Chapter 66: Baron Romero's Dilemma (3)

A sword made by Roman?

I didn’t believe it.

No, I couldn’t believe it.

“Are you telling me to believe that now, Roman? The person you’re dealing with is the Master Blacksmith of the Dmitri family. I’ve spent my whole life working with iron here, and because of that, I can tell whether someone is a craftsman or not without even needing to verify the facts. Yet you dare to mock me like this. I see now that all the rumors about Roman Dmitri changing were lies.”

His voice was boiling with anger.

There was no need to verify the truth.

In the past.

Roman had visited the forge for his successor training.

Back then, Roman was a mess from hammering to everything else, and his lack of willingness to learn infuriated Hendrick.

After that day, Roman never set foot in the forge again.

Even though there was a separate forge prepared for the Dmitri family in the inner castle, I never thought that Roman Dmitri, who had forgotten his duties as a successor and indulged in pleasure, could have grown into a master craftsman.

The sword in front of him.

It was a fine sword.

I didn’t know how he handled iron, but in terms of mana manipulation, it was the work of a master craftsman far superior to himself.

It couldn’t have been Roman.

The gap from the past made Hendrick’s anger flare up.

However.

“Master Hendrick.”

Roman’s voice was calm.

As if understanding the other’s reaction.

Looking straight into Hendrick’s eyes, he spoke in a steady voice.

“I understand why you react this way, Master. A blacksmith’s skills, like aura, cannot be developed in a day or two. If I had shown you enough effort in the forge, you might have believed me. But what I’m saying is the truth. This sword is named Salamander, after the continent, and it is the only sword I have made in the world.”

“This brat is really...!”

Hendrick’s face turned red with anger.

Just as he was about to slap Roman’s cheek for mocking him, he was startled by the next words.

“I will show you myself. How I make a sword. With the discerning eye of a Master Blacksmith representing the Dmitri family, wouldn’t one action be more convincing than a hundred words?”

“...?!”

A hundred words are not as good as one sight.

At Roman’s words.

Hendrick’s face was filled with confusion.

The location changed.

The forge in the inner castle.

As they moved there, Roman said to Hendrick,

“Every time I have an important battle, I make a sword myself to entrust my life to. A sword that can fully utilize my current physical abilities and matches the form of the aura I manifest. That’s how Salamander was born. I judged that I needed a new sword while preparing for the war with Barco, and I struck the steel countless times facing the furnace’s flames. At that moment, the forge felt like a sanctuary. No one could interfere until my conversation with the steel was over. I believe Master Hendrick understands that feeling.”

“...”

He remained silent.

His face was full of dissatisfaction.

Although he agreed to show him, he didn’t like the attitude that seemed to empathize with a blacksmith’s feelings.

Roman is not a blacksmith.

He never showed any effort, so how could he believe just by seeing the result?

No matter how Hendrick reacted,

Roman didn’t stop talking.

“I have to fulfill my duty to defend the country. Roman Dmitri has been constantly improving, and that’s why I recently started making a sword to replace Salamander. What I want to show Master Hendrick is the process of making that sword. If you still don’t believe it after seeing it, I will humbly accept any punishment from my father.”

Thud.

They arrived at the forge.

Roman prepared for the work.

Actually, there was nothing special to prepare.

Since he lived in the forge every evening, the environment where Roman worked remained as it was.

Swish.

He took off his shirt.

To fully accept the furnace’s flames.

At this incomprehensible action from a craftsman’s perspective, Hendrick’s expression momentarily distorted.

‘Not even knowing the basics as a blacksmith.’

If it were up to him,

He would have turned around immediately.

There was no need to see more.

A craftsman who didn’t even wear safety equipment was not treating iron with the right attitude.

Then.

The flames rose.

And just once.

The moment Roman struck the steel with his hammer, Hendrick’s expression changed.

Clang!

A crisp sound.

Roman’s muscles swelled.

He started striking the steel in earnest, and from then on, he didn’t care about Hendrick’s gaze at all.

‘The techniques for handling iron in this world and the martial arts world are different. In this world, where mana cannot be perfectly controlled, a lot of investment is made in the sword’s own abilities, while in the martial arts world, the priority is to make the flow of qi as smooth as possible. A sword that maximizes the efficiency of qi. That’s what was called a fine sword in the martial arts world, and I made many swords that suited me while living a life of struggle.’

What Hendrick admired.

The high mana response was a technique from the martial arts world.

And.

Bai Zhongxue was called a master craftsman in the martial arts world.

Bai Zhongxue’s swords were treasures of the martial arts world, and such skills created the sword ‘Salamander’ in the new world.

Clang!

Clang!

He struck the steel.

The flames rose, and his skin turned red.

Flame Control Technique.

He fully accepted the hot flames.

Making a sword was part of training, and he harmonized with the sword to fully accept his current self.

In the future.

As he told Hendrick, he had to leave for the battlefield.

