The Immortal Genius Spearman

Chapter 142

“Why did you come here?”

“To meet someone.”

Damian answered Dianal’s question plainly.

After arriving in Miltobern, they wandered through the blacksmithing district.

At first glance, it didn’t seem much different from before, but upon closer inspection, there were quite a few changes.

“By the way… this forge is enormous.”

“I heard it’s currently the most renowned forge in this blacksmithing district.”

“Master Torrel, huh? Seems he’s pretty famous.”

It was the largest forge in the blacksmithing district.

A lot of people were coming and going, and many workers were busily moving around inside.

Unlike other forges, this place had a lively atmosphere, and Dianal curiously peeked inside.

“…Are the weapons here really that good?”

“They are. After all, they’re made by an outstanding blacksmith.”

“In that case… Do you think I could take a look at the swords here?”

Dianal had lost his sword during the last battle with Galveron.

Although he had been issued a standard supply sword, it was no match for the weapon he had wielded before.

Especially since Dianal’s sword was distinct from a typical longsword in both form and function.

It was easy to understand his desire to own a new weapon.

However—

“No need to look. None of these displayed swords are yours.”

“…I see.”

Given the chance, one might have expected Dianal to at least browse the displays, but he obediently nodded.

That was how much trust he had in Damian’s words.

Seeing that, Damian let out a small chuckle. But then—

“Huh? It’s Master Torrel!”

“Master Torrel’s coming out of the workshop?”

“It’s Master Torrel!”

Suddenly, a commotion erupted from inside the forge, and the gathered crowd turned their attention in one direction.

Even Dianal turned his gaze in that direction.

Master Torrel.

Dianal didn’t know just how famous this person was, but based on the reaction, he seemed to be well-known.

“…He looks quite young, though.”

Moreover, his dark skin stood out.

How extraordinary must his skills be for a person of color to gain such renown in a place like this?

As Master Torrel drew closer, Dianal glanced at Damian.

“Uh… that man’s coming this way.”

At Dianal’s remark, Damian smiled. And just then—

“Damian-nim!”

With a bright smile, Torrel called out Damian’s name in a loud voice.

Seeing that, Damian grinned and replied to him.

“Long time no see. Have you been well?”

Next to him, Dianal’s eyes widened in surprise, blinking as if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

Tension filled the air within the imperial army, fueled by a string of successive failures.

However, independent of that, the Rose Knight Order continued to train rigorously in a tense, sharp atmosphere.

“Haa…”

Piaren, who had been watching the knights train, let out a soft sigh.

Since the previous incident, a large number of knights had been added to the Rose Knight Order.

It had been quite the struggle to get them all in sync, but now things were finally starting to come together.

‘At this level…’

He could say with confidence that the Rose Knight Order had regained its former combat strength.

However—

“…Still no deployment orders, huh.”

Since that day, the Rose Knight Order had been on standby.

Although they had numerous opportunities to be deployed, Galveron had snatched them all away.

‘To be beaten by someone like Galveron…’

The empire seemed to have high expectations for him, but from Piaren’s perspective, Galveron was nothing more than an overhyped fraud.

‘He still hasn’t even mastered aura control.’

He was nothing more than a loyal dog at best.

Clench.

Piaren tightly clenched his fists.

But since Galveron had failed, his opportunity would come soon.

Surely, they wouldn’t mobilize the First or Second Aura Masters.

If they did, it would mean—

‘It would signify that the empire intends to operate its main force.’

Piaren’s eyes grew cold and sharp.

If he wanted to meet that person again, he would have to head to the battlefield.

“Annoying.”

The current situation was suffocating.

Piaren sighed deeply and recalled the captain of the Caion Unit, the one he had encountered on the battlefield.

If they met again…

‘I’ll tear him limb from limb.’

A chilling, murderous aura flickered in Piaren’s gaze.

“Hmm?”

Damian scratched his ear out of nowhere, prompting Dianal, who was walking beside him, to ask:

“Something wrong?”

“No, I just felt like someone was talking bad about me.”

“It’s probably the soldiers. When we left for this outing, a lot of them were grumbling about how you always head out.”

“I’ve got a lot of things to do.”

Hearing that, Damian burst into a hearty laugh.

After all, with the recent breaks from training, he had indeed been heading out quite frequently, so it was only natural for the soldiers to grumble.

“Just buy them some sweets on the way back. That’ll calm them down.”

“That might just work,” Dianal agreed with a nod.

Damian, now in good spirits, turned to Torrel, who was sitting across from them, and asked:

“How have you been?”

“Thanks to you, Damian-nim, I’ve been doing well. I’ve been hearing about you from Lord Diel.”

He had heard that Damian had been in a fairly dangerous battle recently, but seeing him healthy and safe was a relief.

Soon after, Torrel glanced at Dianal and asked:

“And this person is…?”

“Introduce yourselves. This is Dianal, vice-captain of the Caion Unit.”

“I’m Dianal. Nice to meet you.”

“I’m Torrel. I’m called a master, though I feel it’s an overly generous title.”

Torrel shook hands with Dianal and spoke.

Unlike his reputation, he had a rather humble demeanor, which made Dianal smile faintly.

“By the way… there are a lot of people at the forge, huh?”

“And the scale of the place is massive, too.”

Hearing the amazement in Damian and Dianal’s voices, Torrel scratched his head.

