The Scent of the Forge
The next morning at the breakfast table, Nayeon asked,
“Byeori, what do you want to do today?”
It was a surprisingly peaceful question, coming right after the chaos of the day before.
“…I don’t know.”
I tilted my head while chewing on the delicious soy-sauce egg rice. She was doing it on purpose, wasn’t she? Not pretending yesterday never happened, but simply treating today as today. This woman might be a walking disaster most of the time, yet every so often she acted like a proper adult.
“If you don’t have any ideas, should big sis decide?”
“Yes, yes.”
“Then let’s go to the blacksmith!”
“……Yes?”
My spoon froze mid-air.
The blacksmith.
I knew that word. I knew it very well.
“Um… I’m not broken anymore. There’s nothing to fix.”
“I know.”
“Then why… Huh?!”
Wait, was she planning to melt me down? So the day had finally come! She was going to discard me and bring home a shinier, better-shaped sword instead…!
I wrapped both arms around myself and trembled.
“We’re not going to fix anything.”
Nayeon grinned.
“We’re just going to look around. I promised you that night, remember? I said I’d take you somewhere nice.”
“……”
That night. The night she bought me. The night the towel had paused over my broken edge.
Once we’re back, I’ll take you somewhere nice. A blacksmith, a workshop, anywhere.
She had actually remembered. I thought I was the only one who had.
“Even if there’s nothing to fix, it’s fine! There’ll be tons of sword friends there. Won’t that be fun?”
“…Friends?”
Hah! What friends? Those brand-new blades that had only ever sat on display shelves were nothing but juniors to me, a senior who had already seen real battle!
Jihyun adjusted her glasses from the side.
“Going is fine, but one condition. Byeori, no talking about swords while we’re there.”
“Why?”
“Why do you think? You already caused trouble at the Association last time because of that mouth of yours. What if you start blabbing at the blacksmith and everyone starts asking ‘What’s with this kid’?”
“…I’ll keep my mouth shut tight.”
“Tight, got it?”
…I’d try. I really would.
The blacksmith sat behind the market, in the hunter workshop alley. The moment we opened the door, the smell of metal and oil hit me full force.
“Ah…”
This scent. The same one I had breathed for three whole years. Every time maintenance came around, every time the whetstone passed over me. It had never been pleasant or unpleasant before, but today it felt strangely welcome.
Swords lined the walls. Display cases held daggers and axes, all neatly tagged with prices.
“Hehe.”
That lewd smell! Watching newbies was always the best part.
Nayeon’s eyes sparkled the second she stepped inside.
“Wow, Byeori, look at this! It’s huge! Isn’t it cool?”
Cool… in a way. But it was decorative. Just look at the edge angle. That blade wasn’t made to cut anything; it was made to be shown off. In other words, it had no real soul.
…I swallowed every single one of those words. I had promised not to say anything unnecessary. Still, I couldn’t stop my eyes from roaming.
Ah, that longsword’s handle is already coming loose… Ugh, that dagger’s balance is all in the tang. That B-rank engraving over there… oh, that one’s the real deal. Nice. Well, I’m still a proper piece myself, but—
My gaze darted everywhere. When I saw the price tags, a small laugh escaped me. The cheapest beginner mass-produced sword cost three hundred thousand won. I had gone for two hundred thousand. Even as a wrecked, trash-tier blade, I had been cheaper than the starter models.
Nayeon had already grabbed a random sword and was marveling at it.
“Byeori, how about this one? It’s all sparkly!”
“…Yes. Very sparkly.”
“Right~? Big sis has a good eye, huh?”
Not even a little. Yet that same eye had picked me, so life really was full of mysteries.
“The little miss seems to like swords.”
The blacksmith emerged from beside the forge, a man whose forearms were thicker than my waist.
“Her eyes keep chasing every blade.”
“Ah, yes… a little…”
“Haha, not many kids these days are like that.”
He stroked his beard, looking pleased.
“All right. Since you came to observe, I should at least explain a few things. If you have any questions—”
“But why is the pommel width on that one not matching the blade width—”
Oh no. This damn mouth! This damn mouth!!
“……”
The blacksmith’s eyebrows twitched upward.
“…Did you just say pommel?”
“C-cartoon! It’s from a cartoon I’ve been watching! A cartoon about making swords!”
As if she had been expecting exactly this, Jihyun, who had been quietly watching from behind, jumped in like a bullet.
“My, these modern cartoons even teach about pommels. Impressive.”
“They do! Modern cartoons are very educational! Haha!”
Listening to Jihyun’s dying laugh, I quietly zipped my mouth shut. …I’m really sorry. Please understand. It’s not that I want to talk; this mouth just moves on its own.
After surviving that crisis, I stood in front of a corner wall. Swords waiting to be sold hung in a neat row—brand new ones and second-hand ones that had already known owners.
I had hung there once too. On a cold auction-house display, waiting for someone to name a price and take me away.
…Sell well, all of you. And meet good owners if you can. If you meet someone rough, you’ll end up shattered like me.
I greeted them silently in my heart. The swords gave no answer. Kids these days really had no manners!
“Mhehe.”
While I stood there chuckling to myself, Nayeon came over and looked up at the wall with me.
“What are you looking at?”
“Just some newbies.”
“Newbies… Hehe, I guess that’s how they look to you.”
She lightly ruffled my hair.
“Eep.”
“They’ll all get bought too, just like you did.”
“……They probably won’t go for two hundred thousand won, though.”
“Hey! That two hundred thousand won was the best purchase of my entire life, you know?!”
