Chapter 670
Chapter 670
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 670
Chapter Title: A Craftsman's Promise
-----------------------------------------------------------------
“Let me see the sword.”
“…Here.”
Ar approached Dweno and carefully handed him the broken Brave.
Dweno examined Brave from all angles before speaking.
“Tell me, where on earth did you get this sword?”
“Huh? Well…”
“And who in the world forged it?”
Ar agonized over how to answer.
Brave was a sword forged by Dweno.
But not the Dweno of this time.
Brave would only be completed many years from now, in the future.
He couldn’t just tell him the truth.
“It was my brother’s sword. I don’t know who made it.”
Leo said, placing a hand on Ar’s head.
At his words, Ar hurriedly nodded.
“Yes! Th-that’s right! My brother… Sir Ar-on… *Huu!* My brother Ar-on gave it to me! It’s very precious! *Huu! Huu!*”
“Your breathing is strange. And why is your face so flushed?”
“That’s because… Nyaaaah!”
“He’s a little… strange in the head.”
“I told you! Don’t just grab my tail like that!”
Seeing Ar acting so suspicious, Leo had mercilessly pulled his tail.
Ar struggled, whining as he tried to free his tail from Leo’s grasp.
Driana, having escaped from the forge, suddenly interjected.
“Th-that’s enough, right?! I can’t take it anymore! Leo! Ar! Sa-save…!”
“We’re in the middle of something important, so get back in.”
“Hey! You damn cat!”
Using a pair of blacksmith’s tongs that were by the forge, Ar mercilessly shoved Driana, who was resisting, back into the furnace.
“Hey. What do you think you’re doing, shoving her in like that?”
Leo lightly bonked Ar on the head with his fist.
“The Driana I know can handle more.”
Ar said nonchalantly.
“This is definitely not revenge for her supposedly ‘helping’ me during my training by forcing me back into the water. This is for Driana’s own good.”
Watching Ar emphasize his complete lack of personal motive, Dweno stroked his beard.
“You two are true friends.”
“Yes. That’s right.”
Dweno chuckled heartily, watching Ar calmly say something that would have made Driana’s eyes roll back in her head as she tried to drag him into the forge with her.
“Besides, Black Rabbit. You would’ve just put her back in anyway.”
“That’s true.”
*Well, it’s not like that guy Dweno would have allowed her a break this easily, so I probably didn’t need to step in.*
Muttering “Vicious” at the good-naturedly smiling Leo, Ar shook his head.
“So? Can you fix it?”
As Leo crossed his arms and asked, Dweno examined Brave closely.
After observing it from various angles, Dweno used a monocle to get a closer look at the blade.
Then, he finally spoke.
“It’s next to impossible. This sword is already dead.”
“……”
At Dweno’s words, Ar’s ears drooped.
“But it’s astonishing. To think there was someone capable of creating such a thing.”
“Um… did you feel anything when you saw it?”
“I felt a sense of inadequacy.”
Seeing Dweno speak so casually, Ar was slightly taken aback.
Ar, who had expected Dweno to recognize the sword as his own creation—even if from the future—and feel confused, was himself a bit bewildered.
But Leo wasn’t particularly surprised.
*That makes sense.*
The Dweno Leo had first met and the Dweno from their final expedition were so different they might as well have been two separate people.
Both as a warrior and as a blacksmith.
Of course, even the Dweno of this era was the world’s greatest blacksmith and warrior by the standards of the time.
*The same was true for me and the others.*
After all, it was a party Lisinas had formed by handpicking only the best for the sake of the world.
Simply being chosen by Lisinas meant you were a hero destined to lead the era.
*It was just that our journey couldn't be overcome at that level.*
Inevitably, the Great Heroes had to surpass their limits time and time again.
Of course, even by the standards of their first meeting, there were things in which Dweno overwhelmed the others.
*Mental fortitude.*
If you were to name the owner of the strongest mental fortitude among the five Great Heroes, it was undoubtedly Dweno.
*He was already mentally complete by the time he met us.*
As the party's advisor, Dweno always served as a steadfast pillar whenever they wavered.
So Leo believed.
That even if the current Dweno felt inadequate, he wouldn’t be broken by it.
That far in the future, seeing the weapon he would one day create would only ignite his passion, not intimidate him.
*That was the kind of man he was.*
No matter the situation, Dweno was the type to see his duty through to the very end.
Leo smiled faintly and watched Dweno.
*Lisinas finds hope in despair. Luna never accepts despair, and Ar-on finds courage in despair. And Dweno…*
…always silently carried on with his duties, even amidst despair.
So as not to leave behind any regrets.
*If only he weren't such a pervert, he'd be flawless.*
Just as Leo inwardly clicked his tongue, Dweno spoke.
“Amazing. So this is how the night sky was reclaimed.”
Dweno continued to examine Brave as he muttered.
“But even more amazing than the blacksmith who forged this sword is its owner, your brother. Ar-on, was it?”
“Yes!”
“This sword bears the marks of having cut through the Flame of Calamity.”
“That’s right! My brother Ar-on is the greatest warrior in the world!”
“Yes. It seems so. I wonder how his name has remained unknown until now! He must be an incredibly strong warrior! And incredibly…”
Ar puffed out his chest with a proud expression.
“Incredibly…”
“…? Sir Dweno?”
“Aaaah! Save…!”
Driana, who shot out of the forge screaming, flinched at the sight of Dweno.
