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“Then, can I ask something too?”

“Hm..what?”

“Sir Toshiro, you belong to the Yaejima house, correct? I have heard that the Yaejima are a great clan ruling over west Hinomoto. If so, why do you stay alongside Kankurou, a servant of the Kujou house?”

Shin felt this after hearing about the two forces ruling over Hinomoto.

Shin, who had studied Japanese history in school, for a second thought that he might have been a hostage, but Toshiro seemed far too free to be one.

“I am one of sir Kankurou’s disciples. He’s a man who imparts his teachings without care for social status, and lord Tadahisa gave his approval as well.”

However, if the Yaejima house did something to stir conflict in Hinomoto, Toshiro’s life would be forfeit.

“I believe that neither my father nor my brother would ever do something so foolish. But if it ever happened, I would simply offer my life.”

Toshiro spoke every word with conviction, without turning away his eyes.

If they were planning something, having him go on a rampage within the Kujou house would be an ingenious plan.

In case of real danger, one might suddenly hold on to dear life.

Shin, however, did not think Toshiro capable of any such things. That could be said of everyone following Kankurou, too.

In Hinomoto, there was a trust that went beyond reason. That’s what Shin felt looking at Toshiro.

After Shin left, in the smithy where now the furnace did not burn anymore, Araki and Kankurou were talking.

“Did sir Shin say anything helpful for crafting a divine katana?”

“Yes, I can tell you because I feel you know already..but he imparted to me one of the techniques that had been lost in history.”

Thanks to his experience as a support character, Kankurou knew of such techniques, even without detailed explanations from Araki.

“With this, I will probably get closer to the divine katana, however..”

“Is there any problem?”

Kankurou noticed that Araki’s expression looked even more bitter than usual.

The blacksmith’s reply arrived in a feeble tone.

“The divine katana is not something I can forge. Not only me, but no other blacksmith in Hinomoto could I fear.”

“And for what reason would that be?”

“Probably..no, definitely, sir Shin knows techniques we do not possess. And not only one or two..sir Shin would surely be able to forge a blade on par with 『Black Moon』. I heard he’s a samurai, but I know that he is not a man on the side of those who “use” weapons. He’s someone who “makes” them.”

Araki, thanks to a life spent crafting weapons, understood.

During the game era, in fact, Shin’s nickname was “Dark Blacksmith”. The other Rokuten members also had aliases such as “Red Alchemist”, “White Cook”, and “Golden Merchant”.

They all came from the fact that, like Shin, their true nature was that of “creators”.

“Even among Returned Ancestors, only very special individuals could manage it. He might think he was only forging something simple, but his craft was so refined that I clearly understood how I could never compare with him.”

“Is that so. In that case, we can not postpone the inheritance ritual any more than this.”

“Yes. Discounting the miraculous birth of a Returned Ancestor extremely specialized in blacksmithing, I conclude that the divine katana could not be forged even 100 years from now. It would be pointless to delay the inheritance further.”

Araki gave his conclusion with an expression void of spirit, as if what possessed him had now left him emptied.

Then, without thinking, his hand grabbed his hammer.

“Oh, even if you reached the conclusion, you temper swords again?”

Kankurou spoke to Araki as if to a young warrior focused on his harsh training.

“Because I could catch a glimpse of the peak. Even if I know that I will never be able to reach it, I cannot stop climbing..that’s what a blacksmith is. Haha, to think that I would become a challenger again even at this age..I would have never expected it, that’s for sure.”

Araki lit the fire in the furnace, with a completely serene expression on his face.

“Well well, looks like I need to thank sir Shin again.”

After this, the sound of hammered iron echoed from the smithy for a while.

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