As Ricket, Elektra, and the new little girl they'd met, Annie, bounced along together, laughing and playing, they reached the yard in front of the blacksmith Godot's house. Before Ricket could call everyone over for breakfast, he was surprised to see:
Guts had returned first. He was now inside the blacksmith's storeroom, picking through the armor and all kinds of weapons packed tightly together like supplies in a military arsenal, while Godot showed him around.
"Guts?"
"What are you..."
"How strange!"
"Why are there so many weapons and suits of armor here?"
Ricket first asked Guts without thinking. Then he cried out in surprise, looking around at the room in disbelief.
He, Guts, and Casca had been staying here to take refuge and recover for quite some time, but this was the first he'd discovered that Godot had an entire armory hidden away—enough to equip at least a hundred warriors!
"..."
Guts didn't answer. He simply wandered in silence through the room, which was every bit as well-stocked as an ordinary army's weapons depot.
"Of course there are a lot!"
"My old man was a famous blacksmith in the city. He used to make swords and armor for the lord himself!"
"He made bows and arrows, cannons, spurs, and horseshoes, too."
"Actually, he could make anything. He was a genius!"
Elektra, who'd come in with Ricket, proudly puffed out her little chest as she explained.
"??"
"Annie?"
"Are you hungry?"
Elektra had been about to brag some more about her adoptive father's work when she noticed that Annie, who'd come back with them, had gone over to the table in the yard and started rummaging through their breakfast. She didn't seem the least bit shy about it, either.
"Mm-hmm, mm-hmm..."
(~) Munch!
"Don't mind me. I'll just have a little