Homecoming with Heavy Hands
"I never thought I'd be back this soon."
After parting ways with Rain and his companions, Elsid returned to his hometown of Ragna Castle. It had only been a few weeks since he'd left with such determination, yet here he was, coming home far sooner than expected. Fortunately, there was a coachman's guild in Nao as well, so Elsid didn't have to walk the entire way back. The trip took about three days. Without a return fare, he'd have to travel on foot when he left again, but that was a problem for later.
"Looks like the walls got some repairs while I was gone..."
The old, weathered gates and battlements had been patched up in his absence, greeting him with a much cleaner appearance.
"What the—? Why are you back already?"
Beth, the gatekeeper who also served as the village chief of Ragna, stood at the wall and tilted his head in confusion at Elsid's arrival.
"Things happened. I never dreamed I'd have to see your annoying face again after just a few weeks."
"That's my line, you know. This boring mug of yours."
The moment they met, Elsid and Beth greeted each other by trading insults.
"More importantly, you've picked up a lot of stuff while you were gone. Never thought I'd see the day you'd wear jewelry, let alone a necklace."
"What can I say? People change. You're living proof of that."
Elsid smirked as he replied to Beth's comment about the cross necklace around his neck, his tone somewhere between sarcasm and sincerity.
"So, seriously, why are you here?"
"I stopped by to see Uncle Tom. Got something to give him, too."
"That so? Well, good luck with that."
After their usual exchange of barbs, Beth returned to his duties as gatekeeper while Elsid passed through the gates.
Once inside, Elsid made his way toward the smithy where Old Man Tom worked.
"Seriously, why'd they have to build the smithy all the way up this hill? At least it's good exercise..."
By the time he reached the top, he'd gotten in a decent morning workout. The familiar sound of hammering echoed from the forge as he approached.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
"Uncle Tom, I'm here."
Elsid announced himself as he opened the door and stepped inside.
"Huh? What the—? Elsid? What are you doing here?"
The sweltering heat of the forge washed over him, and Tom's voice called out from where he'd been pounding away at the anvil moments before. Elsid smiled when he saw the old blacksmith stop his work the moment he arrived. He knew Tom well enough to understand that he never paused his hammering unless an important guest had come.
"I've got some things to talk about and a favor to ask."
"Well, that's perfect timing. I was just getting bored with nothing to do..."
Tom set his hammer down as he spoke. Elsid could clearly see the pile of cracked items waiting for repair behind him, but he decided to ignore it.
"So, what did you want to talk about?"
"I learned a few things about Vandel."
Elsid began recounting everything that had happened in Nao, carefully omitting anything related to the undead. The story took quite a while, and whenever Tom asked a question, Elsid answered honestly.
"I see. I always knew that boy had talent, but to think he'd actually forge a magic sword... And using the fang of a divine beast called the Mountain God, no less. He's something else."
Tom laughed with genuine pride, the kind of smile only a father could wear when hearing about his son's accomplishments.
"Thank you for telling me. I appreciate it."
The old man bowed his head in gratitude, making Elsid feel a little awkward—he hadn't shared the story just to be thanked.
"So... what's this favor you mentioned? After hearing about Vandel, I'll do whatever I can to repay you."
"There's something I'd like you to make."
At those words, Elsid immediately reached into the bag he'd been carrying since arriving at the forge and pulled out an ornate box engraved with ancient patterns.
"This is called 'Replica of Adamantium.' Could you use it to forge a sword?"
When he opened the box, a rectangular ingot emitting a faint glow lay inside.
"This material... it's meteorite iron."
Tom's eyes sharpened as he examined the softly glowing metal Elsid had handed him.
"Yeah. It's an incredibly rare material that comes from beyond the sky."
When Elsid tilted his head in confusion, Tom stroked his chin and began to explain.
"Most iron on this continent exists as ore full of impurities oxidized by atmospheric oxygen over billions of years. That's why proper smelting is essential to obtain usable iron."
After a brief pause, the old blacksmith continued, clearly enjoying the chance to share decades of knowledge.
"But out beyond this continent, in the airless void above the sky, the iron inside meteorites remains almost completely unoxidized. When it falls, the intense pressure and heat from passing through the atmosphere naturally performs the reduction process, so no separate smelting is even needed."
As he listened, Elsid recalled a memory from his childhood—asking Vandel why hammering iron was so fun, only to receive a several-hour lecture on the subject.
"That's why, before humans mastered proper smelting techniques, meteorite iron was essentially the only way to obtain high-quality metal. Even after smelting was developed, early methods weren't refined enough to produce pure iron easily. So something as pure as meteorite iron was considered extremely valuable."
Watching Tom speak with sparkling eyes, Elsid couldn't help but think that the apple hadn't fallen far from the tree—though Vandel's appearance took after his mother more than his father.
"And since such a fine material fell from the heavens while burning, the ancients must have seen it as a divine gift from the sky itself."
Thankfully, unlike Vandel's multi-hour sermons, Tom's explanation ended relatively quickly.
"With material like this, I can make something even better than you might expect."
Tom accepted the request without hesitation as he examined the legendary metal replica.
"But a sword, huh? Do you really need another one? You've already got two at your waist, and that necklace of yours can turn into a magic sword too, if I remember right."
"Don't worry. It's not for me. It has a different owner."
"Ah, so that's how it is."
Tom chuckled as if he'd figured something out, even though Elsid hadn't explained further.
"More importantly, are you sure you're okay, Uncle Tom? There looks like more than just a couple of things that need fixing back there."
"Don't worry about it. That's already quite a bit less than before. Thanks to you and the lord taking down the orc chieftain, those orc bastards will be busy picking a new leader. I'll have plenty of free time."
Tom flexed his thick arms with confidence as he answered.
"I'll finish that up in no time and forge you the finest sword there is."
"I'm looking forward to it."
It wasn't a sword for himself, but he couldn't help feeling excited about what kind of blade would be created.
"Oh, right. Elsid, have you gone to see the lord yet?"
"Not yet."
"Since you're already here, you should drop by. He'll be thrilled to know you've returned. He's been dealing with quite the headache lately."
"A headache?"
"You'll see when you get there."
Curious as he was, Elsid didn't press further and left the smithy. Staying any longer would only get in the way of Tom's work.
Following Tom's advice, Elsid headed to the lord's manor to meet Bernard, but the guards informed him that the lord was currently away on an inspection of the agricultural district. Elsid made his way there without worry—after all, the area wasn't large, and it was his hometown. Along the way, Beth appeared out of nowhere, grabbed his hand, and yelled something about "Why is this directionally challenged idiot heading outside the gates on the way to the farmland?!" before dragging him back on course and returning to his guard duties. It was nothing major.
"Well, if it isn't our welcome guest."
After that minor incident, Elsid arrived at the farmland and spotted someone waving at him in greeting. Bernard, dressed in simple farming clothes and holding a hoe as he pulled weeds, stood among the crops.
"Hello. Have you been well?"
Elsid bowed his head in greeting as Bernard waved.
"As you can see, I've been keeping busy. With monster attacks becoming less frequent, I've even been helping out with our territory's precious 'wheat production.'"
Bernard wiped the sweat from his brow with a cloth draped around his neck as he spoke. At a glance, he looked more like a farmer than a lord.
"Since we've run into each other like this, it would be a shame to talk out here. Let's head to that hut nearby. It's not as grand as the manor, but we've got some light refreshments prepared."
With that, Bernard led the way into a small hut not far from where they stood. After watching him for a moment, Elsid saw no reason to refuse and followed him inside.