BXBX NOVEL Chapter 71 – Milena Akasha (5)
Chapter 71 – Milena Akasha (5)
The great Swordmaster, Maximus, had come to find her under the king’s orders.
This implied that Ketal had done something significant enough to warrant the movement of a Swordmaster.
She found this difficult to understand.
“You did mercenary work, so why would the royal palace be directly involved?”
In response to her puzzled question, Ketal answered.
“It was mercenary work: clearing dungeons, patrolling villages, escorting people.”
“Really?”
‘There’s no way a Swordmaster would move for just that…’
Milena wanted to press further to understand what was going on.
However, since the king was directly involved, it was not something she should know or inquire about.
She shook her head.
“I was just curious. Since the job is done, I’ll help guide you. Is there anything you want to see?”
“Something I want to see…”
Ketal pondered.
What did he want to see now?
After a brief moment of thought, he had an answer.
“Your family must be involved in various activities, right?”
“We are a merchant family.”
“I’d like to observe those activities. You mentioned you deal with finance, so I’d like to see a bank too.”
“Pardon?”
Milena was momentarily taken aback by the completely unexpected answer.
“Are you sure that’s what you want?”
“Is there a problem?”
“No, it’s not that. Alright then. Please follow me.”
Milena first led Ketal to a building in the center of the main street.
There, numerous people were coming and going, handling documents.
People who appeared to be clients were sitting at the reception desk, talking to someone.
“Oh.”
Ketal’s eyes sparkled.
Milena explained.
“This is a bank. Even if you’re not a noble, you can borrow or deposit money here. Not just anyone can, though.”
You had to have a proper status and qualifications, even if you weren’t a noble, to use the bank.
However, despite these conditions, the bank was attractive enough that many people visited.
Ketal looked around the interior of the bank with a face full of interest.
‘The basic structure is similar to the modern day.’
But the people were wearing medieval clothes.
It was quite amusing.
It felt like a proper blend of modern and fantasy.
Milena looked at his expression with a curious face.
After that, Milena took Ketal to various places.
Most of them were quite ordinary places where people were working.
And Ketal seemed to find them very interesting.
“…Are you enjoying this?”
“It’s somewhat enjoyable.”
Ketal had a faint smile on his face, as if he wasn’t just saying it to be polite.
Milena tilted her head.
‘Is this fun?’
She had taken him to really ordinary places.
They were extremely static and boring places where even an average person would yawn while watching, far from being fun.
Moreover, Ketal was a barbarian.
Although unique, he would still have the basic characteristics of a barbarian.
She never imagined he would enjoy such leisurely activities.
She didn’t know how long they had been touring like that when Ketal muttered.
“You engage in various activities.”
“Although we are in the banking business, we are fundamentally a merchant family. We haven’t given up on other trades.”
The reason she ventured into banking was because it was low-risk and highly profitable.
They hadn’t abandoned their original business of selling and trading goods.
Milena took Ketal and moved to the next place.
They left the main road and headed to a secluded corner.
As they reached the remote part of the capital, there stood a building made of iron.
“Oh, you’re here.”
“Yes. Please step aside.”
The guards, who were guarding the building, looked surprised to see Ketal and Milena and quickly stepped aside.
She took out a key and unlocked the door.
The lock was noticeably different from the others.
“Is this where you keep valuable items?”
“Yes. This place holds significant meaning for me.”
Creak.
The door opened, and the two of them entered.
Milena pressed a switch.
The ceiling lights turned on.
Ketal let out an exclamation.
“It’s an armory.”
In the dark space, numerous weapons were displayed.
Milena spoke.
“Our family was saved by trading weapons.”
Milena had sold weapons to the kingdom that was at war with the empire beyond the White Snowfield.
With those funds, she had rebuilt the family that was on the brink of collapse.
“Since then, we’ve put significant effort into manufacturing and selling weapons. This place houses some of the special weapons.”
“Oh.”
Ketal moved towards a displayed sword.
“May I hold it?”
“As you please.”
Ketal grasped the sword.
The blade gleamed sharply.
It felt good in his hand.
He admired it.
“The quality is excellent.”
It was far superior to the weapons he had seen outside.
Even the equipment of the knights of the Lutein Kingdom was inferior.
It was only comparable to the sword used by Swordmaster Cain.
At a glance, the other weapons did not seem much different from the one he held.
“We have contracted with skilled artisans from the Kingdom of Denian. They combined their efforts to create these very special weapons.”
Each weapon here was worth a sum that could stagger an ordinary family.
There were dozens of such weapons in this place.
Only a family like Akasha, with enough wealth to influence the country itself, could afford this.
“If you wish, I can give you one.”
Milena casually offered to present such a weapon to Ketal as a gift.
“Though tempting…”
Ketal patted the axe at his waist.
“I have this one, so I don’t think I’ll need it. But I appreciate the gesture.”
“The axe I saw on the White Snowfield. It seems to be quite a good weapon.”
“It is. It’s never failed me so far.”
Milena’s face showed interest.
