222. Aurora Skal (2)
#222
【Hey have I requested it yet?】
“What the fuck….”
It was a heavy low voice I had never heard before. Even Zaifa’s growl or Itargand’s weight when holding it was not at this level. The hand that was slowly moving rested on the hilt of the sword.
I don’t know what it was but it was dangerous. Ronan catching her breath turned her head. Her tall lanky man was standing there with his hands in her pockets.
‘…is he human?’
Her pale skin and her handsome face as if measured with a protractor caught my eye. Her waist-length black hair was as long as Adeshan’s.
He was wearing a black coat instead of a leather coat and even considering that he was indoors his clothes were too thin. Ronan immediately realized that this was the ‘black man’ that Katan had mentioned.
“…uh?”
Ronan who suddenly felt something strange twisted her mouth. The ominous presence emanating from her man disappeared in an instant.
It was so fast and clear that I wondered if something like this was even possible. A craftsman who was hammering greeted the man in black.
“Ah you’re here! “I was waiting.”
“I asked if the request had been made yet.”
The voice that seemed to be ringing returned to normal. The father-in-law smiled kindly and answered.
“It has just been completed. Not even an hour has passed. “You’ve waited a long time.”
“What…!”
The dark man’s eyes widened. His blood-red eyes floated like islands in the middle of the whites. The blacksmith laughed and clapped his hands. Clap clap! People who appeared to be apprentices came carrying a long huge box.
“I’m here.”
“Ugh…it’s so heavy.”
It was large enough to fit Jaipa’s scimitar. Seeing that all of the apprentices were sweating profusely it seemed like it wasn’t something very heavy. The man who saw this muttered quietly.
“…at las.”
It was a tone that even felt remorseful. The man walked forward and placed his hand on the box. He looked at his apprentices and blurted out.
“Give it here.”
“We will take you to the boat. “It’s a lot heavier than it looks.”
“It’s noisy.”
The man clicked his tongue as if he was annoyed and accepted the box. The object that had been too heavy for six men was lifted as easily as if it were a reed. The eyes of the people watching grew so big that they seemed to pop out.
“Three goodness. Do that with just your left hand…!”
“oh my god.”
Nevertheless there was no change in the black man’s expression. Rummaging through his pockets he took out a small sack and threw it on the floor.
“It’s the balance. Take it.”
“Thank you.”
One of the apprentices bowed his head and took the sack. The man in black walked away carrying his box on his shoulder. Just before leaving the studio he glanced back at Ronan and muttered quietly.
“…giving imprints to humans. “The first fire was also lucky.”
It was a somewhat mocking tone. Ronan raised his eyebrows at the inexplicable sound but the man had already disappeared.
The sound of footsteps was getting further and further away. The blacksmith checking the sack brought by the apprentice jumped up from his place.
“Wow! “This much!”
Sigh! The sack fell and the contents spilled out. There were more than a hundred precious stones including rubies sapphires and emeralds. Didican shook his head left and right.
“As expected it’s big. “I’m proud to see them finally leaving satisfied.”
“…What is that guy?”
“huh? It’s the black man I mentioned earlier. “I thought it was a really intuitive and well-made nickname.”
“That’s not it what is it? Things like your real name or hometown.”
Ronan asked. Judging from her reaction it seemed like no one except herself could really sense the presence her man was emitting for a moment. Why is he like this all of a sudden? Didi Khan who was scratching her head opened her mouth.
“I don’t know why you’re being so serious but calm down. First of all no one knows that friend’s real name. That’s why they call him the nickname ‘black man’. “I’ve been living at Aurora Skal for a month now and I’ve been coming here every midnight to ask about the progress of the request.”
“What equipment did you request?”
“Hmm what should I call it? It looked like a spear on the outside but it was closer to a siege weapon. Anyway I ordered a weapon big enough to fill that box. “I thought I could even catch a dragon.”
Didican’s explanation continued. The man in black who came here a month ago said he ordered a giant weapon of unknown purpose and sat down on the Aurora Scal.
Originally it was common to come pick up the equipment or receive it by mail when it was completed but the man took away one of our lodgings insisting that he would go after seeing it completed.
Even though it was an act that could not even be described as the truth people did not say anything because the gold offered as payment for the room was too much to refuse. Ronan realizing something strange shrugged his eyebrows.
“for a moment. “A month ago?”
A month ago it was the time when some blacksmiths were kidnapped by the Jager forces and a sit-in protest was in full swing. Didi Khan nodded his head.
