Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 20: Goliath, the Arms Dealer (2)
—How could I’ve forgotten?
Staring silently at the sword before him, Elliot questioned himself.
As he recalled the day he had gained the holy sword and the year since then, a chill slowly crept up his spine.
- —I thought I had lost it, yet I didn’t even try to search for it…
Once, it had been precious to him.
But the honor of obtaining the holy sword and the exhilaration of defeating undead beasts so easily had overwhelmed everything else. Absorbed in those glorious, prideful days, he pushed the loss to the back of his mind and eventually ceased thinking about it altogether.
Trying to escape the nausea welling in his chest, Elliot looked away from the sword.
He felt Goliath watching him. Without raising his head, he simply told the truth.
“I used this sword before I acquired the… holy sword. I thought I had lost it.”
“Is that so?”
Goliath’s flat, emotionless reply lingered in Elliot’s ears.
“This is no ordinary sword. Its workmanship is beautiful, from the shape of the hilt to the meticulous detail—especially its distinctive pommel. If I’m not mistaken, it was made by Master Dolph of the Hidden Village.”
“…The Hidden Village?”
“Oh? You didn’t know where it was made?”
Goliath narrowed his eyes and appraised Elliot with his gaze. For a moment, Elliot found it almost suffocating.
“This sword was given to me by a… stranger.”
He forced out the answer, suppressing its bitterness.
Still wearing a thin, unreadable smile, Goliath lifted the sword again and gently ran his fingertips along its chipped and distorted blade.
“Hmm, I see… Let us return to the matter at hand. You wish to do something about this sword, do you not?”
“Can it be repaired?”
“I can’t answer that yet. My craftspeople could reforge the chipped portions and restore the blade’s shape, but they couldn’t return it to its original condition as a vessel.”
Elliot bit his lip. Goliath’s smile deepened as he continued, as though offering consolation.
“If you entrusted it to Master Dolph, who forged it, restoration might be possible.”
“Then… where’s this Hidden Village?”
Elliot finally raised his head and pleaded for an answer.
“…If memory serves, it lies about two days by carriage from the royal capital’s main gate.”
Elliot and Lloyd sprang to their feet at once, but Goliath added a warning with a sidelong glance.
“Even if the vessel’s appearance can be restored, there’s no guarantee that everything else will return to how it was. Still, I suppose you can’t simply do nothing. If you fail to meet him, please come back.”
Taking Goliath’s words as concern for them, the two men thanked him and departed.
After his guests left the small room, a young butler entered carrying a tea service. While drinking the tea prepared for him, Goliath asked a question.
“Have there been any recent changes among the merchants who come and go from Master Dolph’s village?”
“No, sir. Those invited are still chiefly food and general-goods merchants. However, the number of craftspeople in the Blacksmiths’ Village appears to have grown recently.”
“Hardly surprising, considering the circumstances behind the holy sword’s manifestation… Ah, damn. How careless of me. I told them only that it was the ‘Hidden Village.’”
The young butler laughed in exasperation as Goliath clutched his head with exaggerated concern despite his nonchalant tone.
“You did that deliberately, Master Goliath. You don’t truly believe they’ll ever reach the village, do you?”
“Who can say? His companion still looked promising.”
Goliath relaxed against the sofa, amusement on his face.
“Those worthy of being invited see it as an ordinary place and call it simply the Blacksmiths’ Village. Those who aren’t invited can never find it, and so they call it the Hidden Village. I forgot to explain that. Well… I’m sure I’ll soon have the opportunity to apologize.”