"Hey, no way. That's ridiculous. You said the assault captain was 21. Then even the users are geniuses, but the experts are just too..."
Mina thought of Eugene's possibility of being a sword expert through circumstantial evidence.
Her thoughts could not but be suppressed immediately.
It makes no sense.
At the age of 21, Sword Expert is by far the most skilled swordsman in the general public.
He is a genius among geniuses even among the nobles.
"I think I need to reconsider my thinking... Perhaps I was overconfident in my skills? Actually, this is the first time I've actually made the Great Swordsman's Armor since I was under the Master's tutelage. It's also heavily influenced by physical strength, not just mana."
So Mina's thought circuit turned towards her own problems.
This is because asking the other person if they are a sword expert is nonsensical.
Depending on your perspective, you might think that you are blaming Eugene for your own lack of skill.
So Mina looked back on the knowledge she had about making great swordsman armor and began to examine Eugene's great swordsman armor accordingly.
"As expected, everyone seems to think it's their fault. Hmm... Realistically, that's the right way to react. Unless you have absolute confidence in your own abilities, that is."
Eugene also saw Mina's gaze and behavior in that way.
"If this is the case, shouldn't I tell Mina about my Expert awakening? Otherwise, I can't make proper armor at my current level. Even if I try to make it by tricking her, it'll just break again after a while. In fact, that's the rule in the Knights Templar, where there are some Experts."
Among the nobles, even if they reach the level of sword user, they tend to have a dedicated blacksmith.
The reason is that even if the user level is high, the mana expression is significant, so detailed differences are created depending on whether the blacksmith knows the level of the awakened person well or not.
In the realm of mana, the detail ultimately creates a huge gap in the realm of actual combat.
So, it goes without saying that it is even more so for experts.
Thus, the relationship between an Expert Awakener and the blacksmith who creates and manages that Expert Awakener's equipment is one of great trust.
On the other hand, this means that for expert awakeners, they must choose and seek out trustworthy blacksmiths.
So, it is a rule that those who have achieved Expert Awakening within the Knights Templar tell their dedicated blacksmith the top secret.
"I can't judge your skills as a blacksmith, but I think your trustworthiness, and everyone's trustworthiness, is overflowing."
Eugene knows that although he has achieved his second awakening as an expert, his knowledge as a prosecutor and the depth of his awakening abilities are poor.
In other words, the area that you realistically need to consider when considering a blacksmith partner is ultimately trustworthiness.
From that perspective,
He is full of craftsmanship beyond his years,
I am trying to live a righteous life,
Mina, a blacksmith who did not yield even in the face of Kyle's threats in order to keep her trust with the human named Eugene Schneider.
From Eugene's perspective, she is a completely trustworthy blacksmith.
"Hey, Mina, I think I need to be honest with you. There's been a big change in me recently, and I'm talking about that."
So in the end, Eugene decided to tell Mina about his second awakening.
"Any major changes recently? Besides becoming a user, is there anything else?"
Mina reacting to Eugene's words,
But judging by her expression, the Sword Expert seemed to have given up on that thought and was thinking about other changes in Eugene's life.
"Actually, I achieved my second awakening while doing this quest. I became a Sword Expert. That's probably why the armor is damaged. I fought with Sword Expert abilities and trained for several days."
In this way, Eugene revealed to Mina the truth about his Sword Expert awakening in a candid voice.
“You’ve become a sword expert??? Is that true???”
A truly bombshell confession,
As expected, Mina's eyes grew about three times their size and she was left shocked.
"Yes, it happened somehow. However, I grew so much all at once that I'm officially just a user, telling everyone else I'm a user. Except for the leader. I've even been updated as a user in the association."
Afterwards, Eugene explained in detail why he registered as a user rather than an expert on the association profile.
“Ah... That can’t be helped... Of course... Since it’s Sword Expert, it’ll be overturned.”
Nod...! Nod...! Nod...!
Mina nodded slowly with a slightly absent-minded expression.
The association records story didn't seem important to her.
"You really became an expert at 21?"
The first thing that fills Mina's mind is the fact that Eugene is a 21-year-old expert genius awakened.
and,
“But why are you telling me that...”
I don't understand why Eugene is telling me such a huge story.
"Of course, Mina-ssi is the one responsible for my Great Sword Armor. I understand that from the Expert level onward, I need to have such in-depth discussions with the blacksmith."
Eugene gave a manual answer to that.
"No, that's not it. You should seek out a more skilled and prestigious blacksmith. From Expert level onward, equipment is truly crucial."
But that's not what Mina was talking about.
The question is, why don't you change?
If you had relied on the skills of a blacksmith when you were just average,
After becoming a swan, it is natural to go in search of a blacksmith who would be suitable for the vessel.
That is, after speaking indirectly, Eugene ends his relationship with Mina.
