Let's Try That Too. (3)
When Ghislain asked for Gramdir, the dwarf's face turned pale.
And it wasn't just the dwarf who had been jeering at the front. The other dwarves, who had been collecting money and helping with the work, were no different.
The dwarf stammered, his face deathly white.
"You, you can have it. But wouldn't 100 gold coins be better than that scrap?"
"I want that sword."
"That thing's no good. It's complete junk. I'm telling you this out of conscience."
"It's fine. Just hand it over."
"H-how about I give you 200 gold instead? Let's just call it a day, I'm not feeling too well right now."
Ghislain let out a small chuckle and reached out his hand.
"No, I'm taking that sword."
Snap!
A thread of mana shot out from Ghislain and snatched up Gramdir.
He turned the sword around in his hand, examining it from different angles, then smiled in satisfaction.
"I really like it. This is exactly the sword I wanted."
He reached for the sheath nearby and slid the blade inside.
Clack!
Ghislain fastened the sheath to his waist. He was acting as if it were already his own property.
At that sight, the dwarf let out a wail and lunged at Ghislain.
"G-give it back! That's my sword!"
"Whoa there, what's the problem? It's mine now. There are plenty of witnesses. Everyone here saw it."
"I'll give you 500 gold! 500 gold coins!"
"I said no."
"I'll give you 1,000 gold! I don't have the full amount right now, but I swear on my name as the great dwarf, Torvalt! I'll gather the money and pay you!"
"No need to go that far."
Ghislain shook his head. He already had plenty of money. And if needed, he could earn more any time.
After all, Ghislain owned shares in the gold mines of the Lacus Territory. A thousand gold coins were nothing to him.
But this sword was different. It was a blade worth more than tens of thousands of gold, something money alone couldn't buy.
The onlookers also began to sense something strange.
"What is it? Wasn't it just scrap?"
"It's not an artifact. There's no magical processing on it at all."
"Then why is he so desperate?"
Everyone was watching Torvalt's behavior. This wasn't how a proud dwarf usually acted.
Until now, he had been so smug. Yet here he was, groveling over a single sword.
It was all too strange, but with no clear reason, they could only feel frustrated.
Eventually, someone spoke up.
"What's with that sword anyway?"
"T-that… I can't say! It's important to me! It's a sword with a story!"
"Then you shouldn't have put it up as a prize in the first place. You could've just taken the money."
Torvalt had no response to that.
It was true. His pride had caused all this.
He had thought no one would be able to solve the problem. He had looked down on humans, assuming they wouldn't recognize the sword's value.
There was also a twisted thrill in staking something so important, a guilty pleasure of sorts.
But then some strange man had come along, solved the problem by force, and taken the sword. He couldn't just let it go.
"Absolutely not! You can't have it!"
Torvalt threw himself to the ground and grabbed Ghislain's pants leg.
But of course, that didn't work on Ghislain. He simply slipped his foot free and said,
"A promise is a promise. You shouldn't break your word."
"Ughhhh… Just what did you do? Why didn't it go off?!"
"I'm healthy."
"Argh! Don't give me that nonsense!"
Ghislain let out a chuckle as he looked at the frantic Torvalt.
It wasn't a big deal, really. He had simply inserted threads of mana into the mechanism before it exploded and severed the circuit.
Hundreds of threads wrapped around the mechanism, disabling the explosive sequence and breaking the entire thing. There was no way it could detonate.
Only Ghislain could pull off such a technique, so Torvalt couldn't even begin to understand it.
As Ghislain turned to leave, Torvalt snapped out of it.
That sword was truly important. He couldn't afford to lose it.
If he could turn back time, he would never have foolishly staked it as a prize.
He ran to block Ghislain's path and shouted,
"Wait! Let's do it again!"
"Hm?"
Suddenly, Torvalt began furiously scribbling something on a piece of paper.
This time, he crafted a problem so difficult that brute force wouldn't help—an incredibly complex challenge using all his dwarven knowledge.
It was a problem that couldn't be solved without an extraordinary level of engineering expertise.
With confidence, Torvalt handed the paper to Ghislain and declared,
"Let's make another wager! If you solve this problem, I'll give you an extra 1,000 gold coins! But if you can't, return the sword to me!"
"Hmmm…"
The onlookers watched with interest.
It was a problem crafted by a dwarf who had fully committed himself. No ordinary person could solve it.
They were curious to see how Ghislain would handle it this time.
Torvalt wore a triumphant expression.
