Episode 84

It was that night.

I woke up to the familiar sound of a mallet.

…What the? Is someone in the smithy?

I had woken up noticing it, but Alicia beside me was sleeping soundly.

…Is she not hearing it? It sounded as if a mallet were being swung right next to my ear.

Curious, I sat up and walked into the living room.

When I came into the living room, Capri noticed me.

“Faik… Sir? What’s wrong?”

“Well… um. Don’t you hear something?”

“Huh? N-no, I don’t hear anything…”

…Seriously?

So that means only I can hear this sound, right?

My body trembled a little.

“I see. I was just wondering if someone had cleaned up after today’s work.”

“I-I see…?”

“I’ll just go take a quick look, so you don’t need to worry about guarding me.”

“Understood. Call me if anything happens.”

I nodded to Capri and went down the stairs toward the smithy.

When I went inside, the sound stopped.

Then I widened my eyes at the figure standing there in the light.

A young man.

Eyes narrow and sharp enough to give some people a cold impression.

But when he glanced this way, that unapproachable air changed in an instant.

He grinned.

“You there, you’re a blacksmith, aren’t you?”

His speech had an oddly old-fashioned tone. Surprised, I nodded.

“Yes, but…”

“Hmm… I see.”

He said nothing and stared at me rudely.

It felt as if he were appraising me. It wasn’t a pleasant feeling.

“Do you intend to open a shop here?”

“…Y-yeah. Who are you?”

When I asked, the man brightened with delight and puffed out his chest proudly.

“I am Bestel! You’ve heard of me, haven’t you?!”

“…Sir B-Bestel. Could you be the legendary blacksmith?!”

“Indeed, indeed! A legendary blacksmith, haha!”

“You’re younger than I imagined.”

I stared at him again, observing him closely.

He’s handsome enough that probably eighty percent of women would be captivated by him.

As a man, I felt almost jealous of his looks.

“Of course. Tell me, would you deliberately choose to appear as an old man after death? If anything, you’d want to be shown at the brightest, youngest moment, wouldn’t you?”

…I have to admit, that makes sense.

After death, huh.

So he’s the cause of the lowered price on this smithy…?

“So you’re saying you’re the evil spirit that lives in this house?”

Ah, a ghost actually existed. And not just any ghost, but one that’s cursed smiths relentlessly until now.

…The fact that only I heard that sound might mean only blacksmiths can hear it.

“Calling me an evil spirit is rude. I’m not an evil spirit, you know?”

“…But I’ve heard that all the blacksmiths who lived here went mad.”

“That’s only because I kept them from sleeping at night. I didn’t curse them. I merely made the mallet sound resonate endlessly.”

“That’s an evil spirit, though…”

“I’m not an evil spirit! I just want to entrust this shop to a trustworthy blacksmith! It’s a test, a test!”

A test?

“I don’t want to leave this shop to a half-hearted blacksmith. That’s why I’ve been testing people all along.”

“So… you’re testing me too, right?”

“Of course. If you truly believe you have talent, then stay here. If you’re afraid… leave.”

…Bestel looked at me with an intimidating low voice.

“…So if I fail, you’ll curse me, then?”

“Aye, that’s right.”

“If anything happens, I’m the only one who’ll be harmed, right?”

“Hmm, who knows? That girl was pretty cute too, ooh-hoo. I might toy with her a bit—”

“I’ll kill you.”

“E-eek! I’m already dead! It’s a joke, a joke! All I care about is the blacksmith’s skill!”

…If that’s all, then I don’t mind.

Either way, there’s the promise with Lord Goral to become the world’s best blacksmith.

If that’s the case, I have to be skilled enough to be recognized by a legendary blacksmith.

“I will quietly continue to observe how the shop fares. I have no intention of interfering. Be free.”

Bestel smiled, and then his form gently vanished.

I reached out, but there was nothing there.

It was as if I’d been dreaming.

Still, Bestel… huh.

…He’s nothing like the person I pictured.

I imagined someone more calm and taciturn, a proper craftsman.

Well, rumors tend to get exaggerated, after all.