"I knew he'd start spouting nonsense the moment I released the spell," Lucy muttered, looking thoroughly disappointed.
Nearby, Alfie and the blacksmith were locked in a fierce tug-of-war, each refusing to surrender the wooden sword.
"I'm forging this sword myself," Alfie declared.
"Like hell you are. I'm the only one qualified to forge a weapon from the Rock of the Forest," the blacksmith shot back.
Neither showed any sign of backing down.
Lucy turned to the equipment shop owner. "Hey, sir. Why is this blacksmith so obsessed with the Rock of the Forest?"
The shopkeeper let out a weary sigh.
"It's been his dream for years," he explained. "He once vowed to forge a powerful weapon from that tree. He tried countless times to cut through its wood, but every attempt ended in failure. Eventually, he gave up and moved on with his life. Now that he's finally been given another chance, he can't bear to let it slip away. He probably thought he'd never get an opportunity like this again."
"Hmm, I see," Lucy murmured.
"Alfie, that's enough," she called out. "Let go of the sword and let the man do his job."
"But forging it is my job too, Master. I trained under Papa. I'm sure I can handle it myself," Alfie argued.
The blacksmith suddenly loosened his grip.
"You learned blacksmithing at your age?" he asked, staring at Alfie in disbelief. "Who's your father? And where are you from?"
"Hmm... I doubt you know him. We're from a kingdom far away," Alfie replied, cautiously stepping back.
"Tell me his name, boy."
"Falco."
"Which kingdom?"
"The Kingdom of Guhan."
The blacksmith rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"Hmm... Never heard of him. Still, if your father taught you how to work with this kind of material, he must know what he's doing."
He paused, then glanced at Lucy.
"But it's hard to believe a woman like you managed to cut wood from the Rock of the Forest."
"Actually, I didn't make the sword. The kid did," Lucy corrected him immediately.
"Come on, ma'am. Don't joke around with me. There's no way a skinny little kid like him could have done that."
The blacksmith burst into laughter.
"You shouldn't underestimate him," Lucy said firmly. "He made the sword himself. If you don't believe me, let him forge it and see what he can do."
"No, no. I'm not making fun of him," the blacksmith protested, though doubt remained in his expression. "It's just hard to believe, that's all."
Alfie walked over to the rack of blacksmithing tools and picked up an enormous hammer. He lifted it effortlessly with one hand while using the other to return the wooden sword to the furnace.
The blacksmith's eyes widened in disbelief.
"IMPOSSIBLE. That hammer weighs over two thousand pounds of natural Renshi. How can a kid like you lift it so easily?"
"Don't get mad, old man. I didn't know it was that heavy," Alfie replied casually before returning the hammer to the rack.
"Then why the hell did you pick it up if you weren't going to use it, you fool?" Rebekah yelled.
"I just wanted to check it out first," Alfie answered with a shrug.
The blacksmith stared at him for a moment before slowly exhaling.
"Alright, I believe you now. You really did make that sword yourself."
He pointed a finger at Alfie.
"Fine. You can forge it, but don't think I'm going to let you ruin something so valuable."
"What do you mean by that, chubby old man?"
"I mean I'll guide you through the process. You can do the forging, but I'll make sure you don't mess it up."
"Fine. I understand," Alfie replied with a nod.
The blacksmith approached the furnace and slipped on a pair of thick gloves. He carefully turned the wooden sword, inspecting how much heat it had absorbed.
"Hey, Master," Rebekah whispered, staring into the furnace. "Why hasn't the wooden sword burned to ash?"
"Because it's called the Rock of the Forest for a reason," Lucy explained. "The wood absorbs energy from the entire forest and uses it to reinforce itself. It possesses a magnetic-like field that constantly draws energy toward it. But that same energy eventually became the tree's downfall. After it fell, the energy remained trapped inside its body, with no way to escape."
She paused briefly before continuing.
"That's why the wood is practically unbreakable. Weak Renshical objects can't damage it. Most people in this kingdom probably think it's nothing more than an unusually tough tree. But the higher-ups likely know the truth and have chosen to keep it a secret."
"Wow, Master. You're seriously smart. You figured all of that out already?" Rebekah asked, looking at Lucy in amazement.
"Looks like all these years of experience haven't gone to waste," Lucy replied with a proud smirk.
A moment later, the blacksmith pulled the sword out of the furnace.
Its appearance had changed completely. The wooden surface had turned a deep, solid black.
"Hey, don't you think it's burned?" Alfie asked, examining the blade.
"Shut up and get to work, kid," the blacksmith snapped. "You shoved it into the furnace without even knowing whether it would burn. Now let's see those skills you've been bragging about."
He pointed toward the sword.
"Start with the body. Strike from the middle toward the edge, and keep going until I tell you to stop."
"Alright, chubby old man."
Alfie picked up the massive hammer again and positioned the sword for his first strike.
CLANG.
The moment the hammer connected with the blade, its surface began to smooth out, gradually taking on the gleam of polished steel.
Alfie continued working his way down the sword, hammering from the top toward the bottom before moving from the lower section toward the edge. He repeated the process until the entire first side had been transformed. What had once been rough wooden material now possessed a smooth, refined surface resembling a properly forged metal blade.
Satisfied with his progress, Alfie turned the sword over and prepared to repeat the process on the other side.