Chapter 80
[What is Soul Calibur’s core currency, ‘Magic Stone’?.txt]
[In the ga's lore, a Magic Stone is an ore created from condensed mana. As anyone who has played the ga for a bit would know, its main use is in equipnt crafting.]
[It can be used for other purposes too. There are potions that use Magic Stones as an ingredient. But the efficiency is much lower, so they are usually crafted only for concept plays.]
[So what equipnt is most efficient to craft with Magic Stones?]
[This depends on the companion composition. The result changes depending on who the main supporter of the ford party is…….]
Crackle, crackle.
The pleasant sound of a fireplace filled the first floor of the inn.
The dawn of Elmore.
At a ti when people had not yet woken up from their sleep, Reinhardt was alone, awake, and killing ti with the community.
[…… It’s the sa when the Knight of Light Reinhardt is the main dealer. Because you can craft a weapon that can extrely utilize his unique gimmick.]
[You have to choose between armor or a sword, but the recomnded one is the sword.]
[Armor of Pure Light, Sword of Pure Light. The nas are similar, but considering that the armor has to be replaced midway, and the sword is virtually the final weapon…….]
Slurp.
Reinhardt sipped his warm tea and nodded his head.
The Sword of Pure Light.
The reason he had co to Elmore at the northern tip of the Empire, and the piece of equipnt that would guarantee the greatest increase in combat power for the current Reinhardt.
‘Once I craft the Sword of Light, I’ll have all three divine items, anyway.’
The [Justice] skill.
The Spirit of Light.
And the Sword of Pure Light.
Just by satisfying these three conditions, the Knight of Light Reinhardt displayed extre performance.
Of course, he would suddenly drop dead at so point, but fortunately, this was an expansion pack, not the original work.
Reinhardt’s anger was being controlled smoothly.
The suspected cause was Bitdori. Although he hadn't figured out the exact chanism, it ant that, unlike in the original work, he wouldn't go crazy and run wild just because he encountered a villain.
Swoosh.
Reinhardt turned his gaze outside the window.
Through the frost-covered window, a pure white and quiet city could be seen.
An orange light was gradually spreading as if the sun was about to rise.
No people were in sight. It was the sa on the first floor of the inn where Reinhardt was sitting now.
It was a ti when the clerk, the innkeeper, and the other custors would be deep in sleep.
‘The smithy will probably need another two or three hours to open. I’ve attached Bitdori to it, so I’ll know as soon as it opens.’
The day in Elmore began later than in a typical city.
Because it was so cold, the sleeping city would only awaken after the sun had fully risen.
‘Evangeline would normally be awake by now too.’
He shifted his gaze to the second floor of the inn.
Not a single sign of life could be felt.
Yesterday, late in the evening.
Evangeline, who had staggered into her room, had clearly been sleeping like the dead since then.
The problem was the cold.
Her body had been shocked by the cold she had never experienced before in her life.
‘She was on the verge of collapsing.’
Yesterday’s Evangeline looked like soone who had fought in a battle all day.
In fact, she seed more exhausted than when she was carrying out missions for the knight order.
Her whole body was drenched in sweat, and her steps were unsteady, as if she had been tense throughout the sleigh ride.
But Reinhardt was not worried.
‘She’ll adapt soon. She just needs to adapt. The rest will be taken care of by her talent.’
In this world, talent was an absolute factor.
Reinhardt himself was living proof of that claim.
The [Justice] skill he was born with was also, when you think about it, a kind of talent.
It was when he had thought that far.
“Ppit! Ppibit! Ppiiiit!”
Bitdori flew into the inn with a loud cry.
Reinhardt furrowed his brow at its rough movents.
“It can’t an the smithy has opened.”
“Ppit! Ppiiit! Ppiit!”
“It’s the other thing. So… there are the ‘strange guys’ I ntioned earlier?”
“Ppit!”
“Are they warlocks?”
“Ppibit.”
“Not warlocks. But they exude a similar feeling, right? For you to be like this, Bitdori.”
“Ppit!”
The picture was forming.
They weren’t warlocks, nor were they humans directly related to demons.
They were just their minions.
Hiding their identities and moving to achieve their own objectives in Elmore.
‘What should I do. I feel like I shouldn’t draw attention.’
The demons were watching Reinhardt.
Naturally, the warlocks they employed would also be monitoring Reinhardt’s movents.
‘That’s why I slipped out as secretly as possible when I left Serigel.’
But what if he caused trouble here?
The demons would imdiately be able to pinpoint Reinhardt’s location.
It ant that the quiet city of Elmore, though covered in snow, would soon be embroiled in troubleso affairs.
‘That would be troubleso. My range of activity would widen. If I’ve set the stage in the eastern part of the Empire, I need to sohow move within that area…….’
As he continued to ponder, he paused.
Reinhardt had found a solution.
‘This isn’t it. There’s no need to get involved with those guys. And even if I do get involved by any chance.’
Looking into Bitdori’s sparkling eyes, Reinhardt ca to a conclusion.
‘As long as they don’t find out that I’m Reinhardt.’
***
It was when the sun was high in the sky that Evangeline woke up from her sleep.
Flash.
Her eyes opened first, and she reflexively grabbed the sword she always kept by her side.
“……”
It took a mont to grasp the situation.
Elmore.
Knight Reinhardt.
She had co here on a dog sleigh, and.
Whoosh.
Evangeline’s face turned red.
She had just realized it.
She had fallen asleep as soon as she arrived, exhausted.
The window was already bright. It was a long ti after the sun had risen.
‘What ti is it…….’
Originally, Evangeline’s wake-up ti was six in the morning.
