WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Dionysus
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Chapter 251: I've Waited So Long (3)
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"..."
Not long after his reunion with Airen Farreira.
Having come back to his senses, the blacksmith Vulcanus spent every day steeped in sorrow.
Even now, the memory came back whenever he closed his eyes. No, he saw the vision even with his eyes open.
The tenth Vulcanus Numbering Sword that he had proudly presented, and the greatsword of unbelievable quality that had surpassed it by an immeasurable margin.
'A thing that could only have been made by the god of blacksmiths...'
The firmness he had sensed when he first saw Airen, and again when he first saw his greatsword, was still there.
That alone would have put it on par with artifacts from the Age of Myth. Yet the golden greatsword had completely surpassed its former self, revealing its elegant form before Vulcanus.
Cutting power.
Balance.
Durability.
Not even the decorations on the hilt or the smallest details were lacking.
He had not even needed to inspect it closely.
The shock was so intense it felt as if his eyes had been burned, and Vulcanus had lost consciousness on the spot.
"...I'm finished."
Recalling that event for what had to be the several-hundredth time, the dwarf drank with a gloomy expression.
He could not endure without drinking. Of course, drinking did not change anything.
It was over.
The birth of a magnificent sword he could never catch up to, even if he devoted the rest of his life to chasing it.
Overcome by the greatest despair he had ever known, he poured strong whiskey down his throat as though he intended to drink himself to death.
By the time he had emptied three bottles in no time at all, someone arrived.
"May I come in?"
"..."
A voice that sounded kind and gentle, yet carried an unshakable strength.
Airen Farreira.
Vulcanus did not welcome his visit.
He was still ashamed. The words he had confidently declared in front of Airen, convinced that he had become the greatest blacksmith in history, still rang in his ears.
'If you say, "I'm sorry, Vulcanus-nim!" then I will gladly forgive you and recognize you as the owner of this sword, the tenth Vulcanus Numbering Sword.'
"Aaargh! Aaaaaargh!"
As the trauma surfaced once more, the dwarf clutched his head. A bottle rolled across the floor with a clatter.
Vulcanus did not care. Instead, he writhed beside it like a madman.
But Airen remained calm.
As though he had expected this from the moment he arrived.
Or as though this much was nothing at all.
He approached the dwarf at an even pace, neither fast nor slow, and took Vulcanus's hand.
Then he raised his Aura.
Hmmmmmm...
On the way back from House Lindsay to Farreira territory, Airen had come to a new realization about Manifestation.
Did Manifestation always have to be used to threaten an opponent?
'No.'
From the basic level of releasing pressure to intimidate an enemy, to the ultimate realm of creating an Aura Sword.
Most uses of Aura Manifestation were indeed tools for harming others.
However, Aura itself was not always dangerous. In fact, when one called upon the Aura within, the opposite was often true.
It could calm a person's heart, stir their passion, and give them the courage to stand firm against external threats.
If he manifested that positive Aura and passed it on to another person...
'Wouldn't it be possible to change their heart for the better too?'
He was certain.
No, when he thought about it, Airen had already done this before.
He had stopped the gladiator Grayson at the Land of Proof from becoming a Demonoid.
He had purified the darkness in Illia Lindsay's heart.
The same was true within the Jester Demon's posthumous barrier.
The powerful energy he had released, like a lighthouse or a bonfire, had filled the expedition members' hearts with hope.
'The difference between then and now is that I relied entirely on instinct back then.'
Now was different.
His strength of heart had grown, but Airen's swordsmanship and Aura control had reached a level incomparable to the past as well.
Vast and deep knowledge, combined with experience, had combined to create a new theory and refined his instinctive energy into something far more sophisticated.
Airen had reinterpreted the Fire aspect of the Five Elements Divine Technique in his own way, then added a somewhat different concept of Manifestation.
Once the Water method was added as well, the Aura that had previously struggled to enter began naturally seeping into Vulcanus's body.
Warmth, peace, comfort, and other positive energies flowed steadily into him and swirled within him.
Vulcanus felt it too.
Slightly sobered, he raised his head with a bewildered expression.
He still looked haggard.
However, unlike before, light was gradually returning to his eyes.
Having confirmed this, Airen drew upon his power as a Sorcerer.
The will and conviction within him poured outward, tangible enough to grasp.
Fwaaaaash!
"...!"
Vulcanus's eyes opened fully.
Despite his somewhat dull appearance, he possessed sharper senses than anyone else. His instincts were keener than anyone else's.
That was why, two years ago, he had named Airen the tournament champion without even watching his swordsmanship.
He had sensed the steel-like strength dwelling in Airen's heart.
Then what about now?
"...This is absurd."
The dwarf blacksmith muttered without realizing it.
The will reaching him was far greater and more magnificent than what he had felt two years ago.
And it was much clearer, vivid enough to feel as though he could grasp it in his hand.
Courage welled up within him in waves.
A blissful inspiration strong enough to restore his broken resolve planted new hope in Vulcanus.
If he could work alongside Airen Farreira, who had grown beyond comparison to the past...
Even if he could not match the golden greatsword, could he not forge a sword far greater than the tenth Numbering Sword?
"...Please, allow me to remain in your territory."
The proud dwarf blacksmith stood, brushed himself off, and made his request in a polite tone.
Airen watched him with a smile and answered softly.
"Of course."
* * *
"Brother, what on earth did you do? How did you get those people... no, those master craftsmen, to settle down in our territory?"
"Exactly! Young Master, that is truly incredible! The Baron will be overjoyed when he hears of it!"
"Huh? Why?"
