Forging the Wand
Having escaped the Cliffs of Illusion, I arrived at Ehrenburg.
The distance between the Cliffs of Illusion and Ehrenburg was quite far, so I used Blink from time to time.
I mean, I was a mage, so it was a bit much to walk.
And this was outside Ehrenburg.
No one would say anything even if I used Blink.
After continuing to Blink for a while, I saw the gate.
But at that moment.
A familiar face in front of the gate.
“Huh?”
It was Violet.
Why did Violet come here?
She should be working as an adventurer in Baruk.
Thinking curiously, I approached Violet.
“Hello.”
“Huh? What, when did you get here?”
“I just got some materials. By the way, what brings you here?”
Violet didn't seem like the type to enjoy traveling around.
If she came all the way here, there must be a reason.
Thinking so, I asked—
“I also came to make a weapon. Ehrenburg is famous for it, you know.”
“Ah.”
Indeed.
Violet seemed to be very interested in weapons too.
She even showed off her weapon to me last time.
So, I continued.
“I came here to make a weapon too.”
“Most people who come here have that purpose.”
So, Violet and I chatted while waiting in line.
We even talked about useless things.
Where there are many monsters these days.
That new food has been added to Harang Restaurant… and so on.
There were many such conversations.
How long did we wait while talking?
“Halt.”
Ehrenburg was very thorough in this area.
As many people came here to acquire skills, there were many who brought all sorts of dangerous things.
That’s why they were doing this inspection.
Baruk did this too, but not as meticulously as Ehrenburg, using magic tools.
Once again realizing how great Ehrenburg is, I took off my robe.
I didn't want to look suspicious.
“Then let’s begin.”
The guard at the gate approached me and began to slowly scan my body with a scanner-like magic tool.
He was checking if I had any mana-related equipment on me.
But I had already put my belongings in subspace.
But at that moment.
Beep-! Beep-! Beep-!
The magic tool started making a rapid sound.
“Huh.”
I was a little embarrassed.
To make such a rapid sound, there must be something mana-related on me—
“...Ah.”
The crystal I was carrying.
I put it in my pocket because it wouldn’t go into subspace.
I should’ve told him beforehand.
Thinking so, I took the crystal out of my pocket and handed it over.
“This is a crystal I’m raising.”
It might sound strange to people, but I was actually raising this crystal.
Since subspace recognized this crystal as a living being, it felt a bit strange to treat it like any other crystal.
It looked special too.
When I said that—
“...You’re raising a crystal?”
“Yes.”
I had to be confident here.
It would only hurt me more if I showed fear.
The guard said so and looked at the crystal, fiddling with it, and finally—
“...Pass.”
He let me pass.
“Thank you.”
As soon as I passed, I immediately put my robe back on and put the crystal in my pocket.
I don’t know what the crystal is used for, but…
Wouldn’t there be some use for it somewhere?
Thinking so, I watched Violet’s inspection.
Since we’ve met, it would be nice to see her off.
“You want me to put down all my belongings? That’s annoying.”
“Then you can’t enter.”
“Ah, shit…”
Violet seemed annoyed that she had to put down her belongings and talked back for a moment, but in the end, she was the one who would lose, so she put down everything she was carrying.
Then, I saw a deep scar on Violet’s stomach.
“...?”
I’m sure she didn’t have such a scar when I saw her last time.
As I was thinking that, Violet’s inspection was over.
Fortunately, there was nothing wrong.
As Violet approached me, I asked.
“That… scar on your stomach, how did you get it…?”
First of all, Violet was a woman too.
So, she might be sensitive about this part, so I spoke in a worried tone—
“I ran into an Ogre on the way here and ran for my life, what else.”
“An Ogre?”
“Yeah. My heart still races when I think about it.”
It made sense that she would have such a scar if she had encountered an Ogre.
Ogres were monsters with tremendous strength in each blow.
Even cities with numerous armies had to be wary of Ogres.
Besides…
‘I want to heal her.’
[Heal] couldn’t heal scars.
If used shortly after being injured, it could erase the scar, but it was difficult to reverse a scar if the wound was old.
As I was making a regretful expression, Violet patted me on the back and said,
“Why are you so down? It’s only natural for an adventurer.”
Violet said so and fiddled with my cheek.