It would be common sense to seek out the blacksmith that the Imperial Knights' sword experts rely on.
And once you become a sword expert, it becomes a privileged area where no one thinks it's strange or regrettable to do so.
However, Mina is not convinced by Eugene, who tells her, a common mercenary blacksmith, about his awakening as a sword expert without any awareness of the situation.
“......”
At that moment, Eugene looked at Mina silently for a moment.
Blink!
And then he gave a warm, subtle smile.
"Because the blacksmith trusts Mina. Furthermore, he said it because he trusts the human Mina. As far as I know, trust is one of the most important things between an Expert or higher Awakened person and a dedicated blacksmith, and I believe Mina 200% aligns with that."
Mina, who thinks it is natural for her to leave,
But Eugene doesn't take it for granted.
The reason Eugene is on the path to becoming a prosecutor is simply because of his strength.
And I don't want efficiency.
I want to completely shake off my past trauma and become a good person.
How could Eugene, with such a purpose, leave Mina, who has such a precious heart?
"You trust me as a human being? A shallow person from the underground city?"
It's like science fiction,
For Mina, it means that someone has human trust, absolute trust in her.
Because humans from the underground city have no value to project such as trust onto.
As Kyle said, it's just a one-night stand, just a consumable.
Eugene informed him of the fact that he had awakened as an expert for the second time, which was so important.
It has been reported that the reason is because of Mina's trust in herself.
For Mina, something happened that she only talked about but never actually did.
That's why Blacksmith Mina chewed over Eugene's words with a feeling of bewilderment, and a feeling that she was clearly interpreting it in her head but not convinced.
"This time, our mercenary group has achieved a plus rank, so I think the quests will be of a higher standard. I believe my role will also increase. So, Mina, please trust my sincerity and join us."
Eugene, who is well aware that Mina, who is from an underground city, has low self-esteem,
Since his current appearance is also connected to it, he persuaded Mina to stay with him even more persuasively.
"It's right to refuse, but that's how I've lived my life. The right thing to do is to refuse and send him to a better blacksmith."
Mina's appearance with low self-esteem can be seen as a realistic way of understanding the subject.
If she had not looked up and raised her head, she would have lost her head or fallen back into the ground before reaching here.
In fact, it seems that he didn't understand the situation when he stood up to Kyle in order to protect his relationship of trust with Eugene.
‘I keep getting greedy towards Eugene...’
There's nothing we can do about it, right?
Because Mina likes Eugene.
Because Mina looks at Eugene as a person who simply longs for affection, regardless of the natural order of life or the logic of the world.
She becomes greedy.
"Yes, I will take responsibility for Eugene's armor. I will do my best to live up to your trust."
And so, after leaving the underground city, Mina raised her head for the first time and looked up at the sky.
It was Mina's appearance as she decided to be greedy.
She will become the exclusive blacksmith of the genius awakened sword expert Eugene.
So that Eugene's trust in her doesn't fade like she said just now.
'huh?'
Mina's acceptance speech, which is quite resolute and shows her strong will,
Eugene's eyes widened slightly when he heard that.
Oh! Mina called me Eugene!
During that time, Mina called herself Eugene, or Captain Eugene.
When Eugene first came to the blacksmith shop, her eyes were bowing and quite wary.
It was a distance.
As someone from the underground city, the DNA of vigilance is deeply ingrained in me.
It continued even though I started to like Eugene.
But now, as she took a gentle step forward, the change in title came about very naturally, without her even realizing it.
"Yes, Mina, please take care of me. We were already colleagues, but now I want to shake hands with you as colleagues who share our true feelings."
Oh my!
So, Eugene smiled proudly and asked Mina to shake his hand.
Not the relationship they had when Jeanne introduced her to Mina before.
This will mark the beginning of a relationship between Sword Expert Eugene and his dedicated blacksmith Mina.
"Yes... Please take good care of me, Eugene. I will do my best to create and assemble armor that will never disappoint Eugene's reputation as a sword expert."
Then Mina took Eugene's hand and answered with a blush and slightly bowed head.
“Mister~ You have to keep your next promise too~? You have to come to our village with our Mina unnie~?”
Eugene left his Grand Inspector's armor with Mina for repair and upgrade and headed out the main gate.
Margaret waved her hand brightly as she watched Eugene leave, hugging Mina.
"Yes! I'll definitely keep my promise, Margaret! See you then!"
Eugene, wearing leather armor and a greatsword, responded to Margaret's greeting with a bright smile.
'I see...'
The beautiful light of the sunset was shining down on Eugene.
Then, at that moment, Mina, who had raised her head and looked at the sky unlike before, realized something.
‘Eugene, you’re a nobleman.’
Exceptional elegance and manners,
Moreover, although her fashion was sloppy, her beauty could not be hidden.
When the 21-year-old sword expert was placed on top of him, Mina felt that he was a nobleman.