Blacksmith – Part 09
“Luke.”
Cecily turned to Luke, seeking confirmation. It couldn’t be true, could it? This man was spewing complete nonsense. Lisa was a demon created in exchange for his left eye, wasn’t she?
“Luke!”
“It’s true,” he admitted. “My old man and Liza were killed, and Lisa and I survived. At the very least, Liza was the one who created Lisa back then. Well, my left eye got mixed in too.”
Luke’s tone was casual, but Cecily noted something. His right eye had once again turned into a lifeless ball, like his left prosthetic eye.
“The demon, then, is a memento of his lover. We have tolerated this violation of continental law for that reason.”
“So her name was Liza Oakwood,” Arvie said. “I have to say, giving the puppet made from your lover’s flesh a similar name is quite twisted, yes.”
“Even with her gone, you keep the demon as your assistant. Perhaps you use her for… other purposes?”
“Gentlemen! Please keep your baseless slander to yourselves. He is a citizen of the Independent Trade City. I will not tolerate such remarks.”
“Mr. Housman is right. Please, choose your words carefully.”
Despite the insults hurled at him, Luke’s expression remained unchanged. His eyes, cold and distant, were fixed on the view outside the window.
“No.”
Something wasn’t right. Cecily sensed it sharply. A nagging feeling.
Luke was avoiding her gaze. He wouldn’t look at Cecily because something troubled him. He was hiding something. But what? What was wrong? What didn’t make sense?
Her mind raced, desperately searching for the answer. She had to act quickly before Luke’s spirit shattered beyond repair.
“Lisa…”
Yes, Lisa. He looked away the moment her name was brought up.
She was a hard worker, a good cook, always smiling brightly. She loved to care for the master of the workshop, always wanted to be helpful to him, trusted him at all times, and cared for him deeply. A completely ordinary girl.
Who created her? Liza Oakwood did. So why…
“Yes, Luke is amazing!”
Memories rushed back.
“There’s no need to be modest. Atelier Liza can’t function without you. Isn’t that right, Master?”
That wasn’t enough. She needed more, more pieces of the puzzle.
“One time, I tried to steal some jewel steel to practice forging with Lisa, my childhood friend, and I got in serious trouble for it.”
“I only ever managed to make one proper katana.”
Search for it.
“She said she would protect this city with the mediocre katana I forged. Protect Hannibal, my dad, me.”
“Is Lisa really working for me of her own free will?”
Search, then connect the dots!
“I want to protect her. I’d do anything—endure anything—to keep her safe.”
“Liza Oakwood. The woman I couldn’t protect.”
Ah, now it made sense. Everything clicked. She was the key. That explained Luke’s behavior.
If that’s true, then you really are stupid.
“I have a question for all of you.” Cecily’s voice rang out in the conference room. “Why did Liza Oakwood create Lisa?”
No one answered her abrupt question. Instead, a strange tension filled the room, as if everyone was waiting to see what nonsense she would spout next.
Cecily didn’t care. She glanced around the room before fixing her gaze on her target.
“Mr. Augustus Arthur. Would you mind answering the question?”
“You’re disrupting the meeting, Campbell. Refrain from these meaningless interruptions.”
“It’s a simple question. Please answer. I wish to clear up a misunderstanding.”
“Don’t push it, girlie,” he said in a deep voice.
Cecily swallowed. The towering commander of the Imperial Knights shot her a gaze sharp enough to kill. A lump formed in her throat, her voice nearly choking.
“Your role comes much later. You have no right to speak.”
But Cecily refused to back down. “Answer me, Mr. Arthur.”
Augustus’s face hardened, and he grudgingly responded, “Like I said, Ainsworth forced her to use a pact to save himself—”
“A death spell can only be recited by the one it’s etched upon,” Cecily cut him off, meeting his gaze with a sharpness that matched his own. “In other words, a Demon Pact is made of one’s own will. It can’t just be forced, essentially.”
“Do you know nothing about the Valbanill War? You could force someone to speak with a knife at their throat. Even if that weren’t the case, it’s possible that boy took the demon she created for himself. Oddly enough, he refuses to speak about it.”