*Clang—*
“…he seems like an incredibly brave friend… yes…”
Dweno’s voice, as he covered his face with trembling hands, was thick with tears.
Leo had seen countless people meet their end during the Age of Calamity.
Ar-on, of course, and Lisinas and Luna.
Even he himself had shed tears on countless occasions.
But Dweno had never shown tears, no matter the circumstances.
When the party wavered, it was Dweno’s role to be their center.
When everyone was exhausted and weary, it was Dweno who held on until his comrades could regain their senses.
An iron will.
Leo was the only one who had ever seen such a man cry.
And only once.
After they had sent Ar-on off.
When he had blamed himself, saying Brave would never have broken if he hadn’t been so obsessed with beauty and artistry.
Aside from that single moment when he was endlessly shaken, Dweno had never shown tears.
The fact that *that* Dweno was crying couldn’t help but startle Leo.
“Sir Dweno…?”
“My apologies. I’ve made a spectacle of myself.”
Dweno took a deep breath.
“It’s just… I was so overcome with relief that the tears just came. The fact that our long resistance was not in vain is simply overwhelming.”
“That’s surprising.”
“What is?”
“I never thought you were the type of person to cry for a reason like that.”
“Hey, Leo.”
“Black Rabbit.”
Driana and Ar shot him chiding looks, but Dweno just chuckled.
“It’s understandable you’d think so. I’m well aware of my public image.”
Before joining their party, Dweno's moniker was the Iron-Blooded Guardian.
The man who protected Ivaldi with an unshakeable resolve.
*It was a title that faded after he joined the party in Gardsrone, due to his more benevolent image.*
Leo silently watched Dweno.
*Still… this old man is crying?*
“Are you all right?”
Dweno, having composed himself, gently stroked the head of Driana, who was looking at him with a worried expression.
“I’m not so weak that I need your concern. So.”
With a benevolent smile, Dweno’s thick hand abruptly seized Driana’s head.
“Get in. I never said you could come out.”
“Aaaah!”
Shoving Driana back into the forge, Dweno roared.
“How do you expect to learn my smithing techniques with such a weak spirit! Endure it with the mindset that you’re going to burn to death!”
“*Eek!*”
Startled by Dweno’s intensity, Ar hid behind Leo’s back.
“I don’t think she can hear you.”
Leo clicked his tongue as he watched Driana writhing in agony inside the forge.
“Ahem. Anyway. Let’s get back to the matter at hand.”
Dweno picked up Brave and placed it on the workbench.
“This sword was forged by a smith far more skilled than I. I can’t promise whether I can fix it or not, but…”
Dweno looked at Leo.
“It might be more like forging it anew… but I’ll try to fix it.”
“I don’t need you to ‘try’.”
Leo said flatly.
“Fix it.”
“How stubborn.”
“Because you’re more than capable.”
“Hmph. You overestimate me.”
Shaking his head, Dweno reached into the forge and pulled Driana out.
Then he picked up a bucket from the corner of the workshop.
It was filled to the brim with a potion Dweno had made.
*Szzzzzzzzzle—!*
Thick steam filled the surroundings.
“We’ll end the morning training here.”
“Th-thank you… We’re done for today, right?”
“No. We’ll continue after lunch.”
At those words, Driana’s eyes rolled back and she fainted.
Dweno reached into the forge.
*Fwooooosh—!*
Golden flames roared wildly within the furnace.
“As you said, I’ll fix it.”
Just as Leo was about to grin at Dweno’s words, Dweno spoke.
“That ring on your hand.”
“Hm?”
“That was also made by this sword’s creator, wasn’t it?”
“That’s right. You recognized it right away?”
“Hmph. I know it when I see it. Can I have a look?”
Leo handed the ring to Dweno.
Examining it from all sides, Dweno spoke.
“Strange. It was alive when it was on your hand. But now it’s dead. Why is that?”
“It becomes a simple ornament when it leaves my hand.”
“Oh? It only displays its true abilities when on your hand? This isn’t in a normal state either. Interesting. I’ll try to revive this ring as well.”
“Think you can do it?”
“Hmph. After all that provocation, what are you saying now? Are there any more items like this?”
At that, Leo pulled out Ar-on’s greatsword.
Dweno, having received the weapons his future self had forged, spoke.
“If I can bring all of these back to life, grant me one request.”
“What is it?”
“Drink with me to your heart’s content.”
“…I think I might die.”
“When you ask for a difficult task, shouldn’t there be a price to pay?”
Leo let out a hollow laugh at the words of Dweno, the greatest drinker among the Great Heroes.
“Fine.”
Dweno grinned.
Tucking the fainted Driana under one arm, Leo left the workshop, also grabbing the nearly dead Iliana under his other arm as he departed.
Left alone, Dweno stared at Brave on the shelf for a long time.
***
*What in the world is happening?*
He was praying with his eyes closed.
*Why does the sky look like that?*
His body trembled in fear at the unanswered echo.
*Oh, God… why do you not speak to me?*
The sudden situation led him into an endless fear.
It was then.
“As I thought, you’re hard to find. If it weren’t for me, you never would have been found.”
*Thud—*
The ground shook as if an earthquake had struck.
Killing intent filled the face of the praying man.
“Who are you?”
Looking at the man who stared at him with eyes burning with hatred, the newcomer revealed himself and spoke.
“O Gias, King of Giants. You ask who I am? Can’t you tell by looking?”
A grotesque and repulsive smile spread across his face.
“I am you.”