Dragonslayer’s Class Regression 13

Chapter 13

Zeke left the academy by carriage.

He was going to meet the blacksmith who had rejected his reservation.

‘Gelion Halbert.’

Zeke recalled the blacksmith’s name.

In his previous life, Zeke had a deep connection with Gelion.

Ten years from now, Gelion would earn the title ‘Soul Blacksmith.’

He would also claim the title of the continent’s greatest blacksmith because he could read users’ souls and create weapons that best suited them.

And before regression, Zeke had saved Gelion’s life while carrying out a mission.

Owing his life to Zeke, Gelion made him a sword he desperately needed in return.

Zeke remembered the claymore he used before his regression.

‘Sun Sword Gram’

The Sun Sword Gram, engraved with a pattern of coiled serpents, was the  master craftsman Gelion’s masterpiece.

This sword had a special function specifically for Zeke.

It was the ability to convert mana cultivated in the diantan into aura.

The reason Zeke sought out Gelion specifically was to recreate this Gram.

“We’ve arrived, young master.”

At Decker’s words, Zeke opened the carriage door and stepped out.

It was a small, shabby blacksmith shop in a corner of town.

Zeke looked at the sign on the blacksmith shop.

[Gelion’s Blacksmith Shop]

‘Quite the uninspired name.’

He ordered Decker to wait and entered alone.

A strong smell of alcohol hit him as soon as he entered.

Inside, a man had his head face-down on a table.

Zeke slowly approached the table.

“Urgh!”

The completely drunk man waved his hand without even looking at Zeke.

“Not open for business… go away… not open…”

A young man with pale skin and a haggard face.

With his delicate features and thin frame, he didn’t look like a blacksmith.

Though he had patchy facial hair, it was definitely Gelion.

Zeke looked down at Gelion and spoke.

“Gelion Halbert.”

Hearing his name, Gelion looked up at Zike with bleary eyes.

“Huh? What. You… This isn’t a place for kids so get out…”

He then started gulping down alcohol straight from the bottle.

Zeke frowned at his completely ruined state.

‘This is serious.’

Looking around the forge, it seemed like it hadn’t been lit for months.

He addressed Gelion.

“I heard you’re not taking reservations. May I know why?”

Gelion wiped his mouth after letting out a burp.

“Urgh… What’s the point of making more when I can’t even make the weapons I want to make?.”

Zeke tilted his head, observing Gelion’s condition.

‘This is so different from when I saw him in my previous life, I can’t figure out what happened.’

Though Gelion had mood swings in his previous life due to his unexpectedly sensitive personality for a blacksmith, Zeke had never seen him so self-destructive.

After watching him briefly, Zeke turned and went outside the forge.

Gelion continued drinking while chuckling.

“Someone like me should just die. What kind of blacksmith am I…?”

That’s when it happened.

Splash!

Pffft!

Zeke, who had brought a bucket of water from outside, dumped it forcefully on Gelion.

Completely soaked, Gelion looked at Zeke with a dumbfounded expression.

Zeke spoke to him with cold eyes.

“Are you sober now?”

Gelion blinked while staring at Zeke.

Then his gaze settled on the gloves Zeke was wearing.

Gelion’s face turned pale.

“D-Draker…”

The Draker family held a unique status in the Troy Principality.

Particularly, pure-blooded Drakers were even more special.

Gelion sobered up instantly.

He immediately bowed his head at the table.

“I-I’m sorry. I showed disrespect to such an honorable person…”

“I’ll ask again. Why did you reject my reservation?”

Gelion’s body trembled at those words.

“I-I didn’t think a pure-blooded Draker would request something from an unknown blacksmith like me…”

Gelion hadn’t even checked the reservation request in the first place.

Zeke pulled up a chair, sat down, and spoke to Gelion.

“Now you know who the client is. I’ll ask again – is a reservation possible?”

Though his voice was tinged with fear, Gelion answered firmly.

