Chapter 81
The Sealing Stone was an object of the demons.
To be precise, it was like a fragnt of power left behind by a demon of the distant past.
Naturally, it held imnse demonic energy, and a normal human’s mind would be destroyed rely by being in contact with it for an extended period.
And such a Sealing Stone was in Elmore.
In the frigid city at the northernmost tip of the Empire.
‘It’s them. The ones Bitdori saw.’
Bitdori had discovered the minions of the evil.
They were plotting sothing here.
The key figure was Ria.
And the object they intended to process through Ria was the Sealing Stone.
‘I have to stop them. I do, but not right now.’
I couldn't let Ria succeed in processing the Sealing Stone.
It was for her sake, as well as for the sake of this continent.
However.
The Sealing Stone was notorious for being dreadfully difficult to process.
‘There won’t be a problem for now. Though her ntal state might get a little strange.’
Reinhardt recalled his mories of playing the original ga.
The blacksmith Ria of that ti was definitely of sound mind.
She was no ordinary human. It ant that her mind wouldn't break just because she was tasked with processing a Sealing Stone.
Rather, the work process itself would help Ria’s own growth.
Whether it was a Sealing Stone or a Magic Stone, both were excellent materials for improving a blacksmith's skills.
“Piiit. Pit. Pibit. Piit.”
Bitdori frantically gestured, conveying Ria’s condition to Reinhardt.
“She looks extrely tired. She’s obsessively clinging to refining the Sealing Stone all day.
But there’s no particular progress. Right?”
“Pit.”
“She’s spending much more ti pondering than actually working, and what about the others at Hasker’s Smithy?”
“Piiit.”
“They don’t even go near the Sealing Stone. That makes sense. They instinctively realized it’s sothing they shouldn’t approach. But no one can break Ria’s stubbornness.”
It was obvious what kind of atmosphere was unfolding.
Ria the blacksmith.
She was a girl who was treated more preciously than anyone else at Hasker’s Smithy.
The reason was not her lineage, personality, or appearance.
It was simply her innate talent.
To the other blacksmiths, it was clear that she was the talent who would lead the next generation of Hasker’s.
“It’s fine to watch a little longer.”
“Pit? Piiiii……!”
Bitdori threw punches in the air as if dissatisfied with Reinhardt’s decision.
“It’s okay. Nothing will happen to Ria, nor to the people around her, and in the end, I will retrieve the Sealing Stone.”
“Piit?”
“Waiting will be more helpful in dealing with the demons than retrieving it right away. The more skilled blacksmiths there are, the better. After this ordeal, Ria will surely be able to awaken her innate talent.”
“Piiiii…….”
“You understand, right?”
“Pit.”
Bitdori was quite smart.
Although it still seed displeased, it had clearly understood what Reinhardt was saying.
Bitdori headed back to the smithy.
From now on, it had to stick close to Ria and watch the situation unfold.
If anything happened to Ria or the smithy, it would fly to Reinhardt and inform him of the situation.
Reinhardt returned to the inn.
The mont I entered the first floor, Evangeline, biting her lip with an anxious look, ca into view.
“Sir Rei, Reinhardt…… No, Reinhardt!”
Evangeline was at a loss. Reinhardt asked with a curious gaze.
“What is it?”
“I-I’m sorry.”
“You don’t need to feel sorry. Anyone experiencing the cold for the first ti ends up in that state. It’s sothing that happens because the body hasn’t adapted.”
“That may be so, but……”
“It doesn’t matter. Have you eaten?”
“……Yes.”
Evangeline’s face flushed red.
She was clearly thinking sothing along the lines of, ‘How could I have eaten in the midst of all this?’
“Good. Let’s go out now.”
“Is it for training?”
“It’s training to adapt to the cold.”
It didn't require anything extraordinary.
The way to awaken Evangeline’s talent was simply to have her adapt to the cold.
‘Combat and other training can start slowly.’
Combat on a snowy mountain.
That was the catalyst for the original Evangeline’s talent to awaken.
If it really ca down to it, I would have to make her fight, but not now.
In any case, Reinhardt needed to hide the fact that he and Evangeline were staying in Elmore.
“Please sit here.”
“Yes.”
Reinhardt had Evangeline sit on a bench in a corner of the street.
For now, this was the starting point.
“Are you cold?”
“This much is…… Yes. It’s cold.”
“Is it bearable?”
“Yes.”
“Then that’s fine. Stay here, and if you feel you absolutely can’t take it anymore, return to the inn. I’m talking about a state where you feel like you might collapse at any mont.”
“Is that all?”
“For now, yes.”
She looked sowhat puzzled.
It was understandable.
It was a request to just sit on a cold street.
“And if.”
To that, Reinhardt added one more thing.
“You no longer feel cold, then also return to the inn.”
“I understand.”
Reinhardt returned to the inn.
I took a seat where I could see Evangeline.
‘Watching from around here should be fine.’
Seen from the window, she looked sowhat bewildered.
Her body was hunched over.
I could see her struggling to adapt to the sensation of cold.
From now on, it was a battle of patience.
Whether it was Hasker’s or Evangeline, it was Reinhardt’s role to focus on whichever side showed a change first and act accordingly.
