After about an hour, I had to collapse to the ground due to exhaustion. My condition was truly terrible, and I had worked with countless weapons. Most of the weapons in this world were western-style, and there were hardly any weapons that looked like they were from the Far East, such as katanas. I had used various swords, daggers, spears, axes, maces and many different weapons. The only thing I needed to do was try to make instructor Borrow budge from his place. For that, I had been granted permission to use the weapon I wanted.
But failing in this regard was honestly extremely frustrating.
I wanted to see this naively more than I could even describe.
"You're terrible at using the spear. You didn't choose the axe for no reason because it's the perfect weapon to cause maximum damage with your limited strength. Still, you don't have the power to kill your opponent with a single strike. Even if you prefer safe fighting, it's clear you weren't born to use a shield."
He had addressed all my shortcomings during this process. What he expected from me was to fill these gaps and sharpen my strengths even further. I thought, 'I feel like I'm talking to a robot.' and after catching my breath for a moment, I grabbed a plain sword.
"Do Quintah soldiers train like this?!"
I lunged forward as I posed my question, hoping to launch an unexpected attack. Borrow seemed to have anticipated this intent long before, as he blocked my move with his massive sword and didn't budge from his position like a rock.
"I am not an ordinary old soldier. I fought side by side with the king himself."
After my new move was also blocked, I dropped my sword and with all my strength, tried to move the nalia by delivering a shoulder charge. Unfortunately, it felt like I had hit a wall, and I staggered backward, falling to the ground.
"Oh, really? No wonder you're so strong… I bet even the king himself is at least as much of a beast as you."
I only knew Emerra's father by name. His name was Glam Quintah and the thing I had heard most about him was his womanizing. Considering Emerra's existence, we can accept that this is true. The nalia people were the most populous race. Moreover, they were quite quick in romantic matters and valued romance. That's why establishing harems was more characteristic of the Nalia race.
"What a beast! My king is one of the most dangerous beasts you could see. I don't mean that metaphorically. He can genuinely turn into a creature. I haven't seen it myself because no one who has seen him in that form has survived."
It felt as if he were describing a hero. Inside, 'I already had a suspicion that Emerra's half-siblings might die but she wouldn't say anything about her father. Obviously, Glam Quintah must be very powerful. Their continued resistance against the sect members is likely due to the king's presence.' I thought. Borrow's words only strengthened my assumptions.
So, I kept practicing for another half-hour. I might not have been able to move Borrow from his place but I felt that I was developing a new understanding related to power.
I had no choice but to wait in my room until nightfall to give Thornyblade to its owner.
Fortunately, this process went smoothly.
I announced myself by knocking rhythmically on Zui's door. I was frequently looking around. Currently, there was no one in the corridor but I didn't want to be seen by anyone at this hour and attract suspicion.
I heard a click sound from the door – it was locked. Even the Sin of the Flowet was cautious against sect members. So far, my name hadn't been mentioned in Rona's death but I had to remember that unexpected situations could happen anywhere.
The door opened and Zui looked at me with an expressionless face while wearing a light-colored nightgown.
"I wasn't expecting you."
"I've fulfilled your request. Shall we go inside?"
Zui understood what I meant and allowed me to enter her room. After we walked to the center of the room and Zui closed the door, Thornyblade appeared in my hand. I gently held the strangely shaped sword and extended it towards Zui. For the first time, I saw signs of emotion on her face, besides her blue eyes. As she looked at the blackish sword, she seemed to be gazing at a teddy toy and a slight smile appeared on her face.
"I named it Thornyblade. Making this sword took me days. It was forged from a steel-chrome alloy and I used a special plating that gives it its color. Thanks to this plating, the sword is poisonous. Besides that, it is a very sturdy weapon. Lastly, you said that the weapon itself is actually you. That's why, when I made the sword, you will find it easier to cast your magic."
I had explained in detail to this girl, who didn't know much about weapons, what qualities the sword possessed. Moreover, this also satisfied my ego. I was now a real blacksmith. Technically, I was an artist. An artist always wants their works to be praised.
Zui looked at the sword for a few more seconds. Then, I saw the sword suddenly vanish. Thornyblade was now in Zui's inventory.
"Enough. You've even done more than I asked. That day, I made the right decision to follow you."
"Yes... You are definitely right. Though, the fact that you followed me still gives me chills whenever I think about it."
"Did you bring the argent with you? You must have spent your own money on such a weapon."
"Of course I did but I didn't spend much..."
I was about to object to the situation, but I held myself back. It was amazing that he gave me money without me even asking. 'I wonder how much she will give? Hopefully, 10,000 kane. Maybe even 20,000?' I thought to myself. For the money transfer, our argents only needed to touch each other. After this transaction, I checked the money I had earned and...
Account Name: Nell Warden
Amount of Kane: 543,150
I think I just got rich.
The amount, of course, was not even worth a penny for a noble or a ritchi but I still had a significant amount of kane. It was truly amazing but I felt like I was deceiving Zui.
"Um… Isn't this amount a bit much?"
"Would you like to see my account?"
"No, no. Honestly, I don't want to have a heart attack over the zeros I'll see in your account."
What happened afterward was spontaneous. Since there was nothing else to tell, we started talking about how our days had been going.
When there was nothing more to say, I returned to my room and read the note confirming that Thornyblade had reached its owner. Just as I expected. This new ability was more than enough for spy.
Night gave way to day and we entered another new day.