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“Lord Gilbert!”

“Hmm…”

Lost in thought, Gilbert barely snapped back to reality at Gwendolyn’s call.

He quickly turned his head to look around, only to find the once-crowded area now eerily empty.

Realizing he had been too deep in thought, Gilbert shook his head, trying to shake off the lingering unpleasantness.

“Did you wait long? I tried to be as quick as possible, but there were too many customers.”

“Is that so? That’s good to hear.”

“But first, come inside! I can’t leave such a precious guest standing outside!”

Gwendolyn grabbed Gilbert’s hand and pulled him with surprising strength, a testament to her skills as a blacksmith.

Pretending to be helpless, Gilbert followed her into her weapon shop.

Gwendolyn’s shop, Ensis, looked almost the same as the last time he visited. The old interior, creaky floor, and the smell of oil remained unchanged.

However, the once sword-filled walls were now completely bare. Compared to just a few months ago when not even an ant could be seen, it was a remarkable improvement.

“Business seems to be going well.”

“It’s all thanks to you, Lord Gilbert. Once the rumor spread that we supply the Lion Heart Count Family, everyone was desperate to buy swords! I’ve been making a lot of money!”

Gwendolyn spread her arms wide and exclaimed joyfully.

It had been a long time since Gwendolyn felt so fulfilled and happy day by day.

In fact, she had a dream she had never shared with anyone.

A dream she had held since the day she first picked up a hammer and stood before the forge.

To present the greatest sword to the greatest swordsman.

This was the dream of every blacksmith, and Gwendolyn had made it her lifelong goal.

For her, money was merely a means to create the perfect sword.

The materials needed for a great sword were all expensive, and to buy them, she needed money.

But life doesn’t always go as planned.

Before meeting Gilbert, her shop, which stubbornly focused only on swords, was on the verge of collapse. Barely making ends meet, she was losing faith in her craft when she met her savior.

Gilbert Lion Heart.

Though she was obsessed with swords, she wasn’t unaware of his name.

The disgrace of the Lion Heart family.

The shame of the Count’s house.

Known by many titles, he began to walk a different path after enrolling in the Demia Empire Academy.

Among his many actions, what caught her attention the most was becoming the personal disciple of Briana, the Empire’s Swordmaster.

Becoming the disciple of the Swordmaster, who once ruled the Empire with a single sword, was no small feat. While taking Princess Seraphina as a disciple was largely political, accepting Gilbert was on a whole different level.

In fact, from a political standpoint, it wasn’t a favorable choice, which only highlighted Gilbert’s natural talent with the sword.

Perhaps that’s why Gwendolyn was so intrigued by him. Her goal was always to present the greatest sword to the greatest swordsman, so it was only natural for her to pay close attention to Gilbert, who might one day become that swordsman.

After eagerly awaiting their meeting, she finally encountered the famous Swordmaster and her disciple a few months ago. Even now, she felt like she had used up a lifetime’s worth of luck that day.

While the Swordmaster was indeed impressive, Gwendolyn found herself more interested in Gilbert.

Rather than the Swordmaster, who had already reached the pinnacle, she wanted to see Gilbert, still unknown, rise to the top with a sword she had forged.

Perhaps it was because she herself had yet to be recognized as the greatest blacksmith.

Though she couldn’t give the greatest sword to the greatest swordsman, there was a certain romance in giving a sword to a swordsman who would one day become the greatest.

Unfortunately, she lacked both the funds and materials to create a sword worthy of him, so she would have to wait for another time.

“I’ll get straight to the point. I want to commission a sword. Here’s the material.”

“This is…?”

What Gilbert presented was a metal she was well familiar with. Tears of the Moon, a rare metal known for its exceptional mana sensitivity.

Tears of the Moon were said to form only when a mana-absorbing metal was exposed to the full moon’s magic for an extended period.

To her knowledge, Tears of the Moon were primarily used in magical engineering for mana transmission devices or occasionally in crafting mages’ staves.

However, due to its poor strength and hardness, it wasn’t highly regarded and was now treated merely as a rare metal.

