The lights were shining in the dark night.
It was a back alley of the city that shines brightly at night.
One side of the road that runs through the city was asleep, while on the other side was quietly raising its head.
This was the life of two worlds that cannot mix.
And it was only now that people hidden by the brilliant lights of the city could reveal themselves.
An alley full of merchants’ hustling and bustling drinkers.
Amidst the bustling crowd, there was a blond-haired boy standing alone.
"Looks impressive."
The place where the boy stood was in front of a blacksmith’s shop, and there hung an exquisite sword.
A slender, shining sword that showed off its elegance for all to see.
It was the only thing in the dirty alley that emitted light on its own.
And the light that started from the sword entered boy’s heart through the eyes and was enough to illuminate something in the boy’s soul.
"..."
The boy’s feet were sinking into the mud of the road having stood in one place for a long time, but the boy didn’t care.
"You’re lost in thought, again."
Someone approached the boy who was endlessly gazing at the sword.
"Vlad, Do you know you’ve been acting a bit crazy lately? That’s why the rumors about you have been going around."
She was wearing worn-out clothes, but the girl with rich red hair was a colorful personality that didn’t quite fit in with the filthy surroundings of the alley.
The boy looked at the girl who had approached him with vacant eyes.
"So what? There’s nothing to do today anyway."
"Why do you say there’s nothing to do? Are you just going to do what Madame and Jorge tell you to do?"
The red-haired girl raised both of her palms and brought them in front of the boy.
"See this? Because of doing the dishes, I had to immerse my hands in water for so long that it looks like I might get eczema. Is eczema something a person whose beauty is their fortune should have?"
"Why are you pointing them at me? You’re being a nuisance."
The boy, called Vlad, frowned and pushed away the girl’s outstretched palms.
"It’s one of the few moments of rest in my noisy day. Don’t bother me."
"Hmm~."
The boy’s response could be considered somewhat dismissive, but the red-haired girl didn’t seem to mind. After all, it wouldn’t be easy to survive with even minor bruises in the rough alley.
Instead, she glanced at Vlad’s complexion and whispered cautiously into his ear while pretending to be concerned.
"...So, you still hear voices when you hold something like a stick?"
"..."
The girl furrowed her brow seeing his nonverbal affirmation.
"I wonder what sin you committed in a past life to be struck by lightning out of the blue and end up like this."
The rumors had been circling even in the always bustling back alleys of the city.
And lately, the rumors circulating here were about the blond boy who had been struck by lightning out of the blue.
"Besides, even if you were going to get struck by lightning, why did it have to be black lightning of all things?"
"If you’re going to be a bother, just leave."
"..."
Despite the boy’s indifferent rejection, a sense of disappointment welled up within the girl, but she remained silent and kept her mouth shut.
"I have to endure."
Because she understood that living in rough and harsh places required getting your mind together.
"But, Vlad, don’t you think it’s time to go back now?"
Because now was not the right time.
"Stop loitering around here for no reason and stay in the shop for a while. You know the Bishop is sensitive to such things."
"Sensitive to what?"
The girl smiled brightly when the boy finally looked at her instead of the sword.
"Omens."
The girl approached Vlad’s ear and whispered softly as if she were wary of someone overhearing.
The girl’s breath against his ear was ticklish.
"He used to work as a Heresy Inquisitor, so if you show him anything suspicious, they might just burn you at the stake."
"Hey, you!"
Vlad pushed the girl away and quickly picked his ears with his fingers.
"Did you spit in my ear?"
"I can’t believe it, really."
The girl raised her hand to her waist in disbelief as Vlad pushed her away as if he were dirtying himself .
"Everyone’s muttering behind your back, and here you are, standing around like you’ve lost your mind for no reason. What are you thinking, standing here like this? You might end up dragged to the church or something."
"..."
Vlad didn’t respond this time.
There wasn’t a single thing wrong with what the girl was saying.
And he knew she was saying it out of concern for him.
"Still, I just look a little longer..."
"It’s really frustrating. Just buy it on credit! How expensive could it be?"
The girl expressed her annoyance while Vlad still grumbled.
"It is something from the back-alley blacksmith. How much is it?"
"...That’s 5 gold."
"...Wow, look a little longer."
The red-haired girl unconsciously opened her mouth in surprise after hearing the amount that came out of the boy’s mouth.
"...With that, you can eat and enjoy yourself for a whole year without doing anything."
She might not have the great insight to recognize the value of the sword before her, but at least she knew the worth of 5 gold.
5 gold.
It is not like they couldn’t earn it by working all their life, but this dark alley wouldn’t allow anyone to accumulate that much money.