"What lord would dislike having the finest craftsmen on the continent settle in their territory? Farreira territory will develop beyond anything it has ever seen! To return home and immediately perform such a great act of filial devotion... truly, truly remarkable!"
Lulu stood there blankly, seemingly unable to grasp the situation, while Kiril and Marcus beamed with delight.
If he had to choose between the two reactions, Airen was closer to Lulu's.
He had not done it for the territory, nor out of filial devotion to his parents.
'I just didn't want to leave Vulcanus like that...'
It was not a bad thing, of course. He was simply a little bewildered, though he was happy about it as well.
Still, he could not remain purely happy for long.
One word Marcus had spoken.
Filial devotion.
It sent a powerful ripple through Airen's heart.
'...Come to think of it, the people I treated most poorly were my parents.'
After gaining an insight through his conversation with Lord Lloyd, he had begun paying closer attention to the precious people around him.
Though he had received so much help and love, he had clung only to useless, uncertain things and failed to fulfill his duty toward them.
Then whom had he treated most poorly?
His family.
Especially his father and mother.
They had stayed closest to him.
They had supported him for the longest time, yet all he had given them was pain...
'No, this is unnecessary thinking too.'
Airen shook his head.
For ten years, he had shut himself in his room, worried his parents sick, and brought them nothing but grief. That was an unchangeable past. No amount of regret or reflection could change it.
Just as he should not become trapped in a distant future, there was no need to be bound by the past either.
He should do better from now on.
He would not forget his days as the lazy lord, marked not by filial devotion but by unfilial conduct. But rather than tormenting himself over them, he would focus on the present.
Having reached that conclusion, he spoke to Marcus.
"Marcus."
"Yes, Young Master."
"What kind of gift do you think my parents would like?"
"Huh? But Young Master, have you not already prepared gifts?"
"Well, I'm just worried. Kiril and I gave it some thought when choosing them, but... they might not like them."
"..."
"You have spent the most time with my parents, not us. If you have a better idea, I'd like you to tell me."
"...Young Master. It is all right."
"Hm?"
"I mean that you have already prepared the greatest gift there is."
Marcus answered with a serious expression.
Airen looked at him in confusion.
He had prepared fine wine for his father and perfume for his mother.
He had enough money to buy good items, certainly, but he did not think he had done anything worthy of such high praise.
That was when it happened.
While he was deep in thought over Marcus's words, he sensed a commotion at the lord's residence.
Airen and Kiril looked at each other, nodded, and moved.
Fwip.
Whoosh!
Pushing Aura and Sorcery to their limits, the two moved swiftly.
A moment later, they stopped before the Baron and Baroness Farreira, who had returned under the escort of knights.
Harun Farreira looked startled, while Amelia Farreira was equally surprised before soon softening into a warm expression.
Behind them stood the knights, including Orlin Jukran.
'There are even more people I don't recognize.'
Realizing anew how long he had been away from his family, Airen felt joy, regret, and countless other emotions surge up and catch in his throat.
Airen Farreira slowly bowed.
A tearful voice came from his lips.
"I'm back, Father, Mother."
A brief silence fell.
No one spoke, and no one dared to move.
Was it because parents and child were meeting again after two long years?
That was part of it, but not the only reason.
The present was so dazzling.
Yet when they thought of the shadow that had hung over Airen, over the Farreira family, before this moment could come to be, the scene before them could only feel even more special.
"...Ah, Father, Mother! Let's go inside first. You must be tired from the journey, and I have so much I want to tell you. There are many things I want to hear too. And I prepared gifts as well. Um... I don't know if you'll like them, but still..."
Airen spoke again.
His words were rambling, as usual.
It could not be helped. His emotions were not yet in order, so there was no way his words could come out neatly.
Of course, that did not matter.
No parent would become angry or annoyed simply because their child showed a little awkwardness. Especially not the Farreiras.
Of course.
"Airen."
"Yes, Father."
"I heard you reached the realm of Master."
"..."
"Will you show me?"
A parent's greatest wish was surely to see their child at their very best.
Hearing Harun Farreira's words, Airen remembered Marcus's earlier remark.
'...The greatest gift is me.'
That was right.
If he himself had been the one who had troubled and burdened his parents the most for the longest time, then he was also the one who could bring them the greatest joy and happiness.
His very self, the self that had grown beyond what he once was, was the gift.
The lazy lord of House Farreira had finally realized that.
...No, Airen Farreira, now the pride of House Farreira, nodded and answered.
"I will show you."
Fwish.
Hmmmmmm!
The golden greatsword appeared in an instant.
At nearly the same time, golden energy surged upward.
It was an Aura Sword. A perfect Aura Sword.
The knights, seeing a Sword Master's blade for the first time in their lives, had their eyes widen almost to bursting.
"..."
"Uh... uh..."
"H-huh, uh...!"
"Wow..."
Knights who had only recently arrived in the territory.
Knights who knew the young lord from when he had still been an Expert, before setting out on his journey.
Knights like Orlin Jukran, who had served the lord since long ago.
Not a single one of them could form a proper word.
Those who did not know Airen and those who knew him well alike stood dazedly staring at the Aura Sword.
They stared at the magnificent blade rising as if it would pierce the sky.
Harun Farreira was not among them.
Neither was Amelia Farreira. Their eyes were fixed somewhere else, not on the sword.
The Aura Sword was a symbol of a Master and of greatness. But there was something far more important and precious to them.
As they gazed proudly at their son's face, Airen Farreira shed tears and spoke once more.
"I'm back, Father, Mother."
After many long years, the young hero had cast off the disgrace of being the lazy lord and returned bearing the honor of a Sword Master.
At the news, the entire Hale Kingdom, including the Six Southern Houses, was abuzz.
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