Chapter 166: He’ll Be Better Than Me

"I’m only the messenger before the true one arrives."

Siegfried stared at him. "Did you read some holy scripture before coming here?"

"Stop talking like some damn prophet and tell me what you actually mean."

Eldric laughed softly.

"After I disappear, the world will eventually forget that someone like me ever existed. But when the time comes, my son will definitely find you."

"Zac?"

"Yes."

Siegfried frowned, then the realization slowly crossed his face. "Wait." He looked toward the containment chamber, then back at Eldric.

"You want me to give this damn thing to your kid?"

"Yes"

"No!" Siegfried immediately shook his head. "No, no, no. Absolutely not."

"Siegfried, listen to me."

"No. I’m not listening." His expression hardened. "I know Zac is a good boy. I’ve known him since he was little, and I care about him like he’s one of my own."

"But this?" He gestured toward the containment chamber. "This isn’t some toy sword you hand to a kid."

Siegfried shook his head again. "No. You know as well as I do how dangerous this thing could be."

"He won’t be a child forever, Siegfried."

"That isn’t my point." Siegfried leaned forward.

"I know you, Eldric. I trust you completely. I know what kind of man you are and how much willpower you have, and I know you could endure whatever this..."

He pointed toward the contained material. "...catastrophe might throw at you, you can overpower it."

"But Zac, he is a child. And I don’t know what he will become."

"I’m sorry to say this, but do you genuinely believe he’ll be worthy of something like this?"

Siegfried continued before Eldric could answer. "Forget worthiness. Will he even have the potential to wield it?"

"And even if he does, what about his character? His willpower? His mind?"

"He’s a good kid now. I’m sure of that. But children grow up, Eldric. They change. You and I both know that."

His gaze shifted toward the material again. "And more importantly, we still know almost nothing about this thing."

"We don’t know what kind of nature it will possess once it’s fully forged. So how can you genuinely believe a child will someday be capable of controlling it?"

Eldric smiled. "I know what you’re worried about, Siegfried."

"Yes, I’m worried, Eldric."

Siegfried’s voice grew heavier. "You already lost your Blood Essence because of what I did. You nearly lost your life retrieving this material because of me."

"I don’t want to become the person responsible for endangering your son’s life as well."

"You won’t." Eldric’s answer was firm.

"And how can you possibly know that?"

"Because I know he’ll be better than me."

Siegfried stared at him. "You really believe that?"

"Eldric, do you honestly believe that?" Siegfried leaned back slightly. "You’re the most talented person this planet has ever seen. What are the chances that your son will possess the same talent as you, let alone surpass you?"

"He will, Siegfried." Eldric’s answer came without hesitation. "Because he’s my son, and I know him better than anyone."

"You may not believe it now. But when the time comes, not only you, but the entire world will see it."

"And honestly, I think he’ll be a better wielder for it than I could ever be."

"Plus..."

"What tell me..."

"If I couldn’t succeed in this journey, he is the only person who has at least the slightest chance to save this world."

"I don’t understand."

"There are things I can’t say to you, my friend, sorry. But if I fail and he becomes the last chance, then he would surely need the weapon.

Siegfried slowly let out a breath. "I genuinely don’t know what goes on inside that head of yours."

He looked at Eldric. "But if there’s one man in this world I would trust blindly, it’s you."

Siegfried paused. "So I’ll trust you this time too."

Eldric smiled. He remained there for a moment, silently taking in the forge and the old friend sitting before him.

Then he spoke.

"Goodbye, my good friend."

End of Siegfried’s POV

***

Siegfried opened his eyes with a small tear at the corner of his eyes. "And that was the last time I ever saw your father."

Zac remained silent.

Seeing someone like Siegfried, a towering man who seemed almost like a mountain, sitting there with tears in his eyes told Zac more about their friendship than any story could have.

At that moment, he didn’t know what to say, what to think, or even what to feel.

He didn’t know whether to console him, ask more about his father, or consider what Eldric had said about the weapon.

So he simply remained quiet.

After a moment, Siegfried drew in a slow breath and collected himself.

"For years, I have waited."

"At first, I waited for your father to return. And even now, if I’m being honest, a part of me still believes he’ll return one day."

Then he looked at Zac. "But I was also waiting for you. And if I’m being truthful, waiting wasn’t the only thing I felt."

"I was afraid."

"Afraid of what?" Zac asked.

"Of what kind of man you would become."

"I was afraid you’d grow into someone like that brat you met outside. Arrogant. Cruel. Drunk on whatever power you happened to possess."

"I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to keep the promise I made to your father."

He looked directly at Zac. "I knew Eldric’s willpower. Whatever nature that material possessed, I believed he could have stood against it."

"But you?"

"So you don’t believe I could control it?"

