Chapter 209 — Kawahara Tetsuzin
Kawahara Tetsuzin, Kanamori, and Ada exclaimed in unison.
"Lord Dragon Hashira made this?!"
"What happened? Is something wrong?"
Kanao, who was standing nearby, immediately sensed that something was off.
"This is a big problem!"
Kawahara Tetsuzin couldn't help saying it.
"After adding these rings, the weight has barely changed. If this old man isn't mistaken, then there must be something extraordinary about the work!"
Kanamori nodded in agreement, a relieved expression appearing on his face.
"Exactly. This really is an incredible idea. Unless you have an extremely precise understanding of the Nichirin Sword's structure, you wouldn't dare modify it so casually."
Ada nodded as well.
"And the Insect Hashira's Nichirin Sword is extremely light. It could break with just a little excessive force. So whoever managed to do this isn't merely highly skilled—they must also have exceptional equipment."
In the end, all three looked toward Ren with eyes filled with admiration.
Shinobu, who was standing nearby, also had a strange light in her eyes.
She didn't know exactly what this meant, but she knew that the blacksmith Kawahara Tetsuzin was the finest swordsmith in the Swordsmith Village.
If Kawahara Tetsuzin acknowledged someone's work, then that person's forging skills had to be extraordinary.
But all Ren had done was add a few circular holes to the blade.
Was it really that impressive?
Moreover, there was something Kawahara Tetsuzin and the others didn't know.
Shinobu knew it very clearly.
At the time, Ren hadn't had any specialized equipment.
He had simply used a stone from the roadside and his own Nichirin Sword to carve the modifications.
The carving had been flawless.
And judging from what Kawahara Tetsuzin had just said, it seemed to prove his skill even further.
Shinobu looked toward Ren as well.
Her heart was filled with doubts.
How much more is there about Ren that I don't know?
Could he really be the forging genius he claimed to be when they first met?
While Shinobu was still thinking, Kawahara Tetsuzin and the other two had already approached Ren.
They began talking over one another excitedly.
"Lord Dragon Hashira, do you forge swords too?"
"Lord Dragon Hashira, how did you come up with this idea? Tell me!"
"All right, you two, move aside. Lord Dragon Hashira is here to obtain Nichirin Swords."
As the village chief, Kawahara Tetsuzin naturally carried considerable authority.
With a single sentence, he sent Kanamori and Ada back to their work.
Then he personally walked over to Ren.
"Lord Dragon Hashira, I'm Kawahara Tetsuzin. How many Nichirin Swords do you plan to take this time?"
Ren nodded.
"It's good to meet you, Chief. This time, I plan to take three."
"Are three enough?"
Kawahara Tetsuzin hesitated.
"Should I prepare a few more? I've heard that Hashira-level swordsmen often have their Nichirin Swords worn down or broken during missions."
"No need," Ren explained. "With Nichirin Swords, quality matters more than quantity. Even if I had more, I wouldn't be accustomed to using them."
It was better to have only what suited him.
"All right."
Kawahara Tetsuzin nodded and turned toward another path.
"Then follow me. I'll have Kanamori forge them for you."
Ren, Shinobu, and Kanao followed behind him.
Suddenly, Ren said, "Chief, I'd like to forge a Nichirin Sword of my own. Do you think that's possible?"
Kawahara Tetsuzin was extremely surprised by those words.
Although he had just learned that Ren might understand some techniques related to Nichirin Swords, forging a Nichirin Sword and modifying an existing one were two completely different things.
Forging began from nothing.
Missing even a single step could result in failure.
Modification, on the other hand, meant altering an already completed product. As long as the modifications weren't too extensive, they generally wouldn't affect the sword's handling.
Could the legendary Dragon Hashira have mastered the art of forging as well?
Kawahara Tetsuzin pondered for a moment before finally saying,
"Of course, Lord Dragon Hashira. Here, you can freely demonstrate what you're capable of."
With that, Kawahara Tetsuzin waved his hand and called out to Kanamori.
"Kanamori, take care of Lord Dragon Hashira."
Then he turned to Ada.
"Ada, take the Insect Hashira and find her somewhere to stay."
"Thank you, Chief."
Shinobu smiled.
Her voice was sweet and clear.
"No problem, no problem."
Kawahara Tetsuzin smiled as well.
But after smiling, a thought suddenly surfaced in his mind.
This feels strange.
He remembered that Shinobu's smile hadn't always been like this.
In the past, although Shinobu was always smiling, her eyes had been as still as stagnant water.
As a man who had lived for several decades, Kawahara Tetsuzin still possessed remarkably sharp insight.
In other words, that child had been hiding her true feelings.
But today, when she smiled, Kawahara Tetsuzin could no longer sense that same feeling from her.
If Shinobu's smile in the past had been brilliant like an iceberg glittering beneath the sun, then her smile now was more like flowers blooming beneath a spring breeze.
It gave people the feeling of being bathed in spring sunlight.
It was strange.
Had this child finally accepted reality?
Then Kawahara Tetsuzin's gaze fell upon Kanao's face.
At that moment, Kanao was walking alongside Shinobu, chatting and laughing with her.
Kawahara Tetsuzin almost wondered if he was seeing things incorrectly.
This can't be right!
He knew a girl named Kanao.
The Flower Hashira and the Insect Hashira had brought her here many times before, and Kanamori himself had forged her Nichirin Sword.
His impression of her was extremely clear.
In other words, this child named Kanao had also suffered from severe social withdrawal.
Deep down, she had been afraid of communicating and opening up to other people.
Kawahara Tetsuzin still remembered Kanamori coming to him to talk about the matter.
When Kanamori had gone to forge a sword for Kanao, he had asked her what she wanted from her sword.
Kanao hadn't answered.
She had simply stared quietly at Kanamori and smiled faintly.
She barely moved and would occasionally say a few words, but what she said often made no sense at all.
For a moment, Kanamori had even wondered whether he had encountered a robot...
Later, Shinobu had been forced to intervene, and only then had the matter of Kanao's Nichirin Sword finally been settled.
So Kawahara Tetsuzin's impression of her was extremely deep.
In other words, this child Kanao had never been simple.
But now—
What was Kawahara Tetsuzin seeing?
The Insect Hashira and her disciple were actually chatting and laughing together!
Kawahara Tetsuzin was a clever man.
He almost immediately understood the crux of the matter.
If there was one thing that differed between the past and the present...
It was that a new person had appeared at the Butterfly Mansion.
And that person happened to be the central figure of the current era.
Kawahara Tetsuzin looked toward Ren.
At that moment, he finally understood.
The man named Ren was very likely extraordinary.
It was quite possible that it was precisely because of Ren that everyone at the Butterfly Mansion had changed.
As for his forging abilities...
Perhaps he really could do it.
Who knew?
As he pondered this, the group soon arrived at a fork in the road.
Kawahara Tetsuzin suddenly raised his head.
"Up ahead is where our swordsmiths forge Nichirin Swords!"