Chapter 13
AFTER SPENDING THEIR FIRST NIGHT in the mercantile city-state of Sentopoli, Mira and Aaron ate breakfast and promptly departed for Gregor’s studio in the city.
They were off to squeeze the smith for details on the sword possessed by the Chimera Clausen elite.
It seemed Aaron had visited this blacksmith a few times before, as he already knew the location. Mira followed him there, looking all around the cityscape in deep curiosity as they went by. She was truly like a country bumpkin.
“Little Miss Mira! Don’t get lost, now,” Aaron turned and warned Mira, who was currently plastered to a storefront window display.
Even in the morning—or perhaps because it was morning—Sentopoli was bustling with activity. If they became separated, it would be impossible to find Mira amid the crowd. Aaron kept turning to look for her as he went. But every time he turned, he realized that space had opened between them, even when he adjusted his stride to her pace. Each time, Mira would give a token apology, but she showed no signs of remorse.
The next time Mira jogged to catch up with him, Aaron offered his right hand and a slight grin. “You really are gonna get lost. Do you want me to hold your hand?”
“Nh… I’m fine. I’m just fine!”
Holding hands to avoid getting lost… Mira shuddered at the unbearable indignity of such a thing, and chose instead to stay close.
***
Gregor’s studio was deep in the city, near the coast. The neatly defined districts were easy to navigate. As the pair proceeded between the tall buildings, they reached a precipice lined with a steel fence.
Beyond the fence was the other face of Sentopoli.
Sentopoli’s coastline, the westernmost point of the continent, was originally a cliff three hundred meters high. But what Mira witnessed today was something quite different: a set of man-made terraces in the shape of a staircase, each twenty meters tall. Each step of the staircase was packed with residential homes and small shops.
The duo had previously been in a city built to receive adventurers and other guests. Up ahead was a city for the citizens of Sentopoli.
“This view never ceases to amaze me.” Aaron stopped at the fence, turned right, and continued on while gazing at the ocean.
“Stunning…”
Mira was wowed by the sight before her. The terraced district ahead had a much more subdued color scheme than the gaudy, towering metropolis behind her. It was truly the image of a fantasy city. Previously a cliff over the harbor, this area was even dotted with trees, adding spots of color to the picturesque scene. Seeing it like this felt like a miracle to the summoner, who had seen it long ago in its original state.
The lowest level was especially vast; it was home to an enormous port where many ships were moored, countless garages, and a grand wholesale market.
The faraway ends of the terraced city had been left as a shorter cliff, creating a clean divide between city and sea. Mira had no idea how they’d leveled this land so beautifully, but the incredible sight of it was proof that they had the ability to expand even further.
They followed the fence-lined road along the cliff until they arrived at a staircase that would drop them into the lower city.
Mira descended the beautifully sculpted stone walkway. Suddenly, the air seemed to change. She turned and looked upward; only blue sky and white clouds dotted the expanse. The colorful city above was no longer visible.
***
Aaron continued to guide Mira down until they reached Gregor’s studio. For the preeminent smith of demonic swords, the space was surprisingly humble.
They heard the sound of metal striking metal. White smoke rose lazily into the sky. Seeing the brick building, barely bigger than a normal house, Mira said, “I expected it to be as big as a Union building, but it’s quite compact.”
“Right, yeah? But this is just a piece of it. He’s got a hundred of these little workshops scattered all over the continent.”
“My word!”
According to Aaron, there were a wide variety of materials that could be used to forge demonic swords. In some cases, materials could only be obtained in certain regions. Gregor had built studios in countries all over the continent and staffed them with well-trained apprentices to manage each one. Some of these apprentices ranked among the top hundred craftsmen on the continent, so it was clear that Gregor was a superb teacher.
The man himself currently resided in Sentopoli, where he simultaneously trained apprentices and put his own skill to use.
“Makes me wanna order one from him myself…” Aaron muttered as he waited for a pause in the ringing strikes of the anvil to knock on the door.
A few seconds later, the door opened, and a young Galidian man with a soot-soiled leather apron appeared. “Hello there! What brings you here today?”
Aaron took a look at the man, then peered around him into the workshop and asked, “Is old man Gregor in?”
“No, I’m sorry. My master received a request for a bespoke item the other day, so he’s holed up somewhere working on the plans.”
The young man seemed to be Gregor’s apprentice. He explained that his master only took requests for swords from very close friends. When he accepted such a request, he took his job very seriously and would create a totally unique sword. He would relocate to a secret base he’d set up somewhere and plan the sword exhaustively until it was a perfect match for the hands of its wielder-to-be.
Mira and Aaron of course inquired as to where the secret base was, but the apprentice responded that if he knew, it wouldn’t be much of a secret; all they knew was that it was in a place with a nice view somewhere outside—though not far from—the city. Gregor apparently valued the spot for its immersion in nature, but none of the apprentices knew where it might be.
