To compare Sekigahara with Roma was like comparing Bell's little village with the harbor Ostia. Not a single speck of wood could be seen, as the buildings were made of the same strong stone the structures on the outside were made of. The ground was filled with solidity, dirt being in between the flattened rocks. Not to mention the smell. This entire city was... clean, for some reason, unlike the Far Eastern one. As if they had plenty of water to wash themselves with every day. And from what Bell could understand, they were in the more rural parts of this massive capital! There were some individual shops here and there, in this area that was right next to the so called 'Forums' if the road signs were anything to go by. Not that he knew what they were.
Still, compared to the rest of this place, massive, solid and clean, the shop they were in front of was...not exactly like that. It wasn't rundown or anything, not at all, but it appeared more frail. Stuffy, in a sense. The remnants of smoke rose from a chimney. Bell blinked, looking around in confusion. Were they at the wrong spot?
"...Do you think this is the place?" Bell asked Kojiro. The swordsman hummed in thought before pointing at the big letters above the door.
"It does say Crozzo."
The young man pressed his lips together, nodding a few times. Yes, he noticed it before but... maybe there were several Crozzo in this town? Maybe this was a lesser Crozzo and they were meant to go to the capital C Crozzo?
"Well, yes, but... " Bell started to say, scratching the back of his head as he pondered how to phrase his words. "After seeing... err...Legate Quirinus?"
"Just call him Romulus."
"See, I'm not really comfortable with that!" Bell yelled, making a cross with his arms as he furiously shook his head. Taking a deep breath, he stared at the ground. "A-anyway... after seeing him and the rest of this area, this is…" He bit his lip before tilting his head. "Small?"
"It's not about the size but how you use it, buddy!"
The voice spoke up cheerfully right behind Bell. It was still enough to cause Bell to jump forward and spin around, hands reaching for his blades with a fast beating heart.
"Ah!"
"Whoa! Relax!" The 'culprit' chuckled awkwardly, raising his hands in defense. Then he scratched the back of his head, ruffling his own red hair. "Sorry about that."
The individual for some reason wore clothes commonly worn in the Far East, a black kimono covering a dark blue shirt. Tugging at his blue scarf, he gave an easy going grin. Bell realized that he wasn't in danger and cleared his throat.
"N-no, I shouldn't have been rude!" He bowed politely, feeling his face flush from how easy he was startled. "B-Bell Cranel!"
"Sasaki Kojiro."
"Welf Crozzo! Pleasure to meet ya!" The local crossed his arms. "New to town?"
"Visitors, yes."
As Kojiro confirmed it, Welf nodded a few times.
"Great, great." Tapping his arm a few times during the silence he smacked his lips. "Soooo, what leads you here? Tourists usually don't come to a forge. Especially not one like mine."
"Oh, uhm, we were led here?" Bell replied, causing Welf to blink.
"By whom?"
In response, Kojiro pulled out the coin. Not a second later, the blacksmith's eyes widened in shock, immediately stepping closer. After taking one good look, he backed off as if struck.
"Lord Quirinus?!" A laugh escaped him as he rubbed his hands together while walking past them. "Damn, why didn't you say so before! Come in, come in, make yourselves at home!"
Soon enough, they were all gathered around the small table in the kitchen. As Welf heated up some water, Bell looked around. Humble was one way to describe the place, given that the bed was in the kitchen as well. It just had enough room for the three of them, even if it was getting cramped. The rest of the space in the house was reserved for the forge. Bell gulped, his eyes shining. He'd never seen a forge before. He only read about legendary weapons being made in them. Some of the items in this place were unknown to him. Still, he could only imagine how hot it could get in this place, once the fires were started up properly.
His thoughts were cut short when Welf put the tea cups down, letting himself fall down on the chair. Kojiro and Bell gave their thanks before taking a sip. It didn't taste bad. Just a bit bland, compared to the Far East, Bell thought. Judging from Kojiro's twitching eyebrow he seemed to agree. Anyway, putting their cups down, Welf leaned forward with a grin.
"Can't believe you are friends with him!"
"Err, he is," Bell said immediately, pointing at Kojiro as he desired to crush down any misunderstandings. Said man chuckled as he shook his head.
"Well, colleagues would be more accurate," he explained with a twirl of his hand. "We weren't exactly that close as co-workers back when we fought side by side."
Bell could feel a migraine coming up, as his imagination tried to come up with anything that Romulus, the Sakamoto and Kojiro could've fought together. Some sort of demonic dragon? A giant bull monster? Maybe a weird fish even? He felt his head steam up. Thankfully Welf distracted him via slamming his hands on the table, his eyes sparkling with excitement.
"Side by side?! What level?!"
"Oh, I'm unblessed."
Kojiro waved his hand casually, laughing a bit. But Welf's smile was frozen in place as his eye began to twitch.
"What."
"It was during a time we didn't have any Falna," Kojiro explained, yet causing only more questions. Bell tilted his head with crossed arms.
