Volume 6 Chapter 17 Whispering Voices
Three days had passed since the encounter with Rouza.
I headed to the familiar weapon shop.
My purpose was to have my equipment checked, and it was common to chat about various things while I was there.
As I talked about the recent events, the old man sighed in amazement while stroking his beard.
"Just when I thought you were caught up in a commotion not long ago, here comes another one. Your life is never short of excitement, huh?"
"Don't talk about it like it's someone else's problem, old man. I'm the one going through all this trouble."
"Hahaha. Even though they say young people should offer to take on others' hardships."
"I wouldn't want to buy this kind of trouble even if it were on sale. I'd rather get rid of it."
I gave a sidelong glance at the old man laughing out loud. In terms of knowing about Gram, we were closer than Kyunei and the others. There was no need for restraint.
"However, this time it's a monk staff with a will..."
After coming back from a relaxing trip, I've been to this place once before and already told him about Reed and her snake belly sword (Slay).
"Surprisingly, it might not be you causing all the trouble, but rather Gram."
Oh, really? I had a feeling it might be like that. Perhaps the source of the commotion is Gram, not me after all.
"Partner, it hurts me to see you looking so happy there."
"You know, no matter how roughly I treat you, you won't get hurt."
I've hit and slashed him at things as hard as iron, but the black spear's tip has never dulled. Even when I asked the old man to maintain it, he said there was nothing to fix. According to him, it feels like relieving tension in the shoulders and waist, very pleasant. The exact location of the tension remains a mystery.
"My heart! My heart is as delicate as glasswork!"
"That's a sturdy glasswork that seems unbreakable even if trampled by an evil dragon."
"Hey! If you say such terrible things, I'll cry myself to sleep next to your pillow every night! Be prepared for sleepless nights, okay, partner!?"
Also, it seems he is holding a grudge against me when I'm hanging out with Kyunei and the others!
"Please stop that. Okay, I went too far. My bad."
Giving in to Gram's half-hearted threat, I raised both hands in surrender.
I'll never say it out loud, but he's already my irreplaceable partner. Despite occasionally joking around, I had no intention of letting go of Gram.
As we argued, the old man spoke with a slightly serious expression.
"Well, you see. After hearing about this 'Slay', I asked my familiar magician to look into it."
"He was your former colleague from the palace, right? I've never met him though."
This old man used to be a personal blacksmith working in the royal castle. Familiars refer to the people who worked together in the castle during that time. The big hatchet I use, made from the horns of an evil dragon, is a collaboration between this old man and them.
"He retired a long time ago and now he's just a leisurely guy."
"Sounds just like an old man."
Even this shop is run half based on this old m,'s hobbies.
"Noisy. Well, even though he's retired, he still has influence among the magicians working in the royal castle. Through those connections, he's looking into past documents."
"Why again... do I need to ask that?"
The old man and I both turned our eyes to the black spear leaning against the wall.
"Huh, me?"
"You keep insisting you don't remember, so this old man went out of his way to investigate his old contacts. Be more aware."
I've been discussing the Snake Belly Sword (Slay) and the Azure Monk Staff (Touga). Whenever I ask about them, Gram always seem to get evasive answers. But it's unlikely that he know absolutely nothing about them.
"Even though I've never seen them directly, from what I've heard, the power harbored by Gram and Slay far surpasses the ordinary. If there are multiple such items in existence, it wouldn't be surprising if some records of them were left behind."
Gram's Balmung.
Slay's Yamata-no-Orochi the Devouring Serpent (Dáinsleif).
Though their forms are completely different, both possess tremendous power. It's highly possible that individuals from the past, not like me or Reed, also manifested these powers. The impact of witnessing them should have been so great that the scenes would be etched into memory. Perhaps someone has written down the sights they saw in a book.
"Aina mentioned that there are old books stored in the royal castle's archives, dating back over a hundred years."
"There are some forbidden books that require permission to access, but I can manage that somehow."
The fact that he can handle things with "somehow" shows that this old man's acquaintance used to be a highly skilled magician in the past. And the old man himself, who knows such a person, is also a highly skilled blacksmith, as I realize once again.
"Oh... sorry to bother you. I'm not speaking with ill intentions, really. But somehow... sorry."
When he acts so respectfully, I can't even tease him.
There have been times when Stigma was engraved or the Great Magic Blade was manifested. The creator of Gram may have designed a mechanism that you can't remember unless there is a clear trigger.
"Sorry, old man. I'm causing you trouble."
"I'm not doing this out of curiosity. If you feel grateful, please continue to favor me in the future."
"I understand. I'll bring some sweets next time."
I stand up and sling the Gram that was leaning against the wall on my back.
"I'll be taking my leave soon."
"What's the rush today?"
"I've been called by Karan after this."
This morning, a staff member from the Mercenary Guild came to the clinic to deliver a message. It was urgent for me to go to Karan's place. While the previous summons was through a letter, this time he sent a person all the way here. It must be something very important.
Originally, I was planning to go to this old man place today, so I stopped by here first.
"I'll leave the equipment to you then."
"I'll make sure everything is in order, so just wait."
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