“okay. He didn’t even blink despite all the chaos. “It looked like they were going to fight so I tried to ask for help but they refused saying what does that have to do with me?”
Of course in the meantime he continued to ask about the progress of the request every midnight. The more I heard the explanation the more strange he seemed.
“…It looks suspicious.”
Ronan frowned. He didn’t do anything but his intuition was warning him. The presence I felt even for a short period of time was truly unusual.
It’s like seeing an active volcano walking around disguised as a hill. It was the car where Ronan thought about his identity. Catan couldn’t stand it anymore and called him.
“Hey what have you been worrying about for so long? “Now that the guests have arrived let’s get started.”
“…Oh that’s right.”
Ronan nodded his head. Anyway thinking about it now wouldn’t change anything. If he had sensed malice from the man in black he would have run over and questioned him but it wasn’t like that.
“good. What should I make for you? “Just say it.”
“First I want you to sharpen this sword. “That’s why I came here in the first place.”
Now was the time to finish what was planned. Ronan unsheathed La Mancha and held it out to Katan. La Mancha’s sword body which was transformed into a holy sword by combining with Lin had a soft glow even in peacetime.
“oh my god…!”
Katan’s eyes widened. The blacksmiths who found her reaction fascinating all looked this way. Katan who was examining her sword here and there spoke in a voice full of admiration.
“This is a really great sword. I think the black part was made by a Doron craftsman but I have no idea about the white part. “What did you make it from and how did you make it?”
“With my friend’s eggshell…”
Ronan trailed off at her. He had a feeling that something was going to get really annoying while talking about the Holy Sword. I’m sure the blacksmiths will come rushing in demanding to tell me in detail.
“…just a few different things. “That’s right I have something for you.”
Ronan ignored her words and rummaged through her pockets. A small metal box was held in his hand. Like the recommendation letter it was an item from Farzan.
“that?”
“It’s a fragment that was originally part of this sword.”
Katan raised his eyebrows after seeing the contents. Inside the ship fragments of La Mancha were piled up. Once again impressed by the excellence of her material she opened her mouth.
“So are you asking me to melt this down and make a new weapon?”
“It doesn’t matter if it’s not a weapon. Actually one knife is enough.”
Ronan lifted the tip of her chin and pointed toward La Mancha. Honestly I was confident I could take out most of the enemies with just that one. In reality it has been like that. Even if she increased her armament for no reason her body would only become heavier.
“hmm. I’ll try making it. “I’m even more worried because the material is so good.”
“Please take care of me. What do you want Adeshan?”
“Ugh…I hope it’s something that helps with defense or survival. Is it possible?”
Adeshan asked. Having weak defenses was her long-standing problem. Her combat power itself rose to a level where it could be said to be helpful to Ronan but it was not very sustainable.
The whip was only meant to keep in check and the mental control that became more powerful as the number of targets increased was halved when dealing with multiple enemies. Katan answered with a confident voice.
“aha. If you’re worried about that it’s simple. “It’s a field where you can taste the essence of our polar light refining techniques.”
“Really?”
“Then just trust me pretty girl.”
Katan said closing one of his eyes. The strangely sticky tone of his speech was somehow suspicious. Adeshan’s expression became brighter. Ronan snapped her fingers as if she remembered something.
“Oh and please give me some armor. “For a girl of her stature her mouth is so strong.”
She almost forgot. He ordered the armor that Marja requested. Luckily her note where she wrote down her measurements was left deep in her pocket. Katan who took her note shrugged his eyebrows.
“Isn’t that the circumference of the rib cage written incorrectly? “It seems a lot taller than her height.”
“That’s probably right. Asher has many blessings.”
“That’s amazing. Now then give me the equipment to feed the polar lights. “Especially because I’ll do it for free.”
“What will you do that too?”
Katarn said that she would feed the Polar Light to the equipment for free and to give her any existing equipment she wanted. Ronan said she had nothing to give but Ade Shan gave her a whip and a crossbow. Katan’s face stiffened for a moment as he inspected her whip.
“This… To be honest I think it has better skills than Old Man Doron. Who made it?”
“Alibrihe is a dragon. “I’m not sure because I haven’t met him.”
“…Funny. “He’s a dragon blacksmith.”
She clenched her fists. Looking at the exasperated look on his face it seemed that Ali Bryhe was not only good at making prosthetic hands but was also skilled at making weapons. She tied up her head with her hood and opened her mouth.
“good. Let’s get started right away. “I’ll send you the new items by mail and I’ll let you pick up the sword and light-infused weapons today.”
“thank you.”
“My fighting spirit is boiling. “Let Didican take a look at this ice block.”
