Chapter 68
HEL SCANS
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“We should arrive around tomorrow evening.”
“Yes, should we prepare for camping?”
“No, there’s a rest area nearby. Let’s head there.”
“Understood.”
We travelled tirelessly for two days, but it wasn’t a harsh journey.
Our conversation flowed smoothly, and my companion had no complaints.
Furthermore, the weather had clearly transitioned into spring.
I glanced at Nyhill, who was munching on jerky while looking at the map.
Petals carried by the spring breeze gently landed on her plump cheek.
“…”
She belatedly realized it, pulled off the petal, and held it up to the moonlight before letting it flutter away.
‘…Truly capable.’
Versatile.
Unfazed by any unpleasant tasks, she executed even seemingly incomprehensible requests without harboring any doubts.
It wasn’t that she didn’t want to understand; it seemed more like she was a person born without the concept of ‘curiosity.’
A feeling of getting exactly what you input.
Since the results were excellent, she was an indispensable worker from the perspective of someone assigning tasks.
…However, observing that inhuman proficiency sometimes stirred an inexplicable sense of discomfort.
‘She’s only eighteen or nineteen.’
How harsh of a training did she undergo to become like this at such a young age?
Considering the Imperial Intelligence’s methods for nurturing agents, it must have been a terribly grueling time.
When such thoughts crossed my mind, I felt like I was seeing my past self in her—a past version of me who wandered through life without ever experiencing the happiness of being human for a moment.
‘When this mission is over, I should give her a few days off or something.’
That’s what I was thinking when Nyhill spoke quietly.
“There’s a rest area over there.”
On one side of the road, a bright light shimmered—a small two-story building that belonged to Glendor, not the Empire, a private rest area.
As we entered on horseback, a caretaker walked out, his uniform noticeably wrinkled.
“Welcome to Glendor Wespear 7th Branch. Are you the two? The fee is 2 shillings per person. Bath fees are separate….”
Without a word, I presented the card that Yussi had handed me.
The change in attitude was instantaneous.
The weary expression turned into a bow, nearly revealing the top of his head.
“Oh, welcome, honored guests. You can enjoy all the services at Wespear 7th Branch free of charge….”
I handed the chatty employee the reins and, taking control, surveyed the outer barn with its full stable and the main building where the talkative sound of horses emanated.
Despite being a Glendor facility, it looked quite shabby, owing to the backwardness of the region.
“Are there other guests?”
“Yes, one is staying upstairs. Um, the guest’s name is… well….”
“First, please guide us.”
Upstairs.
If they came from the west, we might obtain information about a stake post near Lonkers.
Nyhill whispered, “I’ll take a look around for a moment.”
“You must be tired too, so come back quickly, I’ll be going in for now.”
“Understood.”
Guided by the employee, we entered the main building.
Creak!
The sluggish sound of the door echoed, and a dimly lit hall appeared.
A group of chattering travellers turned in unison.
I stopped dead in my tracks.
…I could smell the faint odour of blood.
It seemed there were more stories to be told.
***
The tired Hero silently took a seat in an empty chair.
Then, he flicked a silver coin toward the man.
Thunk.
With skillful precision, he caught the silver coin, and his gaze turned back to the Hero.
An unspoken agreement had been made.
“How far have you travelled upstream?”
“Well, it’s quite obvious in this area. Springdale, Sunhill, Lonkers….”
“…Looks like you encountered monsters along the way.”
“You have a keen eye.”
The man sighed and rummaged through his belongings.
An old pipe dangled precariously from his fingers.
“Are you a traveller? A wanderer?”
“Whichever way you look at it, it’s fine.”
“Oh, a secretive guy, it seems. Still, you must know about the stake, right?”
“Of course, I know. But I didn’t expect its influence to reach the vicinity of the villages you mentioned… Hasn’t it been that long since it was put up?”
*Cough*
The man erupted into a dry laugh and cough simultaneously.
“Yeah. Our upper management thought so. That’s why we stupidly planned to sell our goods quickly and run.”
“Upper management?”
The Hero noticed there were no figures resembling merchants among their group.
Only guards.
There was no sign of guests upstairs either.
The Hero turned his gaze back to the man.
The corners of his mouth twisted into a cynical smile.
“Want to talk to our upper management?”
“That’s right.”
“Well, mysterious sir. If you head west, you’ll meet them soon.”
…It meant death.
The Hero inquired,
“Is the situation really that messed up?”
“This stake seems strange.”
A young man who had been noisily clattering dishes next to them intervened.
His voice trembled with excitement.
“We were almost in big trouble, weren’t we? If we hadn’t just passed Lonkers, we wouldn’t have survived like this.”
“Yeah, maybe we would have left our bones in that field.”
…Lonkers.
The Hero asked again.
“Is Lonkers just a rural village? Do they have the means to help you?”
“Well, we received help, so that’s why we’re still alive.”
“I’d like to hear more details.”
“…Sure.”
The man, having received another silver coin, cleared the dishes away.
“So, this is how it happened….”
The story was concise.
The stake in this area strangely spread the magical contamination much faster than usual.
The nearby villages were quickly affected by the magic, causing monsters to proliferate, and casualties began to rise.
‘Could it be that a powerful demon came as the administrator, contrary to what the emperor said?’
The Hero wondered, but if the emperor called it a low-grade stake…
With that doubt in mind, the Hero looked at the man continuing the story.
