Blacksmith – Part 04
“Ugh…”
Cecily cast her gaze down to hide her flushed cheeks.
It was her first time receiving flowers, and it felt strangely awkward. But at the same time, she couldn’t suppress the overwhelming joy bubbling inside her. She pressed her clenched fist against her chest. Her heart pounded so fast her hand trembled.
“Thank… you.”
She felt both happy and extremely annoyed. She hated how Luke continued walking as if nothing had happened. Cecily hurried to catch up with him.
“S-So you do have some merit after all,” she said.
“Your voice is shaking. You’re acting like a virgin.”
“What?!”
How could he say that? She turned red and smacked his back, but instead of wincing, Luke chuckled, more tickled than hurt. Rather than feeling angry, Cecily found herself smiling from his embarrassing teasing. For a moment, she almost surrendered to the strange comfort of it all.
But she sensed something off. A little too late, it felt like, but she did sense it.
“Did something happen?”
Today, Luke was acting a bit—no, very strange.
She found him whimsical from the moment they met, but today he seemed more out of sorts than usual. He was typically lazy and had no real merit, but his demeanor felt unexpectedly soft. It was natural to think that something must have happened.
“Did you have a fight with Lisa?” she asked.
There was something off about Lisa’s earlier behavior. She was looking down, a small gesture that felt distinctly out of character.
“No.”
His back was turned to her, so she couldn’t see his expression.
“Really?”
“I have no reason to. Why do you ask?”
“Because…”
Because he was clearly acting strange. Even now, why wouldn’t he look at her? Why wouldn’t he meet her gaze?
She heard him sigh.
“I don’t know what you’re thinking, but she does great work. I have no complaints whatsoever. It’s just that sometimes, I wonder if this is right.”
“What do you mean?”
“I bought her some clothes a little while ago. You kept nagging me about it.”
Cecily didn’t need to think hard about who he meant. Though she wasn’t sure what he was getting at, she chose to stay silent and listen closely.
“She thanked me repeatedly. She was absolutely thrilled over something as trivial as buying clothes. It made me realize I had never done such a simple thing for her until then.”
“…”
“There are probably many things I’m unaware of. I must have overlooked countless details. Is it really right for her to keep working for someone as inconsiderate as me? Does she not have better options? A life more rewarding than this?” Luke scratched his head. “Such thoughts cross my mind every now and then.”
As Cecily watched the back of his head, she felt certain. Luke was indeed acting strange today. He was unusually talkative, revealing his inner thoughts. Though she didn’t mind hearing him express his feelings, it left her more bewildered. There was definitely something going on.
“I don’t think it’s a matter of right or wrong.”
Cecily didn’t know what that something was. She didn’t know, but she could answer his questions.
Cecily remembered—Lisa wasn’t human but a demon. Born from a pact, one would expect her to serve out of obligation. But did Lisa ever act like she was being forced?
Not at all. She didn’t seem like someone working reluctantly. Her lively energy and passion for smithing made it clear she had her own will. Cecily couldn’t picture their relationship as anything other than genuine.
“Lisa trusts you and likes you,” Cecily said. “She’s clearly working because she wants to. If you think you’re falling short in some way, then just make up for it, bit by bit.”
“Do you really think so?”
“What do you mean?”
“Is Lisa really working for me of her own free will?”
Cecily frowned. What exactly was Luke so doubtful about when it came to Lisa?
“I think it’s obvious.”
“…I hope so.”
Luke didn’t turn to face her. An indescribable unease took root in Cecily’s chest, quietly smoldering.
“What do you want to do about Lisa?”
“I want to protect her,” he replied instantly.
“Protect her?”
“I’d do anything—endure anything—to keep her safe.”
She couldn’t see his face, but his tightly clenched fists spoke volumes about his determination.
Did Luke think it was wrong for Lisa to work in his smithy?
Protect. Did he mean that out of care for her happiness? Cecily didn’t understand why he was suddenly bringing this up now. What exactly was he enduring? His cryptic words only added to her confusion. Luke was hiding something, but he wasn’t ready to share it.
Of course, Cecily wanted to press him. But she knew she wouldn’t get any answers. So disheartened as she was, she held her tongue. An awkward silence hung between them. Then, Luke veered into a back alley.
