"Professor, are you done talking now?"
"Yes, everyone can come in now."
I would help Ou Yezi get his revenge, and in return, Ou Yezi would forge weapons for me.
After we made this simple and clear agreement, Lee Ji-han, who had been waiting outside, knocked on the door and spoke.
When I told them they could come in, the students rushed in all at once.
It must have been quite cold outside.
It's almost the end of April, so why are they so sensitive to the cold?
"...Imagine the teaching assistant standing next to Isis the whole time."
"Ah!"
Then it makes sense.
Anyway, to warm up, the students gathered around the furnace.
Five students took their seats, but where did the sixth one go?
As I looked around, I spotted Isabelle talking to Ou Yezi. She had a very serious expression as she spoke.
"Where are the Yuzhang, Tanlu, and Ganjiang-Moye swords? I never thought I'd get the chance to see such legendary swords so suddenly."
"...Young lady, you seem to know a lot about the swords I've made."
Isabelle, the typical blonde noble lady, asked with sparkling eyes.
Ou Yezi, with his weary eyes, looked up at her.
Blonde hair and fair skin—she was clearly not of Eastern descent.
Moreover, she exuded the unique composure of a noble, something you wouldn't feel from an ordinary person.
So then—
"—Are you from the Lionheart family? It's about time for their daughter to enter the academy."
"Lionheart? Don't lump me in with those muscle-brained lions! I am of the noble Sirius bloodline!"
"Huh? My mistake."
"Of course! I'm nothing like those uncouth people!"
Isabelle vehemently expressed her feelings.
It was the first time I'd seen her lose her temper with someone other than me. Not that we'd known each other for long.
'Of all things, he had to touch one of Isabelle's sore spots. I guess it's because he's based on Ou Yezi's personality—no sense of consideration.'
The Lionheart family, the family of lions.
A prominent family based in Germany.
Like the Sirius and the Chunho Baek family, they are one of the Nine Heavenly Families, renowned for their innate physical abilities and mobility.
Each member of the Lionheart bloodline is a born warrior, and they hold the highest positions in Germany's guilds and military.
In simple terms, Germany's military power is essentially the exclusive domain of the Lionheart.
Compared to the Chunho Baek family, which wields global influence beyond South Korea, and the Sirius family, which oversees Europe, they might fall a bit short.
But within their own domain of Germany, they wield unparalleled power.
At least within their own country.
In any case, for Isabelle, who takes pride in being a member of the Sirius family, Ou Yezi's remark was quite insulting.
Just as she dislikes me, the Sirius family sees the Lionhearts as their sworn enemies.
"So, you're saying you're not from the Lionheart family?"
"Of course not."
"By the way, your reaction is quite interesting. Do you dislike the Lionheart that much?"
"Of course I do!"
The nine families of the Nine Heavenly Families naturally keep each other in check.
The existence of a rival of equal standing, who could threaten their absolute power as nobles, is always an unpleasant reality.
The engagement between Baek Seung-woo and Isabelle when they were children is a unique case.
It's normal for families like Sirius and Lionheart to fight.
However, these two families don't just fight for political reasons—they also clash due to their ancestral traits.
The Sirius family, of the canine lineage.
The Lionheart family, of the feline lineage.
It's a combination that was never meant to get along.
Even the fox, strictly speaking, belongs to the canine lineage, so their relationship with the Lionheart isn't great either. But compared to Sirius, it's mild.
Those two families genuinely despise each other.
"I see. My apologies. You reminded me of the daughter of an old acquaintance I once knew."
"It's fine, it happens. So, where are the swords?"
"I don't know."
"Huh?"
Ou Yezi said while picking his nose.
He added in a matter-of-fact tone.
"While being chased by creditors and assassins, I lost most of my weapons or sold them off in a hurry to raise funds. By now, they're probably either in some rich collector's possession or melted down into scrap by some country bumpkin who couldn't recognize their value."
"T-This can't be..."
