"Amazing!" Jata exclaimed as he looked at the sword in his hands. He had handled plenty of swords before, but rarely had he handled a weapon that felt so beautiful in his hands.
From the balance of the weight, Jata could tell that the sword was made with meticulous care and attention, definitely not something a ten-year-old should be capable of.
Beyond the craftsmanship, the sword was lighter, softer, and more flexible, and this added to its toughness. Despite its long and narrow frame, it did not crack or break. This went contrary to many forging policies of the time.
Moreover, if a vasili channeled their power through the sword, the sword became a part of the wielder, acting as an extension of the arm, not a tool or conduit. For a vasili swordsman, this was the best kind of weapon to use.
In fact, the only way the sword lost out any other was the dull look. It needed some aesthetics, but it was all in all fully functional.
Any way he looked at the sword, Jata was sure that this could not be a creation of his weak son. "Zukov, come here boy," he said. "Tell me truthfully, where did you get this sword?"
Not that Jata doubted his son, but the sword was just too excellent. If he said he believed that this sword was made by a child, others would laugh at him.
By now, everyone was paying attention. The Sun scepter sect swords deserved their fame, and many present had the means to buy one, so they knew. They too needed to know: which master had done this magnificent thing?
A sect that focused on sword smithing and swordsmanship would naturally produce the best and toughest swords, yet something else had occurred. While the Rono clan did have some experience in smithing, swords smithing and swordplay was not their forte.
"Father, I am telling the truth," Zukov was starting to panic. His father rarely spoke to him with such a solemn tone. "This sword really was given to me by Keita."
Having received confirmation from Zukov, Jata turned to look at his other son, Keita. His eyes lacked the warmth that he had when speaking to Zukov.
"Well, boy, are you not going to explain?" He demanded.
"Father, I forged this sword," Keita said proudly. His head was held high. Despite his father's obvious doubts, he did not back down. He had created the sword, and hence, he would be proud of it.
"Come off it boy, this is not time for games!" The austere gentleman chastised the boy. "Quickly tell us which master forged this sword." By now, everyone was getting tired of this.
It seemed as though the boy was posturing, trying to take credit for someone's else's work. Such a thing could not be allowed, especially when the product was so magnificent.
"Father, he really is telling the truth," Abi suddenly shouted, attracting everyone's gaze. She was young and very innocent looking. "I saw him hammering away."
In truth, the little girl did not understand what was happening, but she had seen her brother working on that piece of metal, and she saw how proud he was.
Now, she saw her father's look, and she knew it spelled trouble for her brother, so she had to speak up. She turned to look at Keita and urged him, "Brother, quickly tell father."
Keita saw the doubtful look on his father's face. Despite having a different perspective, on account of having the memory of his entire past life, he still felt hurt that his father did not believe him. "I made the sword in the forge downstairs. I even have two that I just finished this morning."
The boy's words sent shockwaves among the guests gathered. If what he was saying was true, then he was in fact the maker of this sword, and he had others just like this one.
"Meiya!" Jata did not even need to say anything more. One of his trusted aides quickly got up and ran downstairs to where the boy's forge was. Everyone waited as the man who had been sent came back with the new swords.
Just by looking at them, one could tell that they were brand new swords, having been completed very recently. They did not bear the markings of age, wear and tear.
The shine on them made them quite attractive, but they still resembled the sword in question. Perhaps they were an improvement of the previous sword.
However, their hilts were black and had not been attended to, much like the first sword. Clearly, the one who had forged had paid more attention to the blade than the aesthetics of the sword.
"Come here boy," Jata said, "Are you saying that you're the one who forged these swords?"
Keita innocently nodded. He was very happy with the shock on his father's face. He had expected happiness, but at least, this was a start.
"This can't be!" Many of the Sun scepter sect could not believe their ears.
"This question has been asked and answered several times. The matter of the duel comes to a close now." These words were spoken by the Patriarch, Keita's grandfather. The finality in his tone did not allow anyone else to proceed further with this line of questioning.
Once the patriarch spoke up, no one else could. Keita was appreciative of his grandfather, but he wondered if he had not been moved by his little sister's involvement. Nevertheless, he had been rescued. The matter was brought to a close.
The banquet proceeded until late into the night. When the guests were all gone and there was no one left but family, Count Rono, the patriarch, summoned Keita.
"Speak freely boy, no one will hurt you," he said, when the boy was brought before him. Unlike his son, he was more affectionate to Keita. "Did you truly forge these swords?"
An ordinary boy would have a look of fear, afraid that they had done a terrible thing. This was exactly the look on Keita's face. However, inwardly, his thoughts were running at maximum speed.
He had considered pinning the blame on his master, or some random hidden tutor, but he dismissed it. While it might seem improbable for a young boy to forge something so profound, stranger things had happened. Bottomline, Keita wanted recognition for his invention.