And Cecily now understood why that was. Thus, she could speak with certainty.
“Luke Ainsworth didn’t force Liza Oakwood into a Demon Pact. She made the pact of her own free will. And Luke never used her as a shield.”
The room stirred as dignitaries exchanged glances.
Augustus’s voice dropped low. “What proof do you have?”
This was a rematch of her loss against Siegfried earlier. A reprisal against the Empire.
Calm down and think logically. You already know what you’re supposed to say.
Cecily wasn’t the smartest, but that allowed her to see things from a different angle. She would use her simple-mindedness to get to the truth in the simplest, most straightforward manner.
I won’t back down.
She would crush this man and all the fools surrounding him. She would make these blockheads see.
“The fact that the demon created was Lisa is the proof.”
Augustus’s brow furrowed, clearly confused. Cecily could feel someone’s eyes on her. His presence nearby gave her strength.
“If Liza Oakwood was forced into a Demon Pact by Luke, then why was the demon that emerged Lisa? Why wasn’t it a monstrous beast capable of fending off Valbanill, but instead, a girl?”
“The form doesn’t matter. That demon had the power to conjure Infernal Blades.”
“Then tell me—did Luke have any jewel steel at the time to create an Infernal Blade?”
Without turning to look, she pressed him for an answer.
“Luke. Be honest.”
“I didn’t have any. Back then, I was still an apprentice. My father only gave me jewel steel when necessary.”
Augustus’s eyes narrowed as he began to see her point.
“So, Lisa couldn’t have used her abilities. Do you really think Luke would’ve made such a demon? And do you think he’d have gone as far as to steal her for that?”
“…”
“Luke, this is just my theory,” Cecily continued, her gaze fixed ahead, “but I believe Liza Oakwood fought Valbanill to protect you.”
“…”
“She wanted to be a knight, didn’t she? That makes it obvious.”
A small smile tugged at Cecily’s lips. She empathized with a woman she had never even met.
“If I were in her place, I’d have protected you too.”
She would’ve protected the citizens. She would’ve done her duty, as naturally as breathing.
“And that’s why Luke survived. His father protected him. Lisa Oakwood protected him—and he lived.”
Everything clicked now. The missing pieces had fallen into place.
Cecily still kept her gaze forward. Just imagining what kind of expression he was wearing right now was oddly amusing and thrilling. But seeing his face right away seemed like a waste, so she didn’t turn. She decided to save it as a reward for later.
Luke likely knew all along. He was there, after all. Perhaps his refusal to explain was an act of penance.
“The woman I couldn’t protect.”
He was punishing himself for surviving alone after being saved by the very same woman he had tried to protect. He accepted the blame. What a foolish man he was.
You have an inkling of what I’m about to say, don’t you? Isn’t that why you’re looking away? Fine.
I will fill the emptiness within you. Just you watch.
The commander-in-chief of the Empire tapped his fingers against the round table. “I see no point in the demon being created, then.”
It might seem pointless to you.
But there was meaning in Lisa’s existence, a great significance in Liza bringing her into this world. Only Cecily, who had interacted with Luke and Lisa, could see it.
“From here on, we can only speculate about her thoughts. So this isn’t certain,” Cecily clarified, though she felt confident. “First, her ability to create Infernal Blades was just a bonus.”
A stunned silence filled the conference room.
“A bonus?”
“Yes, a bonus,” Cecily nodded. “More than that, she wanted to protect him.”
“She did protect him. You said so yourself.”
“Even after her death, always and forever.”
She sensed a sharp intake of breath beside her.
Liza Oakwood. I will convey your feelings on your behalf. Your thoughts and wishes.
Cecily felt a pang in her chest but she pushed on. “That’s why Lisa is who she is. Just an ordinary girl, born solely to support Luke. Her ability to forge Infernal Blades is merely a tool to aid in forging, not the essence of her Demon Pact. Liza Oakwood, of her own will, left behind a being who would continue to protect someone important to her, even at the cost of her life. Liza entrusted Lisa with the task of protecting Luke. This is the truth of what happened three years ago.”
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