Kays Translations

Chapter 156: Flowers Blooming in Autumn

Upon returning to his workshop, Lutz immediately began his work. He needed to create a sword that would serve as a counterpart to the cursed sword "Tsubaki."

Now, let's reconsider what Tsubaki is like. Its distinctive feature is the beauty of its blade. Even before being enchanted with magic, it possessed an otherworldly beauty that drew people in, to the point of self-infliction. After being enchanted, it became an even more uncontrollable cursed object, compelling anyone within a five-meter radius to commit suicide.

Beauty, that was the keyword that couldn't be omitted when forging this new sword. At the same time, Lutz contemplated that the beauty of a sword wasn't something you could obtain just by seeking it.

A sword is a tool for killing people. Pure functional beauty arises from the pursuit of sharpness, hardness, and ease of use. When he actually forged Tsubaki, he didn't intend to make it a beautiful sword; it simply turned out that way as a result of his focused work.

If Tsubaki represented Claudia, then its counterpart would be the third princess, Listille, someone close to her. Fragile and beautiful yet with a hidden strength, that was the kind of girl he aimed to create this time.

Lutz pulled the glowing tamahagane (special steel for swords) out of the forge and raised his hammer.

...Strong, gentle, and beautiful.

Amid the flying sparks, Lutz sought the illusion of a woman. It took the form of Claudia, then Listille, and eventually that of an unfamiliar young girl.

In the dim workshop, the sparks illuminated and extinguished his face. It was a surreal scene, almost as if he were not forging a sword but transmuting a human body, which left him with a somewhat sinful feeling.

Dream or reality, the boundary became blurred, and Lutz continued to swing the hammer absentmindedly. Folding, heating, striking, and extending—tamahagane was refined, gaining strength and shaping into a sword.

Lutz entertained the thought that perhaps this was how a person's soul was also crafted, even though it was a nonsensical idea.

...So, blacksmiths are like gods? What nonsense.

While he denied it, he couldn't help but feel that what lay before him was not just a lifeless object. This sword definitely held a soul within. Perhaps a bit of arrogance, like stepping one foot into the realm of gods, was necessary for a craftsman.

Thinking of the man who had called himself a god and worshipped himself, Lutz chuckled softly. While he doubted that the man understood the essence of blacksmithing better than Lutz, his opinion didn't seem entirely off base.

..Donald-san, I am indeed creating life right now.

Tens of Thousands of layers of steel were extended into the shape of a sword. There were still many steps left in the process, but Lutz was confident that a sword imbued with a soul was taking shape at this moment.

The morning sun streamed in through the window, and Lutz opened his eyes, feeling momentarily dazzled. He must have fallen asleep without realizing it.

The fire in the forge was out, indicating that he had at least done some basic cleanup. But he had no memory of it. It seemed that the ingrained habits of a blacksmith had unconsciously moved his body for him.

In his hand, he still held the sword that hadn't yet received its final edge. Taking a break, having a meal, and then finishing the blade would be the most efficient way to proceed, but right now, he wanted to see this sword completed as soon as possible.

Lutz plunged his head into a water bucket he had prepared for quenching. The water was imbued with the smell of iron and charcoal, cooling his head and clearing his mind.

"Ussha!"

Raising his head with dripping wet hair, Lutz let out a spirited shout.

Claudia came to check on him, wondering what was happening, but he explained that he had just mustered some enthusiasm. She returned upstairs with a perplexed expression. She understood that it was best not to disturb a craftsman when they were in their element.

Droplets of water from his hair and chin fell as Lutz sat in front of the whetstone. He held the sword horizontally and slid it across the whetstone. The "shaa, shaa" sound of the sword being sharpened filled his ears, and everything else faded away.

Without the slightest snag under his fingertips, Lutz regained his senses. The bustling noise of the city could be heard from outside the window. His hair and body were completely dry.

With a dry cloth, Lutz wiped away the moisture from the sword and held it vertically to inspect the blade.

He couldn't help but catch his breath; it was breathtakingly beautiful. However, it wasn't the kind of overwhelming beauty that forcibly captured one's gaze, like Tsubaki. It was more like the feeling one gets when gazing at the tender body of a girl that simultaneously exudes charm and stirs desires, leaving a tingling sensation mixed with guilt.

...I've come up with such a creepy expression. Blame it on you, Patrick-san.

Expressions like these had started to come to him under the influence of a certain acquaintance, a decorator. What was even more troubling was that this perverted-like impression was accurately conveying his current feelings.

It wasn't just beautiful; there was a subtle sense of strength that could be felt within it.

The blade was slightly shorter than Tsubaki, emphasizing ease of use when wielding two swords rather than pursuing the same level of beauty. Although it couldn't be called a curved blade, it had a strong curve, which would make crafting a scabbard quite challenging.

...Will Ricardo be satisfied with this? Well, if he's not, I'll just take it for myself. It would be nice if he rejected it without being satisfied.

As Lutz, deep in thought as a blacksmith, pondered slightly questionable ideas, footsteps descended from upstairs.

"Hey, Lutz-kun, is the sword finished?"

Claudia came down, observing Lutz's face filled with exhaustion and satisfaction.

"Would you like to take a look?" Lutz said and handed her the sword.

"You don't want to cut your own face with this, right?"

"It's okay. This one is, how should I put it... a gentle one."

Although Claudia didn't quite understand what Lutz meant, she decided to take the sword for the time being, feeling relieved. As she received it, her large star-like eyes, which seemed to have taken a liking to the sword at first sight, were fixated on the blade, and she couldn't move.

"It's beautiful. Well, this might sound a bit strange..."

"What is it? I'm curious."

"Is it weird to call it 'cute'?"

With a wry smile, Claudia hesitantly expressed her thoughts, and Lutz nodded deeply in response.

"Claud, can you give this one a name? I want to mark it with a name and consider it finished for now. If we keep putting off naming it, you know?"

"That's a good point..."

The two of them exchanged glances and murmured with deep emotion.

They remembered the time when they had parted with Tsubaki without engraving a name on it, and the journey to name it afterward had been filled with twists and turns. It had only been about a year and a half since then, but it felt like ancient history.

"What kind of image do you have for this sword, Lutz-kun?"

"Strong, gentle, and beautiful. I made it as the counterpart to Tsubaki, her little sister."

"I see. In that case..."

Claudia returned the sword to Lutz, then gently stroked her well-defined chin as she contemplated for a while. Finally, she spoke up.

"How about 'Sakura'?"

Thinking of the gently colored peach-pink petals, Lutz cast his gaze onto the sword.

...Sakura, that's your name. I think it's a beautiful name, but do you like it?

Lutz communicated with the sword through his eyes. The blade sparkled as it was illuminated by the sunlight streaming in from the window.

Is it too romantic to believe that the sword itself agreed? With a self-deprecating smile, Lutz stood up and took the engraving tools from the shelf.

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