A Weapon Forged for Bernard Alone
Several days had passed since Elsid returned to Ragna Castle.
"There’s already a mountain of work waiting, so what on earth could you possibly have that’s worth dragging me all the way out here?"
"Just look forward to it. You won’t be disappointed."
One day, Elsid had pulled Bernard away from his duties at the lord’s castle and led him somewhere. The destination was the hilltop forge run by Tom.
"Ta-da!"
"This is…"
Once they stepped inside the forge together, Elsid presented an object to Bernard with a flourish. It was a greatsword. Yet compared to any ordinary greatsword, this one was absurdly large. An enormous, thick, and heavy black blade. At a glance, it looked more like a massive lump of iron with a crude hilt slapped onto it.
"Take it. Elsid asked me to make this for you."
"So this is what you meant when you said you had something to give me…"
Bernard glanced at Elsid once, then turned his gaze back to the three-meter-long colossal sword before him.
"It really took hundreds of hammer strikes just to make the slightest change. I hammered it down as much as I could until it finally took the shape of a greatsword, then fitted it with a suitable hilt. Still, given the material, its durability will be second to none."
"What is this sword called?"
Bernard asked Tom the sword’s name while running his hand over the black blade as though entranced.
"Versein."
Tom answered with his arms folded.
"It’s the name of the sword once wielded by the strongest warrior in the hero’s party a hundred years ago. The blade never broke until its master died of old age, so it was also known as the Immortal Sword."
"That’s quite a grandiose name. I’m not sure I’m worthy of it."
Bernard smiled faintly after hearing the name, though it was clear he was deeply pleased.
"It’s heavy."
That was Bernard’s first impression after lifting the black greatsword.
"Which is exactly why I like it."
Despite the apparent strain, Bernard raised the sword cleanly with both hands.
"With this blade, I feel like it could withstand however heavy or powerful my swings become."
Elsid watched the scene and let his thoughts wander. He pictured Bernard swinging that pitch-black greatsword while clad in his signature gravity technique, Weight Technique. Just imagining it was dizzying. The ground would shatter, needless to say, and if any human took a direct hit, there was no telling whether their body would even retain its shape.
He had trusted Uncle Tom’s skill as a blacksmith, but he had never dreamed the man would forge something this exceptional. A black greatsword capable of enduring Bernard’s maximized attacks that relied on sheer weight. This was, without exaggeration, a weapon created solely for Bernard.
After delivering the new weapon to Bernard, Elsid immediately packed his things and prepared to leave Ragna Castle. He had finished everything he needed to do here.
"You really don’t have to see me off like this…"
He found himself being seen off outside the city gates, the one direction from which monsters almost never attacked.
"I simply had some time to spare."
"Haha, after receiving such a great gift from you, the least I can do is see you off… Though I must say, leaving right after giving me the present is rather disappointing."
"That was the whole reason I came here in the first place. I just ended up staying a few extra days by chance…"
Uncle Tom and Lord Bernard had both left their posts at the forge and the castle to see him off.
"So, where did you say you were headed again?"
"I’m planning to stop by the temple in a place called Agatram first. After that, I’ll head to the northern region and look for more clues about Vandel."
At those words, Uncle Tom’s body gave a small start. Elsid’s sharp eyes did not miss it. No matter how indifferent he tried to act, it was only natural for a father to be curious about news of his son.
"Look forward to it, Uncle Tom. I’ll be back soon and bring you plenty of stories about the swords Vandel made and everything related to them."
"Hmph, do what you want."
Leaving Uncle Tom’s grumbling behind, Elsid set off. His final destination was the northern continent, but before that, he would visit Agatram, home to the grand temple of Pios. Thus, Elsid began yet another new journey.
Meanwhile, around the time Elsid once again set out on his travels, something was happening at the mage tower in Nao Territory. The teleportation device there lit up, announcing the arrival of a guest.
"Her Highness Princess Elis of the Zephyrid Empire. Welcome."
The guest was none other than the princess of the Zephyrid Empire, the sole empire on the continent of Carnea.
"We’ve been expecting you."
And the one welcoming the princess was…
"I am Marienne, Lord of Nao."
It was Marienne, the lord of the trading city of Nao, and no one else. She bowed her head in greeting as she welcomed the princess. No one else was present in the room—only the two of them.
"Hello. Thank you for granting my somewhat discourteous request."
The princess who emerged from the teleportation device carried an air of purity and dignity in every movement and word. Though she wore the plain white robes of a temple priestess instead of a tiara or an ornate dress, her noble bearing could not be hidden. The sight of her clad entirely in white was truly beautiful. Her silver hair and sky-blue eyes lent her an air of mystery that only enhanced her beauty.
