The Sword That Surpassed Amantadium
Kelintar looked at Lorency in silence, then asked, “Is that the end of what you had to say?”
“It is.”
The Saintess’s throat rested against the edge of the blade. Her thin skin split faintly, and a thread of blood ran down from the cut. Kelintar lowered the sword a little and reached into his robes for something.
A potion.
“...I am fine.”
The Saintess spoke, but Kelintar ignored her. He tipped the small bottle and splashed its contents onto the ground.
Then, carefully angling the blade, he poured the Saintess’s tears into the empty vial.
“...”
The Saintess watched in silence. Kelintar checked the tears inside the bottle, confirming that they were intact.
Before long, a message appeared before him.
[9 Materials for Forging the Magic Sword]
▶ Saintess’s Tears (Acquired)
▶ Amantadium (Acquired)
▶ Demon King’s Horn (Acquired)
▶ Mandragora’s Root
▶ Dragon’s Tooth
▶ Kraken’s Heart
▶ Phoenix’s Feather
▶ World Tree’s Leaf
▶ Thousand-Year Snow
Only six remained.
He had obtained the Saintess’s Tears far more easily than he had expected for what he had thought would be the hardest material of all.
After looking over the remaining materials, Kelintar sheathed his sword and spoke to the Saintess.
“Stop meddling and disappear from my sight right now. And tell Dorkal this: no matter what happens, I will never return to the Monlique Empire. And one more thing.”
Then Kelintar warned her in a chilling voice.
“If you pull something like this again, I’ll come kill you myself.”
“...”
An unbearable silence followed. The Saintess quietly committed Kelintar’s face and voice to memory. Only after a long while did she answer.
“Understood.”
Kelintar turned without another word and walked back the way he had come. As soon as the man had gone, the knights and mages hurried up to the Saintess.
The Saintess asked them, “This is why I said we should leave quickly. Are we still not allowed to depart this place?”
“...No. We contacted His Holiness through the communication sphere. We told him everything exactly as it happened, and he ordered us to return at once.”
“I see. Then let us go.”
Inside the rattling carriage, Lorency thought back to Kelintar’s actions a little while earlier.
Why did he take my tears in a bottle... Will he need them for something somewhere?
She thought about it, but could not reach any conclusion.
Her situation was already complicated enough that she lowered her head and covered both ears with her hands, trying not to think about anything at all.
But then
Kelintar’s voice came back to her.
Tell Dorkal.
If you pull something like this again, I’ll come kill you myself.
The man’s words echoed in pieces.
He had once been closer to her than anyone. Now, they were worse than strangers.
Tears spilled from her eyes again. The Saintess immediately ordered the carriage to stop and called out to the knight waiting outside.
“Do you have a small potion bottle?”
“Yes.”
“Empty it... and give it to me.”
“Understood.”
Lorency pressed the mouth of the empty bottle to her cheek and caught the tears as they fell.
If he went out of his way to take my tears, then surely... he has a use for them somewhere.
The small bottle filled with the Saintess’s tears.
Before long, she tucked it against her chest.
If need be, she could give him tears like this whenever he wanted them.
That was all she had left to offer Kelintar.
Later, the knight who had handed over the bottle returned and asked, “Saintess... may I ask you something?”
“Yes. Go ahead.”
“I heard what you said earlier... that you betrayed Kelintar as your own choice. What in the world did you mean by that?”
“...”
“Could it be... that the claim about Kelintar being framed was true?”
The Saintess answered quietly.
“I cannot answer that. Only... later. In time, you will know everything.”
“...”
The knight returned to the procession with a bewildered expression, then spoke in grave tones with his companions.
“Hah...”
The Saintess could not see even a handspan ahead of her.
She had no idea what would happen next, either.
At the place where the Saintess had left him, Kelintar trudged back toward the walls. The dwarves watched his expression carefully.
“Are you all right?”
The gatekeeper asked the question, and Kelintar nodded.
“I’m glad you’re safe.”
