Kays Translations

Chapter 19: A Hundred Pieces

Exactly two weeks after the request, Gerhard came.

I don’t hear the sound of hammering from the forge. Was it already finished, or was he not working at all? I peeked into the forge, feeling a little uneasy, and saw Lutz sitting in front of a white wooden scabbard.

The white scabbard is a simple scabbard made of unprocessed wood. It is not meant to be carried around, but rather for storage.

Gerhard is in charge of all the decorations, so it doesn’t matter, but why is Lutz staring at such a thing?

“Lutz, what’s going on?”

“Ah… this is..Gerhard-san. I apologize for not even welcoming you.”

“Is the sword ready?”

“I could, I guess you could say it is, but…”

Gerhardt couldn’t help but tilt his head at Lutz’s strange way of speaking.

“I wonder if I can pull it out.”

“Go ahead, please, enjoy yourself.”

What kind of sword had he made? When I pulled out the sword with some excitement, what appeared was a slim straight sword with no curvature.

“Well done ……, very beautifully done!”

I feel the dreadfulness of it, as if it would snap  just by touching it. Gerhard was unintentionally impressed. If it were possible, he would have liked to disappear with it, without offering it up.

“Can I try swinging it?”

“Okay, let’s go outside. If you don’t actually swing it, you won’t even know what the sword really looks like.”

“Hmmm, that’s an interesting thing to say.”

In the summer sunlight, Gerhard slowly drew the sword with the white scabbard at his waist. The way he held the sword in the middle position, with his eyes fixed on the point, was not like an amateur. It seems that he not only knows about swords but how to use them as well.

With a flash of energy, he swung down in front of him. Lutz could see the non-existent enemy spraying blood from his head and collapsing.

In addition, Gerhard also demonstrates various techniques, such as side cleave and slash up. The old man, who always smiles peacefully, is not there. He had a devilish expression on his face, as if he was expecting some kind of enemy.

The wind whistled and whistled. A sharp sword can make a wind noise, but this was an even higher-pitched sound..

Gerhard lowered his waist, sheathed the blade, and handed it over to Lutz.

“……the wind is wailing.”

“The sword was made with an emphasis on sharpness and cutting ability. It is not suitable for long-term warfare on the battlefield, but it will suffice as a sword to be worn by a nobleman.”

“Yes, that’s right. If you can prevent the first blow, the escorts will do the rest. And for the first blow, there is no other sword that can match it.”

It is perfect in beauty and practicality. The fact that it is so sharp that the wind wails is also unique and interesting.

However, there is a point of concern. What on earth is it that they don’t like about it that they say it is not finished?

“So what’s left to do?”

He wants to quickly take it back with him and enchant it. Gerhard’s tone became something of a rush.

“… I don’t have an inscription on it.”

“Not again!”

The fact that the name was not included on the sword is what started the whole thing, and it caused Gerhard to look around for the creator. Why does this guy so often forget to put his name on his swords?

“It would be easy enough to inscribe an inscription on it. It would be difficult for me to explain it to the Count if the author is unknown.”

“I can’t decide on a name for the sword…”

Lutz said while scratching his head, looking uncomfortable.

“I’m not good at thinking about names.”

“I can’t believe that’s why the mysterious sword didn’t have an inscription on it…”

“While I was thinking about it, Claudia got arrested.”

Who should be blamed? Is it Lutz who lacks naming sense, or is it the delinquents of the knight order?

“… Anyway, I want to take back the sword as soon as possible. Now, right here, right now! Think of a name and engrave it.”

“If I was rushed like that, I wouldn’t be able to think about it. ……Since it’s a sword for the Count, how about something like the Count Sword?”

“Take it seriously!”

“Unfortunately, I am very serious.”

“Holy crap!”

Two men holding their heads. The savior who came there was, after all, Claudia.

“What are you guys doing?”

“You’ve come at a good time. Actually…”

When I explained the situation, Claudia nodded her head with a mixture of understanding and dismay.

