EP15. Starry Sky Forge (2)
“Yes. He was an adventurer who came to me long ago.”
Contrary to Sean’s expectations, Taeho’s words seemed to be true. Hearing the name Paul, recalling the memories of the past, and spitting out the words.
But the old man’s attitude was sincere, so it was hard to believe it easily. As soon as Sean heard that, he turned his gaze to Levy.
Since she was also tilting her head with a bewildered expression, it seems that Levi has never heard of Paul being an adventurer.
She said that if Levy knew in the first place, of course she wouldn’t have known herself either.
“····My dad used to come here?”
“Yes. Has it been more than twenty years? Even though it’s been a long time, I still remember it.”
Twenty years ago, this was before Levy and Sean were even born. Well, after Levy was born, Paul couldn’t have had time to leave Lake Village and come here.
“So. Uncle Paul came here to pick up his gear? As an adventurer?”
“How many times do you have to ask for it to clear your mind? What do I gain by lying to you about this? Eh.”
Though the way he expresses it is harsh, Taeho’s words were straight forward. Because there is no benefit to him by deceiving them.
Levi was much calmer than before when the topic of Paul came up. Levy, who dropped her gaze for a moment and remained still, immediately raised her head and asked Taeho politely.
“If you don’t mind, can you tell me what happened back then?”
“… At a glance, it seems that he left. Well, it’s a world that’s not strange no matter where you go.”
He said that calmly and then stared at Levy for a while. Her face should have been covered by magic now, but the old man seemed to see through it.
“There are certainly no similarities. Although it’s a bit surprising that such a rambunctious man would come out with a lady like this.”
Taeho stopped eating and knocked on the table, deep in thought. His eyes were already looking at the long past. Soon he slowly opened his mouth and began to speak.
“I’ve seen a lot of them, but few idiots have eyes as intense as his. Even though it feels like you don’t know what kind of accident might happen because your field of vision is narrowed, I quite like the way your eyes stare at only one path.”
The appearance of Paul he explained gave Sean and Levy a very strange feeling. The Paul the two remember had always been kind and caring despite his size.
“However, he seemed impatient. He came all the way up here without a pass and told me everything. ‘Are you a blacksmith who makes the best weapons? Please make me a weapon.'”
“・・・・So you made it?”
At Sean’s question, Taeho snorted.
“Am I crazy? Of course I said turn it off. He said why should I do that to a brute who has not learned manners like you.”
It seems that Taeho had a personality that was not much different from now even 20 years ago.
Levy asked the question, paying full attention to the old man’s story.
“So how did it go?”
“They knelt in front of the forge and waited until the end. I just ignored him, believing he would give up and leave on his own. Then he waited without losing a single posture until he was about to freeze to death.”
“Isn’t it cold outside?”
At Sean’s question, Taeho looked at him with a genuinely pitiful look and then got angry.
“You stupid bastard! You guys have the pass, so you can feel the warmth of the hearth! If it wasn’t for the pass, I’d have kicked them out right away and left them frozen to death!”
Ah, it was only then that Sean realized that the magic tool Elsa mentioned earlier meant the warmth of the furnace.
In other words, it meant that Paul waited until he was about to freeze to death in the cold, out of a certain range from the smithy.
“Is that why you made the weapon?”
“Am I a Hogu? Just make it Instead, I acknowledged his stubbornness and gave him a chance. If you succeed in the test I gave you, I will give you the qualification.”
The story that followed was simple.
“He was successful, and he got his weapon in the end. That’s all. He’s such a madman that he’s just remembered.”
Taihu’s weapon that only legendary heroes receive. That none other than Paul had it.
But neither Sean nor Levy had ever seen Paul with a weapon.
Realizing that she never knew about her parents, Levy couldn’t hide her complex expression.
On the other hand, Sean pondered over Taeho’s words and opened his mouth with a determined face.
“That test. Let me see too.”
Hearing that, Taeho stared at Sean. The old man, who looked up and down the boy’s figure, said in an amused tone.
“You can’t.”
“I can.”
“You mean you know what a test is and you can do it?”
“Then why are you so sure I can’t do it?”
The old man raised his eyebrows at Sean’s attitude of confronting him without losing his momentum.
For a moment, the two’s gazes came and went as fiercely as if they were fighting.
“Okay. I’ll put a condition on it instead.”
“What conditions?”
“If you succeed, I will make equipment for you three. Instead, you should do a few simple favors of mine.”
