“This was the blade of the greatest, but also most cruel, fighter that the land has ever seen,” the guide continued.

“It’s…a potato peeler.”

“Not just any potato peeler. Forged from damascene steel by the last living man who knew how to work it…into cutlery, anyway. The great fighter would cut his opponents’ skin off in small patches, bit by bit, until they bled to death.”

“Why does the painting show him peeling potatoes, then?”

The guide shrugged. “There are two theories, both dimmed by the passage of time. Either the potatoes are his victims, and it’s a metaphor, or he also peeled potatoes to make ends meet between wars.

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