I walked down the streets of Janpemon, humming to myself. I might have been in somewhat of a good mood after learning that the food at Nonna’s inn—or rather, Sheyne and Aina’s inn—was just as good as I remembered it. Of course, there were some minor changes due to there being different cooks, but it wasn’t anything to complain about. Being able to come back here and taste food that was almost exactly the same as I remembered it made me unbelievably happy.
Which, to be quite honest, surprised me. After all, experiencing the soba in Fusou hadn’t created such a strong feeling in me. Though, perhaps that was to be expected. Even with memories of a past life, I was a completely different person now than I was then. Rather than obsessing over the foods of my past life, I was enjoying the experiences of this one. In short, I was quite content.
Putting aside that for now, my current good mood was carrying me to Janpemon’s blacksmithing guild. After experiencing the nostalgic food at the inn, I was really in the mood to knock out a couple blacksmithing jobs.
I noticed a fair number of gazes turn my way as I walked through the city. Janpemon was a rather prosperous city, so the general reception to visitors was usually welcome instead of hostile. But compared to the old Janpemon that I knew, there was quite a bit more unease in the faces I walked past. With the conflict in Kirkoim being so close by, it was only natural that people here would be worried about getting dragged into the conflict between two large countries.
Of course, if the Alliance banded together and fought, they’d probably be just as strong as Vilestorika or Zieden, but as a collection of associated city-states, the military power of the Alliance was spread out over a large area. Even if the Alliance decided to gather all its forces in Janpemon to protect it, doing so would take considerable time. That went for the movement of troops as much as it did for navigating the red tape required to make such a decision.
That was the greatest weakness of the Azueda Alliance. Zieden would definitely be able to take advantage of it if they declared war on the Alliance. They had already shown they were able to mobilize quite quickly in their invasion and capture of the northern half of Kirkoim. Their hands were full with Vilestorika at the moment, but that conflict couldn’t last forever.
There was no guarantee of a future here for Janpemon. That was what gave rise to the calls for the rebirth of the Azueda Empire. More precisely, they were calls for uniting the city-states so that their military power could be wielded swiftly and effectively. It was only natural that the citizens would call for the country to take action to protect their daily lives. However, the powerful nation they were hoping for might end up threatening the lives of those in other countries, should its interests turn outward.
As I was lost in thought, I made it to the familiar stone building that housed the blacksmithing guild. When it came to the revival of the Azueda Empire, there was nothing I could say or do. As much as I loved Janpemon, I was nothing but a visitor here. The people who lived here would have to decide on the future for themselves. That said, even an outsider could be trusted to make one or two good weapons for the city.
With that thought in mind, I knocked on the door. As expected, the face that greeted me was entirely unfamiliar.
“Welcome to the blacksmithing guild. What brings you here today? Oh, you’re a blacksmith? Wait, and an elf...you wouldn’t happen to be...?”
When I showed her my master blacksmith license, the young woman’s face changed from a welcoming smile to surprise. It seemed she knew who I was. How could that be? I couldn’t imagine this girl was also one of Nonna’s grandchildren or great-grandchildren.
“I’m a traveling blacksmith. My name is Acer. I was hoping to borrow a forge and take on a little work. I’ve been allowed to use the forge here in the past,” I said, looking around the building. It hadn’t changed one bit. My first visit to this place, and my return a year and a half later with Win in tow, had both been decades ago.
At my request, the woman’s face brightened again. “Yes, we have heard of you. There have been legends passed down from the guildmaster of some generations ago, of an elven blacksmith who might someday come back to visit us! I’ll take you to the forge right away!” Excitedly jumping up from her seat, she grabbed a key and led me away.
But wait...“legends”? That word really put the amount of time I had been gone into perspective. I wondered if the old guildmaster she had referred to was the man who had helped me back then. He had been quite good at finding work for me, so I imagined he had gone on to do well for himself. I would feel quite honored if he had remembered me for all that time.
Despite the years that had passed since my last visit, the forge I was guided to had been kept in good repair and was still very usable. It had been quite some time since I had done any blacksmithing work.
What would the blacksmithing guild have me doing now? As my heart started dancing with excitement, I ignited the forge, happy to reunite with the same fire spirits that had lived here so long ago.