The Independent Trade City of Housman hadn’t always been the sprawling urban maze it was now. It grew slowly over the years—people gathered, cleared forests, flattened lands, built walls, stacked stones. As word spread, more people came, expanding the settlement until it evolved into seven districts. The rapid growth meant it was nearly impossible for a single authority to govern it all.
As the population boomed, the city’s paths and alleys turned into a labyrinth. Once you left the main roads of the Third District, the side streets twisted and turned, enough to get anyone unfamiliar hopelessly lost. Even the maps handed out at the gates didn’t cover the entire layout.
Luke navigated the backstreets with practiced ease. It felt like a shortcut, but Cecily had no idea which district they were in anymore. She didn’t know her way around areas out of her jurisdiction.
But one thing became clear. Watching his back long enough to grow bored, she realized something: this man avoided meeting people’s gaze when things got uncomfortable.
As they left the noise of the city behind, the only sound filling the silence was the steady rhythm of their footsteps. Cecily’s patience finally snapped.
“Let’s have a chat, Luke. I’ll start.”
“Huh?”
“We’re changing this atmosphere,” she demanded, half-enraged.
Luke’s shoulders shook with a quiet chuckle. “I like that about you.”
“Then say something. Anything!”
“Let’s see…”
A question that had been nagging at Cecily for a while suddenly bubbled up.
“What exactly is a blacksmith?”
Charlotte said their goal was to seize an Infernal Blade and summon a blacksmith. The first part made sense, but she hadn’t really thought about the second.
Luke glanced at her over his shoulder. His right eye betrayed mild surprise.
“Did you not know?”
“I missed the chance to ask in all the chaos. Does Charlotte’s visit to Atelier Liza have something to do with you?”
“I could tell you, but it involves the continent’s greatest secret. Once you know, there’s no turning back.”
The continent’s greatest secret? Cecily blinked at the bold claim, staring at the back of Luke’s head.
The Empire had been involved in that incident, so maybe it wasn’t as far-fetched as it seemed.
“That’s hardly fair. Now, I’m even more curious.”
“Yeah, I figured.” Luke smiled wryly. “How much do you know about Valbanill?”
“Valbanill?”
“I want to know. Tell me.”
She recalled her conversation with Aria. Valbanill—the worst Inhuman in the continent’s history, and the alias of the Proxy Pact War. It was a monster from centuries ago, but all the tales surrounding it felt fabricated, too dubious to believe.
“They say it crushed mountains, split the earth, drank seas dry, until it was eventually sealed by a sword,” Cecily said. “It’s been proven to have existed, but it still feels like a myth to me.”
“The sword.”
“Huh?”
“The sword that sealed Valbanill. People call it a Sacred Sword for convenience, and the person who forges it is known as a blacksmith.”
Cecily paused, processing his words, then tilted her head, confused. “So, Valbanill was real?”
“Of course.”
Luke broke it down for her, and for a moment, Cecily forgot the awkwardness between them, completely absorbed in the story.
Centuries ago, there was a monstrous being that committed unspeakable atrocities, and was sealed away by a Sacred Sword forged by humans.
The craftsman who made this sword became known as a blacksmith, and over time, the title came to refer to highly skilled metalsmiths.
“Any old craftsman knows about it. You can’t talk about Valbanill without mentioning blacksmiths and the Sacred Sword.”
“This is news to me. So, does that mean you’re—”
“I inherited some of those blacksmith techniques, yes.”
Lisa had mentioned this before. How forging katanas was an ancient, dying craft, with Luke being one of the few who carried on that legacy.
“So katanas are Sacred Swords?”
“That’s what they called it, at least.” Luke tapped the katana at his waist. “But the ones I forge aren’t good enough to be called Sacred Swords.”
Cecily understood so far, but another question nagged at her.
“Why would the Empire want a blacksmith?”
The incident with Charlotte was instigated by a man named Siegfried. He told her the Emperor wanted both the Infernal Blade and the blacksmith. While it made sense for an Infernal Blade to be coveted for its power, why the blacksmith?
“They want Sacred Swords. And it’s not just the Empire—the Militant Nation, the Crowd Powers, even this city—they’re all after Sacred Swords. Do you know why?”
Ah. Cecily realized something. Wait.
“Once you know, there’s no turning back.”
Her hunch told her she was about to learn something big. But it was too late.
“Valbanill’s seal is about to break.”
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