Chapter 142 Nameless

Although he had never laid eyes on a genuine Kitetsu II, Zoro could tell simply by the feel that this was undoubtedly a replica—and a poor one at that, capturing only the form while missing the spirit entirely.

"Mister Swordsman, what do you mean by that?"

Echizen Yuta walked over to Zoro, asking with a mixture of curiosity.

He did not think this swordsman was speaking idly, for this fellow carried the Kitetsu III and was undoubtedly more qualified to speak on the matter than anyone else.

"Do you know the legend surrounding the Kitetsu series?"

Zoro stared intently at the counterfeit Kitetsu II, suddenly asking.

"Are you referring to the tale that any swordsman who wields a Kitetsu blade will meet with misfortune and suffer a bizarre demise? Isn't that just an unfounded rumor?"

Echizen Yuta asked, bewildered.

If that rumor were true, how could you, the owner of the Kitetsu III, be completely fine? How are you still alive and well today?

"The rumor is true. The reason I am unharmed is that my luck has surpassed this curse, bending its bizarre power to my own will,"

Zoro replied truthfully, though the words sounded somewhat unbelievable.

"As for this replica of the Kitetsu II, I can tell that its appearance, style, and even materials are extremely close to the Kitetsu line, but it lacks that crucial inner core. That is why I could spot it at a glance."

Placing the Kitetsu II back in its original spot, Zoro shook his head and said.

These blades are fine to just look at, but compared to true famous swords, they still fall far short.

However, merely as display pieces to broaden other people's horizons, they were more than sufficient.

"If the eerie nature of the Kitetsu III could be imitated so easily, there wouldn't be only three such blades in existence."

Echizen Yuta gave a wry smile.

As a swordsmith, he naturally understood the difficulty involved better than anyone else.

Let alone a Great Grade sword, even a Skilled Grade sword was exceedingly difficult to forge.

Otherwise, after all these years, there wouldn't be merely a few dozen famous swords in total.

Compared to a history spanning hundreds or even thousands of years, are the 12 Supreme Grade swords, the 21 Great Grade swords, and the 50 Skilled Grade swords really that many?

They are not.

For the swordsmen of this world, let alone a Supreme Grade or Great Grade sword, even acquiring a single Skilled Grade sword would make them ecstatic.

Yet the swordsman before him actually had three of them tucked into his waist, and among them was even a Great Grade sword—this was truly a wasteful extravagance.

If these were given to Rorand, their maximum value could finally be unlocked.

Thinking of Rorand, Echizen Yuta's gaze shifted from Zoro to Rorand, and his pupils instantly contracted, freezing in place.

As the owner of this famous sword museum, Echizen Yuta was well aware that aside from these dozen or so replicas, there was also one true famous sword hidden inside.

It was just that he usually placed it right alongside the replicas, so most of the swordsmen who came to browse simply passed right over it.

After all, it was merely a replica of a Skilled Grade sword; it simply lacked the eye-catching appeal of the Great Grade replicas, and consequently, no one paid it any mind at all.

Yet at this moment, Echizen Yuta saw Rorand walking straight toward that very famous sword, not even sparing a glance at the replicas along the way.

Echizen Yuta would normally have been thrilled that someone could spot a true famous sword at a single glance.

However, seeing that the person was Rorand, Echizen Yuta could not help but fall into a state of inner conflict, unsure whether he should give this famous sword away or not.

That's right, one of his purposes in opening this famous sword museum was to find a suitable master for the Skilled Grade sword in his possession.

For swords such as these, leaving them with a good-for-nothing like himself who knew nothing of swordsmanship, used merely as ornaments in a home, was nothing short of burying their potential.

Rather than that, it would be far better to find a worthy master for it, allowing it to appear where it truly belonged.

To travel alongside such a swordsman and achieve renown throughout the world.

Echizen Yuta felt that Rorand would make an excellent master; as a dual-wielding swordsman, he was precisely in need of a famous sword matching his status.

