The weapons I forge are absolutely flawless.

Under the leadership of the youth, the tribe is thriving.

But in the dead of night, the young man would often gaze westward in a daze.

......

"Father, do you think Mother will give me a younger brother or a younger sister this time?"

"It's all right."

"What do you mean 'anything is fine'?!" the boy said angrily. "We came out to choose gifts, can't you be serious?"

"Then I've bought everything." The young man took off his purse and handed it to the boy, instructing him, "Don't spend it recklessly."

"Okay!" The boy took the purse and quickly ran to the stall to bargain with the people.

"Hey, have you heard about the Lafner family?"

"You mean the Rafna family, the one that once produced a sword saint? What happened to them?"

"Hey, let me tell you. Ever since that sword saint disappeared, the Rafna family has been declining day by day. The younger generation has either died in battle or been crippled."

"That's not all. I heard that a few days ago, the kingdom sent people to the Rafna family and demanded that they hand over the holy sword Admira."

"Didn't that thing disappear along with the swordsman of the Lafner family?"

"Yes, they've gone too far. Of course, the Lafner family couldn't hand it over, and then they said that the Sword Saint had already defected to us with the Holy Sword. Isn't that ridiculous?"

"It's truly laughable." The young man had moved closer without anyone noticing.

"Exactly. If people actually came to our empire to enjoy wealth and luxury, that would be one thing. But nobody said, 'Where did this Sword Saint come from?'"

"In my opinion, they're just eliminating dissidents. I heard there's going to be a trial for the Lafner family in seven days!"

"Father! You're listening to stories again. We need to go home!"

The boy had already bought the gift and spotted his father among the boastful and chatting crowd.

"Yes, let's go home." The young man nodded.

......

Without Rufrey Laffner, the Laffner family would have been nothing more than a minor border noble family.

A nation can rise to prominence because of one person, and it can also fall because of one person.

“I remember now, I’m not from the Empire. My name is Rufry Rafner.”

Late at night, the young man confessed his feelings to the woman he deeply loved.

"You actually remembered a long time ago, didn't you?"

How could he possibly hide it from her, with whom he spent every day?

"...I want to go back and take a look."

"Then go... Will you come back?"

"Yes, this will always be my home."

......

The last news that came back was of Rufredo Laffner's death.

The Witcher attacked the venue during his trial at the Rafna's house, just as Rufry was returning home.

This is a battle to prove its worth.

The Rafna family needs this battle to clear their name, while the Frostfire Demon needs it to avenge himself against Rufrey, who defeated him.

It seems meaningless only to Rufry himself.

In the aftermath of the fierce battle, the entire Lafner family home was reduced to ruins.

There was not a single survivor within a ten-mile radius.

Given the sensitive nature of the region, and the potential repercussions of dealing with the demons.

Led by St. Freya Academy, the Aster Empire, the Kingdom of Fasga jointly conducted an investigation, ultimately reconstructing the full picture of the battle.

Laffner cleared his name with his life.

More than a decade later, St. Freya Academy welcomed a new student.

The emblem he possessed was exactly the same as that of the legendary swordsman Rufry Rafner.

-----------------

"...The Rafner family took root in the empire from then on, and Rufry's bloodline and emblem were passed down."

"Sigurd Rafner is the one who inherited the emblem of the Sword Saint Rufrey Rafner."

This is a long story, and Adele tells it in great detail.

When she picked up the teacup again, she found that the tea was already empty.

Anna, who was supposed to be serving the guests, was so engrossed in the conversation that she forgot to refill the tea.

"This cup hasn't been touched."

Wiener pushed his teacup toward Edel.

"Thank you very much."

Adele smiled and nodded her thanks, then drank the tea to quench her thirst.

"I wonder if my story will be kind enough for Wiener to give me a discount?"

To ease the slightly heavy atmosphere, Adele seized the opportunity to crack a joke.

“Hearing this makes me want to give Adramura away for free,” Viner sighed.

"Is this true?"

“It’s a pity it’s not just mine,” Wiener said with a hint of regret.

Chapter 345 Wiener: I have no interest in credits

"I've already cooperated this much, so please don't keep me in suspense any longer, junior."

Edel slowly put the teacup down.

“It’s not that I’m trying to keep His Highness in suspense, it’s just that Felix is ​​absolutely enamored with Admira after just getting it, he practically wants to sleep with it. I need some time to convince him,” Vena explained.

Keep making things up.

Edel glanced at Vina.

If someone were to actually sleep with Admira in their arms, they wouldn't be able to open their eyes the next day.