"No," Siegfried answered without hesitation. "I’m almost certain you can’t."

Zac remained silent.

"In my opinion, the chances of you successfully controlling that monster are nearly zero."

"I believe you still have a lot to learn, and your willpower isn’t nearly strong enough yet. If it weren’t for Armani constantly nagging me, I wouldn’t have agreed to do this in the first place."

"What? She knows about it too?"

"Of course she does." Siegfried looked at him. "Your father only had a handful of close friends. Among them, Armani and I were the closest."

"And considering her relationship with your mother, I’d say she was even closer to your family than I was."

"So yes. Of course she knows."

Zac sat quietly for a few seconds before nodding. "Thank you."

Siegfried raised an eyebrow. "For what?"

"For telling me all of this."

The old smith’s expression softened. "Don’t thank me. They’re good memories. And I haven’t had many people I could speak to about them freely."

After a few moments of silence, Zac looked at Siegfried. "So you’re going to give me a weapon made from that... whatever that metal is?"

"Yes. That’s why you’re here, boy."

"So, have you already finished it, or..."

"Of course not. Didn’t I tell you that you needed to be here for me to finish the weapon?"

"No..."

Siegfried paused. "Ohh. That must have slipped my mind. Well, whatever. We’re not starting now."

Siegfried pushed himself up. "I’ve been talking for hours, and you’ve been sitting for hours. At this point, both my mouth and your ass are probably sore."

He stretched slightly. "So let’s move around a little and get something to eat. I’m starving."

"After that, there are a few things we need to go through before we start the actual melting process."

"Now, come." With that, Siegfried headed toward the lift. Zac followed him out of the forge, and the two made their way back toward the dining room.

By the time they arrived, Shaira was already seated at the table while Mary served her food.

The moment Shaira noticed Zac, her small body stiffened with shyness. She looked at him, then quickly turned toward Siegfried. "Grandpa?"

"What is it, honey?"

"Why is this big brother still here?"

Both Zac and Siegfried stopped.

Siegfried blinked. "Big brother?"

Shaira’s face immediately turned red. ℯℯ𝘭.

Siegfried shifted his gaze toward Mary questioningly. "When exactly did she start calling him that?"

Mary smiled. "I told her to."

"You did?" Siegfried considered it for a moment. "Well... there’s nothing wrong with that, actually."

He glanced at Zac. "To tell you the truth, I think it’s quite appropriate. In a way, he is like her big brother."

Mary looked at Siegfried. "Master Siegfried, did you perhaps..."

"No, no, no." Siegfried immediately cut her off. "Whatever you’re thinking, it isn’t true."

He gestured toward Zac. "His father and I were very close friends. So, in a way, it’s only appropriate for them to treat each other like siblings."

Mary nodded and began serving food for Zac and Siegfried as well.

Zac approached Shaira and held out his hand. "Hi, Shaira."

She stared at his hand for a second before carefully reaching out and taking it.

Zac smiled. "I’m Zac Dele... Zac Godson."

Her tiny fingers wrapped around his hand as they shook. "You can call me big brother if you want."

Shaira gave a small nod. "Okay."

Across the table, Mary froze. "Godson." Her body stiffened slightly at the name. Her eyes immediately moved toward Siegfried.

The old smith met her gaze and gave a small nod.

Mary’s expression changed almost imperceptibly. She turned back toward Zac. "Please, sit down, Young Master Zac."

Zac looked at her in alarm. "Young master?"

[And now you have become a young fucking master too.]

While eating, Zac looked at Siegfried. "So, when are we going to start the forging process?"

"Pretty soon. But before that, I need to understand your preferences when it comes to swords."

Siegfried continued eating. "And if you don’t mind, I’d also like to see how you actually use one."

"Armani already sent me a few recordings of your battles, along with a rather detailed description of your character."

Zac raised an eyebrow slightly.

"But recordings only tell me so much," Siegfried continued. "I want to see your movements in person."

"Okay."

"Grandpa?" Shaira’s small voice interrupted them. "Are you really going to make a weapon for this big brother?"

Siegfried laughed. "Yes, Shaira, I am."

She looked surprised. "But you haven’t made a weapon for anyone in a long time."

"Well, this boy is special."

Siegfried glanced toward Zac. "His father and I were very close friends a long time ago."

Shaira seemed satisfied with the answer and returned to her food. Not long afterward, she finished eating and left the dining room.

Zac watched her leave before turning back toward Siegfried. "Can I ask you something?"

"Go ahead."

"Where are Shaira’s parents?"

Siegfried fell quiet for a moment. "I had a son. My wife passed away during his birth."

"My son later became a researcher and eventually married another researcher."

"They were experimenting on mutated powers together. Six years ago, something went wrong during one of their experiments."

"And neither of them survived that accident."

"So since then... I’ve been raising Shaira."