The Regression Of A Grand Mercenary - 05 - A Customer Perhaps?

“He’s seen the sword you made. He wants to meet you.” said Theresa.

“Is he asking for the price?” I asked as I laid down my hammer.

“N-not initially. Just come with me to the shop, he’s waiting.”

A person who walks into a blacksmith shop and ask for the blacksmith the moment he sees his work…

This could only mean one thing…

He knows the value of the sword.

He could either be a potential customer…or maybe he’s someone strong who could be a threat to the family.

I’ve learned long ago that people are always after talents.

My friend who was once a great blacksmith was called to by a vicious and famous bandit who wanted him to make a great sword.

The bandit was after his skill in making blades, but my friend declined the offer.

In return, the bandit turned mad and he attacked my friend.

But despite their efforts, they failed to harm him because I was there…

But even when they failed, I learned a valuable lesson then.

Talent is something that people are always after…especially those who are greedy and dangerous.

Despite the fact that I craft swords to build a future for my siblings, there’s always the risk that someone like a bandit will come along and harm them.

So I have to be careful in making my decision.

Despite my sister saying that this person was affiliated to the church, not all church goers were good. He may possibly be someone who is like the bandit.

All I ever could do was prepare for the worst.

As I made my way to the backdoor, I entered the shop and saw a plain looking man admiring my blade.

“…Hm? Are you the blacksmith?” asked the man.

“I am…and may I ask for your name?” I asked.

“My name is not important…I simply came here to question you about your work.” he said.

“Names are important…I can’t sell you anything if you don’t introduce yourself first to me.” I said.

“Really? Well…I guess pleasantries are keen in this shop. My apologies.” said the man as he bowed to me.

“…”

“My name is Orion…and may I ask for your name as well?”

“…Thill. Now tell me, why did you come to ask for me personally?” I asked.

“I was simply taken aback by your sword. It’s quite wonderful to say the least…if anything, I could say that this iron sword might be one of the sharpest I’ve ever seen in my entire life.”

“…It’s a good sword, I can tell you that much.” I said.

“Indeed…it very much is.” Orion gently placed the sword back on the counter, his fingers lingering for a moment longer than necessary. He smiled, though it never quite reached his eyes.

“I’ve seen many blades,” Orion continued, “but this… there’s something more to it than just fine craftsmanship, isn’t there?”

I kept my expression neutral. “A sword’s purpose is to protect…I’m sure someone with hands like yours knows it well.” I said.

And in my comment, Orion simply smiled.

From the moment I stepped into the shop, I have been gazing at the very nature of this man’s capabilities…the way his body stands, the way he reacts…every little detail of his actions, I never missed a beat of it.

And one thing is for sure…

He’s strong.

Strong enough to even take down the Lich by his own…

And in the same manner, I could feel that he was also looking at me in the same way.

But I’m confident he won’t find anything on me.

Unlike him who was worked on the use of a sword for all his life, I have returned back to my body to which has never held a blade. He won’t find anything on my body other than the toll of using a hammer for crafting.

But nonetheless, I showed him a good sword…

Now, what will he do?

“Hmph, for a man with such a young look, you surely know your customers well…”

“I’m a blacksmith, it’s my job to know what kind of customers I’m dealing with. Now, do you intend on buying the sword?” I asked.

“No, unfortunately I’m not here to buy a sword…I was simply curious about the swordmaker.”

“I see…if you have nothing else to say, leave our shop.”

“Hmm, thank you for your kind words…someday when I’m in need of a sword, I’ll be sure to come here straight away.” he said.

And from there, he left the shop with a content smile.

***

“Phew…geez what a tense man.” said Orion as he left the shop with a nervous expression.

‘Hmm, despite the fact that his body isn’t as defined as that of a normal blacksmith…if anything, he’s more skinnier than I imagined. Still…he’s talents towards making a sword is top tier. He might as well be a genius if anything.’ he thought…

‘…but there was more to that. Those eyes…I’m not blind enough to not ignore the bloodlust in those eyes.’ he thought as he swallowed his spit in the nervousness of it all.

‘Could it be…no, not with that kind of body.’

Orion thought that maybe Thill was the sole person responsible for the curse being lifted…but looking at it again, Thill didn’t show the kind of body that would be capable of such a thing.

To Orion, Thill was more possibly just a hothead.

On his way out, he came across the apostle who was waiting by the carriage.

“Did you find anything unusual?” asked Orion as he approached with a neutral expression.

“In fact I did…get on the carriage, We’ll be making our way to somewhere that might lead to the Lich’s location.”

“Really? And how did you find it?” asked Orion.

“…A trail. The Lich was sloppy with his trail.”

“Hmm, looks like I was right to call for you.”

“With the eyes blessed by the heavens, finding a dark trail is nothing but an easy feat. Now, what did you find on your end?”

“Nothing…bu-…ah, no. On second thought, its nothing.”

“You didn’t find anything?”

“No.”

“Hmm, oh well…let’s get going then.”

As the two rode the carriage and followed the trail left by the Lich, they arrived at the barnhouse or at least what was left of it. And on their arrival, all but immediately, Orion smelled the rotting stench left in the air.

“Egh…this smell is definitely that of a Lich.” he said.

