An Old Man from the Countryside Becomes a Swords Saint: I Was Just a Rural Sword Teacher, But My Successful Students Won’t Leave Me Alone! - CH 106

“Umm… I think it was this way?” I said to myself.

It was after the usual training was over.

After leaving the Knights’ HQ, I didn’t go straight home but went in a slightly different direction.

I know where I want to go, but I still don’t remember the way. I think it should be around here. With this happening, I should have had Kuruni go out with me again. No, that’d be a nuisance to her.

“Oh, there it is.”

However, it seems that the road I followed wasn’t the wrong one.

A small blacksmith located just outside the Central District. Today’s business is here.

“Excuse me, I’m coming in,” I said as I opened the front door.

“Oh, welco… ooh, is that you, Master?” a gruff voice replied.

Yes, it’s Valder’s shop. It’s a smithy owned by my former disciple who I bought Kuruni’s zweihander from and who made my Xeno Glaive sword.

But as usual, this guy has a terrific body. I wonder if being a blacksmith is a job you can’t do unless you’ve got muscles on your muscles.

“You buying today?” Valder asked.

“No, I just want you to see my sword for a moment,” I said.

“Ooh?” Valder replied, his eyes shining suspiciously.

Yeah, I haven’t done anything wrong, but why should he be making that expression at being shown my sword?

“So what happened to it?” Valder asked.

“Mm… yeah, you see, I think I just slashed a bit too much with it, is all,” I said as I pulled it out of its scabbard and gave it to Valder.

So far as I can tell, there is no noticeable wear on the blade itself. However, that is just an amateur’s point of view. This kind of thing is beyond my specialty. I don’t want to be wielding a sword while worried it’s broken.

“Hmm… well, alright,” Valder said. “I’ll go take a look.”

“Yeah, I leave it to you,” I said.

Valder starts looking at the sword intently, and his work begins.

He examines it, sometimes touches it, then runs a cloth along the edge. I quickly got tired of watching him, so I browsed the weapons on display while feeling a little uneasy.

As usual, they are good swords.

It seems that Valder’s craftsmanship is half-guaranteed by Selena, who was in the highest rank as an adventurer, is so enthusiastically patronizing his business. I’m happy with the sword he forged, too.

So long as I’m in Baltrain, I don’t think I’ll be taken care of by any other blacksmith. This, of course, includes some personal favor, with him being my ex-disciple.

“… Seems like you have done a lot of slashing,” Valder said. “What happened, Master?”

“Uum… you heard there was an incident the other day?” I asked.

“Ah, I’ve heard the rumors,” Valder said. “Oh yeah, you also belong to the Knights, don’t you, Master?”

“Well, for now,” I said.

After that incident, I washed the sword under running water, but it seems that Valder would know if I’d used it to cut down plenty of targets. I don’t know where he looked to have figured that out.

That I visited Valder today was related to that. Because, no matter sharp it was, it still killed a lot of humans.

There may be some level of blade shaving and wear that I don’t see. This is why I visited after classes, to dispel that worry.

“So, how about it?” I asked.

“Hmm……” Valder mumbled.

As he examines the sword, he’s not looking troubled but neither is he happy about it.

“Well, it should be fine if I sharpen it a little,” Valder said. “It’s not worn as much as you think it is, yeah?”

“I see, that’s a relief,” I said.

Yep, this sword is ridiculous, alright. It’s unthinkable for a normal sword to be put through that sort of test and then come out of it only needing a bit of sharpening. If it was just an iron sword, it wouldn’t be strange for it to have been damaged to ruin during the battle. 1

This is probably because the Xeno Glaive materials are working well. What was that other stuff, did he say Elven Steel? It seems that rare metals are also used, so this sword must be highly durable. I’m not too familiar with any of this.

“However, you were amazing after all, eh, Master?” Valder asked as he cleaned off the fine dust and dirt on the sword with an admiring look.

“Yeah? What do you mean?” I asked as he started sharpening it.

“No matter how sturdy this sword is, it isn’t worth anything without great skill,” Valder said. “You have to use it incredibly well to get anything out of it. But, on the other hand, you could say it’s so sturdy that no matter how skilled you are, it isn’t any good, either.” 2

“Hahaha, thank you,” I said.