Yet when the moment truly arrived, Echizen Yuta's heart was filled with reluctance.

No matter how he looked at it, this was a famous sword passed down by his ancestors, and giving it away just like that felt somewhat disrespectful to them.

"Mister Echizen, this is a genuine famous sword, isn't it?"

Rorand gently cradled the famous sword with its gilt scabbard, carefully drawing the blade, and instantly caught sight of the pale blue hamon rippling along the steel.

This was a famous sword different from Nara; swords of a similar color profile still revealed distinct qualities.

If Nara was an elegant aristocrat, then this famous sword was a gentle and refined chivalrous hero.

Rorand remembered from the illustrated guide of famous swords that this blade was called Mumyo, forged by an ancestor of Echizen Yuta, a master swordsmith named Echizen Kanezori.

"Yes, Mister Rorand. This sword is called Mumyo. It is a true Skilled Grade sword, incomparable to those mere replicas."

Echizen Yuta approached Rorand, not daring to interrupt too closely, mainly out of fear that startling Rorand might cause him to accidentally drop the blade to the floor.

Although an object like this wouldn't shatter easily, falling to the ground outside of combat would still be a desecration of the weapon.

"You certainly have a carefree attitude. With your strength, what would you do if some ill-intentioned swordsman appeared here and simply robbed you of it?"

Rorand smiled, carefully returning Mumyo to its rack.

If this sword belonged to him, Rorand naturally wouldn't be so cautious—it was destined for battle anyway, so why worry about a few normal bumps and scrapes?

But the current owner of this sword was still Echizen Yuta, and if he were to nick it right in front of the owner, that would be his own fault.

To this, Echizen Yuta could only respond with an awkward smile.

How was he supposed to put it? Should he admit that his famous sword museum had been open for so long, and they were only his third batch of visitors?

Therefore, for Echizen Yuta, being robbed wasn't the real problem; the true problem was that practically no one ever came here to look at anything.

Placing advertisements in the newspaper wasn't something he had just started doing.

Over the past few years, Echizen Yuta had taken out plenty of ads. At its peak, he had advertised nearly thirty times a single month.

Had his pockets not run so dry that he could no longer afford it, he might have continued to publish notices in the press.

Yet as the years rolled on, this was only his third group of visitors. Having forged five replicas, he was still a very long way from his dream of filling this exhibition room with imitations of famous swords.

"Mister Echizen, I can tell that all these replicas were crafted in recent years. If I'm not mistaken, they must all be your own work, right?"

Rorand asked suddenly.

"Indeed, they are my own work. Ever since I was a child, I followed my father and grandfather in forging swords. When I grew up and inherited the shop myself, I discovered that my own abilities simply fell far short."

"Let alone forging swords below the Skilled Grade, I couldn't even make blades that could withstand actual combat; they practically shattered at the slightest impact."

"So, ever since then, I closed down the sword shop. My dream became to imitate those famous swords and build a famous sword museum out of replicas."

"As long as they aren't used for combat, the blades I forge are actually quite decent. In a sense, I suppose you could call that a kind of talent."

Echizen Yuta said awkwardly, ending with a self-deprecating laugh.

To be able only to forge swords that could not be used in combat could indeed be considered a unique talent, especially since ordinary blacksmiths could easily hammer out standard utilitarian blades for fighting.

"This is my famous sword, Nara. I can lend it to you to study and replicate, in the hope that your dream can be realized as soon as possible."

"However, I feel that if you always follow in the footsteps of your predecessors and remain perpetually immersed in the famous swords of the past, then no matter how exquisite your technique becomes, you will never create anything truly your own."

Rorand drew Nara and presented it to Echizen Yuta.

He was always willing to support someone with a dream.

However, if Echizen Yuta's dream truly extended no further than blindly copying famous swords, he wouldn't have bothered saying any of this.

Because he could tell that when this fellow spoke of his own talent, a lingering trace of reluctance had flashed deep within his eyes.