Ketal was a barbarian from the White Snowfield.
He must have fought monsters like the serpent-like creatures there.
Yet, his axe remained undamaged.
“May I examine it for a moment?”
Ketal handed the axe to Milena.
She almost dropped it.
It was twice as heavy as it looked.
Barely managing to hold it, Milena examined the axe.
“This is…”
At the end of the axe’s handle, a jet-black gem was embedded.
A gem of a peculiar color.
It didn’t look fake.
The handle and blade were both black to match it.
The handle was intricately carved, showing the touch of a master craftsman.
Milena rubbed the axe blade.
‘It’s solid.’
It wasn’t just sharp; it was purely solid.
It seemed it wouldn’t get a scratch even if struck with a hammer.
‘What kind of ore is this made of?’
Milena’s gaze fell on the part where the blade and handle connected.
There was a symbol engraved there.
‘What symbol is this?’
As a merchant, she had to sell goods to various countries and places, so she had a lot of knowledge.
She was familiar with many symbols, even from the past.
But this was the first time she saw this symbol.
“This axe could be considered a national treasure or artifact. Where did you get it?”
“It was buried in the snow. I picked it up to use it for convenience, but it turned out to be quite useful, so I’ve been using it for a long time. Do you know what it is?”
“I’ve never seen this symbol before.”
“I see. That’s a shame.”
He was also curious about the axe’s origins.
From the gem and the symbol, it was clear it wasn’t ordinary.
He thought Milena might know, but it seemed she didn’t.
“If you wish, I can investigate the symbol for you. I’m curious too.”
“If you could do that, I’d appreciate it.”
Ketal took back his axe.
They continued to look around the armory.
There were spears, axes, halberds, shields, and more.
Each piece was remarkable.
As they were about to finish their tour, one weapon caught Ketal’s eye.
“Huh?”
He couldn’t help but make a sound.
His eyes widened.
At the end of his gaze, there was a sword blazing with fire.
* * *
It wasn’t a metaphor or simile.
In the purest sense, the sword was on fire.
The flickering flames radiated intense heat.
“Oh, ohhh…”
Ketal’s body trembled.
A flaming sword.
It was a classic fantasy element.
Noticing Ketal’s gaze, Milena explained.
“It’s an enchanted sword.”
“Enchanted!”
Ketal’s eyes lit up.
Enchantment was such an attractive word.
Milena watched him for a moment before asking.
“Would you like to have it?”
“Is that alright?”
“Given what you’ve done for me, of course.”
“Then…”
Ketal didn’t refuse.
The sword in front of him was too enticing.
With trembling hands, he grabbed the flaming sword.
Crimson flames flickered over his hand.
The fire burned fiercely, using the metal as fuel.
“Ohhhh.”
Ketal was deeply moved.
He had learned swordsmanship as a child.
The moment he first held a sword upon passing the proficiency test paled in comparison to this.
Milena watched the scene with a curious expression.
“…Isn’t it hot?”
The flaming sword was not a metaphor; it was literally on fire.
Both the blade and the handle were engulfed in flames, and she could feel the intense heat.
Yet, Ketal was holding it with his bare hands.
Any ordinary person would have had their hands burnt to ashes by now.
“It’s fine. Are you sure it’s okay for me to take this? It seems quite valuable.”
“It’s alright. In fact, it’s completely impractical.”
When she first dabbled in enchantments, she had asked an alchemist to create a flaming sword.
The result was the sword before them now.
At first, she was very pleased with the extravagant appearance.
But soon, she realized a major flaw.
The sword was, literally, a flaming sword.
Since the handle was also on fire, it was impossible to hold.
Although it could be held if protected by aura, anyone capable of using aura wouldn’t need a flaming sword; they could just wield their aura directly.
When she confronted the alchemist about this oversight, she responded as if puzzled by her complaint.
“You didn’t ask for any safety measures, did you?”
That was when she learned that she had to specify every condition when requesting something from an alchemist.
Consequently, the flaming sword was relegated to a corner of the armory.
“Hoo. Hoo hoo.”
Ketal listened to her story with great interest.
“Do you have an alchemist?”
“Yes, we contracted her for a hefty sum. Though I somewhat regret it.”
She grumbled.
The abilities were exceptional, but the alchemist wasn’t someone from whom she could profit through transactions.
Ketal stared intently at the flaming sword.
Despite lacking fuel, the flames showed no signs of weakening.
Judging by Milena’s words, the sword must have been made quite some time ago.
Despite being neglected for so long, the sword’s flames had not diminished at all.
It defied the laws of thermodynamics.
Upon closer inspection, he noticed inscriptions on the blade.
The words were incomprehensible.
“Are those inscriptions the catalyst?”
Alchemy.
His interest was piqued, and Ketal’s eyes gleamed.
“What kind of person is this alchemist?”
“Odd personality, but… highly skilled. Probably the best alchemist in the Denian Kingdom.”
Milena continued.
“She’s an alchemist capable of turning someone who hasn’t even grasped the concept of mysticism into a superhuman.”