'This time, that ridiculous trick of yours won't work! Crumble before the shining wall of dwarven knowledge built over centuries!'
In the heavy silence, Ghislain slowly examined the paper.
Then, suddenly, he tossed it over his shoulder and said,
"I'm not doing it."
"…What?"
"I said I'm not doing it."
"Why not?"
"It's too hard. I don't even get what it says."
"...…"
Torvalt stood there dumbfounded.
Ghislain looked at him with an expression that said, What do you want me to do?
"Just because you want a rematch, I'm supposed to agree? I can just say no."
The crowd gasped and nodded.
He wasn't wrong. If he didn't want to play, he didn't have to.
Torvalt hadn't thought of that. The realization hit him hard.
"You… You have to! Why won't you? I'm offering another 1,000 gold! Don't you have any pride?!"
"I won, why would my pride be hurt?"
"Grrrr! You! Do you even know who I am?!"
"Nope. Don't care."
"..."
A complete defeat. He couldn't even win the argument.
Thud!
Torvalt dropped to his knees, dazed. The shock must have been too great—he was even drooling.
Ghislain swung the sword and spoke to his companions.
"Let's go. We need a wash and some rest."
Leaving the devastated Torvalt behind, Ghislain walked away. The crowd burst into cheers as they watched him go.
"Yeah! That was awesome!"
"Serves that arrogant dwarf right!"
"That guy is seriously cool!"
To them, it had been incredibly satisfying to see the smug dwarf put in his place.
As they walked away, Ghislain kept looking at the sword with a pleased expression. The others found it odd.
They had never seen Ghislain show such desire for any object before.
Yulian looked at him curiously and asked,
"Why'd you choose the sword instead of the money? Is it really that good?"
"Aah, this really is an incredible sword. I don't think I've ever seen one better in my life."
"Really? No matter how I look at it, it just seems like an ordinary sword."
"It's meteoric iron."
At those words, the group was startled.
What is meteoric iron? It is the purest form of iron, extracted only from meteorites.
Its quality is incomparable to any iron found in this world. For that reason, it was often called the sacred metal, a gift for those chosen by the heavens.
Though the quality may vary slightly from one meteorite to another, the sheer rarity of the material made those differences negligible.
If a dwarf had forged this meteoric iron, then calling it a legendary sword would not be an exaggeration.
Kyle asked in disbelief from the side,
"But it's all rusted. I heard meteoric iron doesn't rust or corrode."
"Meteoric iron doesn't mean it can't rust at all… but the rust on this is definitely fake."
"Fake?"
"Yeah, I don't know why it was made to look like this. Probably some trick the dwarf played."
"Then how did Ghislain recognize it?"
"A long time ago... a friend I knew used a sword like this."
Ghislain glanced at Yulian and smiled.
In his past life, Yulian had led the human alliance and used a similar sword.
Whether it had been a treasure of the Turian royal family or something he'd acquired elsewhere, Ghislain didn't know. The future Yulian had always been a quiet man.
But Ghislain remembered clearly how incredible that sword had been. Even someone like him, with little material desire, had wanted it.
Ghislain looked around at everyone and spoke.
"I'll show you what this sword really looks like."
"The real form?"
"Yeah, watch closely."
Shrrrk.
Ghislain drew the sword and infused it with mana.
Wooooong…
With a resonating hum, the rust that clung to the blade flaked off and fell away.
And what was revealed beneath it—
A pitch-black metal, so dark even light seemed to hesitate to touch it.
Gramdir's blade was dark and smooth, but on its surface, faint patterns shimmered and rippled like flowing waves.
It looked as if stars were gliding through the cosmos—a mysterious, almost sacred vision.
He had barely infused any mana, and already the patterns had revealed themselves. At the same time, the entire sword emitted a gentle vibration, sending a low hum into the air.
The group, watching closely, involuntarily held their breath.
"W-what… is that…?"
"Can it really change like that?"
"Is there some kind of magic on it?"
It was completely different from when it held no mana.
Looking at that sword made one feel as if centuries of time were sleeping within it.
Light refracted the moment it touched the blade. It no longer seemed like metal—it looked like a fragment of the universe itself, shaped into a weapon.
Ghislain lightly slashed at the air.
Paaak!
An otherworldly energy twisted space itself, causing everyone to flinch.
A breeze like a blade brushed their skin, and a pressure pierced deep into their chests.
He had only cut through empty air once, but it felt like they had all been slashed. It was as if the line between reality and unreality had briefly blurred.