“I’m sorry, but requests are impossible.”

Zeke’s eyes narrowed.

“So you have time to drink but not to take my request?”

Gelion raised his head and spoke to Zeke.

“That is… forgive my impertinence, but it is my personal matter.”

“Speak precisely. Unless you have a convincing reason, you cannot refuse my request.”

At Zeke’s words, Gelion pondered before slowly rising from his seat.

“Come this way. I will explain.”

Gelion led Zeke to the back of the forge.

Hundreds of broken swords were piled up behind the forge.

It was like a graveyard of swords.

Zeke looked at the sword remains and asked Gelion.

“What is this?”

Gelion spoke with a bitter expression.

“This is why I said I cannot accept the request.”

Zeke picked up and examined the remains from the sword graveyard.

“This is…”

He could read something from the broken sword remains.

“It’s the folded steel forging technique. And it’s far more advanced than the usual method.”

Gelion was shocked at Zeke’s words.

“H-how did you know?”

It made no sense that a pureblood Draker would know the folded steel technique that even most blacksmiths weren’t familiar with.

Looking at the mountain of remains, Zeke said:

“So you can’t accept requests because you lack the skill?”

Gelion nodded with a stern expression.

“I’ve reached my limit as a blacksmith.”

Zeke could understand Gelion’s situation.

‘’He’s hit an enormous wall.’’

The future Gelion could freely manipulate fire and iron, crafting the most suitable weapon for any user.

Zeke fell into contemplation as he watched Gelion standing at a crossroads of growth.

‘What should I do?’

In truth, Zeke already knew how to solve Gelion’s problem.

In his previous life, Zeke was Gelion’s lifesaving benefactor, so he had heard many stories from him.

‘’Gelion. Your weapons never cease to amaze me. What’s your secret?’’

‘Many blacksmiths want to know that. It’s my life’s secret technique, but how could I hide anything from my benefactor?’

‘’No… if it’s that level of secret, you don’t need to tell me. Don’t feel pressured.’’

‘The secret is the furnace. A magically created furnace.’

Gelion’s secret technique was freely controlling fire temperature through a specially made magical furnace.

Zeke made a bitter expression looking at the mountain of sword remains.

‘’The timing is off. He’s not skilled enough yet to make the Sun Sword Gram.’’

The Sun Sword Gram was what Gelion himself called his greatest masterpiece.

Gelion, who hadn’t yet overcome his wall, wasn’t capable of making Zeke’s sword.

Just then, Gelion suddenly collapsed and wailed in anguish.

“Ugh… this is truly heartbreaking. If only I had… if only I had the furnace…”

Zeke asked Gelion:

“What do you mean by furnace?”

Gelion took something from his chest and handed it to Zeke.

“It’s the special furnace I designed.”

Zeke was shocked seeing the design drawn on parchment.

‘’It’s identical to what the future Gelion used.’’

Gelion spoke with an anguished expression:

“If I could complete this furnace, I could reach the level I envision. But… money is the problem.”

Surprised by the unexpected answer, Zeke blinked and asked:

“Wait, so those failures were because you couldn’t afford to make this furnace? Not because you lacked skill?”

At Zeke’s words, Gelion spoke seriously.

“I mastered all existing blacksmith techniques years ago. What I seek is something beyond that.”

Gelion was trying to surpass existing techniques to step into realms no ordinary blacksmith had reached.

Looking at the furnace design on the parchment, Zeke said:

“How much money are you short?”

Gelion sighed.

“Building the furnace itself is possible with a loan somehow. But… the core magical operation formula is the problem.”

“Magical formula? Can’t you request that from a mage?”

Gelion made a bitter expression.

“I already tried requesting it from the Magic Tower.”

“And?”

“Those Magic Tower bastards asked for 10,000 gold to make the operation formula for this furnace.”

“10,000 gold?”

