37 – Sorcerer’s Sword (2)

As I approach the front of Filin’s blacksmith shop, a woman appears out of nowhere and pushes through the door first.

“… .”

I followed her into the forge.

What greeted me was not the smell of coal and molten iron, but the musty smell of old wood.

It was called a blacksmith’s shop, but the inside didn’t look like a blacksmith’s at all. It just looks like an ordinary store.

On the walls on both sides of this place, fancy-looking swords were luxuriously displayed like jewelry stores.

Where did the owner go? The counter was empty.

The woman went to the counter first and rang the bell.

I was watching it from a corner in the back.

Ding-ding, the bell rang, and with a rustling sound from the warehouse, a gray-haired old man with glasses and half-naked hair came to the counter.

“Umm, are you looking for something?”

said the woman.

“I came because Master said there was a sword he left behind.”

Then, he handed over a coin with a unique pattern on it.

The old man took out a notebook and spread it on the counter.

“Let’s see, what’s your name?”

“Shion, Shion Izarel.”

The old man who heard the name said without checking the note and covered it.

“Ah, you are the child who said you came across the continent with a letter of recommendation. I well remembered your master’s request.”

Then I went into the warehouse.

The story of a letter of recommendation opened my ears.

During the moment of silence, the woman glances back for a moment.

For a moment, her eyes pass me.

Her hair was arranged in a straight line as if measured with a ruler, her complexion was pale, and her eyes were raised like a cat’s, giving her a rather cold impression.

I don’t know why, but it seems to care about me.

It’s like he doesn’t want me to listen to the conversation he’s having with the old man.

I pretended to be looking at the swords on display and smoked a moderate amount of silence.

The old man took the sword and carefully placed it on the counter.

“Here, I kept my first fifteen years. This is finally meeting my master and seeing the light.”

The one the old man brought had a unique bluish-colored blade unlike ordinary swords.

She picked up the sword, tilted it from side to side, inspected it, then immediately put it in the scabbard and wore it around her waist.

In addition to the sword he originally wore, he had two swords hanging from his waist.

It seems that handling multiple swords is not that uncommon.

“… thank you. I will come back soon.”

“Heh heh, let’s go in.”

There seems to be a story behind it, but contrary to my expectations, she reacted bluntly and then turned around and walked towards the door.

And the old man looks at me.

Is it my turn already?

I approached the counter, raised my hand, and looked back for a moment.

I was thinking of bringing it up when the woman has completely gone and there is no one left. We had to act cautiously while wearing a mask where possible.

The moment she pushed the door, the old man said softly that he had seen Silverine’s ring on my finger.

“Hmm, another letter of recommendation?”

Responding to the word recommendation, she paused for a moment and looked back.

And, my eyes met properly.

“… .”

I don’t know what she was thinking. He just watched me for a while.

Soon, the woman named Shion pushed the door open and stormed out.

“Kuhm.”

I faced the old man again with a clear cough.

“Who sent you?”

“Professor Silverin.”

The old man raises his glasses and looks at me carefully.

“Silverine? That the woman took a disciple? No, more than that, why did the wizard’s apprentice come here?”

“I don’t know how to use magic.”

He looked me up and down a couple of times with a suspicious look on his face, then pondered for a while.

“Hmm, it can’t be that her eyes are wrong.”

he continued.

“Are you looking for a sword?”

“you’re right.”

He raised the folding door on the counter and gestured.

“Come in.”

“… ?”

The old man led me into the storage room and downstairs.

In the basement, there was a long hallway barely wide enough for a couple of people to pass through. And on both sides of the corridor there were uniquely shaped swords on display.

The old man left me in front of the stairs and was rummaging through the swords alone.

“Where are you from?”

“This is Wiesel.”

“How many swords did you catch?”

I said it honestly and without hesitation.

“Not even three months.”

He never complained about my career or made a fuss about it.

“I really don’t know what she’s thinking. I want to see your skills later.”

“Not too long ago, the knights from Wiesel stopped by here. He said he was preparing for the entrance exam. Are they guys you know?”

“Maybe they are people I know.”

“Then tell the big guy to throw away that terrible sword, please.”

“… .”

“He asked for an appraisal to know how great his sword was. God, I’ve never seen such an idiot sword in my life!”

If it’s big, it’s likely the guy I know, and I don’t know what they’re doing, but I had no intention of meeting them until the entrance exam.

“… .”

“If you want to have a sword like that… .”

I just cut it out.

“I just want something that is sturdy and can be used for a long time.”

In response, the old man laughed a few times and said.

“Huh heh, ah, yes, if that’s the case, you’ve come to the right place.”

The old man opened the dressing table and rummaged through it a few times before coming up to me and handing me a sword.

“Listen.”

It was a unique sword with a translucent blade like glass.

