Bang, bang!
The sound of a blacksmith hammering hot iron.
Then, the sight of red-hot iron being quenched in cold water.
Beyond a partition of glass panes, one could see the kind of forge often found in fantasies.
My heart warmed at the sight, but…
“That’s not a sword; it’s merely a craft item. My pride won’t allow me to make such things!”
The reality snapped back as I saw the old man sitting in front of me, scowling.
The old man, with his hair white as snow, was named ‘Luger Orland,’ the owner of ‘Dusk Flame,’ the most famous forge in the realm.
He was the blacksmith who had crafted the sword for the Sword Saint ‘Hayden Reich.’
“It’s not a craft item.”
“No, that’s exactly what it is, a craft item. Just look at the blueprint you brought!”
Bang!
Luger slammed his palm down on the wooden desk, causing the single sheet of blueprint laid upon it to flutter and shake slightly.
Calling it a ‘blueprint’ was almost embarrassing.
It was merely a list of considerations for crafting a sword using ‘moonstone.’
“According to this blueprint, what you want to make is indeed a craft item, not a sword. A sword made of gems… How can you call that a weapon!”
Luger’s sharp gaze was fixed on the blueprint I had provided.
“At ‘Dusk Flame,’ we make weapons solely for knights. So, as I said earlier, if it’s a craft item you want, you should look elsewhere…”
“As I’ve said multiple times, I’m not here to make craft items. I’m here to make a weapon.”
Zap.
Luger’s gaze sharpened even more.
“A weapon, you say? But the blueprint you gave me… it incorporates moonstone into the core of the sword, doesn’t it?”
“Yes.”
“Moonstone is a gem. It’s far less durable than common metals. From what I see in your blueprint, you intend to engrave ‘mana veins,’ but it’ll easily break with a single swing.”
“That doesn’t matter. Please proceed anyway.”
My stubbornness seemed to infuriate him, as Luger’s face twisted in anger.
Then, a beautiful woman sitting beside him interjected with a troubled expression.
Lupina Orland.
The nasty old man in front of me, Luger Orland, was her grandfather.
“Sir Julian… Our forge stamps a tiny logo on the weapons we produce. If those weapons easily break, wouldn’t that damage the brand value we’ve built?”
“Hmm…?”
“Moonstone is a gem. A sword with a gem at its core will easily break. Sir Julian, I’m sure you understand what we’re trying to say…”
Her argument made sense.
For the weapons we sell to knights, durability is arguably the most important factor.
If the sword I received from ‘Dusk Flame’ were to shatter as I wielded it, what would others think?
‘That brand is trash.’
Even though they stamp a small but recognizable logo on it, I wondered if it might be better to entrust the work to a different forge.
But this ‘Dusk Flame’ forge was also a place that had left a significant impression on me.
‘After all, it’s the place that made the sword for the Sword Saint, Hayden Reich.’
In other words, it’s a place with a guaranteed quality.
What should I do?
As I was pondering for a moment, an idea suddenly came to mind.
Ultimately, what this person wants to protect is the brand value.
“Then, if I use that sword without breaking it, would that be acceptable?”
“What?”
Then the answer is simple.
All I have to do is show that I can use the sword without damaging it.
“If, as you all say, I can handle a custom-made moonstone sword without damaging it, then that should suffice.”
“Yes? Ah, yes… of course, that would be the case.”
“Do you think that makes sense? Moonstone is a gemstone with a lower hardness than other gemstones. Making a sword out of such material, no matter how skilled a swordsman is…”
“If you’re worried, this should suffice.”
The situation was problematic for Lupina.
Ruger, looking at me as if to say, go ahead and try, with a challenging gaze.
I looked at them and took out my wallet, placing the required amount for the custom order on the table.
“Please proceed with the custom order.”
“What have you been listening to all this time… ”
“Next, I can test whether I can handle that sword without breaking it.”
“What did you say?”
Ignoring the astonished Ruger, I continued.
“If it breaks during the test, I will not ask for a refund of the custom order cost. What do you think?”
“You speak very confidently.”
“Ah, there will be a cost for the test as well. I will pay that too.”
Saying this, I took out more money from my wallet and placed it on the table.
It was half the amount spent on the custom order.
If the sword with the moonstone embedded breaks, it would all be a waste, but I didn’t think it would break.
That’s how confident I was.
***
“Sir Julian, we have completed the sword you ordered, but… ”
A few days later, when I returned to the ‘Dusk Flame’ forge, I was greeted by Lupina, who I had seen with Ruger.
She was holding a beautiful sword sheath in her hand.
“As expected, it lacks durability. The blacksmiths said they broke it several times during the making process. They said shaping it was all they could do.”
“I see. That’s fine.”
As I approached, she handed the sword to me.
The moment I grabbed it, a cool sensation traveled up my fingertips, “This is it.”
The moment I gripped the handle of the sword, I felt the mana flowing through my body stir.
I immediately drew the sword from its sheath.
The sword, too beautiful to be called a sword and too crude to be called a gem, the ‘moonstone sword’ revealed itself.
“As you can see, it seems to have enough value as a craft. But as a weapon, as I said earlier…”
“It means it breaks easily.”
“Yes.”
Lupina nodded in response to my words.
In her eyes, there was a firm belief that this sword could never be used as a ‘weapon’.
“But where is Sir Ruger?”
“He said he would be waiting at the test site first.”