“Name, name. It may not seem important, but we can’t move forward until we have a name. Just don’t try to give it a very dramatic name.”

“That’s how it is.”

“How many pieces of scrap metal do you think exist in the world with the name Excalibur on them?”

“Ah……”

The moment a good weapon is created, regardless of objective evaluation, it is a legendary weapon for the blacksmith. That is what happens when you let yourself be carried away by the tension that has risen and give it a name.

The two craftsmen are hard to argue with because they know the feeling. They also had some embarrassing pasts. There was also the mercy of not mentioning it to each other.

“If Lutz-kun’s sense is devastating, do you have any good ideas, Gerhard-san?”

“What, me?”

“I think you have every right to be a godparent, since you are going to be applying the enchantment.”

“Hmmm, the name of the sword. A sword that cuts the wind, wind cries no more…… No, crying over a sword isn’t very brave.”

“I don’t think it’s a bad direction. As long as it is not the wind that makes us cry, but a mightier being.”

“A devil or a demon?”

“I like it. How about a sword that makes demons cry, like the Wailing Sword Kikoku-to?”

Lutz smiles lightly at Claudia’s suggestion,

“Let’s engrave it”,

and entered the forge.

Claudia looked warmly off his back as he reacted when he seemed to like it quite a bit, even though it seemed to be a simple thing to do.

“The “Demon Wailing Sword” is a good name, but a little too brazen. It reminds me of a much more burly sword than a slender straight sword.”

Claudia smiled and answered Gerhard’s question.

“I guess it depends on how well the spells are done.”

“Fu, fu……, he will tell me.”

Anyway, from now on it’s my turn. Thinking about it like that, Gerhard became irresistibly interested.

Lutz returns after finishing the inscription. He showed Gerhard and Claudia the handle of the inscribed hilt. Indeed, the names “Demon Wailing Sword” and “Lutz” were engraved on it.

“I’ll give it to you now.”

“Mm.”

Lutz assembles the white scabbard and holds the sword horizontally, passing it around as if it were a solemn ceremony.

Gerhard also received it with a tightened expression.

Gerhard, having got the donkey out of the hut, was about to return to the castle.

“Oh yeah”

Then, as if remembering, he unpacked and took out the leather bag.

“It’s the price. If the Count likes it, I’ll give you an extra.”

He laughed proudly and continued.

“Well, I don’t see why he wouldn’t like it.”

Gerhard leaves with his donkey in an aloof manner.

When Lutz and his partner returned to the living room to check the heavy leather bag, they found it filled with dazzling gold coins.

“… Can I get change at the bakery?”

Lutz tells a boring joke with a drawn-out face. He couldn’t believe it even in front of the actual thing.

Claudia, who finished counting the gold coins scattered on the table, suddenly burst into laughter.

“Lutz-kun, this gold coin, this gold coin, is …….”

“What happened!?”

I wondered if it was counterfeit money.

With Gerhard’s status, he would be able to ignore any accusations from those outside the city walls. Even before that, it may be a lie that Gerhard is the count’s personal sorcerer.

…… And when I thought about it, I changed my mind. If he is a con artist, it is strange that he would know so much about magical swords.

Lutz also wanted to believe in Gerhard’s pride in his craftsmanship, which was more important. He was a true craftsman and would not use his skills to deceive other craftsmen.

“There are 100 of these gold coins…”

“Heh, ah, a hundred wha?”

Claudia managed to answer while adjusting her breathing, but Lutz couldn’t understand what was going on for a while.

“… Oh, I see, 100 gold coins.”

Finally, I remembered. It was the same price that Claudia had put on that mysterious sword.

It feels like a mysterious thing called destiny came back in a big, big turn.

Lutz picked up one of the gold coins and looked at it with a stained smear.

“I guess I should say that our lives seem to take a detour and nothing was wasted.”

Claudia smiled gently and nodded.

100 gold coins. I lost nothing that day.

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