Chapter 5 - 5. five years

Ryo grew chubbier by the day and his skin is so white and rosy cheeks, jet black hair a deep black eyes and pink lips. no one could ever risist the boys charm...

...

winter ended and came summer, now the little Ryo is five years old...

he is chubby as before but his black hair has now reached his waist.

top naked only wearing his hakama, the boy stood on the garden, holding a wooden katana making full over head swings... Sweat dropped from his chubby cheeks and his body

"old man... can we now go to the forge, i liked it better crafting than swinging the katana..."

he is now training with Ryoma, though young discipline is instilled to his being and he followed this routine regularly. Despite his complaints, Ryo continued swining his blade making sure his form is flawless and everything is perfect...

a year ago the old man noticed that Ryo has an obsessive compulsive personality, once he started something he will accomplish it but only will he stop after he is deemed it perfected. Worried, Ryoma consulted this with his blood grandfather and the emperor sent all known psychiatrist to the secret space and have Ryo checked...

Despite everything, the doctors deemed Ryo normal

"later we will go to the forge and the workshop, finish your swings then you can go..." Ryoma said while reading his favorite manga

Ryoma secretly looked at Ryo swinging his blade and though to himself 'this boy he keeps complaining, ive only asked him to make one hundred swings but has already made three thousand and only counted his fifty perfect swings...' then he shook his head and continued reading

after three more hours Ryo stopped his swinging practice and sat beside the old man. Wiping his sweat and drank water, he sighed "old man, why is it that my swings always feels wrong?"

"i always do this routine daily but why cant i make one hundred perfect swings straight?"

the boy kept wondering and the old man looked at him with a quizzical gaze...

'if you are not that addicted to perfection you could have made any samurai in training jump in wild joy by your improvements, if they were in your shoes...' he thought

but non the less he answered the boy

"practice makes perfect, if you are not a genius... then, you should compensate it with effort and hardwork...

always remember Ryo, a genius is not born... it is made!"

"a genius is not born... it is made!" Ryo repeated

Ryoma looked fondly at the boy, then put his hands above his head and ruffled his hair "come my boy, let us go to the workshop, my hands are itching to forge..."

"yehey! lets goooo..." Ryo hastily jumped in joy and followed Ryoma to the workshop

...

within the mansions compound on the west side a huge building is situated, blowing air on the furnaces and sounds of hammer dinging is heard...

ding... ding... ding...

"ah the rhytmic sound of hammering is just like music..." Ryo smiled closing his eyes as he felt the sounds of the hammer like music to his ears

Ryoma, smiled while shaking his head, as he looked at the boy skip walking to the workshop.

"good morning gramps..." the hammering stopped and everyone greeted back at Ryo with smiles on their faces

"little Ryo..."

"oi... kiddo"

" pipsquek i need more tempered iron?"

"good day boya"

all greeted Ryo, and when Ryoma entered, everyone bowed in respect...

Ryo looked at the old man with fervent gaze, full of worship and respect

Ryoma might be clumsy and funny at most times, but he is also one of the worlds best crasftsman...

...

when the world changed, people then realized that guns dont work effectively against beasts and monsters... every civilizations and empires returned back to the era of cold weaponry, where the weilders strength, the weapons quality and mastery to the art work in tandem to give the optimum damage to their foes..

Ryoma grew up in a lineage of blacksmiths, he travelled the empire with his band of brothers and learned new crafts and incorporated it into his blacksmithing... after years of travel and learning he became a craftsman legend, a god level craftsman not just a blacksmith

...

"on with your work men..." then he led Ryo to the most corner side of the workshop...

here there is a regular forge, a pile of wood and raw iron. This is Ryo's work area, since 1 year ago Ryo's.

Ryoma flicked his hand and tons of raw iron added to the pile, "Ryo, this is your weeks worth of tempering... dont slack okay?"

Ryo saluted "yes old man" he felt at home here, the heat of the furnace the sounds of hammering, the voice of the metal... he felt it, he can smell it, and he could feel their soul...

well not literally but something along the line😉

Ryo started firing the furnace, like how the traditional forging is done, everything is done manually and magic is not allowed...

Ryo is happy doing his hammering unlike swinging his blade he is swinging the hammer with great enthusiasm...

Ryoma tought Ryo the proper way of hammering and all he has been doing for the whole year is tempering raw iron...

Ryoma lay on his hammock, reading his manga, as Ryo worked with the iron ore...

dingdididididing...

Ryoma looked at Ryo and smiled 'he can now do ten strikes in a single breath, this boy is a monster' then he continued reading

meanwhile all the blacksmiths looked eagerly at the boy and became more encouraged as they saw the boys hammering technique, some were thinking

"he just started for a year and he is already able to grasp hammering ten times in a single breath... and no one has yet to teach him how its done..."

"did the boy just learned it on his own?" another one looked the other blacksmiths

and they just all shrugged...

"this kid is a monster..."

...