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11. Childhood Friend – Sword

“Hey there, it’s been a while.”

Hans casually chatted with the Merchant Leader before getting to the point.

“These are my friends, and they want to go to Nevis. Is there a route?”

“Well, we don’t go directly to Nevis, but we can get you halfway there. I can introduce you to another merchant group that goes to Nevis from there.”

Leo nodded at the Merchant Leader’s gaze.

Then the Merchant Leader started speaking as if calculating something while scratching his thumb with his index finger.

“To fit two people in the carriage, it’ll cost you five silver coins. It’ll take about a week to get there. To make enough space for two, we have to remove quite a bit of cargo. And as for food…”

From there, they continued to negotiate the details.

Ultimately, it was decided that both Lena and Leo would ride in the carriage, but at night, only Lena would be able to sleep in the carriage with enough space for that.

Fortunately, they managed to lower the price a bit thanks to a stop at a village where they would sell goods for two days.

Leo thought it was a waste to waste two days just to find another trading group. The Merchant Leader hesitated a bit, but with Hans helping him out, he eventually agreed.

After paying and agreeing on the departure time and location, they had the rest of the day free.

Lena and Leo said their final goodbyes to the village youths who were returning after selling their goods and thanked Hans for his help.

Lena looked at Hans again.

She thought he was just a lazy bum, but he was actually building connections in the large town. Perhaps, he might play a role in connecting the small village of Demos with the larger town someday.

She expressed her apology for the misunderstanding to Hans, and he seemed a bit flustered, laughing it off with, “Haha, no need to thank me. Safe travels.”

After the village youths left, Lena and Leo strolled leisurely through the market while grabbing snacks. For Lena, seeing a market for the first time was filled with wonders.

She was excitedly running around, and the two returned to their lodgings just as the sun was setting.

*

The next morning, Leo woke up at dawn and rushed out without even washing up. He had forgotten to grab something while playing with Lena yesterday.

He asked the locals for directions and finally found the only blacksmith in town, where a bald blacksmith was lighting the forge.

“You want to see a sword?”

“Yeah. Do you have any cheap two-handed swords?”

Upon hearing his question, the blacksmith waved his hands as if in disbelief.

“Did you misunderstand something? I don’t make weapons unless it’s a request from the Lord.”

“Pardon?”

“What do you mean, ‘pardon’? Weapons are usually made when they’re sold. Why would I make something that costs a fortune to produce? If you really need a sword, you should go to the city and look for one.”

Leo was taken aback, having imagined a shop filled with swords hanging everywhere.

In this world, swords were like guns in modern society, and they weren’t made and sold casually.

Moreover, swords weren’t just any weapons anyone could wield. Especially two-handed swords were very unfriendly to beginners; a club would be much better for self-defense.

Unable to let go of his hopes, Leo asked, “Are there no other weapons available?”

“All I have is a hunting dagger and some kitchen knives. Oh! I might have a spear or something?”

“…I see.”

Just as Leo was about to turn away in disappointment, the blacksmith added a few pieces of unsolicited advice.

“And swords can’t be taken out of the town without permission. You might be able to buy and sell them secretly in the city, but then they definitely won’t be cheap.”

“I see… Thank you for letting me know.”

Leo trudged back to the lodging.

He had learned swordsmanship in the last scenario and inherited {Swordsmanship} as a reward from the scenario, yet getting a sword was proving to be a challenge.

‘Isn’t it normal to start with a weapon in a game?’

Grumbling, he flung the door open without thinking.

Inside, Lena was washing herself with a towel. Leo was startled and jumped back upon seeing her bare body, and she shrieked.

“Eek! Leo! Close the door!”

“Ah! I-I’m sorry!”

Leo quickly shut the door and bolted away.

After nervously waiting for a moment, Lena cautiously came down.

Leo pleaded profusely.