Isabelle hung her head.
Seo Yerin and Seong Yeon-hwa, who had been listening from a distance, almost did the same.
The rare opportunity to witness Ou Yezi's masterpieces, swords hailed as treasures of the century.
A chance that any swordsman, spearman, or even a mage would be interested in—gone for such a trivial reason.
It was utterly unfair.
Sensing the somber mood, Ou Yezi made a face.
"What, were you that eager to see my swords? They're just replicas based on my ancestors' work anyway."
"That's exactly why they're so intriguing. True masterpieces never lose their value, even after centuries."
"...That's true."
Ou Yezi couldn't understand the students' reactions.
Swords like Yuzhang, Tanlu, Shengxie, Tai'e, and Shuluo were famous and remarkable, but in the end, what he had made were merely replicas of the swords crafted by the ancient Ou Yezi of Yue.
While his replicas were impressive, it was only because the originals were so extraordinary.
He couldn't understand why they were so eager to see swords that barely matched the originals, but thanks to their annoyed expressions, he realized something.
True masterpieces never lose their value, no matter the trends or the passage of time.
Even if they were his own works from later generations, the title of "Ou Yezi's swords" would never fade.
He scratched his head, feeling an emotion he hadn't felt in a long time, and reached out to the floor.
Clang!
As he touched something on the floor, a staircase leading downward popped up.
The staircase wasn't deep, and what was stored there could be seen at a glance.
Even though they had been left in the basement, their brilliance hadn't faded.
"Are those...?"
"Swords, spears, shields, rings. Are all of those your works, old man?"
"They're just old relics I haven't oiled since I came here, but they're from my prime, so their performance should be solid. Maybe one of the swords I made is among them."
Equipment made by Ou Yezi.
And from his "prime," no less.
What were his works like during his peak?
Driven by curiosity, the students descended into the basement as if entranced.
They began exclaiming in awe as they touched the swords and equipment, marveling at their exceptional quality.
Were they really that impressive?
Maybe I should take a look too.
I followed the students into the basement.
Perhaps because these were works from before Ou YEzi became the wreck he is now.
The weapons were indeed splendid.
[Dragon Slayer]
[Grade: A+]
[Description: A greatsword crafted by the master blacksmith Ou Yezi. Based on the legend of dragon slaying, the blade flows with the power of dragon-slaying techniques. The crude and massive sword requires immense strength to wield, but if one can master it, slaying a dragon might be possible. Of course, that's just a possibility.]
[Dragon-slaying techniques: The skill and energy to kill dragons, but ultimately a collection of vain delusions. Thus, the sword's existence is meaningless, and anyone who wields it must be blind. Yet, sometimes, it's only by feeling the meaningless and worthless that one discovers true value. Until that day comes, the dragon-slaying techniques will cut through vain delusions and fantasies.]
A massive greatsword lying on the ground, too heavy to lift.
[Holy Lance]
[Grade: S]
[Description: A holy lance crafted by the master blacksmith Ou Yezi. A long spear, sacred, sturdy, and boasting considerable elasticity. As a holy lance, it should have the power to negate evil, but all its power was poured into durability, leaving it with no special abilities. It's just a holy lance in name only.]
A lance hung on the wall, its white and gold hues giving it a sacred feel, but upon closer inspection, it felt hollow, like the weapon of a faithless heretic. Fascinating.
There were many other weapons scattered around.
Though they were clearly made hastily, the craftsmanship was genuine.
This was Ou Yezi's blacksmithing skill.
The students were thrilled at the thought of being able to commission weapons from him.
"Look at this arrow! It's a disposable item, but it's carved so intricately!"
"You idiot. It's not disposable—there's a return spell engraved on the arrowhead. Don't you see it?"
"The swords are amazing too! With this level of skill, he could make a sword as great as mine!"
"This staff here is incredible too. The gem embedded in the tip is extraordinary. He must have crafted it himself, right?"
Everyone was busy admiring the various weapons.
