Chapter 37
As I approached Fillin's Forge, a woman suddenly appeared in front of me, pushing the door open and entering first.
"..."
I followed the woman into the forge.
What greeted me wasn't the smell of coal and molten iron but the musty scent of old wood.
Although it was called a forge, the interior didn't look like one at all. It just looked like an ordinary shop.
On both sides of the walls, flashy swords were displayed elegantly, like in a jewelry store.
The owner was nowhere to be seen, and the counter was empty.
The woman went to the counter first and rang the bell.
I quietly watched this from a corner at the back.
Ding ding
As the bell rang, there was a rustling sound from the direction of the warehouse, and a white-haired old man with glasses and a half-bald head came out to the counter.
"Hmm, are you looking for something?"
The woman said, "I heard there's a sword my master left here, so I came to pick it up."
Then, she handed over a coin with a unique pattern on it.
The old man took out a notebook, opened it on the counter, and said, "Let's see, what's your name?"
"Sion, Sion Israel."
Upon hearing the name, the old man closed the notebook without even checking it and said, "Ah, so you're the one who received a recommendation letter and came across the continent. I remember your master's request well."
Then he went into the warehouse.
My ears perked up at the mention of a recommendation letter.
During the brief silence, the woman briefly turned to look back.
Her gaze briefly swept over me.
Her hair was perfectly straight as if measured with a ruler, her complexion was pale, and her eyes were slightly upturned like a cat's, giving her a somewhat cold impression.
For some reason, she seemed to be conscious of me.
It seemed like she didn't want me to hear her conversation with the old man.
I pretended to look at the displayed swords, feigning disinterest.
The old man brought a sword and carefully placed it on the counter.
"Here, I've been keeping this for fifteen long years. Now it finally meets its rightful owner and sees the light of day."
The sword the old man brought had a unique bluish blade, unlike ordinary swords.
She picked up the sword, tilted it left and right to examine it, then immediately put it in its scabbard and fastened it to her waist.
In addition to the sword she was already wearing, she now had two swords hanging at her waist.
It seemed that handling multiple swords wasn't such a rare thing.
"...Thank you. I'll come back again soon."
"Hehe, do come again."
It seemed like there was some story behind it, but contrary to my expectations, she showed an indifferent reaction and turned around to walk towards the door.
And the old man looked at me.
Is it already my turn?
I approached the counter and placed my hand on it, briefly turning to look back.
I intended to speak only after the woman had completely left and no one else remained. I had to act cautiously while wearing the mask.
As she pushed the door, the old man, perhaps seeing Silveryn's ring on my finger, said softly, "Hmm, another recommendation letter?"
Reacting to the word "recommendation letter," she paused for a moment and looked back.
And our eyes met properly.
"..."
I couldn't tell what she was thinking. She just stared at me for a moment.
Soon after, the woman called Sion pushed the door and left quickly.
"Ahem."
At the meaningful cough, I faced the old man again.
"Who sent you?"
"Professor Silveryn."
The old man pushed up his glasses and looked at me closely.
"Silveryn? That woman took a disciple? No, more importantly, why is a mage's disciple here?"
"I don't know how to use magic."
He looked me up and down with a dubious expression, then pondered for a moment.
"Hmm, that woman's judgment can't be wrong."
He continued, "Are you looking for a sword?"
"Yes."
He lifted the folding entrance of the counter and gestured.
"Come in."
"...?"
The old man led me to the warehouse and down the stairs to the basement.
In the basement, there was a long corridor barely wide enough for two people to pass. On both sides of the corridor, unique swords were displayed without gaps.
The old man left me at the front of the stairs and was rummaging through the swords alone.
"Where are you from?"
"Wiesel."
"How long have you been handling a sword?"
I answered honestly without holding back, "Less than three months."
He didn't express dissatisfaction or nitpick about my experience.
"That woman's intentions are really hard to understand. I'd like to see your skills sometime later. By the way, some young knights from Wiesel stopped by here recently. They said they were preparing for the entrance exam. Do you know them?"
"They're probably people I know."
"Then please tell the big one to throw away that terrible sword."
"..."
"He asked me to appraise his sword, wanting to know how great it was. My goodness, I've never seen such a stupid sword in my life!"
If it was someone big, it was likely to be the one I knew, but I had no intention of meeting them until the entrance exam, regardless of what they were doing.
"..."
"If you want such a sword too..."
I cut him off, "I just need something durable that I can use for a long time."
At this, the old man laughed heartily and said, "Hahaha, ah, yes, if that's what you want, you've come to the right place."
The old man opened a display case and rummaged through it a few times before coming to me and handing me a sword.
"Try holding this."
It was a unique sword with a translucent blade like glass.
