Wagner has a task for Noelle. One will never run out of arrows, should one know how to make them. As such, a swordsman's blade shall never rust or break, as long as they know how to keep it clean and pristine.


"Good morning, Mister Wagner, you needed me for something?"

Noelle bowed as she stood in front of the man and his forge. His assistant was nowhere to be seen. Noele raised an eyebrow, but she didn't comment.

The bully man put down his tools, stood straight, and wiped the sweat off his brow. "Oh, you're here, good," Wagner looked at her and put his hands on his waist. "How is your blade?"

Noelle took that as the unsaid cue to brandish her blade. "No visible cuts, rust, everything is in tip-top shape, Mister Wagner."

"That's good. You're not swinging it all willy-nilly. You've learned to manage your strength proportionally to avoid putting too much weight on the handle," Noelle put the blade on the table for the smith to inspect further. "I assume you haven't been wielding her with one hand?"

Noelle shook her head. "As you have told me, I always wield with both hands."

"Good. Though I know you can easily do it with one, having two will help guide the blade more easily and with finesse."

Noelle nodded. "Thank you very much."

"Do you go into battle often?" Noelle thought she had heard a hint of concern in the man's voice.

"Not often enough," Noelle shook her head. "Master Jean gives the more dangerous commissions and tasks to the knights. The times my blade was unsheathed for something that isn't practice can be counted on only two hands."

"Don't be so sad. That's a good thing," Wagner ruffled her hair. "A battle avoided is a battle won. And a sword remaining in its sheathe isn't a wasted one."

Noelle pouted for multiple reasons.

First of all, she was not a child! Why did people love ruffling her hair? She had to redo it every time it got too messy, and her headdress and hairclip were so delicately put on! No, she did not enjoy the sensation. She did not enjoy having her head pat.

Though it did feel good- No! She was not a child! She was only a few years shy of being an adult. Someone like her was not going to be swayed by something as childish as a head pat!

And second, she was strong. Everybody knew that. And yet every time she wanted to be sent to fight for others' steed, she was denied without hope of negotiation. She never understood why.

Wagner had a hint of a smile on his face as he saw Noelle's expression, a very rare expression on the normally grouchy man's face. Displeased, yet enjoying the attention to a degree. He was wise enough not to comment on it.

"Nevertheless, no matter how much care you give your blade, as long as you bring it to battle, it will eventually break," Noelle nodded. She had heard these before from when she received her very first blade. "Remember what I told you?"

"Take care of your blade, and it will take care of you," Noelle recited. "I could never forget, Mister Wagner."

"I know you won't," and that was a fact. It was also why Wagner could afford to use as many materials as he wanted for Noelle's blade. She was one of the few people he knew would take care of her weapon to an absurd degree. And since it was Noelle, crack that degree up to a hundred. "But, saying it or understanding it, and knowing what to do about it are two different things."

He went back behind the smith, rummaging for something.

"Mister Wagner?" Noelle tried standing on her toes to see what he was doing, but his whole body had blocked her view.

"There's a saying, one will never run out of arrows if they know how to craft them. The same goes for your blade," he held… something that Noelle couldn't quite make out in his hand. "Take care of your blade, and it will take care of you. But, I reckon with your strength, you could go a step further, and take care of your blade in another sense. And if you're good enough, make your very own."

Noelle's eyes widened. Could it be?

Wagner's hand opened to reveal a cloth of something. He took one end in his other hand and displayed it for Noelle to see.

A leather apron…

Wagner smiled. One of the rare ones he gave only to certain people that didn't irritate him.

"So I ask you, are you interested in smithing 101?"

Noelle's grin might as well have reached her cheeks.

"Absolutely!"


The next few hours had been Wagner teaching Noelle the basics of blacksmithing. What to do, what not to do, and what to definitely not do lest Noelle wanted a kick to the boot and a weapon confiscated.

Noelle sweatdropped on that last one, but she still followed his orders nonetheless.

"Oh, Noelle, you're here."

Without missing a beat, Noelle turned around and bowed. She knew who that voice was.

"Good noon, Mister Schulz."

"Kid, you're finally here."

The man in question chuckled. "Good noon, Noelle, Master Wagner."

Wagner nodded. "Good noon to you too, do you have what I asked for?"

"Of course!" he went down onto the table holding a crate filled with something Noelle couldn't quite make out. As he placed it down on the table, it made a metallic sound, a heavy one too.

