BANG-! BANG-BANG-!

From early in the morning, loud noises invaded my ears.

Along with them, a familiar burning heat fiercely brushed past the tip of my nose.

Hot. Every time I came here, it always felt scorching.

Feeling the kind of heat that made it seem like I’d be drenched in sweat soon, I stepped inside.

KANG-! KAANG-!!

With the sharp clash of metal, I couldn’t help but frown. That piercing ring still wasn’t something I was used to.

Iron River.

The Tang Clan’s main source of income and the place that amplified their renown the most.

It boasted a position so immense that you could say most of the famed swords in the Central Plains were born here.

I’d already come and gone a few times, but even so, this heat was vicious.

The heat’s one thing, but...

KANG-! KANG-!

The sounds kept pounding away inside me.

A hammering that struck the soul. A sensation that only smiths who’d reached a certain level could create, something that made your spirit resonate.

Tch.

It wasn’t easy for this many master smiths to gather in one place. As expected of the place where the greatest blacksmiths in the Central Plains had assembled.

It had amazed me the first time I came. Now, it amazed me even more.

And—

“You’re here.”

The old man in front of us was someone who’d reached the very peak even among those smiths.

“I greet the Iron River Master.”

“...I greet the Iron River Master.”

Tang Yeran and I paid our respects to the old man.

He gave us a broad grin in return.

“I heard you went through something big and your body hasn’t fully recovered. You sure you should be out and about like this?”

“...I’m all right. It’s not like I was that badly injured.”

“Is that so? Being young really is a blessing!”

Laughing boisterously, he slapped my shoulder roughly.

My bone rattled and I almost screamed without meaning to.

“M-Master, Young Master Bang is still a patient.”

Seeing that, Tang Yeran hurriedly stepped in the way. The Iron River Master turned his gaze to her.

He wasn’t the only one.

From the moment Tang Yeran appeared, I could feel the smiths at Iron River sneaking glances over this way.

Just like last time, their eyes were coated in a thoroughly unpleasant emotion.

So unpleasant that it was hard to even put into words.

“I heard from the Tang Clan Head. You’re going to repair the sword with black iron?”

“...Yes.”

“Repairing a black iron sword, is it. If it’s the Clan Head’s command, I could handle it personally, you know?”

The Iron River Master looked straight at me as if to ask why I was entrusting it to Tang Yeran instead.

“You already have something else you’re in charge of, don’t you, Master.”

Nothing less than Full Moon’s restoration.

Before, he’d barely managed to get it externally restored; now it had been returned to him so he could start a proper repair.

“That’s true, but if it’s really urgent, I could put this one first.”

“...”

At those words, I glanced back up at Poison Sovereign. Honestly, wasn’t this side actually better? I looked up at him with that thought in my eyes, but—

[Not a chance.]

Poison Sovereign’s attitude was as firm as ever.

“...No. I’ve already decided I want to entrust the work to Young Lady Tang.”

“Hmmm...”

I was dying to hand it to you too, though.

But if the client didn’t want that, what could anyone do?

At my words, the Iron River Master narrowed his eyes and looked at Tang Yeran.

I saw her flinch under that gaze.

What was he about to say? The atmosphere around us and the clear displeasure on the smiths’ faces both bothered me.

I couldn’t help but worry he might say something cutting.

“I’ve already gotten the black iron ready, and the real issue is the furnace, so it’ll be best if you use my room.”

“...!”

At the Iron River Master’s words, Tang Yeran’s eyes went wide.

And the reaction around us was even more explosive.

“...Master. What do you mean by that?”

“You’re going to let her use that furnace?”

“But that—!”

“Quiet.”

The Iron River Master growled out the word, and the surroundings fell silent in an instant.

He’d crushed the murmuring atmosphere with a single sentence.

His pressure’s no joke.

It didn’t seem like he was actively using his qi, but the sheer presence he carried was enough to overwhelm them.

“How many furnaces at Iron River are there that can melt black iron? And of those, how many are actually usable right now?”

“Even so... to use that furnace, they’d have to...”

“What? They need to at least be a candidate for the next Iron River Master? With that kind of outdated thinking, no wonder you can’t forge a proper sword.”

Click-click-click.

The Iron River Master clicked his tongue and laughed.

