Chapter 221
Chapter 221
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 221
Chapter Title: Star Crusher (10)
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A word has no wings, yet it travels a thousand miles.
Though the "Golden City" Delutana was the Free City Alliance's largest metropolis, it was still far smaller in diameter than that. It took only days for rumors to spread through the city, and soon one name was constantly on everyone's lips.
"Did you hear? The Demon Slayer took on the Imperial Holy Knights who attacked Delutana..."
"...Not just any Holy Knights, but the 'Decagram,' who wiped out an entire city overnight back in the day..."
"...When the Demon Slayer swung that massive hammer, both of them turned to mush in a single blow..."
"The reason the western wall collapsed was because the Demon Slayer fought those Holy Knights..."
"Mercy on us, Lord Remillion... Is that even possible for a human?"
The mercenary known as the Demon Slayer had once massacred the demons of the Golden Highway, and now he had toppled the Empire's stars. He was no ordinary topic of conversation.
Of course, there were other matters to discuss: the disappearance of Council Chairman Pellico, the countless casualties, the treatment of former Gospel Vessels, the reconstruction of the half-ruined city, and the outlook for the war. Delutana had no shortage of pressing, practical issues. Yet the citizens spent all day talking about the Demon Slayer.
He was the "hero" who had saved Delutana.
Other great cities had turned a blind eye, council members were divided, nobles had fled, and the city had been on the brink of annihilation by the Empire's unstoppable asymmetric forces. This "Golden City" had been saved by the raw power of one man alone—a true hero.
It was an epic feat straight out of legends or myths. Even the Golden Lord Remillion, who was said to have saved a city with a single gold coin, could barely compare. It was only natural that the Demon Slayer became Delutana's biggest celebrity, with his every move the object of utmost fascination.
Of course, not everyone's reaction to the Demon Slayer was the same.
Overwhelming strength inspires intense admiration, but it also breeds equally intense doubt and envy. Some revered and praised him, while others belittled and questioned him, leading to heated debates about the mercenary all across Delutana.
"Think about it! One man taking down thousands of monsters with glowing swords on their backs, turning the walls and ground to ruins? Does that even make sense?"
"Why not? The Magic Tower mages do stuff like that, and we've seen the Imperial Holy Knights do it too..."
"That's different, completely different! Mages use magic, Holy Knights have Elga's blessings..."
"Well, maybe he serves the War God that the Atalans believe in? Think about how strong General Goltaran was—it might not be entirely impossible..."
"Ah, enough! Believe what you want! I won't buy it until I see that pillar-sized hammer in action with my own eyes..."
However, doubts about his power were quickly dispelled.
The Gospel Vessels had been exterminated, but Elga's familiars still lurked in the streets. The Demon Slayer stayed in Delutana, personally proving his prowess wasn't mere fiction by clearing them out.
――――― Boom—whoosh, crunch-crunch-crunch!!
- Keh—heng!!
- Keheok!!
Snow-white hellhounds were brutally pulverized by devastating hammer strikes, their dozens of corpses littering the streets. No one with eyes and ears could deny that overwhelming strength.
Those who lost one point of contention raised another.
Why had a freak of such monstrous power suddenly appeared to help Delutana? Risking open conflict with the continent's greatest power, the Empire, no less? Was he harboring ambitions to seize the entire city?
"Obviously, he must have made some deal with that Turis family councilor. They've been quietly backing the Demon Slayer all along, haven't they?"
"No, I heard it was connected to that old hammer guy who ran the forge near the north gate..."
"Back in Agon, he was a rival to General Goltaran, and now that the general's gone, he's trying to take over the city..."
Asking the man himself would settle it, but no one had the guts. Even from afar, he exuded a ferocious killing intent that could make you faint. Far from approaching him, no one dared come near. Despite his fame and notoriety, the Demon Slayer lived a leisurely life.
In any case, the citizens' speculations all missed the mark. The reason Kadim had come to Delutana—and stayed—was this note left behind by a certain merchant.
'...Master, if you're reading this note, it means I'm no longer there. This unworthy Duncan deeply apologizes for leaving without your permission...'
It was a long, rambling request for him to stay and protect the people while Duncan went alone to find his family.
As if worried about being treated like a child abandoned by the riverside, he'd added endless disclaimers.
Untana, where his family had gone, wasn't far and he'd be back soon; you were the only hope for Delutana's suffering people; seeing you and the soldiers rush to save the old hammer guy without hesitation made him reflect on the value of life and true struggle; he'd bring back his family alone, grow even stronger from the mission, and return in glory...
