I didn't sleep well that night, but Sierra seemed a little more energized afterward.
[ I can't believe there's a blacksmith in a town like this who can make a Spectral Sword. ]
Sierra, circling around me, says.
"It's a tricky place to get to, since a town that exists in the middle of nowhere. I'm prepared, though, so we'll have to try."
I say, patting my chunky backpack.
We had traveled to a village near the academy to meet with the blacksmith who would make the Spectral Sword.
After disembarking from the carriage and entering the village, I set out to find the blacksmith.
It was late at night and the town was small, so there were no people out and about.
[ What kind of blacksmith could make a Spectral Sword… a dwarf? No, dwarves don't live in places like this.]
Sierra's curiosity about the blacksmith's identity is piqued.
"I don't know what he looks like either, but I'm sure you'll recognize him when you see him."
I answered her question with a smile. At my answer, Sierra tilted her head, still unsure.
As we walked along the village road, I spotted a house that was subtly set back from the road. It was a fairly large mansion for a small town.
"This must be it."
I said, stopping in front of the mansion.
As I approach the mansion to knock on the door, I feel something run through my body.
[ I think you've struck something… ]
"It's probably just a light cordon to see if anyone is coming in, he doesn't like to be disturbed."
Approaching the mansion's door, I knock politely.
"…"
I knocked on the door, but there was no sign of life inside the mansion.
'He wouldn't have gone out…'
He's living under a false identity, so I should be cautious in my approach, but I do have a gift to stifle this rudeness.
I put my hand on the door, ready to knock again, and it opened.
"What brings you here? If you're looking for the village chief, you've come to the right place…"
The man who opened the door and introduced himself as the village headman was a young man with a clean-cut appearance for a blacksmith who can make a Spectral Sword.
His unusually light blond hair stood out so I knew he was the blacksmith I was looking for.
[He's just an ordinary human by all appearances, is he really a blacksmith?]
Sierra, beside me, asks. However, I do see the young chief's eyes drift to Sierra as she floats through the air.
"This… I don't know what to call you, Mr. Chief… Or should I call you Mr. Deidros, am I in the right place?"
When I say the name Deidros, the chief's eyes become very serious since Deidros was his name as a blacksmith.
"…We'll talk about it inside, come in."
The young chief suddenly changes his tone and demeanor.
He opens the door and invites us inside his mansion and we follow him into the mansion, which is very luxurious.
There is no shortage of expensive-looking things decorating the mansion and the artwork that was on display revealed a lot about his temperament.
Sierra flew around the mansion, marveling at the luxury that seemed out of place for a village chief.
I followed him into a large room with couches lined up around a table.
The young chief plops down on one of the couches then patted the couch next to him and invited me to sit down.
"I hope I wasn't being rude for coming this late at night. Thanks for letting me in."
I told him, sitting down on the couch to match him.
"It's one thing for a blind man to come all the way here, but when you're emitting such powerful spirit energy, it's obvious what you've come for."
The young chief glanced at me, then downed the liquor on the table. He didn't show it, but I could tell he was uncomfortable.
I looked at him and pulled out a bottle of alcohol from my backpack.
I took out something that would help improve our relationship.
"I can smell the alcohol on you… I have something for you, but I don't think you need it."
His eyes locked on the bottle I held out.
"Just a moment… Give me that bottle."
I obediently hand him the bottle.
He takes the bottle, reads the label slowly, and then turns to me.
"This… Where did you get this?"
The wine he was holding was labeled as a "very old wine" in the game.
While wine tends to become more flavorful and valuable the longer it is aged, while this liquor is more like a cheap distilled spirit so it's not a very valuable item in the game.
However, it is an item that increases the likability of the man in front of me.
It's a drink he used to drink, a drink that has since been discontinued and is now hard to find. It's a nostalgic drink for him.
"I helped a man clean out his warehouse on the way here, and he gave me this in return, because I don't drink…"
The game's structure wasn't too difficult. There were countless instances where you could visit a specific person and pick up items related to a certain person along the way.
"On the way to town… Hahaha! You said it was dark under the lantern… You must have been close… This drink holds many memories… I don't know if you meant to, but it means a lot to me."
Staring wistfully at the bottle he picked up, his fingers traced the label.
Judging by his reaction, I can see the intended effect.
[This man… I can tell the years have taken their toll on his young face.]
Sierra seemed to have gotten some idea of his identity.
"Deidros… now that's a name I don't recognize, though I don't wonder how you found me… At least you knew who I was."
I nodded at him.
Deidros is a dragon who has lived on this earth for hundreds of years and is now a polymorph in human form.
In fantasy, dragons are said to change their personality and temperament based on the color of their scales but I don't know for sure because I never saw him transform into a dragon in the game.
However, his blond hair in his human form suggests that he is a golden dragon.
In any case, he was having a lot of fun as a human right now.