“Didn’t the previous Iron River Master say the same thing? Stop wasting time on useless nonsense and just focus on forging proper blades.”

At those words, Poison Sovereign, up in the air, let out a faint laugh.

The previous Iron River Master. That was Poison Sovereign himself.

“...Even if that’s so, we can’t just ignore tradition. Especially...”

One of the smiths glanced sideways at Tang Yeran as he spoke.

“...I don’t think it’s right to let someone who’s not ready use that furnace.”

Someone not ready.

At those words, Tang Yeran hunched her shoulders, and I watched their reactions, filing the situation away in my head.

They really do treat her like crap, huh.

I’d felt it before, but Tang Yeran’s treatment here was not good.

If this was how it was for a direct bloodline member, that meant there was a serious problem.

Hmm.

I checked the scene with a sideways look. There was no way I could step in or point anything out here.

“He’s not wrong.”

The Iron River Master nodded at the smith’s words.

“That’s why I’m giving her a chance.”

“A chance?”

“I’ll let her use the furnace, but this is her last chance.”

The Iron River Master fixed Tang Yeran with a sharp stare.

“If she doesn’t do it properly this time either... Young Lady Tang will be banned from entering Iron River from here on out.”

“...!”

At his declaration, Tang Yeran jerked her head up in shock.

“Master...”

“If you accept that condition, I’ll let you use the furnace.”

His voice didn’t waver. It was ironclad, full of a determination that said he would not back down.

Oh, this wasn’t good.

“Master, forgive my boldness, but I understand this point was already permitted by the Tang Clan Head.”

Judging from what they were saying, they needed a different furnace to work black iron.

And to use that one, they needed the Iron River Master’s approval.

If Tang Yeran slipped up here—

It’ll ruin her for good.

I had to stop that.

So I tried to steer the situation somehow, but—

“Be that as it may, Iron River is the smiths’ domain.”

The Iron River Master cut me off, his eyes hard.

“No matter what he said, I can only allow so much. Beyond this, it would be crossing the line. Don’t you agree, Young Lady Tang?”

“...”

Tang Yeran bit her lip.

“Choose. Step forward... or step back.”

He pushed Tang Yeran for an answer.

Watching that, I felt my brow furrow.

This is...

What did smithing mean to Tang Yeran?

I didn’t know.

I didn’t know what her life had been like, and honestly, I didn’t care.

I was too busy trying to keep myself alive—what did someone else’s goal or conviction have to do with me?

But.

She’s desperate.

I did know she was desperate for this.

Why someone with that much talent never showed it.

Why she was so terrified of blood.

I didn’t know, and I didn’t want to know.

All I knew was her desperation.

Because if she weren’t desperate, it wouldn’t make sense.

Putting your soul into your craft—

That wasn’t a domain reserved for talent alone.

It was something you only reached because you’d wished and wished again.

Because you’d wanted and wanted again.

Only when you were that desperate would the soul respond.

The talent that seeped in after that was just the second act.

So.

What kind of sound had Tang Yeran made?

How much soul had she poured into it? My memory was annoyingly good, and it was still vivid.

That sound...

It was a sound you couldn’t produce unless you were desperate beyond measure.

Because I knew that—

“What kind of ghost-eaten nonsense are you spout—”

I almost snapped at the Iron River Master without even realizing it, but—

“I’ll do it.”

Tang Yeran stepped forward and cut me off.

“...I’ll do it.”

“...”

“Please let me.”

“Heh.”

At her words, the Iron River Master let out a short laugh.

“Do you understand that the only reason you’re allowed to come to Iron River at all is my generosity? The Tang Clan Head tried to keep you out. I forced the issue.”

“...Yes. I know that very well. I’m always grateful, and I’ll be grateful for the rest of my life.”

“And even knowing that, you still insist on doing this? There are only a handful of smiths at Iron River who can handle black iron. That’s how hard it is.”

“I know that too. I’m very afraid.”

“The most you’ve done is forged a few decent blades at best. You’ve never even laid a hand on black iron, have you?”

“Yes. Even so... I want to try.”

“Hmmm.”

Her °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° voice had been trembling at first, but the more she spoke, the clearer it became.

The Iron River Master glared at her for a moment, then—

“Haa—!”

