THE NEXT DAY CAME and Zero started his work on this new sword, which he called the Blade of Kongeseki and the new sheaf of arrows. He had not been in the forge since the Great Trifecta War had ended, but he had still taken the time to install the necessary equipment in his house in Murasakino, which proved crucial in this moment. He started by placing 3 ingots of garnium into the sword's mold, along with 12 small ingots of iron and 5 ingots of titanium. For the arrows, he placed 2 ingots of garnium and 5 ingots of titanium into a stone pot. After each of these, he added a diamond into each mold, along with a few flakings of obsidian and a few blades of grass. He closed the molds and set them into the furnace.
While he waited for the contents of the molds to heat up to fit the mold’s form, Zero went outside to check his mail. Within this lied a letter from Satsujin, marked with the Aotoshi royal insignia in its wax seal. He opened the letter as soon as he realized who it was from. He read the message, noticing that it only contained the words “Do as you must. -Emperor Satsujin Oritsu”.
Taking this to mean that Satsujin approved of him going into the Unkempt to retrieve Lanya & Musuko, he continued his work. After going back inside, he noticed that the materials in the mold had not yet melted. With this in mind, he wrote a letter to his father which, for reasons that will become apparent later on, we cannot quote directly. Despite this, we do know that Zero had intended to return the garnium Satsujin had entrusted him with to his father in the Unkempt before passing it off as him simply entrusting his father with the garnium for the time being. After all, he wasn’t going to use all of the garnium in one day to make each member of the Saisei Coalition some form of weapon infused with garnium’s potent magic.
As he finished the letter, Zero checked once more on the weapons to find that they had reached the melting point. He removed the mold for the Blade of Kongeseki to let it cool but kept the bucket-shaped mold in the furnace before grabbing a sheaf of arrows and removing their arrowheads. After that was done, he popped the lid from the top of the mold and set the arrowheads to the side before setting out another mold. This one had two dozen indentations, each with the same intricate design, evoking the winding and ever-present flora of the Unkempt.
A slight sizzle could be heard as he poured the material mixture into the mold, carefully ensuring that the heat didn’t die as the materials went into their place or that he didn’t pour too much into a single spot. As he waited for that to cool off, he checked back in on the Blade of Kongeseki, throwing the top portion of the mold off and placing it beside the other half on the table. He saw before him one of the most pristine blades he had ever created, perhaps the most elegant crafted within his near-three centuries of life. He grabbed the sword from the mold, still somewhat warm, but not so much so that he burned upon grabbing it. The hilt was smooth and glossy, but this could be repaired by strapping it with leather to allow a sufficient grip. The blade was clean and seemed especially aerodynamic. Zero tested the blade, carefully piercing it into his finger.
The blade punctured his skin and a sharp pain ran through Zero, something he had not felt since his skin had gained the, up to this point, unbreakable characteristic of all maila, usually acquired when they reach one hundred years old. Some blood began to leak from the point where the Blade of Kongeseki had broken his skin. It was through this pain that he felt a bizarre hint of excitement, not from the fact that he was taking pleasure in drawing his blood, but because of the breakthrough that this weapon implied. It showed that there was a chance to save Crenon from a complete dictatorship under one man, who would outlive his subjects tenfold and be impossible to overthrow. The Blade of Kongeseki is what would keep the maila humble.
This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.
The arrowheads, he inferred, would be similarly capable, considering that the materials used were identical to those used to forge the Blade of Kongeseki. Remembering about the arrowheads, he broke his amazement toward his newly-crafted weapon for a moment to check on them. Sure enough, they had cooled off and possessed a similar sheen to the Blade of Kongeseki.
Feeling accomplished, he began working on a sheath to place the sword into while traveling. Thankfully, a traditional steel and leather sheath worked just fine, so long as the sword was not sliced into it with the intent to cut.
With that done, he grabbed the burlap sack and headed toward Orban’s Ferry to begin the next phase of his mission. On his journey, as he went into his vehicle and drove to the port, he began to ponder whether he was truly in the right to make this choice. He let his mind wander to whether there was any other way to protect Crenon. By the end of his thought process, he remained unaware of anything that would prove a more effective method than what he was striving for.
❒︎❒︎❒︎❒︎❒︎❒︎❒︎
After a long amount of driving, Zero eventually arrived at the docks of Aotoshi. After leaving the car, he opened the car door with a mid-range click before grabbing the bag of garnium from it. Upon closing the door once more, he caught the attention of the guard patrolling the docks.
“You there! Maila!” the man yelled at Zero. “What’s in that bag?”
“The contents of this sack are not your concern,” Zero answered. “I am the royal advisor and I was sent on a mission to go to the Unkempt and capture Lanya and Musuko.”
“What do you need a sack for?” the man interrogated, not necessarily convinced.
“This is to bring them back into Crenon without detection,” he replied. “We don’t want to cause even further scandal by showing that Lanya and Musuko were still alive before we kill them once again.”
“Is that so?” the guard continued, formulating a rebuttal. “Then why is the bag already full?”
Zero tried to find an alibi but came up empty.
“Now, are you going to show me what’s in the bag or do I need to report you to the Emperor for trying to leave Aotoshi and saying that you had received an imperial decree to do so?”
Zero relented, laying the bag of garnium on the dock.
“Don’t say I didn’t warn you,” the maila said to the guard.
Just then, the guard grabbed the sack by the bottom, evaporating just as he touched the burlap, his very molecules torn apart. A fine trail of blood floated up toward the sky in a mist. Having no time to stop for this, he continued onward, taking the garnium and boarding Orban’s Ferry. He knew he had been on a long journey, but it was now time to come back home, even if it was only for a short period.