“That’s all thanks to Lord Diel’s support. He said, ‘If you’re going to do it, do it right.’”

“That sounds just like Lord Diel, haha.”

Damian let out a small laugh, then added,

“Oh, by the way, Lord Diel will be coming here soon. I sent him a letter through a messenger a few days ago asking him to come here.”

Recalling the letter he had sent a few days earlier, Damian nodded to himself.

Hearing that, Torrel smiled, clearly pleased.

“It’s been a while since I’ve seen him. That’s good news.”

Afterward, Damian and Torrel exchanged stories about what had been happening since they last met.

Since it had been a while, there were plenty of things to talk about.

“These days, I’m practically living in the workshop. Too many people come looking for me, and some even want to talk about business deals.”

“That sounds like a headache, hahaha.”

“It’s fine as long as I stay hidden. The Hamel Trading Company handles all the business stuff for me, so it’s actually pretty convenient.”

With Torrel focused solely on his craft, the quality of the weapons coming out of the forge naturally improved.

On top of that, items commissioned by nobles were being sold at high prices, making it a win-win for the Hamel Trading Company as well.

After some time, Torrel glanced at Damian and asked,

“But why the sudden visit to Miltobern without notice?”

“Just a combination of reasons. I wanted to meet Lord Diel and discuss a few things with him.”

Damian turned to Torrel and asked,

“By the way, about that sword I requested before… how’s it coming along?”

“Ah, you mean those two swords?”

“Yes.”

Damian nodded.

“They’re already finished. I stored them in the warehouse, ready to give them to you whenever you asked for them.”

“Ah, I see.”

With that, Damian turned to Dianal and gave him a mischievous grin.

“…?”

Dianal tilted his head in confusion at Damian’s sudden smile.

“This guy is the owner of those swords. Can we see them now?” Damian asked Torrel.

“Of course. Want to head over there now?”

“Sounds good to me.”

“My… my swords?”

Dianal blinked in confusion, glancing around as if he couldn’t believe it.

This explained why Damian had stopped him from checking out the swords on display earlier.

Realizing that, Dianal nodded.

“Y-yes, I’d like to see them.”

It was clear that Dianal was hungry for a new weapon.

The three of them stood up and made their way to Torrel’s warehouse.

It was a place where only the most precious of Torrel’s handcrafted weapons were stored.

“Hmm… it’s quite well-organized, isn’t it?”

“These are reserved items or goods for important clients, so I have to keep them in order. And here are your swords.”

Torrel pulled aside a cloth draped over a shelf.

Unwrapping the fabric carefully, he revealed two uniquely shaped swords.

They were unlike ordinary longswords.

They somewhat resembled the shamshirs used in desert kingdoms, but upon closer inspection, they had their own distinct design.

The slight curve in the blade was so subtle that it felt almost straight. The blue-tinted hilt and scabbard exuded an air of luxury and refinement.

“Why don’t you try drawing one of them?”

“This… is my sword?”

“Yes. You needed a weapon that matched your fighting style, after all.”

Dianal’s swordplay required a weapon that could handle both slashing and thrusting attacks with speed.

On top of that, his combat style focused heavily on spinning momentum, so the blade had to emphasize slicing motion.

And—

‘Now that his magic power has increased, the sword also needs excellent magic conductivity.’

That was why Damian had sent a letter to Torrel, asking him to create a sword specifically for Dianal.

He hadn’t expected Dianal’s sword to break during a battle, but the timing turned out to be perfect.

Hearing Torrel’s words, Dianal grasped the handle of the sword.

Sssssing!

The sound of metal sliding against the scabbard was so clear and sharp that it sent a chill down his spine.

Dianal fully unsheathed the sword, his eyes wide in astonishment.

“…Ah.”

A soft gasp escaped his lips as he gazed at the sword.

Torrel, noticing his reaction, explained,

“I combined the leftover Amantatium with a hint of Mithril when forging it. Some leftover minerals were available from a previous commission, so I used them for this project.”

Interestingly, although only a small amount of Mithril was used, the entire blade gave off a faint blue glow.

“It seems Mithril’s influence is quite strong. During testing, it turned out to be significantly stronger than a standard steel sword, and its magic conductivity is exceptional.”

Torrel glanced at Dianal and asked,

“Can you use magic?”

“Yes, I can.”

“Then why not give it a try?”

At that, Dianal glanced at Damian.

With a nod from Damian, Dianal stepped back and took a deep breath.

“Huuuu…”

He exhaled deeply and began to draw out his magic power.

There was a slight sting from his not-yet-fully-healed wounds, but—

Wooooom!

A faint hum resonated as blue-tinged magical energy coated the blade in his hand.

Dianal’s eyes widened, unable to hide his amazement.

“Do you like it?”

“Yes… I’ve never seen or heard of a weapon like this before. How is this even possible…?”

Even the weight was far lighter than the sword he had used before.

With the reduced weight—

Swoosh!

Dianal gave the sword a quick swing.

With only a slight application of force, the sword moved as if it were an extension of his own will.

Dianal’s expression was one of pure shock.

Seeing that, Damian grinned.

“Glad to hear you like it.”

He was relieved to see that the gift had been a success.

But then—

“And I’ve also made a new weapon for you, Damian-nim.”

“…For me?”

Hearing this unexpected news, Damian looked at Torrel with surprise.