As a swordsman, it’s not a bad feeling to have my sword arm praised. Even if it’s a favor from my former disciple, I still don’t feel bad about my skills.

But, well, I don’t usually deal with that many enemies at once. If you cut down a human with an ordinary blade, there will be consequences, and after usually 5 people, and at best 10 people, the edge will have dulled. 3

In that respect, you could say this sword is out of the ordinary. I thought it was a waste given to me but this doesn’t mean that I’ll ever need it again like this in the future. It seems better to have as good a weapon as possible.

On that note, I’d like to somehow get Alexia to take on a newer sword, but I guess I won’t ask. It feels a little heavy-handed.

“Hmm… I wonder if I should redo the coating… hey, Master,” Valder said.

“Hmm?”

“Is it alright if I keep this guy for a day or two? Alongside the sharpening, I want to coat it again with elven steel.”

Hmm. What should I do?

So far, there are no particular events that require my serious attention. It seems that there are no problems for a few days. To begin with, I was free for more than a week since my previous sword broke and I managed to get this one.

“You can take anything here as a replacement sword while I’ve got this one,” Valder said.

“Ah, yeah, then I don’t mind,” I said.

I thought I would be unarmed but it seems I’ll be lent a replacement blade. In that case, I’m not going to complain, and I’d be happy if my gear was in perfect condition. To begin with, that sort of incident can’t happen again in just a few days.

“Now then, which one?” I asked myself.

For the moment, let’s leave the Xeno Glaive sword with Valder, and let’s choose a sword that will be my temporary companion. Well, I have no intention of sticking to something exactly like it. It’s the mood that counts in this matter.

“Hmm.”

I picked a sword at random, looked at it, picked it up, and found it a good sword. It is well-sharpened and the center of gravity is perfect.

If possible, I’d like to grab a sword that is about the same size and weight as the one on my waist. If the weight changes even for a little while, I feel a little uncomfortable.

“This one is alright,” I said.

I picked up some of them and after some amateur examination, I picked an ordinary longsword. I’m not saying it’s by far the best, but I know it’s a solid product.

Well, I’m the swordsman, not the blacksmith nor the weapons master.

“Yeah, not bad,” I said as I put it on my waist. The weight was almost as I expected and there was no particular discomfort.

It should be enough to be by my side for a few days. Ah, well, all the swords here must have been forged by Valder, so it shouldn’t be bad in terms of quality.

“Well then, it’s 10,000 dalc for sharpening and coating,” Valder said.

“Yeah, got it,” I said.

I was already planning a sharpening and this cost is within the expected range.

Or rather, from my point of view, I got this sword for free so if I don’t pay this much, I’ll be bothered by it.

It would be the best thing in the world if you can get things for free, but I also teach swordsmanship and earn for my daily expenses. I think that the right amount of money should be paid for the right amount of work.

Valder should be doing a good job as a blacksmith, and what’s he’s worth should be paid. Ah, yeah, I remember this was paid for by Selena.

“Okay, come back about the day after tomorrow,” Valder said. “I’ll make sure it’s done right.”

“Yeah, thank you,” I said.

I pay the fee, place the replacement sword on my waist, and leave Valder’s shop.

And, though I thought I was going just in case, going to see Valder may have been the right choice. After all, if you want bread, you go to a bakery. 4 I can’t trust just my eyes.

“Alright, do I go home?” I asked myself.

This is not the end of my day’s work.

There remains a serious mission to go home, share a meal with Miu, and show her love and affection. She seems to be quite accustomed to her current life, and she sometimes tells me what happened at the Magician’s Academy while we eat in the dining room.

It’s fun to hear such stories. Above all, I can rest assured that Miu is well-accustomed to being a student at the Academy.

However, though I often hear stories about what happened at school, for some reason, she doesn’t tell me what kind of classes she’s taking. It’s not something I’ll forcibly ask her, so I’m leaving it to her to tell me when she pleases.

The hour was when the sun was arcing west and the shadows were growing longer.

If I go home now, I’ll have plenty of time to return by sunset. I was wondering what to do for dinner today, so I thought about what was in my kitchen back at my house.