Chapter 36

"......Alright. Is this the feel you were looking for?"

"Yeah, I think it's not bad."

Kuruni, who had taken up the Zweihänder at my recommendation, spoke hesitantly.

In the dojo, she had mostly used one-handed wooden swords. Given that she still uses a short sword, it's likely she chose a sword based on that training. I can understand her confusion at suddenly being handed a two-handed sword.

"How does it feel to hold it?"

I'm not trying to force the Zweihänder on her. The goal is to find a weapon that suits Kuruni. If this one doesn't feel right, we'll look for another sword.

"Hmm... It's not light, but it's not as heavy as you said."

"Hmm. I don't think it's bad."

It's impressive that she doesn't find a two-handed sword heavy. When did you become such a powerhouse? You'd look scary with a halberd or a poleaxe.

For Kuruni, a short sword probably feels like a dry twig. No wonder she can't transmit her strength to the sword properly.

"This ricasso... Is that what it's called? It's quite distinctive."

"Yeah. It's a bit different to use compared to a regular two-handed sword."

Kuruni changed her grip a few times and commented.

The Zweihänder differs from a regular two-handed sword in that it has a ricasso, an unsharpened part of the blade. This allows for axe-like maneuvers by using it as a pivot.

Compared to a regular sword, it's a weapon with a wider range of tactical uses.

"It looks good, but you need to pay for it, you know."

"Oh, right. How much is it?"

Baldur, who had been watching, made the obvious request.

Of course, weapons don't come for free. For Baldur, the blacksmith, they are his livelihood. I wonder how much this one costs.

"Well... I'll give you a discount to eighty thousand darks. That's my limit."

"Ugh... I don't have enough on me..."

Kuruni made a grimace at Baldur's quoted price.

Eighty thousand darks. Considering the type and quality of the weapon, I think it's quite cheap, but she probably came here just to get a sword sharpened and doesn't have that much money on her.

Darks are the currency unit used in the Kingdom of Reberis.

Depending on where you live and your lifestyle, if you want to live in a rural area like Bident Village for a month, about a hundred thousand darks would be enough.

In a city like Baltrain, with higher prices and rent, you'd need about one hundred fifty to two hundred thousand darks.

By that standard, eighty thousand darks is not a cheap purchase. Of course, it's quite cheap for a new weapon, but I can understand Baldur's discount.

By the way, I recommended this one quite casually, thinking, "How about this?" But it seems to have become a done deal. Is that okay? I think the old man should think about it a bit more.

"Alright... Wait a moment."

As soon as Baldur realized Kuruni didn't have enough money, he disappeared into the back of the workshop.

He came back quickly, holding a similar but slightly shorter Zweihänder.

"This one will be twenty thousand darks."

"Really? For real?"

"Sure, it's cheap."

The price was so low that I couldn't help but look at the Zweihänder.

Hmm, it doesn't seem to be a defective product. I don't see any chips or blade damage, and it looks well-sharpened.

"Why is it so cheap?"

I asked, curious. It didn't seem like something that should be sold for twenty thousand darks.

"Oh, this one I made as a pastime a while back. It's more like a prototype. The blade is a bit shorter, right? It was just gathering dust in the workshop, but if Kuruni wants to use it, I'll let her have it at a discount."

"I see."

I nodded at Baldur's explanation.

This kind of thing does happen occasionally.

For blacksmiths, and craftsmen in general, improving their skills is everything. Of course, they need to do some advertising, but the success of a blacksmith's shop largely depends on the skill of the blacksmith.

In the process of honing their skills, they sometimes create items that are decent quality and have some sentimental value but aren't quite good enough to sell.

If the quality is poor, they can discard it without hesitation, but if it's not that bad, they might struggle with what to do with it. I used to get such swords from the blacksmith in Bident Village.

"The shorter blade might actually be better. Kuruni is petite, after all."

The weapon is incredibly cheap, and the quality isn't bad.

Yeah, it might be perfect for trying out a new weapon type. Plus, a slightly shorter blade than a regular Zweihänder could be an advantage. For Kuruni, who is petite, a longer blade would be harder to handle.

"Alright! I'll take this one!"

"Sure thing, anytime."

And just like that, without much questioning, Kuruni's new weapon was decided to be the Zweihänder.

Well, I did recommend it, but is this okay? I'm a bit worried.

"Hey, Alusia."

"Yes, what is it?"

I suddenly remembered something and called out to Alusia, who was looking at the swords on the wall.

She's still interested in swords, I see. It would be nice if she could just replace them quickly.

"Is it okay to use a Zweihänder in the knights' order? Everyone seems to use longswords."

Alusia uses a longsword, and from the way Hembritz, the deputy leader, handles his sword, he seems to be skilled with longswords.

Most of the other members also use regular wooden swords for training, indicating they use longswords in combat.

I was wondering if it would be okay for Kuruni to be the only one using a two-handed sword.

"There are no specific restrictions. Knights are given a longsword upon appointment, but that's just a formality."

"......I see."

It seems there's no problem. I'm relieved.

But if you're given one, why not use it? Is it a bad idea to bring it up?

Probably, there's a ceremony or something where you receive it. It might be a ceremonial sword that can't withstand actual combat, but that's a possibility.

"Teacher, Teacher!"

"Hmm? What is it?"

Kuruni, who had received the slightly shorter Zweihänder with its sheath, seemed pleased and called out.

"I've never held a two-handed sword before, so I want to learn more about it."

"Sure, I'll teach you the basics."

It would be confusing to just hand her a two-handed sword and say, "Here you go."

"I don't have the space for that."

Baldur, who had been listening to our conversation, interjected.

Hmm, there's no training area here.

This is in the central district, so the land costs must be quite high. Preparing a training area would require a fair amount of space.

"Then let's use the knights' training ground."

"Sure! Thank you very much!"

There are surprisingly few places in the capital, Baltrain, where you can swing a sword without worrying. The knights' training ground or the adventurers' guild training area are probably the only options.

Of course, you shouldn't be swinging swords in the city anyway.

But a two-handed sword, huh.

I recommended it, but I'm not that proficient with it myself. Well, if you master the longsword, you can apply most of the techniques.

"Wait a moment, Teacher."

Just as I thought we'd do a bit of basic training at the training ground, Alusia called out. I wonder what's up.

"You haven't chosen a sword for yourself yet."

"Oh, right."

I had completely forgotten. Thanks, Alusia.

"Hmm? A sword for the teacher?"

And I didn't miss the way Baldur's eyes gleamed when he heard that.

Stop it, I just want a regular one, a regular one!

Happy New Year.

Please take care of this old man from a small village this year as well. _(`ω、」∠)_