SOUTHERN FANTASIA | CHAPTER 4

[posseoir]

An enormous kettle, a modest pair of scissors.... The store had everything, but because of recent events, I couldn't help but be drawn to the weapons. Not only swords and axes, but also spiked clubs, disk-shaped blades, and other unnamed items.

Akira. ( …The thought of it being a weapon is a little scary. When you look at it as a work of art, it's actually kind of cool; I wonder if Lennox's friend, Ethan, is making weapons somewhere in this city too….)

Figaro. Leno, go meet Ethan. The rest of us will keep an eye on things around here.

Faust. If something goes wrong, come straight back.

Lennox. Understood. Thank you both..

Mitile. That reminds me, Mr. Leno, your friend is someone you fought with in the past.

Like a comrade-in-arms, right?

Mitile's question was innocent. Before coming here, Lennox told the younger wizards that he was going to see Ethan, but he did not tell them about the resentment he had toward humans.

Lennox. Yeah. We haven't seen each other in a long time.

Rutile. That sounds so exciting! Please give my best regards to your friend.

Lennox. ….Right. I'll pass it on.

Akira. Um...... Lennox. Would you mind if I accompanied you?

Lennox. You too, sage?

Nodding, I lowered my voice so that only Lennox, Figaro, and Faust could hear me.

Akira. Just in case a problem does arise, I thought it would be better to have someone who can come and inform the others. I'll keep an eye on things, and if everything looks okay, I'll come back!

Despite my suggestion, I was prepared to be talked out of it. As a human, it would be dangerous for me to go near Ethan, who had probably cursed humans, even if only for a quick look around. However, Figaro and Faust looked at each other for a moment and nodded their heads.

Figaro. ….I have to agree. If Leno's okay with it, I'd like him to go along for the ride.

Lennox. That is…. it would be great if you could come with me.

Akira. Y-Yes, of course!

Lennox gave a curt nod and bowed to Figaro and Faust.

Lennox. …Then, I'm off.

Faust. ….

Figaro. …I knew it. You're worried that I sent the sage with him.

Faust. No. Even if Ethan hadn't cursed the humans, it would have been better for Leno to be alone.

Figaro. Leno is a man who speaks his mind. The fact he hadn’t outright declined suggests he had hoped for someone to come with him. After hundreds of years of no contact, there are only so many reasons why someone would suddenly want to get in touch with you. Leno probably expected this, at some point.

Faust. …Yeah, I know. And that letter was far too weak for Ethan's magic. Ethan is probably already…

Rutile. Oh wow, those pots they sell over there look like they could cook up super-sized servings of lorito de pollo! Anything of interest to you, Mitile?

Mitile. I want to check out the blacksmith shop on that corner over there!

They have a lot of cool knives in their store.

Shopkeeper. Searching for a cool knife? Then this one's for you.

Mitile. Whoa, the handle has a dragon carving on it! But there's a small, slightly odd pattern here…

Heathcliff. This is an engraving of the maker's workshop. Even I engrave a unique pattern on my products to show that they are genuine. It is very easy to find fakes of poor quality, especially if they are from a famous workshop.

Shopkeep. As you say, reliability is the most important factor. It's best to buy from someone you can trust, from a workshop you can trust; otherwise, you may end up with a cursed weapon.

Rutile. A cursed weapon?

Shopkeep. Yes. A bloodthirsty weapon doomed to harm its owner. When such a blacksmith takes a weapon to be serviced, the result is a demon of a weapon that can only injure its owner. The wounded owner, of course, pawns the weapon. And if you happen to get your hands on one by accident....

Mitile. ….!

Shopkeep. Haha, my goodness! Nothing more than rumors that there used to be such a thing.

Sorry for scaring you, kid.

Shino. That was just gossip?

Nero. Well, cursed swords and whatnot are a common story. Used to steal ‘em just to be scared.

Rutile. Eh? You stole…?

Nero. …I mean to steal a look at ‘em. Misspoke, I misspoke.

Faust + Figaro. …

The house Ethan lived in was located a little far from the center of the city.

With the sun setting, the area around the house was quiet and deserted.

Lennox. Ethan's house appears to be in this building…

Akira. Here, but that’s….

In front of me, a building that looked like a workshop was in shambles. The stone walls and roof had collapsed, and rubble had fallen into the surrounding area. I wondered if it was safe for people to live in.

Akira. (Huh?)

A figure was seen around the lit furnace.

Akira. Is that Ethan?

Lennox. No….I don't think so. I don't sense any magic, so I think it might be a human being.

A young man in his early twenties with long hazel hair tied up in a single bun was there. He was tall and well-built. He seemed to be working on restoring the building, silently and alone, piling up the stones of the collapsed wall.

Akira. Is he a craftsman from the workshop? But….it looks like he’s injured.

He had bandages on his arms and legs and was using crutches to move around. His complexion was pale and he was unsteady on his feet. Despite this, he continued to work tirelessly to repair the damage.

???. …!

At that moment, his body buckled under the weight of the wood he was carrying.

Faster than I could move, Lennox rushed from behind the young man to support him.

Lennox. Are you alright?

???. Oh, oh. That was helpful. Thank you. ......You're not from around here, are you?

Lennox. Yes, I'm Lennox, a wizard from the South.

I got a letter from an old friend, Ethan, and came to visit.

???. A friend of the master! Sorry to bother you with all that.

Lennox. Master? So you are Ethan's apprentice?

Liam. Yes. Sorry for the late introduction, I’m Liam.

Lennox. …Liam?

There was a small murmur from Lennox.

Possibly not noticing that his voice was barely audible, Liam continued.

Liam. I was taken in by my mentor Ethan when I was a child, and I work as a blacksmith in this workshop. …Or I was working here. As you can see, the workshop is in a state of disrepair due to the Great Calamity.

He looked up at the tattered workshop with a wry smile.

Akira. (Liam, despite your terrible injuries, you’re fixing the store all by yourself? What about Ethan?)

Lennox must have wondered the same thing. He looked at the letter he had brought and then asked:

Lennox. Liam. Sorry to bother you at a time like this, but could I see Ethan?

In the letter, he asked me to come…

Liam. No, sorry. ….Unfortunately, my teacher turned to stone a while ago.

Akira. ….What?

Lennox. ….

For a moment, Lennox's eyes widened slightly behind his glasses. Then, his face immediately turned back to its usual expression. The situation left me speechless. I had never imagined he was dead.

CHAPTER THREE  |  CHAPTER FIVE