Of course, that wasn't the sword's innate ability. It was Ghislain's overwhelming power, perfectly realized through the sword.
Saaaaaa…
As Ghislain withdrew his mana, the sword returned to its original state. To anyone unaware, it looked like a dull, ordinary blade not worth a second glance.
Ghislain gently waved the sword and smiled.
"So? Pretty amazing, huh?"
"Wow…"
Everyone stood frozen with their mouths agape. The sword Ghislain had briefly revealed was just that beautiful and awe-inspiring.
Ghislain continued his explanation.
"Of course, just pouring mana into it won't do that. You have to become one with the sword, and know how to control its flow."
Ghislain, who could manipulate the power of will itself, could even awaken the will of tools. More precisely, the sword would respond to his intent and resonate in kind.
But others who hadn't reached that level couldn't understand what he meant.
Osval scratched his head and asked,
"What do you mean by that? Are you saying it won't work like you showed if someone else uses it? It's just a sword—how can it change?"
Ghislain handed the sword to Osval and said,
"Try infusing it with mana."
Osval grinned eagerly and channeled a generous amount of mana into the blade.
The sword resonated faintly again, but the mysterious transformation that Ghislain had shown did not occur.
At most, it gave off a faint aura, no more than what an ordinary magic-infused sword would do.
"Uh… what's this? It's just a normal sword, isn't it?"
Osval asked in disappointment. Ghislain shrugged.
"You didn't become one with the sword."
"But I'm a person. How do I become one with a sword? Am I a chimera or something? Should I chop off an arm and stick the sword on it?"
"...…."
Faced with that brutally direct and logical question, Ghislain had no response.
Nor did the others understand what Ghislain meant.
He opened his mouth to explain further, but then shook his head. This was something one had to realize through personal awakening.
Ghislain took the sword back and looked at Yulian.
"Want it?"
"…For me?"
"Yeah. I 'reeeeeeally' want this sword, but if you want it, I'll give it to you."
"…No."
Yulian shook his head. As a swordsman, it wasn't that he wasn't tempted.
But when he thought about it, Ghislain had always been the one giving to them. He didn't want to take the first thing Ghislain ever truly desired.
Besides, Ghislain was the only one who could truly awaken the sword's power anyway.
Ghislain asked again to confirm.
"Are you sure I should keep it?"
"Yeah, that's right."
"Hmm."
If Yulian had wanted it, Ghislain would've handed it over, albeit with a bit of reluctance. It would've been easier for him to use, but he was already someone who didn't rely on tools.
Still, he understood why Yulian had refused, and decided to respect that.
As Ghislain turned his head, he saw Kyle staring with sparkling eyes and drooling.
Ghislain said to him,
"Hey, stop drooling and—"
"I'll take it!"
"..."
"Give it to me!"
"..."
It was so shameless that Ghislain had to give him a clear answer.
"I'll use it for now."
"Tch."
Kyle pouted.
And it wasn't just Kyle. Lionel was staring at the sword with burning desire in his eyes.
So were the other mercenaries. Had it not been Ghislain, they might have rushed in and tried to take it.
If they hadn't seen the sword's true form, it would've been fine. But now that they had, the desire to possess it was too strong.
Ghislain clicked his tongue and shook his head.
"This is why treasures cause fights."
Refusing such a treasure like Yulian did was admirable. Truly a hero of the future.
Ghislain stored Gramdir in his subspace. He planned to keep it there for now and only use it when needed.
And not just because of the group.
'They don't look like they're giving up that easily.'
Torvalt and his friends, who had lost the sword, were now lurking in the shadows, watching Ghislain closely.
For now, Ghislain booked a large and luxurious inn. With the city so full of merchants, there were more than enough places to stay.
The party members rested, while Ghislain and the core group washed up, changed clothes, and headed out to meet the city's governor.
It wasn't difficult to meet him. They no longer looked like beggars, and they had identification from the Holy See.
The city governor greeted Ghislain's group with proper courtesy. Even if it was unofficial, they were envoys of the Empire, after all.
After warm greetings and introductions, the governor cautiously asked,
"What brings emissaries from the Holy Empire to this place?"
Ghislain didn't beat around the bush. He spoke directly.
"Please gather your forces. Contact the lords of the nearby territories and rally their troops as well."
"...…"
Despite the sudden demand, the governor kept a smiling face. Though his cheek twitched slightly.
However, the way he looked at Ghislain now… it was like he was staring at a madman.