When I gripped the handle of the sword, the sword body suddenly cracked with a cracking sound.

what is this. did i do nothing?

“This, all of a sudden… .”

“Tsk, give it back. That’s not going to work.”

He put it back in place as if nothing had happened. Then I opened the decoration table again and muttered a few times to myself. Soon after, he raised another sword and handed it to me.

“How about this?”

I swung around for a while. It’s the size of a one-handed sword, but it was heavy enough to wield with two hands.

“It is a bit heavy.”

“Hmm, not even that.”

The swords handed over are all unusual. I don’t know why, but it didn’t seem like it was an ordinary black line.

The old man started rummaging through the swords again.

It may take longer than you think.

As I was standing still, something out of place in the basement caught my attention.

A small seedling is placed in a corner where there is no sunlight.

It is very heterogeneous that there are only swords everywhere, but there are saplings on one side.

While he was looking at the swords for a while, I tapped the branch of the sapling.

No matter what they ate and grew up in a place where photosynthesis was not possible, the stems and leaves were full of life.

While they were playing with their hands, the old man approached again.

Immediately, you feel a cold sensation on your fingers.

A leaf is clinging to my index finger.

When he saw me, he dropped the sword he had brought beside him and said,

“Oh, it happened.”

“… ?”

“Hold on for a little while.”

you hold on?

With this one word left, the old man hurriedly went upstairs.

What’s going on?

The branch of the seedling moved by itself, and another leaf clung to the back of my hand.

“… !”

When you pull your arm, the tree is dragged into the barrel. I tried to pry off the leaves with my fingernails, as if glued them together, but it was useless.

Moreover, it was so tough that it could not be compared to ordinary wood.

The stems and branches cling to my arms as if they were determined.

When I try to push the pot with my foot, the seedling comes out with all the roots.

I don’t stop here, but start winding my body all the way to the roots.

I can’t tell if this is a plant or an octopus tentacle.

“What is this!”

An old man came down the stairs wearing thick gloves with a magic circle on them. When he grabbed the branch and pulled it, the seedling started to fall off.

It’s a living plant. I couldn’t imagine. Why is this weird thing here?

The old man put the plant in a pot, covered it roughly with soil, and pushed it into a corner.

“Didn’t you say that you can’t do magic at all?”

“Yes. I can’t.”

He stood still and looked at me as if he didn’t understand.

“No, and are you okay?”

The old man’s expression looks a little serious.

“Yes? It doesn’t matter.”

Is there any poison?

He taps my shoulder and thigh to check my body condition.

“Heh heh, it’s such a strange thing to be fine even after gaining magic like that.”

“You say your magic power is faster?”

“That plant likes humans overflowing with mana. He said he didn’t know anything about magic, so I just left it, but he seems to be hiding that he’s at the level of a wizard when it comes to magic.”

“What kind of identity is that… .”

“It is also called ‘Sapling of Ishildrien’. I don’t know the details either. because i just got it It is a sword that is difficult to use unless you are a wizard because it eats up your magic power.”

“Is that a sword?”

He nodded and grabbed the sapling by the base and lifted it up as if to show it.

The saplings flowed like liquid and gathered together in a straight line, which soon turned into a hard-looking wooden sword.

“If you provide magic power properly, it will become harder than steel.”

“… .”

“The problem is that wizards don’t use swords, and most of the swordsmen’s magical powers are not up to par. It’s a thing that has suffered from a headache because it doesn’t have a proper owner. I got it when it was knee-high, but I couldn’t find the owner until I grew up and pierced my side.”

Suddenly, I feel a sense of triumph. Silverin said that my magic regeneration ability is better than most wizards. If it were me, wouldn’t I be able to properly handle that sword?

“Can I have a listen?”

After thinking about it for a while, he handed it to me.

“Hmm, it looks good for now, so give it a listen. If you feel tired or dizzy, give it back right away.”

“All right.”

“Take it here.”

I got a wooden sword from him.

It’s light, and the sword handle fits comfortably in the hand.

It sucks mana, but there is no message from me.

I lightly stroked the blade with my finger.

“… !”

Blood drips from the tips of your fingers. It was so sharp that it was hard to believe that it was a wooden sword.

It’s also great for hiding in case of emergency. It’s to the point where I feel like this isn’t really for me.

I also like that it sucks mana. This means that you can use it in multiple ways depending on the case.

It seems there is no need to find another sword.

The old man seemed to have the same opinion as me, so he watched the wooden sword and opened his mouth.

“Looks like you’ve met the owner.”

“How much is this?”

At my question, the old man narrowed his forehead for a moment.

***

I came out of Philin’s forge with a flower pot, completely different from the picture I had originally thought.

“I have too much money left.”

Even then, the leather pouch was still full of gold coins.

I never thought I’d just give it away.