Episode 78

After dinner, I headed to my room together with Alicia.

“With this, we’re ready, right?”

“All that’s left is to pray nothing happens at that shop.”

“It’s fine. I mean, they’ve been investigating it for a long time and found nothing, right?”

“…Yeah.”

In the meantime, I had Refy and the soldiers look into Bestel’s smithy.

The result: so far, there have been no incidents at all.

I can’t thank them enough.

And I hadn’t had many chances to speak with the soldiers, so I wanted to show my gratitude in some way.

“By the way, Faik, you asked my father, but what about the sword presents?”

“I was thinking of discussing it with the three of them tomorrow. Tomorrow’s training day in the yard, right?”

“Yeah.”

“I want them to try swords from the smithy during that time and pick ones that fit them.”

There are many swords laid out in the smithy.

I take pride in saying they’re all reasonably well made.

And many of the swords supplied at this manor are made from Irea Magic Ore.

If you want swords above that level, you apparently have to provide them yourself.

The guards assigned to us use generic swords made of Irea Magic Ore.

The swords I intended to give are also made from Irea Magic Ore, but because I put effort into Enchantment and magic-forging, I believe they perform at least on par with Direa Magic Ore.

That would raise the quality of the guards’ swords compared to what they have now.

…It’s only that the swords themselves become better, but these are people with actual strength.

I expect they’ll be able to handle them.

“If so, I’m sure they’ll be happy. Some of them are wondering whether to prepare new swords anyway.”

“Is that so?”

I breathed a sigh of relief at Alicia’s words.

I’d thought about other gifts, but I didn’t know what the soldiers would actually appreciate.

The next day.

I immediately went alone to the place where the three soldiers were said to be training.

When I arrived at the training ground, one of the three soldiers noticed me. He was probably a bit older than me. They’re all roughly around twenty.

It was Capri. He raised a hand with a friendly smile.

“Capri, training?”

When I called out, he looked over at me.

In front of Capri, the other two guards were sparring with swords.

Facing Capri like this, his solid build stood out. He really did look like a soldier.

“Oh—Lord Faik. What’s up?”

“I talked with Lord Goral yesterday. The three of you will probably keep guarding us, right?”

“Ah, really!? No, honestly, guarding Lord Faik and the others is a treat for the eyes, so it’s great!”

“Why a treat for the eyes?”

“Well, we get to watch a newlywed couple’s happy life. You two are radiating happiness, aren’t you?”

Wh-who’s a newlywed couple…!

“We’re not married yet…”

“No no, it seems Lord Goral is fond of you guys, right? Don’t worry, you’ll definitely be able to get married.”

Capri gave a confident thumbs-up.

…Seriously. Don’t tease me.

Still, all I can do is try my best to make that happen.

“Putting that aside for now… I want the three of you to try a few of my swords.”

“Eh, Lord Faik’s swords!?”

Capri let out a happy voice. The other two, who were mid-training, stopped and came over.

I’d heard their names before too: Eria and Pisces.

…Surrounded by the soldiers like this, I couldn’t help but feel like I might be on the short side.

No, no, they’re just huge. Don’t overthink it.

“Yeah. If you’re going to keep guarding us, you’ll probably have to cover us while we’re working too, right? So I thought it would be better to upgrade your equipment.”

“Seriously!? So we get to use Lord Faik’s swords!? Awesome!”

“Even if you’re that happy… it’s only that they’re a bit higher quality, you know?”

“No, that’s more than enough!”

The three of them were ridiculously happy.

…I’m going to take them to the smithy to choose swords, but with expectations this high I might end up disappointing them.

I was a little anxious.

“So, will you come to the smithy?”

“Yes! We’ll follow you anywhere!”

I led Capri and the others and arrived at the smithy.

At the smithy, I showed Capri and the others a box containing the swords I’d prepared in advance.

There were about twenty in total. The ones not chosen would eventually go on sale in the shop.

I made each of them seriously, so they’re all fairly good.

Capri and the others took swords, drew them from their sheaths, and held them up.

They all had dazed looks on their faces.

…Huh? Their reaction is worse than I expected.

“A-are you all right? Sorry, those are swords made of Irea Magic Ore… probably the same material as what’s currently issued—”

When I nervously spoke, Capri and the others widened their eyes.

“Th-this is the same quality of sword!?”

“N-no… this is a whole level—or more—above, isn’t it!?”

“Can we really have these!?”

Capri and the others kept comparing the swords to me over and over.

“Ah… was it that different?”

“It’s different! Look, this is the sword we’re issued! Even I, who can’t usually tell much difference, can tell!”

I took the sword Capri offered and drew it from its sheath.

Looking at that sword… I had to admit, it was different.

These mass-produced swords skip various processes that should normally be done.

They’re basically just melted, poured into molds, cooled, and done.

And the Enchantment is sloppy too.

If you properly do the Enchantment and magic-forging, the base material doesn’t change that much, so they’d be about as good as the swords I planned to supply.

“You’re right… I see. Anyway, I’ll issue my swords to you, so feel free to choose.”

“Lord Faik… no, brother! We’ll follow you for life!”

“Please don’t call me brother…”

I bitterly smiled as the three bowed deeply.

Then the three of them picked swords of a length and weight that suited them.

“Is that okay?”

“Yes, please let me have this one!”

It looked like they’d finished choosing; they hugged their swords happily.

Even sheathed, the sight of them even nuzzling the blades was something else.

“That’s good then. Tell me when the Enchantment wears off—I’ll repair them anytime.”

“Understood! Thank you for everything!”

After the three bowed in unison, Eria shouted.

“I’ll use this sword as if it’s Lord Faik!”

“…Does that mean I’ll get slammed into?”

Just as Eria looked startled, Pisces shouted.

“Then I’ll cherish it as if it’s Lord Faik!”

“…Make sure you actually use it in combat, okay?”

I said that in exasperation, but the three of them looked very happy.

…After all, as a smith, this moment is the most gratifying.

I’m happy when I make something good, but I love seeing the joy on the faces of people who take what I’ve made into their hands.