After our last conversation in the library, the young weaponsmith, Signa, brought me to see her workplace—her forge.
Her forge was located in the basement of the women's dormitory where she lived. She told me she had received this room from the teachers as a reward for being an outstanding student in the weapon-making branch. That told me this girl's skills were far from ordinary.
Inside the basement, there seemed to be several other weapon-crafting rooms as well, which meant other students probably had their own workspaces here too.
Soon, we arrived at her workshop. After I stepped inside, the first thing I noticed were the numerous steel swords displayed all around the room.
Hmm... all of this belongs to her?
I stared at the surrounding swords with interest. Signa, noticing my interest in them, spoke up.
"Heh heh... it seems you're interested in these swords, Alan. If you like one, I'd be happy to give you one," the girl said with a radiant smile, as if proudly showing off her creations.
"They may not be as magnificent as magic swords or as durable as high-grade swords, but when it comes to the sharpness of the blade and the weight in your hand, my swords are second to none."
Hearing those words, I tried touching the blade of one of the swords... and it seemed to be true. The blade I felt was incredibly sharp... it might even be able to contend with the scales of a D-rank Agredon. And the durability she mentioned seemed to be an understatement, because these swords appeared to be extremely tough. It was as if... she had crafted every single sword with meticulous care. And beyond that....
I used my Eye of the Wind to gaze at all the swords. At that moment... I saw that every sword in this room had magical power infused within it.
It was only a small amount, but if these swords were wielded by someone with high magical power, they would be quite frightening.
"These swords have magic in them?..." I said in a soft voice, but it was loud enough for the girl to hear.
"Oh, you can feel it? That's right. These swords were made with the intention of turning them into magic swords."
"Though it was a failure, heh heh..." the girl let out a dry laugh with a slightly sad face.
But even so, to be able to infuse magical power into ordinary swords like this, it seemed this girl was as special as I thought.
"Alright, before we begin, can I see the item you want me to help reinforce?"
Hearing that, I gave her a small nod before reaching into my bag and handing the magic gauntlet to the girl in front of me.
Seeing its shape, the girl looked surprised.
"A gauntlet?... Oh, what a peculiar-looking invention," the girl said, examining it from all angles. But since she didn't know much about inventions, she didn't ask any questions.
"Hmm... if it's just this, it'll be easy. It should be done by tomorrow. You can count on me."
Hearing that, I wrote a magic note and sent it to her.
"But I haven't even helped you yet? Are you sure it's okay to do it for me first?"
"Haha, don't worry about it. Just consider it an advance payment. Now... let's get to our main topic. Follow me. I'll show you my forging room," Signa said, waving for me to follow her. I then realized there was another room inside. After entering, I saw an anvil, along with piles of steel and countless magic crystal ores.
If I had to describe it... this place was a paradise for swordsmiths.
"Alan, come sit here," Signa said, beckoning me to sit in front of her, at a spot before the anvil. I walked over and sat down. At that moment, Signa spoke.
"What I want you to do is... help me transfer the magical power from these crystals into the sword I'm making," Signa said, pointing to the large pile of magic crystals.
"Transfer power..." I repeated her words in a flat tone. The girl, hearing this, smiled.
"The truth is... the only thing I'm good at is forging swords. So, to create a magic weapon, it's necessary to transfer magical power into the sword to make it absorb the element, right? That's the only way to create a magic sword without relying on magical ore."
"It's a little embarrassing to have to ask for your help with this, but for this step, I really need an assistant... Actually, I've been looking for an assistant for a long time, but no one has caught my eye... until I met you, Alan," Signa said with a smile as she looked at me. Hearing that, I wrote a magic note and sent it to her.
"So you haven't had an assistant all this time?"
"Hehe, well... I usually work alone. I'm not very good at working with other people," Signa smiled sheepishly.
In that case... all this work, this girl did it all by herself?
No matter how skilled a swordsmith is, they usually need many partners to create a truly great sword. But this girl was telling me she could create the amazing works outside all by herself. This was far beyond just being "skilled"... this was genius.
A magic sword, huh?
