Infernal Blade – Part 13
A few days later, a joint funeral was held in the Independent Trade City for the people who perished—seventeen citizens, eight foreigners, and twenty-two members of the Knight Guard.
Thirty-nine coffins—excluding those of the foreigners—were carried in a solemn procession and laid to rest in the communal graveyard of the Sixth District.
However, the atmosphere of grief that enveloped the city soon faded as life returned to its usual busyness. Plans began to resume the fair that had been postponed due to the recent tragedy.
Instead of allowing sadness to linger, the citizens initiated a festival to honor both the dead and the living. This effort was entirely voluntary, not prompted by the city’s public institutions.
Thus, the Independent Trade City began to regain its former vitality.
Early one morning, Cecily visited the government office in the Third District and headed straight for a specific room. On her way, she crossed paths with Hannibal Quasar and Hugo Housman, who were busy dealing with the aftermath of the incident. Cecily waved to Hannibal for a quick greeting and exchanged knowing smiles with Housman.
Cecily arrived at a guest room for foreigners. After a light knock, she entered and found a woman standing by the window. The woman turned and smiled brightly upon seeing her.
“You came to see me off. Thank you.”
Without further pleasantries, Aria rushed toward Cecily and took her right hand, just as she had done every day since the incident.
On Cecily’s palm was a burned area, the skin rotting away. Miraculously, it had not caused any functional impairment, but doctors warned it would likely never heal completely.
“It left a scar. I’m sorry,” Aria said.
“You don’t need to apologize. I’m proud of this scar.”
“You are?” Aria blinked in confusion.
“It’s proof of how I protected you.”
Aria’s expression hardened as she looked down. “I killed again.”
“It wasn’t your fault.”
“It doesn’t change anything. My blade is stained with blood.” Aria sighed and met Cecily’s gaze, tears glistening in her eyes. “I thought this time would be different. What a shame. But I had fun! Because I got to meet you and make a friend.”
Cecily nodded. “I’m glad to have met you too.”
“Today is goodbye. I’ll be leaving soon. My owner is heading to the sticks in the Crowd Powers. This incident delayed our departure quite a bit.”
“…”
“They love to travel and can’t stay in one place for long. I wish I could stay in this city a bit longer, but it can’t be helped.”
“…”
“We still have a little time before we leave, so how about a chat? So we can smile when we meet again.”
“Aria,” Cecily called gently.
“Hmm?” Aria tilted her head.
“We haven’t yet found the mastermind behind this incident.”
The identity of the Merchant remained a mystery. The Knight Guard suspected that the same person had orchestrated the recent demon-related events at the fair. It was unclear why this individual was targeting the Infernal Blade, resorting to such violent tactics, but the Knight Guard intended to pursue them.
“Two incidents involving Demon Pacts occurred in such a short time. This is abnormal. Many lives were lost. We’ll do everything to find the mastermind and bring them to justice. The Continental Law Commission might also launch an investigation soon.”
“I see.”
“They might come after you again.”
“That’s true. But my owner will—”
“Your owner has renounced ownership of the Infernal Blade.”
“…”
“…”
Aria froze for a moment, blinking rapidly as she tried to process the information. Then, as realization sank in, her eyes widened in shock.
“The Infernal Blade is being targeted by an individual or organization that uses Demon Pacts. It’s too dangerous for one person to handle alone, so your previous owner gave up ownership, and Mayor Housman bought it with public funds.”
Aria’s mouth flapped open and shut.
“The Infernal Blade Aria is now part of the Independent Trade City’s public assets. The city will protect the sword at all costs while simultaneously searching for the mastermind behind the incident—the Merchant. As for where it’ll be stored…”
Cecily’s playful spirit emerged as she continued in a flat, businesslike tone.
“There was talk about locking it up in one heavily guarded place, but that idea was scrapped. Whether it’s kept in one spot or moved around, guards will be needed either way, so it doesn’t change much. Instead, a knight will guard the Infernal Blade Aria at all times and hold onto it temporarily. This knight was carefully chosen for their ability to fight demons.”
Finally, Cecily reached a conclusion, her lips curling into a smirk.
“And that’s me. My efforts during the incident were recognized.”
Tears streamed down Aria’s face.
“Really?”
