Vulcan guided Raon and Runaan into his workshop. The interior was filled with the furnace’s heat. It looked like he’d been working continuously before they arrived.
“Sit down over there.”
Vulcan pointed at a small table and chairs in the corner of the workshop.
“You should be honored, since this is the first time in two years that people from outside have managed to enter my father's workshop.”
Harren sat down next to them and crossed his arms.
“Don’t make a mess and stay silent… Huff!”
Vulcan frowned and started to pull on Harren’s ear.
“Argh! Father! Why are you doing this?”
“You are the noisiest one here. Why are you sitting there when I have clients here? Go bring some tea instead!”
He slammed Harren’s head with his fist while saying that.
“Kuaah! Please use your words!”
“Words aren’t enough to make you understand.”
“Haa! I should just leave this stupid house.”
Harren furiously rubbed the spot on his head that had been hit, then went to the inner part of the workshop.
“I apologize for him, just in case he was rude.”
Vulcan sighed and bobbed his head.
“He wasn’t initially that bad, but he became like this after meeting a gambling addict.”
“Gambling addict?”
“Yes, that elf bastard you’re well acquainted with.”
“Hmm?”
“Sorry?”
Raon and Runaan’s ears pricked when he mentioned the elf. Since he even mentioned gambling, there was only one person that met the criteria.
“Wh-What kind of trouble did our squad leader cause…?”
“Squad leader? Did he actually become a squad leader?”
“Yes.”
“Haa, the world is about to end.”
“What did the squad leader Rimmer even do here?”
“Rimmer, that bastard…”
Vulcan grit his teeth, looking into the air.
“He lost every single time he gambled against my stupid son!”
“……”
Raon’s eyes lost focus. He couldn’t understand what he had just heard. Rimmer didn’t even win against him, he just lost. It didn’t make sense that he was angry at him.
“Hmm?”
Runaan frowned as well, an unusual expression for her.
“What does that mean…?”
“After winning against Rimmer, that idiot figured he was talented at gambling and threw away his hammer to visit various gambling houses. He lost his entire fortune, and he’s still living as a ruffian because he still hasn’t faced reality.”
“Ah!”
He finally understood what Vulcan meant.
Because Harren won all of his bets against Rimmer, he had become delusional and thought that he was talented with it—which led to him becoming addicted.
Basically, he’s saying that he misunderstood after winning against the weakest of the weakest.
Wrath snorted.
‘Anyway…’
It was honestly not Rimmer’s fault, but troubles always happened when he was involved. It could be said that he always carried misfortune and unhappiness with him.
“He wouldn’t be so broken up if Rimmer had only lost a few rounds against him. I don’t even understand how he could lose fifteen rounds in a row! And then, he even brought him around to teach him all kinds of bad things!”
Vulcan clenched his fist in frustration. Raon silently hung his head, since he couldn’t say anything.
“Haa, well. Anyway, that’s now a story of the past.”
He sighed and gently looked into Raon’s eyes.
“I heard about it from that gambling addict, but you grew up really well.”
“Did the squad leader even talk about me?”
“That damn bastard asked me to lend him some money in return for telling your tales.”
“……”
Raon was unable to hold his head straight whenever he heard about Rimmer’s actions.
“I-I apologize for him. How much did he borrow?”
Raon took out his gold pouch with the intention of paying Vulcan back immediately.
“You don’t need to do that. That amount doesn’t really matter to me. However, you are even better than the stories he told. You’ve transcended half the wall with the aura you’ve accumulated. I’m extremely pleased that you reached this level in mere five years.”
Vulcan smiled pleasantly. His frown suggested that he wanted to kill Rimmer whenever they talked about him, but he was smiling whenever Raon was involved.
“By the way, who is this other swordswoman?”
Vulcan looked at Runaan this time.
“She’s my companion. We came here together, since she said she also wants to have a sword forged.”
“I’m Runaan Sullion.”
Runaan immediately stood up and bowed.
“You have an extremely sharp aura, to the point that it’s cold. As expected of house Sullion. Is Zieghart full of talented people right now?”
Vulcan admired her pressure upon reading it.
“I’ll introduce you to the current village chief of Mirtan. I’m sure he will be able to perfectly forge the blade you want.”
“Thank you.”
Runaan bowed once again.
“Are you going to start forging right away?”
“I would, but there’s one problem.”
“And that would be…?”
