“Sir Gino, this just arrived for you,” Ana said, strangely giddy as she handed me a long, thin, wooden box.
With crowdfunding, all types of donations were welcome, so we received a variety of goods. Ana was working on organizing everything and was now giving me something that’d been personally addressed to me. The majority of what we received were things like arrows and grain, so it was unusual to say the least that anything would be sent to me specifically.
I opened the box to find a double-edged sword. The gilded metal that had been intricately spun to form the sword’s guard was so beautiful that it could be called a work of art. Its black sheath was also ornate with golden finishes, and was even inset with purple crystals. My eyes widened as I drew it from its sheath and saw that the blade was made of a metal that had a sparkling black luster.
“Is this adamant?”
Straight swords like this were long and light so they were easy to wield even from horseback. The thinness of the blade risked making it brittle, but this weakness was made up for by it being made of adamant, which was a very sturdy metal. This sword was not only beautiful but practical as well.
“Isn’t it amazing?! The blade was forged by Buela Pistah, and his wife made the sheath and decorations!” Ana exclaimed.
“Isn’t this a little...too valuable for someone like me?”
The price of a sword varied greatly based on who smithed it, and Buela Pistah was the best in the country. He was also very proud and known to refuse requests even when offered a great deal of money. His wife was a renowned sheath maker, and together, their creations were worth more than several lesser noble estates combined. I’d started crowdfunding as a way to reduce the strength of the royal family, and the money we got from it was a nice bonus, but I felt bad accepting something this lavish.
“Oh? According to the servant who delivered it from the royal capital, this is a gift from Buela Pistah himself. They passed on this message from him: ‘You’re going to find out how amazing this sword you said you didn’t need is!’” Matthew recited, chuckling with amusement.
Back when I was still a student, I’d competed against Count Fletcher in a swordsmanship tournament, where the prize happened to be a sword that Buela Pistah himself had forged. Despite winning, I gave the sword to Count Fletcher since I figured that, as a knight, he’d appreciate it more than me. I honestly hadn’t cared too much about it. The only thing I’d cared about was dedicating my victory to Ana.
“It seems that Buela Pistah is quite impressed with you, Sir Ginorious. Our covert operatives visited one of the drinking spots he frequents, and the fact that you selflessly gave away his sword without a second thought, plus the way you would fight a war for the sake of the country without any support from the king, is all very impressive to him. He was practically singing your praises. Most likely, that sword is his way of encouraging you. I think it best that you accept his gift.”
If that’s the case, I suppose I should.
“Um, S-Sir, Gino? I think the black of the sword and sheath really suit you well. I’d very much like to see you with it equipped.” Per Ana’s request, I fixed the sword to my belt. “Oh, it’s just as I thought! It looks very nice on you! You look very dashing!”
What?! Did she just call me dashing?! She thinks that of me?! Heh heh heh. So I’m “dashing,” eh? I decided against tossing this expensive sword into the treasure vault; instead, I was going to keep it on me and take good care of it. I was on cloud nine, but that was when Bruce came, saying he had something important to talk to me about.
He asked if we could speak alone, but neither Matthew or Bridgette agreed. They didn’t know who he was, so they were still wary of him. Bruce relented to have Ana, Matthew, and Bridgette stay, so ultimately the four of us remained in the room.
“So, what’s up?”
Ever since he’d started working at the Sevensworth estate, I’d stopped speaking formally with Bruce. He’d strongly requested it because, in his words, “I’m not your damned guest. Treat me like a friend.” I took the opportunity to have him go back to speaking casually to me as well. When he had to speak formally, he spoke less, most likely because he didn’t have much experience with nobles and their etiquette. So, I had him continue speaking formally with Ana and the others while having him promise to speak casually to me when he really had something to say to me.
“Let me join the war. I wanna distinguish myself in battle no matter what.” He looked almost desperate as he asked.
“Do you mind telling me what’s going on first? I don’t even know your real name.”
“True. Let’s start from there.”
Bruce then began to tell me everything about himself. His real name was Hans Hartley, and once upon a time, he’d been a covert operative of the Liebeh Kingdom. The way covert operatives worked in that country was a little different from ours. In our country, covert operatives worked for individual houses, but in Liebeh, they were essentially mercenaries who worked for anyone who could pay.
His problems had started from a job he took from a family called Hechsagon. After Bruce and his clan successfully finished the job, House Hechsagon attacked them in an attempt to silence them for good. Many died, but there were some who were barely able to escape, and Hans had been one of them.
“House Sevensworth really takes good care of its covert operatives. You even give them genuine status, which isn’t something I even thought possible based on how my country works. You also don’t use them as disposable pawns. Your house is truly one in a million. That’s why I want to prove myself in this war, get status, and make a place where the others who got away can come back to.”
Hans proceeded to prostrate himself in front of me. It was the commoner’s way in this country of formally making a request. Unlike in the kingdom of Liebeh, there were many houses in this country and neighboring ones that gave their covert operatives status, but in most cases, it was status in name only and it didn’t come with a salary. They didn’t receive any money aside from when they completed jobs, but they weren’t always guaranteed work. Usually, they’d have to do commoner jobs too.