The New Gate (LN)

As they did not have anything urgent to do, Shin and Karin followed Kankurou to the Toudou house’s dojo .

It was a separate compound, used only by Kankurou, Toshiro, and a few others .

In the same way as the Saegusa house, the dojos were separated between teaching use and personal use .

“Some wish to focus on personal training without being bothered by their surroundings . This dojo is also used sometimes for matches such as this . ”

“… . I suppose they don’t want to be seen . ”

“Well, yes, that would be better . ”

Shin and Toshiro then both wielded wooden swords .

As Kankurou had told Shin on their way to the dojo, Toshiro was close in level to the Hinomoto Brave Ten . The aura Shin felt emanating from Toshiro convinced him that it had to be the truth .

While they were talking, Shin regarded Toshiro as a guy he couldn’t help but like, but now the man before him was nothing but a proud swordsman .

“Here I come . ”

With this short declaration, Toshiro stepped forward . Without any pre-emptive movements, he closed in on Shin as if sliding on the ground .

Toshiro’s sword arm might have seemed to be moving leisurely, but an instant later it was already penetrating Shin’s space .

“Shah!!”

Shin swung his sword in response to Toshiro’s strike . The clash of the two wooden swords produced a dull sound that echoed through the dojo .

“Hmm…”

Looking at the two fighters, Kankurou was deep in thought, his chin resting on his hand . He felt that Shin’s movements had become much sharper compared to when they fought a few days before .

(… . he’s already changed so much?)

Even more so than Kankurou, Shin was surprised at his own movements .

Karin’s teachings resulted in Shin eliminating unnecessary motions from his movements .

They didn’t do any training for actual fighting, she had just observed him swinging his sword and re-enacting skills with his body movements .

“I see you have grown damn well already . ”

“I’m surprised myself . ”

Shin was so surprised by the results that he answered exactly what he was thinking .

Toshiro’s first strike was meant to be a test; the second and third strike that followed were much heavier and faster .

They might have been inferior to Kankurou’s, but most Chosen Ones would have had trouble parrying them .

Shin, however, deflected them all with ease .

It was also thanks to the speed boost granted by his high stats, but more than anything, his body felt really light .

He had not changed the 【Limit】 on his status, but he felt the distance linking each one of his strikes had shrunk . The speed of his swings had increased . Each strike’s weight had changed too .

“To think that it can all change this much . ”

He might have felt the change more clearly thanks to his high stats .

Even so, the clear results showed that, he had to admit, his former movements were riddled with unnecessary motions .

The sound of the impact between the two men’s wooden swords grew progressively louder, the pause between clashes shorter .

(Slash downwards from the right, then slash up right away from the left…no, stop halfway and thrust forward!)

Shin dodged, parried, blocked the wooden blade attacking him .

The two blades clashed again, this time locked, grinding against each other .

“Fuuh!!”

Toshiro tried to push forward by pressing his weight into the sword, but, after a brief moment, suddenly retreated .

His rapid movements gave the illusion that the floor under Toshiro had slipped away . The distance he had retreated was the exact distance needed for the tip of his sword to reach Shin .

The blade formed an arc in mid-air and swung down, aimed towards Shin’s left side .

“Not so fast!”

Shin didn’t dodge or parry, but stepped in closer to Toshiro before his blow could land . He charged forward, with the intent of shoving Toshiro away .

“Guh!!”

Toshiro probably judged he couldn’t make it in time; he pulled back his sword at the same time as Shin’s tackle .

Shin accelerated his charge against the swing while Toshiro was retreating . Naturally, the former won .

Toshiro avoided the fate of losing balance and falling down, but because of that he couldn’t defend himself against Shin’s following attack .

Toshiro tried to twist his body to avoid Shin’s wooden sword aimed at his neck .

Shin, ready to intercept such struggle, brought down his sword on Toshiro’s neck, then stopped just as the blade touched it .

“… . what?”

Toshiro regained his balance and questioned Shin .

Shin answered while looking not at Toshiro, but the dojo entrance .

“Someone is coming . Two people . ”

“Hm, looks like it . ”

Kankurou had also perceived it, and nodded at Shin’s words . Karin too felt the new presence, and turned to look in the same direction as Shin .

After a little while, two men appeared at the dojo’s entrance .

“Did we interrupt something?”

“Brother! Why are you here!”

Toshiro yelled to one of the two men, who looked apologetic .

