Published: January 12, 2026
Watching Kusala, half in tears, trying to piece together the two halves of her Leather Shield, I took the sword from Kamushin.
The sword, illuminated by the torchlight, gleamed in a way that made it hard to believe it was made of wood.
Curious, I stood beside Kusala and touched the Leather Shield.
“Hold this for a moment.”
“Huh?”
Kusala looked puzzled, but I used a production magic to repair the Leather Shield. I connected and fused it, making the shield even stronger than before.
In no time, it returned to its original shape, and Kusala raised the shield with a radiant smile.
“Oh!? Ohhh!? It’s fixed! My shield! The advanced Leather Shield of an Orc Knight is fixed!”
Kusala jumped up excitedly, shouting “Yippee!” I nodded at her joy and then turned to Til.
“Try cutting it a little. Just the edge is fine.”
“Eh!? But... you’re ridiculously happy about it...”
“I’ll fix it again later, so it’s okay.”
Saying that, Til muttered, “I-I hope it’s okay,” and gently swung his axe.
Probably because the material was originally wood, it was quite light. So even a light swing sent the axe flying past Kusala’s eyes at a decent speed.
“Huh?”
As Kusala tilted her head in confusion, a piece of the cut Leather Shield fell to the ground.
“Wow, that’s amazing. So, how did it feel?”
Til blinked and showed me his axe.
“I-I didn’t feel anything. It was like running a stick over loose threads...”
“Huh. That’s impressive. But if you don’t sharpen it, the edge will gradually dull. After all, it’s wood.”
As we talked, I felt pressure from behind and turned around.
“L-Lord Van...? What about my shield!? My shield got sliced, sliced again!?”
Kusala wailed in grief. Seeing that, Til and Kamushin shot me accusing looks.
“No, I’ll fix it, okay? I was planning to.”
Feeling a bit awkward, I gripped Kusala’s now completely split Leather Shield. Seeing her sad eyes, my conscience pricked me.
“I’ll make it tougher than before.”
Saying that, I strengthened and repaired it with full force. Kusala’s eyes lit up once more.
“I-I did it…! My Leather Shield made from the back and shoulders of an Orc Knight...!”
Kusala let out a victorious shout, and I gave a small nod. All’s well that ends well.
“Hey, what’s all the commotion about?”
“Huh? Lord Van?”
“Who’s making noise? What’s going on?”
Because Kusala had caused a ruckus, Ort, Pluriel, and Dee woke up. I also noticed some villagers peeking out of their houses.
“Sorry for waking you all.”
I apologized, and Dee noticed me and waved.
“No problem at all. But what are you doing so late at night?”
Dee looked us over one by one and said that. Kamushin then showed the sword to Dee and approached him.
“Lord Dee! Please take a look at this!”
Kamushin raised the sword, and Dee accepted it, staring intently at the blade.
“Hmm, quite an interesting shape. But if it’s this thin, wouldn’t it break upon hitting shields or armor? Also, the material is unclear. Is it a demonic beast’s bone?”
Dee seemed very intrigued and examined the sword from all angles.
“Lord Van made this, you know.”
Kamushin said, and Dee’s eyes brightened with surprise and delight.
“Really! Well then... I have never seen such a splendid Curved Sword. If it were made of metal next time, it would be excellent equipment. As expected of Lord Van.”
Dee’s face looked like a grandfather praising summer vacation crafts, but Kamushin puffed up his cheeks at the comment’s content.
“Lord Dee, this is a weapon incomparable to ordinary swords.”
Kamushin’s quiet anger made Dee smile apologetically and nod.
“Ah, yes. After all, it’s a weapon personally crafted by Lord Van. It must be supreme.”
Dee agreed soothingly, and Kamushin nodded with satisfaction. Though it was clear Kamushin had different feelings deep down, he seemed unaware.
Then Pluriel looked at us and spoke.
“What are you doing so late? It’s already bedtime.”
“Foolish and disrespectful, Pluriel.”