Chapter 60
‘How rude can one be…?’
Aquila did not bother hiding his displeasure at the voice that abruptly cut in from the side.
He did not particularly need to buy a sli bell, but having the item he had been about to examine snatched away right before his eyes was another matter entirely.
With his brow furrowed, Aquila sharply turned his head to look at the intruder.
“What—”
But the voice he had been about to use to pick a fight died in his throat.
Dark, sea-colored hair.
ssy bangs fell low enough to cover half of the face, obscuring the eyes, but the angular jawline extending from beneath the ears stood out clearly.
Confronted with a face he knew all too well, Aquila could not hide his shock.
‘…Beirets Hurbel! Why is this lunatic here?’
Beirets Hurbel. A top-tier magic tool craftsman whose na was known throughout the Delvion continent.
And a madman who worshiped Ianpel instead of the Sun God.
That unmistakably familiar face was standing right in front of him.
Tting!
[Opening information for the keyword ‘Beirets Hurbel’!]
[Beirets Hurbel — Top-tier magic tool craftsman, artisan blessed by spirits, fanatical supporter of the Saint, Eyes of Jealousy.
Record prior to the 30th cycle: Once nearly died from a serious illness, but survived with the Saint Ianpel’s help and developed pure devotion toward him. Earned recognition from the Imperial Family for magic tool creation and was granted the surna ‘Hurbel.’ A crucial item craftsman capable of creating nearly anything.
Special Notes: The closer the Saint and the player beco, the more his favorability drops out of jealousy. Conversely, if the Saint and the player beco hostile, commissioning any item from him becos impossible.]
[Go to Beirets Hurbel’s Craftable Items List ‘GO’]
Aquila frowned after seeing the character information window that had surfaced instinctively the mont he recognized the face.
There was no mistaking it.
Naturally, Beirets Hurbel showed no interest in Aquila despite standing right beside him.
From the start, his attention had been entirely on the item.
That, at least, was fortunate for Aquila.
“So, how much do I have to pay to buy this? Hurry up and tell . I’m in a rush…”
Beirets Hurbel thrust the sli bell he had practically snatched from Aquila’s hand even closer.
“Ah, um…”
Bejiana wore a flustered expression as she stared at the sli bell shoved right up to her nose.
Her gaze flicked cautiously toward Aquila.
She had clearly seen Beirets Hurbel snatch the item straight out of Aquila’s hand.
But the mont Aquila realized who the culprit was, all motivation drained out of him.
Arguing would only make things more troubleso.
Quietly closing the system window, Aquila shook his head to indicate it was fine.
Do as you wish.
Understanding the gesture, Bejiana nodded vigorously.
“Ah, yes! As for that item, it cos from the body of a blue sli, which has the strongest acidity among slis and a very soft body! It is effective not only for stain removal but also for dissolving rust on tal—”
“Wh-who asked for that explanation…? I already know all of that. Just tell the price…”
Beirets Hurbel scowled as he shook the glass bottle containing the sli bell.
To soone who had dealt with every imaginable item while crafting magic tools, it was pointless information.
He already knew.
“…All right then, sir! If you already know, that is even better! Just rember, if your hand lts later because you handled it poorly, there are no refunds!”
Bejiana snapped back with the sharpest tone she could manage toward the custor who had cut her off, then gave him the price.
Aquila half-listened to their exchange and glanced sideways at Beirets Hurbel again.
Normally, this man stayed holed up in his workshop and rarely went outside.
Why he was here was a mystery.
His workshop was not even in Portplum but in the capital, Denimarad, so the distance alone made it strange.
‘…Did he co to see Ianpel? No, that is not it. If this man ca all the way to Portplum, there can only be one reason.’
During the Founding Festival, most areas of the Sun Temple were closed to the public.
This was a ti ant to glorify the Delvion Imperial Family rather than the gods.
Ironically, the priests beca busier instead, as many believers ca to make confessions during the long holiday.
Ever since it beca widely known that a Saint resided in the Grand Temple of Portplum, pilgrims had flocked there every Founding Festival just to et him.
Although Ianpel had only arrived recently, his influence was imnse, and there were surely many who had co to Portplum solely for his sake.
As a result, Ianpel had no ti to rest, spending the dayti—except for the final two days when the auction took place—receiving believers without pause.
