Chapter 79 - 75: "Sophie, Want to Do Something Romantic?

Chapter 79: Chapter 75: "Sophie, Want to Do Something Romantic?

Late at night.

In the Bone Forest, inside the Lord’s tent.

Lian had finished his bath, and his body now carried the faint scent of the Dream Sleep Flower.

However, only he could perceive this scent, just as he couldn’t smell the Dream Sleep Flower on Simo.

Sophie couldn’t smell the fragrance on Lian either, even though she was leaning over him, crinkling her nose as she tried to catch a whiff for a long time.

"That’s enough, Sophie. I believe you."

Lian said, smiling.

The fact that others couldn’t smell this scent was a good thing for Lian.

It made it easier for him to move stealthily and stay hidden.

According to Sally, when the scent of the Dream Sleep Flower faded, it would be time for him to seek the help of a Succubus again.

The duration of the Dream Sleep Flower’s scent varied from person to person, typically lasting anywhere from one to three months.

So, Lian didn’t have to worry for the time being.

Sophie pulled her hands back and shrank away, a belated blush creeping onto her face.

’What have I done? Not only did I brazenly watch Lord Lian bathe, but I also pressed so close to his body and sniffed him for so long?’

Worst of all, they weren’t alone.

Father Simo and Sally were both present.

Both of them wore peculiar smiles.

In their minds, they were now certain of the unusual relationship between the Ice Witch and Lian.

"Why are you two still here? Do I have to show you out?"

Lian looked at Simo and Sally, puzzled.

The pair immediately realized they were being intrusive.

Once Simo and Sally were gone, the atmosphere in the tent quickly grew intimate.

"Sophie, could you bring me my clothes?"

Flustered, Sophie handed Lian his clothes, which included his Knight’s Sword.

Lian got dressed, drew the sword, and gently stroked a crack on the blade, his brow furrowing almost imperceptibly.

’I can’t believe it’s already damaged just from killing a few Tree Monsters.’

’Looks like it’s time to forge a Knight’s Sword worthy of a Four-star Shadow Knight.’

’No, wait. It should be a Knight’s Blade.’

"Sophie, want to do something romantic?"

Lian looked up, his eyes shining as he gazed at Sophie.

"Something romantic?"

Sophie’s cheeks flushed faintly.

"That’s right, something romantic."

And so, Lian led Sophie back under the cover of night to the blacksmith shop in the village belonging to the Green Shade Territory, just outside the High Wall.

The shop’s owner had long since closed for the night, but he couldn’t resist the persuasion of money and opened the back door for Lian and Sophie.

The owner was groggy with sleep, and since Lian and Sophie were both wearing hoods, he had no idea that his humble shop was being graced by the Lord of the Green Shade Territory and its Guardian Witch. He merely guessed they were the personal artisans of some noble who wished to remain anonymous.

’For a Blacksmith Apprentice, what could be more romantic than having the girl you like watch you work the forge?’

"Need any help?"

the blacksmith owner asked fawningly, rubbing his hands together.

"No."

Lian surveyed the blacksmith shop’s facilities. The large furnace, anvil, bellows, and all the necessary smithing tools were accounted for. The only drawback was the lack of any precious materials.

It was difficult to forge a sharp blade from ordinary iron.

Lian decided to melt down his sword and reforge it.

This sword had been left behind by Old Moria. Although it had cracked while fighting Tree Monsters, it was still made of high-grade Cyan Ore Iron, many times stronger than any of the materials in the blacksmith shop.

Seeing that Lian truly didn’t need him, the blacksmith owner turned and went into the back room to rest.

He wasn’t worried about Lian stealing anything; the value of all his worldly possessions combined wasn’t even worth the payment Lian had given him.

Lian began to forge his personal Knight’s Blade.

Sophie stood to the side, watching him.

She knew nothing about smithing, yet she was completely captivated.

Every step of the process seemed novel and wondrous to her.