Then one of the dwarf knights, who had been watching from behind, shouted, “Long live Kelintar, the Hero! Kelintar drove off those damn Monlique Empire scum!”
“Hahaha! That was satisfying! Those worthless bastards. Seeing them leave without daring to make a sound was really something else.”
“Yeah, let the vermin all die under the Demon King’s army.”
Kelintar glanced at the dwarves’ faces. A few were speaking sincerely, but most were obviously exaggerating just to lift his mood.
“Thanks, everyone.”
“Hah! Why are you thanking us? You were the one who showed those cowards trembling and helpless with our own eyes. We should be thanking you.”
Looking behind him, he saw that dwarves had gathered in a dense crowd. The commotion had apparently drawn them out to watch.
Among them, Bardon, the dwarf chief’s son, came striding forward.
“Kelintar. Do you remember me by any chance?”
The chief manager of the Betol Mine.
The only man who had thanked him for the scroll even before learning that he was the Hero.
“Of course I remember.”
“I heard from my father that the money the Monlique Empire stiffed you on will be returned soon. Since my pockets are a little heavier now, I’d like to buy you a beer. Come on, let’s go.”
Kelintar thought for a moment. Bardon laughed heartily and said, “There’s a tavern here that’s absolutely incredible. They brew their beer using a new method, and the foam is so rich and chewy you won’t find it anywhere else. Really. If you don’t go, you’ll regret it.”
Kelintar found himself smiling faintly before he knew it.
“Is it really that good?”
“It absolutely is!”
“Then I’ll trust you and try it.”
Once they arrived at the tavern and started drinking, Bardon let out a pleased “Kaaah” and looked at Kelintar.
“How is it? Pretty great, right?”
“Not bad.”
“Come to think of it, where did the lady who was with you go?”
“She said something came up with the merchant guild and that she had to head back immediately.”
“Oh dear... I hope it isn’t anything serious.”
“She’ll be fine. Shanen is sensible.”
Silence fell for a moment. Kelintar quietly took another drink.
Watching him, Bardon said, “Nothing is more bitter than giving everything you have for someone else, only to have them fail to appreciate it.”
“...”
“Even making a simple weapon is like that. You hammer and shape it, grind yourself down to make it, and then when it ends up in the hands of someone who doesn’t understand its value, it makes you damn frustrated. It makes you angry. If that’s how it is even with a weapon, then what about people?”
“...”
“Forget those old companions over a beer. If those bastards ever come to Lutibeth again, I’ll make sure to beat them black and blue.”
“You looked serious while you were working, but you seem different in private.”
“It’s a mine. I have to be a little scary if I want to keep things under control. You saw it yourself before; they’re all rough types. But they’re not bad people.”
“Seems that way.”
Bardon set down his mug and said, “If you’re willing, Kelintar, you can stay here as long as you like. I’ll talk to my father... no, the chief, and arrange a place for you to stay.”
“No. I have to head out soon.”
“Do you have something you need to do?”
Kelintar nodded and answered, “Right now the Monlique Empire is under attack, but once it falls, the Demon King’s army will launch indiscriminate assaults on the other empires, kingdoms, and regions. Lutibeth could be among them. No... it would not even be strange if they suddenly stopped attacking the Monlique Empire and came here tomorrow morning. That’s how unpredictable the Demon King’s army is.”
“...That’s terrifying.”
“After I was exiled from the empire, I decided to live for myself. So I thought about it. What does a life for myself even mean?”
“And what did you decide?”
“A life in which I don’t lose what I want to protect. That’s what a life for myself is, I think.”
“I don’t have much schooling, so I’m afraid I don’t fully get what you mean.”
Kelintar pointed at the beer and said, “If not for you, I wouldn’t even know a beer this good existed. And if not for your father, I wouldn’t have been able to forge a fine sword with Amantadium. I probably wouldn’t have managed to get even half the raw Amantadium ore.”
“...”
