Interlude: Luke – Part 01
Atelier Liza consisted of two buildings: the main house and the forge. Situated in the corner of the Seventh District of the Independent Trade City, it was nestled near a forest shrouded in ash. Above, the sky split into two shades—white and blue—forming a boundary at the horizon.
The sound of hammering echoed from the forge. Inside, the heat contrasted sharply with the cold wind raging outside. The shutters were closed, casting the room in a dim light. The place was cluttered with tools. A young man with black hair hammered a piece of iron repeatedly, his face illuminated by the glow of the coals burning in the hearth.
Sparks flew with each strike.
The iron at the end of the lever heated up, turning bright red. Luke shaped it into an L, then folded it into thin layers, as if working with paper. The iron stacked neatly, forming a smooth sheet.
After checking the work, Luke pushed the iron back into the furnace. A few moments later, he pulled it out again and spun the lever to check its condition.
“All right, this should do. We’re done for today.”
“What?”
Lisa, his blond-haired apprentice, blinked in surprise. Wearing soot-stained work clothes just like Luke’s, she leaned on a sledgehammer like it was a walking stick, sweaty and clearly exhausted.
“One, two, three.” She counted on her fingers. “Seven. We’ve only folded it seven times?”
In katana forging, there was a process known as folding, where the jewel steel material was hammered, cut, and folded repeatedly to build up layers of steel. The technique they were using, Shihōzume, required multiple layers—core steel, edge steel, spine steel, and two layers of skin steel—and each layer needed at least ten folds. Seven folds, as Lisa pointed out, was far from enough.
“Let’s at least finish this much. I can still—”
“Don’t lie. You’re already out of breath.”
Lisa froze. Luke was right. She was, indeed, breathing heavily, leaning on her hammer as she caught her breath.
She pulled away from her makeshift cane. “N-No! I can still continue.”
“Calm down.” Luke gently pressed her head down before shrugging. “Well, I get why you’re impatient.”
The new technique they were working on was for creating the foundation of the Sacred Sword. They were still nowhere near its final form. Further steps would be needed to finish it.
With the revival of Valbanill approaching fast, time was running out. It was no wonder Lisa was anxious.
“The forging we’re doing now isn’t for completing the Sacred Sword. It’s just to revalidate the Shihōzume method.”
Luke sprinkled water on the heated iron. The hot metal sizzled, scattering beads of water across its surface.
“The one we forged in the Militant Nation was done in a hurry, and that blade broke in combat anyway. So this time, I’m taking it slow. Getting the feel of it into my hands.”
Besides, sword forging wasn’t something you could rush. Usually, it took a couple of weeks, sometimes a week if they worked hard enough, going step by step through a long series of processes. The folding part often carried over to the next day.
“No point rushing if you’re going to run out of steam. That’s it for today.”
Lisa groaned, visibly frustrated. Luke’s comment about her stamina didn’t sit well with her.
Luke let out a quiet laugh. “Don’t let it get to you. If your emotions are clouded, it’ll show in the blade.”
“I understand.”
“More importantly, make sure you remember how many times we’ve folded it. Lose track, and it’s all for nothing.”
“It’ll be fine. I’ll mark it down.”
Luke gave her head a couple of light, appreciative pats.
He handed her the lever bar, then turned toward the furnace, pulling over an iron box to store the leftover charcoal for later use. With a small shovel in hand, he scooped the coals, careful not to let the ash blow away with the slightest breeze.
As he worked, a thought ran through his mind. He hadn’t said it aloud, but he was feeling the pressure too.
He was close to mastering the basics of forging a Sacred Sword. At least, there was no need to add more components to the blade. The technical exchange with the swordsmiths from the Militant Nation had been invaluable. But despite all of that, something was still missing from the sword.
What was it?
Did they need some more special kind of material? He shook his head. It couldn’t be anything but jewel steel. Since ancient times, katanas had been forged using jewel steel produced in Tatara workshops. No other material seemed as suitable. The purity of jewel steel varied, but was there better-quality jewel steel in the past? The kind he had never seen before? He had heard whispers that there were more skilled Tatara craftsmen back then.
What about the length and shape of the blade?