"Thanks."

"It was nothing, Master Wagner," Schulz scratched the back of his head. He turned towards Noelle. "You're taking up blacksmithing?"

"Mister Wagner is teaching me how to perform my own maintenance." Noelle nodded.

"She'd never leave the knights, but I can at least help her be safe in some way I know." Wagner said without looking at Noelle. He inspected the crate and nodded to himself.

"T-Thank you but I don't need your protection. I'm not a child! I can handle myself." Noelle pouted.

"Does that mean you don't need your claymore?"

"Uuuuuu-"

"Thought so," Wagner picked the crate up and walked behind his smithy. "I'll just sort this out, and we'll get started on performing actual maintenance with dummies, and then the real deal."

Noelle pouted even harder at the dismissal.

"Don't take Master Wagner's words personally. It just shows how much he cares about you," Schulz reassured her.

Noelle sighed. "I simply wish to be treated my age. I don't need to be taken care of. I can handle myself just fine."

Schulz stifled a chuckle. Did she wish to be treated as her age? What did she think she was? She wasn't even approaching her late teens.

She was still a child, through and through. Not that he had the bravery to say that out loud.

He coughed. "My point is, he just wants you to be safe. And if his way of keeping you safe is keeping your weapon sharp, and your armor sturdy, is that too bad?"

Noelle pursed her lips. When he put it that way, it made sense. "I guess not."

"Great," Schulz smiled. "So, are you confident you'll impress Master Wagner? Looking forward to making your own blade?"

At that, Noelle perked up. "I… Yes! I would love to have the privilege of making my own blade but…"

"You're nervous?"

Noelle scratched her cheek. "Is it that obvious?" she thought she hid it well. If Schulz had noticed, then Wagner had too.

"It's not a strange feeling. It's normal to feel nervous about doing something you've never done before," he nodded. "But, if you ask me, I think you'll do a good job."

"Really?" her eyes shone. "I do suppose I have the strength for it." Wagner's muscles were one of the topics that the women in Mondstadt commonly talked about when she went around most days.

Conversely, the men had always talked about other very specific things she couldn't understand. Something about chests? Did they find a chest out there somewhere? They were always complaining about the forbidden lands or the forbidden valley. Where was that?

When she asked a couple of knights about it, they told her to forget about it, and they were probably drunk. Though she thought it weird how they suddenly strapped on their weapons and headed out right after.

"You're half-right."

"What do you mean?"

"Smithing isn't simply about raw power or strength. Even if you have the strength, improper technique will wear you down quickly, and if you lack the stamina, even if you have the other two, will grant you a subpar product."

Noelle sweatdropped. "That's… understandable."

He nodded. "We smiths put a lot of work into our craft. Our products can make the difference between life and death," he shrugged. "A smith you trust is a smith whose hands you put your life onto. The trust between blacksmith and wielder is a very deep relationship."

Noelle slowly nodded. So there was that kind of pressure on blacksmiths. "I see. I will do my best to meet your expectations."

"You'd better do so. Cause it's time to step up," the two spun around to see Wagner in front of the smithing table. Beckoning Noelle to come closer. "Are you ready?"

Noelle steeled herself. She turned to Schulz and nodded. She turned back to Wagner.

"I am ready."

[Get up to rock! Get up to burn! Stand up with pride that burns for your desire!]

Where was that music coming from? And why did it fill her with a sudden urge to smith?!


"Huh."

"Is… that a good huh or a bad huh?"

"Huh."

"Uhm, Mister Schulz?"

"Don't look at me, I'm not well-versed in Master's Wagnerisms, either."

Noelle did as she was told. She thought she did quite the job if she was to be asked. Her blade was clean, it felt just as heavy as it was before, but she couldn't account for its sharpness.

Since Schulz and Wagner had forbidden her from testing it on nearby objects, she thought to test it on herself. They forbade that too.

Just a teensy little scratch. She promised!

"Wagnerisms?" Noelle asked. Since Wagner was unresponsive as he held her blade in his hands, she turned to Schulz.

"Yep. Master has these moments where no one understands what he's doing, but he's doing something and it obviously works," he shrugged. "Rather than comment on it, people just ended up calling it his Wagnerisms."

"Ah, I see," she turned back to see Wagner, still staring at her blade. "I see."

