The festival for the anniversary was meant to be a simple one. Greg should have learned by now. Greg had somehow made the banners and streamers that decorated the village square without them coming to life.
Lylia's restaurant had set up outdoor seating, Seraphine had put together a display of Greg's different works for educational purposes, and Elwen had set up a demonstration of peaceful crafting techniques. Even Mira had been good and only tried to reorganize the festival grounds instead of the whole village.
Things were going surprisingly well until the Royal Delegation showed up. They came in three carriages, each with the kingdom's crest on it and elite guards in shiny armor on either side.
The lead carriage was very fancy, which made it seem like someone very important was inside. People's spirits fell as they saw the royal seals at the festival.
Greg said to himself as he watched from his demonstration forge, "Fucking hell, what now?!"
A man in his 60s or 70s got out of the lead carriage. He was wearing robes that showed he was a high-ranking official. Two generals in full military dress and, surprisingly, a priest in ceremonial dress followed him.
The mix made Greg's mind race. "This can't be good... Looking at how they dress is fucking miserable."
"Master Greyson," the official said, and his voice carried over the suddenly quiet square.
"That's me, what do you want?" Greg faced him immediately, trying not to look bothered.
"Hello, I am Chancellor Aldric, the king's main advisor. We have something crucial to talk about."
"Is it okay to wait until after the festival?" Greg asked, even though he already knew the answer.
"I'm sorry, but no. The issue has to do with the safety of the kingdom itself." Chancellor Aldric pointed to one of the generals.
"General Markus, please tell us what's going on."
The general stepped forward, looking serious. "The Demon Kingdom declared war on the Allied Nations three weeks ago."
"Along our southern border, their armies are getting ready with weapons made by their famous demon smiths. Our intelligence says they have artifacts that could destroy our defenses."
Greg's stomach dropped. He knew what was going to happen, and he wanted to avoid wars the most because the potential consequences could be catastrophic.
The other general said, "We need really good weapons to fight them, and the King has given us permission to give you any price, resource, or reward you want."
"Say it, and it's yours."
"We want you to make weapons and armor for our army in return."
The square in the village was quiet. Everyone was looking at Greg and waiting for him to say something. From the corner of his eye, he could see Lylia's worried expression, Seraphine's analytical gaze, Elwen's curious attention, and Mira's innocent confusion.
Greg just said, "No."
Chancellor Aldric blinked. "Excuse me..."
"W-what did you just say...?"
"I said no. I won't make weapons for kingdoms, wars, or any price you could offer." Greg put down his hammer carefully.
"I've been very clear about this from the start that I'm a blacksmith who refuses to forge any weapons except tools that are useful for daily things."
"Master Greyson, maybe you don't get how serious this is," the general said, his voice getting tougher.
"If the Demon Kingdom gets past our defenses, thousands will die. All of the cities could fall at once!"
"We need your legendary crafting skills to save lives."
"Then use shields to protect them, not swords," Greg said in response. "I'll make you the best armor you've ever seen."
"Armor that can stand up to demon fire. Barriers that can keep whole battalions safe. Things that can help people and fix what war breaks."
"But I won't make weapons that are meant to kill."
"That's not enough!" the general yelled. "We need to be able to attack."
"We need weapons that can hit back at demon armies before they get to our walls!"
"Then look for another blacksmith," Greg said with authority. "There are many skilled weapon makers in other kingdoms than mine."
The priest, who had been quiet, finally spoke, and his voice was cold and calm. "Master Greyson, the Church of Light has been genuinely interested in what you've been doing."
"Your holy hoe cleaned up the corruption that our priests have been fighting for years. We think the gods have blessed you for a reason. Not helping in a holy war against demons could be considered heresy."
"Then call it heresy," Greg said, his voice calm but his jaw tight.
He was about to reveal his past life to everyone, but he changed it into a story of someone else. "I've already seen someone die once because of the weapons I made."
"I saw my creations kill and hurt more people than any monster ever could. Not for kings, not for churches, not for anyone, will I go back to that life!"
"Because of your guilt, you would let people die?" the chancellor asked in disbelief.
Greg corrected, "I would keep my hands clean of the blood that weapons always spill."
"And I'd like you to find solutions that don't involve finding better ways to kill each other."
"Have you tried talking to the Demon Kingdom? Like, have you considered talking instead of merely preparing for war?"
"The demons declared war on us!" the general yelled. "There's nothing to talk about!"
Greg said, "There's always something to talk about if both sides really want peace instead of victory."
"However, it is not my responsibility to resolve this issue. My answer is final. I won't make weapons. Period." Greg made a statement that could potentially damage his reputation outside of Ferndale.
"Then the King would have to drag my ass to a forge in chains and make my hands move. Even then, I promise that whatever I made would be useless at best and very dangerous at worst." Greg put his arms across his chest.
"You can't make real craftsmanship happen. You need to have a plan, care, and a reason. I don't have any of those things when it comes to weapons of war."
One of the generals muttered, "This is treason."
"It's not," Seraphine said as she stepped forward with her notebook.
"Master Greyson is a blacksmith who works for himself and has never sworn loyalty to the crown."
"He doesn't have any titles, doesn't accept royal patronage, and works completely outside the kingdom's guild system. Of course he is entitled to refuse any commission by law."
Chancellor Aldric's face went cold. "Master Greyson, you are a citizen of this kingdom. The King could tell you to do what he says."
The chancellor asked, "Who are you?"
"Royal Mage of the Third Circle, Seraphine Frostwhisper."
"On behalf of the Magical Artefacts Division, I've been studying Master Greyson's methods for months. My report will show that his peaceful ways of making things are new and should be protected, not used for military purposes."
The priest asked, "You would side with a traitor over your own kingdom?"
"I'm siding with someone who shows a better way forward," Seraphine said calmly.
"Maybe instead of asking him to give up his beliefs, you should think about why he has them in the first place."