Lord blessed by the elves

Chapter 18 The Arrogant Younger Brother

Kruze stared at the short knife in his hand, which resembled a "centipede coiled around his body," and listened to the two old men's fervent praise. His lips twitched involuntarily. He muttered under his breath, "This thing...is it really useful? It looks like it'd chip even when cutting a watermelon..."

Just then, the blacksmith's wooden door creaked open.

Elena hopped in like a cheerful little deer, followed by Rezael, who looked reluctant but ultimately couldn't shake off his sister's little hand.

"Big brother! You're really forging a weapon!" Elena's bright green eyes sparkled as her gaze instantly locked onto the strange short sword in Kruze's hand. "Wow! Big brother, you're amazing! You've really forged a weapon! What beautiful patterns!"

She stood on tiptoe, pointing excitedly with her little hand at the twisted patterns on the knife, as if it were some priceless treasure.

Sunlight streamed through the crack in the door, illuminating her upturned face and making her pure adoration shine brightly.

Kruze was amused by his sister's innocent praise. He casually tucked the dagger back into his waistband, though the strange S-shaped curve made the movement look particularly awkward. He leaned down and ruffled Elena's soft hair, his voice full of affection: "You're so sweet-talking. This piece of junk can hardly be called a 'weapon,' it's just a piece of iron at best."

Even so, Elena's unreserved praise and sparkling eyes were like a warm current, dispelling the frustration he had felt from his failed attempts over the past few days.

My little sister is not only so sensible that it breaks my heart, but she is also a natural "emotional regulation master" who can always give people the encouragement they need at the most appropriate time.

Rezal stood in the doorway, arms crossed, his face still bearing that signature "the whole world owes me money" grumpy expression.

But unlike the hostile indifference he displayed when he first returned, his eyes now held a complex curiosity.

Especially when his gaze swept over the pattern on the short sword at Kruze's waist, his pupils involuntarily contracted slightly.

Those twisted, intertwined metallic patterns, like living things, gleamed with a strange, dark light in the sunlight, as if some mysterious rhythm flowed within them.

This is definitely not something an ordinary blacksmith could forge!
"Hmph, just a strange-looking dagger." Rezal curled his lip, deliberately commenting in a nonchalant tone, "Probably can't even cut a stick, all show and no substance."

But his body honestly moved forward two steps, and his neck involuntarily stretched forward slightly, trying to observe the patterns more clearly.

That contradictory look of his was just like a cat that clearly wanted to get close but pretended to be aloof.

Kruse took in his brother's little tricks and chuckled to himself.

It seems that Elena has put a lot of effort into Rezal during this period. Getting this stubborn little brother to step into the blacksmith shop where she works is already a huge step forward!

"Really?" Kruze deliberately brandished the short sword at his waist, making the patterns on it shimmer more clearly in the sunlight. "Then would you like to test its sharpness? I happen to need someone to test it out."

Rezael bristled instantly like a cat whose tail had been stepped on: "Who wants to try your broken knife!" But despite his words, his gaze remained fixed on the patterns on the knife, unable to look away.

Elena watched her two brothers interact and covered her mouth, secretly laughing. Her emerald green eyes curved into crescents, as if she could already see a future day when the three of them would be happily together.

Seeing Rezal's awkward expression of "wanting to watch but pretending to be indifferent," Kruze's mischievous side instantly surged. He deliberately sighed, rubbed his shoulders, and pretended to be exhausted:

"Sigh, never mind, forging swords these past few days has been too tiring, I can barely lift my hands." He turned to look at Elena, whose eyes were full of expectation, a sly smile playing on his lips. "Elena, how about... you help your older brother try out this sword?"

"Okay, okay!" Elena jumped up excitedly, her little hand already reaching for the dagger.

"No!" Rezal rushed over like lightning, grabbing Elena behind him with such speed that it almost startled Kruze. His face was ashen, and his voice was firm and unyielding: "Elena is just a child! What's with testing the knife! What if this broken knife breaks and shards fly everywhere? How will she react?!"

Elena, who was suddenly stopped, was taken aback at first, then her face turned red with anger. Like a cat with its fur standing on end, she poked her head out from behind Rezal and waved her little fists in protest: "Second brother, you underestimate me! I've also been training in basic battle qi with Wilstone, okay! Maybe... maybe I can condense a qi vortex even faster than you! Humph!"

Her large, bright green eyes were filled with defiance. She stood on tiptoe, trying to reach the short sword at Kruze's waist, but Rezal held her head down with one hand, and no matter how much she waved her arms, she couldn't reach it.

The scene resembled a kitten being grabbed by the scruff of its neck and baring its teeth and claws.

"Enough!" Rezal, his head throbbing from the noise, finally gave in. "I'll try! Okay?"

He yanked the strange-looking dagger from Kruse's waist with such a rough motion that Miller, the blacksmith standing nearby, was heartbroken and clicked his tongue in pain.

However, the moment the dagger was actually in his hand, Rezal's body suddenly froze—

The feel of the handle... was unexpectedly comfortable!
When those twisted patterns rubbed against his palm, they produced a strange sense of fit, as if the knife was tailor-made for him!

Even more incredible is the weight distribution of the blade. Despite its seemingly disproportionate shape, the center of gravity is incredibly precise, making it almost impossible to feel any resistance when swinging it!
Rezal's eyes changed.

He unconsciously ran his thumb over the "centipede pattern" on the blade, the sensation making his heart race—the pattern was not chaotic, but contained a profound, almost artistic metallic rhythm!

This is definitely not a common forging defect!
"Hey! What are you daydreaming about!" Elena's annoyed voice pulled him back to reality. "Are you going to cut it or not?"

Rezal then seemed to snap out of his daze, suppressing the shock in his heart, and gave a dismissive "humph." He turned and walked to a bundle of firewood piled in the corner of the blacksmith's shop, picked out a hard wooden stick as thick as a child's arm, and stood it upright on the anvil.

"Watch closely, don't blame me if the knife breaks—" Before he finished speaking, his wrist had already instinctively flicked, and the short knife drew a bright silver arc in the air!

Swish!
With a soft crack, the wooden stick snapped in two, the cut surface as smooth as a mirror! And the blade of the short knife—was completely undamaged, without even a trace of white!
The entire blacksmith shop instantly became so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Rezal stared intently at the dagger in his hand, his cold mask completely crumbling, replaced by undisguised shock and... a hint of secret fanaticism.

This deformed short knife, which he ridiculed as "good-looking but useless," was actually far sharper and tougher than the standard weapons in the territory's armory!
No, it might even be better than the spare sword of Father's treasured "Lionheart Sword"!
(End of this chapter)