“Let’s do that.”
Didi Khan nodded her head. He left the studio taking Ronan and Adeshan with him.
“It’s been a while since I’ve seen you do something like that Master. “He is a man with a strong desire to win but his motivation has cooled down a bit because there is no blacksmith more skilled than him.”
“Good. “I wish I could meet a man named Alibrihe in Adren.”
“Why if the Sea of Ghosts wasn’t enough now we’re going all the way to the Dragon City? “The road will be difficult.”
“It will work out somehow. “By the way what is the dragon tattoo on your teacher’s back?”
“It’s Radhais the blue dragon. This is the dragon that is said to have created Aurora Skaar. He said he got the tattoo to express his gratitude.”
The three walked around the interior of Aurora Scal chatting. Inside the hundreds of years old ice blocks there were restaurants and lodgings as well as exercise areas for leisure activities such as ball games. In the stable where the mounts were stored the griffon that Ronan and Adeshan rode was busy eating meat.
-Pfft!
“Okay okay just take a break.”
Being warm enough to make me sweat somehow seemed better than a place where people lived. It was better welfare than most public institutions. I was about to think that I had visited all the places worth visiting.
“that’s right. “I’ll show you how to feed polar light to a weapon.”
“ok?”
“Originally outsiders are not allowed in but… no one will say anything if I show it to you. “Follow me.”
Suddenly Didican grabbed the wrists of the two people. It was the moment when they followed without thinking and opened a stone door. Whoa! A wind so cold that it froze my eyeballs hit my face.
“Kyaaa!”
“What the fuck. “It’s so damn cold.”
It was the cold outside that I had forgotten for a while. The sound of waves on the night sea was heard again. There was a wide flat space that looked like an empty lot.
“Wow…!”
Suddenly Adeshan looked up at the sky and opened his mouth in admiration. The beauty of the polar lights was reaching its peak as the night deepened. Ronan saw that and laughed.
“What a grown woman. “It’s not a child.”
“haha. “The skirt of the sky has the magic power to turn adults into children.”
Didican chuckled. In fact she thought that Ronan and she just said it and it was a scene that would never get old no matter how many times she saw it.
In the vacant lot dozens of weapons and armor were lined up in four rows mounted on racks. People carrying buckets were slowly moving around among them carefully pouring an unidentified transparent liquid onto the equipment.
All weapons soaked in condensed water were shining in a color similar to polar light. Ronan seeing the strange sight tilted his head.
“What is it doing now?”
“I’m applying concentrated water. “This is to better receive the power of the Polar Light.”
Didican said that this was a technique that could only be performed by Aurora Scal. Equipment imbued with polar light had higher mana conductivity and in some cases could develop new abilities.
‘It’s better than I thought.’
After hearing the explanation Ronan nodded with satisfaction. Regardless of the equipment’s existing enchantment adding an ability was definitely of high value.
After she heard the whole story Ade Shan went to the edge of the clearing and began to admire the burning night sky again. Perhaps because it was the scenery of his hometown in the north he seemed to like it quite a bit.
“It’s really pretty….”
Ronan who was looking at her like that muttered. Maybe it was because the surrounding scenery was so beautiful but it looked like a fairy that had come down from the sky not a person.
It seemed like my mind was going crazy after being mesmerized by that strange light. Didican suddenly asked a question in a playful voice.
“So what is your relationship now?”
“ok? “What are you talking about all of a sudden?”
“Don’t act like a fool. The way we look at each other has changed from two years ago. Are you sure you’re dating now? “Did you promise to get married?”
He nudged Ronan’s side. It was very unpleasant to hear the strong snort hitting her face.
“Hey this guy with fluffy hair is curious about something like that. Are you a female student?”
“I like stories like this. Do you know how it feels to be a man who spends all day wandering on the sea and hammering away at things? “I’ll keep it a secret so tell me quickly.”
Ronan who was about to say something dragged her by the tail. She did what her instincts told her to do and kissed her but she wondered if she could call it dating. When I think about it for a moment he keeps avoiding my gaze. Is it because he hates me? How is a dating relationship established in the first place?
“therefore….”
Gulp. She pretended to be entranced by the polar lights and Adeshan who had been overhearing the conversation swallowed. Ronan was about to answer something. Kwajangchangchang!! The sound of something being smashed rang out from down the passage they had come up from.
“Hey how long do you plan on making me wait?!”
“It’s difficult to even say that. “In the first place this voyage was to supply insufficient ore…”
“This is clearly an insult to the poisonous dragon Drahavie!”