“…It is, but strange enough, there’s nothing here.” said the apostle.

“…Maybe it did leave.” said Orion.

“No, if the Lich did move on, he would have left a trail, but all I see with my eyes is that the trail ends here.” said the Apostle.

“…I’ll try looking around for clues.”

“I’ll come along.”

As Orion and the Apostle got off of the carriage, he made his way to the barnhouse, or at least what was left of it.

“Hmm, strange…the place is in tatters.” said Orion.

“It must have been like this since before.” said the Apostle.

“Maybe, but look…there’s a few parts of a structure that seems like a roof of a house, and it’s torn apart.”

“Must have been a storm. This part of the kingdom is usually on the heavy ends of a storm’s passing…It’s not strange that the winds must have torn it to pieces.” said the Apostle.

“Maybe, but if the Lich did come by here, normally they would have hidden themselves in the darkness. Something like a large shed or a barnhouse…but to see that this was destroyed, I can only assume that a battle must have taken place here.” said Orion.

“Hmm, true. Liches normally avoid the light…Hmm? Look here.” suddenly, the Apostle found something that was placed on the ground.

“What is it?” asked Orion.

“Look…this skull.”

“It’s cut in half.” said Orion.

“And more than that, it’s oozing with dark magic…a deceased and defeated lich would have made similar excrement’s upon it’s death. The dark magic would still be oozing for about a month or so…so seeing it like this, it must have only been recently that it was killed.” said the apostle as he used his blessed eyes.

For Orion, he couldn’t see a thing. But he could smell it.

”Right, but look at the way it’s cut…perfectly in the middle.” said Orion as he was gazing at the skull of the Lich’s head.

“A blade this sharp must have been from a great master swordsman.” he added as he was amazed by such a skillful cleavemark.

“…I don’t know anything about swordsmanship…so tell me, is it possible that someone did something to stop the Lich’s advances?” asked the apostle.

“It could be…” as Orion said this, he was reminded of the blacksmith who made one of the sharpest swords he ever witnessed.

‘…Could it be?’ Orion couldn’t help but assume of it. If it was possible, maybe a sharp sword was all it took to defeat a Lich…or maybe there was more to it than meets the eye.

Leaving this in thought, it was clear now to the two of them that the  Lich was defeated. And now, what remained was the mystery of who did the deed.

Meanwhile as Orion and the apostle from the church were investigating the ruined barnhouse, Thill was inside his shop, contemplating on a certain situation.

“Hmm, this is bad.” he said as he was sitting around in shop with no customers in sight.

“Don’t blame yourself. It was always like this even when Father was still around. Not a lot of people come by to see made swords and armor. The village just isn’t in need of it.” said Theresa.

“True, but we’re lucky enough that sometimes a few of our neighbors come by to ask for some repairs and whatnot.”

“Yeah we’re getting by because of it, so don’t worry.” said Theresa as she tried to assure Thill.

“…There’s barely any meat left in the storage, so today I’ll go and hunt for some meat in the woods. If I’m lucky I can find us a few chickens and we can start making eggs with them.” said Thill.

“That would be great, but do you know how to hunt? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you hunt before.” said Theresa as she was doubting Thill.

“I’ll get by. Trust me.” he said.

“O-okay…”

After that, Thill prepared his hunting equipment which consisted of nothing but a bow and arrow and a long lengthened rope.

On his way out, he came across his brother Theodore who was reading a book by the entrance of their home.

“What are you reading?” asked Thill.

“…The Principles of Magic.” said Theodore.

Theodore was 4^th child of the Cicial family and the youngest brother to Thill. Despite their poor upbringing, Theodore was the only person who had the talents to actually learn magic.

Ever since Thill could remember, Theodore was gifted of using magic but was never been able to fully bring it out because of their circumstances. Thill knew that if Theodore was given the chance, he would surely be given a bright future…

All one needs really is money.

Money is the source of bringing one’s dream to something closer.

Sadly right now, the family was lacking money.

“Where are you going big bro?” asked Theodore.

“Hunting. I’ll be back before sundown so in a few hours help your sister in closing the shop.” said Thill.

“Okay, be careful now.” said Theodore as he went back to reading his book.

As Thill made his way to the forest, on his way out, he started to notice a few carraiges riding by the road.

‘Hmm?’

From the looks of it, those carriages were filled with all sorts of crates carrying product that Thill could only assume were being sold by Merchants.

And in the sight of them passing by, it gave him some sort of idea.

Money was tight each and every day. And because they were at a village, rarely do people come by to buy swords and armor at their family’s shop.

If he could, he would have left to the city to sell his swords at a fair price, but leaving was too risky in his eyes.

The dangers of leaving his family on their own was always knocking on his head. Being given a second chance, it was only natural that he was being overprotective.

So maybe if he can’t leave the village, he might as well find a way to spread his work through a merchant’s connection.

Merchants were one of the most valuable assets in the continent. They were what moved products from one place to another, exporting and growing as they go.

If he could sell his sword to a merchant, It will surely change the situation at his home.

From what he knows, the merchants would usually stay a day or two here in the village before moving on, so during that time, he needs to sell his crafts.

But for now, he needs to hunt.