Chapter 9

I stood at the entrance of the Dead End Village, which had been devastated by the flood, and used my production skills to repair it. I was at the village chief's house.

"Thank you, traveler. With this, the elderly of the village can live in peace."

"That's good to hear."

The best part is when the things I make are used with joy.

"I want to express my gratitude for saving the village."

"No, no, there's no need for thanks. It wasn't a big deal."

"You saved us from an unprecedented flood. You are truly humble! Indeed, you are the one with the Golden Hand."

I felt a bit embarrassed.

On the other hand, the village chief, Mr. Arthur, looked apologetic.

"It's very hard to not be able to repay such a benefactor. Is there anything you desire?"

"Hmm... something I desire... Oh, right. Do you have any unusual weapons or tools?"

It's a remote village.

Maybe there's something interesting here.

"I'm traveling with the goal of creating divine weapons. I'm looking for something that can inspire me."

"I see... then I have something good for you."

With that, Mr. Arthur led us to a nearby forest. There was a shrine in the forest, and a staircase leading down from it.

"In this shrine, a cursed sword is sealed."

"Wow! A cursed sword!"

It's a cursed sword! That's rare... sounds good. It might be useful for creating divine weapons!

"Why is the cursed sword sealed here?"

The beastman Polo asked the village chief, who was walking in front.

"Once upon a time, there was a hero and an evil god. To defeat the evil god, the god of swords entrusted a cursed sword to the hero."

The hero succeeded in defeating the evil god, but the sword's owner went berserk. After the owner's death, handling the cursed sword became a big problem.

"Anyone who wields it goes berserk, losing their sanity and becoming a fighting machine. That's why our ancestors sealed the cursed sword in this shrine."

"Why would the god of swords grant such a dangerous weapon?"

"I suppose... it was because the evil god was so powerful that nothing less could defeat it."

There were no holy swords back then, I guess.

After a while, we reached the back of the shrine.

There, a sword was enshrined on a shelf. It was wrapped in chains and had seals attached.

"Is this it...!"

It has a very unique appearance.

It's not an ordinary sword.

Just being near it, the air feels intense.

"Be careful, Mr. Vile. Even the village elders lose their life force just by getting close... Ah, wait!"

I wanted to pick it up quickly and approached the cursed sword.

Wow, it's purple and cool.

"Unbelievable... Mr. Vile, are you okay just standing there?"

"Yes. What about you two?"

Mr. Arthur looked uncomfortable.

Polo was kneeling on the spot.

"Are you okay, Mr. Vile?"

"Yes, I'm fine."

"That's amazing... Mr. Vile! Ugh..."

"If it's too much, don't push yourself. You can wait outside with Mr. Arthur."

But both Mr. Arthur and Polo shook their heads.

"Something might happen."

"That's right! We can't protect you from outside!"

They're waiting for me even though it's painful.

That's nice to know.

"Then, let me take a quick look."

"Alright... but Mr. Vile, this cursed sword is sealed with a powerful enchantment by a very powerful witch."

"A witch's seal?"

"Yes. A witch goddess, who cast an unbreakable seal on it."

A powerful person used magic to seal the cursed sword.

Makes sense. I shouldn't touch it carelessly and cause it to go berserk, leading to deaths.

"It's fine, though."

I took out the divine hammer Mjolnir and connected it to my hand.

This divine weapon is a catalyst that enhances my power.

One of my production skills, [Destruction of All Things].

"Destruction of All Things... Level 1. Disassemble."

I tapped the chains on the cursed sword with the hammer.

Crack!

"What!? How... You broke the unbreakable seal!?"

"That's amazing! Truly, Mr. Vile!"

Now, let's unseal and pull out the cursed sword.

"Wow, it's quite rusty."

The blade was covered in rust.

It had been sealed for a long time.

Of course, it would end up like this.

Was the blood left on it as it was?

"Mr. Vile, you won't go berserk?"

"I don't think so. It's probably because it's degraded. The power has weakened."

However, when I examined it...

"Poor thing, you must have been in pain."

The blade is so rusty.

"......T"

Suddenly, I heard a voice from the blade.

...When I maintain tools, I check their condition.

Metaphorically, I hear the voices of the tools.

They don't really speak.

I try to understand the feelings of the tools.

But... this time, I clearly heard a voice from the cursed sword.

"...K...T...S, K...T"

It seems to be the voice of the cursed sword.

Help me, it says.

It was feared to drive people berserk, and no one cared for it, so it was sealed underground and left alone.

Moreover, no one maintained it, so it became this dilapidated.

Poor thing.

"...C...W...T...L...K...T"

"Stop talking nonsense. I'm a blacksmith. Fixing tools is my job."

Even if it wasn't my job, I couldn't leave something in such a dilapidated state.

I want the people who use tools to smile, and I want the tools to have a happy life.

"Wait, I'll make you comfortable soon."

I held the divine hammer Mjolnir and swung it down.

"[Complete Repair]"

Clank! As the hammer struck, the rust disappeared.

The cursed sword returned to its pre-sealed state.

But...

A terrifying force surged into me.

"No! The curse of the cursed sword! Release it immediately!"

Indeed, I felt my consciousness being taken over.

It's a powerful force.

But... it's a twisted power.

Just by touching it, I can sense the weapon's status.

If asked why, I can only say I can sense it.

It seems to be a different skill from the Golden Hand.

"...Deliberately made it worse."

The god of swords who created this cursed sword deliberately placed a curse to make the owner go berserk.

What a thing to do.

"Wait... I'll complete you!"

I used my advanced forging skills to remake this cursed sword into a perfect form!

Clank!

Then...

The surge of power from the sword stopped.

The burden on my body disappeared.

The cursed sword began to shine with a strong, dark light.

And... in front of me, a beautiful sword with a blade like the night sky was created.

"Yep, it looks good."

The rusty, dilapidated sword was transformed into a beautiful sword.

"Thank you, genius craftsman."

At that moment, a woman's voice echoed in my mind.

"Wow, the voice is clear. Is this your voice?"

"Yes. Unbelievable, but I seem to have transformed from a cursed sword into a holy sword."

"Really? A holy sword..."

The holy sword glowed brightly.

Then, the sword itself transformed into a beautiful woman.

"Pleased to meet you, genius craftsman... no, my creator."

A stunning woman in a traditional Far Eastern kimono knelt before me.

"I am the sword spirit of this [Holy Sword of Darkness]."

"Oh... but, holy swords... weren't they supposed to be made by divine beings?"

Behind me, Mr. Arthur was astonished.

"Amazing, Mr. Vile! As you said, holy swords were brought to earth by divine messengers! No human has ever made one!"

Even the previous blacksmith, Mr. Ganko, couldn't create a holy sword and was regretful.

That means...

"Wait, so this is the first time a human has created a holy sword?"

"Yes! Amazing! Amazing, Mr. Vile!"

Well, that's...

I see. I'm the first.

But I didn't create it from scratch.

I just completed something that someone else had left unfinished.

I don't feel a great sense of accomplishment for creating something amazing. But...

"Are you comfortable now?"

The sword spirit of darkness looked surprised.

But she smiled happily.

"Yes, I feel very comfortable."

"That's good. Then, that's fine."

I didn't feel like I had accomplished something great, but I made this sword spirit smile.

That alone made me feel like I did a good job.