***Arc 6 One Who Pierced Through, Chapter 123 Gargain***
From swords and spears to axes.
Every kind of blade wielded on the battlefield was on display in the store.
At the counter there was an old man with a bald head and a stubble, and a young man looking at him with frowns.
Mia and the others looked around the store, while Kalua waited with Berry next to Krische for the old man to open his mouth.
The old man's eyes sharpened and he gazed earnestly at the sword.
It was a curved sword, twisted from the base to the side of the blade――a sword that the old man had forged himself about three years ago.
However, the blade was much thinner and thinner than when he had given it to Cliche.
The blade itself had shrunk slightly.
The belly of the blade had numerous fine scratches, and there were signs that it had been sharpened repeatedly, it was possible to guess that it must have been scraped to fix the nicks on the blade.
The wood of the hilt was soaked with blood, and even though it had been carefully wiped, there was faint and mottled discoloration――As if the sword had been used for several decades, it spoke of the dense time it has been in use.
The battle with the Holy Empire――After that, it was this old man, Korze, who sharpened the sword.
The burden was placed only on the tip of the blade, and there were only a few nicks.
The skill of the person who wielded the blade was reflected in the way the blade was damaged in a way that Korze had never seen before.
It was such a strange and surprising sight, that he would be convinced if someone told him that it had slain 200 people――but when he saw how skinny it had become, with no trace of its original form, it sent chills down his spine.
Just a few months.
How many lives had this sword taken in that time?
Korze groaned, and Krische looked at the old man apologetically.
"...Sorry. Even though it's a sword that Korze-san worked so hard to forge...Krische planned to cherish it for the rest of Krische’s life but."
"Ah, no, don't worry about it. If you use it this far, you could say that it's a sword long-cherished desire. Originally, the sword was a consumable item, and the more you sharpen it, the more it will decrease after all."
He told Krische, who seemed to say what she really felt.
Yes, swords were consumables.
This was the way it should be.
Rather, it's a miracle that she used it this far without breaking it, and there was nothing to blame her for that.
"From the beginning, it could be said that it was a little too slender for use on the battlefield. It's my mistake."
General's Daughter――In that position, Korze never thought she would wield her blade on her front line.
It was only for self-defense, in line with Krische's wishes.
It was designed with portability and other aspects in mind.
It was never intended to be used to slay hundreds of people.
"…It would have been nice if Krische was a little more skillful with swords."
"Hahaha... I have never heard of a swordsman as good as Krische-sama. Krische-sama fame is well known even in Gargain."
The silver princess leads a black-clad century to slay enemy generals.
The exploits of Krische Christand were repeatedly mentioned by wounded soldiers and soldiers returning from the battlefield.
During the civil war, there was also the death of the hero Bogan, and although at first everyone suspected that this was a lie to keep people from paying attention to the fact, the soldiers' tales of the girl's swordsmanship gradually came to be accepted as fact.
――She is a peerless swordsman who even monsters like Gildenstein and Nakirus couldn’t match.
There were many who had seen her up close and personal, not just those who had heard about her from others, and there was no one, at least not here in Gargain, who doubted her ability.
Kalua, who was standing next to her, was exasperated by Krische’s overly humble words and looked at the sword.
She must have really thought that she was inexperienced.
She had a power that no one, no matter how fierce they were, can match, but she still thought she was not good enough.
Kalua sighed thinking that she would probably never be satisfied for the rest of her life.
She had slain many times more enemies than Kalua, yet there were no fatal wounds on her sword.
It was a far cry from Kalua, who had damaged the sword she had just bought in the last battle――’I should probably learn from Usa-chan sword even a little bit’
"Should we make the edge of the next sword a little harder and thicker? If you have this much skill, it's better to increase the strength of the blade itself than to think about ease of sharpening."
"...Yes. Umm, putting aside the length, something a little stronger would be... after all, sometimes it needs to cut bones and tear armor..."
It's strange to be able to cut while avoiding the bones, and it's not like the sword was to rip armor either.
It was not a slaughterhouse where she wielded her blade, but on a battlefield where lives were exchanged.
It was abnormal in the first place to tear only her flesh, but Korze didn’t voice it.
The young man who was listening, Keiz, the son of Korze, also had a bewildered expression on his face.
The blade was thin, with an unusual bias toward the cutting edge.
This was the result of making it unbreakable, tenacious, and suitable for maintenance.
On the other hand, if the wielder was as insanely strong as she was, thicker steel would last a lot longer.
The harder (stiff, though) it was made, the more easily the sword would break, and the harder it became to push it.
But, if she could abuse this slender blade to this extent, then it would be no problem.
