Chapter 116

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In the past, preparations for the capital would have made a lot of noise, but now, well-trained servants effortlessly proceeded with their work.

They were so disciplined that if Nina went into the dining hall holding a toad, they would hold out a tray of silver, and ask politely, “Would you mind moving the little guest over here?”

Of course, it was a metaphor, Nina never did such a thing.

‘I will meet Fiona.’

She felt weird thinking about meeting her. It feels somewhat fresh and makes her heart flutter. She wondered if she feels this way because they will meet her sooner than she thought.

‘The dream.’

She remembered the line that Adrian said with full of sarcasm and slander in her dream.

– He must be crying in the arms of the Saint.

‘Was that jealousy?’

Nina tilted her head.

At that time, she felt some of the feelings of Nina inside the dream, but he didn’t seem to have any other thoughts at those words.

Was it this feeling of certainty?

So was it after Randell and Fiona started dating?

After Adrian got dumped?

What the hell is that dream?

Nina let out a big sigh. Then a sign of presence crept up on her. It was a careful, hamster-like gesture.

“Charlotte.”

Nina looked back, and Charlotte grinned and saluted.

“Leader.”

“Are you ready?”

Charlotte became the elite Captain. She had a wide view of things and knew how to look closely at others well. Her peers, Kell and Raja, compensated for her shortcomings and the elite knights now had a stable system.

‘Since we have only gathered individuals with unique personalities······.’

One had to be crazy about the sword to become an elite. There is no way that people who are crazy about only one thing in their lives can live happily and normally in groups.

Of course, none of them dared to turn on the Commander.

A knight listens well when you beat him up.

This was one of Nina’s creeds.

“Good job.”

Nina looked around and stroked Charlotte’s head, who smiled and gladly accepted her hand.

“Then I will go back to my station.”

When Nina motioned for her to leave, Charlotte took two or three steps back and turned around.

Seeing that her steps were light, she must have come here so that Nina could pat her head.

Nina could see Kell and Raja watching the situation from the other side, but she pretended not to know.

They’ll come if they want to get it, won’t they?

Tomorrow is the departure, so Nina also went up to her room and checked her things one last time. Most of them were already taken care of by her attendant, but she also needed to take care of some things by herself.

As she went up to the room, a servant was waiting at the entrance.

She was holding an elongated box in her hand, and Nina could tell at a glance that it was a sword.

“What about the Forge Master?”

“The Master said she was busy, so she only sent the sword through me.”

What.

That’s rare.

All of the swords that Pocco made were brought and handed over to her by her own hands.

Of course, it’s not mandatory to do that, but······.

“Thank you. You may go.”

Nina said as she took the box, the servant greeted politely and left.

As soon as she entered her room, she took off her uniform and put the box on her desk. Carefully unwinding the leather straps around the box, Nina opened the lid and removed the smooth cloth inside.

“Oh, my gosh.”

Nina let out an exclamation without realizing it.

The black scabbard looked like it was covered with scales, just like a scabbard made of black dragon scales. When the light hit it, it shone with a steel color.

The sword guard and hilt were also black. The pommel behind the simple, smooth sword grip glistened like obsidian.

Taking a deep breath, Nina pulled out the sword.

It was a brilliant silver that came out of the black scabbard. Like diamonds, the sunlight bounced in five colors, and the blade glittered like the Silver Lake’s surface.

Nina swallowed her breath.

She can’t believe it’s iron at all. If this is iron, she feels like she could argue that diamonds are also made of iron.

“It’s so pretty.”

It’s too pretty to be used as a weapon or a cutting tool.

But that does not make it a room decoration.

After checking the blade, Nina summoned the spirit. The blade of the sword quickly turned golden and silver again.

“Let’s see.”

Nina swung her sword towards the candlestick.

There was hardly any feedback on her cutting. As she approached the standing candlestick and blew her breath in it, the diagonal cross-section slid down one beat later.

The silver candlestick was cut apart so easily that Nina looked around in bewilderment

‘I shouldn’t have swung it towards the candlestick for nothing. This is expensive.’

She swung it without any force at all, how did it get cut like that?

“This is really dangerous.”

Nina carefully put the sword back into the sheath. If she does something wrong, it’s not far-fetched that her fingers would suddenly fly away without her knowing.

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Pocco’s workshop wasn’t completely outside, but instead, it was a cute stone cabin placed in the garden of the mansion.

Mimina must’ve ripped her hair off while designing Pocco’s workshop. From the outside, it looked like a rustic stone house, like a garden decoration, but inside, it was a well-equipped, top-of-the-line workshop.

When Pocco, the Forger Master, makes things herself, she focuses on quality over quantity. It took her a long time to make one thing, so the interior of the workshop wasn’t crowded with materials and finished products.

Nina knocked on the door when she saw smoke rising from the chimney.

“Pocco, are you in there?”

“I can’t get my hands off the fire right now, so just come in!”

Pocco shouted. Nina opened the door and went inside. The heat of the furnace was filling the room so Nina put North Wind around her.

She was scolded once for putting it on Pocco before. She said she shouldn’t do that because she had to feel the temperature of the fire with her skin.

Pocco looked at the burning Sage Steel as if her eyes were going to pop out, and carefully poured it into the mold.

‘Oh, Lord Louis’ fountain pen. So, she couldn’t come because she’s making this.’

All the officials of the Duchy of Luverne use Pocco’s famous fountain nibs, but Lord Louis’ was different at a glance. This is because the shape of the fountain pen was thinner to match Louis’ writing style, and elaborate and beautiful flower patterns were engraved differently by season.

She carefully poured it into the mold until the last drop fell and it fit perfectly. After looking closely at its tip, Pocco raised her head.

“You can cool me down now.”

Nina smiled and reached out, and the cold wind knocked on Pocco’s cheeks as she gulped down the water with a happy face.

Rubbing sweat roughly with a towel, Pocco asked.

“Is there a problem with the sword?”

“No, it’s very pretty. But how do I manage this? Can I just use the same whetstone I use for sage steel swords?”

“No, you don’t have to use it.”

“Huh?”

“You don’t have to use it. It doesn’t get greasy, it doesn’t get bloody, it doesn’t get dull. Let me take care of it once a year, no, for Dame Nina, once half a year.”

“Really? I don’t have to take care of it?”

“Yes.”

“Wow.”

It can be so convenient!

“Can you show me?”

At Pocco’s words, Nina gladly drew her sword and held it out.

A golden light shone from the inside of the transparent sword, and the engraved frosty crest boasted a delicacy that humans could not reproduce.

“It’s beautiful.”

Pocco sighed.

“Thank you, Pocco.”

“It was nothing. I am also happy to be this continent’s best swordsmith.”

Pocco laughed.

Nina chatted with Pocco until the nib was cool enough, then Nina came out when she sharpened the nib and started crafting it.

It was a long evening, a normal characteristic of the summer season.

Taking a deep breath of the evening air under the bluish sky, Nina smiled.

Finally, she will meet Fiona.

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Notes:

Here’s an image so you guys can understand all the parts of a sword the Author described. On a side note, in case you don’t know, a sword needs constant care. You can’t leave blood or fat on the blade, else it will spoil it and start to rust away.

For that, whetstones are used to sharpen the dull blade, and special cloth and oil to wipe it clean.

Of course, Nina has an OP sword now, so she doesn’t need to spend hours doing the maintenance anymore. LOL