Kays Translations

Chapter 1: I Feel Like I Can Cut Even My Soul

　Murder is the most serious crime that a person can commit.

　So why is it that a sword, which is nothing more than a tool for killing, is so beautiful?

　Lutz the blacksmith was fascinated by the newly sharpened sword. The blade pattern looked as if water was continuously flowing through it, and he couldn't take his eyes off the silvery white brilliance.

"Beautiful……"

　He could not believe that he had created this sword from scratch. It was as if the god of blacksmithing had taken over, and even such a foolish idea was almost convincing when looking at the sword.

　How long have I been doing this? I have lost all sense of time and have been staring at the sword for hours, forgetting to eat or sleep.

"Whoa!"

　Lutz suddenly shouted and took his eyes off the sword.

　What was I trying to do now?

　I had my face too close to the sword and nearly slashed my eyeball. If I had come to my senses just a moment too late, I would have done so without a doubt.

　Breathing heavily, I wrapped the sword in an appropriate cloth. I have not yet made a special sheath for it.

"What a great thing to do. ......"

　He folded his arms and stared at the sword he had placed there over the cloth, pondering. The urge to remove the cloth and look at the blade prevented him from thinking.

　A great sword has been created. So what should we do with this? That is the question.

　Sell. As a blacksmith, this is the obvious choice, but the problem is that I don't have any association with a big store that would deal in such a gem. I could have just come to them with a sword and asked them to buy it, but the bad news is that Lutz is a mogul who doesn't belong to a blacksmith guild.

　If the situation is not handled properly, he will be reported, imprisoned, and his property confiscated. The sword would be confiscated as a matter of course. In fact, they would probably be willing to capture Lutz for his sword.

　Making a donation. There is also a way to jump over the rules of the guild and contact the side of power. He could become a blacksmith in the service of the nobility. But again, the problem was that he had no such contacts.

　In the public's mind, Lutz is a suspicious character making weapons in a ramshackle shed outside the city walls. He is a sinner who has committed no crime. At least from the regime's point of view, there was more than enough reason to arrest him. Whether Lutz is willing to accept it or not is not the issue.

　I was frustrated and miserable that I could not even do such a natural thing as selling a good product when it was made.

　It is his own differential. Not bad, but Lutz is neither an adventurer nor a mercenary. When out and about, he carries at least a weapon to avoid bandits, but to carry a national treasure sword is too much of an exaggeration. It would be a complete misstep if it were to attract bandits.

　I will put it in the back of a chest of drawers and forget about today's events. That is the only way to live. But is that really the best way?

　What is changed by putting it away in a chest? Is it not the culmination of your skills and a turning point in your life when you have achieved a single swing of your heart? What is the use of turning your eyes away from it?

　I don't know, what should I do? I asked through the cloth, but the bewitchingly beautiful sword gave me no answer.

“Good day, Lutz-kun!”

　The silent contemplation was broken by a noisy female voice.

“…Please knock before entering.”

"Oops, I wonder if you were polishing your own spear. Excuse me!"

　This vile woman's name is Claudia. She is one of Lutz's few business partners. Lutz's assessment of her is that she buys cheaply from blacksmiths who have a reason to be there and then sells them out, but it is also true that he has no one else to turn to.

"Well, all petty jokes aside, how could you possibly hear a knock on a ragged door in a shithole of a blacksmithing workshop?"

　Claudia showed no remorse at all, and Lutz quickly gave up trying to persuade her.

"If it's what you ordered, it's ready."

　Lutz pointed to a corner of the room, and Claudia reached into a wooden box and removed the contents. The crates were stuffed with straw and each box contained five axes. Four such boxes, twenty axes in total.

　Claudia took out one of the axes and swung it lightly. The grip and weight balance were not bad. An inferior axe would slip out due to poor balance, or the leather wrapped around the handle would come undone. Claudia nodded in satisfaction.

"Okay then, help me load the carriage."

"Come on, hire some menial labour or something."

"You're a lone blacksmith, you can't say that."

　It was no use, Lutz sat up and glanced at the sword. Claudia did not miss the movement and followed his gaze to find a stick-shaped object covered with a cloth.

“Phew… Lutz-kun, is that a new work?”

