Chapter 37: Sword’s Heaven
"Huh?! But shouldn’t I be the one paying? After all, I brought you all here," Arthur said, sounding genuinely confused.
Daisy shot him a sharp glare. "How can you even think of paying while your elder sister is sitting right here? Just tell me if you want something special from the menu. If not, keep quiet." Her tone carried authority, the kind that brooked no argument.
Derek couldn’t help but chuckle softly at the exchange.
"Oh... okay, I guess," Arthur muttered, scratching the back of his head awkwardly.
Daisy flipped through the menu, selected a few dishes, and showed it to the others to check if they wanted anything different. But everyone was satisfied with her choice, so she placed the order. Once the young waiter left, their conversation resumed naturally.
"So, Derek," Daisy began, "what do you plan on doing in these seven days? They mentioned taking some preparations, but what kind of preparations could there be? I heard they even provide uniforms for free."
"Well," Derek replied in a calm, balanced tone, "I think I’ll just train like I usually do. Maybe roam around a bit."
"That’s what most students do," Arthur said. "But besides roaming around, some also buy weapons or magic staffs like specters or wands."
"But Derek’s a cultivator," Daisy pointed out. "He won’t need any of those. He can just relax and enjoy these seven days. Once he enters the academy, it’s going to be training after training. Who knows when he’ll get time to enjoy himself again?"
"True," Arthur agreed with a nod.
But then Derek said something that caught them both off guard. "Actually, besides training, I was thinking of buying a sword."
"What?!" Both Arthur and Daisy exclaimed at the same time.
"Why would you need a sword, little one?" Daisy asked in disbelief. "You know you can’t properly use a weapon to its maximum potential unless you can use aura like the aurans, right?"
"Yes," Arthur added, frowning slightly. "No matter how strong you are, a weapon won’t deal much damage without aura reinforcement. It’ll wear out and break even faster."
"Well... um..." Derek hesitated, unsure how to explain. How could he tell them that even without aura, his swordsmanship was already exceptional? That he could wield a blade as if it were part of his own body? ’What should I say?’ he thought. ’It’ll sound like bragging... and they’ll never believe it.’
Before he could respond, Martha spoke up. "Let him buy a sword. Even if he breaks it trying to use it, what’s the harm? And if that sword gives him even a little extra protection, isn’t that a good enough reason already?"
Daisy blinked, then smiled. "Well... when you put it like that, Mother, it does sound reasonable."
Arthur nodded in agreement as well. "Alright then, it’s settled! We’ll visit a blacksmith right after today’s meal." He grinned, clearly more excited than anyone else. Though he still didn’t fully understand why Derek wanted a sword, Martha’s reasoning made perfect sense to him.
Soon, the waiter arrived with the first two dishes, and he had to return twice more after that.
Daisy hadn’t held back at all when placing the order, there wasn’t even a hint of stinginess in her choices.
Once everything was laid out on the table, Daisy clapped her hands with a bright smile. "Alright, everyone. Let’s dig in!"
Laughter and teasing filled the air as their lunch continued in a lively mood.
When they finally finished eating, Arthur leaned back in his chair and let out a loud burp before he could stop himself.
Daisy shot him an annoyed glance, butdecided not to say anything. She then paid the bill, and the group stepped outside into the bustling street.
"Now," Arthur said after a brief moment of thought, "let’s see which blacksmith we should go to for your sword." Instead of calling for a wagon, he began walking ahead, scanning the nearby signs.
"Maybe we can go to Sword’s Heaven," Derek suggested suddenly.
Arthur turned sharply toward him, eyes wide. "Sword’s Heaven?! Where did you hear about that place?" His tone carried both surprise and curiosity.
"I heard some kids talking about it in the market," Derek replied calmly.
Arthur’s expression grew thoughtful. He knew the name well.
Sword’s Heaven was no ordinary shop, it was a sacred place for the finest blacksmiths in the entire kingdom. While most forges had one or two skilled smiths at best, Sword’s Heaven housed more than thirty. Every one of them was a master, and for them, crafting weapons wasn’t merely a profession, it was an art, a passion they took pride in.
But Sword’s Heaven wasn’t open to just anyone. They only crafted weapons for those with noble bloodlines, powerful influence, or extraordinary potential, people whose names were destined to be remembered.
"I don’t know how much you’ve heard about that place, Derek," Arthur began cautiously, "but I don’t think going there will do us much good. If you were an Auran, that’d be a completely different story." He sighed, already imagining how things might turn out.
Or rather, how they would turn out.
"But we can at least give it a try, right? There’s nothing wrong with just checking it out," Derek said, his tone calm yet firm.
"Well... umm..." Arthur hesitated. He didn’t want to discourage Derek, but at the same time, he knew the chances of being taken seriously at Sword’s Heaven were slim to none.
Seeing his uncertainty, Daisy stepped in. "What are you even hesitating for? As Derek said, there’s no harm in just going to take a look."
Arthur rubbed the back of his neck and let out a resigned sigh. "Alright, alright. Let’s go then. It’s not too far from here anyway, so we can walk."
With that, they started down the cobbled street, following Arthur’s lead as the sounds of the bustling marketplace filled the air around them.
As they walked, Derek’s eyes remained fixed ahead, a faint glimmer of nostalgia flickering within them.
’I hope Denvar can still forge the same sword he crafted for me in my past life,’ he thought silently.