“The geothermal heat is currently a lot lower than usual around Mirtan Village. It usually returns to normal within a week, but it’s currently still low despite two weeks having passed.”
Vulcan tapped the ground with his feet, a frown on his face.
‘So, that was the reason.’
Even though he was told that Mirtan village was relatively hot for being located in the north, it was actually only slightly hotter than Zieghart when he arrived.
He had thought that was strange, and apparently there was a problem with the geothermal heat.
“With low geothermal heat, it’s difficult to meet the temperature even if I use the golden charcoal. I think a problem has occurred in Skellei Mountain.”
“You said you’d ask for help from Zieghart if the heat doesn’t return this week. Just call them already.”
Harren put down the cup and kettle at the center of the table with a thud, then sat next to them.
“Then, shall I try investigating it?”
Raon spoke, turning his head towards the door to look at Skellei Mountain.
“Hmm, then…”
“What? Come on!”
Harren waved his hand fiercely, even before Vulcan could speak.
“This swordswoman might be fine, but someone like you will die immediately upon reaching the mountain. There are plenty of monsters that feed on the heat… Argh!”
“Are you blind or something?”
Vulcan sighed at his pathetic demeanor and smacked the back of Harren’s head.
“Can you investigate it for us?”
“Runaan and I should be similar to the support sent from the house.”
Raon nodded. Since Runaan was also an Expert, she could easily deal with the monsters in the mountain.
“Please stop hitting me! Who is this guy for you to do that?”
“This boy is the future of Zieghart.”
“What? Heeh?”
Harren, who was rubbing his head, suddenly stood up from his chair.
“Zieghart’s future? W-Wait, then the promise that the old man mentioned…”
“Yes. You mistook my words as referencing the head of house on your own accord, but Raon is the swordsman I made the promise with.”
“Huh? B-But I can’t feel anything from him. Are you actually telling me this young guy is an advanced Expert?”
“You would’ve been able to feel it if you weren’t addicted to gambling for the past two years.”
Vulcan scornfully clicked his tongue.
“Argh!”
Harren bit his lip tightly, unable to say anything.
“We’ll get going right away. If we can have a guide…”
“Ah, there’s something we need to do before that.”
Vulcan raised his hand to stop Raon from standing up.
“To work faster, I need to figure out what material suits you.”
“Material?”
“Just as there are many different kinds of swordsmanship, there are many different metals in the world. This is an indispensable task in order to find the metal that suits your aura and nature. Harren! Bring the Golden Shard Stone!”
“I’m not your servant. Why would I… argh!”
Harren, who was sipping his tea, returned to the inner workshop as soon as Vulcan glared. He brought out a rock with a hand mark in the center of it.
“This rock contains the metal called the Golden Shard. It’s the king of metals, one that can amplify any kind of energy in the world.”
“Golden Shard…”
Raon had heard that name before. It was a legendary metal that couldn’t be bought, even if the person had the money for it.
“This Golden Shard Stone, made from the Golden Shard, absorbs aura and tells you what kind of metal is best suited for the swordsman. Do you want to try it?”
“I see it has a fissure. Isn’t it going to break if I imbue it with aura?”
“You don’t need to worry, since it will never break.”
“I see.”
Before putting his hand on the Golden Shard Stone, he looked to his right. Runaan’s eyes were sparkling in interest for the first time.
“Runaan, do you want to try it first?”
“Mhm.”
He pushed the stone towards her, and Runaan immediately nodded.
“Put your hand on the concave part, then push the aura into that gap.”
Runaan nodded, placing her hand at the center of the rock before inserting her aura.
Whir!
A faint silver light emerged from the fissure of the Golden Shard Stone, and coldness emanated on the rock.
“Hmm.”
Vulcan’s eyes widened as he tried touching the rock.
“Even your aura is special. I haven’t seen ice of such purity in a long time.”
He scratched his chin, telling Runaan that she could take her hand off now.
“The best choice is Cold Blood. If that’s not possible, then there’s Silver Steel, which can take ice…”
“I have Cold Blood.”
Runaan pushed forward the box she was hugging.
“Ohh!”
Vulcan exclaimed upon opening the box Runaan gave him.
“This size and durability, it’s perfect. It’s superior, even among Cold Blood. A nice sword will be made from this.”
He nodded in satisfaction after touching the Cold Blood.
“Raon, it’s your turn now.”
