◈ 318. [Side Story] Lucas McGregor (2)
Dungeon Base Camp. smithy.
“What are you thinking?”
Kelly Bay asked me with a worried face.
I was lost in thought, and with a sigh, I tilted my head to the side.
“I don’t know how the subordinates feel… .”
“Why did you fight again?”
“We didn’t fight… .”
I swung the [gifted sword] left and right in my hand.
“Do I really have to just say I don’t know?”
Literally, really… … I don’t know!
I don’t know what the hell happened to Ash and Lucas in the past, so I don’t know what Lucas wants to do!
– I am… . Even if you betrayed your lord once before?
Throwing away such rice cakes, Lucas came to this front and applied for vacation for the first time.
And then he left somewhere… … You won’t even tell me where you’re going!
Yumma! Shibeol! You know that I don’t know a thing about the past! Why do you keep your mouth shut and run away? Don’t do that, let’s cool it down! Ah-oh!
“Eh… .”
He turned his head to the other side and let out a deep sigh.
“I thought it would be great if I could get a good salary and get along well… I mean, it’s entangled in the past that I can’t even remember.”
“Hmm.”
“Running a club is more troublesome than I thought. Whew.”
“The club… ? What are you talking about?”
While tilting her head at my grumbling jokes, Kelly Bay is steadily preparing to upgrade her equipment.
Lucas’s awakening pattern had been rubbed on a scroll beforehand.
I also found the [Bowed Sword]. All other materials were supplied. Now, just the upgrade process! If you do, it’s over.
The hilt of the [Bowed Sword] that was shaking in my hand pat! I put it on the table and chined up.
“Eh. What happened and how long will it take?”
“I think it will take at least a week.”
Receiving the hilt of the sword, Kelly Bay let out a sound of admiration or pain.
“By the way, the handle of this sword… It’s amazing. A passion that has penetrated so deeply.”
Exclusive equipment for SSR grade characters is an item closely related to the character and the story.
There are many cases where the original equipment is excellent, but in most cases, the equipment itself is not great.
So, even if the upgrade is finished, if someone else holds it, it will not be able to bring out its performance.
Only if the character uses it.
Mechanisms that cause special interactions and perform better than most end-of-life equipment. It is a special equipment.
“Right thoughts… Do you think that kind of thing dwells in a weapon?”
“Yes, this sword hilt in particular overflows with ‘regrets’.”
Can a magic blacksmith read something like that? that’s interesting.
“At this point, isn’t it the realm of wizards rather than blacksmiths?”
“Hmph, I did have a talent for magic. I came this way because I had a talent for ‘breathing in’ rather than ‘expelling’.”
Looking at Kelly Bay shrugging, I imagined a wizard version of him for a moment.
A bald, bearded dwarf wearing a robe and emitting magic with a solemn expression… … .
‘I don’t like the look.’
Just do the blacksmith. this one fits so well
I turned my head to the side and asked Hannibal, the blacksmith’s assistant, who was waiting.
“Come to think of it, are you going to enchant the spirit again this time?”
Like Evangeline’s exclusive equipment, I asked if it would be possible to upgrade additionally to the spirit weapon this time.
Hannibal then shook his head.
“No, I think it will be difficult with this weapon. My passions are so strong… … .”
According to Hannibal’s explanation, it seems that the stronger the specific emotion embedded in the equipment, the harder it is for the spirit to dwell in it.
It is said that there must be no emotion so that the spirit can live comfortably in the equipment.
I don’t know, but I’m not sure if the spirits are the type who don’t like having built-in appliances when they move into a house… … ?
“Come to think of it, shouldn’t you be a shaman instead of a blacksmith?”
“Haha, it is possible to communicate with the spirits, but it is difficult to summon them separately… … Helping with the smithy helped me learn the art of ‘blowing’.”
Hannibal was embarrassed and scratched his head.
hmm. indeed. The magic blacksmith’s disciple, the spirit blacksmith. Looking at it this way, it seems that the two have something in common.
“Anyway, thank you. Please upgrade equipment that will go down in history.”
In the sense of asking well, I offered alcohol, snacks, and various metals as gifts.
Fighting for the two! After shouting slogans, I returned to Crossroads again.
Today, I was thinking of going around the city and taking care of this and that backlog.
“Shall we go, junior!”
“Yaho~!”
Without Lucas, I circumnavigated the Crossroads diligently, with Evangeline behind me as my escort for the day.
Stop by the alchemy workshop and ask for research on the ‘Magic Tower’ summoning scroll you got earlier.
We also visited the construction site of the hotel. Currently, we are working on plowing the ground.
Serenade, architects, masons’ guild leaders, and carpenters’ guild leaders gathered together to share progress and hold a meeting.
Having received the bird’s eye view, I nodded my head in satisfaction.
Winter preparations are also well underway. Firewood and coal rations are being distributed door to door.
We set up a leisurely schedule and started in advance so that we could finish everything before the full-blown winter hit.
We also ordered winter clothes and gloves to wear to the soldiers… … uh It’s all about getting money.
He also met with citizens from all over the city and asked them about the city’s current issues.
The easy-going villagers of this village did not make any special demands. I received a lot of support asking me to keep the city healthy and govern it in the future.