“Good. Then lead the way.”
The employee nodded and stood up, heading towards the inside of the forge.
Not long after, they arrived at a wide open space.
It seemed to be a place for displaying weapons and armor made by the forge.
“There are quite a few people gathered.”
The odd thing was that the blacksmiths who worked at the forge were all gathered in the open space.
And Ruger, still frowning, was looking this way.
“Yes, that… Julian wants to see if he can really use that sword.”
“Is that so?”
It felt like becoming a spectacle, but it wasn’t too bad a feeling.
A sword made of moonstone breaks easily due to its low durability.
Knowing this, the curiosity about the outcome speaks to Julian’s swordsmanship skills and the thought of “what if?”
If it were right after becoming “Julian,” the tension would have made it hard to breathe, but now I was quite accustomed to being the center of attention.
I even thought about doing a bit of fan service, thanks to his strong desire to show off.
“If Sir Julian can cut through that armor with a moonstone sword, we will allow you to use the custom-made sword.”
Upon Lupina’s words, I nodded and headed towards the armor stand.
As I ran my hands over the armor, I felt the solid texture of the hard armor.
The seams where the iron plates were layered were meticulously filled, clearly a superior product from the forge.
“Hmm?”
Around the stand, there were scattered pieces of iron.
On closer inspection, there were slight scratches here and there on the armor.
‘That armor is 1cm thick. Considering that a typical plate armor is 2mm, you might as well call it a lump of steel rather than armor.’
Armor that’s 1cm thick.
Then, are the scattered iron pieces around it fragments resulting from striking the armor with a sword?
“Now, the test is ready. As you said, if the sword breaks as promised…
“I won’t ask for a refund of the payment. If the sword has
broken… there’s no need to take it.”
I turned my head slightly and smiled faintly.
“But that won’t happen.”
Even though I usually avoid being too confident while playing “Julian,” grabbing the hilt of the moonstone sword made me feel a tingling excitement. A desire to test it out as
soon as possible.
“Ssshh…”
A simple deep breath.
I positioned the drawn sword against the armor.
Swinging it as is, the moonstone sword would shatter from the center in an instant.
But, the reason this sword was made was purely for the use of the Moonlight Sword.
Naturally, infusing it with ‘aura’ was the base.
To activate the Moonlight Sword, I activated 6 of the 38 mana vessels, the major meridians.
The major meridian of the heart, ‘Gate Opening’.
The ‘Rest Gate’ leading from the heart to the head.
Next, two ‘Passage Gates’ leading to each arm.
Two ‘Correcting Gates’ leading to each leg.
As all the major meridians were activated, a faint light began to leak from the moonstone sword.
“That’s the rumored…”
“Still, that sword has terrible durability. No matter if it’s Sir Julian, it won’t work.”
Ignoring the murmurs from behind, I focused on the sword.
Clearly, before, the area of the <Moonlight Sword> was as narrow as a crescent moon.
If all the mana vessels were activated, an ordinary sword wouldn’t withstand Julian’s mana and would shatter into pieces.
However, the mana vessels engraved on the sword were designed to prevent the accumulation of mana and easily distribute it throughout the blade.
What was needed to complete the <Moonlight Sword> was a path.
The moonstone served as that path.
‘So, not just using the major meridians like last time, but also using the minor meridians, the sword can withstand it.’
This time, two of the four minor meridians in the head, the ‘Gold Lines,’ were opened.
Three of the six minor meridians in the heart, the ‘Active Lines.’
And four ‘Passage Lines’ leading to the right hand holding the sword handle.
‘Ugh.’
As I wide opened the pathway for mana to move from the heart to the moonstone sword, I felt all my mana draining out as if pouring water into a bottomless pot.
But that was for a moment.
“Wow…”
An exclamation of awe came from around.
‘Finally, it’s completed.’
The <Moonlight Sword> that Julian used.
It was shining so brilliantly that it could be called the original.
The feature, ‘The incomplete Moonlight Sword has grown into the Moonlight Sword.’
An aura ranking in the top 5 in the universe of <Let’s Kill the Demon Lord>.
Feeling my body boil over like the furnaces strewn around, I slowly approached the armor and positioned the sword against it.
Not with all my strength but as naturally as the wind blowing through a wheat field.
From one end of the armor to the other.
Clang!
The part of the armor where the sword passed was cleanly cut, and when it reached the other side, the armor, with its seams severed, rolled onto the ground.
“It can’t be…”
“He didn’t seem to put any strength into it, but to split that armor in two…”
A trademark of Julian, the <Moonlight Sword>’s feature, was to contain overflowing mana within the sword, causing it to rotate incessantly.
Like the blade of a chainsaw, for instance.
A capability with overwhelming cutting power.
The reason I, who hated Julian so much, knew this ability so well was simple.
‘Because I’ve died several times.’
The protagonist of <Let’s Kill the Demon Lord>, ‘Hayden Reich’s former disciple and arch-enemy.
A character who, in most routes, stands as the villain against
the protagonist.
That’s why, as a notoriously difficult opponent, I had a good grasp of the abilities Julian possessed.
“Then, Sir Ruger, may I take this sword with me?”
After examining the fallen armor, I shifted my gaze to Ruger, who was watching from behind.
The blacksmith with the unpleasant demeanor seemed unwilling to unknit his brow.
Cliche Novel 
chainsaw?! how cool! (๑✪ᆺ✪๑)
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