“Honestly, I have no idea at all when he might come back,” he finished with a somewhat troubled grin.
While Gregor was out working on requests, his apprentices were left to run the place without him. They also received no instruction, so problems were common, and they never knew when he’d return.
“Damn, all right. Sorry to bother you while you’re busy.”
“Not at all! I’m sorry I couldn’t help you more.” After bowing in apology, the young man returned to the workshop. Before long, they heard the pounding of the anvil once more.
“Man, this timing couldn’t be any worse…” Aaron grinned helplessly at their bad luck.
It was rare for Gregor to accept such one-of-a-kind weapon requests. And if he’d received it just the other day, they could imagine it might be a long time indeed before Gregor returned.
“Then I suppose we’ll just have to search for him,” Mira said.
“Fair enough. I’ve still got stuff to do, so how about we split up?”
They hadn’t only come to Sentopoli in search of Gregor, after all. They also had a tip that Chimera’s base was in the country.
Gregor had seemed the easier one to locate, but if he wasn’t there, then they would have to search for him as well. Fortunately, they had a few hints. He was outside of the city, but not too far from it. And wherever he was, it had a nice view.
“You can fly using your summoning magic, right?” Aaron asked, handing the cloth-bound former spirit blade to Mira. “Mind if I leave the search for Gregor to you? That’s a lot of ground to cover for one man’s legs.”
“Fair. I will see it done.” Mira accepted this task, put the sword into her Item Box, and summoned Pegasus.
“Whoa, so this is the holy beast Pegasus? It’s just as extraordinary as I remember.” Faced with Mira’s solemn beast, Aaron murmured excitedly. It seemed he’d met a Pegasus before. However, Mira’s was even more awe-inspiring.
“Isn’t it? I think so, too,” Mira said, proudly puffing out her chest. Pegasus neighed in agreement.
“Good luck. I’ll work my connections and see what I can do.”
“Right. Good luck to you, as well.” With that, Mira mounted Pegasus and took flight in search of Gregor.
Aaron watched in amazement as Pegasus lifted off before leaving in search of some old acquaintances that might have a lead on their elusive smith.
The hunt was on.
***
From a bird’s-eye view, the city of Sentopoli was plainly divided between an eastern European fantasy-like stone-and-lumber residential district and a newer, Rococo-style business district. The raw scale of it was so grand that it was hard to believe this was all new. Twenty years was a short time for a nation, yet it rivaled the capitals of the longest-standing kingdoms out there.
One almost had to wonder if human hands alone could build something so grand in so little time.
After taking off from the residential district, Mira flew north. Below, she could see the five-story buildings housing various shops. Larger shopping centers were interspersed here and there, and there were even some unique brick-built constructions.
The business district was overflowing with people and products alike. On the perimeter, inns lined the streets. Mira even saw another Starry Villa, the Japanese-style ryokan inn where she’d once stayed in Silverside.
I wonder if it’s any different?
She managed to quell her curiosity and left the skies above the town, shaking off her regret. Yet she still hoped beyond hope that she could find Gregor quickly, so she could make time for shopping after.
Mira began to circle the outskirts of Sentopoli. Small groves in the wasteland, green lakesides, taller hills with panoramic views, cliffs overlooking the ocean—she paid special attention to places where it seemed one might be able to be “immersed in nature.”
***
Hours passed. Sunset encroached on the city, and the sun melted into the western horizon over the sea, painting the sky a vibrant red. The clouds were lit on only one side, crimson bleeding into gray.
It was as if the sky were a picture of Sentopoli itself.
As night approached, the business district grew gradually brighter while the residential district retained only the minimum street lighting necessary. The city really was a mysterious place of two opposite extremes; the effect was so stark, it was almost funny.
Mira watched from the sky as she began her final circuit. Though the business district was filled with light even at night, the outlying wilderness was dark. If any light were to appear there, it would surely be the work of a human—so Mira prayed that she might see Gregor lighting a campfire or something.
Her prayers went unanswered; there was not a single glimmer in the wilderness. Wheeling around under the starry sky, she gave up and returned to Sentopoli. Mira looked at the resplendent business district below and suddenly felt a bit flustered. Where was the inn they’d checked into? But then she caught sight of a familiar design.
It was the sign of the Adventurers’ Guild Union, bearing both the Mages’ and Warriors’ Guilds’ marks. The sign hung on a large white five-story building. From the air, she could see that adventurers thronged endlessly in and out.
It seemed they were busy tonight.
A thought struck Mira. Supposedly, Gregor was head and shoulders above the rest when it came to making demonic swords. He’d have to be sort of a celebrity among the adventurer crowd here, wouldn’t he? Perhaps someone would remember meeting him outside of town. Heck, even if they’d only passed by him, that would narrow down a direction at least.
With that thought, Mira promptly ordered Pegasus to alight on the roof.
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