According to 【Analyze】, his name was Yaejima Shiden, a young man in his late twenties .

He had black hair mixed with white, red eyes, and was around the same height as Shin, about 180 cemels . In contrast to his soft speech and gentle expressions, both his arms and legs were very thick; to Shin they looked like bundles of steel .

His job was samurai and his level, quite high, was 238 .

“I thought that you would be here Toshiro . I have sir Tadahisa’s permission to move within the castle compound . Lord Kankurou, I am glad to see you too . Lady Karin, I see you have returned from the search for Lady Haruna’s medicine . ”

“I am glad to see you in good health, sir Shiden . ”

“It has been a long time . ”

Kankurou and Karin each answered the man’s greetings . Obviously enough, the three all knew each other .

“Sir Kanezuka, I trust you are well too . ”

“Hmm . ”

After greeting Shiden, Kankurou spoke to Kanezuka Araki .

He was a man between his late thirties or early forties . He seemed to be of rather short stature, maybe because he was standing next to Shiden .

His job was blacksmith, as manifested by the very developed muscles on his arms . His level was 166 . His grey hair was cut short, his black eyes fixed on Kankurou’s 『Black Moon』 .

“This man is sir Shin, correct?”

“That’s me, but why do you know my name?”

Shiden looked at Shin and inquired about his identity . His expression was very serious as he did so .

“I have been informed that you have assisted in the search for the medicinal herbs to cure lady Haruna’s illness . Oh, I have yet to introduce myself, have I . I am the first-born of the Yaejima house, Yaejima Shiden . ”

“Er, as you already know, my name is Shin . ”

He was apparently aware of Shin’s status as guest, and had been informed about what Shin looked like .

“What brings you here today then? As sir Shiden came in person, I can imagine what the matter might be though . ”

“I think many are aware of the whispers that there are suspicious movements in the west . I would like to say that they are all groundless rumors…but I received a report that the Ichinose house, one of our vassals, is making suspicious moves . I came to inform sir Tadahisa that our Yaejima house, along with 3 other houses, are investigating this matter at the moment . ”

After Shiden finished talking, Toshiro interjected .

“The Ichinose house!?”

“Yes, that house always sought to unify Hinomoto . But would they move only by themselves, I wonder?”

Kankurou, after pondering for a moment, voiced his doubts .

“Our investigation being still underway, I cannot say anything yet . However—”

“Ehm, excuse me!”

Shiden and Kankurou were continuing to discuss the matter, ignoring the surprised Toshiro, when Shin interrupted them .

“Is anything wrong?”

“Sirs, please, you know you can’t talk of such delicate matters with an outsider like me around!”

Kankurou looked at Shin as if he had a question mark over his head, without the slightest concern on his expression .

“I have heard from sir Tadahisa and lady Haruna that you are a man worthy of trust, sir Shin . You have no intention of talking about this to anyone, correct?”

“That’s true, but…”

Shin regarded this excessive trust with suspicion .

“Sir Kankurou says that you are someone that can be trusted . I have no reasons to doubt you . Moreover, sir Shin is someone even sir Kankurou said he cannot win against…I would never want such a person to think of us as enemies . I know sir Kankurou’s strength very well after all . ”

Both the eastern and western families trusted Kankurou’s word apparently . The reason for this trust came from Shiden’s own experience . No one would want to turn a powerful warrior into an enemy for no reason after all .

“I see that you have crossed swords with Toshiro too . How did my brother fare?”

“He was quite strong, I think . I wonder if it is wise to trust so easily though . ”

“I have heard the sound of your swords clashing . Your sword swings straight and true . Sir Kankurou’s words and the sound of those sword clashes, as a samurai myself I cannot mistrust you . ”

“…………”

Shin was somewhat at a loss for words .

He had heard that masters could communicate without words, through their fists or their blades .

During his battle against Girard, Shin had understood his feelings . But that time, his mental state was in a kind of extreme condition, and he managed to do it because he knew his opponent very well .

To understand someone he never met before only through the sound of sword clashes was something utterly impossible for Shin .

“You are trusted, isn’t that enough?”

“Well, it is better than to be suspected . ”

Araki spoke to the speechless Shin . His expression told him to “stop sweating the small stuff . ”

“By the way, I haven’t introduced myself yet, right . I’m Kanezuka Araki, a blacksmith . Today I came here to admire sir Kankurou’s 『Black Moon』 . ”

“Yes, here you are . ”

Kankurou nodded, took 『Black Moon』 from his waist and handed it to Araki .

