The customer picked up the sword, reverently it seemed, and admired it before turning the point toward its smith. "Now, if you please, the secret of your peerless weapons."
"Hmph. You aren't the first to try that," the swordsmith said. "It works, too, but once they hear it, they all swear to keep the secret. Of their own volition!"
"We will see. So?"
"It's the metal. Froganite."
"I have never heard of froganite. Are you sacrificing your life for a joke?"
"Of course you haven't heard of it. It's secret. Froganite is exceedingly rare because there's only one way to get it, and not from any mine. First, a steel frog devours gold flies. Then . . ."
"Then?"
"Then my assistants wait a week or so and pick up the, uh, result of the process. Takes a while to get enough."
The customer examined the sword again, somewhat less reverently. "Really?"
"Yep."
"Oh. Well." Saying that, he sheathed the magnificent blade, and nothing needed be said about whether he would tell anyone the truth behind it. On the verge of leaving, he paused. "How did anyone find that out?"
"You aren't the first to ask that, either."
Finis
No comments:
Post a Comment