“I’m really sorry! It was an accident; I should have knocked…”

“…It’s alright. I was at fault for not locking the door. I’m just not used to it…”

Both of them blushed as they ate breakfast and walked awkwardly, maintaining their distance toward the agreed meeting place for the merchant group.

When they arrived, over fifty people had gathered. The merchants were bustling about, loading their goods in hopes of keeping the departure schedule, while about twenty mercenaries were leisurely checking their gear.

The Merchant Leader approached and assigned Lena and Leo a carriage.

“You two can use this carriage. One person can fit nicely and comfortably alone. It should be enough for two to sit and ride together.”

Upon inspection, the carriage was full of cargo, but the front part had ample space. It was covered with thick leather, making it suitable for resting.

“It might be a bit cramped for two people to lie down, but… well, if you position yourselves well, it shouldn’t be a problem? Hahaha!”

The Merchant Leader threw in a little innuendo and left. Lena turned red again, while Leo coughed awkwardly and looked away.

Eventually, over a dozen carriages began to depart in succession. In each carriage, a coachman and a couple of mercenaries took their places. A few mercenaries rode horses, providing protection in the front and back.

Lena and Leo sat next to each other in the back of the carriage, turning their heads in opposite directions, maintaining an awkward silence.

The running cargo carriage was more uncomfortable than expected.

It jolted quite a bit, and the sides and ceiling were closed off, leaving them nothing to see outside.

Thus, the two could only stare back at the trailing carriage behind them, which was manned by two people—one coachman and one mercenary—who also seemed to have nothing to do, staring forward in an embarrassing manner.

They had to travel like this for a week.

Eventually, unable to handle the awkwardness and boredom any longer, Leo called out to Lena. She pretended to be aloof but responded to his call.

“Hey, Lena. How about a game of word chain?”

“…What’s that?”

“It’s a word game, and we just have to…”

They broke the silence as they played word chain. At first, they casually tossed out words but later ended up laughing and enjoying the game.

The carriage stopped more frequently than they had anticipated.

Especially near places with water, they would definitely stop to let the tired horses rest.

The coachmen would fill up buckets with water to give the horses a drink and splash them down to cool off.

Each time they stopped, Lena and Leo got off the carriage to stretch their stiff legs.

Feeling completely relaxed, Lena beamed with a grin.

“Hehe~ Leo, you’re not as dumb as I thought!”

“Tch. You’re just too good at it.”

Not knowing much about this world, suggesting word chain to Lena was a foolish move. He was severely outmatched in vocabulary.

“Let’s do something else.”

“What’s wrong with that? Word chain is fun!”

“This time…”

The games of the youth in this world mostly took place outdoors. Sitting face-to-face was quite rare.

Leo thought of introducing some games from modern society.

Concentrating hard, he recalled the games he had honed while attending university, but Lena quickly picked up the rules, and he lost most rounds.

The journey dragged on in boredom. Leo came up with various games, but a week was still too long to just sit idly.

The merchant group made camp for the night. The merchants and mercenaries set up tents, and the coachmen made beds in the coachman’s seats. Leo had planned to sleep outside under the carriage but couldn’t resist Lena’s insistence and ended up sleeping beside her.

With limited space, they had no choice but to sleep back-to-back.

He could feel Lena’s body warmth against his back. Leo realized she wasn’t asleep yet. Maybe she knew he was awake, as she engaged him in conversation.

“Leo.”

“What is it?”

“When we get there, I’ll have to work for at least a year, right?”

“…Probably.”

Lena thought she would earn money in the capital to gather enough for their trip to the Holy Kingdom. But in reality, even working for several years would barely allow them to save enough to reach Lutetia.

She was effectively isolating herself in Nevis, dragged by Leo.

Leo worried that the guilt would come through his back, echoing the thoughts.

Lena asked in a voice mixing curiosity and resignation, “What kind of work will we have to do there?”

“How about working at a bakery? Auntie Hans has praised it a lot.”

“But I can only knead dough.”

“Still, I’ve heard they pay well in the capital.”