They were on a level that made the mass-produced C-grade items from Seven Stars seem pitiful in comparison.
As I watched them with a faint smile, Ou Yezi approached me and spoke.
"So, what do you want from me?"
"Everything you can make."
"Everything?"
"Yes, everything."
Swords, spears, armor, axes, shields, guns... anything would do.
In this world, there are weapons I find difficult to wield, but none that I can't wield.
With equipment made by Ou Yezi, I could supplement my lacking combat power, no matter what it was.
"What level of quality are you looking for?"
"At least S-grade, but if the equipment itself has a story behind it, that would be even better."
Ordinary equipment ranges from F to S-grade.
However, if the equipment has a special story or history, it can be classified as a higher-grade item. Based on the story and history embedded in the equipment, the system has named five additional grades.
[Secret Tale: Equipment that surpasses S-grade and has the potential to become the protagonist of a hidden tale.]
[Anecdote: Equipment that begins to make a name for itself but isn't widely known, or has performance equivalent to such a story.]
[Narrative: Equipment that could be the subject of an epic or has the power to create a new narrative based on its history and performance.]
[Legend: Equipment that has been passed down through ancient or historical tales, or is associated with such stories.]
[Mythic: Equipment that belongs to the realm of myths, with power beyond human comprehension.]
These are the five additional classifications.
While skills only go up to S-grade, why equipment has five extra grades is beyond me.
That's up to the author, not something I can control.
All I can do is make good use of these high-grade equipment.
"If possible, I'd like to commission equipment of at least the Narrative grade."
"Impossible."
Ou Yezi shook his head in refusal.
He couldn't do it.
Absolutely not.
The Ou Yezi of the past might have been able to, but the current Ou Yezi was old and sick.
The ruined state of his forge hinted at his current condition.
Now, he was like the old, rusted hammer in his hand.
"I can't make it."
"Why not? I could understand if it were Legend-grade, but Narrative should be possible, right? Didn't you earn the title of 'Ou Yezi' by creating Narrative-grade equipment?"
"Narrative isn't something a mere blacksmith can achieve! Narrative is the epic of a hero. It requires the right materials, environment, and, most importantly, a story to infuse into the equipment!"
The time he made Narrative-grade equipment was purely a miracle.
He had tried to replicate the legendary swords made by the ancient Ou Yezi of Yue, and by chance, the swords became imbued with the true Ou Yezi's legend, resulting in works that were one step below the originals.
He hadn't created Narrative-grade equipment solely through his own power.
He had merely copied the works of his ancestors—no, a blacksmith from a neighboring country with whom he shared no blood—and was influenced by the originals.
All the Narrative-grade equipment he made afterward was based on the names of the swords and demonic blades said to have been made by Ou Yezi, so none of it was truly his own creation.
That's why he couldn't fulfill the request.
All of Ou Yezi's works had already been reborn in the modern era through his hands.
The reason he could mass-produce Narrative-grade equipment was that he only made one of each sword.
The value of masterpieces lies in their uniqueness.
If he made more swords with the same names, they would lose their value and become mere mass-produced items.
The legendary weapons in epics are valuable because they belong to a single hero. If every character in the epic wielded the same weapon, its value would plummet.
That's why Ou Yezi could no longer create Narrative-grade equipment.
Hmm, I think I understand.
I nodded, considering the old man's circumstances.
"That's not my problem."
"...What?"
"How amusing. You go on and on with excuses, but in the end, you're just running away because you lack confidence. Was your desire for revenge just that weak?"
"..."
I provoked him.
It was a cliché way to stir someone's desire for revenge.
But throughout history, there's been no more effective way to provoke someone.
At least, based on my experience.
"...Are you saying that if I make it, you'll definitely get revenge?"
"Of course."
Just look at Ou Yezi.
His face turned red, then pale, and a cold determination filled his cloudy eyes.
My habit of provoking people is why I can't fix this, you know.
***
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