Chapter 114: Connected Memories

Claudia and Gerhard were talking in the common room of the lord’s mansion.

The reason why Gerhard’s workshop is not being used this time is that Jocel, a high-ranking knight who is Gerhard’s apprentice in the art of enchantment, is training alone at the moment, so he came out so as not to get in the way. It is strange that he uses the workshop as a hangout in the first place.

“How was the reputation of the princess?”

Claudia asked with a melancholy expression on her neat face. She had asked him to ask about the reputation of the third princess, Listille, whom the count and his family had become close friends with, before they left for the capital. Gerhard also shook his head gravely.

“It’s not good. Rather than being truly hated, the atmosphere is such that it is acceptable to say anything about the princess.”

“What the hell…”

“Rumours are infinitely worse when left unchecked. When the facts of one’s own devising fade away, one concocts more tasteless stories in order to get attention. Such is the entertainment of people with too much time on their hands.”

Even Gerhard wanted Listille to be happy, although he was not as devoted to her as Claudia. It seems that he cannot hide his irritation with the people of the royal capital on this one matter.

“Terrible rumours, even, that the princess is going to the border to hide and give birth to a child of the wild thieves.”

“How can these people who have never been to the border or met the princess talk such nonsense…?”

“It’s a story from someone who can meet an enchanter. I suppose it gets worse the higher up the ladder you go.”

“Is that so……”

“The bad news is, it’s only going to get worse. The king’s confidence has been boosted by his possession of the famous sword, and there will be friction with the great nobles. However, we can’t speak ill of the king openly. It would be like giving them an excuse to punish us.”

“Instead, it will strengthen the criticism against the princess.”

“That’s what I’m talking about.”

Gritting her teeth, Claudia thought that she would have to go to the border again and meet Listille.

As for Gerhard, he could understand Claudia’s feelings, but he did not want her to leave the Count’s territory so easily. He did not know what might happen at any time, and Claudia and her husband Lutz were vassals of the count’s family, not of the princess. There was a gap in perception in these areas.

The sound of the door being opened with a clank made him turn to see Maximilian, the owner of the castle, standing there. Slightly behind him is his guest, Marquis Beowulf Eldenberger.

“I’m sorry to interrupt. We’ll leave you to it now.”

“No, it’s fine. Stay where you are. I want you to hear it just as well.”

Gerhard and Claudia tried to stand up at the same time, but Maximilian stopped them with his hand. He was about to send Gerhard to call for Claudia, but he was a little sad to see her leave so soon after he came in, even though they were of different status.

Beowulf sat down on a chair with his butt down and spoke without greeting.

“I want you to make my katana.”

It is an attitude that does not allow you to say yes or no. Gerhard and Claudia looked at each other.

……Well, it looks like we have no choice but to do it.

……it seems to be the case.

We are aware that we have been putting off Beowulf’s request. Now that we have finished making the offering to the king, we are running out of excuses for not being able to do it.

Maximilian also nodded. Do you mean accept it?

“I understand, and I will accept your request. Is there any particular form you would like?”

“We talked about this before, remember?”

Beowulf said, just to get back at me for procrastinating. Gerhard remembers the order itself, a blade that is sharp anyway, to match Beowulf’s stature.

“I’m glad that the order itself is the same as before.”

Beowulf hesitated for a while before answering Gerhard.

“… I want you to ask me one thing. It’s not an order, but it might be of some help.”

Saying that, Beowulf began to talk about his past. This is what he had previously told Maximilian individually.

More than twenty years ago, a sword smith visited the Marquis’ family and tried to present a katana to the family. At the unveiling, his brother broke the sword and the sword smith was banished.

It still frustrates him to think that if he had hired the sword smith at that time, it would have been the Erdenberger family, not the Counts of Zander, who would have been considered a master of armaments.

Not only did he hold a grudge against his silly older brother, but also against his father who kicked out the swordsmith because of what he considered an adult decision.

“That’s why I want a katana that we’ve failed to grasp in the past. A katana that can slice through rocks and helmets with ease.”

Claudia, who had been listening quietly, tilted her head. Thinking that she had heard this story somewhere, she quickly recalled it.

“Maybe it’s about Lutz-kun’s papa, isn’t it?”

“What did you say!?”

Beowulf leaned forward and asked, What is this about? Claudia was slightly taken aback, wondering if it was something she should be so interested in.

“This is a story I heard from Lutz-kun…”

Rufus, Lutz’s father and master swordsmith, drifted away and settled in Count Zander’s domain after being evicted from the house of the Marquis of Eldenberger.

He has lived outside the citadel as a mogul blacksmith, taking small jobs with lumberjacks and peasants.

He had lost passion for his work and had become apathetic. He taught his only son how to make katanas, but he never attempted to make one of his own. At best, he would only strike a sample, and even then, he melted it down quickly.

The story is connected. After listening, Beowulf let out a big sigh. What wells up in his heart is deep regret, guilt, and a little bit of relief.

Even after being kicked out of the marquis territory, he survived, and his technique was inherited by his son. That was a bit of a relief.

“So how is Rufus doing now?”

“He died of illness several years ago.”

“Really……”

He had a hunch that Lutz might be related to that man. There could not be that many swordsmiths in this country to begin with. Even so, once the relationship was clear, I couldn’t stand still.

“Starting now?”

It is a very impatient story. It’s strange that a marquis would go to see a mere craftsman. All he had to do was to summon him to the castle.

“Send someone and call Lutz.”

Maximilian made an obvious suggestion, but Beowulf didn’t listen.

“Let’s go. You’ll show us the way.”

With that, he left the common room. In this situation, there was no way to leave him alone, so Claudia bowed to Maximilian saying that she was off, and then chased after Beowulf.

“What is it, huh…?”

Maximilian, who was left behind, tilted his head, but Gerhard, who was also left behind, had no idea what was going on.

Lutz was sharpening an axe in the forge. He received this job from a group of lumberjacks with whom he had a relationship. He is a swordsmith by trade, but his sharpening skills seem to have improved a bit recently.

He confirmed the sharpened blade and nodded with satisfaction.

It feels good to have done a good job. As he was thinking about doing something like reinforcing the pattern as a service, he heard the sound of the front door being unlocked. When either Lutz or Claudia, or both of them, were out, they would lock the door without bolting it.

I had just finished work, so I stood up to meet her at the entrance.

The door opened, and there was the figure of his beloved wife, but for some reason she didn’t seem very energetic.

“Hey, welcome home.”

“You have a visitor, Lutz-kun. I’m sorry, but we’ll have to save the “I’m home” stuff for next time.”

When I looked behind Claudia, there was a man who looked familiar and several knights who seemed to be guards.

Lutz doesn’t understand. Claudia is at a loss as to what to say.

A man pushed Claudia aside and entered the house.

“I am Beowulf Eldenberger. It’s been a while, Lutz.”

When he told me his name, I finally realised that he was the Marquis who was working with Maximilian. I had heard his name, but I had only met him directly during the peace talks.

“Oh, thank you. I’m a swordsmith, Lutz…”

Lutz still couldn’t understand the situation, even as he gave a dumb reply.

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