"It's not for sale"

"Whether something is for sale or not is a matter of negotiation between the merchant and the blacksmith."

　Without stopping, Claudia took the dirty cloth and gripped the unsharpened handle, called a "nakago," and stared at the blade. Touching the blade directly is not a good idea, as it can get damp, greasy, and covered in fingerprints.

　I would have kicked her back and kicked her out if she had violated any rules like picking at the blade, but now there was no choice but to show it to her. I also wanted to get someone's opinion.

　Claudia remained motionless as she looked at the sword. Like a wax doll, her emotions were drained and her gaze was fixed.

　Lutz was convinced that he was not alone after all. This sword has a terrifyingly captivating power.

　A bewitching and dangerous light dwells in Claudia's eyes. Gradually, as if drawn in, her face and the blade of the sword come closer together.

"Yes, that's enough."

"Guuu"

　Lutz pulled on Claudia's collar from behind. She seemed to choke a little, but came to her senses. She turned around and gave me a resentful look.

"What are you doing? It's not safe."

“If you think I need to be a duplicitous jerk, you can hate me all you want."

"Hmm?"

　Claudia had a face like a cat that forgot to put its tongue away.

"...What was I trying to do? I don't remember the last few minutes."

"You were about to lick the blade."

"What the hell..."

　He put the blade down and put the cloth on it, but Claudia still glanced at it reluctantly.There is an awareness that she is doing something strange.

“Lutz-kun, is there some kind of enchantment charm on this thing?"

"I can't do magic. I don't have the money to ask an incantation master for help."

"I see, that makes sense."

“Even if you agree, it will be troublesome…”

"Fufu, poor people can understand each other's financial conditions somehow."

　They continued talking across the cloth-covered sword.

"And while we're at it, let me guess what your problem is. You don't know where to sell, do you?"

"It's a great answer, you shit. What about you, Claudia, do you have someplace to sell it?"

"I don't know any noblemen who are fond of philanthropic things, though I would be willing to sell them at a discount."

“I suppose so. By the way, if you knew a nobleman, how much do you think you could sell it for?"

"Phew..."

　Claudia stroked her chin thoughtfully. This is the face of a serious merchant. Lutz did not interject and remained silent, as it would not do to interrupt a merchant and a blacksmith, two completely different fields of business, but both with professional faces.

“Fifty gold coins. If the other party is a hardcore weapons enthusiast, I might be able to get a hundred, depending on the negotiations."

"It's amazing. A house can be built with a single swing of the sword."

"But since there is no way to sell them, there is nothing I can do. How does it feel to look at a hundred gold coins with an empty stomach?"

"...... let's not talk about this anymore. I'm going to cry."

"I'll think about how to sell them out. I'd love to be a part of this deliciously profitable business."

"For now, let's clear up the solid business in front of us."

　After Claudia shrugged her shoulders, she took the wooden boxs and headed for the carriage.

　Lutz also carries out the wooden boxes while looking at the big swaying buttocks.

　After receiving payment for the axe and watching the carriage leave, Lutz realised he had been up all night.

　Fighting the fatigue and drowsiness that hit me all at once, I put the sword back in the chest, collapsed on the hard bed, and fell asleep like mud.

　A week passed, then two weeks passed. Normally, new orders would come in from Claudia, but she never showed up.

　Lutz spent most of his time idly thinking about that sword. He tried to make the sheath, tsubatsuba, and hilt to give it the appearance of a sword, but he lacked an artistic sense and could only produce a cheap imitation compared to the beauty of the blade. This only served to further discourage Lutz's creativity.

　I didn't have anything in particular to do, so I had no choice but to go to the bar every day.

　The tavern outside the fortified city was built cheaply so that it could be quickly rebuilt even if it was destroyed. If things go wrong, a typhoon could destroy the building.

　When Lutz entered the store, the owner, who knew him, grinned and said.

"Yo General. I'm glad to see business is booming."

"Don't give me that nonsense. My clients don't order anything, so I have nothing to do but chug cheap booze."

"What, you didn't know?"

"Hmm?"

"If it's Claudia, she's under arrest."

"Hmm!?"

　I felt as if I had been very drunk, though I hadn't drunk a drop yet.

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