Kadim stuffed the windy note away and thought,
'...Crazy peddler bastard.'
*
War allows no respite for the forge's hearth fire. Not for armor and spears, not even for the shovels to bury the dead.
Yet for this workshop, once the most prosperous in Delutana, the flames seemed unlikely to reignite anytime soon. Not only had the walls and pillars collapsed, but the master craftsman who upheld its reputation had returned to dust.
Now, only one visitor came to the ruined forge: a gaunt girl with swollen eyelids.
But today, massive bootprints joined hers.
"As I thought, you're here."
"Ah, uh... Mercenary sir."
Kadim approached over the debris. Gullak's granddaughter, lost in a daze, snapped to attention. They seemed to have nothing in common, but there was one thing they shared.
The legacy left by a certain lame blacksmith in their hearts.
"M-Mercenary sir... S-Sorry. Thanks to you, we recovered Grandpa's body safely... I never properly thanked you..."
"...No, don't mention it. If anything, I'm sorry I didn't come sooner to save the old man."
"No, no, that's absolutely not your fault... But I heard you're still busy clearing monsters in the city... What brings you all the way here...?"
"I have a question about this."
Thud—!
The old hammer master's masterpiece, "Star Crusher," was placed on the spot where it was forged. The girl gazed at it with mixed feelings; Kadim appraised it anew.
It was no ordinary weapon—that much was proven. Its size and weight faithfully fulfilled the "big one" order; despite the brutal battles, not a single nick marred its durability; it fit the user perfectly, with obsessive balance and grip; and it had demonstrated devastating power through "Shock Accumulation"...
Even those qualities alone warranted an Epic grade. But the hammer's true value lay elsewhere.
Vmmm—!
After pulverizing a Holy Knight's skull, a new pure white engraving had appeared beside the glowing blue "Enchant" rune. A ten-pointed star, split into ten rays—a Decagram stigma.
The stigma of Decagram's Seventh Seat, the "Star that Reaps Lives."
It wasn't mere decoration mimicking the shape. He'd tested it: when activated, it produced the exact same effect as the real thing.
Just like with "The One Who Sharpens Names," it seemed naming it "Star Crusher" had granted the hammer a new special effect. Probably something like, "Kill a Decagram member with this weapon to steal their stigma."
An absurd, cheat-like effect. Stealing a miracle of Elga on par with a "Unique Trait"? If true, this hammer surpassed even top-tier Legendaries, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with "Judgment of Atala."
Of course, as a "divine weapon" forged under the god revered by the famed northern dwarves, it wasn't impossible... but how the blacksmith had invoked him remained a mystery. That's what Kadim wanted to ask.
Had there been any sign or omen of the dwarven god during the hammer's creation?
The girl initially said she didn't know, but after some thought, she hesitantly shared her opinion.
"As you know, Grandpa... he really staked his life on making this hammer... I've only known him a short time, but what made me see him as so admirable... was watching him pour everything into it..."
"..."
"So, maybe the dwarven god... as a fellow smith before being the god of dwarves... was impressed. A human—not even a naturally gifted dwarf—who's old and infirm, yet forges steel without sparing his life..."
Impressing the heavens with lifelong craftsmanship...
It was an old, fanciful tale. But clichés are the fate of all legends, and extravagance the virtue of all miracles. The old hammer master's "struggle" more than qualified. Kadim nodded with eyes enlightened by partial answers.
Gullak's granddaughter had a question for Kadim too.
"Um... Mercenary sir. How was the hammer when you used it...? Was it really worth Grandpa staking his life for... a truly excellent weapon...?"
Kadim had no talent for sugarcoating. He answered honestly, from the heart.
"It's an excellent weapon, beyond what he deserved. But whether it was worth his life... I'm not sure."
"..."
"There may be better weapons somewhere in this world, but there's no better blacksmith than your grandfather anywhere."
"...!"
She froze at his words.
Her colorless eyes slowly, gradually regained their hue.
Time reversed in an instant. Past memories overwhelmed the present. The ruined forge restored its former glory. Amid ringing metal clangs, scorching hearth heat, and the figure of an old man who never let go of his hammer despite life's cruelties.
'Grandpa, how did you endure all that time...? If I were you, I'd have given up and collapsed from the injustice and hardship...'
'Heh heh heh, you think this old man didn't want to? I just... believed a day like this would come, and with my benefactor's help, barely got back on my feet...'
