Because of the war, the village of Vulcania, known across the continent for its blacksmiths, was struck as well. The place was in flames, practically destroyed, as it was being attacked by the eighth commander of the demon legion. He watched everything from the ridge above the smoke and asked his soldiers why the village had not been conquered yet. The messenger replied that everything was going according to plan, and that they would soon take control of the place.
The gates were already on the verge of collapse, and the few survivors could feel the structures trembling. Among them, some commented that, according to the empire's information, they were alone there, since the high-ranking officers had left long ago. Others simply confirmed the obvious, saying they had expected this. After all, they had been abandoned by their own nation.
Even so, a message from the demon army was delivered. If they began forging weapons for the demons, they would be spared. But if they refused, they would all die. Still, no one there seemed willing to surrender. They were already prepared to die for it.
At that moment, a little girl approached her father, and he, trying to remain calm, told Yuta to hide and not to make a sound.
He explained that the forging techniques passed down through generations were the essence of Vulcania, the true heart of that place, and that this tradition could never be broken. That was why she needed to survive. He went on to say that she had to move forward without regrets, that she needed to be proud, because without blacksmiths, there are no heroes.
In a world full of monsters, they are the ones who create humanity's weapons. Even in the face of despair and harsh reality, Yuta had to live on to carry this legacy and pass on the village's skills.
When the gates were finally destroyed, the blacksmiths were already waiting for the demons. The commander observed the scene and questioned whether they had chosen death. Yuta's father replied that blacksmiths may be broken, but they are never malleable like metal, and therefore would never bend.
With that, the commander ordered them all to be killed, and the blacksmiths fought with everything they had, using hammers, blades, and the very power of the furnaces. Amid the chaos, Yuta tried to run to save her father, but his final words were for her never to forget that they were blacksmiths.
Soon after, he was killed before her eyes.
In time, everyone was exterminated, leaving only Yuta, the last survivor of Vulcania. The commander then approached her, saying it was a pity that all the shields protecting her had been destroyed. He grabbed her brutally and said she should be grateful to be alive, because now she carried the blacksmith's blood and would serve the demon king.
Years later, now within the demon king's domain, inside Rodial's forge, Yuta, now older, worked tirelessly. Ten years had passed since the massacre of her village, and she had survived as an enslaved blacksmith, creating weapons and equipment for the demons. In the midst of her routine, she set aside her work goggles and thought that nothing ever really changed, that this could not even be called work.
At that moment, the commander appeared, carrying a report and the body of a subordinate named PX who had died in battle. He asked whether it could still be used, and Yuta understood exactly what he meant, since the materials she worked with were not just ordinary metals, but monster corpses. The commander ordered the body to be dismantled and turned into a weapon, and that was precisely what she did every day, dissecting bodies, discarding what was useless, and reusing the rest.
It was a miserable, painful, and disgusting process, but a necessary one to survive. Deep down, she thought that maybe she should have died alongside her family and her village, because she had lost the true purpose of a blacksmith, the very thing her father had tried to teach her until the end. Even so, she kept going, with no choice, until suddenly something unexpected happened.
Someone literally fell through the ceiling into the forge. It was a blond woman, who asked if there was a human there. Confused, Yuta asked who she was, and the woman introduced herself as the heroine.
Meanwhile, elsewhere, a messenger informed the commander that other leaders were questioning the fact that a human was crafting weapons from the bodies of demons themselves. The commander dismissed the criticism, saying they were all fools, since Yuta's ability came from her lineage, something unique that no one else could replicate. He explained that working with monster bodies was extremely dangerous, as they could explode or disintegrate, but that she possessed a kind of gift, almost like magic, that allowed her to turn them into powerful artifacts. That was why she was kept alive.
Back in the forge, Yuta began to take an interest in the heroine, especially in the swords she carried, asking about their material, how they were made, and where they came from. The heroine answered simply, saying she had got them from the so-called blacksmith street, that they were not very expensive, and that they only had a few enchantments.
Even so, Yuta was fascinated, analyzing the balance and quality of the blades, even acting a bit strange as she examined them closely. The heroine found it curious, but Yuta explained that there was no way she could be normal after being captured as a child and forced to work for monsters.
The conversation continued, and the heroine asked if she had learned all of that on her own. Yuta explained that she had studied from documents left behind by her people, since the commander threatened to kill her if she did not produce results.
Amid all this, Yuta showed admiration for the so-called blacksmith street, saying that the place must be incredible. The heroine then suggested taking her there, since forging weapons was clearly more than just survival for her. According to the heroine, people who keep living even in the worst conditions usually have a reason, or are searching for one, and she wanted to know what Yuta's reason was.
This made Yuta remember her father's words and everything about the village, about continuing on even in the face of pain and misery, carrying Vulcania's legacy. The heroine then said that she did not need to explain her reason, but that she needed to feel it for herself.
At that moment, everything began to shake again, as a new visitor arrived: the commander of the Eighth Legion.