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Or Arms and Arcane: Chapter 204
🕑 Added 2025-03-11 06:08:13 +0000 UTC[Why have you not called in a week since getting back?] Professor Sageira mentally shouted at me, making me instinctively wince away from the dragon scale.
[I was resting. Can a man not take some time to relax after coming home from a hard-fought battle?] I asked as an excuse.
[Well, your rest is interfering with my research schedule.] She snapped back. [Make sure you read tonight; I’m coming over.]
[Okay, fine, but my father is sitting this training out for the moment. He is still settling family matters that happened in his absence.] I replied.
[Oh, by the way, did you get your hands on the swords on the way to the capitol?] I asked.
[Yes, I did. I also sneaked a peek at the battle reports. A captain’s report stated you were seen using a “purple aura.” I assume that was you using Primal Aura?] she asked.
[Yeah, that was me. I will tell you more about it when we meet later.] I said before chatting about a few other topics and ending the call.
After ending the call, it was clear that I had spent too long in bed, and pushed myself off the sheets to freshen up and start the day.
When I got to the dining room, breakfast was long over, so I got the chef to whip me up a sandwich while I headed over to my workshop to get some work done. I have been thinking of getting new ceremonial daggers for my father and brother. I am sure they would like some pattern-welded Damascus steel blades for their daggers.
But after giving it a second thought, why should I settle for normal steel? I should at least go for some mana steel, and I just needed to resmelt half of it to increase its carbon level. With a new objective in mind, I took a carriage into town to visit my local blacksmith.
At the blacksmith shop, the apprentice who was manning the desk presented me with their stock of mana steel. When I checked the ingots, I noticed the stamped markings on each ingot were from many different batches.
So when I asked why it was this way, the blacksmith apprentice replied, “That mainly stems from our location at the border; we don't receive metals in large quantities. If we specially ordered big batches, it would be costly. We get whatever the merchants can spare, and more often than not, after finishing a job, we end up with leftover ingots that are too small to use mana steel effectively. My father also dislikes mixing different batches of mana steel when taking on jobs that require it.”
Hmm… it is not ideal to mix and match from different batches, especially when quality control is not that good, but I can work with it, I will be re-smelting it anyway. So I bought up all his loose mana steel ingots for a rather good deal and also took the opportunity to restock on some other stuff I needed while I was out shopping.
When I got back to my workshop, I brought my stack of ingots to a sharpening wheel and started pedaling. When the wheel got up to speed, I ground each ingot. From the profile of the sparks flying from the ingot, I could estimate the carbon content of the steel. I then marked an estimated carbon rating on each ingot and separated them into two batches, high and low carbon.
By the time smelting and adjusting of the two batches were done, evening time had come and I was called to come and clean up for dinner.
At dinner, I brought up the idea of the new ceremonial dagger. My parents loved the idea and approved of it as long as I reused the sheath and hilt of the current dagger.
***
Later that night, I was airlifted from my backyard via dragon and brought to the usual training area. When we arrived, we talked about my experience using Primal Aura during the battle and what I noticed I was lacking during an actual battle.
From what I could reflect on my performance, with the Primal Aura on, I suffered from tunnel vision and was not as aware of my surroundings as I usually was. To remedy this, tonight’s training consisted of Professor Sageira coordinating earth golems to attack me from all angles while I had to stay in a small circle on the ground.
By the end of the night’s training, I was black and blue all over. But it was nothing a little healing magic could not deal with.
***
Another two weeks passed, and we carried on with our lives. After a few days of restarting my training, Dad was done with his tasks and joined me for my nightly training.
Another thing we did to pass the time was go through reports from the border. Turns out, the fort where I was was one of ten forts attacked, and all of them had reports of enemy knights using glowing weapons or armor to great effect. So great, in fact, that seven of the forts fell to enemy hands before our forces came with superior numbers and took them back.
After reading through the actual casualties, the fort I was at suffered the least casualties and damage overall, and we were the only ones to capture the glowing equipment the enemy was using.
So we were rather surprised when a messenger came knocking, saying that the King requested our presence. We expected an official to come and debrief us, not the king himself wanting to see us. So, with haste, me, Dad, along with the knights who came with us to the battle, mounted up and followed the messenger back to the capital to see that meathead of a king.
***
When we reached the king’s castle, we were led to a waiting room where Dad met the fort commanders of the two other forts who held out against the attacks, “Viscount Holmer, Baron Ducel, what are you doing here?” Dad greeted his fellow border nobels as she shook their hands.
“I assume it would be the same reason you are here. Our forts were the only ones that did not fall to the first attack.” Viscount Holmer said.
“Yes… but that was some nasty business. By the time the enemy retreated, I was only left with less than a hundred fighting men. I had to get the domestic and support staff to dress us in uniform and act like reinforcements to scare off what was left of the enemy.” Baron Ducel said.
“But enough of that nasty business, who is this young man beside you?” Viscount Holmer asked while looking at me standing beside Dad.
“Ah, this is my son, Luke. Luke, these are the lords of our neighboring fiefs, Viscount Holmer and Baron Ducel.” Dad introduced me.
I gave a polite and formal bow. “Greeting My Lords. I hope you are all in good health.”
Baron Ducel patted me on the back. “Well met, fine lad! Why don't you stand with my family and introduce yourself to them while we greet the king? My son should be around your age.”
I shook my head “I am afraid I cannot do that, Lord Ducel, I would be accompanying my father to see the king.”
My statement made both lords give me confused looks, but before they could ask any questions, there was a knock on the door, followed by a butler entering and announcing, “The King will see all of you now.”
