Chapter 1665 - 232 - Preparation Done (2)

"That's a rather harsh way of putting it."

"I'm simply stating what I've observed."

She said it so casually that I couldn't even find a proper argument against it.

Still, she soon became more serious.

"Even so, I understand the sentiment behind what you're saying," she continued. "There is something special about holding onto a weapon you've used for a long time because of the memories and sentimental value attached to it."

She looked toward the weapons in front of us.

"People who casually throw away their old weapons simply because they found something newer and apparently better are the ones I would consider trash."

She wasn't wrong about that.

If someone couldn't understand the value of something they already possessed, then perhaps they didn't deserve whatever better thing they were hoping to obtain afterward.

At least, that was how I saw it.

A weapon wasn't merely a piece of metal.

It was something you trained with over countless hours.

It was something you depended on when your life was actually on the line.

It was something that had remained in your hands through victories, failures, injuries, and countless other moments that couldn't simply be replaced by picking up a shinier weapon.

That was why throwing something away simply because another option looked stronger always felt somewhat wrong to me.

"More importantly, Leon..." Agneis suddenly said.

Her tone changed slightly, becoming more serious than before.

"Are you certain you want them on the front line?" she asked. "Those are the heroes, aren't they?"

I turned around and looked behind me.

Sure enough, the five heroes were following along with me.

Well, technically speaking, I had told them to come with me because I wanted them to look through the weapons and see whether anything caught their attention.

Their current weapons were already quite good.

There wasn't anything particularly wrong with them, and they had already become accustomed to using those weapons in battle.

However, I couldn't help feeling that their current equipment was also limiting their potential to some degree.

The five heroes had become much stronger since arriving here, and their abilities had developed considerably over time.

Because of that, I thought it was only reasonable to give them the opportunity to see what else was available.

If they found something that suited them better, then they could take it.

If they didn't find anything they liked, then they could simply keep using the weapons they already had.

At the end of the day, the decision had to belong to them.

Still, I couldn't help noticing the contradiction between that idea and what I had said earlier about the sentimental value of weapons.

I had just explained how important it was to recognize the value of something before abandoning it for something new.

Yet here I was, practically encouraging the heroes to abandon their current weapons if they found something better.

However, there was an important distinction between those two situations.

A weapon couldn't really have sentimental value to someone if that person didn't feel particularly attached to it in the first place.

If they couldn't properly use their current weapons anymore, or if those weapons had stopped helping them grow, then perhaps those weapons simply weren't as valuable to them as I had assumed.

The important thing was that they had to recognize the value of something for themselves before deciding whether it was worth keeping.

They shouldn't keep something simply because someone else told them that it was valuable.

Likewise, they shouldn't throw something away simply because another person told them that something else was better.

They had to make that decision themselves.

If they didn't find anything suitable among these weapons, then that was perfectly fine.

They could simply return to their original equipment and continue using what they already knew.

If they did find something that suited them even better, however, then that would be even better for them in the long run.

At least, that was how I looked at the situation.

I watched the five heroes carefully as they examined the weapons displayed around the room.

Some of them were checking the swords while others were looking over different types of weapons, apparently trying to figure out which ones might complement their abilities the best.

From the way they were examining everything, it seemed like they weren't simply searching for something flashy.

They were genuinely trying to find weapons that could bring out more of their potential.

That was probably the most important thing.

A stronger weapon wasn't automatically better simply because its specifications were higher.

What mattered was whether the person using it could actually bring out that strength.

A weapon could possess incredible power, but if its wielder couldn't properly control it, then most of that potential would simply go to waste.

At the same time, a weapon that looked weaker on paper could become incredibly powerful in the hands of someone who understood exactly how to use it.

That was why I didn't intend to force any of them to choose something.

They needed to find something that felt right for them.

If they found that weapon here, then great.

If they didn't, then there was nothing wrong with that either.

I continued watching them for a while, quietly observing their reactions as they moved from one weapon to another.

Their expressions showed that they were taking the decision seriously, which was probably a good sign considering what was waiting for us outside these walls.

Soon enough, they would be standing on the battlefield.

Soon enough, those weapons would stop being objects displayed inside a workshop and become tools they would depend on to survive.

That was why I wanted them to choose carefully.

After all, they were the ones who would eventually have to carry those weapons onto the front line, and whatever they chose could very well determine whether they returned from that battlefield alive.

While I was watching them like that, Agneis motioned for me to move along and continue toward the next project that we had prepared for inspection.

"Shall we go to the next one, Leon?" she asked while gesturing toward its direction.

"Alright," I said, giving her a small nod before following her.