“But luckily, Lonkers remained relatively unharmed. The ‘artisan’ handcrafted Aquatic weapons, and they were all neatly arranged. The monsters that were chasing us melted away when they encountered those weapons.”
“The artisan… have you met the one who crafted Aquatic weapons?”
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“No, we barely stayed in Lonkers. We only heard vaguely about such a person from the militia. Anyway, to think that you can make such amazing weapons out of materials found in that trash-like neighbourhood. Honestly, it’s unbelievable.”
“….”
The Hero nodded calmly.
‘…Lonkers doesn’t seem to be in immediate danger.’
However, he couldn’t be completely reassured.
Noubelmag was an excellent artisan, but his combat abilities were not exceptional.
The variable of ‘rapid magical contamination’ had already occurred.
It would be a prudent decision to hurry and reach Lonkers before another variable emerged.
The Hero organized his thoughts, stood up abruptly, and the man who had been enthusiastically talking fell silent, giving him a disbelieving look.
“…Are you planning to continue your journey west?”
The Hero responded calmly.
*Ping!*
It was a fairytale.
“…A miser.”
The Hero pocketed it, saying, “Yeah, I’m planning to leave now.”
“At this late hour? Are you crazy? Even in the morning, it’s a dangerous situation…”
The man, shaking his head nervously, interrupted, “What’s your name? This is also fate, so I should wish you well.”
“Kasim.”
“Alright, Kasim. Any last words?”
“If you act so stingy, you won’t be popular with women.”
Leaving the chubby man behind, the Hero stepped out.
Just then, Nyhill, who had completed reconnaissance around and was entering the main building, looked at him with widened eyes.
She seemed puzzled about why he was coming out like this.
Seeing her dusty clothes and tousled hair, the Hero felt a bit guilty.
“Seems like we should sleep after reaching Lonkers. Sorry.”
“No problem.”
Nikhil headed to the stable without saying anything.
The two walked straight along the road leading to Lonkers.
* * *
Noubelmag.
Since the beginning of the Second Era, the most outstanding blacksmith.
While there were countless epithets used to refer to him, the most famous one would probably be ‘Miracle of Nature.’
▼
Recorded Figure: Noubelmag
Master Blacksmith
Drunkard
Spirit Weapon Maker
Workaholic
…And a half-blood.
▲
As indicated by the last comment, he was born between the seemingly incompatible races, the Fairy and the Dwarf.
To my knowledge, it was an unprecedented case.
‘…With the power of that bloodline, he inherited the maximum talents of both Dwarven alchemy and Elven spirit magic.’
Thanks to this, Noubelmag became the only artisan capable of crafting ‘Spirit Artifacts’ imbued with his essence.
He was an irreplaceable blacksmith.
Of course, his skills in Dwarven alchemy were exceptional.
He could repair and improve the various weapons wielded by the Dawn Knights without any problem.
He also contributed significantly to the development and enhancement of Aquatic weapons, greatly aiding in the defense of human territories.
Repairing ‘Blessing Stone’ and ‘Wolf Totem’ would be child’s play for him.
However, even such a remarkable figure had a weakness.
Surprisingly, he was among the Knights of Dawn with relatively weak combat skills.
This remarkable comment speaks volumes, and that pretty much sums it up.
▼
Weakling
▲
This was the reason why I couldn’t sleep and was in a hurry to go to Lonkers.
If, by any chance, a horde of monsters breached Lonkers’ defenses, the probability of Noubelmag surviving was almost negligible.
“Uh….”
Nyhill, who was quietly listening to the explanation, murmured softly.
“But why are you telling me about these things?”
“Because you never asked.”
“…What?”
The girl blinked her pitch-black eyes.
Due to the backdrop of the entirely dark wasteland, the confusion was emphasized on her pale face.
“Considering the circumstances where you can’t even rest at the inn and have to hurry all through the night, it’s reasonable to inquire as a fellow traveler, isn’t it?”
“Ah….”
Is it patience or genuine lack of curiosity?
Or perhaps she isn’t curious at all.
Nyhill just gazed with a perplexed expression, as if this situation was unfamiliar to her.
With a brief sigh, I called her.
“Nyhill.”
“Yes.”
“In the Shadows, they might teach you to refrain from asking questions, but… ”
“…Yes?”
“When I’m around, feel free to ask if you have any curiosity.”
It was something I had been thinking about for a while.
Of course, strict discipline in the Shadows was convenient.
However, I wished the girl wouldn’t treat herself excessively as a mere tool or instrument.
Because I knew better than anyone how it felt to be treated as a tool by others.
My wish was for Nyhill to consider herself a bit more, a thought that had crossed my mind during the past month while observing her.
It seemed like that would be more helpful in my work as well.
“Ah….”
Nyhill just blinked her eyes.
When she heard unexpected words or felt such emotions, she would make that kind of expression, like a small animal seeing the outside world for the first time in our world.
After glancing at me for a moment, she pursed her lips.
“Then, I’ll ask.”
“Go ahead.”
“Aren’t you tired, Sir Hero…?”
I chuckled.
“I didn’t force you to ask, you know.”
“Uh, it’s not forced.”
“… ”
Anyway, we continued our journey while exchanging novice questions and answers, heading towards the direction pointed by the old signpost.
The weather was pleasant, and the experience of passing under the night sky with stars while exchanging harmless jokes with someone was quite enjoyable.
However, we would soon realize that the situation in Lonkers was more serious than expected.
HEL SCANS
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