He wanted her to make a sword out of this?

Gwendolyn’s brow furrowed.

It was an idea she had never considered. A sword made from such a weak metal would only be suitable for ceremonial purposes.

It didn’t align with Gwendolyn’s philosophy of creating swords for practical use.

But she hesitated to outright refuse Gilbert’s request, given how much she owed him.

Should she just close her eyes and accept the commission this once?

Her dilemma deepened.

“I can see what you’re thinking. Tears of the Moon isn’t for the blade. There’s not enough of it to make a blade anyway.”

“Then you can’t use it for the hilt or guard either, right?”

“I plan to melt the Tears of the Moon in a mana furnace and mix it with mithril and black iron.”

“Melt it in a mana furnace…?”

Gwendolyn’s mind began to race. Melting metals in a mana furnace was a technique commonly used in magical engineering.

It was primarily used to create alloys by mixing mana-sensitive metals with other materials. Gilbert was suggesting mixing Tears of the Moon with mithril and black iron.

“Even if you melt Tears of the Moon in a mana furnace to create an alloy, it won’t make much difference. Magical engineers have already experimented with it, and the results weren’t impressive.”

“They probably didn’t use mithril and black iron.”

Under Gilbert’s indifferent gaze, Gwendolyn swallowed hard.

Indeed, to her knowledge, they hadn’t tried such a crazy combination.

Mithril was a metal highly effective against undead monsters. Its purifying aura made it highly sought after by undead hunters.

However, mithril production was concentrated in the Holy Empire. Most of it was consumed by the Paladin Order’s armaments, leaving only a small portion for the market.

As a result, mithril fetched exorbitant prices whenever it appeared on the market. With base auction prices starting at hundreds of gold, magical engineers with limited budgets couldn’t even dream of acquiring it.

The other material Gilbert mentioned, black iron, was in a similar situation. Unlike mithril, black iron wasn’t concentrated in one region, but its quality varied greatly, affecting its price.

Black iron from the mines near Bismarck, the central city of the Lithuania Territory, was considered the best. Most famous swords on the continent were made from Bismarck black iron.

Fortunately, the Lithuania Territory was ruled by Gilbert’s family, the Lion Heart Count Family. While the Empire strictly controlled black iron exports, it wouldn’t be a problem for the Count’s heir to use some for sword-making.

Moreover, wasn’t he the Empire’s hero, a figure used for propaganda by the Imperial Family?

As long as he didn’t engage in treasonous activities, such usage could be easily managed.

“Black iron won’t be hard to get with you around, but mithril could cost as much as a territory’s annual budget.”

“Don’t worry about that.”

Gilbert casually pulled out several pouches of gold coins. Combining his rewards and support from the Lion Heart Count Family, he had amassed a staggering amount.

The gold coins Gilbert laid out exceeded the total amount Gwendolyn had seen in her entire life, so money wouldn’t be an issue.

“Even so, mithril isn’t something you can buy just because you have the money.”

Opening one of the pouches, Gwendolyn’s hands trembled as she carefully counted the coins. The sheer amount made her head spin.

“Gwendolyn Ensis, you’re forgetting something.”

“Forgotten something?”

“Yes. Who’s my residence with?”

“Ah…!”

Gilbert Lion Heart’s residence.

Seraphina Lector Infractus.

She was the First Princess, widely regarded as the next in line for the throne. With her help, acquiring mithril wouldn’t be impossible.

“I hadn’t thought of that. But I still don’t understand why you want to melt these three metals together. Mixing metals doesn’t always result in a good alloy. Moreover, Tears of the Moon has been evaluated as having little practical use despite its rarity. It’s only valuable among collectors. And mixing mithril and black iron would just result in a fragile glass sword.”

Gwendolyn, now fully in her role as a blacksmith, laid out her thoughts. To her, melting these three materials together seemed like a waste of money and nothing more.

Mixing mithril and black iron, with their vastly different properties, was as absurd as mixing water and fire. While Gwendolyn acknowledged Gilbert’s greatness, she believed he couldn’t match her in sword-making.

