Fool and Hermit

"Fool" and "Hermit"

Whoosh!

A silver arc flashed through the dim workshop, its icy sharpness splitting even the air in two.

Riezel drew the dark silver-gray rapier into his hand. Holding the gorgeous weapon, which resembled a work of art, he gave it a light swing and revealed a surprised expression.

"It's so light."

Though it was a sword forged from precious and refined metals, Riezel felt as though he were holding a feather. It had virtually no weight in his hand.

Normally, such a light sword could not possibly have much power. Yet this sword seemed to defy that rule. Its thin blade was incomparably sharp, easily slicing through the air.

"What do you think? Not bad, right?"

Seeing Riezel's surprise, Tsubaki looked rather pleased with herself as well.

"Since you said you wanted it as light as possible, I mixed in Wind Howler fangs and Mithril. Forging it with three rare materials combined isn't something an ordinary high-class smith could manage."

If one merely wanted to forge an armament with the Indestructible Attribute, Adamantite alone would have been sufficient as the primary material.

As the hardest metal, Adamantite itself was used to forge armaments with the Indestructible Attribute. It was the most important material for such weapons.

Forging with only one primary material was undoubtedly much less difficult.

But for Riezel's sake, Tsubaki had added two more precious materials.

"Wind Howler fangs can reduce a weapon's weight without affecting its sharpness or durability."

"Mithril, meanwhile, is meant to improve the sword's magic conductivity. Finn told me you excel at wind-element enhancement magic and can apply magic to your weapons, so I used Mithril."

"That way, this sword has excellent sharpness and durability, outstanding magic conductivity, and an exceptionally light weight. Most importantly, none of that affects its chance of developing the Indestructible Attribute."

The more Tsubaki spoke, the more excited and proud she became. In the end, she burst out laughing.

"I haven't slept for days because of this sword. I put all my effort into it for once. Out of every armament I've ever forged, this one definitely ranks among the top three. You could even call it my proudest masterpiece."

The quality of the proudest work of Orario's strongest smith was self-evident.

After examining it for a while, even Finn spoke with a solemn expression.

"The quality of this sword should already surpass Ais's Despair Sword."

That was exactly the case.

Although Ais's Despair Sword was a First-Class Armament, its focus on durability and the Indestructible Attribute meant that its performance and power were slightly inferior to other First-Class Armaments.

Riezel's sword was different.

It likewise emphasized durability and the Indestructible Attribute, but as one of the finest First-Class Armaments, even if its performance and power did not reach the absolute pinnacle, it still ranked among the best of its class.

On top of that, its extremely low weight allowed Light Armor to be pushed to its limits, while its excellent magic conductivity made enhancement magic smoother and more powerful. Such a top-tier armament had already surpassed Ais's Despair Sword in every respect.

No wonder that even Tsubaki, Orario's strongest smith, had needed seven sleepless days to forge it.

No wonder Tsubaki had said it ranked among the top three of her works and could even be called her proudest masterpiece.

Without question, this was the sword best suited for Riezel.

Tsubaki had fulfilled her promise and forged Riezel the finest sword possible.

"Oh, right. This one's for you too."

Remembering something, Tsubaki ran into the forge and brought out another weapon.

It was a shortsword.

"As you requested, I forged this as your secondary weapon. Of course, this one doesn't have nearly as many tricks to it. Adamantite is its only primary material, making it a pure Indestructible Attribute weapon. It's a Second Class Special Armament, though its power is a little lower than other Second-Class Armaments. Think of it as an inferior version of the Sword Princess's Despair Sword."

Tsubaki was much more casual about this weapon. She tossed it directly to Riezel, who caught it in his hand.

Riezel weighed it slightly and discovered that this shortsword was actually somewhat heavier than his primary weapon.

As for its appearance, it was nowhere near as ornate as the main weapon he had received. It was bright silver all over and looked simple, but as a secondary weapon, it was already quite good.

"All right, I've completed the order on schedule." Tsubaki looked at Riezel. "You can name them."

Riezel froze slightly at that.

"Isn't one of them your proudest work?" Finn asked curiously. "You're not naming it yourself?"

"Forget it." Tsubaki shook her head. "This is a weapon forged entirely for your Monster Rookie. Other than him, there probably isn't anyone else in all of Orario better suited to wield it, or capable of bringing its power to its full potential."

Perhaps Ais, who also possessed Wind Spirit Sprint, would have suited this sword as well. But Ais did not have the Development Ability Light Armor, so using such a light sword had little meaning for her.

