Pushing through the surging crowd, I moved forward, only to find a man lying on the ground, bleeding.
“Clear this.”
“Yes, understood.”
With an expressionless face, Sylvia kicked the dead man a few times with her foot.
The knight beside her quickly wrapped the body and carried it away, moving calmly through the streets.
“What, what are you doing!”
“Murderer! There’s been a murder!”
“Call the guards!”
The citizens were bewildered by the sudden turn of events.
Families out for a stroll hurriedly covered their children’s eyes.
‘…What’s going on?’
Sylvia’s face showed no emotion.
Her expressionless face was starkly different from what I had seen before.
‘It’s a relief that Sylvia isn’t hurt, but leaving it like this feels unsettling.’
Ignoring it feels wrong, but greeting her in this situation seems awkward too.
As I pondered, stroking my chin.
“…Theo?”
‘Oh, no.’
I locked eyes with Sylvia.
“Why are you here?”
“Uh? Well, just sightseeing…”
She spotted me in the crowd and strode over.
People stepped back, recoiling at the sight of her dripping blood.
“Ahem, Sylvia?”
“Yes, Theo.”
“Let’s get out of here first.”
“Whoa-“
Under the barrage of stares, I grabbed her hand and started running.
There was no particular reason.
It just felt ominous to stay there any longer.
“Whew… Sylvia, what was that about? And what’s with the blood?”
“This? It’s nothing. Just had some business to take care of.”
When I pointed at her coat, dripping with blood, Sylvia quickly took it off and smiled brightly.
“Sigh… Alright. Let’s find a place to sit and talk. We’re drawing too much attention, and you should change your clothes too.”
“Okay. Got it.”
Sitting on a nearby bench, I tried to gather my thoughts.
About 20 minutes later, Sylvia returned, looking clean.
“Sylvia.”
“Uh, yes?”
“Tell me. What happened? Why did you kill someone in the middle of the street?”
“Well…”
“I’m not blaming you, I just want to know if there’s anything I can do to help.”
I didn’t think she would kill an innocent person.
From what I’ve seen in the original story and up until now.
Sylvia isn’t the type to cold-bloodedly kill innocent people.
‘Something must have happened.’
There must be a reason for her actions.
If it’s something serious, I should help.
“It’s nothing. Just family business.”
“Family business? You mean the Winstred Dukedom?”
“Yes. So don’t worry about it.”
She brushed it off as internal dukedom affairs, but the situation didn’t look good.
Arcane’s vacation hasn’t even started yet.
Sylvia is still a student.
She shouldn’t have the leisure to be skipping school like this…
“By the way, remember that favor you asked for? Let’s go take care of it.”
“Favor? What are you talking about… Oh, are you talking about the sword?”
“Yes, there’s a skilled blacksmith around here that I mentioned before.”
I had casually mentioned it once.
If I were to get a new sword, I wanted it to be a proper one.
She had agreed and said she’d look into finding a blacksmith for me.
‘With everything that’s been happening, I forgot about it.’
It’s good timing, though.
My current sword is on the verge of breaking, missing teeth and all.
‘I’ve been holed up in the mountains for nearly two months, training, so I haven’t had time to think about my sword.’
There’s no strict deadline to return to Arcane, so staying here a bit longer seems fine.
Both the sword and Sylvia are things I can’t just ignore.
“Alright. So where’s this blacksmith?”
“…Well.”
“What, what is it?”
“I haven’t found them yet…”
Sylvia fidgeted with her fingers and glanced up at me.
“Wait, you just said they were nearby.”
“Yes, they’re nearby. I just haven’t found the exact location.”
“Don’t tell me…”
I thought she’d introduce me to someone through the dukedom’s connections, a blacksmith they usually dealt with.
I wasn’t looking for anything grand.
I just wanted a decent sword at a reasonable price.
“Haha, I asked them to make just one sword, but they keep hiding…”
From her reaction, it seemed the blacksmith she was looking for wasn’t an ordinary one.
“I’ll find them soon. So don’t go anywhere, okay?”
“…I need to get back to Arcane, though.”
“It won’t take long. I promise.”
“Sigh, alright, fine.”
***
The day after encountering Sylvia on the outskirts of the empire.
She headed towards a corner of the city with her knight.
“So, what’s the blacksmith’s name?”
“Hmm, what was it… Hell something.”
“You don’t even know the name?”
“I know what they look like. You’ll know when you see them.”
As a member of the Winstred Dukedom, she must have met many skilled blacksmiths.
The dukedom has been renowned for swordsmanship for generations.
The fact that she’s searching for this one means they must be exceptional.
‘Why would such a skilled blacksmith be hiding in a place like this?’
It was puzzling.
Someone of that caliber should at least have a decent forge, if not live comfortably.
Well, everyone has their reasons, so I decided not to dwell on it.
“Pink hair, yellow eyes. You’ll know them when you see them.”
“Pink hair… That’s definitely unusual-“
Until I heard the description, that is.
‘…No way.’
The person she’s describing is someone I’m familiar with.
Known for their striking appearance but infamous for their rough demeanor and actions.
A person who received comments like “general material.”
From a family that crafted cursed swords, scorned and eventually wiped out.
They rose from the bottom to build a reputation.
But disappeared for some reason.
‘In the original story, they were only mentioned in passing, with the implication that they died.’
Since this is earlier in the timeline, they might still be alive.
Their skill is undeniable.
One of the swords Ian used until the end was their final masterpiece.
‘I don’t know how Sylvia knows about them, but getting a sword made by her would be great.’
But then, something odd occurred to me.
“Sylvia. If you don’t even know the blacksmith’s exact location, how did you make the request?”
“….”
Right. Judging by the situation, it seems Sylvia is tracking the blacksmith down.
Which means she hasn’t met or contacted them yet.
“…Are you just randomly searching for them?”
“Not exactly… I have an offer they can’t refuse.”
Of course.
Sylvia wasn’t bringing me to a confirmed meeting.
“This is insane…”
She’s planning to drag me along and force the blacksmith to make a sword.
“It’s not like I’m forcing them. I have a legitimate reason.”
“Alright… Let’s just go see.”
Pressing her further wouldn’t change anything, so I decided to follow her and meet the blacksmith first.
.
.
.
.
.
“Are you sure this is the place?”
“Yes, that’s what I heard.”
The place we arrived at wasn’t just on the outskirts of the city—it was beyond them.
A crumbling shantytown.
A so-called slum.
“A great blacksmith is hiding here?”
“Yes, they said it’s deep inside that alley.”
This was a lawless area where the city’s outcasts gathered.
Criminals lurked everywhere, and unspeakable things happened.
‘Their eyes are fierce.’
Even if I could handle it.
Sylvia and her knight looked like wealthy people.
Their shiny, high-quality clothes and various accessories made them stand out.
Unsurprisingly, the locals didn’t look too kindly on them.
‘They’d probably try to rob us if they get the chance.’
Normally, people wouldn’t attack those carrying swords.
It’s a sign that they’re armed and capable.
But these people wouldn’t care.
‘They’re starving to death anyway. What’s the difference between dying here or there?’
If someone desperate enough attacks, it’s just bad luck for them.
After all, Sylvia and her knight are among the strong.
“Is it over there?”
Sylvia pointed to a narrow alley at the end of the slum.
Only wide enough for one person to pass through.
Someone larger might struggle to fit.
As we entered the alley, searching for the blacksmith, we went deeper inside.
“…Smell of blood?”
The familiar scent of blood hit my nose.
“My lady! Watch out!”
The situation quickly escalated.