"If it's any reassurance, if Master Wagner didn't like it, you'd be doing it a fourth time."

Noelle scratched the back of her head. "Right…"

It had taken her three tries to get it right. Master Wagner was a perfectionist, and she understood that. She knew why he had been so hard on her performance, and Wagner had never given her criticism without basis.

It reminded her of a strict uncle.

Thankfully, on the third try, with what she had learned from the first and the second attempt, she had finally managed to clean her blade properly. Well, she thought she'd done a proper job.

"Oh, well, looks like Master Wagner is done with his Wagnerisms."

Noelle turned around. Wagner had approached her with an unreadable gaze as he held her blade in its sheathe in one hand. He offered it back to her. Unsure of what to do, she grapes the blade at the hilt and gave her teacher a nod.

Yet as she did, Wagner had clasped her hand. His eyes burning with… something she couldn't make out.

Though judging from Schulz's exasperated gaze, she was fine. She thought.

"Noelle."

"Y-Yes?"

His other hand went to the blade's hilt to raise it a bit more as if emphasizing it.

"While you were training as a knight, I studied the blade."

"..." Noelle didn't know what to say. "Okay…?"

Behind her, she could hear Schulz sigh. "Not this again."

"While you ate your salad, I studied the blade."

"Y-Yes I'm sure you did- and I eat more than that salad now!"

"While you were off partying, I studied the blade."

"But I don't party-"

"And yet! This blade! The skill and technique necessary for a blade to come out this good after maintenance is unheard of from a newbie," Wagner pushed the blade onto her hands and let go of it. "I wish I could take credit as a good teacher, but this was all you. Shame you can't leave the knights. You'd make a fine blacksmith."

Slowly, Noelle smiled.

The recognition felt good. To be told she had done a good job. That she had done an excellent job.

"Always remember, your weapon takes care of your life. Take care of it-"

"And it will take care of you. You have already told me this, Mister Wagner."

Wagner chuckled. "I know you'll take care of it just fine, from what you just showed me. It took a few tries, but you can't make an omelet without breaking a few eggs."

Noelle beamed. "So… will I be able to make my own weapon now?"

"Hmm, not yet."

Noelle's eyes widened. "What? Why?"

Wagner resisted the urge to chuckle. She was like a kid who had her candy taken away from her. Except, in this case, that candy was a sword.

Yeah… like a kid who was physically capable of tearing an entire cliff face down. The usual.

He raised a finger. "Two things. One, the materials here aren't going to be enough to handle your strength. They'll break like before," he raised another. "Second, and though your performance at maintenance was great, I haven't the time to teach you smithing from the ground up right now."

Noelle slowly nodded. "So, I should come back with the materials necessary some other day?"

Heh, she was getting it. Wagner nodded. He could see the gears turning in her head. Where to get materials, who to get them from, and when to get them. She was really excited at being able to make her own weapon, but more than that. She was excited to have something that she made.

How could he deny such an enthusiastic customer?

"Exactly what I mean. If you need help finding anything, I can give you a map of the ores around here. But if you're looking for more, that's your problem."

"No, that won't be necessary." Wagner raised an eyebrow but didn't push on the matter.

"If you say so," he shrugged. "Now, I got a few weapons out back that need polishing, care to help out?"

"Would I? I would love to!"

"Hah! I like the enthusiasm, but be careful with your strength! Schulz, give her a hand!"

"I understand, Master Wagner."

The rest of the afternoon was spent with the three doing some basic maintenance on most of the blades that had come Wagner's way. Turns out, most of them were weapons of the Knights. With this knowledge, Noelle dutifully cleaned their blades with much gusto.

Still, she couldn't help but wonder where she would get materials for her own blade. She didn't need to rush, so she could take her time deciding what to use, and what to use it for. She couldn't rely on anybody else for this but her own judgment.

Though the base ores would need to be procured at some point, it was the special materials, the materials that really made an exceptional weapon that she was wondering about.

But again, there was no rush. She shouldn't be afraid of failure either. Success was made from continuous failure. There was no omelet without a few broken eggs.

Noelle pumped her fit into the air as she smiled excitedly.

It might not be tomorrow, the next day, the next week, next month, or even longer, but she would surely do it. There was no set date to this quest, yet it would always be on her list. And Noelle was nothing if not dutiful.

'I will make the mother of all omelets!'