“I know. That’s why we’re adding Tears of the Moon.”

“Are you saying Tears of the Moon has such an effect?”

“That’s its true utility. Tears of the Moon is a special mineral formed by absorbing the full moon’s magic over a long period. Its high mana conductivity is just a side effect.”

In the game, the correct way to use Tears of the Moon was discovered by none other than Gwendolyn, who had become the greatest blacksmith. She had experimented with countless materials to create the perfect sword.

By then, money was no longer an issue, and she spent it freely in pursuit of her goal.

The combination she discovered was using the moon’s magic to mix mithril and black iron. This was the ultimate sword obtainable only through a specific route in Tactical Combat.

It required an absurd amount of money and reputation, but Gilbert now had the wealth and fame to achieve it. After all, flexing is always relative.

“How do you know all this, Lord Gilbert?”

“It just came to me.”

“No, more importantly, will it really work? Wait, Tears of the Moon is good at absorbing mana, so when melted in a mana furnace…”

Gwendolyn’s eyes sharpened as she began to consider the possibilities.

Tears of the Moon, mithril, and black iron.

She started calculating the possible reactions when these three were melted together, using all her knowledge.

After twenty minutes of deep thought, she concluded that Gilbert’s idea had potential. At the same time, an overwhelming excitement surged within her.

This combination might be the key to creating the ultimate sword she had always dreamed of.

“Lord Gilbert, there might be some trial and error. Is that okay?”

Seeing the fiery passion in the blacksmith’s eyes, Gilbert nodded calmly. While he knew the combination, the actual crafting was Gwendolyn’s domain.

He was a knight who knew a bit about colossal mechs, not a blacksmith.

“Of course. As long as one more condition is met.”

“Anything.”

“I’d like an artificial spirit embedded in the sword. The placement doesn’t matter.”

“What kind of outrageous request is that now?”

Gwendolyn, who believed a sword should remain a sword, was opposed to the idea of embedding an artificial spirit, the pinnacle of magical engineering, into a sword.

Gilbert had anticipated this. This idea was something Gwendolyn had considered only after becoming the greatest blacksmith, so it was possible she wouldn’t accept it now.

As expected, his prediction was correct, and he repeated the words she had said in the game.

“If an artificial spirit can be bonded to a sword, it could create an Ego Sword, like those found in legends. Isn’t that a blacksmith’s dream?”

“A dream…”

The legendary swords from the age of heroes and demons, known only through ancient texts.

It was the story of such a sword that had inspired her to become a blacksmith in her childhood.

The idea of creating an Ego Sword, a sword that chooses its master, was indeed a dream.

Gwendolyn felt her heart pounding fiercely.

A legendary sword from myth.

Recreating a holy sword with her own hands.

Her eyes sparkled as she blurted out to Gilbert without thinking.

“Lord Gilbert, would you like to marry me?”

Gilbert was at a loss for words at Gwendolyn’s sudden proposal.

***

“Your Majesty”

In a lavishly decorated room, a man with golden hair and red eyes knelt before another man. The kneeling man, sensing his lord’s displeasure, bowed even deeper.

“Was it Seraphina again?”

One of the few who could address the First Princess by name, the red-eyed man gazed coldly at his subordinate.

The kneeling man trembled under the sharp aura.

“Yes, Your Majesty. Princess Seraphina has announced the eradication of the Slaves.”

“That child again. She really knows how to pick the most tedious tasks.”

His tone was bored, as if everything was tiresome, but his eyes told a different story.

They burned with jealousy and anger, a sticky, seething rage bubbling up from deep within.

“It seems the time has come.”

“Your Majesty means…?”

“It’s time to stretch our limbs. Contact those children immediately. The moment we get our hands on either of them, we’ll move.”

“Your humble servant will carry out Your Majesty’s command.”

The man trembled with excitement, finally seeing the long-awaited moment arrive. He bowed respectfully and left the room.

The red-eyed man quietly watched his retreating figure, then suddenly curled his lips into a smile.

After waiting so long, he could almost taste the sweet fruit of victory.

 

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