If he fought alongside Ryoma, Oryou and Romulus before any of them had any blessings... Why was Kojiro the only one so far who didn't have one? Judging from what Bell understood from leveling up, it took literal years to get to the level those three were. He couldn't fathom why anyone would want to delay gaining a Falna for that long. Bell himself delayed it as well, but he didn't plan to wait until a decade might pass! Still, those were questions for another time. If he learned anything from the time spent with the wandering swordsman, it was that he would not give a straight answer whatsoever. At worst, it would be yet another "deep lore joke", whatever that meant. So in order to avoid aggravating their host by subjecting him to a pointless endeavor, Bell forced a laugh as he scratched the back of his head.
"It's complicated?"
"Yeesh, I can tell." Welf shook his head. Thankfully his good mood reappeared as he slammed his hand on his knee, leaning forward with a grin. "Well, whatever your history is, any friend of Lord Quirinus is a friend of mine!"
With that topic out of the way, Bell took a look around once more, humming thoughtfully.
"So you're a blacksmith?" He asked, causing Welf to nod and point at himself with his thumb.
"Yup. Born and raised. That's what the Crozzo usually do." His smile faltered as he sighed. "Can't say I have that many customers. Downside of being quality of quantity I guess."
Bell let out a sound of awe as he laid eyes on the products on the wall. Shining swords, ranging from curved to straight, thin to broad, as far as their eye could see. He certainly could believe that they were of high quality. Some of them even seem to vibrate in the air, their bright colors, may they be yellow or red or blue, giving out some sort of energy. However something caught Bell's eyes and he gasped as he walked up to them. In a corner there was a box which gleamed with treasures in his eyes. Picking one of them, he pulled out a chest plate, shining with polished steel. The best thing about it was that it seemed like it would fit Bell perfectly too!
"Wow, these are so cool!"
Welf blinked, turning to him as he lowered his cup of tea. Seeing where Bell was and what was in his hands, a fond smile appeared on his face as he chuckled and stood up.
"Ah, I see you found my Pyronkichi series!" He proclaimed, patting Bell's shoulder. The albino felt himself freeze up at the name. Kojiro choked, turning his head away as he coughed.
"...Your what?"
If Welf noticed Bell's disbelief at the name, he seemed to ignore it as he laughed and slapped the other armor pieces with a grin.
"Armor for people with smaller statues!" He paused before clearing his throat, looking away from Bell. "No offense."
"N-none taken. I-I know I'm still growing. Fourteen and what not, ahahaha."
His laughter died down, leaving behind an awkward atmosphere. So yes, he was small but he didn't choose it! He also wanted to be tall and manly! Before tears could threaten their way out, he took a deep breath. No big deal. He just had to wait and eat more veggies for his future growth spurt! As Bell nodded to himself, Welf hummed thoughtfully, arms crossed. Then he snapped his finger at Bell.
"Want one? It's on the house."
At his grin, Bell could only step back in shock, almost letting go of the armor.
"What?! I can't possibly-"
Welf raised his hand and shook his head.
"Hey, guest of honor. Besides, these are older models anyway. Just pick the one you like."
Kojiro rose from his chair, scratching his chin thoughtfully before pointing at the collection of small armor.
"I don't expect you to have many customers with this specific... requirement."
Bell tilted his head as he tried on the chest piece. Now that he mentioned it, Bell couldn't think of many people his size needing armor. Maybe in Orario where many young people went to but Rakia seemed different. Welf chuckled, sighing out wistfully.
"Heh. Caught me. Used to make these things for lil sis before she hit her growth spurt."
Bell bit his lip, ignoring the implications he had the built of a little sister and instead focused on something else.
"You have a sister?" Bell asked with curiosity. No offense meant but Welf didn't seem to be the big brother type. Yet the way his features softened as he looked at the wall couldn't be faked. It made Bell a bit jealous of such a relationship but he squashed the feeling. Instead he remained quiet as Welf stared at a scorched rope hanging next to what seemed to be a half finished chain. His eyes cleared up again, leaving whatever memories he's lost in.
"Yup. Doing some adventurer stuff in Orario." He shook his head with a sigh. "I hope she's having fun."
Silence fell between them. Bell lowered his head, as he pondered over Welf's words. Would grampa feel that way, if he was still around, seeing his grandson off to an adventure? Would he feel this way if he had a younger sibling? He sighed. It wasn't likely he would find out any time soon. Not unless he met his grandfather in heaven or suddenly gain younger siblings. As if sensing his mood, the blacksmith clapped his hands together as he stood up.
"Alright!" He crossed his arms as he puffed his chest out. "I can't call myself a good host if I don't show the sights!"
The two guests immediately looked out of the window. By now the district was painted in a faint red light as the sun began to set. Bell coughed politely and pointed out with a nervous smile.
"Isn't it getting late?"
Welf shook his head and grabbed them by the arms with a smirk.
"It's never too late for the thermae!"
"The what?" Bell asked before yelping as he and Kojiro were being dragged away.
/
The heat and steam in the room made it difficult to see anything, as it covered and distorted the air itself. By now Bell wasn't sure if the water on his skin was due to the humid air or his own sweat. Breathing heavily, he could only stare at Welf in disbelief before pointing at him in shock.