Katanas were classified by curvature and blade length—tantō, wakizashi, ōdachi, and so on. There were curved blades like the ones Luke forged, but also chokutō. Was there some deeper meaning behind these distinctions?
No, Luke told himself.
He couldn’t believe the length or shape alone made that much of a difference. Changing those wouldn’t fundamentally alter the katana, and it wouldn’t drastically improve sharpness either. It was just a guess, but he felt the Sacred Sword existed on a different level altogether. Of course, the type of weapon might affect fighting style, but still…
Then, it hit him. Fighting style?
He had never considered this before. What was the best way to fight Valbanill? What blade length and shape would work best against that beast?
Luke had always forged katanas suited to one-handed use with a natural curve. But now, he wasn’t sure that was the right choice.
Now that he thought about it, his father had forged everything from ōdachis to chokutōs. The Militant Nation’s swordsmiths had also prepared ōdachi in consideration of Valbanil’s massive size. He didn’t know if their approach was correct, but their way of thinking made sense.
I’m an idiot.
How could he have overlooked something so crucial? His teeth clenched as the realization hit him. It was the most basic of basics. He’d been bragging about figuring out the foundation of the Sacred Sword, but the truth was, he hadn’t even gotten there yet.
The optimal katana for fighting Valbanill. Its shape. Its length. That was where he needed to start.
“Um, Luke?” Lisa called. “I’m terribly sorry to ask this so suddenly.”
Her tone was unusually polite, mixed with a hint of nervousness. Lost in his thoughts, Luke responded without turning around.
“What is it?”
“How far have you gotten with Cecily?”
A beat of silence passed. Then, with a hint of hesitation, Luke turned to look over his shoulder.
Gone was the grumpy look she’d had a moment ago. Lisa now stared at him with eyes shining bright with curiosity.
“What did you say?”
“I’ve been wanting to ask this for a while now. Honestly, how far have you two gotten?!”
She leaned forward eagerly. Now that she’d said it, all hesitation went out the window.
Luke took a small step back. “Nothing’s really happened,” he said.
“That’s a cover-up! A lie! It’s dirty!”
“Pick one, at least.”
It was becoming clearer to Luke that Lisa had gotten much bolder lately. She used to never speak up about the forging process, just nodded along with whatever he said. She never asked personal questions like this either.
Though, to be fair, he had told her to be more upfront.
“But remember what you said to Cecily when we were leaving the Militant Nation?”
She glanced off into the distance for a moment, recalling something. Then she broke into a grin.
With a flash of bright teeth, she said, “I do.”
“I’ll kill you.”
Okay, this was too upfront.
“Just admit it already!” Lisa stamped her feet irritably. “You two have been giving off such a great vibe lately. As your apprentice, I need to know the truth!”
Luke let out a long sigh. She was getting way too bold.
“I’ll spell it out, since it seems there’s been a misunderstanding.”
“All right.”
“I don’t plan on getting involved with that woman.”
Lisa’s eyes widened in pure disbelief. The look Lisa gave him was no longer one of respect for her master. It was more like she was staring at a complete lunatic. A weirdo, a monster, maybe even a demon or a pervert. Basically, anything but a normal human being.
“No… way. Are you serious? That’s… impossible,” Lisa mumbled.
Luke wondered if what he said was that odd.
Snapping back to reality, Lisa pressed on. “C-Could you clarify that? You didn’t mean—though it sounds impossible—you didn’t mean I have absolutely no intention of dating Cecily, did you?”
“That’s exactly what I meant.”
“A-Are you out of your mind?!”
Now she’s questioning my sanity?
“Because that’s completely weird!” she insisted.
“It’s not. Drop it already.” Luke put a hand up to block any more prying. “That’s enough chatter. Let’s clean up,” he said as coldly as he could, then turned his back to her again.
He could feel her stunned silence, but he refused to entertain her any further. Without another word, he went back to scooping coals into the metal box.
“But why? After everything that’s happened…” Lisa trailed off. Then, she took a deep breath. “Fine. If that’s how you want to play it, I’ve got my own plans.”
“What?” Luke turned just in time to see Lisa bolt from the forge, leaving him all alone.
Her footsteps patted away into the distance.
“What the hell was that about?” Luke muttered, thoroughly confused.
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