With a loud thud, Tunner Von Linner dropped his warhammer on the floor of the training hall. The weapon was resting on a rack made just for its weight, and even then, the wood groaned under the strain.

He took a towel off a nearby bench and wiped the sweat off his face. His dark eyes were getting more and more interested in the three visitors.

"So let me get this straight," Tunner said in a deep voice that sounded a little strange. "You're saying that Meridian, the capital city protected by the full might of the Royal Knights, including Lady Rosalina herself, is in danger from some kind of a weapon monster?"

Lylia stepped forward with the compass still in her hand and said, "It's called the Calamity of Weapons."

"It takes in every weapon it touches and gets stronger. We have already lost many Royal Knights trying to stop it, and it has already destroyed half of the palace or even Meridian!"

Tunner's face changed from doubt to outright disbelief. He threw his head back and laughed, a loud sound that echoed through the whole hall.

For a few seconds, he couldn't stop laughing. Then he finally calmed down and wiped his eyes.

"Huhahaha, that's fucking funny actually," he said, still laughing. "You really had me going for a second there."

"A monster that eats weapons? And the Royal Knights can't deal with it? Come on, Lylia! You may have left the order, but you should still remember what we can do!"

Lylia said, "Why are you laughing!? This isn't even a joke to begin with!" Her voice was full of anger. "I saw Lady Rosalina give up her life to give us time to get to you!"

"Tunner... she's dead! She died because that thing was too strong for her!"

Right away, the laughter stopped. Tunner's face grew hard, and he crossed his huge arms over his chest. "Now that is not a funny thing to laugh at... you know damn well that Lady Rosalina is not going to die easily."

"In three generations, she's the strongest Royal Knight! There's not a threat in this world that could bring her down! That's why she's the reason for peace in those kingdoms!"

Lylia said in a low voice, "I saw it happen with my own eyes!"

"She held it off until we got away. She knew she wouldn't make it, but she did it anyway because stopping the Calamity was more important than her life!"

"You saw wrong," Tunner said in a flat voice. "Or you're making too much of what you saw."

"Lady Rosalina has fought off hordes of dragons, stopped whole armies by herself, and once held up a mountain for six hours straight to keep it from falling on a village."

"That woman won't fall for some stupid monster that eats weapons!"

Greg's fist felt tight. The way they talked down to him and wouldn't even think about what he was saying reminded him too much of how King Anthony first reacted. People who are powerful and strong never wanted to believe that something could hurt them.

"With all due respect," Greg said, getting Tunner's attention, "we're not here to talk about whether Lady Rosalina could have lived."

"We came here because Meridian needs help, and you're one of the few people who can give it."

Tunner's eyes narrowed as he looked Greg up and down, taking in the dusty clothes, the Guardian's Oath arm guard, and the fact that he didn't have any traditional weapons. "And who are you supposed to be? Another former Knight?"

"Greg Greyson," Greg said. "I'm a blacksmith..."

Tunner's face lit up with recognition, but it wasn't the kind that made him happy. His face changed, as if he had eaten something sour.

"Greg Greyson, huh...? Yes, yes... I've heard of you."

"The blacksmith who won't make weapons! The person who thinks he's better than everyone else because he only makes peaceful tools!"

Greg started with, "That's not why I do it," but Tunner cut him off.

"Do you know how disrespectful that is?" Tunner's voice got louder, and his anger came through in his words. "To everyone who has ever used a weapon to keep themselves safe?!"

"To the Knights who carry swords to protect people who can't protect themselves? You sit in your workshop making farming tools and cooking pans while acting like you're somehow better than everyone else!"

Greg said, "I never said I was better," and he kept his voice calm even though he was being accused. "I just don't want to be part of cycles of violence."

"Every weapon I make is another way for someone to hurt someone else."

"And every weapon you don't make leaves another person defenseless!" Tunner shot back.

He started to walk back and forth, and the floor shook a little bit when he walked. "What do you think is wrong with people like you who are idealists?!"

"You believe that good intentions and positive thoughts are what keep the world going. But that's not how things really are!"

He made a wide gesture that included the training hall and everything else around it. "The Royal Knights are real because there are real threats in this world."

"Monsters, thieves, and corrupt nobles who would hurt the innocent! Without weapons and people willing to use them, civilization would fall apart."

Greg said, "I'm not saying weapons should never be made. I'm saying that I won't make them myself. That's my limit, and that's my choice."

"A choice that kills people," Tunner said plainly. "How many lives could have been saved if you had used your skills to make weapons for the Royal Knights instead of wasting them on things for the house?"

"How many people have died because weapons made war too easy?" Greg replied. "I spent forty years in my last life making weapons that would go down in history."

"Do you know what they were for?! Taking over. Killing. Genocide. Every sword I made was used to hurt people!"

"I made many spears, but they all ended up in the hands of tyrants. I'm done helping with that!"

Tunner stopped walking back and forth and faced Greg directly. "Life before? What kind of nonsense are you talking about?

Elwen said quietly, "He's a reincarnator."

"The Warhammer Saint has come back to life in this world. He decided to change and become better than he was."

Tunner repeated, "The Warhammer Saint," and then laughed again, this time more loudly. "Of course."

"Let me guess... the gods brought you back, but you didn't like their gift? You turned down your purpose because you think you know better than the gods?!"

Greg said, "The gods wanted me to make weapons for their wars, but I said no. And I would say no again."

Tunner shook his head in disgust. "Unbelievable. You're the reason why modern craftsmanship is unacceptable."

"People who don't respect tradition or understand duty are just full of empty philosophy and self-righteousness."

"Please, Tunner," Lylia said as she stepped between them with her hands raised to calm them down. "We're not here to talk about Greg's choices."

"We are here because the Calamity is getting worse, and Meridian needs the Elite Knights."

"Will you help us or not?"

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