handed them each their sword. Ivas drew his from its sheath.

“…This sword is very light…. But I can feel some incredible power.”

“It’s made for Ivas’s fighting style. It’s not really suited to taking blows head-on, but I tried to give it a certain amount of durability. However, against a strong opponent like Weather, using it will put strain on you, so don’t push yourself in those cases.”

“…Understood! If I fight the way I aim to, it shouldn’t be a problem.”

Yeah, that’s fine. That said, since there are only two of them, I increased the weight a little and improved the durability.

When a party has few members, they sometimes need to fight recklessly.

I then looked at Weather. He had also drawn his sword from its sheath.

…Impressive. It’s probably the strength of a beastman. He handled the longsword effortlessly with one hand.

“Next is Weather’s sword. How’s the weight?”

“…Ah. It’s a good weight. At this level I can use it without issue.”

“Is that so. Good. I was also worried about the length—how is it? Are there any issues?”

“…It’s so perfect it surprised me. Exactly what I had in mind. It’s the first sword that has fit my hand this well.”

…Weather seems pleased as well. He doesn’t change his expression much, but you can tell from his demeanor.

“I made Weather’s sword to emphasize single, decisive strikes. From watching the two of you fight, it seems the basic pattern is Ivas draws them in and Weather finishes the enemy off.”

“Yeah… I’ll take good care of this sword.”

Weather bowed his head quietly.

I received payment from the two of them. A total of 100,000 gold. In exchange, I took the swords they had been using until now.

I checked the condition of their swords. There were hardly any problems. If I repair the magical information, they should be usable again right away.

“That’s great! We’re planning to take the promotion test soon.”

“Oh, really? Make sure you use them properly and get used to them before you put it to the challenge, okay?”

“Yes. The test is in the afternoon, so we’ll warm up in the morning… But with these, it should probably be fine.”

“…Ah, right. It fits as if I’ve been using it for years.”

They said that with happy expressions.

“I see. Anyway, don’t let your guard down, okay? If you get injured, it’ll cause trouble for me too.”

If they said they failed the exam because they used weapons I made, it would call my skill as a blacksmith into question.

“Yes! Thank you! I’ll become a swordsman worthy of this sword!”

“Me too. I’ll do my best.”

Ivas and Weather said that, bowed, and left.

Their innocent backs made me smile as well.

“They were both happy. That’s good.”

“Yeah. Now I just hope their test goes smoothly.”

“Yeah, but they’ll probably be fine. Besides, they also have Faik’s weapons.”

“…That’s true.”

I smiled at Alicia’s words.

I resharpened the blades of Ivas’s and Weather’s swords with Wind magic, and applied Enchantment to both swords.

I put these out for sale as well, and our market opened.