Translator: CinderTL
In the early morning light of the blacksmith shop, Hawk's booming voice echoed between the furnaces as usual.
"So today..."
The old blacksmith crossed his arms, his sharp gaze sweeping over the apprentice boys before him. When his eyes passed over Roland's handsome face, he gave a nearly imperceptible nod.
"Is the day of your assessment!" Hawk raised his voice. "Lord Baron Forslin will be here personally to observe. I want every one of you to give it your all! Do you understand?"
"Yes!"
At the news of the lord's impending arrival, the apprentice boys, led by Marco, wore expressions of mixed nervousness and excitement. Though as blacksmiths' sons, they held a higher status among the commoners, they were still worlds apart from the hereditary nobility.
Unlike the others, Roland felt little stir within him, only a flicker of curiosity. Since his arrival in this world, he had heard many rumors about Baron Forslin. The lord was said to live a life of extravagant luxury, squandering his wealth without restraint.
Yet from Roland's observations and secondhand accounts, the commoners of Blackwater Territory, while not wealthy, were far from starving.
If Baron Forslin truly lived as extravagantly as rumored, the lives of his subjects should be far more impoverished. It wouldn't make sense for them to maintain even basic sustenance as they currently do.
As Roland pondered this, the sound of uneven footsteps approached from afar.
He looked up to see a middle-aged man in a luxurious velvet coat slowly approaching. His pale face was flushed with a hint of rouge.
Tall and slender, the man moved with the reserved grace of a nobleman. Two armored guards bearing weapons followed closely behind him, but the most striking figure was the young man striding beside him—a muscular youth with a commanding presence.
The nobleman's indifferent gaze swept over the apprentice blacksmiths, his expression unchanged until his eyes landed on Hawk. Then, a faint, almost imperceptible smile curled his lips.
"Mr. Hawk."
At the call, Hawk immediately stepped forward and bowed deeply.
"Lord Baron, Blacksmith Hawk greets you and awaits your command."
Baron Forslin chuckled softly, lightly touching Hawk's sturdy arm as if to steady him. Then, he gestured to the young man beside him.
"This is my son, Darco. I presume you've met him."
The young man straightened his back and fixed his gaze intently on the group.
"He insisted on attending the assessment. I trust you won't mind?"
"It would be an honor, Lord Baron."
Hawk bowed again to Darco.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, the Baron changed the subject.
"How are preparations for the Apprentice Assessment coming along?"
"Everything is ready, Lord Baron."
"Then..."
The Baron gestured gracefully with his hand.
"Let's begin now."
With that, he walked to a high-backed chair prepared nearby, leaned back languidly, rested his elbows on the armrests, cupped his chin in his palm, and yawned casually.
In stark contrast, Darco's gaze burned as he scrutinized the apprentices, nodding or shaking his head as if silently evaluating them.
"Listen up, you lot!"
Hawk turned to face the apprentices, his booming voice echoing through the blacksmith shop.
He swept his hand toward the neatly arranged anvils.
"Now, return to your stations, study the blueprints carefully, and complete your forging within the allotted time!"
"The final assessment results will depend entirely on the quality of your finished products!"
"Yes!"
The apprentices didn't dare delay. They immediately rushed to their assigned stations, scrambling to grab their blueprints and study them.
Roland also hurried to his position, his eyes fixed on the dense annotations and complex diagrams on his blueprint.
"A two-handed sword?"
He raised an eyebrow slightly, instantly activating his [Focus] trait.
In an instant, while the other apprentices were still furrowing their brows in thought, he had already imprinted every detail of the blueprint onto his mind.
Without the slightest hesitation, Roland turned to the furnace.
He added charcoal, pulled the bellows, and began smelting the ore.
The sequence of actions flowed like water, without a single hitch.
While the other apprentices were still putting down their blueprints, he had already picked up his hammer and begun forging.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The crisp sound of metal striking metal shattered the blacksmith shop's silence.
