LRAB Chapter 89: The Holy Sword, and the Oath (5)
Chapter 89: The Holy Sword, and the Oath (5)
Chapter 89: The Holy Sword, and the Oath (5)
Chapter 89: The Holy Sword, and the Oath (5)
Swinging the sword just a few times. And suddenly, the blacksmith shop was in shambles.
Everyone’s eyes were filled with shock as they watched the building collapse in an instant.
I wasn’t any different.
‘...No, you said you understood my intentions.’
What on earth did you think I meant to cause such a disaster? All I wanted was to keep that swindler dwarf at a reasonable distance, nothing more.
I turned to look at the conman again.
The dwarf was staring blankly at what used to be his blacksmith shop.
“What... What in the world are you doing?!”
He shouted, his voice trembling as if on the verge of tears.
But Lucy remained as composed as ever and replied calmly,
“You said I could test the sword, so I tested it.”
A nonsensical excuse that made me question her sanity.
Perhaps he was in too much shock from seeing his shop reduced to a pile of rubble in mere seconds.
“I’ll report this to the guards right away! You’ve made a serious mistake this time!”
The dwarf yelled, his face red with fury.
Sure, the dwarf was a skilled craftsman.
If he reported us, the guards would indeed rush over.
Though I doubted anyone, even a dozen guards, could deal with Lucy—or even just me, for that matter. Still, getting officially wanted by the empire wouldn’t do us any favors.
“Is that so? I wouldn’t know about that.”
Lucy walked toward the dwarf as she spoke, her tone casual.
At that moment, I thought it would be best to leave before things got messier. I was just about to suggest retreating when—
“We aren’t fools. Did you think we’d wander around without even a single concealment spell in place?”
Lucy lied without a hint of hesitation, her expression unchanging.
Her words left me speechless.
A masterful bluff.
With a simple trick, Lucy preemptively shut down any possibility of him calling the guards.
“And besides, even if the guards come, it would take them quite a while to get here...”
As she said that, Lucy gripped her sword again.
In a flash—
An instant so brief it was almost imperceptible, the blade struck.
It was such a swift move that it felt like the sword hadn’t even left its sheath.
The next thing anyone knew, the dwarf’s beard—his defining feature—was sliced clean off.
“I assure you, the guards won’t be able to guarantee your safety,” she declared.
The dwarf’s face turned pale.
“So, from where I stand, it seems the mistake wasn’t mine, but yours.”
Lucy spoke with conviction, looking down at the scammer now slumped helplessly on the ground.
...It was certainly effective.
At the very least, the dwarf wouldn’t bother me anymore.
“Lucy, please refrain from using such violent measures when possible.”
Feeling that her competence was almost terrifyingly excessive, I called out her name and cautioned her not to go overboard.
“Understood, my lord. Do not worry. I am fully aware of your purpose for being here.”
Lucy assured me with unwavering confidence and then—her eyes gleaming—acted once more.
A small dagger lay discarded on the ground.
She swiftly picked it up and hurled it.
“Eek!”
The sound that escaped the now beardless dwarf’s lips was reminiscent of a terrified five-year-old girl.
To be fair, the situation justified such a reaction.
It was utter chaos—strange, yet somehow disturbingly familiar.
In other words...
“Why does this feel like Yongsan Market?”
The blacksmiths’ district had, over the past decade, somehow turned into a replica of Yongsan Electronics Market.
A headache crept up on me naturally.
Dwarves were supposed to have a certain gravitas to them.
They were known as a proud, craftsman-like race—ones who wouldn’t take on a commission unless they acknowledged the requester, no matter the price.
And yet... what was this?
In the previous series, the dwarves had been portrayed so differently that I couldn’t possibly accept this change.
No matter how much I rubbed my eyes, the scenery remained the same.
‘...Did they all succumb to the allure of money and collectively fall into corruption?’
Having lived in a closed society until they started interacting with the outside world about a decade ago, it seemed they had been deeply influenced—far too deeply—by modern society.
The romantic image of the blacksmiths’ district had devolved into what was essentially the fantasy equivalent of Yongsan Electronics Market.
As I stood there, too stunned to conceal my shock at this bizarre transformation, Lucy continued speaking.
“You all look so aggrieved. I can see it on your faces—you think you’ve done nothing wrong and just had the bad luck of being caught.”
She didn’t stop there. Lucy declared that she would show them the sins they had committed.
She grabbed a shield from a nearby forge.
And... dropped it to the ground.
Not even a hard drop—yet it dented slightly upon impact.
Frankly, its durability was so poor that it could barely be called a shield.
“In battle, even the smallest things can determine life and death. That’s why people spend a fortune to ensure they have quality equipment,” Lucy said sharply, her eyes narrowing as she glared at the dwarves.
“But you’ve turned that trust into a joke.”
Skimping on material costs by using cheap resources. Selling swords with corrosion curses so you could rake in repair fees.
Prioritizing your own pockets over the lives of others.
“Killing someone with your own hands isn’t the only kind of murder. You’ve taken countless lives out of greed,” Lucy said, her voice tinged with unexpected sadness.
Her gaze softened, but only for a moment.
Then she resumed, her tone cold and resolute.
“So, under normal circumstances, all of you should die here and now.”
She stated it as a simple fact.
She would never again let innocent lives be lost because of her own inaction. If they continued this path of indirect murder, she would have no choice.
Lucy’s declaration was calm yet terrifying.
And yet, no one made a move to flee.
They knew. Resisting was futile. They recognized the overwhelming strength standing before them.
The silence grew heavier, steeped in despair.
Then Lucy spoke again, breaking the dreadful quiet.
“But my lord is merciful. He has told me that criminals must be dealt with not through violence, but by other means.”
...To be fair, I had said something like that.
But I hadn’t meant it quite like this.
“So, make your choice.”
Without giving me a chance to clarify, Lucy pulled out a contract from her sleeve.
A slave contract.
The kind notorious for completely disregarding human—or in this case, dwarf—rights. A tool often used for the most exploitative and evil agreements.
“Will you die here by my hand, or will you graciously accept the opportunity for redemption that my merciful lord offers?”
All eyes turned to me.
The gaze of someone looking at a deranged villainous mastermind who had orchestrated this entire scheme.
......At this point, even if I tried to claim that I hadn’t ordered this, no one would believe me.
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