Chapter 57
Chapter 57
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 57
Chapter Title: Festival
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A fortnight passed, and the day of the festival arrived.
From morning, the bustling sounds of people outside could be heard.
The area around the smithy was usually quiet, but with a grand festival today, even the distant clamor of the crowd was quite loud.
It was one of the few celebrations in the Heavenly Demon Cult, yet I couldn't bring myself to be entirely happy.
"Ah, I'm in trouble. I can't think of the next idea."
I had a rough idea of the kind of demonic sword I wanted to forge.
Since the Gale Blade had exuded a cool, unorthodox aura, I planned to make a weapon with a cleaner form this time.
But I just couldn't come up with a concept.
Even looking through the stories Hyeon-a had left me, nothing really clicked.
The people Hyeon-a killed were deeply entangled with the Demonic Cult, so none of them seemed to fit a weapon with a clean and refined atmosphere.
"Ughhhhaaargh!"
I let out a groan and rolled around on the bed.
"I can't think of anything! What am I supposed to do?! Huh?! Arrrgh!"
After tossing and turning, I exhausted myself and stared at the ceiling with hollow eyes.
"Ah, I couldn't even sleep properly because I couldn't think of anything."
My whole body was tired, but I decided to just get up.
It's not like I could fall asleep even if I stayed in bed.
I slowly sat up, changed my clothes, and left the bedroom.
My house was attached to the smithy, so the commute was very convenient.
It was a convenience I'd never experienced in my past life, but the downside was that with my home and workplace so close, I couldn't seem to fully relax even when I was resting.
Yawning, I went out to the yard and entered the smithy right next to the house.
The first thing I saw was the well-displayed weapons and, to the left, a wooden shelf that served as both a counter and a display.
Farther in were two doors. The one on the left led to a quiet workshop with various books and plans.
The one on the right, on the other hand, was the forging area where weapons were actually made, equipped with a huge furnace and various facilities.
Although it was a space for one person to work in, the interior was large enough for several people.
It seemed the Demonic Cult had designed the smithy to be usable by multiple people when they built it.
Of course, since I pursued perfection on my own and didn't hire anyone, I just thought it was unnecessarily spacious.
I gave it a cursory glance and headed straight for the quiet workshop.
My usual robe was hanging on a chair in that room.
"It's chilly outside, so I should definitely wear an overcoat."
When I opened the door, Hyeon-a, who was sitting on the table, waved and greeted me.
"You're just getting here? I've been waiting for a while, you punk!"
"What the. Why are you here? How are you back already?"
At my question, Hyeon-a got off the table, grinned, and answered confidently.
"Hmph, the number one martial art our assassination squad learns is footwork. And I'm the best at it! When it comes to speed, not even a master of the Profound Realm could catch me."
"Is that so."
It was a bit absurd how confidently she mentioned the Profound Realm, but I decided to just let it slide.
"I even submitted my report and got a full day's rest before coming here."
"Really. But why are you here? This is my personal workshop."
"It's the festival today, so I was wondering what you were up to. I knew you were in your bedroom, but I waited for you here. Should I have just gone to your room?"
As Hyeon-a tried to tease me with a slightly sly expression, I let out a dry laugh and answered curtly.
"Hah, forget it. Don't say such terrible things, even as a joke. I really hate having my personal space invaded."
When I spoke with a completely serious face, Hyeon-a looked a little flustered and said.
"Haha, alright. I won't. Don't make such a scary face."
"What's there to be scared of. You're a monster who could subdue someone like me in an instant."
"Subduing your body is easy, but subduing your heart is hard."
"Gyaaaaaaah!"
Hearing those cheesy and awful words, I instinctively took a step back.
As if my reaction was hilarious, Hyeon-a cackled with laughter.
"Hahahaha! Now that's a proper reaction!"
"Why are you saying such disgusting things? Are you trying to kill me?"
"You're deliberately provoking me, aren't you? If you keep reacting so amusingly, I'll have no choice but to do it again next time. Hmm?"
As she slowly approached with a sly smile, I waved my hands and said.
"Seriously, I don't think I can take it if you do that again, so stop. Anyway, what did you really come here for? You wouldn't have come just to tease me."
If she had really come just to tease me, she wouldn't have arrived so early.
If she had come simply out of boredom, she would have dropped by while I was working, spouted some nonsense, laughed, and left.
Hearing my question, Hyeon-a smiled faintly and replied.
"To go to the festival with you."
"Huh, that's it?"
"Yep."
When I stared into Hyeon-a's eyes to discern her true intentions, she gazed back at me with a deep, cheesy look.
Unable to bear her gaze, I whipped my head away, threw on my overcoat, and left the workshop.
"If you're coming, then follow me. I'm leaving now."
"Alright. Let's go."
Hyeon-a came out, sticking right by my side.
She was a little taller than me, which I disliked because it wounded my male pride for no good reason.
It's not that I was short. I was actually a bit taller than average.
It was just that Hyeon-a was tall for a woman.
"Hey, give me some space."
"Don't want to."
"Sigh."
She wasn't the type to listen to reason, so I just let out a deep sigh and went out.
When I left the smithy, I saw the Sword Demon, Unmyeong, sitting on a chair in the yard with Sohwal.