In other words, regardless of the success of the test, it meant that Taeho’s request would be made for him to make the equipment.
“What if it fails?”
“Paul was qualified to take the test only when he was about to die. Could you?”
“Does that mean you will pay with your life if you fail?”
“The choice is yours.”
Taeho didn’t answer Shawn’s question, but he realized that he was actually saying the affirmative.
It was a very unfair deal.
Levi and Elsa next to him looked at Sean with worried eyes and tried to stop him. However, Sean did not give in and stood face to face without avoiding Taeho’s gaze.
And Sean realized how he had to answer.
“I will.”
“Are you serious?”
“What would you gain by lying about something like this?”
Taeho, who took back what he had said, frowned slightly.
“Okay. Follow me.”
He immediately got up from the table and took his stride. Immediately, Levy got up and ran to Shawn, calling out.
“What are you doing!? You stupid!”
“It’s okay. Because you can be successful.”
“What is success when you don’t even know what a test is…!”
Levy is right. Sean has no idea what the test he accepted is about.
But Shawn was sure. It may sound strange to him to say this, but he was sure he could succeed.
Elsa stared at Shawn for a moment without saying anything, then she asked.
“You must be confident.”
“Yes.”
“Yes. Trust me then.”
She said that, then turned her head to look at her smug Levy.
“Isn’t it already spilled water? Let’s trust Sean.”
“····Of course I believe it. It’s different from that! To risk one’s life without any discussion…”
“Sorry. Trust me though I promised you, I will never die.”
“That is natural!”
Elsa smiled as she watched the two of them look like they were fighting. She then looked at Tae-ho’s spot for a moment before she spoke to Sean.
“Let’s follow along. I won’t scold you for watching from the side.”
The three of them followed Taeho outside the smithy.
The old man’s steps continued to advance without hesitation.
A chilly wind greeted them as they finally escaped the warmth of the hearth.
Because I was in a warm space and my clothes were thin, the cold was transmitted without any blockage.
As soon as Levi used her magic, she got a little warmer, but not as much as when she was within range of the furnace.
“This would be nice.”
The old man’s steps stopped shortly after. There was nothing special about where he stopped.
Only ordinary scenery that can be seen in the mountains was unfolding.
Taeho looked around for a moment, then bent down and picked up something from the ground.
It was a small wooden stick that could be held in one hand.
“Now, take it.”
The old man handed the branch to Shawn. Receiving it, Sean looked around at the branch in his hand.
Then it was simple. Taeho pointed to the thing in front of him.
It was a large rock that was as tall as a sitting person and thick enough that an adult man could not hold it with both arms.
“Bear it.”
The test was not complicated. However, it boasted a level of difficulty so difficult that even anyone who listened to it could question whether it was possible, let alone easy.
“Never come back until you cut it.”
“Yes. All right.”
“You two go back. I believe that he will not cast a spell or not.”
“·······.”
Levy looked back and forth between Sean and Taeho as if he had a lot to say.
Whether it is possible to cut a rock with a tree branch is also a question, but there was a really important question.
It was the terrible weather in Calderon.
At the top, the cold was even more brutal than the one below. It was so cold that even Levi’s magic could not completely block it.
It was impossible to endure this kind of weather naked. I’ll freeze to death in less than half a day.
“At least in winter clothes…”
“I would have told you. You can’t come back until you cut it.”
From noble mtl dot com.
Levy walked up to Shawn and whispered.
“If you think it won’t work, come back right away. Got it?”
“Okay. No need to worry.”
She was so worried about herself, but somehow she felt jealous of Sean, who seemed relaxed.
Elsa, who was watching from her side, also spoke to Sean.
“Is it possible?”
Sean didn’t answer. But Elsa nodded her head and said.
“Okay. Let’s go back.”
“Yes.”
Taiho was already on his way back to the smithy. It was as if he had no interest in the test he had given Sean. Levi asked her as he took turns with Elsa.
“Is it possible? Cutting a rock with a branch…”
“There is no need to worry too much. I saw that he was full of confidence.”
Elsa said, remembering the smile Sean gave her when she asked the question earlier.
Levi also nodded her head in agreement.
“Well, Sean seemed to think it was worth doing more than he thought.”
Levi and Elsa go to the forge.
I waited for Sean to come back after chopping a rock with a branch.
Lol, Tanjiro-kun will guide you! XD