“I like soup!”
“That’s a relief.”
Ian gently patted Rose’s head, then took out some water from his inventory.
He first washed his hands, melted butter in a pot, and gradually added flour to make a roux.
As the roux turned brown, he added milk and dried vegetables, creating a fragrant vegetable soup.
Ian served the soup into bowls he had prepared.
“Be careful, it’s hot.”
“Okay!”
Ian served Rose and Fenrex first before speaking to Edelmar.
“Grand duke, please have some.”
“Hmm. You can cook too?”
“It’s a basic skill when raising a child.”
Ian had mastered cooking from various cuisines – Korean, Japanese, Western, Chinese, Italian – all to raise his only niece in good health. Making soup was a simple task for him.
Edelmar, unbothered by the humble wooden bowl typically used by commoners, took a sip of the soup and commented.
“It’s tastier than expected.”
“Then please, have plenty.”
After replying briefly, Ian checked on Rose and began eating his soup as well.
Perhaps due to her hunger, Rose ate more than usual.
Seeing Rose with a little bulge in her stomach, Ian smiled and patted her head.
“Did you enjoy the soup, Rose?”
“Yes! It was really tasty!”
“I want meat.”
Unlike Rose, Fenrex seemed displeased with the meatless soup and barely ate, muttering complaints.
“If you’re not the one catching it, don’t complain.”
“Can I catch it then?”
Fenrex’s eyes sparkled.
“Not now. Later. We need to get going.”
With no place to wash the dishes along the road, Ian gathered the soup-stained bowls, stored them in his inventory, lifted Rose onto his horse, and mounted.
“We should hurry if we want a proper lunch.”
Understanding the distance to the next territory, Edelmar nodded and mounted his horse as well.
As Fenrex transformed back into his wolf form, the two urged their horses to gallop swiftly.
The fast-paced ride made it hard for Rose to keep her eyes open, so she nestled her face against Ian’s chest.
Yet, she would occasionally lift her head, marveling at the scenery.
After a steady ride, they reached the territory of Béchamel.
Smoke billowed from every house in Béchamel, a place where blacksmiths resided.
“There’s smoke coming from the chimneys.”
“That’s because they have forges here.”
“Forges?”
“Yes. They use forges to melt metal. Want to get down and take a look?”
Rose nodded.
Ian dismounted and carried Rose in his arms.
“I want to walk down.”
“No, it’s too dangerous here.”
The place was hazardous, with many sharp tools around and small forges set up at the entrance of each shop, posing a risk of burns if one wasn’t careful.
“Aww.”
Ian gently stroked Rose’s back as she pouted, and Edelmar approached him.
“Are we staying here tonight?”
“Yes. It would be difficult to travel further.”
Rose had cried in the Wakta territory, which drained her energy, and perhaps the fear of being left behind by her uncle had tensed her up.
By the time they reached Béchamel, Rose was already dozing off.
Forcing her to continue might make her ill, so resting here for the night seemed best.
“I’ll need to find an inn first.”
“I know a place.”
In the story, there was an instance where the heroine, Yekhaterina, visited the Béchamel estate.
Recalling that the ‘Kupa Inn’ was said to be the best inn where they had stayed at the time, Ian sought out the Kupa Inn.
“Welcome! How many guests?”
“We need two large rooms and one small room, please.”
The innkeeper hesitated, looking troubled.
“I’m sorry, with so many visitors in town, we only have one large room left.”
Seeing Ian hesitate, the innkeeper quickly added a suggestion.
“They’re likely full elsewhere as well. Today is our market day here in the territory, so many people have come to purchase weapons.”
“Ah.”
Since Béchamel is known for its blacksmiths, it hosts a grand market once a year where blacksmiths showcase their finest weapons.
It seemed that today was that very day.
“What should we do?”
Edelmar asked, sighing.
“Please bear with it, even if it’s a bit inconvenient. Innkeeper, we’ll take the one large room, then.”
The innkeeper smiled brightly.
“Good choice. The large room has three beds, so you won’t be too uncomfortable.”
“Alright.”
The innkeeper handed over the keys and asked them.
“What about your meals?”
“We’ll be leaving in the morning, so just breakfast tomorrow will be fine.”
“Great! Our food has a good reputation, so enjoy as much as you like.”
Following Ian as he received the change, the group climbed to the third floor, where their room was located.
“They weren’t kidding; it’s really spacious.”
The room was clean and spacious, just as it had been described. With three beds, it seemed they would only be inconvenienced when it came to washing up.
Ian placed Rose down and tied back her wind-tousled hair.
“Rose, shall we go out to eat?”
“Yes!”
Rose responded, raising both hands excitedly.
“I was thinking of going out to explore a bit. Would you care to join us?” Ian offered.
Edelmar thought for a moment.
“I’ll join you after I send a letter to my brother. Go on ahead.”
“Understood.”
“I want to come too.”
Ian, noticing Rose’s hand clutched tightly in his, frowned.
“Let go. I’m carrying Rose.”
“Huh? But I want to walk. Can I walk instead?”