The gentle unevenness of the tip of the blade, although sharpened, looks more like a trace of a crushed blade rather than a chipped blade.
"... It seems that the person who sharpened it was also a good craftsman. The blade is still alive and well."
"Hmm, yes… when Krische tattered it once, he cleaned it up very nicely."
"It’s a great thing."
Although she usually did her own sharpening, it had been sent to the sharpener on several occasions.
It was because the sharpener in the military was very skilled.
While thinking for a moment whether she should thank him again in writing or other ways, she continued.
"It is good that it is heavier, but the balance of the weight should be about the same as before. It is inevitable that it will be heavier as a whole, so Krische feels that it would be better if it had a little more weight.
"I understand, that would be better. When will you be going back?"
"Probably in a week or so..."
Krische pondered for a moment, and Bery next to her said.
"It's not urgent, so please send it to the royal capital after it's finished. Of course, we'll pay for it."
"Thank you very much. I'd like to be given a month's time to complete the work. ......Because it's the sword that Krische-sama will be using, I can't give something that is subpar."
"……thank you very much."
Krische and Bery bowed their heads, and Bery reached into her leather purse.
Six gold coins were taken out――Krische stiffened.
"……this is"
"Ojou-sama... No, from Gotoushu-sama, thank you for everything you've done so far. Of course, Christand intends to remain in the same relationship as before, but since we left the north, it will not be the same as before. Thank you for your kindness so far, please accept it."
"If that's the case...thank you. I’ll deliver the best sword."
A 20,000 pumpkin sword was about to be completed.
Krische involuntarily recoiled at this fact.
She had intended to have one sword forged, but it was actually two.
It wasn’t like that but Bery didn’t say anything while smiling wryly at Krische’s state.
Even Kahlua was surprised, but even this was normal for nobles――if it was as good a user as Krische, it wouldn’t be strange to spend 100 gold coins.
As she watched the exchange.
Kalua looked back to see Mia holding her sword in her hand and grunting.
"What's wrong, Mia?"
"Eh, ah... I was thinking maybe I should bring at least one sword. Everyone has it, but I, the adjutant, was only carrying the sword from provision..."
There were several candidates for Mia, mainly strong and long swords.
Kalua chuckled.
"I'm telling you, but there's no sword long enough to slash the enemy before the thrown axe reached you, you know."
"Shut up."
"Well, it might be better for Mia if it's longer to some extent."
Kalua giggled and knocked her head.
"Well, it looks like Bunny is done, and if you're not sure, why don't you just stop by again on your way home?"
"Hmm, sure. When it comes to buying it, I don't really have a preference."
"Mia isn't very good at swords in the first place."
"Geez, making fun of me"
Krische and Bery looked at those two and the other members.
"Since you know the location of the estate, isn’t it fine after we go shopping?"
"No, I'll think about it later for now. What about Kilik and the others?"
"Nothing particularly…this one has never been used since I bought it."
Kilik's squad, which was assigned to Kreschenta’s escort, had no wear and tear on their equipment.
Krische nodded, grabbed Bery's hand, and smiled.
The baggage to be taken from the estate was not much.
The furniture could be sold off as an addition to the house when it was sold, and most of the furnishings were of the same type.
When Bogan took over the debts of the Argan family, he had sold what could be called family heirlooms, so there was nothing of historical value.
Most of the vases and paintings that were here today were from before he bought the house, and he purchased only a few of them.
There aren't many things that can be called memorabilia, so after helping put together the books and alcohol, Mia and the others who accompanied the escorts were assigned to the guest room to rest.
When they went out to buy dinner, Bery was worried about the reaction of the people in the town, but should she say it was unexpected?
Bery was more than happy to see that they are responding to Cliche in much the same way as before.
As usual, they called out to her ‘Krische-sama’, shared some fruit with her, recommended some good ingredients, etc――Of course, everyone talked about her career and Bogan's death, but above all, they were relieved to see Krische the cooking-loving lady who they hadn't seen in a long time.
The people of Gargain were kind-hearted and good-hearted.
Of course, it was because of the relationship they had built up over the years, but she was very happy to see that they were taking such care to keep things the same as before.
The more she thought about how nice this town was, the more sentimental she became, and Bery's heart was filled with a sense of loneliness that she had been trying not to think about, and various memories come back to her.
――She had spent more than half of her life here.
There were too many memories to cut and throw away so as not to think about them.
"This is the wound that Ojou-sama made when she was swinging Gotoushu-sama’s sword in her room while talking about sword training. …Fufu, at that time Gotoushu-sama was troubled."
"...What an idiot."
"Well, Ojou-sama was really small at the time."
