Chapter 252: Hero’s Relics

A few days after Josel’s visit, Gerhalt came by.

“Welcome.” 

Lutz greeted, glancing at Gerhardt’s hands. He didn’t have any letters or luggage, so it didn’t seem like news of someone’s passing. Relieved and chuckling at his own excessive worry, Lutz led Gerhardt to the second-floor living room.

“Lutz-dono, do you have any four-character weapons that can be melted down?”

“Huh?” 

Lutz was taken aback by Gerhardt’s sudden strange request.

“Why do you ask?”

“I’ve learned that by melting down magic weapons and using them as materials to forge a new sword, you can create weapons that harbor even more magic power. But I haven’t had the chance to try it out. The only time I used that method was when I made your sword.”

Lutz had previously used a magic axe called “White Lily,” engraved with ancient characters. However, in a battle with the fire demon, the blade was melted, and the whole axe became warped. It was no longer usable as a weapon, but when it was melted down and forged into a new sword, an incredibly powerful blade was created.

Gerhardt was delighted to have acquired a new technique, but the opportunity to try it out never came.

“I have one.”

When Lutz said this expressionlessly, Gerhardt leaned forward with his hands on the table.

“Really? Where is it!?”

“Right here.”

Lutz pointed to Gerhardt’s waist. Following his gaze, Gerhardt grimaced as if to say, “Enough with the jokes.”

At his waist was the treasured sword “Ittettsu,” engraved with four characters. It was not only a companion who had fought through many battles together but also a memento of a friend.

“Don’t be ridiculous. There’s no rust, and the edge hasn’t dulled. Who would want to melt down something like this?”

“Everyone would.”

Gerhardt grumbled in silence, still skeptical. A four-word magic weapon could be a valuable family heirloom. Nobody would offer it up for experimentation just because they wanted to try something new.

Gerhardt, with his white hair, paused to remember all the swords Lutz had forged. Then he muttered and stopped his hand.

“Hey, Lutz-dono. Do you have any idea?”

“More like a random thought than a clear idea…”

“Enough with the riddles. My time is running out.”

“Remember the ‘Axe of Blessings’ we took from the giant orc as spoils of war before? What if we tried that?”

“Hmm…”

It wasn’t a magic weapon with ancient characters, but rather a curse-inflicted axe of a different kind. However, it was undeniably outstanding in terms of its immense magical power. It had been sitting in the warehouse gathering dust with no current use.

“If we melted that down and forged a sword, and then used the ruby ‘Crimson Pulse’ obtained from the fire demon during the enchantment process, wouldn’t it be interesting?”

“I see. That’s interesting. Really interesting… but…”

Although Gerhardt was initially excited about the brilliant idea, his tone gradually became more subdued.

“Isn’t that a bit too interesting?”

“You’re right…”

Melting down a cursed weapon to forge a sword and then using a cursed gem for enchantment—what would the result be? Instead of creating a splendid masterpiece, it seemed more likely to produce the worst kind of cursed sword, far surpassing even “Tsubaki,” capable of wiping out entire villages with just one swing.

“I feel like my heart would stop during the enchantment process.”

“It’ll be fine. I’ll die in the forge before that happens.”

“What do you mean, ‘It’ll be fine’…”

Gerhardt gave up on this outlandish idea. For now, anyway. He didn’t forget it but left it in the back of his mind. The desire to try it out someday still lingered. Even if it meant leading the Count’s domain or even the continent to ruin, there was a dangerous allure to creating a legendary sword with one’s own hands.

Sensing a dangerous atmosphere in Gerhardt’s silence, Lutz regretted saying too much and tried to change the subject.

“Speaking of four-word weapons and giant orcs, I wonder what will happen to Leonard-san’s sword.”

“Leonard… who?”

“The commander of the Thirteenth Knight Order.”

“Ah, the guy who recently bit the dust.”

It was quite a cold reaction, Lutz thought, but then he realized that Gerhardt had never met Leonard. Even if he heard that Leonard had stood up to a herd of giant orcs to protect the citizens, he would only think, “Wow, that’s amazing.” It was a distant story, a hero’s tale from another world, and that was the normal reaction.

…Maybe I’m getting a little too invested after all.

The other day, when Josel visited the workshop, he had a puzzled expression on his face.

“A renowned sword without a wielder, huh? I’ve heard the gist of it, but if he was taken down by three giant orcs in a mutual battle, I doubt the sword came out unscathed. If it’s broken, maybe I could ask for it at a cheap price…?”

“It might have been laid to rest in the grave as a hero’s relic.”

“In that case, we’ll just have to overturn the grave.”

“Geez, Gerhardt-san?”

“Sorry, sorry, just a little playful joke from this old man.”

Gerhardt apologized under Lutz’s stern gaze. This old craftsman usually wore a sensible face, but sometimes, the pin of ethics would come loose with casual remarks, so one had to be careful.

“Even if it’s a joke about digging up graves, I’m curious about what happened to the sword.”

Was the sword broken or intact? If intact, was it passed on to the deceased’s family, someone from the knight order, or laid to rest in the grave? It was hard to say from the distant territory.

And Lutz, who had become quite partial to Leonard, had other things on his mind. What was Leonard’s reputation in the capital? What happened to the remaining Thirteenth Knight Order?

As Lutz pondered with his chin in his hand, Gerhardt suggested.

“If you’re that curious, why don’t we go to the capital together?”

“Aren’t you busy, Gerhardt-san?”

“Not at all. To be honest, the reason I came here was partly to kill time. Besides, the Count has been holding pointless meetings every day, discussing the use of the sword funds received from His Majesty the King.”

“Is it dragging on?”

When Lutz asked, Gerhardt smirked disdainfully. It seemed he was fed up with being excluded when it came to matters of money, even though he wasn’t a formal noble. Probably the Count intended to call Gerhardt, but faced strong opposition from his retainers. He wasn’t a dictator; it would be difficult to overturn the consensus of the retainers.

“Those money-grubbers are faced with a windfall. It’s not easy for everyone to agree on a proper use for it.”

“Indeed.”

Meetings dance around but make no progress. Such words crossed his mind.

“So, I’ll be free for about a month from now. I won’t ask for an immediate answer, but think about it.”

No need for a farewell, Gerhardt said, descending the stairs with a light step that didn’t befit an old man.

Left alone, Lutz closed his eyes and thought deeply. He wanted to hear more and, if possible, pay respects at Leonard’s grave. However, he had just recently been to the capital. It was hard to say he wanted to go again just for that reason.

“If only there were one or two more, even just trivial things to do…”

But he couldn’t think of that “something” alone.

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