"Not at all. It is an honor to host the beginning of the Zephyrid Empire’s ‘Temple Pilgrimage,’ which every princess undertakes upon turning fifteen, right here in our territory."
"Hearing you say that makes me happy as well."
The ‘Temple Pilgrimage’ was both a duty and a trial given to every princess of the Zephyrid Empire upon reaching the age of fifteen. While the starting point could be chosen freely among all the temples on the continent of Carnea, the imperial family provided no further support whatsoever. If one were to ask why Princess Elis, a member of the imperial family, had to travel without any guards…
It was because the imperial elders had decided that, just as the Saintess—one of the Five Heroes and the only one chosen by the Holy Sword—had spent a year traveling alone before meeting the Hero, the princess must do the same. And if one were to ask what connection the princess had to that story, it was because the founding king who established the Zephyrid Empire a hundred years ago had been the chosen Hero, and the Saintess had later become his wife and queen. The Zephyrid Empire itself was a nation founded by the Hero and the Saintess together.
Thanks to that special circumstance, even as an imperial princess, she was forbidden from receiving any support for an entire year. Only after that year passed would she be allowed imperial assistance. Until then, she could receive nothing beyond the initial stipend of one hundred gold and a single teleportation to her chosen starting point.
It sounded utterly absurd, but such was the law of the empire.
"Let us have a meal first. I shall escort you to my residence."
"Thank you, Lord Marienne."
Elis offered her thanks and stepped out of the mage tower. A carriage was already waiting outside, so she boarded it without needing to walk and headed for Marienne’s residence.
***
After a little over ten minutes, Elis arrived at Marienne’s residence. Everything proceeded smoothly from there. Upon arrival, the butler guided them to a table laden with dozens of dishes, and the two women began their meal.
As the meal progressed and Elis was cutting into her steak one bite at a time, Marienne spoke up with a slightly cautious expression.
"By the way, Your Highness, may I ask you something?"
"Yes, what is it?"
Elis wiped the sauce from her lips with a napkin and nodded in affirmation.
"Why did you choose our territory as the starting point for your pilgrimage?"
"…"
Elis fell silent at the question. Just as she began to worry whether Marienne had made a mistake…
"As you may already know, I am the only one in the imperial family who does not carry the royal bloodline."
Elis opened her mouth.
"That’s…"
"Don’t worry. Even if I’m nothing more than a puppet princess who has nothing to do with imperial affairs, I still have ears to listen. And the maids who love to gossip make excellent sources of information."
Elis smiled gently before Marienne could even open her mouth to apologize.
"They say the late emperor, my adoptive father, brought me home as a newborn for some reason. After that, he adopted me and made me a princess of the empire."
Elis continued her story.
"Then one day, while I was living quietly in the detached palace as usual, I happened to learn that the place where I was born isn’t very far from here…"
There was genuine emotion in Elis’s voice.
"I want to know. Before I became a princess, who exactly was I… and what was I…"
The slight tremor in her voice and the growing moisture in her eyes struck Marienne deeply.
"Would that be enough of an answer?"
"Yes. It was more than enough."
After hearing the full story, Marienne nodded in understanding.
"Thank you for answering so sincerely, even though it was a rather rude question."
"Not at all. I’m the one who feels sorry for telling such a dreary story."
Elis wiped the corners of her eyes and smiled once more.
"Since I’ve shared my story, would you tell me one as well, Lord Marienne? Something like the story about subjugating that band of thieves recently."
"The subjugation of the thieves, you say… It probably won’t be very interesting."
"Please? Could you tell it anyway?"
Elis was only 150 centimeters tall, while Marienne stood at 170. Even while seated, the princess naturally had to look up at her. The sight reminded Marienne of a kitten gazing up with bright, sparkling eyes, and she could no longer bring herself to refuse.
"Ahem, very well. If you insist, I’ll do my best, though I’m no great storyteller."
After clearing her throat once, Marienne began recounting her memories of the thieves’ hideout and the sights she had witnessed during the subjugation.
"There was one swordsman among the subjugation force. An extraordinary one. And strangely enough, he fought with a wooden sword."
"Oh my, a wooden sword!"
Marienne began describing the events of the subjugation in vivid detail, and Elis responded with constant exclamations of wonder and delight. The night deepened as the lord of one territory and the princess of an empire continued their lively conversation, forgetting the passage of time like old friends.