'Huh? A day like today?'
'Yes, exactly today. Making my masterpiece for my benefactor with everything I have...'
Clang—! Clang—! Clang—!
'...And for this moment, talking with you, kid.'
A radiant smile that outshone broken teeth and wrinkles. The hazy memory surged, and she couldn't stop her vision blurring once more.
Meanwhile, Kadim noticed something in the girl's hand.
He narrowed his eyes, then let out a snort of amusement. Blood truly couldn't lie, could it?
"But who knows. Someday, a blacksmith who surpasses even the old hammer master might appear here."
"...Huh? ...Ah!"
She reflexively responded, then panicked and hid her hands. She claimed it was just gathering her grandfather's belongings, but it was too late. The calluses from secret hammer practice were exposed.
"What's your name?"
"M-My name is... Hephaestus... Hephaestus."
"Right, Hephaestus. May Atala's fighting spirit, and the blessings of hearth and anvil, be with you. I look forward to what 'masterpiece' that hammer will forge in the future."
With that, Kadim turned away.
Hephaestus stared at the departing warrior. His back held the unyielding strength of steel that could endure a millennium. But her gaze soon shifted elsewhere—to the massive silver hammer slung across it, forged from an old smith's blood and sweat, destined to write legends outnumbering the stars.
If I could make something like that with my own hands, like Grandpa...
Her heart pounded inexplicably. Entranced, she picked up a scrap of metal from the ground. Step by step, steeling her resolve, she approached the anvil. One hand gripped the metal firm, the other hefted the hammer high.
Though now just meaningless tapping, she prayed these strikes would one day forge another "masterpiece."
Clang—!
The hammer that closed one era rang out its new beginning.
*
Time flew by relentlessly. Major events in Delutana during that period included:
The discovery of the missing Chairman Pellico's body. The revelation that Councilor Ramulek Volgaruis, who colluded with the Empire, was behind the Gospel Vessel incident. And above all... the Demon Slayer capturing an Elga familiar and releasing it in a brewery, throwing the area into chaos.
The misunderstanding was resolved when it turned out his intent wasn't to harm the brewers but to make wolf-milk liquor as an offering at someone's grave. Still, brewing liquor from the milk of hellhounds larger than wolves was utterly bizarre. More citizens began fearing or wary of the incomprehensible barbarian.
Nevertheless, the Demon Slayer was an indispensable watchman. Thanks to him drying up the familiars and protecting the city, the Golden City maintained an uneasy peace.
But Kadim was starting to think of leaving. Duncan, who said he'd return soon, had sent no word.
Just as the wait grew too long and he resolved to depart Delutana...
Duncan returned.
With his long-sought family—and an utterly unexpected massive crowd.
"The great founder of House Wheeled, savior of Untana who rescued the city in its hour of peril, executioner of impudent Imperial Holy Knights, the 'Envoy of Silvermirror Lake'! Duncan Wheeled approaches! Clear the way!"
The lead rider bellowed. A following band struck drums and blew horns.
Doong, doong-doong, doong-doong—! Pwooo, pwooo—!
At the procession's center rode the merchant on a white horse, flanked by his wife and son on black steeds. Behind trailed noblewomen and retainers with heads bowed like criminals, while Atalan warriors and council guards secured the flanks. Onlookers gawked with bulging eyes, buzzing excitedly at the spectacle.
"Who's that guy...? Why's his beard like a goat's...?"
"Oh my, is that Lady Wheeled beside him...?"
"Wait, those people following—are they the nobles who fled to Untana...?"
"..."
This was more than a triumphant return.
Kadim's eyes were uncharacteristically glazed. He couldn't guess what had happened.
Soon, Duncan spotted him too.
"Ah! M-Master!"
He lit up and tried to approach, but alas, the great merchant was hopeless at riding. The stubborn white horse refused to turn, barreling forward. Duncan could only pathetically crane his neck and shout.
"Master, I caught a 'Decagram'! All by myself! Saved my family! Saved all these people! Even nabbed an Arch Paladin from the Decagram—"
"Duncan Wheeled! Duncan Wheeled! Duncan Wheeled!"
"Savior of Untana!! Glory like Remillion's gold to the 'Envoy of Silvermirror Lake'!!"
Doong, doong-doong, doong-doong—! Pwoooo—!!
His cries were soon drowned in the clamor. Watching the inverted-saddle founder of House Wheeled charge ahead amid adoring followers, Kadim thought,
'...Crazy peddler bastard and his ragtag crew.'