So all day touring the city and evening.
The days are short like winter, so the son-in-law is already dark. I entered the prison in the center of the city.
I was thinking of taking care of the last schedule of the day.
“Hey spy.”
Tapping the bars with your fingertips, he spoke to the hot new prisoner locked in the prison cell.
“Is prison worth it?”
“There is a misunderstanding, Your Highness the Prince… .”
Mason, the spy I caught during the day, looked at me with a face that was unfair to the world.
“I am just a poor refugee without a home. It’s never like a spy. Trust me.”
“Damn it. If you’re going to cheat, you’ve got to be a bit convincing. Look in the mirror, hunk.”
Mason is more handsome than any hero under my command.
Although he is shorter than Quylan, he looks taller because of the wider volume that has been expanded from side to side. Even now, the jade room for one person seems cramped.
Oh look at those veins on my forearm. It seems that his strength level is several times higher than mine.
There’s no way this burly man could be a refugee. If I had infiltrated as a mercenary, I might have been tricked.
“Let’s not be funny with each other. Anyway, just coolly expose the mess.”
I dragged a chair outside the prison room and sat on it, snapping my fingers.
“Aegis task force? What team are you on?”
“Heh… .”
Mason, who brushed his beard and smiled dejectedly, shrugged.
“I am proud of my abilities, and I am in charge of Team 1, Your Highness.”
“How cool is it to admit it coolly? After all, it’s Team 1. It looks like there is something to pretend to hear. What is your main job?”
“Our task forces are all similar. You spy.”
“Still, each team probably has its own area of specialization.”
Doing some spy stuff with a noticeable size like you. Even a fool knows you’re not just a spy.
As if giving up, Mason lifted his arms up and exhaled meekly.
“Infiltrating the rear and disrupting enemy lines and… It is an armed suppression.”
I glanced over at Mason’s greatsword, which was stored in the cellar of the prison. It’s the size of my body.
The Aegis Task Force Team 1, in a nutshell… … It seems that it is a unit that symbolizes ‘strength’ even in the special forces.
“So what did you come to my city for, Team Leader #1? Would you like to try force suppression?”
“What would a special task force member do? It never came for that purpose.”
Mason shook his head and bowed his head.
“I will tell you the truth. After the intelligence network of the Temple of Crossroads was destroyed, it became too difficult to gather information. Our task force judged that the intelligence line needed to be reinforced and sent additional personnel this time.”
“But why did you come? Do you have a job to catch chickens with a cow knife?”
“Because Master Lucas is here, I wanted to see him, so I forced my superiors to come down.”
Mason’s huge hand landed on his chest.
“I am a vassal belonging to Master Lucas’ family, the McGregor family, and I have dedicated my life to the MacGregor family. It’s been a long time since I had a chance to see you, but would you mind not coming?”
“Hmm.”
Lucas’ last name was McGregor. I’ve heard it a few times, but I can’t remember.
I realized it all over again with my chin resting. I really don’t know anything about Lucas.
I only know that I have been escorting Ash for a very long time, where my family is, how many people there are, whether I had a good relationship with Ash in the past… … I don’t know anything right
There is an acquaintance of Lucas right in front of you, so let’s get some information.
“You must have had a pretty close relationship with Lucas just from hearing about it, Mason?”
“Everything is intimate. I was the one who first taught Master Lucas the sword. I’ve been watching you since you were born. like a son… … If you say that, it seems to be rude to the young master, and he treats you like a nephew.”
“That’s good.”
I asked as I pressed myself against the bars.
“Can you tell me about Lucas’s childhood? I’m curious about this and that.”
“How can I benefit from talking about it?”
“well? It depends on how funny you are talking about. do you know I wonder if I will be moved to a very spacious and comfortable prison cell.”
Mason, who braided thick eyebrows like a caterpillar, burst out laughing.
“This is strange, Your Highness Prince Ash.”
“huh? what?”
“His Highness is someone who has grown up with Master Lucas since childhood.”
Showing his teeth, Mason gave a bloody grin.
“… Why are you acting like you forgot everything?”
***
Whiiying-
Lucas was standing alone on top of the southern wall.
The cold wind of late fall and early winter scratched his cheeks. Lucas silently caught the wind with his body and looked down at the castle walls.
It was the first time I applied for a vacation, but I didn’t have anything in particular that I wanted to do or where I wanted to go.
He just wanted to run away from the past that was grabbing at his back.
‘MacGregor McGregor… … .’
Lucas kept his mouth shut as he repeated his last name, engraved like a scarlet letter.
‘It would have been nice if I could have forgotten about it.’
Last name, memory, past… … .
It would have been nice if it had disappeared with the passage of time.
It’s enough if you can live as ‘now’ Lucas, who lives here protecting his lord.
The reality was not so warm.
As the seasons change and the winter general visits every year, the past was blowing cold breath into Lucas’ neck.
“Haaa… .”
Lucas let out a long sigh.
The weather had become surprisingly chilly, and now the breath I exhaled was freezing white in an instant.
‘… It was such an early winter that day too.’
Lucas thought as he looked up at his own breath that was dispersing like mist.
own past.
Dotted with memories, longing, and betrayal.
The past days that Lucas McGregor never wants to look back on.