“Alright. But…”
Raon looked at Harren before putting his hand on the Golden Shard Stone. He signaled for him to leave with his eyes, but…
“What? Is it your first time seeing a handsome person like me?”
He glared back instead, probably because he thought it was a blinking game.
“He’s telling you to leave!”
Vulcan picked up a piece of wood from beside the table and threw it to Harren.
“Argh! Seriously, why would aura even be a secret?”
“Shut up! Just guard the door!”
“You damn geezer!”
Even though he was complaining, he still went outside the workshop and stood in front of the door. He apparently listened pretty well when he was told.
“Although he looks like an idiot, he was originally talented and passionate about smithing. After forging your blade, I’m planning on pushing some sense back into him, even if I have to smash his head open.”
“He does look talented.”
Managing to notice Runaan’s aura despite playing around so much wasn’t an ordinary ability. Harren must’ve been talented for sure, as expected of Vulcan’s son.
“You should get started.”
“Yes.”
Raon nodded and placed his hand on the Golden Shard Stone. Since Vulcan must’ve roughly realized that he had an aura of fire and ice at the same time, it should’ve been okay to show him.
Clang.
* * *
* * *
Multiple presences could be felt from outside as he was about to insert his aura into the Golden Shard Stone.
“The door is really open…”
“Is it true that you opened the door to a young boy when you didn’t even show yourself to us when we visited ten days in a row?”
“This is disrespectful towards us!”
“Are you looking down on the Zetul Kingdom?”
The enraged voices could be heard alongside the metallic sound of armor. They seemed to be the knights of the Zetul Kingdom that people kept talking about on their way to the forge.
“Hah, what do you think you are doing? Whether the old man takes clients or not is up to him!”
“Silence! Do you think we will overlook this matter when you looked down on the Zetul Kingdom?”
“He didn’t look down on you. He just had an appointed client! You should return, since you are obstructing business right now!”
Unexpectedly, Harren didn’t run away. He stood in front of the door to stop the knights.
“Haa, I didn’t meet with them because it was annoying, and it ended up this way.”
“Cough!”
Vulcan sighed. As he was about to go outside, Harren was sent flying inside with a scream.
“Keuh, those bastards…”
Harren tried to stand back up immediately, but he faltered and fell back. The blow wasn’t that powerful, but he couldn’t regain his balance because he was hit on his chin and stomach.
“Tsk, I’ll be back in a moment.”
“I’ll come with you.”
Raon left the workshop alongside Vulcan, who was frowning. The knights, wearing armor with a rapier emblem on the left side of the chest, were glaring fiercely at them. They were knights of the Zetul Kingdom.
“Was it actually this brat?”
The blue-haired young man in his mid-twenties standing at the center ground his teeth. An outstanding energy wave could be felt from him. He was a powerful knight, somewhere between intermediate and advanced Expert.
“Blacksmith Vulcan! You are too cruel! How could you choose such a young boy when you didn’t even show your face to us?”
“I didn’t choose, I made a promise. I promised this boy five years ago that I’d forge a sword for him.”
“F-Five years ago? He must’ve been a little kid back then!”
His eyes widened in bewilderment.
“Tsk.”
Raon clicked his tongue, looking at the knights’ reddening faces.
‘They grew up sheltered.’
It wasn’t like he couldn’t understand them at all. It was understandable that they would be angry if the Continent’s Blacksmith, who they couldn't even see the face after visiting him ten days straight, opened the door to a young swordsman.
However, those were complaints they should have kept to themselves. If they personally visited and started pestering him like that, just because they were angry, it not only disgraced their own reputations but also their kingdom’s.
The way they were acting under Zetul’s name could only be called immature.
“What did you even see in that brat to promise to forge him a sword?”
“Why do you keep calling me a brat? That’s so irritating.”
Raon’s brows furrowed as he stepped forward.
“Step aside, young bastard! It’s not your place to butt in!”
“You are the one who should step aside.”
“What?”
“The master is taking orders from the reserved client. What right do you have to order him around when you are unrelated to the matter?”
“Th-That’s…”
“I don’t understand what you are hoping to get here, after you even beat up the master’s son.”
“Shut up! Blacksmith Vulcan’s swords are pieces of art of the highest quality. They aren’t something an insect like you deserves!”
The young man in the center ground his teeth and stepped up.
“State your name!”
“You should introduce yourself first.”
“What impudence!”
