Zeke's Sword (5)
Clang. Clang. Clang. Clang. Clang.
After Zeke left, the rhythmic sound of hammering iron echoed through the silence.
Alen, lost in the flow of his work, forgot everything else and focused solely on hammering the iron.
Deeply.
Deeper.
He sank into the work as if submerged in a tranquil lake.
It felt like the only things that existed in the world were the iron in front of him and himself.
Clang. Clang. Clang. Clang. Clang.
After hammering the red-hot iron for a long time, Alen finally put down his hammer with a thud.
He wiped the tempered sword with a dry cloth.
The fire from the forge reflected off the silver blade, resembling a cold sunset.
“I… I made this…”
Had he ever been so focused on crafting a single sword before?
The result was a masterpiece, several levels above the swords he usually made.
Of course, even so, it might not be objectively called a masterpiece.
However, the feeling of exhilaration, as if he had shed a layer of himself, was enough to make Alen's heart race.
Looking at the sword, the image of the silver-haired girl came to mind vividly.
‘Perhaps that man feels the same way.’
Without him, he wouldn't have been able to create such a sword.
Alen looked back.
The man had already left, leaving only an empty chair.
‘I didn’t even realize he was gone…’
“Huh? What’s this…”
There was a piece of paper on the chair.
Alen picked it up. It was a note written in neat handwriting.
[This is the address of the mansion. Come find me when the sword is finished. We'll decide on the remaining payment after seeing the final product. And if the sword is good, I'll be commissioning you regularly, so do your best.]
At first, he couldn't understand the meaning and read it over and over again.
The letters slowly revealed their meaning, combining and making sense in his head.
His whole body trembled, and a thrill ran down his spine.
Finally. Finally.
Someone had recognized the value of the swords he made.
Someone was willing to help him make a real sword and reach out a hand toward a new future.
He thought the man was strange, but to think he was his benefactor in this time of need.
Alen, feeling a surge of excitement, carefully examined the sword he had made once again.
“Here it is.”
“Yeah, he said he’d be here with a dumb look on his face.”
Just then, four men entered his workshop, carrying an unconscious woman over their shoulders.
“Who are you!?”
Alen whirled around and shouted.
At a glance, they didn’t look like they’d lived decent lives.
He gulped.
“Who are we? What the fuck you gonna do about it, huh?”
“Who do you think we are? We’re the guys Mr. Lodren sent to keep an eye on you and make sure you’re not up to your usual bullshit, you little shit.”
“When is brother Kutan coming?”
“He’s probably stopping by somewhere else. He’ll be here soon. It’s just three brats anyway.”
They strode over, threw the unconscious woman to the side, and snatched the sword from Alen’s hand.
“Whoa, what’s this? A rapier?”
“Why are you making this kind of crap again?”
“Shit. brother’s gonna flip his lid. We should’ve left earlier. Damn it.”
“Hey, you little shit! We told you to make a regular sword, so why are you making this kind of crap again?!”
They were about to throw the rapier to the floor with their rough hands.
“No!!!”
Like a mother bird protecting her young from a threatening snake, Alen threw himself over the sword, clutching it tightly.
“Ha! Look at this loser! This is hilarious!”
“Ah, so that’s why he told us to bring tools.”
“Yeah, can’t he still make swords with one less foot?”
“Let’s teach him a lesson.”
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
A barrage of kicks rained down on Alen’s back.
But he only clung to the sword tighter, gritting his teeth.
Just then, something small and shiny fell out of his pocket.
‘Ah.’
Clink.
The sound made the shortest man’s eyes sparkle.
“Wh-what? Isn’t that a gold coin…?”
“Let me see. It’s real!? This bastard… He was whining about being broke, but he’s been saving up quite a bit!”
“Hahaha! This guy had this hidden away?!”
“Hey, hey, maybe there’s more where that came from. Hit him harder!”
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
‘Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.’
