Chapter 52: The Blacksmith Anas

Chapter 52: The Blacksmith Anas

The Knight looked at Axi and Airael with a face full of apologies, saying, “I’m really sorry! I just couldn’t hold it in. Master Anas is the best blacksmith we have here, and when he works, such a beautiful sound comes from inside. Every time I come here, I can’t help but stop and listen for a while. That feeling is just too wonderful!”

As he spoke, a dreamy expression spread across his face.

He nearly lost himself in that enchanting sound again.

Snapping back to reality, his apologetic look intensified.

“It’s alright, I completely understand how you felt just now. That sound really is beautiful,” Axi replied with a smile.

Airael nodded along.

She didn’t want to say much at that moment.

Although her main profession was Mage, this blacksmith named Anas clearly had real talent.

So, she was eager to meet this master blacksmith.

Seeing that Axi and Airael didn’t blame him, the Knight felt quite happy.

“Mr. Axi, Miss Ailia, please follow me; I’ll take you to meet Master Anas,” he said, stepping inside the blacksmith shop.

Airael and Axi followed closely behind.

Upon entering the shop, their eyes were immediately dazzled by a dazzling array of weapons and armor, along with various shields.

Spears, polearms, long swords, one-handed swords, battle axes…

Chest plates, chainmail, scale armor, plate armor…

Square shields, large round shields, small round shields, knight shields…

All of these items were overwhelming.

Meanwhile, a cute little girl with golden curls at the counter was completely overlooked by them.

The Knight and Axi were busy inspecting the weapons.

Though Airael wasn’t particularly interested in weapons, it seemed a bit odd not to look at the blacksmith and his crafts when in his shop.

So she started to take a look as well.

After quickly admiring the weapons, the Knight asked Axi and Airael, “So, what do you think? All these lovely things were made by Master Anas.”

Axi nodded, replying, “Not bad!”

The craftsmanship was quite good.

Though most of the items might not be of the highest quality, Axi could tell that this had to do more with materials than the technique itself.

The idea of turning something rotten into something magical was mostly just talk in the blacksmithing world.

To date, Axi hadn’t heard of anyone capable of such feats.

From Axi’s perspective, this Anas must indeed be a master-level figure to be working in such a “small” town.

In Axi’s mind, he should at least be in the domain of a Count.

In the human kingdom, aside from the King, there were generally three noble titles beneath him: Duke, Earl, and Baron.

If we’re being technical here, Knights could also be considered a type of nobility, though they don’t hold hereditary titles.

A Knight’s child can become a Knight only after passing the Knight’s trials, unlike Dukes, Earls, and Barons, which are hereditary.

The noble titles that extend from Dukes, Earls, and Barons won’t be further discussed here.

While a Baron’s domain could be quite large—many Barons have lands that rival those of some Earls—it doesn’t mean the Earl’s territory is lacking in quality.

An Earl’s land, no matter how poor, is certainly better than a Baron’s.

Unless the Earl’s family simply couldn’t manage their territory.

In that case, there really isn’t much to be done.

Axi buried this question in his heart and didn’t bring it up right away.

Just as Axi finished speaking, a voice interjected, asking, “Brother Wol, are these lovely guys cuter than me?”

The voice carried a hint of displeasure.

The owner of that voice was none other than the little girl who left the counter to join Airael and the others.

Hearing her, the Knight—who happened to be the “Brother Wol” she mentioned—quickly smiled at her and said, “Alice, how could these guys be cuter than you? You’re the precious treasure crafted with care by Master Anas, after all, and he values you the most!”

Axi and Airael watched on, enjoying the show.

It was clear these two were quite familiar with each other and had a special bond.

This little girl was very likely the daughter of Master Anas.

At this moment, they began to suspect that Baron Powell had brought them to Wol for a specific purpose.

Alice’s face turned pink, and she shot an annoyed look at Wol before turning to Axi and Airael, asking, “Honored guests, do you need anything?”

“I’m looking for Master Anas; I need him to help me maintain my weapons and armor.”

“Alright, please wait a moment; I’ll go get my father right away,” Alice replied before heading through a small door to the inner part of the shop.

After she left, Axi’s gaze turned back to the weapons, armor, and shields around them.

Airael, however, didn’t move her eyes away until the little girl completely disappeared.

She thought there was something unusual about this girl.

Just the fact that she was immune to Axi’s striking appearance was already something special.

Not every female had such an experience, to be honest.

Most women are quite charmed by someone like Axi, just like how men are drawn to beautiful women.

In this regard, both genders are pretty much the same.

Just by virtue of his striking looks, Axi naturally drew peculiar attention from many women.

Earlier, the way the little girl looked at Axi was refreshingly innocent.

But soon, Airael stopped dwelling on it.

After all, this wasn’t really her concern.

Before long, Alice returned with a robust middle-aged man.

The man towered over everyone, even Axi, and when he approached, Airael had to tilt her head back to see him.

At that moment, she felt pretty annoyed.

Why’s she “short” like this?!

And she wasn’t even wearing heels!

Moreover, her vision was obstructed by her cloak.

If she wanted to see this exceptional man, she had no choice but to look up.

At this point, Airael suddenly felt a nostalgic yearning for those heels she often complained about.

At least with heels, this situation would have been much less troublesome.

A hundred years as a queen, and those “quirks” were surfacing in her as well.