Araki sat down on a corner of the dojo and, using a cloth to be sure not to touch it directly, stared intently at 『Black Moon』’s blade .

The user limitation had been removed apparently .

“What is he doing?”

“I am collaborating with sir Kanezuka in order for him to forge a divine blade like 『Black Moon』 . I suppose you have heard that I am looking for someone to inherit 『Black Moon』, yes?”

“Only in passing . I know that lady Karin, my host, is a candidate too . ”

“At present, 『Black Moon』 is the only katana bearing the “divine blade” moniker . I do not know who will inherit it, but there have been squabbles about it…if it will be kept by the eastern or western forces . Of course, it will be the side the inheritor belongs to, but many worry that it could tilt the balance between the two forces . ”

It might be just one blade, but it was not to be underestimated .

The stat bonuses given from the katana to the owner were high, but the long-range attacks it could unleash, paired with high stats, could easily surpass average skills in power .

“Thus I thought that having another divine blade could be a solution, but apparently even for sir Kanezuka, Hinomoto’s finest blacksmith, forging an Ancient-grade katana is no easy feat . ”

He observed 『Black Moon』 to find hints, researched documents and oral traditions and continued to forge, through a process of trial and error .

“Do you know what the materials are? It’s quite difficult to obtain them . ”

“We have some of the materials left by lord Jinkurou . We don’t know, however, how more than half of them should be used . I am a complete novice in the blacksmith profession after all . ”

Shin whispered to Kankurou, who he thought would be knowledgeable in the art of forging . Shin thought that it would have been a very difficult, if not impossible, feat; as expected, success seemed very far .

“Personally, I hoped we could receive some words of advice…”

Kankurou, who knew of Shin’s real identity, hoped that Shin, a blacksmith himself, could offer some advice .

Looking at Araki’s bloodshot eyes, Shin had already understood that he was close to a dead-end .

“If I just said something out of the blue, would he believe me? He looks like a hardcore artisan type, I doubt he’d pay any mind to a youngster like me . ”

“Those of relatively high social status already know that you are a Returned Ancestor, what the Adventurers’ Guild calls Chosen Ones . Because of this, I think he will listen to you, at least a little . Even the tiniest hint would suffice . ”

Kankurou wasn’t ordering Shin to show all his skills and knowledge as a blacksmith .

It would be far too easy if it was possible to forge an Ancient-grade weapon only after hearing some advice .

Looking at Araki, desperately trying to draw the tiniest bit of information from 『Black Moon』, Shin felt solidarity as a blacksmith . Thus he decided to give him some help .

“I might be able to say something if I saw him forging . Blacksmithing techniques vary greatly from school to school, and the methods I know are influenced by one’s ability . I would at least be able to understand if there are techniques that could be used in this case . ”

“Let us do just that then . ”

Kankurou went closer to Araki and explained the situation . Araki looked at Shin first with surprise, then with a glare so sharp Shin felt like he could be sniped down any moment . After staring at Shin for several moments, Araki gave a small nod .

“… . . you’re knowledgeable about blacksmithing?”

Toshiro, who had been excluded by the recent developments, asked Shin .

“I don’t think I can do anything special, but I might be of some help . ”

Shin’s techniques were instinctive, born from his experience during the game era . It was difficult for him to explain crafting processes with words, so he decided to think after looking at Araki’s forging first .

Shin was capable of forging strong weapons not only because of his technique, but also because of his magic powers, so he wasn’t absolutely sure he could be of help .

“Our match ends here then . ”

“Is that alright with you?”

“I couldn’t care less about what that man said about balance or whatever . But sir Kanezuka is betting his own life on the order he received . Holding you back here would mean being in his way . Who could do something so uncouth?”

“… . I see . ”

He was more reasonable than expected . Despite his frustration, he managed to keep his feelings under control .

Shin’s opinion of Toshiro changed yet again .

“What will you do now brother?”

“Return to the Yaejima house of course . I have duly delivered father’s message to sir Tadahisa and could also observe your growth . I could say that my objectives are fulfilled . ”

Shiden, saying that his duties were over, went towards the castle town with the Kujou soldiers waiting outside the dojo .

Shin’s group of 5 moved to the smithy .

