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Chap. 12 La Valliere

Since the golem horse wasn't really a living being, it was designed from the start to be tweakable for convenience. For example, the magician who created it had intended the horseshoes to be screwed rather than nailed. That was cleverlythought out - horseshoes wore out and had to be replaced. But that brought with it certain problems. Standard horseshoes did not fit on the wooden legs, so the coachman was given four extra horseshoes. But what use was that if the coachman had forgotten the wrench needed to change them!
The village on the way between Les Ornielles and La Valliere, where they had stopped, had a blacksmith, but he had no such tools. It had to be made first, and that's how long the passengers had to wait. The inn in which they had found accommodation was run by the village mayor and offered only the minimum of comfort. So Louise and Saito had preferred to spend the waiting time outside the inn. There was a small bench by the main entrance and there they sat. Saito had his sword, the precious Muramasa blade, on his knees in front of him and was looking at it with an unreadable expressionon his face.
"Why are you staring at your sword like that?"Louise broke the silence after a long time.
Saito sighed. "I thought of Derflinger. I found out back then that the old sword's personality could transfer into a new weapon - back when that mercenary force, the Flowerbed Knights, destroyed the old sword. Derflinger told me at the time that he had the ability to settle into a new blade, but that would take time. When no sword was around he would lie dormant in my runes until an opportunity arose to "animate" a new sword, so to speak ".
"And that was the sword you got to replace the old blade – the Masamune or whatever it's called," Louise replied.
Saito smiled."That's right! And that blade too was destroyed when Derflinger tried to intercept the Ancient Dragon's fiery breath."
"But I did see Derflinger's image on that screen on board the F2, that tsuba he was waving when he was talking."
"Yes. He must have switched from the runes on my hand to the F2's onboard computer, and he seems to have had an easy time doing that. Well, an F2 isn't a sword, but it's a weapon! And the F2's onboard computer was probably ideal made to take in his soul. I even think he was the one who steered the F2 in its kamikaze flight for the last meters to the most sensitive spot of the Ancient Dragon. But did he manage to avoid the explosion escape and switch back to my runes? I have doubts. After the Ancient Dragon was destroyed, Void magic continued to decline, leading me to suspect that Derflinger's magic was a form of Void magic. And a little later than I got the Muramasa Blade, he didn't call back. And you know what it was like when we entered my world through the gate of Brimir's Mirror. The runes were gone."
"Well, they reappeared when we renewed our pact!"
Saito nodded. "But whether Derflinger even managed to switch back to the runes after the fatal flight of the F2, and whether he managed to "survive..." despite the disappearance of runes in our world."
"We can only hope,"Louise replied. "Perhaps it's because the Void is so horribly weak at the moment that Derflinger is having a hard time adjusting to the new blade. I'll admit I miss that sword, even if there's always such cheeky remarks available about me had."
Saito had to laugh. "Somehow this old blade liked you. You know: In my world they say: what loves teases."

Louise just snorted and turned her head to look down the street. At least there was something to see: "There's a carriage coming over there."
"There's not much traffic here," Saito replied. "Where is she headed to?"
The vehicle rolled up slowly and swaying slightly. Saito and Louise had expected the carriage to drive through town without stopping, but things turned out differently - Right in the villagesquare where they were sitting, the crunching of the brake pads became audible, the carriage driver tightened the reins... "Brrrr!" his call echoed far and wide. The horses obediently stopped. The coachman took a horn that was hanging on a hook next to him and blew a signal that could be heard throughout the village. The meaning was clear: "The mail has arrived! Anyone who has something to receive or send, come here!"