"If you say so, kiddo."
Merlin smirked at Zayn's comment. He was pretty sure that the boy was exaggerating when he said that he was not a good person. Who, in their right mind, would think that a 13-year-old boy would genuinely think of himself as a bad person?
But despite being under the impression that Zayn was exaggerating intentionally, there was a trace of conviction in the boy's voice that caused him to hesitate.
He looked a little longer at Zayn who returned his gaze without a shred of fear.
"Look who returned to my workplace? If that is not Merlin Kivan, my forging hammer will learn how to fly!" A loud and hoarse voice rang through the entire shop, distracting both Merlin and Zayn.
Their heads flicked to the source of the voice, where a small figure appeared in their field of vision.
A short and stocky figure with a heavily muscled build appeared in front of Zayn. The man had a thick beard and long hair, both blackened from the intense heat and soot of the forge. His skin was dark and rough from years of exposure to the smithy's fire and sparks. The man's hands, holding a forging hammer in one hand, and tongs in the other hand, were extremely large in comparison to the rest of his body and they were calloused.
Overall, Zayn couldn't help but feel that the man standing next to the forge was the biggest contrast to the polished and clean appearance of the shop. The man had a rugged and weathered appearance, which was oddly befitting of the burning passion the man had for his occupation.
Zayn could vividly imagine how the man in front of him must have worked tirelessly to create new masterpieces without any attachments to the mortal world. It was magical, though also quite frightening in a way.
"A…Dwarf?" Zayn mumbled, tilting his head in confusion. Merlin smiled slightly without saying anything. However, he took a step forward and simply glared at him as if he wanted to tell him to shut his mouth without saying a word.
Zayn looked at Merlin who placed his hand on his chest before he nodded his head.
"I have returned, Master Weaponsmith, just like you said," Merlin said in a polite manner. This indicated that the status of a Master Weaponsmith was higher than that of a B-rank Adventurer, which was something Zayn had already known.
After all, what was the value of an Adventurer without a weapon? They would be useless. Occupations such as alchemists and blacksmiths were regarded highly. Everyone may be able to become an Apprentice, but not everyone had the necessary talent to become the real deal.
Thus, their status was higher than the status of an Adventurer of the same rank. Even Adventurers of a rank higher than an Alchemist or Blacksmith refrained from offending them. It was better for their well-being and for maintaining a good relationship with the people around them.
"I never lie," The Master Weaponsmith said, pushing out his chest and lifting his head in arrogance. He was still shorter than even Zayn but that didn't really seem to ruffle his feathers, "Every single customer returned to me once they had a new commission. They're always trying to test my limits, only to fail miserably at the end!"
The Weaponsmith bragged and began to laugh out loud. It sounded no different than someone bellowing. It was loud and hardly enjoyable to listen to.
'I would prefer to not hear him laughing again,' Zayn thought to himself, making a mental note not to play the jokester when around the Master Weaponsmith.
"What are you looking for, my popular One-Armed Prodigy?" The Weaponsmith asked while his grin was hidden beneath his thick beard.
"I am not in need of anything," Merlin clarified, pointing at Zayn, "We're looking for two Sabers for him. I'm going to teach him the Double Saber Kalivan technique."
Merlin's words sounded nonchalant but the Weaponsmith understood the meaning behind them. He looked at Zayn and stepped closer. Zayn was just about to retreat when the Master Weaponsmith's hand shot forward. An iron-tight grip held Zayn back from moving as the Weaponsmith sized him up from a close distance.
The smell of burned hair shot up his nostrils but Zayn didn't dare to move. He looked at the Weaponsmith with widened eyes.
'So fast…'
Zayn was actually not sure if he had just been taken by surprise or if the Dwarf-like man was actually faster than Merlin. What he could tell for sure was that the Weaponsmith was much stronger than Merlin. But that was not too much of a surprise either.
"You mean that this little one can replace Lara and kill the Chimera?" The Weaponsmith asked, doubting his eyes when he saw Merlin nod his head as a sign of affirmation, "That's…either extremely brave of you or the stupidest thing you've ever tried."
The Master Weaponsmith's words struck Zayn as both a compliment and an insult. He could be mistaken and it might actually be just an insult hurled at him, saying that he was extremely weak and not worth getting trained, however, that was something Zayn could live with.
It was not necessary for him to receive the Weaponsmith's recognition.
"Do I really have to listen to this?" Zayn mumbled while staring straight into the eyes of the Master Weaponsmith. He diverted his focus from the Weaponsmith with a disgruntled look and spoke to Merlin, "Can't we just buy the weapons and go? You said that we're in a hurry."
Zayn made it pretty clear that he wanted to leave as soon as possible. There was something he didn't really like about the Master Weaponsmith, even though he couldn't put a finger on it. It didn't really matter what it was, but it was more important that his mind and body made it pretty clear that he didn't like the tiny man.
pαпᵈα-noνɐ1.сoМ The Master Weaponsmith let go of him with a tinge of anger glinting in his eyes. Zayn ignored this easily, which worsened the situation.
This forced Merlin to intervene. After all, he didn't want his disciple to turn into minced meat before he finished his job!
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