…It didn't feel bad.
Just like that, we naturally headed to the blacksmith I was going to.
Violet asked if I could introduce her.
I thought it would be impossible considering the personality of the blacksmith I met earlier, but I wasn't sure.
“Wow, it’s huge.”
“It looks simple from the outside, but the inside is quite modern.”
As we entered the blacksmith with Violet, who was amazed by the appearance of the large blacksmith—
Clang-! Clang-!
The sound of countless forgings could be heard everywhere.
Indeed, there was a reason Amelia recommended this place.
Thinking so, I headed to the place where the man guided me earlier.
Knock, knock.
I knocked lightly on the door, and a reply came from inside.
-Come in.
Creak…
With the sound of the door opening, I went in first.
And then I said to the owner of the blacksmith,
“I have a colleague with me, would you mind forging hers as well?”
“What bullshit.”
“Ahaha… She’s a close colleague. It can’t be helped if you can’t.”
When I said that, the blacksmith with pink hair let out a deep sigh—
“Just come in already.”
She allowed it.
*
“So, did you get the Banshee Dust?”
“Yes, I brought it.”
I opened subspace and took out a pouch filled with Banshee Dust.
She was visibly flustered.
“What the. Where did you get this?”
“I got it from the Cliffs of Illusion.”
“No way, you wiped them all out? You can’t get this much…”
“I caught a big one. And a few small ones.”
When I said that and just stared at her, she seemed to ponder for a moment, then—
“...Then, I’ll start forging the wand now, so choose a shape for your wand.”
“Wand shape?”
“Yes, you’re the one who’s going to use it, so you need to know what shape you want it to be.”
“I don’t really care.”
“What kind of a shitty answer is that? Tell me what you want, this or that.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
She seemed to have a bit of a temper.
Seeing how quickly she got angry.
Thinking so, I asked Violet for help.
“How should I make it?”
“Just make it roughly. The shape of the wand doesn't determine its performance.”
“That’s true, but…”
Now that I heard the blacksmith, I wanted to make it into a cool-looking wand.
But with my poor imagination, I couldn't come up with any good ideas.
“Ah, damn…”
What kind of wand should I make to be called well-made?
As I was agonizing over this—
“Ah.”
Finally, a good idea came to mind.
I told the blacksmith my idea.
It seemed like a good idea.
“...What the hell— never mind. I’ll make it like that then.”
It seemed like she was about to say something.
But seeing her stop mid-sentence, it didn’t seem like it was anything important, so I didn’t say anything.
I handed over some of the Banshee Dust I had, and then we started talking about Violet.
“What do you want to make?”
“Something sharp.”
“You think swords are blunt?”
“So, I’m saying it would be good to make it as sharp as possible.”
The Middle Ages were truly beyond my understanding.
Why were they trying to talk down to each other like this?
Wouldn’t it be better and more pleasant to speak respectfully to each other?
Letting out a sigh inwardly, I listened to their conversation.
“Just tell me how sharp you want it, that’s all you need to say.”
“Sharp enough to cut through Ogre hide.”
“Do you think that’s possible?”
“Well, if it’s not possible, it’s not possible. I was hoping…”
Violet was subtly provoking the blacksmith.
As if she was trying to get something out of her.
As they continued their conversation—
“I’ll make it within a week, so when I do, get on your knees and apologize.”
“Sure.”
Violet placed an order for a dagger capable of piercing even an Ogre’s hide from the blacksmith she had just met.
Then, we left the blacksmith.
I asked about the crystal too, but all I got was an “I don’t know” in response.
“Ah, sorry. Did I surprise you?”
“No, not really…”
I wondered why they were fighting, but as I was thinking that, Violet chuckled and started explaining why she acted that way.
“That person, she’s famous in the blacksmithing industry. Pink hair and brown skin. There’s only one blacksmith in the world who looks like that.”
Violet paused for a moment and continued,
“That blacksmith is known for her strong pride. That’s why I provoked her. If I hadn’t said that, she would’ve kicked me out right away.”
“No wonder…”
There was no way Violet would be so rude to someone she had just met.
My belief wasn’t wrong.
As I was thinking that, Violet continued,
“She is a bit of a bitch though.”
“Right.”
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Noooooooo, I caught up ;-;
ReplyDeleteI need moreeeee