"Damn it! How is he moving so fast?"
The apprentices, who had been so confident just moments before, watched Roland's astonishing speed with faces that turned pale.
"Hmph! He's probably given up! Look at how he swings his hammer without even checking his work. He must know he'll fail the assessment and just wants to get it over with!"
After this self-consolation, the apprentices finally began to act.
Soon, the blacksmith shop was filled with the rhythmic clang of hammers.
Roland paid no attention to the surrounding chatter, focusing intently on his forging.
Between each hammer strike, he meticulously reconstructed the blueprint's details in his mind.
Compared to a standard one-handed sword, forging a two-handed greatsword was far more challenging.
The thicker blade, longer edge, tapered tip designed for both slashing and thrusting, and the precisely crafted crossguard—every detail was an extreme test of heat control and forging skill.
Before he had become a blacksmith, forging a greatsword would have been a significant challenge for Roland.
Even if he succeeded in forging, it would be difficult for him to stand out significantly from the other apprentice blacksmiths.
But now, things were completely different.
With the aid of the Basic Forging Technique, Roland could accurately gauge the progress of his work from the very moment the hammer struck the rough billet.
Bang!
With the final strike, Roland didn't even bother to look. He simply picked up the billet and tossed it back into the furnace.
Thanks to the Furnace Heart, he could sense the billet's heating progress even without opening his eyes.
His fluid, effortless movements only heightened the anxiety of the apprentice blacksmiths watching.
Standing beside Baron Forslin, Darco's eyes lit up. He couldn't help but ask Hawk, "Mr. Hawk, who is that...?"
He pointed at Roland, who was pulling the bellows.
"What's his name?"
"Roland," Hawk replied, his stern expression betraying a slight upturn at the corners of his mouth. "Are you interested in him, Young Master Darco?"
"Indeed," Darco admitted with a confident nod, a light chuckle escaping his lips. "Mr. Hawk should know that I'm about to enter the Knight Academy. With my strength..."
He patted his broad chest with assurance.
"...passing the graduation assessment, mastering the Knight's Breathing Technique, and becoming a full-fledged knight is no problem at all. However..."
"As a knight, you'll need a skilled blacksmith to accompany you on campaign."
"That depends on his own wishes," Hawk replied after a moment's thought, as if he'd anticipated the question. "This young man's talent for forging rivals my own. Once he passes this assessment, he'll likely earn certification from the Blacksmith's Guild in no time."
"Once he becomes a full-fledged blacksmith, whether he stays or leaves won't be my decision anymore."
"I understand."
After hearing Hawk's assessment of Roland, Darco's admiration transformed into a fervent desire as he gazed at the young man again.
While the two men were talking, Roland had already completed another round of forging and moved on to the final polishing stage.
After a long while, Roland gently stroked the newly forged two-handed sword, his fingertips lightly tapping the blade. A faint hum resonated, and a satisfied smile curved his lips.
He turned around with a swift movement, raising the gleaming two-handed sword high above his head.
"Mr. Hawk, my work is complete."
His clear voice cut through the rhythmic hammering of the blacksmith shop, momentarily silencing the clanging of hammers.
Baron Forslin, who had been dozing in his chair, suddenly sat upright. His narrowed eyes flickered with interest as he began to scrutinize the young man.
"Nonsense!"
Master Hawk's rebuke thundered like thunder, but his voice softened unconsciously at the end.
"Have you forgotten the forging process? Check it three more times!"
He drummed his thick fingers on the wooden table.
"We'll assess everyone's work together after everyone has finished."
"Yes, sir!"
(End of the Chapter)
Translator's Corner
Hey guys, so as I tried to login into my ScribbleHub account to today and found that it was banned.😭 All the stories have also been taken off of the site. I don't what has happened, I will try to contact them and figure out what's going on. Please contact me if you know what could be happening and have any potential solutions.
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