…When she put it that way, it did make sense.
“Byeori! How about this?”
Nayeon called me over from the counter. What she held wasn’t a sword but a flat wooden box. A sword-care kit. Oil, cloth, finishing wax—everything included.
“I’m buying this! We got paid yesterday, remember?”
“…Why? We don’t even have a sword at home to—”
I stopped mid-sentence. We did. Exactly one.
Nayeon grinned.
“There’s still something I want to do for you.”
That evening, back at the office. A cushion had been laid out in front of the sofa, and the care kit was spread open on top of it.
“All right! Customer, please lie down over here~”
“You’re really going to do it…?”
“Of course I am! Ah, but first—any uncomfortable spots, customer?”
This woman was even turning it into a hair-salon roleplay. Might as well play along. I thought for a moment, then placed my order seriously.
“My shoulder. Or, in sword terms… right below the guard? It’s been a little stiff these past few days.”
“Swords get stiff too?”
“Swords get stiff too. It’s lonely when no one knows.”
“Aww, sorry for not knowing~ Okay, transform!”
Flash—
A single sword now rested on the cushion. Nayeon carefully laid me across her lap. This position was exactly the same as that night. The only difference was that the lap’s owner now knew who I really was.
The oil-soaked cloth touched the blade.
Swish.
‘……!!’
Ah—right there…
Hum—
“Ah, the blade’s vibrating! Byeori, does that feel good?”
Hum-hum—
Hum—
Brrrr—
“Senior, are you actually polishing properly?”
“Huh?”
“The sword keeps twitching.”
Nayeon looked down at me quietly, then gently wrapped her hand around my large, sturdy hilt.
Hum-hum… hum…!
“It’s fine. Byeori likes it.”
“…How can you tell?”
“I’m not sure exactly, but I can feel those kinds of emotions. Hehe, maybe because I’m the owner?”
She picked up the cloth again and began rubbing in steady strokes. Every time the cloth passed beneath the guard, something inside the blade melted into lazy warmth. There. Ah, a little lower… No, just a bit more…
Was it because I had become an ego sword? Before, it had only felt like simple rubbing, but now it was something far more… intense.
“This is below the guard, right? The spot you said was stiff.”
Nayeon hummed a little tune while lingering on the requested area, rubbing it thoroughly. Her once-clumsy hands had already grown more skilled. She controlled her strength and followed the grain properly now. Then—
“……”
Her hand stopped right in the middle of the blade. The place that had once been broken. Now perfectly smooth, with no seam or scar left behind. The cloth passed over it, very slowly.
“It’s all healed here.”
“……”
That night it had been “That must have hurt.” Today it was “It’s all healed.” And both times, I couldn’t answer. Swords don’t have mouths. …Though there was one difference between then and now. Today, I could answer later, once I turned back.
“Um, Senior, can I try too?”
It was Jihyun. She had been perched on the arm of the sofa, watching quietly, and now spoke in a prim little voice.
“Jihyun wants to try too?”
“It’s not that I want to… I mean, maintenance should be something multiple people can handle. From a workload-distribution standpoint, um, I think I should know how as well…”
She looked extremely eager, though.
“There’s an order, you know. Oil comes before wax, right?”
“Jihyun, did you look this up?”
“Y-yes. I did some prep work.”
“How many hours of prep work, exactly?”
“…Thirty minutes.”
Honestly. They were treating someone else’s body without even asking permission. Not that I had any real desire to refuse, so I ended up being polished by two different pairs of hands in turn. And the touch really was different.
Nayeon’s hands were the passionate type—energetic, occasionally missing the mark, but when she hummed while working, it lifted my mood too. Jihyun’s hands, though… Oh? This person was something else. She followed the grain exactly, kept the pressure perfectly even, and moved on to wax in the proper sequence. This girl had real talent. I’d have to ask for her help again!
‘Eep, there. No, not there—a little lower… Ah, yes… right there feels good. Haaah… hng…’
Whether it was national-power-level ego sword nonsense or whatever…
Just a little more there… Ahh, that’s refreshing.
A long while later, when I flashed back into human form, the face I glimpsed in the mirror looked incredibly smooth and shiny—probably reflecting the state I had been in as a sword.
“How was it, customer? Did you enjoy our shop?”
Nayeon grinned while holding the cloth.
“…It felt nice.”
I slipped into the clothes left on the blanket and answered. Nayeon puffed out her chest, looking proud.
“Right?! See, I’m a sword-maintenance master now—”
“Ah, and also…”
I cut her off and paused for a moment. This was a little embarrassing to say…
“Thank you, Master.”
“……”
“And thank you too, Jihyun-unni.”
Ugh, so embarrassing.
“Mhehe….”
I tried to laugh it off, but Nayeon’s eyes instantly welled up.
“Huuuee—Byeori…! I’ll do it for you anytime—”
Just as the teary-eyed Nayeon rushed toward me, Jihyun’s phone on the table buzzed.
“Huh? It’s the Association.”
Jihyun checked the screen and tilted her head.
“A-7 observation log confirmation request… targeted at subcontract workers. A staff member will visit. Schedule to be announced later… Eh?”
“Log? What log are they checking? We already submitted all our inspection reports.”
“I don’t know… Did we miss something?”
The two of them moved on to talking about paperwork, but I quietly set my cup down mid-drink.
“Ahem.”
A bad feeling. Could it be… that when I got too close to the control line, something showed up in the logs? Especially since they were sending someone in person instead of just calling or emailing…
“Sniff.”
Eh, it’s probably nothing.