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Chapter 39
The old man’s eyes were fixed on Arteon’s wrist.
It was a bracelet obtained from the imperial treasury.
“Where did you get this? It looks extremely rare.”
“It was an item from the imperial palace’s treasure vault. I received it as a reward for my merits.”
“……The imperial palace?”
In an instant, the old man’s expression stiffened.
He had thought Arteon was merely the immature child of some noble, but to think he was someone connected to the imperial family?
And someone who had even been rewarded by the imperial family for distinguished service, at that……
“M-My apologies for failing to recognize you. This old man was simply so distracted by the valuable item that……”
“Ah……”
At the old man’s words, Arteon scratched his cheek.
Only now did he realize that what he had said without much thought might have sounded quite threatening to him.
‘That was stupid.’
Even if they lived in the capital, people in back alleys like this were mostly commoners.
Naturally, they had no choice but to be cautious.
Arteon shook his head.
“It’s fine. I don’t mind at all. Could you perhaps show me the items you’re selling here?”
“Th-This way, please. I’ll show you inside.”
Following the old man into the inner storeroom, Arteon saw items neatly arranged.
Of course, compared to the imperial treasury, both the scale and the quality were far inferior.
‘…There’s a fair variety, at least.’
Arteon examined the items inside.
“What kind of function does this have?”
“You have a very sharp eye. That’s an artifact that enhances strength. There’s no need to inject mana separately— it activates the moment you wear it.”
“You don’t need to inject mana? Can it be used permanently?”
“If we measure by time, it lasts about two hours…… After that, you can recharge it with a mana stone and use it again.”
“Hm…… May I test its ability?”
“Of course.”
The old man carefully took down a sword hanging on the wall.
“Try lifting this first, then put on the ring and lift it again.”
“That sounds good.”
It was perfect for testing strength.
Arteon gripped the sword the old man handed him and lightly swung it.
It was a longsword with a well-balanced center of gravity. And then……
Swish.
After putting on the ring and swinging it again—
“……”
It did feel slightly lighter, but in truth, the difference wasn’t all that noticeable.
‘Doesn’t seem worth buying.’
Moreover, the duration was short, and mana stones weren’t cheap by any means.
He looked at several other items after that, but their quality was all about the same.
Still, he understood to some extent.
If magical equipment alone could make everyone strong and give them absurd abilities—
‘Then the one with the most money would be the strongest.’
Arteon exited the storeroom.
“D-Did you not find anything to your liking?”
“No, there were some decent items. Just nothing I personally needed. Please don’t worry about it.”
Arteon spoke as politely as possible.
Then he casually looked around the shop.
Leaving just like this felt somehow…… a little disappointing.
But then—
“…What are those?”
Arteon asked, looking at the items piled in boxes in the corner.
The old man waved his hands.
“Those are all things to be thrown away. Most of the items I brought in because they looked decent turned out to be unusable.”
“May I take a look?”
“Yes, but they’re all completely useless……”
Arteon rummaged through the items piled in the box.
Just as the old man had said, every single one was broken or useless.
Trash that did nothing but take up space.
But then—
“…Huh?”
Arteon flinched.
It was a reaction much like the old man’s when he had seen the bracelet on Arteon’s wrist.
The old man looked at Arteon with concern.
“W-What’s wrong……?”
Had something gone wrong?
But the old man’s voice didn’t reach Arteon’s ears.
“Why is this……”
Here?
As if possessed, Arteon picked it up.
A hazy fog slowly drifted along the ridgeline.
A sight easily seen on the northern battlefield.
The frozen ground lay silent, and beneath it, the stench of blood that had yet to cool still seeped through.
As Arteon gazed at that battlefield, someone approached him from the side.
“Captain, what if I may ask.”
“…What nonsense are you trying to spout this time?”
“Nonsense? Come on.”
A guy with red hair and sharp eyes, giving off a cold impression.
Because of that, he was often misunderstood as being hard to approach, but in reality, he was chattier than anyone.
One of the few comrades in that hellish place whom Arteon could truly trust with his back.
The guy smirked and asked Arteon,
“If this war were to end…… what would you like to do?”
“…I don’t know. I’ve never thought about it.”
Would the day this war ended ever come?
He had already killed thousands of the Kar tribe, yet the end of the war was nowhere in sight.
But even so……
“If this war ends……”
It was such a captivating phrase that Arteon savored the words.
Heh.
“I can’t think of what I’d do. Maybe open a tavern somewhere in Almers with you guys? If we ran it, no one would dare mess with us.”
“Puhahaha! That sounds good. Then am I the vice president?”
“Well…… going by seniority, wouldn’t you just be stuck washing dishes?”
“Ah, how could you say such a thing!”
They were comrades who dreamed together of a future after the war.
“You have to keep that promise. Opening a tavern in Almers later!”
Even as they headed into battle, perhaps because such imaginings pleased him, the guy never forgot to remind Arteon.