“Who do you think he is?”
The knights next to the young man looked like they were about to jump at him.
“We are in Zieghart’s domain, not Zetul. If you want to brag about your stripes, then you should do it elsewhere.”
“Argh!”
“You bastard!”
“Stop.”
The young man stopped the knights from drawing their swords, then stepped forward.
“Considering what you said, you must be from Zieghart. I’m Tarkan, prince of the Zetul Kingdom. I’m the blue eagle of Zetul.”
Tarkan raised his chin and continued.
“Even Ziegharts have different ranks. I can’t feel any worth from you!”
“Hmm.”
Raon narrowed his eyes as he looked at Tarkan.
‘So, he was a prince.’
He could understand why he would be so hot-tempered, since he was between intermediate and advanced Expert in his twenties.
However, he wasn’t going to go easy on him just because it was understandable.
‘Now that I think about it, Zetul is famous for the quick sword and precise sword.’
Just as the rapier emblem on their armor suggested, Zetul was famous for their fast and precise swordsmanship.
‘Let’s extort some techniques from them.’
Since it came down to it, he figured he’d better learn the principles of the Zetul Kingdom’s swordsmanship by taunting the prince.
Is he also becoming a doormat…?
Wrath shuddered, looking at Raon’s small smile.
“Prince? I thought you were a thug because of your nasty actions. I guess that’s how the Zetul Kingdom raises their successor.”
Raon smiled scornfully, trying to humiliate the prince.
“Sh-Shut up and state your name!”
“I’m Raon Zieghart.”
“Raon? I’ve never heard that name before. So, you were a collateral after all.”
“I am. So what?”
“Hah! You are just a collateral, not even a member of the direct line. How could you receive a sword from the blacksmith Vulcan when you don’t have any reputation at all?”
Since Zieghart didn’t tend to spread information outside their territory, they didn’t know anything about him at all.
The reputation he had earned at Habun Castle had spread under the nickname of the ‘Young Sword Demon’ or the ‘Flame Wall’ instead of his real name, which made it natural for them to not know about him.
“Then, you can test it for yourself.”
“What?”
“I’m telling you to test whether I deserve it or not for yourself.”
“That’s exactly what I wanted!”
Tarkan gladly drew his sword. The blade, thinner and sharper than an ordinary longsword, reflected the sunlight.
“Withdraw right away if I win.”
“Then you should kneel and apologize for your arrogance if I win.”
“Sure, but that’s never going to happen!”
“Come at me. I’ll allow you the first strike.”
“You bastard!”
Raon flicked his fingers and Tarkan glared at him, then kicked the ground. His blade was thrust towards his chest like a ray of light. The first attack was clean, despite his enraged state—probably because he trained his swordsmanship properly.
Clang!
Raon rotated the Ring of Fire, watching his sword until the end before fending it off.
“Hmph, so you at least have something going for you.”
Tarkan snorted, bending his knee slightly to thrust his blade repeatedly. A nimble and systematic flow engulfed him, just like rain falling on the ground.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Raon used the six resonating rings of fire and his thoroughly trained eyesight to analyze everything about Tarkan’s quick strikes.
‘Precision is mixed into the quickness. It’s an advanced swordsmanship that only aims for the vitals.’
Speed wasn’t everything in Tarkan’s attacks. It also had the precision to thrust the blade into the smallest vital points. He seemed to have learned the prestigious swordsmanship properly, despite his hyper-aggressive personality.
“Let’s see how long you can keep blocking!”
Tarkan’s attacks grew fiercer as he decided to show his true strength, and the energy coming from his blade became a ray of light dropping down on him.
Slaam!
Not only the power, but also the speed had increased. The alacrity seemed to sever the space.
“Haa…”
Raon kept blocking Tarkan’s endless barrage with a paper thin difference, polishing the principles of the new quick sword that he was making. Since he’d never seen a technique that was so focused on speed before, he could learn a lot from it.
“Your highness! You are almost there!”
“He is too exhausted to even hold his sword!”
“Finish him off!”
The Zetul Kingdom’s knights smiled as they cheered for the prince. Since Raon kept observing Tarkan’s sword until the very last moment and blocking it right before it reached his skin, it looked like Tarkan was overwhelming him.
However, Tarkan was feeling miserable as he fought.
‘Wh-What the hell is wrong with this guy?’
