Reincarnated as an SSS-Ranked Blacksmith Who Refuses to Forge Weapons-Chapter 48. The Test is Done

Chapter 48: 48. The Test is Done
The shadow figure turned its head to think about the question. "Because I had to find out if any of you were worth saving."
"The gods have put a lot of power into bringing those reincarnators here."
"The gods?" Ryn said it again, her tired mind trying to make sense of this new information.
"You think it was just luck that someone came back to life? Acts of mercy from God? The shadow laughed. "No. They were an investment."
"Pawns are set up on a board for a game that hasn’t even started yet. Most people who are reincarnated get power and are told to save the world."
"Most of them become defined by the power they receive. They often grow overconfident, self-centered, and mean-spirited, convinced of their own importance."
It looked at Elias’s broken body. "That prick was a sore loser in his past life."
"He was given everything but didn’t do any single shit that mattered except bragging off like a little prick."
"But this one," the shadow said, looking back at Greg, "was given power and chose to use it responsibly rather than recklessly."
"He decided to make things instead of break them, and of course he decided to protect instead of take over just because he learned from his past life as the most feared blacksmith, called The Warhammer Saint."
"That choice... right there... with that belief, is worth more than a thousand famous swords." The shadowy figure was proud of Greg’s development of a character even though Elias lives longer in Realiverse than Greg.
The smaller monsters started to back off, and the purple light in their eyes faded as the shadow figure let go of its hold. They ran back into the woods, their natural fear coming back now that they didn’t have to attack.
The shadow said, "Your test is over," and its voice sounded almost polite now. "Greg Greyson has shown that he is worthy."
"The Guardian he made shows that even in a world obsessed with violence and power, there are still people who know what is really worth protecting."
"So you’re just going to leave like that?" Denna asked, not believing it. "After all this chaos and destruction?"
"Yes, I am," the shadow said. "My job here is done."
"I will give you one piece of advice, though." The figure looked at each person in turn. "Take care of that blacksmith."
"The gods who brought you here won’t like what he stands for. They asked for weapons, but he gave them shields."
"They wanted a warrior, but he chose to be a craftsman instead. Divine beings don’t like it when people act that way."
"But still, some gods respected him."
Before anyone could say anything, the shadowy figure started to fade away, turning into mist that the wind quickly blew away. The last words echoed through the ruined village square.
"The real fight is coming. Be ready when it gets here because it will be caused by someone not from this world..."
And then it was gone, leaving behind only frost-covered ground and the feeling of great power fading into darkness. No one moved for a long time, and no one said anything. They all just stood there, trying to figure out what had happened, what it meant, and what would happen next.
Then, slowly, one of the villagers, an old farmer who had been hiding behind an overturned cart, stood up. He looked at the Guardian Reborn, who was still standing guard, the Crimson Falcons, who had fought even though they were outnumbered, and Greg, who was unconscious in Marina’s arms.
He said simply, "We’re alive."
"We’re really alive, by all the gods."
That seemed to end the spell. More villagers came out of hiding and looked around in shock at the destruction around them and the fact that they had lived. That even though the odds were against them, with Class S monsters and a being that could control them, they were still alive.
Someone laughed, and it sounded a little crazy. Then another person joined in, and the sound of tired, happy laughter mixed with tears soon filled the whole square.
A young woman yelled, "We did it! We really did it!"
"Another voice said, "The Guardian saved us!"
"The Crimson Falcons fought for us!"
"That blacksmith did everything he could to keep us safe!"
At first, the celebration was small, with people hugging and crying with joy. But it got bigger as more survivors came forward and realized how big of a deal it was that they had survived. Someone began to sing an old folk song about fighting against the dark while others joined in.
Denna sat down hard, and her axe fell to the ground next to her. "Did we just win? Is it really done?"
Kael looked at the forest where the shadow had disappeared and said, "For now. But I don’t think it’s really done. That thing said the real fight is coming."
"Let’s not worry about that right now," Ryn said as she fell next to Denna. "I just want to not be dead right now."
Marina held Greg closer and cried as she felt his weak but steady heartbeat. "You complete idiot," she said softly. "You idiot, you’re so cool and stupid at the same time."
The Guardian Reborn stayed in the middle of the square, where its protection field was slowly fading now that the danger had passed. But it didn’t go away or turn off. Instead, it knelt down, lowering its giant body until its glowing eyes were level with Marina’s.
Marina knew what it was giving her when it reached out with one giant hand. She carefully put Greg in the Guardian’s hand, and the construct held him with such care that it seemed like he was made of glass.
Even though they were worn out and the village was in ruins, the celebration went on. People danced and sang because they were alive, and that was worth celebrating. But Marina couldn’t stop looking at Greg’s pale face and the Guardian holding him so carefully.
"Please stay with us," she said softly. "We’re not done yet."
"You said you wouldn’t push us away, remember? Don’t you dare leave now."
Greg’s fingers twitched slightly, as if responding to her words. It wasn’t much because it’s just a small movement, but it was enough. He was still here and still fighting in some way, that felt like the biggest victory of all.
But none of them saw the one black feather that had fallen from the sky and landed quietly in the frost where the shadow figure had been. They didn’t see how it pulsed with dark energy once before disappearing completely.
They didn’t know that something much more dangerous had just noticed the blacksmith who refused to make weapons, even though one test had just ended.