“So naturally, I want this place that helped me, the place that left me with precious memories, to survive. But if the Demon King’s army invades, this place will be erased without leaving a trace. Even if I wanted to help, one Amantadium sword isn’t enough to stand against them. That’s the truth.”
“...The holy sword’s power you showed us before...?”
“The holy sword isn’t in my hands. The light that came out when I cut through the collapse of stones in the mine wasn’t a power I can deliberately use either.”
“...I see.”
Bardon’s expression darkened in an instant.
“If we evacuated far away now... would there be any way to survive?”
“No. No matter how far you ran, there would be nowhere the Demon King’s army couldn’t reach.”
“...”
The man’s face grew even darker. He had been reminded once again that the threat of the Demon King’s army was not limited to the Monlique Empire alone.
“Don’t worry too much. Even the Demon King won’t be able to move for now. I landed one on him at the end, so he’ll surely be more cautious. Use that time to grow stronger. And once you are stronger, I’ll protect this place too.”
“...Why are you showing us so much kindness?”
“It’s not kindness for your sake. It’s for mine. If this place disappears, I won’t be able to drink the best beer I’ve ever tasted again, or complain to you about the miserable things in front of me like this. And if there’s a weapon I want to make later, I won’t even be able to commission it.”
“...Kelintar. If anything comes up in the future, tell me. I may not be able to solve it, but I’m good at listening. I’m also well-informed. My father’s the chief, so all the news here ends up at our house anyway.”
“I will.”
Since the subject had come up, Kelintar took out the paper from his robes and showed it to him.
▶ Mandragora’s Root
▶ Dragon’s Tooth
▶ Kraken’s Heart
▶ Phoenix’s Feather
▶ World Tree’s Leaf
▶ Thousand-Year Snow
“What is this?”
“I’m trying to make a weapon, and I need these. Do you know where I might be able to get them?”
“What kind of weapon is it?”
“I can’t tell you in detail. But I’ll say this much: it’s a sword better than Amantadium.”
“...I see... Hah... But these are all... incredibly hard things to get. One of them might be possible, if things go well.”
“Which one?”
“That one over there, the one labeled Thousand-Year Snow. That might be obtainable.”
“Do you have it?”
“No. It can be found in a place the northern peoples call a sanctuary. The problem is that outsiders can’t enter and harvest the Thousand-Year Snow... though it isn’t as if there’s no way at all.”
“What is the way?”
“There’s a war going on in the north right now. Recently, they asked us to supply weapons. Soon the delivery date will come, and the people who come to receive the goods will be from the northern high nobility. They personally inspect the quality of the weapons every time.”
“I see.”
“If I explain things properly, I can connect you with them. How about asking them once?”
“Thank you.”
“Not at all. If there’s anything else you need, I’ll support you however I can.”
So, after drinking with Bardon all day, Kelintar waited for about two weeks until the north came to collect their weapons shipment.
During that time, he trained relentlessly, swinging his sword at the house and training grounds Bardon had provided. After switching to the Amantadium sword, he focused even harder on training so he could grow accustomed to its feel.
While he was absorbed in his practice, Bardon came running up and said, “K... Kelintar! They’re here! From the north! They’ve come to receive the shipment from the north!”
“Let’s go.”
Kelintar trudged out through the door. Bardon, meanwhile, noticed that the scarecrow-generating artifact set up beyond the doorway was active. Kelintar had said he was training, so Bardon had made it for him.
“I should shut it off before we go.”
Thinking that, he hurried back inside, only to freeze in place.
It had only been two weeks.
In that time, more than several thousand scarecrows had all been cleanly cut into eight pieces and piled up in a mountain.
“What in the...”
It wasn’t merely that he had been shocked by the sheer number of cuts. The scarecrows, severed into exact equal sections of identical size, were all so perfectly uniform there was not a trace of error in any of them.
Looking at the mountain of cut-up scarecrows, the man thought of the sword Kelintar was said to be making, the one even better than Amantadium.
He did not know what it was.
But he was certain of one thing.
The moment that weapon was complete, the man who forged it would become a sword god no one could ever touch.