A few days had passed since Monsterphilia, and Akumo once again found himself visiting the Hephaestus Familia.
Standing before him was a red-haired boy—a low-ranking smith of Hephaestus who was often disregarded for his bizarre naming sense.
"So... what is it exactly you want me to do?"
"...Akumo-san, you have quite a few children, don't you?"
"Could you please clarify that you're talking about weapons?"
'Someone's going to get the wrong idea...'
Akumo looked at the boy before him, Welf Crozzo, with a trace of exasperation. He had come here at Hephaestus's request, but finding himself suddenly acting as a counselor for a teenager's life problems was more than he had bargained for.
"Haha... So, what's the issue?"
"...It's just that my equipment never sells..."
"And why do you think that is?"
"Is it the naming sense? Or perhaps because you..."
"If you're going to bring up Magic Swords again, I have no intention of changing my mind."
"Right. I don't intend to say much more on that either."
Looking at Welf, Akumo felt the boy's fierce stubbornness as a blacksmith—a pride backed by undeniable, brilliant talent.
Their first meeting had been quite memorable...
-'Why on earth do you create Magic Swords?!'
-'Could you first explain why you're so angry?'
-'A Magic Sword is... it corrupts the user, and once its job is done, it shatters as if nothing happened! It's a tragedy!'
-'The "children" I create do not break. Do you still hate them even then?'
-'The very existence of a Magic Sword is an insult to a blacksmith! That easily obtained lethality corrupts people!'
Welf had initially despised the man before him. Akumo treated Magic Swords like ordinary weapons, showing no hesitation or moral qualms in their creation. He couldn't understand how someone could so casually use a Magic Sword forged in collaboration with his own Patron Deity, Hephaestus.
And yet, he couldn't help but envy the way Akumo crafted masterpieces that Welf himself could only dream of—and how he drew out every drop of their potential. He harbored a quiet awe for the man's ability, which even his own Goddess acknowledged.
-'Then what you're saying is that you won't forge Magic Swords because the thought of them breaking makes you sad? Because you despise easy power?'
-'.....That is correct.'
-'Sigh...'
Akumo found it difficult to find the right words for the boy. He knew the situation from Hephaestus; the Crozzo bloodline was currently incapable of producing Magic Swords.
He could guess how much this boy—born with radiant talent—must have been hounded by those obsessed with the legend of the Crozzo Magic Swords. But still, as a fellow blacksmith and a veteran adventurer, there was something that needed to be said.
-"That's just your own greed talking."
-'.....What?'
Welf's eyes widened. Fury flashed in his gaze as he glared at Akumo, looking as if he might lung at him at any moment. Unfazed, Akumo continued calmly.
-'It's fine for a blacksmith to have convictions. But shall I tell you exactly what your logic sounds like?'
-'You're saying that because you're afraid your child won't be perfect, because the farewell is too painful, you'd rather not let them be born at all.'
-'And as for easy power corrupting? You're an adventurer yourself; you should know that doesn't just apply to Magic Swords.'
Akumo systematically deconstructed Welf's actions, speaking with a pragmatism forged across countless lifetimes.
-'Even without a Magic Sword, do you have any idea how many adventurers are consumed by their own sense of omnipotence? By their Skills, their Magic, their innate talent, or even the prestige of their Familia?'
-'I can feel from your rage how much you actually cherish the raw potential of a Magic Sword. And yet!'
-'A blacksmith, like an adventurer, is an existence that moves forward. One who constantly strikes iron, tempering themselves to grow.'
He didn't see Welf as just a "Crozzo Blacksmith."
He saw him as a single talented individual, and he was simply telling him what he needed to hear to forge his own path.
-'Your Magic Swords are no different. They're stronger than others? You can make them without the Smithing developmental ability? In the end, a Magic Sword is just another form of power. How it's used is entirely up to the wielder.'
-'Whether to forge it, who to give it to, and with what intent—those are your choices.'
-'The reason I forge Magic Swords is the same. To pioneer the future, and to uphold my convictions.'
On that day, Welf had been left in deep thought after hearing Akumo's sincere advice. It was made even weightier by Hephaestus's own comment—that the Magic Swords he refused to forge could be the very thing that saved a comrade's life.
Ultimately, Welf had decided to look for them.
To find companions and a wielder who would truly see his "children" for what they were and use them correctly. He would willingly forge Magic Swords for people like that.
"The problem is..."
"They still don't sell..."
"Change the names!"
"I'll change anything else, but my naming sense is a matter of conviction!"
"Gah... seriously, what am I going to do with you..."
"Aren't you the one who named your blade Green Fang before calling it Lævateinn?!"
"That was fine because I'm the one using it...!"
The two blacksmiths continued their petty squabble, bickering over their respective naming tastes. Akumo nagged like an older brother dealing with an immature sibling, while Welf refused to listen like a younger brother annoyed by his senior's constant meddling.
"Haha! Both of you are so stubborn!"
"To think that one of these idiots creates timeless masterpieces while the other has talent that only comes once in a generation... good grief."
Watching the two, Hephaestus laughed, finding the spectacle quite entertaining. Her top blacksmith and the captain of her Familia, Tsubaki Collbrande, merely sighed and shook her head.
Akumo left the Hephaestus Familia forge and began walking down the street. The red sunset cast a beautiful, deepening glow over Orario.
"Ah well~ At least he said one finally sold, so I suppose that's a relief?"
Smack!
"Hmm?"
Hearing the sound of someone being struck, curiosity got the better of him. He headed toward the noise, but the business seemed to have concluded already. Instead, he saw Bell Cranel standing there, thanking Ryu and Syr for some reason.
Step, step.
"What happened?"
"Akumo-san? Do you have business here?"
"No, I just heard the sound of someone getting hit..."
"...It would seem that has nothing to do with me."
'Your expression says otherwise...'
Avoiding Akumo's gaze, Ryu quickly took the items she had purchased and hurried back toward the Hostess of Fertility. Akumo didn't pay it much mind and continued his way back home.
"Oya, ain't that Akumo?"
"Loki? What are you doing out alone?"
"Ah~ My darlin' Ais-tan went into the Dungeon to earn enough to pay for the sword she broke durin' Monsterphilia, didn't she?"
"Wait, so she was just borrowing that thing...?"
"Aye, an' Tiona, Tione, an' even little Lefiya-tan have gone in with 'er..."
"Wow~ That's practically a small-scale expedition."
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