Chapter 13: The Unconventional Smith and the Reforged Hero

Every member of the Steelhoof Tribe dedicates their complete focus to the forging process, strictly forbidding any disturbance.

However, Moore Ironmountain, the Great Chieftain’s daughter, proved to be an artisan unlike any other.

A clear, resonant voice cut through the searing heat, dispersing the oppressive warmth in Qiaolun’s heart like a refreshing breeze.

“Hey, Dad, did you bring my crucial material?”

He was the first to look in her direction.

“You needn’t be surprised,” Yunajin explained with a smile. “Miss Moore is a demi-human, a hybrid of Minotaur and human.”

“What? How could a human and a demon—” Qiaolun’s inner astonishment eclipsed his question, and he nearly blurted it out, but Yunajin deftly clapped a hand over his mouth.

“Now isn’t quite the time for such questions.”

“Demon Lord, greetings.”

The woman before them possessed a youthful human face and bronze skin, her physique athletic and slender, standing half a head taller than Qiaolun.

Beyond the small horns adorning her head, there was little else to suggest any connection to the Minotaurs.

As Moore bowed to her, Yunajin nodded in acknowledgment, her gaze unconsciously sweeping over the newcomer’s flat chest.

‘Ah, it seems we are of the same kind.’

Qiaolun immediately noticed Yunajin’s wandering gaze.

“What are you looking at?” he asked.

“Ahem, well then, human, you should gratefully accept the weapon this King promised to forge for you.” Yunajin said to Moore, crossing her arms. “Lord Moore, today is the day of delivery.”

“Keeping one’s word is one of the Steelhoof Tribe’s most vital tenets.”

“A smith must not casually leave their forge, and that is an unbreakable rule, Moore. You understand this, don’t you?” Lord Crossell huffed, speaking sternly to his daughter.

“Oh, come on, Dad, haven’t I hit a final bottleneck?” Moore playfully stuck out her tongue, then strode purposefully towards Yunajin.

“Eh?”

Yunajin found herself being led by the hand, quite boldly, towards the roaring furnace.

“How dare you! What are you doing?” A flicker of astonishment passed through everyone’s eyes, and Andros instantly lost his composure.

Moore turned her head, her expression utterly calm, and stated, “Of course, I’m going to complete the forging. The Demon Lord is, after all, a unique and supreme material.”

“Huh? Are you going to drag me in there to be refined?!”

‘Meredith, help me!’

Yunajin, her face pale, looked towards the tall demoness who stood silently, seemingly unmoved—the very Demon Archpriestess she relied upon and respected.

“Hey!” Qiaolun called out to Moore at that moment.

‘Ah, my Lord Hero, my hero~ No! I must appear even more pitiful!’

“Wuwu…”

“Do you know where my weapon is?”

Qiaolun completely ignored Yunajin’s pitiful display, asking directly.

“Oh~ So that broken sword was yours.”

Qiaolun’s face darkened, yet he didn’t erupt upon hearing Moore’s smiling words.

“It was damaged in battle.”

Indeed, it had been shattered by the Demon Lord, reduced to a broken blade.

“My apologies, you’ve misunderstood. I wasn’t asking how it broke, nor do I care,” Moore said, maintaining her smile, perhaps realizing he hadn’t grasped her meaning.

“Apart from its somewhat unusual material, its craftsmanship is, to put it mildly, utter trash. Even steel I forge while half-asleep, merely manipulating the furnace, would be superior to this.”

“Quite a boast. So, my weapon…”

“It’s melted. It has already become a part of the Demon Lord. Consider it your honor.”

‘Become a part of me! How thrilling!’

Yunajin excitedly covered her mouth, and though a faint blush tinged her cheeks, she had no choice but to conceal her delight, mindful of maintaining the Demon Lord’s dignified image.

“Do you have any idea what you’re doing?” Qiaolun thought he had been quite polite, yet this demi-human had taken it upon herself to melt his weapon, only for it to become the Demon Lord’s weapon instead?

The finest sword in the village, the hope of the entire village, had been destroyed by a demon just like that.

‘I’ll kill her!’

Qiaolun clenched his fists.

He hadn’t even had a chance to name his sword.

Every arduous battle had strengthened Qiaolun’s resolve and sharpened his blade, and even if others saw it as an ordinary sword, to Qiaolun, its cold gleam under the moonlight had long made it the Hero’s companion.

They had once traversed the plains of the Demon Realm for days and nights, leaning against rocks, finding solace in each other’s presence, until they finally reached the Demon Lord’s castle together.

“Qiaolun…” Yunajin reined in her emotions.

She sensed the human Hero’s sorrow and anger.

Could he truly care so deeply…?

Understanding dawned on Yunajin, and she pursed her lips before speaking earnestly.

“Alright, Lord Moore, I know you possess a special affection for all weapons and wouldn’t abandon them merely due to clumsy craftsmanship, would you?”

“Is that why you entrusted me to remake that flawed child?”

“Mm.”

In the Steelhoof Tribe of today, Moore’s forging skills were arguably second only to the Chieftain’s.

However, her ideas were simply too novel, her materials unheard of, and her forging techniques extreme, leading Moore to be the artisan with the highest failure rate in the entire tribe.

When it came to selecting a smith for the Demon Lord’s armament, Meredith’s primary recommendation had been Moore Ironmountain.

The reason given was that “the Demon Lord possesses the ability to find any material existing in this world, and the Steelhoof Tribe, under the Demon Lord’s command, will provide all necessary forges for custom-made weapons.”

With the condition of multiple failures being permissible, Moore could naturally unleash her full potential.

As for the broken sword, sent along as a last-minute addition, it was Yunajin’s own small, private request.

“Human, you shall be reforged alongside the Demon Lord in the raging flames, emerging all the stronger for it.”

“What do you mean, ‘I’ll be with her’… Alright, I understand what you mean. Do all you demons joke like this?” Qiaolun unclenched his fists.

Though he had momentarily entertained the thought of punching her, upon reflection, he realized no one would dare sabotage the Demon Lord’s commission.

The demi-human’s words, therefore, revealed a flaw.

‘Miss Moore, if you have more to say, please do. My body, of course, shouldn’t fear these flames.

However, Lord Hero would find it rather difficult.

What a pity.

For his safety’s sake, perhaps it’s best not to.’

Yunajin thought to herself.

“No, that wasn’t a joke; merely a metaphor.

We wouldn’t truly throw the weapon’s owner into the furnace.”

‘Hmph, how boring.’

Upon hearing this, Yunajin rolled her eyes.

“Little demi-human, heir to the Steelhoof bloodline, how do you intend to forge it now?” the King of Vampires murmured, a hint of mockery in his tone. “The furnace before you appears to have been cold for quite some time.”

How could a demi-human, whose age was not even a fraction of her father’s, and who had inherited merely a touch of Minotaur endurance and strength, possibly create a weapon powerful enough to—

—suppress the Demon Lord’s power!

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