SWST 48

Chapter 48

“It’s just that I made enough so that the commander and the knights could all eat together.”
“Why make theirs too?”
“We should all eat together.”
“I mean, why?”
So frustrating.

“That way, the knights will treat you well.”
That’s what support work is. It’s my duty too.
“Alright, fine. Then this is mine. Moldorf, don’t even think about it.”
Dochev boldly told Moldorf.

“How are you going to eat all of that?!”
It was 20 servings—a nut bar packed with sugar.
“I’ll manage.”
“It’ll spoil!”
“It won’t.”
“It will, you know?”
“If you promise never to make theirs again, then we’ll share it.”
Hah!
What kind of situation is this?
“From now on, just make mine. Don’t overdo it either.”
And, of course, he had to add the bit about not overdoing it.

After the scuffle with Dochev, she was sent back to rest, pushed along by him, and returned to the 3rd Division.
Waiting at Moldorf’s barracks, she soon saw him return from training.

“Commander.”
“…What is it?”
He asked stiffly.

“If it’s snacks, Master Gong said he’d give them to the knights who win in the duel.”
“You’re saying Master Gong wants to duel?”
“Yes.”
A duel, too? He must be confident now that he’s reached five stars.
‘He’s probably not quite there yet. Isn’t this pushing it?’
Worried he might get hurt, she was asked by Moldorf,
“So, what brings you here?”
“I wanted to say thank you. To our Master Gong.”

With that, she handed over a box of supplies. It was the kind of box used to store ingredients in the annex kitchen.
Seeing it, Moldorf let out a heavy sigh.

“I won’t take it.”
Stubborn, just like a knight commander.
Which made her trust him even more. In the original story, he died protecting his disciples, after all.
But it seemed there was some misunderstanding.

“It’s not a bribe. It’s to support Master Dochev’s training.”
“That is a bribe.”
Moldorf pushed the box away. At the same time, the heavy clank of metal made his brow furrow.

“Don’t ever bring something like this again. Especially if you’re Master Gong’s wife, you shouldn’t do this. For his sake as well.”
“You’re not regretting this, right?”
He would regret it.
“Yes.”
He answered briefly.

“Can I just leave without showing it?”
“Probably.”
She accepted that and stood. Pretending it was an accident, she kicked the box lid with her toe.
Inside… sparkling gold and silver treasure? Of course not. Instead, it was a collection of fine swords that had been gathering dust in the storage.

“Oh, my, an accident.”
She closed the lid as if nothing had happened.

“Wait.”
Moldorf stopped her.

“This is how it should be brought out.”
“Why?”
“This… what is it?”
“A bribe.”
“You just said it wasn’t a bribe!”
Flustered, Moldorf started talking more.

“It was a bribe. But since you insist you won’t take it even to death, I have no choice but to take it back.”
“When did I say I’d never take it?”
“Then… will you take it?”
“…First, tell me where these swords came from.”

He was honest and upright, unable to simply say he’d accept them. She stepped back and reopened the lid.

“As you can see, they’re swords. Fine swords.”
She had found them after searching dozens of storage rooms in the mansion, trading ten treats with the sword spirit Junel to select the best ones. Junel, who cared deeply about swords, had chosen them carefully. He would recognize that.

“Fine swords. Where did they come from?”
“From the mansion’s storage. Things we couldn’t bear to throw away, I dug them out.”
“So you’re saying you took them as your own?”
Since they would have been discarded anyway, it wasn’t truly theft—but he seemed bothered.

“If it were a junk dealer, it would be a crime.”
Moldorf was a knight commander. Using family property for the family is not a crime.
But that wasn’t how he saw it.

“Fine. I’ll tell the Duchess you brought these for Master Gong on your way back.”
Once she explained it to Francesca that way, Moldorf relaxed a little. He pulled out one sword and examined it. After silently checking over a dozen, he finally looked up.

“They’re all famous fine swords. But there’s a reason they were in storage.”
He picked one up and struck it against the floor. The sound was like a stone scraping metal. It meant the blade had long since lost its function.

“I know.”
Even a novice could see the teeth-like chips along the blade were abnormal.

“You can just refine them and use them.”
“It’s not that simple. There are many blacksmiths who can forge swords, but few can restore them… and restoration methods vary depending on the materials and techniques used.”

“There’s a way.”
She took out a rolled-up bundle of paper from her sleeve.

Moldorf unfolded it without hesitation. His eyes, partly hidden under thick brows, widened.

“Restoration methods?”
“Yes.”
It was a manual from Junel, explaining how to restore each sword, with detailed instructions unique to each blade.

“You found this in storage too?”
“Something like that.”
Moldorf carefully read the methods and let out a small sigh.

“Unfortunately, as I said, there are many blacksmiths who can forge swords, but few skilled in restoration…”
“There is someone in the village forest.”
That was information she knew, not Junel. Dochev had returned from leaving the estate to find this exact blacksmith—to repair swords damaged in battle.

“…Is that also from storage?”
“No, it’s info I got from someone in the village.”
She handed him the address of the final blacksmith.

“Now that all the bribes are given, shall we get down to business?”

Halara Sehebe.
When she first appeared on the training ground and called out to Dochev without hesitation as “honey!”, Moldorf was shocked and uneasy.
Dochev had been abandoned by his family. He grew up hated, alone… and now there was a girl as bright as sunlight by his side?

‘Master Gong must have been terribly lonely.’
If she had come to Moldorf a little earlier, he could have offered some comfort. Then this seemingly carefree commoner wouldn’t have needed to be the subject of the apprentice knights’ rumors. But now it was too late.

“My, I think I’m going to have a child.”

That was why he returned to the family’s training grounds, not the village.
Even without being able to wield his sword, he was no longer weak.
Rather, he now carried the confidence that all he had to do was grow stronger.
Could it be that simply having someone to protect—a wife and child—was what made him so steadfast?

“Restore these swords, choose the ones that can maximize Master Gong’s strength for training. The rest, give to knights you deem fit.”
“…You could have given them yourself.”
“Master Gong would prefer soy milk over swords anyway. Ah, I should make some soy milk too.”
“I’ll restore the swords, so you pick the knights and hand them over.”
“Oh no, make sure they know they’re from Master Gong.”

Her answer was unclear, but one thing was certain: Dochev had found someone who truly cared for him.

“Ah, looks like I’ll be working late for the first time in a while.”
Moldorf took the swords and restoration manuals she’d given him and left the barracks.

The scenery of Bloody Mary was no different from usual, yet today, a warm breeze seemed to be blowing.