Kanezuka Araki was the chief blacksmith of the Kanezuka school; they would use his personal facility this time . It was equipped with the highest quality furnace and tools .

They arrived at a smithy equipped with a single furnace . It was not very wide, and apparently had been built with the sole purpose of forging the divine katana .

Araki told his disciples to not get close and beckoned Shin to enter .

The other 3 were told to wait outside . The smithy is a territory with the sole purpose of passing down blacksmithing techniques . When forging weapons, only the blacksmith and those in the same field were allowed inside .

“I will forge trying to create the divine katana . When I finish, tell me what you thought . ”

After saying only that, Araki started swinging his hammer .

Shin was looking at him silently, and realized that Araki used next to no magic power when swinging his hammer .

As he had expected, the magic power contained in the katana came only from the materials and the slight quantity present in the surrounding atmosphere, the moment the hammer hit the materials .

The speed at which the mass of iron changed shape was also much slower than that of Shin . Araki appeared to be using skills, but they weren’t at the level of Shin’s, who could make ingots change their shape at will .

Looking at the way the man crafted, Shin estimated that Araki’s crafting level was around VII . If he could use the same techniques as Shin, he could easily create Mythology-grade weapons .

Shin, however, had heard that Araki’s masterpiece was a Legend-grade weapon . The reason was the way he forged . If one focused only on the ability to strike iron, the stats of the produced weapon can only go so high .

Shin didn’t know if the Legend-grade weapon Araki had forged was Higher or Lower, but to forge that sword without using magic, as Araki did, would have been impossible, at least in the game era .

(Either he’s a genius, or it’s a product of his life-long focus on blacksmithing and techniques…possibly both . )

Some use the expression “to breathe life in one’s work”, but in Araki’s case saying “to pour one’s own lifeblood in one’s work” would have been more accurate .

The energy and aura he infused in every swing of the hammer was so powerful, one would think that he was shaving away his own lifespan to do so . “To work as if possessed,” an expression that fit him perfectly .

After the whole process ended, what remained was only to polish the blade .

He would leave this work to an expert polisher .

After the polishing was completed, a katana with a beautiful blade was born .

Its appearance was average, but its grade was middle Unique . For Shin, to be able to forge such a blade from imperfect materials made him understand how Araki forged a Legend-grade weapon .

“… . I failed . ”

Araki spoke with a sour expression .

He was aiming at forging a blade on par with the Lower Legend-grade katana 『Black Moon』 . Considering this, he had not only failed to reach the peak, but didn’t even come close to the foot of the mountain . Araki’s expression remained sour not only because of the katana’s quality .

“What do you have then?”

“A few things concerned me . I would like to ask you a few questions first, if that’s possible . ”

“As long as you won’t ask me to teach you my secret techniques, say anything you want . ”

“I will, then . First, why don’t you pour magic in the katana?”

“What?”

Araki’s eyes became slits after hearing Shin’s question .

“If a blacksmith pours magic power into the katana, its sturdiness and sharpness increase . As far as I know, there is no other way to forge a katana of Legend grade and above . ”

“Just honing one’s skill of striking metal is not enough, you say?”

“Yes . It is also not enough to simply pour in magic power . It’s difficult to put in words, but one must first pour magic in the hammer, then pour it into the katana as the hammer strikes it . That’s a very general way to explain the process . To be perfectly honest, being able to forge a Legend-grade katana in this situation makes you, sir Kanezuka, truly exceptional . ”

Without a certain level of blacksmithing skills, of course, one could not forge good weapons, no matter how they poured their magic .

But if one considered only the ability in manipulating magic power, Pixies and Elves would have been more apt at blacksmithing .

“… . that is probably a technique that was lost before being handed down . I hear that when Hinomoto was still engulfed in the flames of war, there were many more skilled blacksmiths than today . There were also weapons with much higher quality than the present ones as well . ”

Many techniques had been lost during the war apparently .

Blacksmithing techniques never left their respective schools after all . If a whole school disappeared during the war, their techniques refined through the generations would vanish alongside them .

“I would never have thought to hear about one of the lost secret techniques…I swear on the honor of the Kanezuka that I will speak of this to no one . ”

“Sir, I have no intention of keeping techniques hidden; as long as you do not mention that you heard it from me, that is enough . It’s a technique that existed in the past, so someone, somewhere, could revive it at any time, or rather, it could be still alive somewhere . ”

It would be not be strange if someone like Kankurou, formerly serving a Player, could use it .