After a moment of thought, Ian took Rose’s other hand and said,
“Alright, but don’t let go of my hand, okay? If you do, I’ll carry you. Deal?”
“Okay!”
“You promised,”
Ian reminded her as Rose nodded firmly.
However, children’s promises are never certain to hold.
***
“Rose, no!”
Ian caught Rose just as she let go of his hand and tried to run off, giving her a stern look. Rose, realizing she was caught, laughed sheepishly.
“Are you going to keep doing this and get scolded?”
“Yes.”
“Rose, look over there! Isn’t that cool?”
“Where?!”
Rose, ever the easily-distracted child, turned her gaze toward whatever Fenrex pointed out.
Ian sighed but then chuckled to himself. He knew it was natural for children to be a little restless. Even though they had made a promise, Ian understood it was not something a child could reliably keep.
“Uncle! Look, there’s a loud banging sound over there.”
Ian turned his head toward Rose’s cheerful voice.
It appeared a blacksmith was demonstrating the sword-forging process, hammering away at the hot metal.
“That’s the sound of the hammer hitting the metal.”
“Wow!”
“They hammer the metal to make a sword.”
Rose’s eyes sparkled with fascination.
“Can I do that too?”
“Well, not now, but maybe one day, when you’re older.”
As Rose nodded, Ian continued walking with her.
The weapons displayed for sale, sharpened and gleaming, caught their attention.
“Rose, do you know what that is?”
“A sword!”
“And that?”
“A hammer!”
“And that one?”
“Hmm…”
Like Ian when he was deep in thought, Rose tapped her cheek with her index finger. Ian couldn’t help but smile at how cute she looked.
“That’s a mace.”
“Mace!”
As Rose echoed his answer, Fenrex puffed his cheeks.
“Why did you tell her? I was going to!”
“Because she’s my niece.”
“Ugh.”
Knowing it was a losing battle, Fenrex glared at Ian.
Just then, Rose, oblivious to their little argument, tugged on Ian’s hand.
“Uncle! Uncle!”
“Hmm?”
“That one is so shiny!”
Rose’s small finger pointed at a silver sword sheath that shimmered under the sunlight.
“Oh, it really does shine.”
“Yes! It’s so pretty, unlike the others!”
“Pretty? Then should we take a closer look?”
Rose nodded.
“Alright, take a good look today because if you’re not buying, you can leave.”
The blacksmith called out loudly, then asked Ian.
“Are you buying?”
“Yes.”
The items for sale here were of the finest quality that the blacksmith could forge. Even if he purchased it, it wouldn’t be a waste, so Ian responded readily.
“Then go ahead, take a look.”
With the blacksmith’s permission, Rose dashed up to the sheath and squatted down.
“It’s so shiny.”
From a distance, only the sheath had been visible, but up close, they could see a sword was housed within the silver sheath.
“The sheath isn’t sold separately. You’ll have to buy the sword along with it to take it home.”
“How much is it?”
“Forty gold coins.”
Ian frowned.
Unless it was a famous, named sword, most swords cost around two to three gold coins.
Forty gold coins wasn’t just overpriced; it was outright extortion.
Seeing Ian’s expression, the blacksmith snorted.
“Take a look at the sword and decide. See if I’m just making up the price.”
Ian was about to refuse when Rose tugged on his pants, saying.
“Uncle, I want this.”
For the first time, Rose expressed a desire for something, seemingly captivated by the shiny sheath.
Sighing, Ian lifted the sheath.
Since Rose wanted it, he would buy it, no matter the price. If he was going to buy it anyway, he figured he might as well check if the blacksmith’s words held any truth.
The sunlight glinted off the sword, almost blinding him.
“That sheath is something I poured my heart into. No other sheath would suit this sword better.”
‘Just how impressive is this sword?’
Grumbling inwardly, he drew the sword.
Shiing
As the blade emerged, a chilling presence seemed to emanate from it, sending shivers down his spine.
Unlike other swords, the blade had a black hue with a red tint and was visibly sharp, with rune letters engraved in a flowing pattern along its length.
“This is…”
At a loss for words, Ian stared at the sword. The blacksmith chuckled.
“Impressed? This is my greatest masterpiece, Salute. The materials alone were exceptional.”
Ian nodded.
Salute—a legendary sword forged by the most renowned blacksmith of Béchamel, made from a meteorite, a material one might only find once in a hundred years.
The blacksmith had managed to obtain a meteorite and imbued it with monster blood during forging, carving runes to create a peerless blade.
But due to his arrogant nature, he never managed to sell the sword in his lifetime.
After his death, his son, lacking his father’s skill, inherited the forge but eventually sold it to someone else, along with his father’s weapons at bargain prices.
One of these weapons was Salute, which Yekhaterina eventually gifted to the crown prince, who happened to receive a legendary blade.
‘So, this was made here and now.’
No wonder it seemed to be shining unusually brightly.
Ian marveled internally, sliding the sword back into its sheath.
Then, he took out forty gold coins from his inventory and handed them to the blacksmith.
“Here you go.”
“Uh-huh?”
