Chapter 36
Come to think of it, the forge was right next to the mana stone shop. The grandfather who had just come out of that place spotted me and quickly ran over.
“I heard you went out. What are you doing here? Hm?”
“Beard… your beard…”
Rubbing, rubbing. He picked me up and, to his heart’s content, rubbed his face against mine before finally letting go.
“Hah, honestly. This is something else.”
“Oh! Blacksmith uncle.”
“Hello there. Would you like to pick out a pretty piece of metal?”
“No… maybe later…”
Only after being blocked by the grandfather’s massive body did I realize the blacksmith uncle was there as well. As always, he stood shirtless, holding a pipe in one hand.
“Get lost. You’re making the kid worn out. Contact me when the next prototype is ready.”
“Yes. As you wish.”
The blacksmith uncle scratched his loosely tied green hair and turned away.
‘Huh? He seems oddly low on energy?’
I tilted my head, noticing how unusually subdued he looked.
“Hah, go on then.”
The moment he disappeared, I asked the grandfather.
“Why is that blacksmith uncle so low on energy today? He seems different from last time.”
The grandfather replied bluntly.
“You mean Medix? Probably because there’s no work at the forge.”
“Hmm? Really?”
“Since the war ended, weapon orders have dropped.”
“Ah—then is he going out of business?”
“Puhaha! Wouldn’t it be fun if he did? But unfortunately, that’s just from the perspective of those weapon-obsessed maniacs.”
“Ahh.”
The grandfather looked unconcerned. Having been at the forge since morning, he carried a faint scent of metal.
“Once we finish making swords for you and the Void fellow, there won’t be much need to make new weapons for a while… Maybe that’s why he’s feeling down.”
“I see…”
“Enough of that nonsense. Show me your hands.”
Suddenly, my hands?
It wasn’t difficult, so I spread both hands wide and held them out in front of him.
“Here you go.”
“Hah! Honestly!”
The grandfather’s nose twitched repeatedly.
“So small, so soft—what a handful! No wonder no sword ever satisfies you!”
Ah, it was about swords.
I imagined myself holding one for a moment.
It would probably be extremely heavy and extremely sharp.
‘But I’ll look really strong.’
Hehe. I suddenly felt eager to get one.
“Tch, at this rate I’ll have to redesign the handle from scratch…”
The grandfather muttered to himself.
As I watched him, I drifted into thought for a moment.
Then, I noticed a knight running at tremendous speed in the distance, kicking up dust.
“Huh? That’s Senior Obron!”
He wasn’t riding a horse—he was sprinting purely on foot.
Though… at a speed almost comparable to riding a horse.
“That Obron fool. He’s lost his mind.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the grandfather timed it perfectly and suddenly stuck out his left leg.
Crash, bang. Senior Obron rolled dramatically across the ground.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
“Ugh! Which bastard—?”
“It’s me.”
A beast standing with the sun behind him and smiling… Looking up at that pitch-black face, I realized again.
‘He’s really… terrible.’
Would it kill him to just call out normally?
“Gah, Your Grace! To think I failed to evade a surprise attack—I still have much to learn! I’ve gained enlightenment!”
However, the senior seemed very used to this.
“Where are you rushing off to with your eyebrows flying like that?”
“Ah! I’m heading to the duke’s residence! We’ve got a new applicant for the knight order!”
“What…?”
The grandfather’s beard twitched.
“A new talent in the North?”
His voice was filled with excitement.
On the other hand, upon hearing that, I felt a chill run down the back of my neck.
It was more like a gut feeling.
‘No way…’
Could it be…?
“G-grandfather! I’m really curious about who it is! Wow, finally someone under me! Wow!”
I exaggerated excessively to spur him on. The grandfather, deeply committed to nurturing new talent, took the bait immediately.
“Very well. Let’s go at once!”
He detached the horse tied to the carriage, mounted it, and scooped me into his arms before galloping off.
“Ah—Lord Rubian! Your Graceee!”
No one could stop the mad dash of the old master.
The people of Zelox calmly stepped aside as if accustomed to it, clearing their stalls.
Thanks to that, we covered a 30-minute distance in just 10 minutes and arrived at the knight order building…
“Wow. Madness… long live madness…”
As expected, my suspicion was correct.
There was no twist.
“What is this half-grown brat?”
The one who boldly stormed into the Zebret Knight Order and declared his intention to join was, as expected—
‘Khalid Liorc…’
My friend—the mage boy.
The grandfather wandered around him like a predator observing prey.
“Hm. Looks like someone who’s handled a blade before.”
A worn-out cloak, an old sword in one hand, and a loosely slung bag over one shoulder.
I peeked into his bag. A crumpled map from just a day ago caught my eye.
From that, I realized Khalid had been roaming around all night to learn the geography of Zelox.
‘I can’t believe this… I shouldn’t have given him that map.’
Don’t go proving your mercenary background like that.
“……”
“……”
After letting out a short sigh, my eyes met Khalid’s.
Only then did I realize my own situation.
Me… being held like a stuffed toy in the arms of the Zebret old master…
From Khalid’s perspective—who had only ever seen my independent and composed side—this must be hard to process.
‘I know what you want to say.’
I widened my eyes and warned him.
‘Zip it for now.’
Zip—like a clean zipper.
‘Go back. We’ll talk later!’
Shoo, shoo.
He must have understood—but Khalid simply smiled faintly and turned his head away. His dark blue hair swayed lightly.
Was that… a smirk?
“Here’s my application.”
“An application too? Surprisingly diligent.”
The grandfather took the paper Khalid handed over. On the pale parchment, something was written in large, bold handwriting.
“What are you… catch?”
“Ah.”
After a brief thought, Khalid drew a line through it and corrected it to “apply.”
“……”
The grandfather looked utterly dumbfounded at the parchment.
Silence lingered, and Khalid slightly raised his brows.
As if checking what was missing, he looked between his document and the surroundings, then said, “Ah.”
Without hesitation, he pulled out a dagger.
“What—!”
He cut the tip of his own thumb and pressed his fingerprint firmly onto the document.
“I don’t have a seal.”
“Have you ever seen such an extreme lunatic!”
The grandfather and the knights all looked shocked. Khalid, meanwhile, calmly licked the blood from his thumb.
‘This crazy guy… seriously…’
His cat-like eyes curved slightly, and the two vertical marks under his left eye gave him a strangely mischievous look.
‘Is this right?’
His expression seemed to ask, satisfied with himself.
Like that would be correct.
“What I wanted to ask is—what exactly is this ‘childhood friend’! You insane kid!”
The grandfather pointed to the lower part of the document.
Khalid tilted his head as if realizing that was what it meant. Then he extended his other hand—the one not covered in blood.
“Her.”
“What? Me?”
“……No. The doll you’re holding like a stuffed toy.”
“……”
“She’s my childhood friend.”
The atmosphere stirred greatly.
“What! Our little nose-pick’s friend?!”
“What nose-pick?”
The grandfather slammed the table. The fragile table cracked.
‘Th-this is it!’
Whether he knew my inner turmoil or not, Khalid simply smiled while looking straight at me.
After a moment, still holding his application, he strode across the room.
“Judging by your expression… you must have missed me quite a bit…”
The boy stopped in front of the door, which creaked open.
“May I have your permission?”
“……”
“Duke Zebret.”
The uncle who had just revealed himself frowned as he looked at the document stamped with a blood seal.