He thought he could easily win at first, since he could barely feel any pressure from him, but it became completely different once he crossed swords with him.
His hand felt like the skin was tearing apart each time the blades clashed, as if he were attacking a metallic wall, and his wrist kept trembling so much it felt like it would break.
‘Moreover…’
He couldn’t even see the quick sword properly in the beginning, yet his sword had become even faster than his own. He must’ve been mistaken, but he had the impression that Raon was getting better throughout the duel.
‘I need to finish this quickly.’
Tarkan grit his teeth, drawing out all of his remaining aura to surround his blade and arm. He focused the aura to the regions that were used to swing the sword, then exploded it at once. It was Zorkin Swordsmanship’s ultimate technique, Deadly Onslaught.
Cring!
The thrust aimed at Raon’s chest was barely recognizable with his own eyes.
‘There’s no way he can block… Huh?’
Tarkan swallowed nervously. Even though he expected to see Raon panic, the young man’s lips were slightly curved into a smile.
“I’ve been waiting for something like this.”
With that frightening voice, his hand soared like lightning.
Slaam!
Tarkan’s blade shattered like glass and scattered into the air upon being smashed by Raon’s sword.
“Ah…”
Tarkan’s lips trembled in fear. Raon’s sword reached it first, despite having started to move later. It was extremely quick, only possible for a Master.
“It was a nice learning opportunity.”
“L-Learning? What did you lear… Cough!”
When Tarken lowered his head with a trembling chin, Raon’s blade smacked his snout.
Smack!
With his chin and mouth smacked at the same time, four teeth came out of his mouth like corn kernels as he collapsed.
“Y-Your highness!”
“Oh, no!”
“Wh-What have you done?”
The guarding knights ran up to him to hold the prince in their arms, pointing their swords at Raon.
“Wasn’t it a fair fight? Why are you pointing your sword at me?”
“Th-That’s…”
“Ugh…”
The knights’ eyes trembled like a sailboat facing the tidal wave. It looked like they still couldn’t believe that the prince had lost.
“If you have any problems, then come looking for me at Zieghart. Of course, for now…”
Raon narrowed his eyes, pointing his finger at the limp Tarkan.
“Tell him to find me to kneel and apologize once he wakes up. I hope you didn’t forget about that part.”
“Argh…”
“Just you wait…”
The knights bit their lips before turning back.
‘Just you wait, huh…?’
Although they must have been counting on their backgrounds from the Zetul Kingdom, Raon also had Zieghart’s huge name behind him. They should be unable to even think about revenge once their heads cooled.
“You… Did you just learn that quick sword from the prince?”
Vulcan’s eyes widened in disbelief.
“Rather than learning, I just took notes.”
“Huh. You’ve become a real monster since the last time I saw you.”
He shook his head at the absurdity of the situation.
“They shouldn’t be able to return.”
Raon smiled slightly while sheathing his sword.
“Hmph. I’m grateful for your consideration, but you didn’t need to do all that.”
“Sorry? What are you talking about?”
“You took all their attention away from us, so that me and my idiotic son wouldn’t be harmed.”
“Hmm…”
Raon awkwardly scratched the back of his head. Vulcan had realized that he purposefully repeated Zieghart's name. The old man told him he didn’t need to do all that as he waved his hand.
“You looked like an emotionless doll before. You must’ve learned human qualities as well.”
Vulcan snickered and patted Raon on the back.
“Let’s go back. I want to check what metal is most suitable for you quickly.”
* * *
Upon returning to the workshop, Raon placed his hand on the Golden Shard Stone. He used the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation and Glacier at the same time, inserting his aura into the stone’s fissure.
Whir!
The rock absorbed the red and blue aura just like a drawing paper absorbing the ink, radiating a brilliant light.
“This light and color means Dark Steel and… Huh?”
Vulcan’s eyes widened as he approached the Golden Shard Stone.
A new light sprouted like a bud between the red heat and blue coldness, and the three energies gathered in a spiral—as if they were one from the beginning—to radiate an auspicious golden light.
Crack!
Fissures appeared like a spider web on the Golden Shard Stone, which was never supposed to break, and the golden fever became even more intense.
Whaam!
The Golden Shard Stone was unable to withstand the power and shattered in the end, a small, brilliantly shining metallic bead falling out from it.
“Gasp!”
Vulcan’s eyes widened upon seeing that bead.
“How could the Golden Shard show itself on its own?!”