He suddenly let his anger fade and burst into a hearty laugh.

“Go on in.”

Permission granted.

“The conditions do not change.”

“Yes.”

Tang Yeran walked past the Iron River Master.

Watching her, I followed that small back.

“Tch...”

As I passed him, I heard the Iron River Master let out a low click of his tongue.

I wondered if it was simple displeasure, but—

I could feel the worry and pity packed inside it.

Because the expression on his face right now—

Was exactly the same as Poison Sovereign’s when he looked at Tang Yeran.

HUUUUP-!

The moment we stepped into the room, a heat unlike anything from before blasted into us.

It felt like my breath would cut off.

DRIP—

Sweat had already beaded on my forehead and one drop rolled down.

...This is going to kill me.

What kind of insane heat was this?

It went beyond anything I’d imagined.

...So this is the space the Iron River Master uses.

He forged artifacts in this kind of heat?

I couldn’t help but think the Iron River Master was something else.

“...So this is...”

Right then, Tang Yeran strode forward and examined something.

Just from a glance, I could tell it was a furnace.

But it looked a little different from the furnaces I’d seen on the way in.

For one thing—

It’s huge.

The sheer bulk of it was impressive.

What is this? Why is it so different? As I stared at it, Tang Yeran must have picked up on my curiosity.

“This furnace’s heat is far higher than the others.”

She began explaining.

“For ordinary metal, we’d use an ordinary furnace... but special ores like black iron can’t be melted in a regular furnace.”

“So that’s why you use this one?”

“Yes. And...”

Tang Yeran picked something up from beside it. At a glance, it just looked like charcoal.

“This is called Sacred Spirit Charcoal. It’s charcoal made from Sacred Spirit Wood that grows only in the distant northern Henfield Range.”

“...Is it different from normal charcoal?”

“Yes. Using this lets us push the firepower even higher.”

Sacred Spirit Wood, huh. That was a tree I’d never heard of.

...It is different.

I could see why they called it Sacred Spirit Wood.

I can feel a trace of soul in it.

Even after being burned into charcoal, something faint still coiled around it. She’d called the place Henfield Range, right? What kind of place was it, that a sacred tree like this existed there?

Though it’s a bit shallow to call it a “sacred tree” outright.

Still, the fact that it held soul meant it was definitely a sacred tree.

There must have been an immortal there. Sacred trees could only exist where an immortal was nearby.

Thinking that, I engraved the name Henfield Range into my mind.

I should never go anywhere near that place.

So I wouldn’t accidentally wander through there.

In my previous life, immortals had especially disliked me for some reason, and I doubted this life would be any different. I needed to be careful.

Anyway.

Holding the Sacred Spirit Charcoal, Tang Yeran carried it to the furnace and began feeding the pieces inside.

Before long—

FWOOOOSH---!!!

Flames roared through the charcoal and heat began to flood the furnace.

Watching that, I spoke to her.

“...Are you really going to do this?”

At my question, Tang Yeran smiled.

“You asked me to.”

“I did ask... but you don’t have to do it.”

I could tell just how difficult it was to handle black iron—never mind that I was only here because Poison Sovereign had asked.

If anything went wrong, she’d never be allowed to set foot inside Iron River again.

I really didn’t like the idea of Tang Yeran carrying that risk.

At my words, she stared right at me.

“You said it yourself, didn’t you, Young Master? That you trust me.”

That made me scratch the back of my head, embarrassed.

“Well, that was...”

It wasn’t like I meant I trusted her like this—and frankly, it had been a lie.

“Then... please trust me just a little more.”

Whatever she’d picked up from my reaction—

The smile Tang Yeran wore now was lighter than before.

“And if it comes to it, I’ll just stop going to Iron River.”

“...Sorry?”

“If it comes down to it, I can just find another forge, right? Iron River isn’t the only forge in the world.”

“...Heh.”

I let out a dry laugh at how boldly she said it.

What was she so confident about?

...No. She’s not confident at all.

There was no way I couldn’t see the anxiety in her eyes.

So I just smiled.

“Yeah. I’ll trust you.”

All I did was exactly what I’d said I would.

I chose to keep that narrow, petty mindset.

And just like before... I decided to keep pretending I trusted her.

That was the best I could do.