And while at it.
I would also check the trends on the community.
‘I always have to cross-verify.’
The knowledge Reinhardt possessed was of the future.
It ant that although I rembered information about the blacksmith Ria, I couldn't know what her state was at the present mont.
Just as I was looking through related posts.
[Suddenly got a Sealing Stone? What should I do with this?]
[Seems like I can go the demon route if I process this properly?]
[Should I switch directions completely? I’m already suffocating as it is?]
Seeing the post he found, Reinhardt let out a hollow laugh.
“The progress here is almost identical.”
The [Ria] in the community seed to have received the Sealing Stone around the sa ti.
Also, judging by what she said, it seed possible to switch to the demon’s side through the Sealing Stone.
‘I’ll need to pay a little attention to this.’
Reinhardt smacked his lips and looked out the window.
Evangeline was still sitting on the bench, struggling.
***
Bitdori was not in a good mood.
“Piiiii…….”
But to help Reinhardt, it had to endure even if it felt bad.
Reinhardt catches bad humans.
He also catches bad demons.
It was what Bitdori wanted, and crucially, Reinhardt was the one who gave Bitdori its na.
“Pii, pit.”
That was why it was enduring the agony and watching right now.
Watching the process of the bright red and ominous Sealing Stone, which it wanted to throw away sowhere imdiately, being processed.
“This is driving crazy!”
Bitdori empathized with Ria’s shout.
Because it too was extrely angry.
The unique energy of the Sealing Stone was poking at Bitdori’s small body.
“Why isn’t it working? Am I not good enough? Do I lack the skill?”
“Pit.”
“I just don’t get it. He said that while others might not be able to, I definitely could. He was grinning when he said it. His smile was a bit unsettling, though. It was a very sinister smile, but still……”
“Piit.”
“He still said I could do it, right?”
Ria burst out in frustration.
Of course, Bitdori’s voice was inaudible to her.
“He said I seed to have talent! You damn bastard!”
The client had definitely said so.
That the blacksmith Ria had talent.
He said that although it was an extrely tricky ore to process, Ria’s talent would surely find a way.
He had added that he was looking forward to it, along with a sinister smile.
“Aaargh! This is so frustrating!”
Ria had dark circles under her eyes.
Her expression was deeply crumpled.
If soone were to pick a fight with her, it wouldn't be strange if she bashed their head in with the hamr in her hand.
“Piiit.”
She was definitely too different from when I first saw her.
Bitdori rembered its first impression of Ria.
A girl who was a bit peculiar, lively, and bright.
A girl who complained about everything but wasn't truly sincere about it.
“I’m not doing it!”
The person who, while grumbling, would diligently finish her given tasks was none other than Ria the blacksmith.
Not soone who would recklessly throw her tools around just because her anger was boiling over like now.
“No! I have to do it!”
Her emotional fluctuations hadn’t been this extre either.
The current Ria was in a state where she couldn't properly control herself.
The other blacksmiths at Hasker’s Smithy seed to know this and appeared to be intentionally keeping their distance from Ria.
“Hmm……”
Ria rested her chin on the workbench and stared intently at the Sealing Stone.
Just looking at it felt like being drawn in. No, perhaps she was actually being drawn in.
The ore she was facing for the first ti in her life had a demonic power.
It wouldn't seem strange if it had a backstory like having devoured human souls, or being born from a cluster of resentful spirits.
Then she paused.
Ria raised an eyebrow and scratched her head.
“Is it really that kind of thing? Then should I try a slightly different approach?”
It was a thought she had uttered lightly, but now that she had said it, it sounded plausible.
“If it’s such an ominous and unsettling object……”
Ria possessed a creative way of thinking.
To be precise, rather than creative, it ant she had no prejudice in her work.
“Approaching it in such a demonic way might be a thod. Right? If it were an object that could be crafted honestly, there would be no reason to entrust it to us.”
Ria’s eyes were tinged with a reddish hue.
It wasn't because the Sealing Stone she was looking at was red.
“Piiit! Pit! Pit!”
It was an early symptom of magic poisoning.
Realizing this, Bitdori tried to stop Ria by pulling at her hair frantically.
No, it tried to pull.
But it wasn't an entity that could exert physical force properly.
Because Ria was neither a Warlock nor a demon.
“What’s with my hair? Is there a bug? Or is it static electricity?”
Ria tilted her head as she saw two strands of her hair standing on end.
But that was only for a mont.
Her mind was already half-gone.
Gulp.
Swallowing her saliva, she brought her finger to the tip of a sharp piece of tal.
A drop of blood oozed out along with a stinging pain.
“On here……”
Ria brought the drop of blood to the Sealing Stone.
At what happened next, her eyes widened.
Sluuurp-
The drop of blood was seeping in.
It wasn't flowing down the surface of the ore, but was clearly absorbing it as if it were cotton.
It didn't end there.
The Sealing Stone didn't just stop at swallowing the drop of blood, it began to slowly suck the blood from Ria’s wound.
At that strange sensation, Ria’s face turned pale.
“This is insane……”
She hastily pulled her finger away and checked the wound.
The very small wound had grown, albeit slightly.
Ria’s mouth fell open.
“It ate blood? The ore?”
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