Bogan's room was simple and mostly just books and liquor.
Bery traced the scar on the pillar and smiled.
Selene said she wanted to learn swordsmanship from her father, and decided to stop it, saying at least wait until she’s a little older, resulting in a fight.
Selene, who was reprimanded, didn't seem convinced, and later secretly went to Bogan's room and pulled out Bogan's sword.
Apparently she wanted to show that she could handle the sword properly.
However, although it was good up to that point, the sword was a heavy longsword.
Unable to swing it, she stumbled and slammed it into a pillar――when Lazura saw this, she turned unusually pale and slapped Selene's cheek.
‘Stupid! What would you do if you got irreparably injured because of your silly stubbornness!’
After that, she lectured Serene in a rage that even Berry had never witnessed before.
Bogan's indescribably troubled expression upon his return was so funny that she still laughed when she recalled it.
The house was filled with many memories.
When she thought about leaving, the scenes of Lazura, Bogan, and small Selene appeared here and there then disappeared.
"Is Bery lonely...?"
"Just a little bit... If I leave here, those memories will gradually fade away. I think that's a little lonely."
"...Forgetting is something Krische doesn't really understand. Memories are always in your head..."
There was no memory that Krische couldn’t recall.
If she ever wanted to remember, all her memories would come back vividly.
The countless books she had read so far――what was written on what page and what line.
What was the face of the first person she killed on the battlefield, and how did she kill them?
Everything from trivial things to.
Berry, who knew this, smiled a little troubled.
"That's probably because Krische-sama is much smarter than I am. Unfortunately, even the important things are lost little by little when it comes to the past."
"B-Berry is much smarter than Krische."
"Fufu, I'm glad Krische-sama feels that way...but you shouldn’t lie."
She pressed her fingertips to her lips and smiled.
‘Uuu’, Krische said silently, and Bery stroked her head.
From Krische point of view, Bery was a lot smarter than most people.
Not only could she calculate, but she has a broad and dexterous view of the world, and she can handle anything with ease and without waste.
She was the best, even without favoritism, excluding Kreschenta, but if she thought about it calmly, she couldn’t say that she was smarter than her in terms of simple intelligence.
Krische respects Bery and loves her more than anyone else.
That's why the feeling she wanted to be so much higher than she existed in her heart, she wants to think that Bery is better than anyone in the world was.
Bery was more than happy to hear that.
However, she also believed that it should not hinder her growth.
"It's not like such a simple point of view who’s inferior or not inferior will create a good relationship right. Krische-sama already knows that, don't you?"
"……yes"
"Facts are facts, and that’s fine. …Fufu, but I’m very happy that Krische-sama thinks so. I must do my best not to disappoint Krische-sama expectations."
Bery lightly pressing her lips against hers, Krische hugged her, her cheeks blushed.
"...Berry is always better than Krische thinks."
"That's because I'm stretching myself so that Krische-sama thinks so."
"Stretch?"
"Yes, I'm stretching myself because I want to show only my good points to Krische-sama. Bery is amazing and splendid, and I'm glad that Krische-sama thinks so, so I’m just doing my best to make it look that way."
Berry laughed and patted Cliche, saying that she herself was just as stubborn as Ojou-sama.
Krische thought of Selene, the hard-working girl, and thought of herself against Bery.
She then stared at Bery and she said a little shyly.
"... Krische might be showing her stretched out much more than Berry."
Krische stood on her tip toe and stretched, bringing her face closer.
She was less than five shaku one sun.
Bery was petite even for a woman, but Krische was even a little shorter than Bery.
When standing together, Bery would either bend down or Krische would stand taller.
Then the heights finally matched and the difference between the two became zero.
After enjoying her soft touch, Krische said troubledly.
"Bery always bends over for Krische, but it's not easy when Krische stretches."
Bery let out a giggle saying ‘that’s troubling’, and stood on her tip toe.
As she stretched, she bent down slightly and kissed Krische lightly.
"Is it always like this? Fufu, if someone looks at it from the side, it must be a stupid sight."
"... Yes, it might be a little stupid."
Bery smiled and put her heels down and caressed the girl lovingly.
Krische, too, was relieved to place her heels on the floor and pressed her face against Bery's.
Berry looked around the room.
One more memory, but a memory is a memory――there was nothing more important than the present.
Bery said goodbye in her heart and took Krische's hand.
"Well... it's settled to some extent, so let's take a bath soon."
"Ehehe, yes. Umm... can I make cookies later? For Oba-san, uh..."
"Yes, of course. I am sure she will be delighted. ...The last memories of this estate."
Bery smiled a little sadly, but happily.
