Chapter 51

"Hey, Kyle. Are you there?"

"Hey, what's up, bro?"

"I want you to go to that weirdo's place."

"Huh, weirdo? Who are you talking about?"

"I mean Gran. You know, that crazy guy who makes things while traveling. I want you to go help him with his work."

"No way. Why don't you do it?"

"Listen, Kyle. I'm telling you this for your own good. It's better to learn a trade for your future. If you use that mind-accelerating magic you've been practicing, you'll learn quickly while helping Gran."

"You're just trying to get out of it, aren't you? I'm not falling for it."

"I have things to do."

"Liar. You have nothing to do except make weapons with Gran."

"I'm going to add more charcoal furnaces. They have high value here. With such high-quality charcoal, we can sell it elsewhere too. Anyway, go there. It's an order."

I hadn't slept for days and was reaching my limit.

Unfortunately, I had to leave him, even if it meant sacrificing a family member.

Poor Kyle, but I'll use him as a scapegoat to escape.

With my exhausted mind, I came up with an excuse and sent Kyle to Gran.

Good luck.

Don't die.

***

"Hey, is it done?"

"Yes, thanks to Kyle-sama's hard work, it's finally complete."

"But your brother is lying on the ground, not moving at all..."

"I had Kyle operate the bellows. He worked really hard."

The bellows.

It's a special device, a box-shaped bellows that needs to be operated to send air into the furnace.

He must have been operating it continuously under Gran's instructions while forging.

I feel a bit guilty.

I'll let him rest.

"Alright, let's put that aside. Can I see the weapon?"

"It's one of my best works. I'm confident it's one of the best I've ever made."

After working through the night, Gran and I had become more relaxed with each other.

While talking, Gran handed me the weapon he had made.

It was a sword.

A straight sword, what you might call a Western sword, classified as a longsword.

If I hadn't known it was made from a boar's tusk, I might not have recognized it as such.

The blade was white, with a faint luster that glowed softly.

The surface had a pearl-like sheen.

"It's pretty light."

"Yes, it is. Compared to metal, it might be a bit lighter. However, it's not too light, and it can still cut through opponents."

"Can it harden with magic? If so, it should be a significant threat even if you just swing it around."

"Even without hardening, it should be hard enough. You can channel magic when necessary."

"By the way, there's a smaller sword over there. What's that?"

"This one? This sword is made from the tusk of a young boar."

"A young boar? Didn't you have tusks from adult boars left over? Why did you make this?"

"I really want Ars-sama to have this one."

"Huh? Because I'm young? But it's about the length of a dagger, so it could be useful for self-defense."

"That's enough for now. However, weapons made from the tusks of young magical creatures have growth potential and are special. This one is no exception."

"Growth potential? What do you mean?"

"Hehe, listen and be amazed. This weapon grows by absorbing the user's magic. If it grows to the same size as the larger sword I made, the grown sword will be stronger."

"Wow, such a weapon exists. Magic can do anything, huh?"

"However, it won't grow much just by absorbing one person's magic. It usually grows into a powerful weapon over generations, becoming a family heirloom."

I see.

It becomes a powerful weapon after absorbing the magic of many people over generations.

Maybe nobles have such things.

Since it can harden, it must be incredibly durable.

It's impressive, but it feels a bit underwhelming to me...

"Thank you. Getting a weapon has been my dream. I can't thank you enough."

"The pleasure is mine. As a traveling craftsman, it's rare to have such ample facilities and materials. Meeting Ars-sama was a stroke of luck for me."

"Thanks. If possible, I'd like you to stay and make more things. We still have tusks, so it would be a big help. By the way, does this sword have a name?"

"It's customary to name magic weapons after the maker. I'd like you to call this one the Hard Tusk Sword Gran."

"Hard Tusk Sword Gran. I'll take good care of it."

And so, I obtained my first weapon.

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