After they took his money, their violence escalated even further, knowing no bounds.
Alen’s condition was so pitiful that he no longer looked human.
Blood flowed from his mouth, his clothes were torn to shreds, and his body was covered in bruises.
But he protected the sword until the very end.
“Huff… Huff… Damn, even hitting him is tiring. Hey, I don’t think there’s anything left.”
“Was that all he had? Tsk. Maybe he hid it somewhere else?”
“Look at this stubborn bastard, still clinging to that sword.”
The men, exhausted from beating Alen, took deep breaths.
“Hey, but where is brother Kutan?”
“Maybe he’s making a detour. Heh. Or maybe he’s with those girls from the bakery? They were pretty hot.”
The burly man made a circle with one hand and thrust his other hand’s index finger through it, making a crude gesture.
Hearing this, the short man spoke up.
“…Then… why don’t we just take care of this ourselves? Brother Kutan won’t be back until morning anyway…”
“What if he finds out?!”
“It’ll be fine. We’ll just kill this bastard right now, and no one else will know but us.”
The short man chuckled and whispered,
“We’ll say we told him off for making another stupid sword, and he went berserk and attacked us with it. We had no choice but to kill him.”
“But still, that’s a bit…”
As the burly man hesitated, the short man urged him again.
“That’s why we’ll have one of us get a little cut, like on the thigh or something! We’ll split the gold, and tell everyone one of us got hurt by that psycho and we had to kill him.”
“Oh! Oh! You’re a genius!”
“So, who’s gonna get the cut?”
“But brother’s gonna be pissed if we tell him we were dumb enough to get hurt.”
“One gold coin is 100 silver coins. The one with the cut gets 40 silver. The rest of us get 20 each.”
At his words, the men’s eyes lit up.
A small wound for 40 silver coins. That was enough for 4,000 glasses of cheap beer.
Gulp.
As they were looking at each other, trying to decide who would get the wound, the man who had been silent until then pulled out a bottle from his pocket.
“Let’s decide with this.”
“What’s that? Poison liquor?”
“We each take a sip of this, then throw a weapon from that wall at him. Whoever kills him wins. We’ll give the winner the cut, how about that?”
They couldn’t resist the offer - money, alcohol, and a gamble!
Their eyes gleamed with excitement.
They each took a gulp of the strong liquor.
“Cheers!”
***
Alen lay there, biting his lip.
He was filled with despair and resentment.
He had finally met a benefactor who recognized his swords, finally understood what it meant to make a real sword.
Their greed had cruelly trampled on the hope that had been precariously clinging to the edge of a cliff.
Whoosh!
Thump.
An axe thrown by one of the men whizzed past his back.
The weapon he had made was now attacking him.
Alen quickly turned his head.
Behind him lay the unconscious woman.
She was a mature woman with beautiful brown hair.
Fortunately, the weapon the man threw missed her as well.
‘You bastards!’
Whether Alen gritted his teeth or not, the drunk men were busy choosing their weapons.
“Hey, you can’t even throw straight? You’re pathetic.”
Hic!
“Ah! I couldn’t concentrate because of the woman behind him! Get rid of her and let’s do this again!”
Fueled by alcohol, their voices grew louder, echoing through the workshop.
“You think this is funny? Heh. We only get one shot, alright? If no one hits him, we’ll do it again then! Come on out, you bastard!”
“Let’s take care of the woman first! Move her!”
Hic!
As he approached the woman, the man took a closer look at her face.
Then, he turned to his companions and said,
“Hey, maybe we shouldn’t wake her up and have our fun?”
“But brother said to leave her alone for now. He said she’ll be useful later.”
“But brother Kutan is having his fun too…”
“He’s right! Damn it! We’re not gonna break her by having a little taste…”
The men licked their lips.
They had been somewhat reluctant to hurt her when they kidnapped her, finding her dignified appearance somewhat pitiful.