Any knight of Paganoa would wake up at that ti, wash, eat, and head straight to the training grounds, all within an hour.
But what ti was it now?
Evangeline turned her creaking head. She checked the clock on the wall with an anxious gaze.
11 AM.
As soon as she confird it, Evangeline’s face turned even redder.
She had made Reinhardt wait.
She didn’t think he would have slept in like her.
Because the person that was Reinhardt was a human who did not lose his dignity as a knight in any situation.
Evangeline hurriedly straightened the bedding.
She roughly tidied her disheveled hair and changed her clothes.
It was neither armor nor the formal uniform provided to the knights of Paganoa.
It was the result of following Reinhardt’s advice that there was no need to reveal her identity here.
‘It’s awkward.’
In most situations, the uniform was Evangeline’s everyday wear, and she would only feel at ease when she put on her armor.
Thick pants, and a thick fur coat.
And on top of that, a thick coat.
Feeling as if she were hiding herself, wrapped up tightly in front of the enemy called cold, Evangeline beca a little more embarrassed.
Click.
She opened the door with a trembling hand.
The first floor of the inn where she was staying was relatively noisy.
Various people were raising their voices while emptying beer mugs or gobbling down food at a rapid pace.
‘He’s not here.’
Reinhardt was nowhere to be seen.
Evangeline looked around with a flustered look.
Then her gaze shifted to the entrance of the inn room where Reinhardt was staying.
‘Maybe.’
He might not have woken up from sleep yet.
The severe cold had been fatal not only to Evangeline but also to Reinhardt.
If so, it wasn’t sothing to be so embarrassed about…….
“Awake now, are you?”
Flinch.
At the rough voice, Evangeline turned to her side.
The heavily bearded innkeeper was looking at her with a kind smile.
“Your friend asked to pass on a ssage. Said he’d be back after a short trip sowhere and to have your al first.”
“Ah.”
“Will you be having a al? Or shall I prepare a bath for you first? Oh my, your face is so red. It’s not surprising for an outsider. There’s a fellow nearby who makes a good dicine……”
“No, it’s fine.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
Faced with a purely concerned expression.
Evangeline lowered her gaze and replied in a barely audible voice.
“The bath first… please.”
***
Hasker’s Smithy.
The people’s assessnt that it was the largest in Elmore was accurate.
‘It’s big, alright. There must be at least twenty blacksmiths working here. If you include the people who help with other chores, the number would be much higher. This is not much different from what I saw in the original work.’
In the original work, Hasker’s Smithy was about this size.
It ant that this was a smithy that had always been successful. A group that had solidified their position far in the past, long before the mont in his mory.
“To the second warehouse! Hurry up, you idiots!”
“Here’s the new iron we got!”
“What’s with this quality? How much did you skim off?”
“They said that was the best they could do. They were whining that the ore vein suddenly cut off.”
“This kind of thing, damn it, can’t be helped. We can’t use it for equipnt, so… to the third warehouse!”
Reinhardt walked along the snow-covered street.
As soon as he arrived near the smithy, loud shouts were spreading through the alleys.
“Excuse .”
Reinhardt approached them and spoke to the person who looked to be the highest in rank.
A gruff expression returned.
“Who are you?”
“I would like to commission a weapon.”
“For commissions, go to the main entrance. Be aware that personal commissions are quite expensive. If it’s mass production, they’ll adjust the unit price to so extent.”
“I would like to na the craftsman.”
“Na?”
The blacksmith tilted his head.
“A noble? Or a rich rchant?”
“Sothing similar.”
“What do you an, similar… anyway, I get it. If that’s the case, I’ll pass it on for you. Who are you looking for?”
“The blacksmith Ria.”
“……Ria?”
“Yes.”
“Choose soone else. She’s busy right now.”
The blacksmith’s expression was not good.
It was the kind of expression one would make when thinking of a disobedient child.
He was angry but felt sorry, frustrated, and that kind of sentint was strongly felt.
“I will wait.”
“No, you won’t be able to just wait a little. It might be possible in a few months.”
“If necessary, I can wait even a few months. Is sothing wrong with Ria?”
“With Ria? Do you know her?”
“Sothing similar.”
“Wait. Co to think of it, you’re suspicious. Naming Ria?”
The blacksmith’s deanor turned nacing.
Swoosh–
The people who were carrying sacks nearby all glared at Reinhardt at once.
It was an openly guarded gaze.
“A face I haven’t seen before. Are you an outsider?”
“I am an outsider.”
“Where did you co from? What’s your na? What is your purpose for visiting Elmore?”
“That is……”
“We will not take your commission. Please leave now.”
Should I tell them. Should I reveal that I’m a knight, use Paganoa’s na, and et her right away even if it takes that?
He hesitated for a mont, but Reinhardt nodded his head.
“I will co again.”
“Nothing will change even then. We have already made a mistake once.”
Already made a mistake.
The implication of those words was clear.
‘They took soone’s commission, and because of that, they’re in a difficult situation.’
But it probably didn’t apply to the entire Hasker’s Smithy.
‘Sothing troubleso must have happened to Ria. That must be why they’re not taking commissions.’
Now that he understood the situation, what he had to do beca clear.
“Bitdori.”
“Ppit.”
“Find Ria.”
The conditions were a girl who had not yet reached adulthood.
Her hair was red, and there was a high probability that it was tied in pigtails.
And she must be in a difficult situation.
“Ppiit.”
Bitdori disappeared beyond the smithy.
And a short while later.
When it returned.
“Ppit! Ppiiiit!”
Bitdori’s urgent movents were enough to convey to Reinhardt the situation Ria was currently in.
“……The ore. The red ore I saw back then? So she’s in the middle of refining a Sealing Stone?”
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