Chapter 256: Seat of the Gods

In the sleepless city, on a night where sleep eludes them, four individuals gathered around a flickering candle flame. After Claudia glanced at the faces of the men, she began to discuss the results of her information gathering.

“First, regarding Leonard-san’s reputation, it seems like the higher-ups aren’t interested.”

“What do you mean?” 

Josel asked in a displeased tone. Leonard, the former leader of the Thirteenth Knight Order, had bravely fought against powerful monsters, sacrificing himself to protect the people of the realm. He didn’t like the idea of such a man’s deeds being belittled.

“They treat him as a fool who died trying to protect the people. Many believe that if he knew the enemy was too strong, he should have temporarily retreated to regroup and fight again later.”

“Rational. Though, of course, the villages that were attacked would be destroyed.”

Gerhardt added emotionlessly. Josel didn’t agree, but he knew there was no point in lashing out at Claudia. He frowned and clenched his fist, remaining silent.

“What about the nobles? And what do the villagers think?”

When Lutz asked, Claudia scratched her head with a wry smile.

“That’s a bit extreme, actually…”

“What happened?”

“Well, it’s like this: They’re treating Leonard-san’s broken sword as a divine relic, apparently stored in the village church. It’s being treated like a holy artifact.”

“Is it good or bad that it’s broken?”

Gerhardt groaned with his arms crossed. He had hoped that if the sword were broken and useless, he could acquire it cheaply or even for free, but he hadn’t expected it to be broken and deified.

“For the villagers, the broken sword is a testament to the hero who fought desperately to protect them until the end. It’s hard to demand it from them.”

“Right. What happened to the Thirteenth Knight Order after the commander’s death?”

When Lutz asked, Claudia nodded, indicating that this had also been investigated.

“There weren’t that many to begin with. They were incorporated into the Fourth Knight Order, or to put it more bluntly, absorbed.”

“The Fourth, huh…”

The image of a man epitomizing the word ‘heroic’ came to Lutz’s mind. He, too, had been given a prestigious sword by the king as a reward. As a fellow sword owner, perhaps he felt empathy for Leonard and couldn’t leave the remaining members of his order behind. Although their relationship was only a brief encounter, he felt that he would step forward.

“By the way, the former members of the Thirteenth Knight Order are also demanding the return of the commander’s sword from the village, but it seems they’re being rejected outright.”

“The Thirteenth Knight Order sees Leonard-san as a hero, so of course, they would want his heirloom sword.”

“But it’s not as if we can just take it from the villagers. Doing so would be like denying Leonard’s fight to protect them. Harming the villagers would also negate Leonard-sama’s battle.”

Everyone nodded in agreement with Josel’s words.

“Master, forgive my presumption, but should we give up on Leonard-sama’s sword? We have no room to intervene. If we want to create an enhanced magic weapon, it might be easier to make a new one…”

“No!”

“Huh?”

“I refuse! I absolutely want it!”

The elderly man in his sixties, a master enchanter who might be the best in the kingdom, acted like an unruly child.

“The more I hear, the more I want it. It’s the sword of a man worshipped by his subordinates and villagers like a god. The value of a weapon lies in its wielder. How could we tolerate leaving it to rot in a moldy old church? We should breathe new life into it with our own hands. Isn’t that the mission, the responsibility of craftsmen!?”

“Even so, if the knight order or the villagers don’t agree…”

“We’re not listening to the parties involved!”

Josel struggled to calm down the master, who had flipped an odd switch, and looked to Lutz for help.

“What do you think, lutz?”

“Me?… I feel like it might be a bit too early to go back.”

Josel made a bitter face, realizing he had asked the wrong person. Meanwhile, the obstinate old man smiled defiantly.

“First, I’d like to confirm: Gerhardt, you want to create enhanced magic weapons, but it’s not necessarily that you want to own them, correct?”

“Of course, owning them is preferable, but the main goal is to create them.”

“Leaving Leonard-san’s sword in its pitiful state is unbearable. If our reason for wanting to give it new life is valid, then I believe we have room to intervene. After all, we’re the craftsmen who made the sword. We’re not strangers to this matter.”

“True. The problem is whether the knight order or the villagers will agree.”

“To find out if it’s possible, we need to go to the scene and hear their opinions. Also, Claudia.”

“What’s up?”

“I want to talk to the leader of the Fourth Knight Order. Can you arrange a meeting?”

The last time they met, Marquis Eldenburger had provided a letter of introduction, but that was for the purpose of creating tribute items. This time, he was unrelated to their objectives. He wanted to avoid doing anything that might create a debt to a high-ranking noble for personal reasons.

“I thought so, so I arranged it with a merchant who has access to the palace.”

“As expected, you work fast.”

Lutz praised Claudia’s competence. However, Claudia’s expression remained cloudy.

“In that case, a sort of introduction fee, or rather a bribe, is required. About ten gold coins.”

The first to show disgust at this proposition was Josel. The annual operating cost for establishing the Second Knight Order in the Count’s territory would be fifty gold coins, and now they needed ten gold coins just to meet a knight order leader in the capital. It was ridiculous, insulting, and far from acceptable. What kind of state was the palace, the supposed exemplar of the kingdom’s norms and standards?

Meanwhile, Lutz remained unperturbed. He had no expectations for the nobility’s morality. Even if he heard that the palace was a den of money-hungry vultures, he would only think, “Oh, is that so?”

“Clau, go ahead.”

“Okay.”

It wasn’t that Lutz had no qualms about parting with ten gold coins. But he couldn’t stop. He wanted to delve deeper into the life of a man named Leonard.

“While I meet with the leader, I’ll ask Clau to investigate the village. Would you two be willing to accompany Clau as her guards?”

“I don’t mind.”

“Me neither.”

With their prompt agreement, Gerhardt and Josel, Lutz bowed deeply in silence.

Previous chapter | TOC | Next chapter