“…I guess.”

For some reason, Lena appeared to have a premonition about the future. And Leo knew that by now, the priest heading towards the capital would pass through their village.

A bitter feeling that he couldn’t ignore started to rise within him.

“Lena, I’m sorry. But I’ll definitely make you a princess one day.”

What does that even mean, ‘princess’?

After sharing a few more concerns, Lena and Leo eventually fell asleep.

The coachman in front snored loudly.

*

The merchant group stopped to trade for two days in a small village midway before setting off again. After a long period of boredom, Leo finally had a chance to stretch his back.

“Finally! We’ve arrived!”

“Not quite. We’ve only reached halfway. Leo’s such a fool.”

The merchant group arrived at a rather large city.

He heard the name of the city, but he quickly forgot it as they planned to join another merchant group heading to the capital.

The Merchant Leader kindly introduced them to another Merchant Leader going to Nevis, and the costs and conditions were the same as before.

This time, it was Lena who paid.

From her pocket, money that her parents and the priest had gathered for her poured out. The Merchant Leader seemed to sympathize with their situation and reduced the price again.

Knowing this merchant group was also departing the next day, they rented a lodging.

Leo left a tired Lena at the lodging, warned her to lock the door tight, and went back to find the blacksmith.

“A sword? Did you get a permit? No? Then you can’t.”

Although there were multiple blacksmiths in the city, none were willing to sell swords easily. Just as he was slowly losing hope, a particular blacksmith reacted differently.

“You want a sword without a permit?”

“Yeah. Is there a way?”

“Hmmm… Are you a thug or something?”

“Huh? No, that can’t be true.”

“Then what’s with that tattoo on your arm? Isn’t that a gang tattoo?”

The blacksmith pointed at Leo’s arm.

Leo had several interconnected trumpets tattooed on his arm.

“This was branded by my father. My father has the same tattoo.”

“What does your father do?”

“He’s a hunter.”

“Oh really? So you’re saying you’re not a thug here?”

“Neither here nor anywhere else.”

“Alright. Follow me.”

Entering after the young blacksmith, the inside was filled with various tools and a hot forge. The floor was cluttered with bits of iron and wood.

On the walls hung several shields and a few swords, and the blacksmith gestured them to come closer.

“Pick one.”

“Are there only one-handed swords?”

“Oh ho, looks like you’re really not a thug.”

“I told you several times, I’m not.”

“Well, you should be trustworthy. You’re at the age to start being a thug… Just wait a moment.”

The blacksmith finally retrieved three two-handed swords from the drawer. Leo picked each one up in turn and handed them back.

“Is that all?”

“Why?”

“They’re all unbalanced.”

“Hahaha. That’s because I’m selling them. In reality, I only know how to make shields; I just made these for fun. I might manage to make a one-handed sword, but two-handed swords are just… What do you say? Will you buy one? If they don’t sell, I’ll just melt them down anyway, so I can let you have them cheap.”

Swords that were unbalanced would easily wobble at the impact point and get fatigued quickly, but it was better than having none.

Leo chose the shortest one.

After all, if it’s unbalanced, it’s better to have a shorter one.

But the price the blacksmith called out was higher than expected. He tried to negotiate it down a bit, but the blacksmith stood firm, saying he had already lowered it enough.

Leo had no choice but to comply.

“Just don’t go telling anyone you bought it here. I didn’t stamp any seal on it, so if you happen to come by again, I’ll act like I don’t know you.”

“…I won’t worry about it since you won’t even swing it with this sword.”

Feeling a bit irritated, Leo shot back. It was the only mild revenge he could muster, but the blacksmith didn’t even flinch.

“Oh dear. I have a scabbard to fit that sword; don’t you need it?”

“…I’m sorry.”

Unless he also got a scabbard, the purchase wasn’t worth the risk of being illegal.

Leo regretted speaking carelessly and apologized.

He felt that the real Leo wouldn’t have said a word at all.