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CHAPTER 300: SPARE THE EDGE—KILL THE SWORD

 

Shiranuemaru was drawn from its scabbard by Kunimitsu’s own hand and set down atop the table in the center of the workshop.

Catching the furnace glow, the blade shone a faint, pale white—but that radiance looked strangely taut, like it was bracing itself.

Kunimitsu didn’t touch the sword after that.

It felt like he was ‘examining’ it with nothing but his eyes and the feel of its presence.

「……Knew it.」

After observing for a while, Kunimitsu muttered in a low voice—like he was talking to himself.

「If I fix it… Shiranuemaru dies.」

At those words, the already-tense air in the workshop grew even heavier.

But unless he explained, there was no way to understand what he meant by ‘the sword dies.’

「What do you mean?」

Kunimitsu folded his arms and took a step back from Shiranuemaru.

「This sword, see… it ain’t ever gonna become a ‘finished product.’」

Everyone in the room listened in silence.

After a short breath, Kunimitsu spoke again.

「It’s been used to the limit while it’s still in the middle of growin’. If we’re talkin’ people—it’s like tossin’ a kid onto a battlefield before his bones and muscles are even done.」

…Maybe he’s right. Now that I think about it, I’ve kept leaning on Shiranuemaru, thinking about myself the whole time. Once I realize that, I can’t even find the words.

「If it was a normal sword, I’d fix the warp, true up the edge, and that’d be that. But… this one’s different.」

Like he was choosing his words carefully, Kunimitsu paused.

The crackle of the furnace sounded absurdly loud.

「This thing’s ‘alive.’ And just ‘fixing it’ means turnin’ it into a sword that can’t grow any further.」

Kunimitsu’s gaze, which had been on Shiranuemaru, skewered me again.

「Even if I repair it, the moment it’s ‘complete,’ time stops for it. Then sooner or later, it’ll slam into the same problem again. And that… is the same as dyin’.」

My throat clicked on its own.

「Then… what did you mean by ‘raise it again’?」

「Use this as the core and forge it over from scratch.」

He said it like it was nothing.

「We take it back to unfinished. Back to a state where it can ‘move on to the next step.’」

At that, Magoroku—who’d been silent this whole time—muttered low.

「…You never change. Always running your mouth with the impossible.」

「I know damn well it’s impossible. That’s why I told ya there were ‘conditions,’ didn’t I?」

Kunimitsu pointed at the ore set beside the furnace.

「That ‘tamahagane’ you need to forge a sword—there’s ranks to it, dependin’ on purity.」

「…Bukō, huh.」

Kunimitsu’s mouth curled, just a little.

「Best of the best among tamahagane. Steel that lets a sword house ‘martial power’—that’s Bukō.」

Magoroku cut in immediately.

「The places it can be mined are limited. And… the veins that yield Bukō are in regions classified as ‘Danger Zones’ even among monster habitats.」

「…Danger Zones, huh.」

Hearing that, images rose in my mind on their own—like the Nakva Mountain Range crawling with Gigantic Centipedes, or Raven Gorge where basilisks made their nests.

「That’s right. And the Danger Zones Bukyō designates aren’t ‘dangerous’ just because there are strong monsters. It means a land that doesn’t even welcome people under the assumption they’ll survive.」

With the furnace light wavering behind him, Kunimitsu said it flatly.

「…Kid. You gonna walk into a place like that without a weapon. You got the resolve for it?」

「Perfect. I’m excited enough it’s giving me chills.」

「An instant answer, huh. Yeah—you really are a fool.」

Even as he said that, there was an amused edge to his voice.

「Alright then. I’ll buy that resolve of yours.」

When he finished, Kunimitsu quietly lowered himself in front of Shiranuemaru.

Still, he didn’t touch the blade.

He simply set his hand beside it—and murmured, low.

「…You did good.」

His tone softened, just a fraction.

「So you like this idiot that much, huh.」

The furnace kept popping, threading sound through the gaps in his words.

「He made you do nothin’ but reckless crap, didn’t he. And even so—you didn’t break, you didn’t run…」

Shiranuemaru silently reflected the spill of furnace light.

「…Fine work.」

After a brief silence, Kunimitsu stood.

「So yeah. Ain’t no way we’re lettin’ this end like this, right?」

He flashed a grin and flicked his eyes my way.

「Yeah. I’ll bring back the finest Bukō there is. So make it into the best blade you can—okay?」

「Hah! Who the hell you talkin’ back to? I’m Kunimitsu the Second!」

We both reached out without thinking—and clasped right hands hard.

The one who forges the sword, and the one who uses it.

Different roles, same feeling.

If I left it to this man, Shiranuemaru would be okay—I truly believed that.

「Alright, then. I’m heading out to go dig up this Bukō.」

And just as I turned to leave the workshop—

「Mhm, Aun.」

Kinu grabbed my sleeve and stopped me.

「This time, let’s actually ask properly where we’re going first. You’ll get lost again.」

「Kyuun!!」

「Ah—yeah, good point!」

「Seriously… you really are a fool.」

Kunimitsu sounded exasperated.

「But, well… with the girlie with you, seems like there’s not much to worry about. Like Magoroku said—there’s only one place Bukō can be found.」

He took a breath, then continued.

「The Danger Zone: ‘Tengu Valley’. A territory of the tengu clan—led by an SS-rank-over monster… the ‘Great Tengu.’」

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