Therefore, only Riezel could bring out this sword's true power and true performance.

"This makes me feel like the sword was only born through my hands, then passed through my hands into yours." Tsubaki scratched her head and spread her hands helplessly as she spoke to Riezel. "In that case, I think you should name it yourself."

Since Tsubaki had said so, Riezel naturally had no reason to refuse.

But—

"A name?"

Riezel fell into thought.

All sorts of ideas flashed through his mind before finally settling on his most representative skill—Fool's Obsession.

In that case—

"Let's call it Fool."

Riezel made his decision.

If his persistence and his wish were truly nothing more than a fool's obsession, then let this fool stubbornly walk all the way to the end.

"Fool's Sword?" Tsubaki murmured thoughtfully, then nodded. "What about the secondary weapon?"

Riezel did not think for long before deciding.

"Let's call it Hermit."

One Fool's Sword.

One Hermit's Sword.

Riezel's primary and secondary weapons had finally been settled.

"Thank you, Tsubaki."

Only after everything was done did Finn step forward.

"Not at all. I had a great time forging them too." Tsubaki grinned. "Getting to forge weapons for a rookie who broke the Sword Princess's record and whom even the gods call a monster benefits me as well."

Once an adventurer became famous, the weapons they carried generally became famous along with them.

Therefore, smiths were highly inclined to forge weapons for adventurers with potential and strength. If those adventurers made a name for themselves, then the smith who forged their weapons would also receive attention.

It was the primary means of attracting customers and the best way for a smith to become famous.

Under such circumstances, Tsubaki naturally had no objection to forging weapons for Riezel. If anything, she had been more than eager to do so.

After all, he looked every bit like a future hero destined to soar to greatness and become known across the world.

As long as Riezel made a name for himself, or even went down in history, Tsubaki could ride his success.

"If your Monster Rookie becomes a hero recorded in history countless years from now, his sword will be displayed in a museum too. By then, this smith will truly go down in history."

Tsubaki threw an arm around Riezel's neck, patted his back, and spoke with a hearty laugh.

"Don't disappoint me."

Hearing Tsubaki's laughter, Riezel smiled as well.

"I'll do my best."

Riezel put away the two weapons, one long and one short.

The matter of his weapons had finally been resolved with Tsubaki.

With two special weapons bearing the Indestructible Attribute, Riezel no longer needed to worry about his weapons being damaged in battle.

Finn also confirmed the matter of the custom spare weapons with Tsubaki. After agreeing to collect them tomorrow, he and Riezel set off for home.

It was worth mentioning that, according to the bill Tsubaki had given him, Riezel learned the price of his primary and secondary weapons: a total of 180 million Valis.

Yes, 180 million.

Riezel remained silent for a long, long time before finally thanking Finn on the way home.

180 million Valis was indeed not a price he could afford right now.

Without the Familia advancing the money, Riezel could at most have planned to obtain a weapon at the level of the Hermit's Sword as a secondary weapon.

As for the Fool's Sword, Riezel's current means made it impossible for him to acquire it.

He owed them far too much.

Finn merely smiled, wholly unconcerned.

"I'm glad it can help you." Finn looked directly at Riezel. "Saying this may put pressure on you, but we truly have great expectations for you. We hope you can lead the Loki Familia to an even higher level and reach a realm that even we have failed to enter."

Finn smiled faintly.

"You just focus on charging forward."

"We'll take care of everything else for you."

"Don't disappoint us, all right?"

Riezel etched every word into his heart.

Then, Riezel nodded heavily. No further words were needed.

In the blink of an eye, several more days passed.

On this day, Twilight Manor was exceptionally quiet.

Every member seemed to be silently gathering strength and preparing for something. Fully armed, they assembled at the entrance to the Familia headquarters.

Riezel had likewise risen early to prepare.

He wore no armor, only a combat outfit that allowed easy movement. He draped a dustproof cloak over himself, took his two weapons, and left his room.

Before leaving, Riezel made a trip to Loki's God's Chamber.

When he came out, he held an additional sheet of parchment in his hand.

Riezel Brihaut

Lv.4

Strength: I0 → A847

Endurance: I0 → A825

Dexterity: I0 → S969

Agility: I0 → S971

Magic: I0 → S933

Light Armor: H

Swordsman: H

Mage: I

Looking at the contents of the parchment, Riezel suddenly smiled.

Then, Riezel crushed the parchment bearing his newly updated Ability Value and headed toward the Great Gate.

Please support the new book! Recommendations and favorites are appreciated! (^▽^)