No matter how hard you saved, someone would steal or take it from you.
That was the way of life for those who survived here.
"With that money, you could..."
As the boy and girl were momentarily entranced by the light emitted by the sword.
"What are you idiots doing, blocking the front of someone else’s shop and causing a scene?"
The owner of the blacksmith shop rushed out and shouted sharply.
"These aren’t things for the likes of you back-alley rats to covet!"
The old blacksmith’s voice grated like metal and chased away the young onlookers.
Having gazed into the flames for so long, his eyes always seemed to squint, even when he was calm.
"What’s the point of doing business in the back alleys if you are not selling it to other back alley rats, old man?"
The girl with her curly red hair shouted in an angry voice as if she was dumbfounded.
"Even if the two of us combined haven’t been here as long as you! Calling ’back alley rats’ suits you even better!"
"You... you little bitch, have you no manners!"
The old blacksmith recognized the girl who was talking back and spat on the ground.
"You go back to your shop and do the dishes! You immature little kid!"
"Immature little kid? You’re calling a grown lady that!"
The girl, petite and brimming with self-esteem, directed her discontent not only at the boy but also at the old blacksmith.
"But I’m going to debut next year! If I charge my maiden’s price, that sword would only be worth a single glass of beer!"
The girl fondled her pride, her red hair, and smiled provocatively at the old blacksmith.
It wasn’t a real smile meant to seduce anyone, but rather an effort-filled smirk.
"Maybe I should buy it and use it to cut sausages."
"You... you crazy bitch."
The old blacksmith, who had put so much effort into crafting his sword, trembled at the thought of it being used to cut sausages.
"This! I won’t sell it to back alley bastards!"
"Why hang it in the back alley if you won’t sell it to back alley folks! This old man lost his mind!"
"Seriously, why are you guys like this?"
The boy’s expression contorted as the calmest time of day turned into chaos.
"That’s enough, let’s go, Zemina. The old man, we are leaving."
"Take that immature kid with you and get out of here!"
"Why don’t you just make what you usually make instead of making swords for knights and causing this commotion? It’s almost time for you to die!"
"You... you!"
Vlad realized they wouldn’t budge, so he quickly grabbed the back of the neck of grinning Zemina and pulled her to the end of the alley.
"It’s because my time is almost over, you bitch!"
The old man was trembling because of rising blood pressure and his anger still hadn’t calmed even if the red-haired girl disappeared.
"You rotten bitch... she’s so full of venom perhaps she hasn’t starved to death yet..."
The old man remembered the young street children who had wandered around with a single blanket on a cold winter day.
The three kids who shared the warmth of one blanket were able to survive because they ate the poison of the dirty back alley instead of receiving someone’s sympathy.
"How much food did I give you back then, you damn bitch..."
Even after the girl had disappeared from the alley, the old man spat again as if suddenly reminded.
It was because he saw something pitiable.
"You idiot. Why don’t you just think about eating and surviving...."
He saw a footprint deeply imprinted in the mud.
This footprint showed that the boy had been standing here for a long time and was enough to awaken different emotions in the old blacksmith, aside from his anger towards the girl.
Although he spoke that way, the old blacksmith, with a sigh meant for someone else, began carefully polishing what could be considered his final masterpiece.
The old blacksmith let out a sigh for someone else’s sake as he lowered his head and returned to his shop.
"Damn it... These youngsters bother an old man too much."
The old blacksmith stretched out his trembling hands and began to lower the sword that had been hanging. Then, he applied some oil with the worn cloth.
"······You fool. It’s hard to have dreams in a place like this."
Despite what he said, the old blacksmith began to meticulously polish the sword, which could be said to be his last great craftsmanship.
"I know it well."
The wrinkles around the old blacksmith’s eyes twitched as he started to carefully polish his sword.
The young blacksmith, who once had dreams, had been crushed by reality and trapped in this place.
His black hair had turned white. Those born in this back alley never escaped from here throughout their lives.
The old blacksmith, the young boy standing here, and even his last masterpiece.
However, the old blacksmith still dreamed.
"I can’t let my final masterpiece rot away in a place like this."
The old man picked up the sword, and a brilliant light shone from the tip.
"That’s why I’ll only sell this to someone who can get out of this place."
The old blacksmith once again hung his sword high in the dark alley filled with filth and poison.
He hung a single shining star in the dark back alley that looked like the night sky.
The sword polished by the old man’s unfulfilled dreams shone brilliantly.
Although his feet were still in the mud, the boy who gazed at the old man’s sword had eyes that resembled stars.