"Then I hope you can persuade Felix as soon as possible."

"Of course, I will definitely present Adramra by the day after tomorrow at the latest."

Wiener appeared confident and composed.

"Does junior student Wiener know something?"

Only a very few people knew that Sigurd would be leaving school in three days.

"After all, I am a member of the Silver Wolf Class."

"Is that so... then what does junior want?"

"I hope you can help me with something."

When she heard Venus address her as "senior sister" instead of "Your Highness," Edel was slightly pleased.

But the thought of having to use the same title as Jessica made her feel a little uncomfortable.

"A small favor worth an Admiral...?" Adele crossed her arms in front of her chest, leaning back slightly in her chair. "Why don't you tell me, junior?"

“That calamity armor that turned Sigurd into a cripple is not as simple as it seems on the surface; it may very well involve a demon’s conspiracy,” Vena said.

"and then?"

"Senior is well aware of how cunning the demons are. Professor Tilisa and I have already made some progress in our investigation, but it will take some time before we can fully uncover the truth."

Viner, who vaguely sensed the discord between Edel and Jessica, replaced them with Tilissa.

"Lady Tissa..."

Adele's expression suddenly became much more serious.

"Our biggest concern right now is alerting the enemy, so we hope that you can help mediate and postpone the intervention of the Empire and the Rafna family."

Adele waited a while, but heard nothing more, and asked in confusion, "Is that all?"

“That’s all. Oh, if you’re talking about the handover time, I’ll try to hand Admira over to His Highness the day after tomorrow,” Vina added.

“I’m not talking about that… Hey, I already got a great deal back with the Basara Axe. If I didn’t need it as a secret weapon, I would have wanted to give you something more in return.”

"This time you're offering an Admiral in exchange, and you're only asking for this much? Are you perhaps trying to make me owe you a favor forever?"

The Black Eagles' favor was not cheap, but compared to the Empress's favor, it seemed insignificant.

“I don’t think so,” Wiener shook his head in denial. “It’s just that the same thing can have different values ​​in the eyes of different people.”

"Ademura may be a symbol, or a piece of history, but in my eyes it's just a weapon that can be surpassed at any time. Perhaps after a while, it will be of no value to me."

"It is worthwhile in my opinion to use an inanimate object to help a friend out of a predicament."

Wiener's words, however, perfectly captured Edel's true feelings.

She never cared whether Sigurd could win the first-year crown, because in her eyes, Sigurd was far more valuable than Admira, an heirloom from her ancestors.

But in the eyes of the Rafna family, welcoming back Adramura was more important than Sigurd's safety.

“I can promise that as long as Junior Brother Vina hands over Adramura to me, neither the Empire nor the Rafna family will pursue this matter any further.”

"But are you really not planning to ask for anything else?" Adel couldn't help but ask.

“I’m not interested in things like credits, but if you can keep getting blueprints like the Basara Axe, I wouldn’t mind continuing to help you recreate them.”

“...Junior Brother Viner really doesn’t seem like a businessman.”

After saying that, she took off the ring on her left hand and tossed it gently. The ring landed steadily in front of Venus.

"Senior, you mustn't. Sword Saint Rufry was a hero who sacrificed himself to defeat the demons. I was merely returning Admira to its rightful owner."

Wiener quickly declined.

The Black Eagle badge alone caused quite a stir, let alone a ring, an item with such strong personal connotations.

It gave Wiener the illusion that he had been chosen.

“I never said this was Admira’s reward.” Edel raised her hand to interrupt Vena. “The significance of the Basara Axe to me goes far beyond credits. Consider this ring the final payment for what I had previously received.”

"While it can't compare to the one Miss Anna wears on her chest, it still has thirty cubic meters of storage space. Junior, are you really not interested?"

Adele looked at Vina with a hint of amusement.

Upon hearing that it was a spatial ring, Vena instinctively reached out, but halfway there, she restrained herself and withdrew her hand.

His gaze never left the ring, his face showing a conflicted expression.

Vina's wavering appearance made Adele burst into laughter.

"Heh, it's time to go, Schuster."

"Yes, Your Highness."

The two seemed to have forgotten the purpose of their trip and headed straight for the door.

"Please take care, Your Highness."

Anna quickly got up to see him off.

“You have a reliable friend, cherish him, Miss Anna.”

Edel left behind her last words, and then disappeared into the night with Schuster.

"Phew... I'm saved."

Seeing that Edel didn't intend to delve into the role the Valentine Merchant Guild played in this incident, Anna finally felt relieved.