But now, with the gold coins in their pockets and the poison liquor coursing through their veins, their judgment was clouded.
They took a step closer to the woman.
“Heh heh, just a little taste, and then we’ll let you go quietly. Just a little taste.”
Suddenly, Alen thought that if he showed them the note with Yohaiden's name and the address of the mansion, they might spare him.
“Yo! Yohaide…!”
Just as he was about to shout, a voice interrupted him.
“Y-Yes, sir. We’re here.”
Five men, looking like they had been dragged through the mud, stumbled into Alen’s workshop.
The men turned their heads towards the newcomers.
The short man blinked and tilted his head.
“Um. Who are those guys…?”
“What the… They look like our guys, but there’s no way they’d end up like that…”
“Are they fakes?”
Kutan gritted his teeth as he saw the state of his men.
He had told them to bring her quietly, but one of them was trying to rip the woman’s clothes off.
Another one was holding a sword, ready to throw it.
The other two were slumped over, their faces flushed red from alcohol.
“What have you idiots done?!”
Zeke also frowned at the sight.
‘This is the sword shop… These bastards… They’ve crossed the line.’
“Well, the all-ages show is over.”
* * *
Late at night, Selena Yohaiden stood in her nightgown, a silk shawl draped over her shoulders, waiting impatiently at the mansion’s front gate.
“My lady, please come inside. It’s cold.”
The butler stood behind her, fidgeting anxiously.
“…”
“Do you know where the instructor is?”
“We’ve only assigned people to follow Lady Selena… But we’ve sent someone, so he should be here…”
Selena’s blood was boiling.
Of course, she had faith that he wouldn’t be out doing anything reckless.
He was probably still at the sword shop, observing the sword-making process.
She wanted to respect his freedom and avoid interfering as much as possible, but it had been a whole day since he left the shop.
Didn’t he realize someone was waiting for him back at the mansion?
Anxious, Selena tapped her foot and bounced on the balls of her feet.
As she waited, one of the knights she had sent out earlier came running towards her, his face pale and urgent.
“Lady Selena! There’s a fire at the sword shop!”
“What?!”
Selena’s heart skipped a beat, and she rushed towards the knight.
“Is the i-instructor…?”
“I don’t know. The fire’s too big to see if anyone’s inside, and we can’t get close.”
Selena bit her lip. Something was definitely wrong.
‘Instructor…!’
“Butler, prepare my coat. I need to go there myself.”
“Lady Selena, please leave it to the knights! It’s too dangerous!”
“No, I have to go.”
Just then, a voice called out.
“What’s going on?”
Selena turned her head sharply.
Zeke was approaching the front gate, his expression calm and composed.
“Oh… Oh…!”
Selena’s heart leaped at the sound of his voice.
She ran up to Zeke and checked him over.
“Instructor! Are you alright? There’s a fire at the sword shop!”
“Ah, that’s fine.”
Zeke added,
“There was a minor incident, but I’m unharmed. See?”
“Even so!”
His casual tone made her angry, but at the same time, she felt a wave of relief wash over her.
She let out a sigh.
‘Huh?’
Sniff. Sniff.
The pungent smell of alcohol hit Selena’s nose, and she wrinkled her nose.
‘Wait… Is that… the smell of alcohol? I was worried because they said there was a fire, but was he just out drinking this whole time?’
Selena gritted her teeth.
“Ins.truc.tor?”
“What’s wrong?”
Zeke responded nonchalantly.
“How do you think I feel right now?!”
“Here, take this.”
Zeke took off a box he was carrying on his back and handed it to Selena.
She accepted it, though she wasn’t sure what to make of it.
‘Does he think this will make me feel better…?’
However, the corners of Selena’s lips twitched slightly as she opened the box.
Inside was a beautiful rapier.
As she held it in her hand, it felt as if the weapon had been made just for her.
It felt more familiar than the sword she had broken earlier, the one she had spent seven years getting used to.