He was the mayor of a small village and for a modern human, it was similar to playing a village management game.
"…You want to make a Spectral Sword, don't you?"
With a satisfied smirk on his face, Deidros sets the bottle down on the table and gets straight to the point.
You might ask what kind of blacksmith a dragon is, but he forges the Spectral Sword with his dragon breath, which has enough heat to melt Vampiric Iron.
As a dragon, his purpose in making a Spectral Sword for a mere mortal is a bit of a joke because when a Spectral Sword is not properly sealed and not handled properly, the user will be devoured by the spirit sealed inside.
It was a pleasant pastime for him to see such foolish humans being eaten by spirits, so he would make them.
He was also an artist in his own right, even setting up a workshop and treating the swords as his own magnificent creations so I'm hoping his unique artistic flair will translate well into my own sword.
"Are you sure you won't be swallowed by the power of the Spectral Sword…? ...I'm sorry. It's been a while since I've spoken as a blacksmith."
Deidros runs a hand through his hair and shakes his head. It must be the effects of years of living in various human guises.
"That's all right, so you can be comfortable speaking to me as a village chief."
"Yes, that would be fine… So, have you prepared all the ingredients?"
His voice and mannerisms were a little hard to get used to, but it's okay, as long as he makes a good Spectral Sword.
Judging by his enthusiastic demeanor, the items I had brought with me must have paid off.
I tried to unzip my backpack for Deidros, who was looking for materials but he blocked my arm and said.
"Hmm… This isn't a good place, let's go underground."
With that, he grabbed one of the candlesticks lying around and led the way while I followed him through a secret passage and down a dark staircase.
The rounded staircase led us deep underground.
"You walk quite well, despite your condition. I've seen the likes of you before."
Deidros said as he slowly descended the stairs, holding onto a candlestick.
"What do you mean, someone like me?"
"He had his eyes covered with bandages, just like you. He walked well… Fought well, well, he was a martial artist… Not like you with a sword."
Deidros glanced back at me as he continued down the stairs.
"It was hundreds of years ago, so I don't remember much about him, but I do remember him going on and on about 'sound waves' and 'resonance'… Anyway, do you have similar skills?"
"Aha… I've heard of 'resonance' as well… I suppose it's a similar feeling."
In hundreds of years, there should have been at least one such person so perhaps my existence doesn't seem so strange to Deidros.
"The funniest thing is that the deadly technique he's spent a lifetime perfecting is called Dragon's Wrath, and he doesn't even know there's a real dragon in front of him…"
Deidros swallows back a smirk, ending the small talk and opening the door at the end of the stairs.
[ …So he is a dragon? ]
Sierra realizes who it is after hearing me and Deidros talking.
"Welcome to the Workshop of Breath."
Following his introduction, we entered the room and were greeted by a sight that was hard to believe was underground.
It looked like a professional workshop and although I didn't recognize any of it, there was a lot of equipment that could be found in a blacksmith shop in the game.
The first time I walked into the Workshop of Breath in the game, it didn't quite feel real, but when I walked down the long staircase, it felt even more mysterious.
"I had a little trouble connecting with the chimney, but… You may not realize it, but it's a pretty cool place."
Deidros stands in the center of the workshop, arms raised in a swagger.
Whether it's his mansion's interior or his current gesture, he seems to have a penchant for showing off.
"Let's see the ingredients."
I unzip my backpack and show the ingredients to Deidros, who rushes over to me.
"Hmph, Vampiric Iron of pretty good quality… Let's see… these petals… I'm sure they'll be a great help in warding off the spirits."
Deidros glances at the ingredients I've prepared.
"The others are sufficient but I saw chunks of spirit energy flying around in clumps from earlier… Where's the 'stuff'?"
He was referring to the object that holds the soul.
Based on his reaction at the door, I don't think I could see all of Sierra's form, but he could see a lot of spirit energy flying around.
I took Sierra's pendant out of my arms and handed it to him.
"You mean to tell me that you've been carrying this around with you all this time, while it's emitting so much spirit energy…?"
After taking the pendant, Deidros' face turned serious and he asked me.
"…Is there something wrong with it?"
"A spirit of this caliber… I wouldn't be surprised if your health is strained, but judging by your reaction, there's nothing wrong with you."
"…"
In the game, the player had a storehouse called an inventory, so… There might not have been much to it, but from the way he said it, it sounded like this wasn't unusual.
[ … How dare you treat me as if I were some sort of curse? I would never harm my disciple. ]
Sierra grumbled unnecessarily at Deidros, who couldn't hear her, and disappeared into the pendant.
"Do you happen to be able to talk to spirits…?"
Deidros, who had been watching me closely from earlier, spoke to me in a meaningful tone, as if this was a matter of great importance.
He'd been making Spectral Swords for so long that he could recognize it.
As soon as I heard his question, embarrassment washed over me.
"…A little?"