As I gripped the sword handle, suddenly, there was a crack, and the blade cracked.
What's this? I didn't do anything.
"This, suddenly..."
"Tsk, give it back. That won't do."
He put it back in its place as if nothing had happened. Then he opened the display case again and muttered to himself a few times. Soon after, he brought another sword and handed it to me.
"How about this one?"
I swung it around for a moment. It was the size of a one-handed sword, but it was so heavy that it needed to be swung with both hands.
"It's a bit heavy."
"Hmm, that's not it either."
Every sword he handed me was extraordinary. For some reason, he didn't seem to think of giving me an ordinary sword.
The old man started rummaging through the swords again.
This might take longer than expected.
While standing still, something that didn't fit the basement caught my eye.
In a corner where no sunlight reached, there was a small sapling.
It was very out of place to have a sapling sitting alone in one corner when everything else was swords.
While he was looking at the swords for a moment, I tapped the branches of the sapling.
Despite being in a place where it couldn't photosynthesize, the stem and leaves were overflowing with vitality, having grown on who knows what.
While I was playing with it, the old man approached again.
Soon after, I felt a cold sensation on my finger.
One leaf had wrapped tightly around my index finger.
Seeing me, he dropped the sword he had brought to the side and said, "Oh dear me, we're in trouble."
"...?"
"Just hold on for a bit."
Hold on?
Leaving just these words, the old man hurriedly went upstairs.
What's going on?
The sapling's branch moved on its own, and another leaf stuck tightly to the back of my hand.
"...!"
When I pulled my arm, the whole tree came out. It was useless to try to peel off the leaves with my nails. It was as if the leaves themselves had glued onto me.
Moreover, it was incomparably tougher than an ordinary tree.
The stem and branches now deliberately stuck to both my arms.
When I tried to push the pot away with my foot, the sapling came out with its roots.
Not stopping there, even the roots started to wrap around my body.
I couldn't tell if this was a plant or an octopus’ tentacles.
"What is this!"
The old man came down the stairs wearing thick gloves with magic circles drawn on them. When he grabbed the branches and pulled, only then did the sapling start to come off.
A living, moving plant. I never imagined it. Why is such an outlandish thing in a place like this?
The old man put the plant in the pot, roughly covered it with soil, pushed it into a corner, and said, "Didn't you say you didn’t know how to handle magic at all?"
"Yes, I can't."
He stood still, looking at me as if he couldn't understand.
"Regardless, are you alright?"
The old man's expression looked a bit serious.
"Huh? I'm fine."
Is there some kind of poison?
He patted my shoulders and thighs, checking my physical condition.
"Haha, it's amazing that you're fine after having that much mana drained from you."
"Mana drained?"
"That plant likes humans overflowing with mana. I left it alone because you said you didn't know any magic, but it seems you were hiding that you were at a mage's level when it came to mana."
"What exactly is that thing..."
"It's also called 'Yggdrasil's Sapling'. I don't know much detailed information about it. I just received it. It's a sword that's difficult to use unless you're a mage because it eats magic power."
"That's a sword?"
He nodded and, as if to show me, picked up the base of the sapling.
The sapling wobbled like a liquid, gathered into a straight line, and soon transformed into what looked like a solid wooden sword.
"If you provide it with an adequate amount of mana, it becomes harder than steel."
"..."
"The problem is that mages don't use swords, and the mana capacity of most swordsmen is insufficient. It's an item that's been giving me headaches because it couldn't find a suitable owner. I received it when it was knee-high, but it couldn't find an owner until it grew to poke my side."
Suddenly, I felt competitive. Silveryn had said that my mana recovery speed was better than most mages. Couldn't I properly handle that sword?
"May I try holding it?"
He thought for a moment and then handed it to me.
"Hmm, you seem to be in good condition, so give it a try. If you feel fatigue or dizziness, give it back immediately."
"Understood."
"Here you go."
I received the wooden sword from him.
It was light, and the sword handle fit comfortably in my hand.
Although it was said to suck in mana, I felt nothing.
I gently stroked the blade with my finger.
"...!"
Blood beaded on the tip of my finger. It was unbelievably sharp for a wooden sword.
It would also be perfect for hiding in emergencies. It seemed like it was made just for me.
I also liked that it consumed mana. It meant I could use this in various ways depending on the situation.
There seemed to be no need to look for another sword.
The old man seemed to have the same thought as he watched the wooden sword and then spoke, "It looks like it has found its owner."
"How much is this?"
At my question, the old man briefly furrowed his brow.
***
Contrary to what I had initially imagined, I ended up leaving Fillin's Forge carrying a flowerpot.
"I have too much money left."
And the leather pouch was still full of gold coins.
I hadn't even considered that he might just give it to me.