It was light, sharp, and had a comfortable grip that fit her hand perfectly.
She was itching to wield it.
‘This… This… I guess this does make me feel… better…’
Selena’s eyes glazed over as she admired the sword.
“H-How is it? I-I did my best.”
“It’s… It’s beautiful. Instruc… Huh?”
She had been so caught up in looking at the sword that she momentarily forgot who she was talking to.
Selena looked up.
Behind Zeke, she saw the sword shop owner, reeking of alcohol.
His face and body were covered in dirt, as if he had been rolling around on the ground.
Selena’s brows furrowed again.
‘I appreciate the gift, I really do! But did he really spend all this time drinking with this guy instead of coming home?!’
She was about to give Zeke a piece of her mind when Alen spoke up, seemingly unaware of her displeasure.
“Thanks to Zeke-nim, I’m still alive.”
“Huh?”
“He saved me from those loan sharks.”
“Ah… So that’s why there was a fire…”
“Yes, that’s right.”
‘Yes! Good job, Alen! You’re earning your keep here. If you want to stay here, this is how you do it!’
Zeke inwardly cheered for Alen.
Zeke had knocked out all the thugs, including the ones who had attacked Soi Spoon’s place.
Then he extracted information from them. There had to be someone higher up, and he had to be prepared for anything.
‘They might try something at Soi Spoon’s place again.’
Even if this was a romance fantasy world, Zeke had no intention of showing mercy to those who crossed the line.
After getting all the information he needed, Zeke knocked the thugs unconscious, doused the sword shop with the remaining alcohol, and burned it to the ground with a bit of mana manipulation to cover his tracks.
As a result, Alen, who had been living and working there, lost his home in an instant.
Feeling slightly responsible, Zeke brought Alen back to Selena’s mansion.
However, he could tell that Selena wasn’t happy, so he kept his mouth shut.
Seeing her cold reaction, Zeke finally realized how much she had been looking forward to this day.
‘I promised to take her out, but we couldn’t go anywhere.’
That’s why he presented her with the gift right away.
Fortunately, Selena seemed pleased with the present.
Moreover, Alen was explaining the situation without being asked, which made Zeke even more satisfied.
He had no intention of lying to Selena anyway.
Alen gestured enthusiastically as he told Selena what had happened.
As expected, a third-party account was much more effective than anything this stiff and boring body could come up with.
“That sounds dangerous!”
“Not at all. Zeke-nim just swung his bread, and the bad guys went flying! They didn’t stand a chance! They were begging for mercy! Zeke-nim was a true hero. Those bastards deserved what they got! Let me tell you how bad they were…”
Zeke nodded in agreement.
Selena’s face momentarily darkened when she heard that Zeke had killed people, but then again, she had executed Siera herself.
Those who wielded swords should be prepared to stand on a foundation of death.
Besides, judging from the story, those men were truly the scum of the earth.
‘Wait, bread?’
Selena’s expression turned puzzled for a moment, but Alen’s next words made her forget all about it.
“And he saved the lady who was with him!”
“The. Lady?”
Selena’s smile vanished.
However, oblivious to her change in demeanor, Alen continued excitedly,
“Yes! He was like a knight in shining armor!”
“Ah. Ah. So he saved her? Just like me?”
‘Alen, buddy? Maybe you should tone it down a bit?’
Zeke tried to warn him internally, but Alen’s eyes were sparkling.
“Oh, oh! As expected of Zeke-nim! You saved the young lady too! And then you even escorted her home!”
“Escorted. Her. Home.”
‘Alen, please?’
“Yes! And he even received thanks from other ladies there!”
“Other. Ladies.”
Selena’s smile returned, but it didn’t reach her eyes.
“We even had bread together! It was the most delicious bread I’ve ever had!”
“…”
And with that final blow, Alen sealed their fate.
Zeke felt a cold sweat running down his back.
‘Well, we’re screwed.’
He nodded in resignation.
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