Abe the Wizard

Chapter 28 Preparing for Battle

"Uncle Marshall, on my way back from Harvest City, I saw that the villages between the castle and Harvest City were attacked by orcs."

Upon hearing this news, Knight Marshall immediately instructed the steward Lindsey, "Ring the alarm bell and demand that all villagers in the territory enter the castle, and verify the identity of everyone upon entry."

"Yes, sir," replied the steward as he hurried out.

"Uncle Marshall, I have prepared a gift for you. Originally, I planned to give it to you on your birthday, but I hope it will enhance your combat capabilities." Abner presented a deluxe edition Ice Magic Sword wrapped in soft leather to Marshall.

Upon returning to the castle, Abner retrieved a deluxe edition Ice Magic Sword from the workshop. This was originally intended as a birthday gift for Knight Marshall, but given the current situation, he decided to present it early to enhance Marshall's combat abilities.

Another deluxe edition Ice Magic Sword was also prepared for Knight Bennett's birthday. Abner intended to deliver the magic sword to him as soon as possible.

"A magic sword!" Knight Marshall drew the sword and lightly tapped it with his finger, then quickly shook off the frost on his hand, excitedly saying, "It's an ice magic sword, what a fantastic item."

Turning to Abner, he said, "Master Bensum has been researching the production of magical weapons, and it looks like he has succeeded."

"This is my gift. How could it be Master Bensum's?" Abner felt a little embarrassed when he heard his gift being attributed to someone else.

"Abner, did you forge this sword?" Knight Marshall asked incredulously.

Abner remained silent and pointed to the master blacksmith medal on his chest. It was at this moment that Knight Marshall noticed the additional medal on Abner's chest.

"You are already a master blacksmith?" Knight Marshall was now full of suspicion about the world around him. When did a novice blacksmith of only 13 years of age become a master blacksmith?

"I went to Harvest City this time to undergo the master evaluation."

"Is this true?" Knight Marshall's expression changed from astonishment to delight as he burst into laughter. "Haha, our family has produced a master blacksmith. I want a complete set of top-tier magic armor, the strongest magic shield, and a magic knight's lance. Oh, and I also want magic bows and arrows."

Abner looked on in embarrassment as Knight Marshall went mad with his requests. It seemed that fulfilling his dreams would require gathering the top blacksmiths in the guild.

"Boom, boom, boom" As the bells rang, twenty cavalrymen wearing leather armor, armed with rifles, and riding warhorses had already assembled in front of the castle. Knight Marshall changed into his imitation Red Sun armor and rode his exclusive white warhorse, a steed much stronger and taller than ordinary warhorses. With Abner's deluxe edition Ice Magic Sword strapped to his back and a knight's long spear in hand, he stood at the head of the formation.

"The orc squad has appeared nearby. My soldiers, pick up your weapons and join me in defending our homeland," declared Knight Marshall. The twenty cavalrymen were filled with excitement, knowing that killing orcs would earn them great merit. Previously, they could only gain merit by guarding the fortress in Miracle City, but now their chance for glory was right before their eyes.

Harry Castle's military strength was extremely formidable, this was Abner's first thought upon seeing the scene before him. Maintaining twenty warhorses and training cavalrymen required considerable resources. Only with iron mines and a smithy with a quasi-master like Master Bensum could such a strong force be sustained.

...

At Bennett Castle, Knight Bennett received a package from a messenger, drenched in sweat. After instructing the steward to reward the messenger, he retired to his room.

Opening the package, he found a large sword and two letters inside. One was from Knight Marshall, informing him briefly about the orc attack on the villages and warning him to be vigilant against orc attacks.

The other letter was from Abner, with just one line: "Your birthday gift has arrived early."

Unsheathing the sword, Bennett noticed its uniqueness. It was a priceless Ice Magic Sword. Upon realizing this, the first thing that came to his mind was how much gold his adopted son, who had already become someone else's ward, had spent on this gift. When he learned that orcs were active in the area, his first thought was that his second son had sent him an Ice Magic Sword, prompting a wave of emotions in Bennett's heart.

If Bennett knew that Abner had forged the Ice Magic Sword himself, he would have been filled with deep regret over giving away his son.

...

Upon arriving at the blacksmith's shop, everyone, including his senior brother Jaden, greeted Abner with great respect. They all bowed and addressed him as Master Abner. This made Abner very uneasy, but his current status prevented him from being overly humble. He now represented a group—the top blacksmiths on the continent.

Abner locked himself in his exclusive workshop. Despite being able to forge exquisite weapons, he had never made any equipment for himself. He believed there was no immediate danger, and he was still growing rapidly. Equipment made now might become unsuitable as his body continued to grow, both in height and arm length. However, in the current situation, he might face a life-and-death battle, so Abner decided to make some self-defense equipment as a precaution.

Abner wanted to test his idea first. Wearing thick gloves, he placed a ceramic bottle in the furnace and heated it for a while. He then used tongs to remove it and poured cold water from a basin onto the hot bottle. Almost simultaneously, Abner placed the bottle into the Heradic Block.

Upon opening the Heradic Block, Abner discovered that the ceramic bottle, once inserted, appeared unchanged, as if time had frozen upon its removal from the furnace and contact with cold water. On closer inspection, faint cracks were visible on the bottle's surface.

With a thought, the ceramic bottle appeared in Abner's hand but shattered into pieces as soon as it manifested.

"Success!" Abner rejoiced inwardly.

Next, he forged a magic sword. His speed had improved significantly, and he could now produce a magic sword in about five hours on average. During the making of the first Ice Magic Sword, Abner intentionally added many useless runes, weaving them together and increasing the number of useless lines. These intersected continuously, guiding the magic from the sapphire to the center of the runes. Just as a white light flashed, Abner quickly stored the sword in the Heradic Block.

Following this, Abner worked tirelessly to create an extra-large hundred-refined shield, 30 centimeters thick. Were it not for being a level-five squire, Abner might not have been able to lift it.

Entering a vacant warehouse within the blacksmith's shop, Abner raised his spirits and positioned the shield in front of him. From the Heradic Block, he retrieved the failed Ice Magic Sword. Upon taking it out, Abner threw the sword away, silently counting to three in his mind.

As he reached "three," a loud explosion occurred outside the shield. After the noise subsided, Abner peered out from behind the shield. This time, the explosion was much more intense than the previous one. The walls, constructed of huge stones, were riddled with fragments, leaving small holes visible.

When Abner looked at his shield, he couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat. The hundred-refined shield was covered in countless small pits, all caused by the flying debris, some of which could fit a finger.

Had Abner not been using the reinforced shield, he might have been seriously injured by the sword's explosion.

It was surprising that simply adding a few more rune circuits resulted in such a significant increase in the explosion's effect. If a sword like this were thrown into a group of people, the consequences would be severe.

This weapon must be stored in the Heradic Block and kept as Abner's secret weapon. Anyone who saw it would have to die. The Heradic Block was Abner's most important secret, and his success was largely due to having it.

That night, Abner did not return to the castle to rest. Instead, he stayed up late to create three explosive swords to store in the Heradic Block. He also researched how to protect himself.

Abner thought of the hand grenade from his previous world. The explosion was similar to that of a hand grenade. Based on knowledge gained during the age of knowledge explosion, the safest place during a grenade explosion was on the ground. Although there would still be some impact, it would be minimal.

Drawing upon the principle of tank armor deflecting projectiles at an angle, Abner made a much smaller shield that could be worn around the waist. In the event of an explosion, lying on the ground would reduce the number of impacts, and the small shield would deflect the flying debris at an angle.