If it's her... she might actually be able to do it.
...............................
Another week passed.
My collaboration with Signa on creating a magic sword was progressing better and better. We managed to create three swords that were similar to magic swords. Although the magic power within them was only half that of a true magic sword, it was still a successful start, halfway to our goal. Signa seemed extremely happy to have been able to do it. Of course, I was also happy for her achievement.
Over the past week, I had observed many things about Signa. Normally, this girl never went anywhere and would hole herself up in this room all the time. This meant she was barely aware of how many days had passed or what was happening outside. That was because when Signa was forging, all of her concentration was focused solely on the anvil, making her forget everything around her.
Even though she would occasionally go up to the dorm to eat, once she was finished, she would inevitably come back down here to work.
You could say she was a pretty reckless girl. And perhaps for that reason, she had no friends or partners. She was completely unaware of the bad reputation the original Alan had built up.
And more importantly, something I hadn't realized was that Signa was actually very famous among the first-year students.
It was said that many nobles and top-ranking students wanted Signa to make weapons for them. That was because of the numerous rumors about this girl, that she was a genius weapon creator, the kind you only see once every 100 years.
Hearing those stories, I didn't think to argue. It was the truth. Looking at all the swords she had made, calling this girl merely "superb" might even be an understatement.
But when I told Signa about this, all she gave back was a shy smile and said, "They think that about me? Hehe... I had no idea."
The girl's shy face at that moment was such a mismatch with the serious expression she wore while forging. Heh heh...
.....................
Thump.
I closed the book I was reading. I was currently in the library of the magic branch. By now, I was free from my punishment. I could use magic again and could go home if I wanted to. But I still chose to come and study magic first. If you're asking why? There's no reason. I just wanted to study it, that's all.
To be honest, I already knew every type of magic that existed in this world from the game. But what I chose to study was mostly the control and application of various spells.
No matter how many spells you can use, control and application are what's most important. Because if you can't control it, it's no different from a foolish waste of magical power.
My body walked out of the library, heading back to Signa's forge. It seemed she was working harder than usual today, and I thought I should probably buy her something to eat. But on my way to the women's dormitory, I suddenly saw a group of familiar figures waiting for me in front of the building.
There were several of them waiting, but there was only one person whose face I recognized. And that person was none other than the guy I had knocked out two weeks ago.
"Heh heh, long time no see, Seyfirus..." the man greeted me with a crude tone. At that moment, the students next to him moved to surround me.
"Two weeks ago, you really did a number on me. This time, I'm going to pay you back in full," the man standing in front of me said, glaring at me with eyes full of rage.
I glanced at the three or four students surrounding me out of the corner of my eye before speaking in a flat voice.
"What's this... you brought friends just to gang up on me?... Are you guys insane?"
"Do you think trash like you... can do anything to me with just this number of people?" A cold smile formed on my face, causing the students standing around to tremble slightly in fear, including the man who had come to pick a fight.
"H-Heh, don't get cocky!! This time, I won't lose to you!!!"
Fwoosh!!!
Red flames erupted from the hands of the man before me. Judging by the amount of magic, he was likely a mid-tier mage.
"Remember this, Seyfirus. I am the son of General Gagas of the Ilen Kingdom. This time!! I will deal with you for daring to dishonor me!!"
"By the sacred vow of the magical arts!!! I challenge you to a duel!!"
Fwoom!!!
A blue wall appeared around us, pushing that guy's lackeys outside, leaving only me and the man in front of me inside the circle.
This was the Dueling Spell. Only mid-tier mages knew this incantation. Hoh... so this guy isn't so ordinary after all.
If someone loses in this dueling ring, the winner can ask one thing of the loser. That is the condition of this spell. Normally, anyone can refuse, but as it happens, right now....
I felt like testing something.
"I, Seyfirus Alan Hylm... accept the duel."
As my words ended, the blue magical glow enveloping us shot outwards, expanding to the size of a large field.
The man in front of me took a fighting stance before shouting, his voice full of power.
"Face me, Seyfirus!!!!!!!!!" With that, his body charged toward me.
And the battle began.