A fierce Flame roared within the forge, sending sparks flying and illuminating the area as brightly as day.

Lian stood before the black anvil, beads of sweat rolling down his fair skin, glistening like tiny crystals.

His hands, thick and powerful, gripped a heavy hammer, each swing carrying the force of wind and thunder.

Although Lian had never truly learned smithing, he worked with an ease and familiarity that suggested the skill was etched into his very DNA—an innate talent.

’This must be muscle memory,’ he thought, ’a result of the original owner’s accumulated years in a blacksmith shop.’

He had already melted the blade in the furnace, reducing it to a glowing-hot ingot.

Under the Four-star Shadow Knight’s repeated hammering, the rough ingot gradually began to take on a sharp form.

Lian’s gaze was focused and resolute, as if this blade carried all his hopes and Power.

The Flame licked at the ingot, as if dancing in celebration of the weapon about to be born.

Sparks and flecks of iron danced together in the air. The impact of the hammer on the anvil was powerful and resonant, a veritable symphony of metal.

Sophie was mesmerized. She didn’t dare make a sound for fear of disturbing Lian.

As time went on, fatigue began to show on Lian’s face, but his hands only grew steadier.

He folded and hammered the ingot, gradually refining it into the shape of a blade.

On the whetstone, he meticulously honed the edge, each stroke deliberate and full of concentration.

As the blade’s edge took shape, its keenness began to show.

Lian stopped his work and carefully wiped the blade with an oiled cloth. Under the light, its edge reflected a cold, sharp gleam.

He gazed at his creation with anticipation, grasping the hilt and giving it a few light swings to feel its balance and weight.

"Hmm, not bad."

Lian said with conviction. He plunged the blade into water to quench it. As the blade sank completely, the water rippled, the concentric circles gradually dissipating until the blade lay still at the bottom.

The final step was to have Sophie use her Ice Magic to etch a pattern onto the blade.

Under Lian’s direction, Sophie controlled the intensity of her Magic perfectly, etching an exquisite Snowflake pattern onto the blade.

At last, the Knight’s Blade was complete.

Lian was quite satisfied with both its appearance and its Power.

Sophie looked curiously at the strange weapon. Its shape was like both a sword and a single-edged blade.

It was too long to be a saber, yet it only had a single cutting edge, unlike a sword.

Seemingly sensing Sophie’s confusion, Lian proactively explained,

"This is a Samurai’s... oh, no, a Knight’s Blade."

Sophie gave a look of partial understanding. In this world, Knights almost exclusively used swords; it was rare to see a Knight wield a single-edged blade.

For a Knight, a sword wasn’t just a weapon; it was a symbol of honor.

Blades, on the other hand, were more commonly used by bandits and commoners.

"I’ve already given it a great-sounding name: Snow Walk!"

The corners of Lian’s mouth lifted as the image of Green Algae Head appeared in his mind.

’Green Algae Head, just let me make your Swordsmanship famous in this Otherworld!’

Once the flames of his cringey, wannabe-cool spirit were lit, they were hard to extinguish.

Lian even performed a demonstration on the spot: One-Slash Lion’s Lament—Iaido Slash.

With a thunderous ROAR.

The Power of the Four-star Shadow Knight split the blacksmith shop in two, sending the roof flying clean off.

The blacksmith and his wife, who had been resting in the back room, didn’t even have time to get dressed as they scrambled up to see the brilliant, starry sky directly over their heads.

"Sophie, let’s go!"

Lian grabbed Sophie’s hand and bolted.

To the sound of the blacksmith couple’s furious curses, the two of them ran from the village into the forest, the wind whistling past their ears.

Sophie felt the warmth of Lian’s palm, saw how the wind tossed his long hair, and felt a sense of freedom and a fluttering in her heart she had never known.

She didn’t even know why they were running.

But as the Guardian Witch, she had never fled from anything.

This was the first time she felt that she wasn’t the Guardian of the Green Shade Territory, but just an ordinary girl.