But then……
“Why…… why…… whyyyyyyyyy!”
In the final battle against the Kar tribe, he lost his life due to Moldrek’s betrayal.
The Reaper of the Battlefield— who cared for his comrades more than his own life— left so futilely.
And one of the reasons he had been able to fight as the Reaper of the Battlefield—
“…Why is this here.”
Arteon picked up a ring that had been buried at the very bottom of the box.
He recognized it at a glance.
How could he not?
It was a ring the guy had boasted about countless times.
‘…Bloodsane.’
An artifact that amplified the caster’s mana for a short period of time.
Depending on the user, the amplification ranged from as little as 30% to well over 200%.
Of course, there was the side effect of tremendous pain afterward due to the strain on the body, but its power alone could be called absolute.
‘However……’
The conditions to activate this ability were extremely harsh.
It required feeding it the blood of the one who wished to use it.
Bloodsane was a magical weapon that only awakened its true power after fulfilling such a grotesque requirement.
Arteon looked at the old man.
“I’ll buy this ring.”
“Pardon? That’s just a completely useless thing……”
“I just like the design. How much will it be?”
“I was planning to throw it away. You can just take it……”
The old man hesitated slightly.
Thinking Arteon was connected to the imperial family, he couldn’t help but be cautious.
In response, Arteon took three silver coins from his pouch.
“This should be enough.”
“O-Oh my! You could’ve taken it for free…… Thank you very much.”
Despite his words, the money was already safely in his hands.
Arteon left the shop just like that.
He had come merely to look around a magic equipment shop in the capital, yet it felt as though he had run into an old comrade.
“…Damn it.”
But the feeling wasn’t particularly pleasant.
The memories of that day, which he had faintly forgotten, resurfaced with vivid clarity.
And now I……
‘Still have things to do.’
Bastards.
As anger surged up once more, his mind felt as though it were turning cold.
Even so, Arteon restrained his emotions as much as possible and began purchasing the items he needed.
Perhaps because it was the capital, obtaining what he wanted wasn’t difficult.
Money, however, was the problem.
“With this…… I can accelerate my training a bit more.”
What mattered most to Arteon right now was mana.
He had more than enough real combat experience, but he lacked the “fuel” to support it.
Stamina and mana.
Raising those was the top priority.
And then……
“……”
On his way toward his lodging, Arteon looked again at the smithy the merchant had mentioned earlier.
—People don’t really know this, but that place is the best smithy in the capital. The craftsmanship is on another level.
‘The best blacksmith in the capital, huh……’
It was about time he had his weapon looked at anyway.
Without hesitation, Arteon stepped into the smithy.
“Is anyone here?”
“I’ve got nothing to sell to a greenhorn, so get lost.”
“……”
A cold reply flew at him the moment he entered.
At the words of the man who had a finger-length cigarette in his mouth, Arteon asked,
“Do you do weapon repairs, by any chance?”
“Weapons?”
The man’s expression changed.
He had dismissed Arteon as a kid, but weapons?
In response, Arteon took out Iglis, which was hanging at his waist. And then—
Clang!
As he injected mana, Iglis revealed its original form.
Arteon extended the spear and spoke— but before he could say anything,
“…Gasp!”
The man leapt up from his seat and grabbed the spear in Arteon’s hand.
“Th-This is…… where on earth did you get this?”
The man stared at the spear as if entranced.
Arteon replied,
“…It’s my father’s keepsake. Would it be possible to repair it?”
“May I take a closer look?”
Already leaning in so close that their noses were nearly touching.
Arteon nodded and released his grip on Iglis.
The man carefully examined the spear and swallowed hard.
This level of perfection—
Even he had never forged such a flawless spear.
“…It’s beautiful.”
It made him wonder if it had truly been made by human hands.
“If you entrust it to me, I’ll repair it perfectly.”
A fierce passion flared in the man’s eyes, as if flames were burning within them.
Arteon said,
“I have to leave at noon the day after tomorrow, so it needs to be repaired by tomorrow night. Is that possible?”
“Tomorrow night? Hmm……”
The man seemed to ponder briefly, then nodded.
“I swear on my honor, I’ll get it done no matter what.”
“Understood. And I’d like to take a look at some other weapons as well.”
“They’re hanging on the wall over there. Take whatever you need. I’ll be busy every second.”
The man quickly turned and went into the workshop in the back.
Just how incredible was Iglis to provoke such a reaction?
Left alone in the empty shop, Arteon turned his gaze to the weapons hanging on the wall.
“…?”
Arteon’s pupils trembled.
Having spent so long on the battlefield, Arteon prided himself on his eye for weapons.
And yet, the weapons here—
He reached out and picked up a sword.
Though the hilt and decorations were shabby, the balance and center of gravity were…… so perfect they defied description.
Unconsciously, Arteon turned his gaze toward the workshop where the man had gone.
“What the hell…… is that guy?”
A craftsman like that, in such a shabby smithy?
