In less than thirty seconds, Alfie had turned the wooden blade into a brand-new, polished black sword. The air stood still. The smith's mouth hung wide open. Everyone else was frozen in awe.
"H-How did you do that, kiddo? That was amazing!" the smith stammered, eyes wide. "Your papa must be a legend."
"Thanks, old man," Alfie replied, casually dropping the heavy hammer with a clank.
"Master," Rebekah leaned in to whisper to Lucy, "how is Alfie getting this strong? I noticed something was different when we fought in the forest."
Lucy smirked. "Wanna hear something wild? Ever heard of force energy, Rebekah?"
"Force energy?" Rebekah blinked. "Nope, not a clue."
"I'll simplify it for you," Lucy began. "Every Shinra with Renshi has force energy. It's physical power drawn from Renshi itself. When someone awakens their Renshi, their muscles and bones strengthen according to the level of their Renshi. The more you cultivate it, the stronger your physical power becomes."
"Whoa… that's kind of crazy," Rebekah muttered. "But how is Alfie still so strong even after you sealed his Renshi?"
"Because when he first awakened, his muscles already adapted and strengthened. He didn't even realize how much power he had. If he had, he probably would've taken down that Alpha darkside spirit himself."
Rebekah's eyes widened in realization. "He relied too much on Renshi back then…"
"Exactly," Lucy nodded. "He was still inexperienced."
The smith stepped forward, his face bright with newfound admiration. "Hey, kid—I'd love to meet your father. And I want to take you in as my student. You've got real talent!"
"Huh?!" Alfie shouted, stunned.
Lucy's expression immediately turned sharp. She stepped forward with blazing eyes. "What did you just say, old man?"
"I said I want to make this kid my apprentice," the smith repeated firmly. "A raw talent like this shouldn't go to waste."
Lucy wrapped her arm tightly around Alfie. "Forget it, grandpa. He's already mine. No one's taking him from me." She started pulling Alfie away. "We've wasted enough time here. Let's go, Alfie. Rebekah, come on."
As Lucy turned to leave, the smith grabbed Alfie's other arm. "I said I'm taking him in. I'm not backing down."
Now both of them were tugging Alfie in opposite directions like a human tug-of-war.
"This is getting ridiculous," Rebekah said, exasperated. "After all the trouble Alfie causes, I still can't bring myself to hate him. It just makes me like him more…"
"Let go!" Alfie shouted. "I can't be your student, old man. My father already entrusted me to my master!"
The smith froze. Lucy gave one last tug and yanked Alfie toward her side.
"I… I see," the smith said softly. "If your father entrusted you to her… then I've lost. I respect that. You're a lucky boy, and your master is lucky to have you."
He turned quietly and walked back toward his corner of the shop, his hammer in hand. Alfie quickly jogged after him and bowed deeply.
"Thank you, sir… for letting me use your furnace and hammer."
The smith gave a warm smile and helped Alfie rise. "You're welcome, kid. One smith helping another—that's all."
He gave Alfie's shoulder a firm squeeze, then looked back at Lucy and Rebekah. "Whatever journey you're on, just make sure you pass through the border of Eminence and the border of Sunflower quickly. That land between is wild. No rules, no safety. Rogue Shinras lurk there after sundown. If you plan to travel tonight, you better wait till morning."
"Thanks for the warning," Lucy replied, stepping forward with a grateful nod. She reached into her storage ring and handed him ten gold coins. "This is for the sword."
The smith stared at the coins, then pushed them back. "No, no. I can't take this. My price would've been five coins, and I didn't even forge the blade. Keep it."
Lucy blinked. "Wait, I thought the charge was ten? That's what that guy told me." She pointed toward the equipment shop owner.
"You swindler!" the smith roared. "You lied to her?!"
The equipment shop owner lowered his head. "I was just trying to make a living. Don't judge me."
"You don't make a living by robbing people!" the smith snapped. "You don't know what kind of burdens people carry. For all you know, you're robbing them of their last coin!"
The man walked back to his shop in shame.
Lucy chuckled and placed five gold coins back in the smith's hand. "Take it anyway. Not for the sword—but for giving up on Alfie."
The smith grinned.