Shin also felt that Araki’s seriousness and focus were not inferior to theirs .

“It would be hard for me to explain in detail with words, so I think it will be faster if you just watch me . May I borrow your tools?”

“… . use anything you need . ”

Practice more than theory, watch and learn . Techniques such as those could not be explained fully just through verbal explanations and theory .

That is why Shin decided to show his craft .

He only performed several strikes, using the “Tamahagane” steel he found in the smithy . Before it could be called complete Shin heated it into the furnace, hammered it and gradually formed the katana’s shape .

He was infusing his magic power in the hammer, so after every strike sparks of different colors burst from the Tamahagane .

“…… . ”

Araki stared at Shin’s movements, not missing the slightest motion . The aura he emitted was as if he was swinging the hammer together with Shin .

“… . I’ve finished . Now it only needs to be polished . ”

The blade had been completed, at unnatural speed . Shin could have completed it to the point that it didn’t need polishing, but that would go beyond simply being a capable blacksmith, so he didn’t go that far .

Through the work of the same polisher who had handled the katana that Araki forged before, Shin’s katana gained its shine . It was a middle Unique-grade, the same as the katana that Araki had just forged .

“You forged this on purpose…?”

“No, that’s just a coincidence . But it’s better for us . I would like you to see what’s different between them, but would it be alright if the katana you forged before became unusable?”

“… . that is fine . Let me see just how worthy it is . ”

Shin took his newly forged katana and held it still, with the blade pointing upwards .

He told Araki to stand back, then swung the katana that Araki had forged onto the blade he had made .

“!?!”

Araki looked wide-eyed at the result .

The katana Araki had forged, which Shin held firmly in hand, had been cut off in the middle . The katana Shin was holding still, on the other hand, did not have the slightest cut .

“To be of the same grade, and yet be so different…”

“Sir Kanezuka, you arrived to this level without using magic . I am sure you can forge much superior katanas . The weapons called “Magic Swords” are called such because magic envelops their blades . ”

After saying so, Shin handed the blade he had held still to Araki . As Shin had said, its blade was covered in faint magic power .

According to the game rules, Unique-grade weapons could not really be called “Magic Sword” or “Magic Katana” . It was probably because Shin had forged it, that the katana now in Araki’s hands had specs worthy of the “Magic” moniker .

“A true Magic Katana, huh…it is true that both the katana I forged once and 『Black Moon』 have magic power shrouding their blades . I felt something different than just a Magic Katana from 『Black Moon』 though . ”

“I think that the materials might be the reason . I used Tamahagane as the material this time, so only the katana’s specs as a weapon increased . But I have heard that different materials can add all sorts of effects . I don’t know what that means in detail though . ”

“That’s more than enough . Young man…no, sir Shin, I owe you very much . If you need my help in anything, just say the word . ”

“First of all, as I said before, I would like you to keep the source of all this information a secret . Other than that, there is nothing I need at the moment . ”

He had been seen by several Kanezuka disciples, so he knew of the possibility that they would guess that the information came from him .

He didn’t think that Araki would blabber about Shin being the source, but he wanted to be sure .

“You may pass this technique to anyone you deem worthy, sir Kanezuka . It is not something I obtained on my own after all . ”

“Is that really alright?”

“Even if I hid it, someone might be spying, and it was a technique commonly used in the past after all . I just hope that the katana built this way will be used to protect others . ”

Katanas were nothing more than tools . Depending on the user, they could become blades of protection or of slaughter .

Shin gave some more pieces of advice to Araki, who said he would forge another blade, then left the Kanezuka residence .

He returned with Karin and Toshiro . Kankurou had been called by Araki and stayed back in the Kanezuka residence .

“… . did you teach him something?”

“I told him about some techniques I know . The divine katana’s creation will progress a bit, I think . ”

Toshiro inquired about what had happened in the Kanezuka residence while they were going back to the Saegusa house .

“Uhm, I have heard that such techniques are kept secret though . ”

“I do not belong to any particular school or tradition, so I do not have any intention of keeping techniques for myself . Though, I would not spread them to just anyone . ”

Karin still flushed slightly when talking to Shin, but he tried to talk with her as normally as he did before .

