CH 2.23

High Elf and Sword Princess

Translated by Mlzkzr

Edited by Mlzkzr

Two years after Kaeha left the Royal Capital to become an adventurer, I received a request from the blacksmith union to participate in a competition to select a sword to be presented to the king.

The result was, I was in third place, with first and second place going to Dwarven blacksmiths living in the royal capital.

It seems that I competed with second place to some extent, but since the current king prefers ornate decorations, it seems that my sword, which emphasizes practicality, did not suit the purpose of the competition.

I would like you to say that first.

But it seems that the knight captain of the castle liked the sword I submitted and bought it, and it turned out to be quite a bit of profit, so all’s well that ends well.

However, as a result of that, more people are coming to me asking me to forge them swords, so I guess that is a bit of a negative.

And it seems that there are several elf adventurers in the royal capital, and they have heard rumors about me and have come to consult me ​​about equipment.

At first they come to see the elven blacksmith, curious to see what he looks like, until they see my face, realize I’m a high elf, and kneel; that’s the pattern.

But since every elf adventurer was an oddball, once they understood that I didn’t want that kind of attitude, they would treat me normally.

Little by little, my acquaintances in the royal capital are growing.

Incidentally, in that year, Kaeha rose in rank as an adventurer to a five-star rank.

It’s my third year, I wonder if it’s the influence of the Knight Commander having seemed to love my sword?

Requests through the blacksmith union began to include more and more items from the nobility.

That said, no matter what the status of the other party is, it is still the same work of making and delivering a product.

However, I am fed up with the fact that among the people who come to the dojo, messengers from the nobility are mixed in.

I’ve refused all of their requests, such as giving priority to accepting their own requests, coming to their territory because they have something to do for me, or inviting me to a dinner party, but if they’re persistent, I ask the wind spirit to blow them away.

In human society, it is said that the nobility has great power here in the Kingdom of Ludria, but that is irrelevant to me.

When more than one person came at me, I would blow them away and file complaints through the blacksmith union. Eventually, the nobles understood that I was even more stubborn than the dwarves and that it would be a loss for them if they touch my nerves.

Also, in this year’s competition, despite having more decorations than the previous year, the result was I was in second place.

The dwarf who took first place was the same as last year, he was apparently a master craftsman without a doubt.

It is said that the top rank in this fair is usually occupied by dwarves, and it is unprecedented for a non-dwarf, even an elven blacksmith, to be in the top position two years in a row.

Well, in the first place, there seems to be no elven blacksmith other than me, so that’s natural.

Ah, and I haven’t neglected my sword training either, so maybe I can swing my sword at a similar level, if not the same as Kaeha before she became an adventurer and went to Vistkort, I guess.

I still have the image of Kaeha swinging her sword in my mind, and I continue to train with that as my role model.

Up to this point, so to speak, I have walked along a well-maintained road.

And in the letter that arrived at the end of this year, it was written that Kaeha had been promoted to six-star rank, and that she would return to the royal capital and to this dojo in a little while.

That day, I would swing the sword in the morning, help Kaeha’s mother with the shopping at noon, and then hammer the iron.

Since the time the letter arrived, Kaeha’s mother has been preparing a feast every day and waiting for Kaeha’s return.

Of course, I couldn’t let them go to waste, so I ate what was left over day after day.

If Kaeha doesn’t come home soon, I will definitely gain weight.

When I wiped the sweat that flowed out from being roasted in the furnace with a cloth, the wind blew through the open door and cooled my skin.

The blacksmith shop is supposed to be closed, but I dare to open the door a little so that a little breeze can come in.

That is because, yes, if someone approaches the dojo like right now, it will be taught to me by the spirit of the wind in this way.

“Yes, thanks for letting me know. I’ll go meet them.”

I hang my sword from my waist and head for the dojo gate.

If this feeling in my heart is correct, today would be the last day of me playing the role of a watchdog.

However, the world did not go the way I wanted it to.

After waiting for a while inside the gate, two figures climbed the stairs and came inside.

One of them is definitely Kaeha.

Before she became an adventurer, she was at the end of her years when people can call her a girl, but now she has become a fine adult woman.

The atmosphere she wore is also very different.

She was no longer the girl who had always struggled to be tall enough to handle everything herself, and the one who was standing there was a calm-looking woman whose overstretching had caught up with her stature.

But the problem is the person standing next to her.

I pull out my sword and take a stance, with a faint feeling of foreboding that the person I know so well is here.

Then, perhaps sensing my intention, Kaeha did the same.

The next moment when our gazes entwined, she and I stepped forward at the same time and swung our swords.

There was no sound of swords clashing with each other.

However, the sword I swung was cleanly cut off from the middle.

Instead of colliding with each other, my sword was cut unilaterally.

Hence, there was no sound.

……in terms of sword quality, the one I had would have been superior.

This is because what Kaeha is holding is the sword I forged three years ago, and the sword that I slashed with just now was struck about half a year ago.

My blacksmithing skills have become a little better than they were three years ago, so I have no doubt that this sword would have been better, if only slightly.

With an overwhelming difference in skill, my sword was cut down.

I see.

This is the current sword of Kaeha, which has been refined and sublimated after experiencing several actual battles over the past three years, huh.

Ah, it is an amazingly, beautiful swordsmanship.

Although it must have been polished through actual battles, it does not seem rough at all, it even seems graceful.

Seeing it just before my eyes, I think.

The three years of waiting for her were not in vain.

In just three years, she has blossomed into such a brilliant and great flower.

“Welcome home, Kaeha-shishou. ……And long time no see, Airena. You need my help, don’t you?”

Once again, the guidepost is firmly burned into my eyes.

So although I feel sorry for the sword that was cut, I am satisfied with this outcome.

Therefore, I asked her.

To Airena, who showed up with Kaeha, whom I presumed was bringing trouble.

I who stayed in this place, foresee that I would probably not have time to learn the sword from Kaeha.