The Curse No Sword Can Sever (2)

Warfield, the capital of the Kingdom of Rudoria, is a large and prosperous city where people and goods gather from all across the country.

It was no different when I first came to the capital, and it hasn't changed at all since.

The gazes directed at me were somewhat different from before, with curiosity and awe joined by the occasional hint of disgust.

Since Win was clinging to me a little more tightly, I gently patted his back to soothe him as we walked along a familiar road.

Apparently, my records from when I previously lived in the capital were still on file, because showing my advanced blacksmith's license got me through the gate surprisingly smoothly.

"O-oh... Oh! Aren't you the elf gentleman who used to stay here? Ah, I see—you've come back!"

As I walked along the road to the dojo, a friendly, delighted voice suddenly called out to me.

When I looked over, there was... um, if I remembered correctly, a man who seemed to be the owner of a shop I had often patronized before.

He looked so different with his head completely bald that I wasn't confident, but I was almost certain he was the same man.

"Ah—um, the butcher?"

Though my question came out sounding a little uncertain, the man—the butcher—broke into a broad grin and laughed heartily.

Ah, so I really had remembered correctly.

"That's right. I'm the butcher who had you make me a meat cleaver before. It's been a long time, hasn't it? Well, I've heard rumors that all sorts of things have happened to you. Ah, you're going to Kaeha-chan's dojo, right? Then wait just a moment... Take this with you."

With that, the butcher dashed into his nearby shop and returned carrying a huge amount of pork—probably a whole pig's worth.

No, no, no, this is heavy.

Since I obviously couldn't carry it like that, I set Win down, took his hand, and slung the meat over my shoulder with my free hand.

Yes, it really was incredibly heavy...

But it was the weight of the goodwill behind our reunion.

I thought it might be a bit much, but I never expected to be greeted with such joy before I had even reached the dojo.

"Thanks. I'll probably be staying in the capital for a while, so if you'd like, I'll make you a new meat cleaver too."

So a smile naturally spread across my lips.

No matter the circumstances, people's goodwill always makes me happy.

"You bet. Count on it, elf gentleman. And you too, young master—if you want meat, come to my shop. I'll have the best meat in the capital waiting for you!"

Win had initially been a little startled and bewildered by the butcher's appearance, but he reacted to the man's cheerful manner and, above all, to the word meat, giving a slightly pleased nod.

Holding Win's right hand in mine and carrying the heavy chunk of meat in my left, I laboriously climbed the steps in front of the dojo.

I could hear what sounded like training shouts from inside, and the place was much livelier than before.

Apparently, Kaeha had successfully revived the Yosogi Style.

As we passed through the gate, I wondered... could they be Kaeha's disciples?

The men who had been practicing their swings stopped and came over to us.

"Who are you? This is the Yosogi Style dojo. Outsiders aren't permitted to enter... Huh? An elf?"

The disciples looked confused when they saw that the visitor was an elf.

I picked out the one with the most good-natured-looking face and simply thrust the chunk of meat into his arms.

Honestly, it was getting heavy.

I could keep carrying Win no matter what, but pork—well, I like it, but I don't love it.

The disciple accepted it obediently despite his confusion, his eyes darting in bewilderment. He seemed good-natured, just as I had expected.

I looked around at the disciples surrounding us—one, two, three... eight men—and tilted my head, wondering what to do.

I had entered without thinking, carried along by nostalgia, but from the disciples' perspective, of course they would stop a suspicious stranger who had suddenly walked in.

Seeing the dojo, which had once been empty, now being guarded like this somehow made me happy.

"Someone affiliated, huh? ... Hmm, I still count as someone connected to this place, even now, don't I?"

When I said that and looked toward the back, a woman with an air of austere dignity walked toward us from inside the dojo.

She carried an air of authority, even majesty, and I almost mistook her for someone else, but there was no doubt that she was Kaeha, only a little older than before.

What surprised me was just one thing:

"Yes, he is unquestionably connected to this dojo. I told you about him before, didn't I? The first disciple who rebuilt this dojo and then set out on a journey."

It was the presence of two children standing at Kaeha's sides.

The child on the right was a boy, and the one on the left was a girl. Both looked about seven or eight, and both unmistakably bore Kaeha's features.

Their eyes as they looked at me held traces of tension, caution, and expectation.

"Eisa, it isn't quite ten years yet, but welcome back. And that child... I see. That's so like you. You two can use the same room as before. And go show your face to Mother as well."

Kaeha narrowed her eyes nostalgically, a smile softening her lips.

Then the stern, taut air around her softened, and the disciples nearby looked slightly surprised.

Could it be that Kaeha's disciples were afraid of her?

It made me wonder, but oh well.

It wasn't something I—at least, not just after returning—needed to concern myself with or interfere in.

I bowed to everyone around me, then picked up the bewildered Win and headed for Kaeha's house, where I had lived before.

Actually, I had noticed the smithy next door as I passed and wanted to take a look, but I decided to put that off for now.

For now, the priority was to tell Kaeha's mother I'd returned, introduce Win, and help him get used to this place.

Blacksmithing could wait; I could do it anytime afterward.

Still, I was starting to want to forge another magic sword soon.

I wondered whether anyone at this dojo had an aptitude for magic.

It was only after leaving Odine that I realized all you needed to wield a magic sword was an aptitude for magic.

In other words, you didn't need to be a mage; perhaps specialized knowledge of spell formulas wasn't necessary either.

Back then, Kaushuman and I had been so absorbed in completing the magic sword that we hadn't even thought about how it would be used, but perhaps by now he had reached the same realization.

If that was the case, then in the future it might not be at all impossible for magic swordsmen who weren't mages, or magic-sword smiths with the knowledge and skill to create magic swords, to emerge.

Ah, but... yeah.

That could wait. It was something to look forward to in the future.

For now, I'd savor my reunion with the people I had missed.