“Yes. Starting today, I will be your bodyguard. So let me say this…” Cecily wiped away Aria’s tears with her finger. “Aria, you’re not a sword that hurts people.”
Despite Cecily’s efforts, Aria’s tears continued to flow, her eyes shimmering. Cecily met her gaze firmly.
“You’re a sword that protects them.”
A sword is a tool for fighting. But its significance can change depending on the person who wields it. A sword meant for killing can become a sword meant to defend. Aria could be that sword.
“Promise me you’ll protect this city with me. Promise to be a sword of protection.”
“Be my friend.”
“Be my comrade in arms.”
Tears flowed uncontrollably, but Aria roughly wiped them away, sniffled, and tried to compose herself.
She placed a hand on her chest and knelt down. “As you wish,” she—the Infernal Blade Aria—replied. “I swear by the gleam of my blade.”
And then she smiled through her tears.
“A sword never goes back on its word!”
Many lives were lost in the recent incident, and the number of gravestones in the Sixth District’s communal graveyard had increased. Only a select few knew that one of those stones bore the name of a certain man.
Epilogue
“Lisa’s cooking really is fantastic.”
“Hehe, thanks.”
“Yeah, this dish has an irresistible kick to it.”
“Eat as much as you want, Aria. You took a pretty bad beating during that whole incident.”
“That’s right. There’s still plenty left!”
“Wow, thanks! That’s some nice Aetheria.”
“Why…” Luke, who had been silently eating until then, suddenly burst out. “Why are you guys acting like you belong here?!”
Under the warm midday sun, Luke, Lisa, Cecily, and Aria sat around a table filled with homemade dishes outside Atelier Liza, enjoying each other’s company—well, most of them were.
Cecily shot Luke a tired glance, spearing a meatball with her fork. “Lisa invited us. Things are finally settling down, so she thought we should celebrate. You really can’t read the room, can you?”
“Why wasn’t I, the master of the house, informed about this so-called celebration?”
Luke glared at Lisa, and she shrank under his gaze, disappearing beneath the table like a startled cat.
“Because I told her not to.”
“Why, you…”
Luke slammed the table, but Cecily barely reacted, casually calling for Lisa to come back up. Lisa peeked out cautiously. When she met Luke’s angry gaze, she quickly retreated beneath the table again.
“Luke! Stop being a bully!”
“Why am I the one getting reprimanded? Besides…” Luke pointed his fork in Cecily’s direction. “Aren’t you now the owner of that gluttonous, Infernal Blade wannabe?”
Aria was stuffing three or four meatballs into her mouth.
“Infernal Blade wannabe? How rude.”
“Wannabe, fake, whatever. Same thing, you demon.”
“Wow, rude much? Lisa, how do you even work for someone like this?”
“L-Luke’s a good person! He lets a demon like me work here.”
“Don’t stoke his ego.”
“O-Oh, okay.”
“Luke! Stop taking it out on Lisa!”
What an odd bunch, Cecily thought.
Here they were—two humans and two demons—sitting around, casually sharing a meal. It was probably a rare sight anywhere on the continent. The thought made her smile.
She didn’t know much about Luke or Lisa yet. His one eye, Lisa’s true nature as a demon, how she was created—there were so many things she was curious about.
But Cecily didn’t feel the need to pry. She had no intention of exposing Lisa’s secret, and after what happened with Aria, she owed them. Poking around might ruin things.
She’d get to know them naturally, by having meals like this or hanging out together. Cecily had decided to learn about them, bit by bit, as friends.
“Anyway, now that you’ve got a sword, there’s no reason for you to be here,” Luke said.
“True, I did meet Aria. But that’s a separate matter altogether.”
“It is?”
“I want to visit my friend Lisa, and your katanas are fascinating. Aria doesn’t always take the form of a rapier, so I’d like to commission a sword from you… on a payment plan.”
“You have zero ounce of shame, Cecily Campbell.”
“Mm-hmm.”
“Don’t throw your chest out like that. It’s too big and obnoxious enough as it is.”
“Wha—! Why are you bringing my chest into this?! You sleazeball!”
“The only thing sleazy here is your chest.”
“Don’t move, you sleazy jerk!”
Maybe I don’t need to know anything about this piece of trash.
The Sacred Blacksmith 1: Knight
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