Ethan left the inn with nothing but a little money in his pockets. He pulled up the hood of his sweatshirt and hurried through Orario, asking for directions to Welf's shop.
It was a little harder to find than he had expected, but he eventually made it there.
It was a street lined with workshops and stores that sold forged goods. It was located close to the commercial district. As Ethan walked down the street, he could hear the rhythmic sound of blacksmiths hammering away.
He had thought hearing those sounds would make him feel sick after everything he had been through, but instead, it made him want to work. He wanted to forge something even better than a Gold-ranked sword.
Eventually, he arrived at what should have been Welf's shop. The moment he stepped inside, he found himself in a small store filled with basic swords and pieces of armor scattered all over the place.
Short swords and longswords.
From the back of the shop, he could hear the sound of a hammer striking metal.
Without hesitation, Ethan called out,
"Welf, are you here?"
The hammering immediately stopped, and the door opened.
'Doesn't he worry about getting robbed?' Ethan thought.
"Huh? Do I know you?"
A tall man with red hair and dark blue eyes appeared. He looked at Ethan suspiciously.
"No, you don't."
"I see. Did you come to buy something? Place an order? Did someone tell you about me?"
"I came looking for a job."
"A job?"
Welf raised an eyebrow.
"Are you kidding me?"
"I'm serious. I know how to forge, but I don't have a workshop or any materials. I want to work for you so I can use your forge."
Welf listened to Ethan's words and thought,
'Has this guy lost his mind? He just shows up out of nowhere asking me for a job...'
Judging by Ethan's expression and the way he spoke, however, it clearly wasn't a joke.
"Are you a member of a Familia?" Welf asked.
"Yes, but that's not important."
"What do you mean it's not important?"
"Have you ever heard of the Alectro Familia?"
'The Alectro Familia?'
After thinking for a moment, Welf answered,
"No, I haven't."
"I'm a member of that Familia. I worked there as a blacksmith, but I was thrown out. I'm good enough. I can show you."
"That's not the issue."
Welf scratched his head.
'How do I get rid of this guy?' he wondered.
"You don't have to pay me," Ethan said.
"Huh?"
"I'm serious. I just need to use your workshop and forge... Forge a lot of swords."
Ethan's words made little sense to Welf, but he sounded completely serious.
Welf let out a sigh.
"Huff... Man, you're completely crazy."
"Please."
Ethan looked at Welf with unwavering determination.
The two stared at each other for several long seconds before Welf finally gave in.
"Fine. I'll watch you work. If you're good enough, I'll hire you."
Welf didn't believe Ethan had any real skill, so this seemed like an easy proposal.
And if Ethan really was as good as he claimed, he wouldn't even have to pay him a salary.
Either way, Welf would come out ahead.
Welf smiled at Ethan, and Ethan smiled back.
Welf led him to the back of the shop, where his workshop was located. There was a furnace, hammers, iron, and all the other materials needed for forging.
Looking around, Ethan thought,
'This is very different from what I'm used to.'
The iron looked purer, the furnace was far better, the hammer seemed to be of much higher quality, and despite being a blacksmith's workshop, everything was clean and neatly organized.
On top of that, the place didn't stink of sweat and garbage.
Seeing all of it, Ethan smiled, and his eyes sparkled.
Without realizing it, he was beginning to fall in love with blacksmithing.
Welf looked at Ethan and thought,
'Was this really a good idea?'
####
After receiving permission to begin, Ethan picked up a piece of iron and quickly started heating it. He fed more fuel into the fire until it reached the proper temperature, and the metal gradually glowed a brilliant red.
Once it became soft enough to shape, Ethan removed it from the fire and began using Welf's hammer to forge a sword.
It had been the longest time he had ever gone without forging something.
Back then, he had done it all day, every day.
For some reason, he felt incredibly excited.
All of his negative thoughts disappeared as he continued hammering with a smile on his face.
It felt wonderful to do this when he wasn't under constant pressure.
Welf stood a short distance away, watching everything.
'His stance is solid. He knows how to swing a hammer.'
Welf was genuinely impressed by the way Ethan worked. He found himself praising him repeatedly in his mind.
After a while, he even walked closer to get a better look.
The metal gradually took the shape of a flawless sword.
A one-handed longsword.
Ethan dipped the blade into the oil basin to cool it slightly before placing it back into the fire.
He began the heat treatment while Welf watched with his arms crossed and a faint smile on his face.
'How old is this kid? He's tall, but his face looks so young. But he said they kicked him out of his Familia, didn't he?'
Welf found the whole thing unbelievable.
'He's talented. Why would they throw him out?'
'Was he expelled because of something he did?'
Welf started to feel uneasy.
If they had expelled someone this talented, he must have done something extremely serious.
Still, Welf pushed the thought aside for the moment and simply continued watching Ethan's movements.
Then something strange happened.
"Hm?"
Once the heat treatment was finished, Ethan placed his hand on the blade.
Curious, Welf stepped closer and noticed something happening right before his eyes.
The blade was subtly changing without anyone touching it.
For someone with eyes as sharp as Welf's, it was impossible not to notice.
Then, in the blink of an eye, the blade's edge appeared.
It was a flawless edge.
Cold sweat ran down Welf's back as his gaze shifted between the sword and Ethan.
Ethan looked at him and said,
"I told you I had talent for this."
'What was that? Some kind of blacksmithing-related skill?'
It was the first time Welf had ever encountered someone with an ability like that.