Atop a Tree That Reaches the Clouds (14)

"Oh... magnificent work, indeed."

Though he is not my master, Old Man Saku—my partner in exchanging techniques, who teaches me the smithing arts of Fusang—lets out an admiring sigh.

He holds the two-handed sword I have just forged: a flamberge.

Although the flamberge is a very large sword and should have considerable weight, Old Man Saku's stance does not waver at all as he picks it up and examines it closely.

"I heard from my master that it was a sword designed to evoke flames. Wounds inflicted by its rippling blade are difficult to staunch, making it highly lethal."

Old Man Saku nods at my words.

Even if a flamberge does not kill its victim immediately, the odds of them dying later are high.

Once its distinctive blade tears into flesh, apparently even treatment cannot close the wound, and it festers until the victim succumbs to illness.

Yes, this flamberge is a weapon made for killing people.

In other words, there is certainly a good chance that this rippling blade will also be effective against oni.

"What frightening ingenuity. ...And yet—no, precisely because of that, this rippling blade is beautiful. Thank you for showing me something so fine."

After saying that, Old Man Saku bows deeply to me.

He is always like that.

He always shows me great respect and never spares his praise.

That is why I want to pass as much on to Old Man Saku as I can.

Of course, in exchange, I also want to learn Fusang's smithing techniques from him, especially how to forge swords.

Our exchange of techniques is progressing.

I have forged ordinary swords and spears as well, but the weapons that most strongly capture Old Man Saku's interest are those incorporating unusual innovations, such as the flamberge I just showed him, as well as halberds and shotels.

A halberd is a spear, a long-handled axe, and a hooked claw for dragging mounted enemies from horseback.

A shotel is a curving sword that can get around shields; it can also be used for quick counterattacks and to hook an enemy with its tip.

Old Man Saku is probably breaking down the principles behind those weapons and thinking of ways to apply them to Fusang's weapons.

I think that is very much the way of the people of Fusang.

But that is ... probably an extraordinarily difficult task.

Much more so than learning to forge swords.

If Old Man Saku were younger, it would be a different story. But at his advanced age, there is almost no doubt that old age will overtake him before he can finish a weapon incorporating those innovations.

Even so, every time he learns something new, he looks utterly delighted and satisfied.

Surely Old Man Saku has never intended from the start to complete such a weapon on his own.

He plans to pass what he learns from me on to his apprentices; if a new weapon is completed decades later and can help defeat even a single oni, that will be enough.

With that in mind, he tries to draw as much knowledge as possible from me.

He is a very different kind of old man from Old Man Gon, but I think Old Man Saku is also a very strong person.

There are many strong people in Fusang.

And that is true not only of humans, but of merfolk and winged folk as well.

Since I started frequenting the forge, I have had more opportunities to interact with merfolk and winged folk.

People seeking weapons of even higher quality than those on the market, and better suited to their own hands, occasionally come to the forge on someone's recommendation.

Among them are not only humans, but merfolk and winged folk as well.

Still, I could understand humans and winged folk seeking high-quality weapons, since they fought oni directly, but why did even merfolk seek them?

But when I listened carefully, I learned that to safely carry people and goods across the sea in small boats, they first had to hunt the monsters that had appeared in those waters and eliminate the danger.

That was why they too needed high-quality weapons, the merfolk who came to the forge told me.

When I thought about it, it was obvious, and my question had been quite rude. Even so, the merperson was not angry at all and taught me all sorts of things.

They told me about the dangers lurking in the sea, how delicious the meat of sea-beast monsters was, and how much their gall and hides could fetch.

Of course, once I realized how rude I had been, I apologized, but the merperson simply laughed and said there was no point in blaming a misunderstanding caused by the differing assumptions of land and sea.

They also said it was enough if people came to understand them properly.

The winged person, who had the air of a proud warrior, was surprisingly friendly when I spoke to them.

No, in truth, they probably were proud, and were likely a skilled warrior as well, but I did not sense that they lorded it over others.

When I heard them out, it was clear that this winged person was confident in and proud of their own skill.

But more than that, they never forgot to show respect to those around them.

To put it simply, the townspeople include seasoned veterans who spent a certain period on the front lines and returned alive.

They said that if they grew conceited about their own skill and flaunted it, only to be seen by such elders deserving of respect, it would be a great disgrace.

And even toward those who were not veterans, they said, they could never act arrogantly: the front lines continued to hold thanks to their support.

As far as I could tell, what the merfolk and winged folk had in common was tolerance and respect.

Of course, that does not mean every merperson and every winged person is tolerant of and respectful toward those around them.

But at the very least, in Fusang, where different races lived side by side, there was unquestionably an environment that valued and nurtured those virtues.

Perhaps it could exist only because there was a common enemy... No, rather, I thought, this was the strength of the country, honed precisely because an enemy existed.