Usually, a normal family’s monthly living expenses were about 10 gold.

10,000 gold was an amount an ordinary person couldn’t dream of earning in their lifetime.

“10,000 gold. The accessories cost more than the main item.”

Gelion wore an expression of anguish.

“There must be a better path forward, but with an ordinary furnace I cannot surpass this level, so every time I strike iron, I only feel self-loathing.”

Zeke fell into deep thought while looking at Gelion.

‘Before regression, the reason Gelion’s fame was delayed might have been because he was trying to save money.’

If that was the case, once the furnace was completed, there would be no issue with Gelion demonstrating his true skills.

At that moment, someone crossed Zeke’s mind.

‘The magic theory lecturer… Feinan was it? That person was definitely specialized in magical operation research.’

Perhaps this problem could be solved more easily than expected.

He spoke to the despairing Gelion.

“Hey, Gelion.”

Gelion barely composed himself and said.

“I apologize… for showing such an unseemly display before an honorable person…”

“If I could make this furnace for you, would you accept my request?”

At those words, Gelion’s eyes flew open as he stared at Zeke.

“You’ll make the furnace for me?”

Gelion’s eyes blazed with intensity.

Zeke unconsciously stepped back from Gelion’s fierce energy.

“I think I could try.”

As Zeke spoke after composing his slightly startled mind, Gelion knelt before him and grabbed his ankle.

“Sob, If you would do that, I, Gelion, will serve you as my benefactor for life!”

Watching Gelion shed tears, Zeke recalled the Gelion from his past life.

‘Somehow he seems more grateful than when I saved his life.’

He tucked Gelion’s furnace blueprint into his chest.

“I’ll meet with the mage first and let you know the results. And stop drinking now.”

At Zeke’s words, Gelion bowed his head with tears and snot running down his face.

“Yes sir! Thank you! Thank you! My lord!”

* * *

Zeke headed back to the academy, leaving Gelion’s shabby forge behind.

He examined Gelion’s blueprint in the carriage.

Though he hadn’t formally studied magic, he could read operation blueprints.

‘The structure itself doesn’t look difficult. Why did those magic tower guys charge so much?’

There seemed to be something he didn’t know.

Upon arriving at the academy, Zeke walked toward the research wing where Feinan was staying.

Then something caught Zeke’s senses.

‘’That place…?’’

A secluded spot between academy buildings.

It was where Zeke was usually bullied by Leon Conrad in his past life.

Though the bullying disappeared after regression, the memories of the past hadn’t.

Just as Zeke was about to turn toward the research wing.

THUD! THUD!

The sound of someone being hit came from the secluded alley.

Zeke tried to walk past but stopped again.

‘’This isn’t the time for me to meddle…’’

The painful memories from the academy held him back.

Eventually, Zeke turned and walked between the buildings.

As he expected, Leon Conrad’s gang was gathered there.

It seemed they found a new victim after their original prey, Zeke, disappeared.

He looked at the student being beaten by Leon’s gang.

‘Oh? That guy is…’

It was a face Zeke knew.

‘’Liam Stone.’’

Jacken Valdek’s servant and future King of Mercenaries.

He had become Leon Conrad’s new victim and was being beaten.

When Zeke realized the person being hit was Liam Stone, he became conflicted.

‘’There’s no way Liam would just take a beating. There must be some circumstance.’’

It seemed like it could become troublesome if he interfered unnecessarily.

After thinking briefly, Zeke was about to turn back and leave.

That’s when Leon’s voice rang out loudly.

“How’s that? Are you wide awake now? You inferior bastard!”

In that instant, Zeke’s body shot upward.

He kicked off the wall and leaped.

He grabbed Leon Conrad by the scruff of his neck and threw him against the wall.

Kuhek!

Leon’s gang was startled by Zeke’s sudden intervention.

Zeke glared at them with murderous eyes and said.

“I’ll give you three seconds. All of you bow your heads.”