“What do you mean by that?”
Dad can fix it.
That’s why we went and got the mithril.
So then… why…!?
“Calm down.”
“Ouch!?”
When I got heated up reflexively, I got a knuckle to the head again.
Thanks to that, I did manage to calm down—but my head hurts.
Doesn’t Dad get a bit too casual with thumping his own kid on the head?
“I’m not saying I can’t do it, don’t jump to conclusions.”
“Ow… Then what’s the difficult part?”
“It’s that this sword turned out to be more extraordinary than I thought.”
According to Dad…
If it were just a matter of reattaching the broken blade, it wouldn't take much effort. As long as you had the materials, it’d be simple enough.
However, doing only that won’t restore the Snow Crystal Sword’s original power.
After doing some research, we found out that the Snow Crystal Sword isn’t just a razor-sharp blade.
Apparently, it can turn emotions into power.
Now that makes sense.
That must be why it was able to crack Lena’s magic sword.
Well then—
Because it’s such a special sword, it also requires a special method to repair it.
It’s not just about gathering materials—it also needs the power of a fairy.
“Me?”
Everyone turned to look at Licorice.
“Yeah. Without a fairy’s help, it’s impossible to repair the sword.”
“Hmm, I see, I see.”
Licorice made an odd noise.
She seemed impressed.
“Old man, you’re pretty amazing. Normally, people wouldn’t figure something like that out.”
“Well, I’ve been a blacksmith for a long time. I’ve handled all kinds of swords, so I’ve picked up a fair bit of knowledge.”
“Even so, knowing about fairy swords? That’s not something just anyone would know. Heh, I’ll give you my approval.”
“Hey, thanks.”
Do these two actually get along?
“So, what exactly do we need to do?”
Sofia asked the key question.
“We’ll reforge the sword while the fairy channels her magic into it. That magic—only a fairy can provide it.”
“I see… Anything else?”
“Nope, no other special conditions. The critical point is that a fairy needs to infuse it with magic.”
Dad had a bitter look on his face.
“Well… after what happened, it’s pretty much impossible to get a fairy to do that. That’s why fairy-forged swords have vanished from the world.”
He was probably referring to the “Fairy Hunts.”
Humans hunted fairies, and so the fairies disappeared from public view.
Of course they did.
There’s no way they’d show themselves in front of their natural enemy.
Thinking about that made me realize just how miraculous it was that we met Licorice—and that she’s here with us now.
“So, with that said… little miss, could you lend us your power?”
“Well, I guess I don’t have a choice. You need my power? That means you’ve got no one else to rely on? Heh, fine, I guess I’ll help.”
Licorice wore a smug expression.
It seems the idea that only she could do it really hit her sweet spot.
But let’s leave it at that.
Sofia’s face looks a bit irritated, you know?
“So, shall we repair it right away? Should we get started?”
“No, it’s difficult right now. It’s already night.”
“What? It’s fine to stay up a little late, isn’t it?”
The Snow Crystal Sword is almost like Nonoka’s keepsake.
Licorice probably wants to fix it as soon as possible.
“If we start now, we’d be up all night. At my age, pulling an all-nighter is tough.”
“Huh?”
“It’ll probably take about half a day’s work.”
“…Half a day?”
Licorice’s face twisted like she hadn’t heard that before.
“Wait… do I have to pour my magic into it for half a day?”
“No, that’s not the case.”
“Th-That’s right…”
“More like nine hours, about three-quarters of a day.”
“That’s hardly any different!!!”
With a bang, Licorice slammed the nearby desk.
She kept pounding it as if protesting.
“There’s no way I can keep releasing magic for nine hours!? I’ll dry up! I’ll become Dry Licorice-chan!”
“What, you can’t handle that much?”
“It’s no use provoking me! There’s no way I can do it!”
“It’s all about spirit!”
“That kind of tough-guy talk isn’t popular these days!”
“You can do it!”
“That’s such a half-hearted cheer!”
Maybe these two actually get along pretty well.
But this is a problem.
If even Licorice says she definitely can’t do it, then it really is impossible.
That means the Snow Crystal Sword can’t be repaired…
“W-What do we do…?”
“…”
Everyone was at a loss for words, caught off guard by this unexpected hurdle.
We can’t force Licorice to overexert herself…
And we don’t know if there’s an easier way…
“…Dad.”
Just when it seemed we were completely stuck, Aisha appeared—without us even noticing.
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