“I have never seen sir Kanezuka make that expression before though . It must have been quite an impressive technique . ”

“… . is that so? I couldn’t tell, to be honest . I just meant to give him some advice, but then I saw him swing his hammer so intensely…as a blacksmith myself, I couldn’t stop at just a word or two . ”

Shin could have given a plausible explanation, but chose not to .

For someone who had seriously trained in the art of blacksmithing, the techniques that Shin acquired through the game would seem like cheating . That was partly why Shin respected the blacksmith Kanezuka Araki, who had reached that level of skill while being a normal person .

“What are you, anyway?”

“Just an adventurer and a busybody, nothing more . ”

“I, I think he’s a good man…”

“What the…ggh… . ”

Karin’s comment following Shin’s words made Toshiro’s teeth grind . He must have realized that Karin looked quite different from the usual .

“Then, can I ask something too?”

“Hm… . what?”

“Sir Toshiro, you belong to the Yaejima house, correct? I have heard that the Yaejima are a great clan ruling over west Hinomoto . If so, why do you stay alongside Kankurou, a servant of the Kujou house?”

Shin felt this after hearing about the two forces ruling over Hinomoto .

Shin, who had studied Japanese history in school, for a second thought that he might have been a hostage, but Toshiro seemed far too free to be one .

“I am one of sir Kankurou’s disciples . He’s a man who imparts his teachings without care for social status, and lord Tadahisa gave his approval as well . ”

However, if the Yaejima house did something to stir conflict in Hinomoto, Toshiro’s life would be forfeit .

“I believe that neither my father nor my brother would ever do something so foolish . But if it ever happened, I would simply offer my life . ”

Toshiro spoke every word with conviction, without turning away his eyes .

If they were planning something, having him go on a rampage within the Kujou house would be an ingenious plan .

In case of real danger, one might suddenly hold on to dear life .

Shin, however, did not think Toshiro capable of any such things . That could be said of everyone following Kankurou, too .

In Hinomoto, there was a trust that went beyond reason . That’s what Shin felt looking at Toshiro .

After Shin left, in the smithy where now the furnace did not burn anymore, Araki and Kankurou were talking .

“Did sir Shin say anything helpful for crafting a divine katana?”

“Yes, I can tell you because I feel you know already…but he imparted to me one of the techniques that had been lost in history . ”

Thanks to his experience as a support character, Kankurou knew of such techniques, even without detailed explanations from Araki .

“With this, I will probably get closer to the divine katana, however…”

“Is there any problem?”

Kankurou noticed that Araki’s expression looked even more bitter than usual .

The blacksmith’s reply arrived in a feeble tone .

“The divine katana is not something I can forge . Not only me, but no other blacksmith in Hinomoto could I fear . ”

“And for what reason would that be?”

“Probably…no, definitely, sir Shin knows techniques we do not possess . And not only one or two…sir Shin would surely be able to forge a blade on par with 『Black Moon』 . I heard he’s a samurai, but I know that he is not a man on the side of those who “use” weapons . He’s someone who “makes” them . ”

Araki, thanks to a life spent crafting weapons, understood .

During the game era, in fact, Shin’s nickname was “Dark Blacksmith” . The other Rokuten members also had aliases such as “Red Alchemist”, “White Cook”, and “Golden Merchant” .

They all came from the fact that, like Shin, their true nature was that of “creators” .

“Even among Returned Ancestors, only very special individuals could manage it . He might think he was only forging something simple, but his craft was so refined that I clearly understood how I could never compare with him . ”

“Is that so . In that case, we can not postpone the inheritance ritual any more than this . ”

“Yes . Discounting the miraculous birth of a Returned Ancestor extremely specialized in blacksmithing, I conclude that the divine katana could not be forged even 100 years from now . It would be pointless to delay the inheritance further . ”

Araki gave his conclusion with an expression void of spirit, as if what possessed him had now left him emptied .

Then, without thinking, his hand grabbed his hammer .

“Oh, even if you reached the conclusion, you temper swords again?”

Kankurou spoke to Araki as if to a young warrior focused on his harsh training .

“Because I could catch a glimpse of the peak . Even if I know that I will never be able to reach it, I cannot stop climbing…that’s what a blacksmith is . Haha, to think that I would become a challenger again even at this age…I would have never expected it, that’s for sure . ”

Araki lit the fire in the furnace, with a completely serene expression on his face .

“Well well, looks like I need to thank sir Shin again . ”

After this, the sound of hammered iron echoed from the smithy for a while .