Time was short.

He didn’t know what would happen on the battlefield, but one thing Roman was sure of from his life so far was:

‘I will rule and live there too.’

At least three months.

Roman planned to put effort into making a new sword.

And when the sword was completed, he would leave for the battlefield representing the Dmitri family.

He was deeply engrossed in his work.

Forgetting all distractions, he focused solely on the sword.

A state of no-self.

Roman was completely absorbed in the sword.

Was this the feeling of being breathless?

Looking at Roman.

Hendrick was lost in thought.

Clang!

Clang!

‘...How can this be?’

Master Blacksmith.

He had the discerning eye to recognize a craftsman, as he had told Roman.

Therefore.

Seeing Roman strike the steel without a single flaw, his common sense crumbled.

‘Is this Roman Dmitri?’

He couldn’t believe it even though he saw it.

The Roman Hendrick knew was clearly uninterested in the forge, yet the way he handled the steel and the sound of hammering clearly spoke of a skilled craftsman.

It wasn’t just that.

What completely captivated Hendrick was Roman’s unwavering stance, facing the furnace’s heat head-on.

His skin turned red.

It was clearly too hot to bear, yet Roman didn’t take his eyes off the steel, as if he was in love with it.

And then.

He struck the steel.

Once.

Twice.

Three times, four times.

His muscles bulged as if about to explode.

As if following a beautiful rhythm, the steady speed was like a maestro conducting music.

“What is this...”

He was certain.

Roman was a craftsman.

Although common sense said it was impossible, the scene unfolding before his eyes was undeniable proof of reality.

If this person wasn’t a craftsman, who could be called a craftsman?

At first, he was determined to deny Roman, but now he fully accepted the reality.

‘With this level of skill, there’s no lack in making a fine sword. The attitude towards the steel, the speed of striking, the sound of the hammer and steel colliding. Everything is perfect. And the way he fully accepts the furnace’s heat without any protection, it reminds me of the prime of Baron Romero. In the end, blood runs deep. Not Lordwell Dmitri, but the eldest son Roman Dmitri, who inherited the blacksmith’s blood.’

Swallow.

Thirst arose.

In Roman’s work.

There must be a secret to increasing the mana response.

Hendrick had already become an audience member, putting aside his doubts and enjoying the performance before his eyes.

Time passed.

There was no thought of stopping the work.

No thought of interrupting the work.

Until the sun completely set.

Roman was engrossed in his work, and Hendrick watched silently, as if turned to stone.

They knew.

Already.

The meaning of proof was lost.

Hendrick believed Roman’s words were true just by witnessing the work.

Thud.

The work was finished.

Looking at Roman, drenched in sweat, Hendrick said with a face as if he was a traitor,

“...I’m sorry. You were truly the master of the sword.”

The apology was quick.

Hendrick was a craftsman.

He had great pride, having dedicated his life to the forge, and naturally, he had to be angry at Roman’s words, thinking he was being mocked.

But after confirming the truth, his attitude changed.

If Roman was truly the craftsman who made Salamander, Hendrick had no choice but to love him, regardless of their past.

Roman smiled.

This meeting.

Was to settle past grudges.

To fully settle in as a member of the Dmitri family, he judged that improving his relationship with Hendrick was necessary.

Roman said,

“I will give you Salamander as a gift.”

“...?!”

“As you saw today, I am making a new sword. I also sold your sword without permission in the past, so I don’t know if this will make up for it, but I hope you will accept Salamander as a gift.”

At Roman’s words.

Hendrick’s hands trembled.

In fact.

He had wanted Salamander so much since he first saw it.

It was a new type of sword, and he had a desire to analyze it and make the technique his own.

But to be given the sword.

Hendrick cleared his throat.

Although he couldn’t be completely happy due to the memory of his fiery anger, he didn’t want to refuse.

“...Ahem. T-thank you.”

Hendrick, stuttering.

He didn’t even consider refusing.

Now, he treated Salamander as if it were his own.

Seeing Hendrick reverently holding Salamander, Roman knew he wasn’t a bad person.

Hendrick and Roman.

Their relationship was ruined by Roman.

Although he was the successor of the Dmitri family, he neglected forge work and sold Hendrick Master’s masterpiece, naturally leading to a hostile attitude.

But Hendrick wasn’t a bad person.

As soon as he confirmed that Roman was someone like himself, his fiery temper melted away.

It was the same in his previous life.

People who were so engrossed in a field that they lost their senses.

The way to win them over was simply to respect their domain.

“And you can come and watch my work anytime.”

“...If you say so.”

Hendrick, smiling.

With the promise of seeing Salamander and Roman’s skills, his face was filled with happiness, as if he would fly away.

He was a simple person.

That day.

The bad blood between Hendrick and Roman was put to an end.

And at that moment.

A servant, following Baron Romero’s orders, was searching for Hendrick.