"Oh, Sword Demon, you're here."
"I just arrived. You've come out at the perfect time."
A moment later, Yuhwa entered from outside the yard, panting for breath.
"Huff! Huff! M-Master! I'm here!"
I understood at a glance why Yuhwa was panting so heavily.
She was carrying a pole on her shoulders with two buckets hanging from either side.
My smithy is on a hill, so even coming up empty-handed can leave one slightly out of breath. It was only natural, carrying that heavy load.
"Good work. I was just getting thirsty, so leave the water here."
"Huff, yes!"
Yuhwa, still panting, carefully set the buckets down in front of the Sword Demon.
She immediately wiped her face with a dry cloth from her waist, then saw me and greeted.
"Good day, Blacksmith."
"Oh, hey. You're training hard."
A fortnight ago, she seemed a bit wary of me, but today she had a rather pleased expression.
It was probably thanks to the sword at her waist.
'Looks like she really liked the sword I made after using it.'
This wasn't the first or second time this had happened, so I could easily guess.
Even warriors who had ignored or been wary of me would come back with completely changed expressions and greet me warmly after using my weapons.
Even the old Sword Demon, who rarely showed his emotions, had shown considerable favor toward me after using my weapon.
"Blacksmith, I was planning to train my disciple here a little longer until you came out, but it seems there's no need for that now."
At his words, Yuhwa's face brightened even more.
It seemed she had been suffering through some intense training since becoming his disciple.
The Sword Demon produced a cup from somewhere, and Yuhwa immediately and carefully poured water into it.
Pouring water from the heavy, large buckets into a small cup looked quite difficult, but she managed it well.
Watching her, the Sword Demon smiled slightly and spoke.
"Your strength has increased considerably compared to before."
"Yes! Because I trained hard!"
Unmyeong drank the water in his cup and then asked Sohwal, who was beside him.
"If you're thirsty, have some too."
"I am fine."
Watching them, a smile naturally formed on my face.
'Wait, is this the same Sword Demon from before? He used to be so stoic, but he's changed so much.'
Should I say he's become much more human?
The change in him was palpable.
And seeing how skillfully he worked his disciple, it seemed he had even found some small joys in it.
Then, suddenly, watching them gave me a flash of inspiration.
'Master and disciple? That's good. But I don't really know anything about martial arts, so playing the role of a master is a bit...'
It seemed like a pretty interesting story, but there was no master's role I could play.
You have to know something to teach something.
All I can do is make weapons and say a few plausible-sounding words. What could I possibly teach warriors?
'Maybe I should have learned some martial arts if I knew it would be like this.'
Of course, if I had really done that, my skills as a blacksmith would have suffered, so I didn't truly mean it.
As he was drinking water, the Sword Demon suddenly noticed Hyeon-a, his eyes widening slightly as he spoke.
"Hmm? I didn't expect to see you here."
"Greetings, Sword Demon. Hyeon-a, Captain of the Black Curtain Assassination Squad of the Heavenly Demon Cult, pays her respects."
Hyeon-a bowed her head and greeted him with a politeness she never showed me.
I watched her with a slightly bewildered expression.
'Wait, she was capable of speaking with such proper etiquette?'
Although they belonged to different divisions, it seemed to be because the Sword Demon was her superior in rank.
'Well, the Sword Demon has basically become the second-in-command of the cult now.'
"Is the Lord of the Shadow Pavilion well? I heard he hasn't been in good health lately due to his age."
"He has improved greatly recently after taking an elixir from the Central Plains."
"That's good to hear. He was one of the Heavenly Demon's childhood masters, so serve him well."
They were discussing internal matters of the Demonic Cult that I knew nothing about.
"By the way, why are you here? Did you know the Blacksmith from before?"
"Yes, we're quite close..."
"No. She's just barging into my house as she pleases."
When I cut her off and answered, the Sword Demon gave me a peculiar look and said.
"Hmm, I heard the Assassination Squad was filled with heartless, bloodthirsty people, but it seems they're just people living their lives there too."
"No, really, there's nothing between us..."
Without even hearing me out, the Sword Demon stood up from his seat.
"Now, now, let's get going. The festival will be over in two days."
The Sword Demon turned his head with a peculiar expression, as if he understood everything.
Seeing his reaction, I immediately glared at Hyeon-a.
But even under my gaze, Hyeon-a just grinned.
"Ah, disciple. Bring those water buckets with you."
"Huff! M-Master! I've really used up all my strength...!"
"If you're this tired from just this, you can go home and rest. In fact, why don't you take a permanent rest?"
Instantly understanding what his words meant, Yuhwa immediately hoisted the water buckets onto her shoulders.
"N-No, sir! On second thought, I think I can manage just fine!"
"Hmm, you don't have to push yourself. Are you sure you can do it?"
"I'm absolutely sure!"
The title of being the one and only disciple of one of the Heavenly Demon Cult's Seven Demons—and the most influential and powerful one at that, the Sword Demon—seemed difficult to maintain.
'Looking at those water buckets, not spilling any must be a part of her training. He's really working her hard.'
And so, Hyeon-a and I followed the Sword Demon toward the center of town, where the festival was in full swing.