"Ehhhh?!"
Welf winced, covering his ears. Bell lowered his head with a small blush as the blacksmith shook his head with a groan.
"Sheesh, not so loud. Echoes hurt like a bitch."
"You're a noble?" Kojiro asked, tugging at his towel around his waist before leaning back, arms crossed. Unlike the other two young men, he seemed perfectly fine as his breathing was steady. In response Welf laughed weakly, wiping his forehead with an exhausted sigh.
"Well, yeah. Us Crozzo's contributed a lot to Rakia in the past when... " His smile faltered as he trailed off. Biting his lip, he cleared his throat. The two guests looked at each other, Bell with concern, before Kojiro leaned forward, resting his arms on his knees.
"When?" He pushed. Welf glanced at them before shaking his head, almost as if in shame.
"When Rakia still used magic swords."
"Hoh?" Kojiro hummed in interest while Bell's eyes sparkled. Magic Swords! The legendary artifacts in stories that could cleave mountains in half, call in the wrath of heaven itself and burn entire seas! He faintly recalled stories of how Rakia wielded such might, but he always thought it was just stories grampa liked to tell! His excitement fell when Welf gave them a self deprecating smile.
"You two don't know?" He leaned back and closed his eyes. "My ancestor made a contract with a fire spirit, who granted him the ability to create powerful magic swords with the Falna. Which in turn made Rakia pretty damn powerful." He let out a scoff as he lowered his gaze. "Of course, burning down so many forests caused the blessing to be lost to the family."
Ah. Bell lowered his head as the mood grew heavy. Right. The stories tended to skim past it, but powerful weapons would cause great destruction. The sort of suffering his grandfather avoided, to make sure Bell would be cheerful with each story told. But despite his age, Bell wasn't that blind. The implications were clear enough. A spirit enraged at their gift being misused like that, bringing ruin to Rakia as Rakia brought ruin to other countries. He could see it in his mind now, as much as he didn't want it to. For some reason, Bell thought about the architecture, especially the arches on their way to Roma. Didn't that mean... ?
"Until now."
Bell turned to Kojiro as he made that comment, tilting his head as he forgot his line of thinking. What did he mean?
"Eh?"
Welf blinked before cracking a smile at Kojiro. Scratching the back of his head sheepishly, the blacksmith raised an eyebrow at him.
"How did you know?"
"Oh, you just have that air about you I suppose." Kojiro twirled his hand in the air. "Besides, I sensed the magic in some of your blades."
Bell switched between looking at the men before it dawned on him. Ah, that would explain the weird energy he was feeling from thos weapons! As the air began to clear up, Welf laughed awkwardly as Bell's eyes shone once more.
"Yeeeah, more practice pieces than anything. Dunno why I can make them." He shrugged nonchalantly. "Anyway, I don't give those out to the army."
"Why not?" Bell asked. Welf in response raised his hand.
"One reason is that Lord Quirinus prefers not to rely on them. I'm the only one who can make them here so he treats them as special pieces. Also something about 'overreliance is dangerous'. Secondly, my family lost that blessing for a reason. Not gonna repeat the same mistake twice." He raised another finger, clicking his tongue. "Third being... well, I just don't like them. They break after one use most of the time."
At the word break, Bell imagined it. The two blades he was gifted, not used even once, shattered into pieces. He reached for his chest as he let out a whimper, imagining the disappointment of everyone in the Far East for the presents being squandered like that. Judging from how Kojiro tensed up and coughed into his fist, he seemed to feel the same. Welf smirked at them, nodding in approval.
"If it weren't for Lord Quirinus I probably would've left Rakia, ya know... and would've hated that blood of mine."
"Why?" Bell asked with wide eyes.
"I want to be known for my own skills. Not that of my blood. But everyone kept going on about it." He let out a small growl before a smile formed as he sighed. "But he convinced me otherwise. He believed that it was me who could 'create wonders that represent Roma' and no one else. That my blood was just another tool I could use, not a necessity, to be the best blacksmith there is!" He shook his head in amusement. "For Rakia. Heh. Never thought I would consider myself patriotic, but-"
"Romulus has a way with people," Kojiro commented with a nod. Welf snorted in response.
"So you don't want to leave anymore?" Bell asked. The blacksmith hummed in thought, resting his chin on his palm.
"I've been thinking about joining up with my lil' sis in Orario." He shrugged before flashing them a grin. "Someday maybe. But not yet. I still have some projects I wanna finish here."
Bell smiled as well. It seemed like Welf had to go through a lot. And it seemed like Romulus was to him as Kojiro was to Bell. Someone who pushed and led them on a new path they might've ignored otherwise. There were really a lot of different people out there. It made Bell's head spin. Oh, how it made it spin. The world practically seemed to twist around.
"Young master?"
Bell blinked blearily. Huh. Weird. Why did Kojiro sound so muffled?
"Oh crap, how long were we in here?!"
Bell let out a dazed giggle as his body began to sway. Ah. That would explain it. That was the last thought going through his head when the heat became too much and he felt his body fall as the world darkened.