So if Beirets Hurbel had co to Portplum to take part in confession, his presence here was not entirely strange…
‘But still, why would soone who hates people wander around a place that is basically a madhouse?’
As Aquila clicked his tongue inwardly, Beirets Hurbel finally seed to finish paying and hugged the bottle containing the sli bell.
Unable to restrain himself, he pressed his lips to the bottle and let out a shrill giggle.
“To think I’d find this in a nest of idiots like this… keh…”
All traces of his earlier irritation were gone as he clutched the item in delight.
He then began stuffing it into the bag slung over his back.
Aquila glanced at him once, then turned his attention back to the stall.
There was nothing else he needed to browse.
Now all that remained was paynt.
However, it would be more convenient to ntion the Reschenhardt na when no one else was around, yet Beirets Hurbel showed no intention of leaving even after finishing his purchase.
Halfway through putting away the sli bell, he abruptly dumped the contents of his bag onto the ground and started reorganizing it, as if it would not fit properly.
‘Hurry up and leave already…’
Aquila deliberately ignored him.
Not because Beirets Hurbel was unimportant, but precisely because he was important—just not soone Aquila needed to involve himself with right now.
Aquila wanted to delay interacting with Beirets Hurbel for as long as possible.
Especially while he was still engaged in critical dealings with Ianpel.
“Have you chosen all the other items? Will you only be purchasing what you picked earlier? If you need a sli bell, we do not have blue ones left, but we do have green slis. How about those?”
Bejiana continued energetically, the very image of an enthusiastic rchant.
“No, that will be all. I have looked around enough. Also, do you happen to have paper and a pen?”
“Ah, yes! Of course!”
“I will write down where the paynt should be billed, so if you contact that address—”
“Mm… This should be the place…”
Beirets Hurbel muttered, abruptly cutting across Aquila’s calm voice.
He was not speaking to them directly, but his voice was far too loud to be considered re muttering.
“Is it here? No, maybe here…”
He suddenly sprang to his feet and scanned the surroundings as if searching for sothing.
‘Do not pay attention to him. Pretending not to know him already counts as a success.’
Steeling himself, Aquila took the paper and pen from Bejiana without even glancing in Beirets Hurbel’s direction.
If he wrote down the address of their current lodging, Shen would be contacted, and things would sort themselves out.
Just as Aquila bent down to write the location—
“…Do you need help? If you are looking for soone, I might be able to assist.”
Unable to watch any longer, Ridim stepped in, addressing Beirets Hurbel.
Since he was behaving like this right in front of their stall, it was only natural to feel concerned.
“I-it’s not a place. I am looking for soone…”
“Here? With this many people, finding one person would be difficult.”
“No, it will stand out. No one could fail to recognize them…”
“Soone famous?”
“Red hair.”
At the sudden words, Aquila’s hand froze mid-sentence over the paper.
In this world, red hair was a mark in itself.
And here, in Portplum, there was only one human with that color.
‘…?’
But why would Beirets Hurbel be looking for Aquila Reschenhardt?
“Ah, then it must be him. He should be at the temple right now. Look—this says he is here…”
Aquila could not stop his gaze from shifting.
Beirets Hurbel, muttering to himself, was holding sothing in his hand.
That was—
‘A location tracking map! How could I have forgotten this!’
A thunderous realization slamd into Aquila’s mind.
That map showed the location of an item embedded with a location-tracking magic formula.
A radar.
And what he was searching for—
Aquila imdiately looked down at his left wrist.
If he slightly rolled back his coat sleeve, a communication bracelet with a blue mana stone embedded in it could be seen.
A bracelet crafted by Beirets Hurbel.
Worse still, a one-of-a-kind bracelet personally created by a top-tier magic tool craftsman for Saint Ianpel himself!
‘I forgot to erase the tracking formula at a magic tool shop…’
When Aquila learned that the bracelet’s creator was Beirets Hurbel, when Ianpel casually handed it over to him—
The reason Aquila had felt uneasy instead of simply pleased was exactly this.
This gloomy magic tool craftsman had engraved a tracking formula recognizable only to himself inside the bracelet, so he could always know the location of his object of worship.
Because of that, so many problems had arisen in the previous cycle.
He should have erased the formula the mont everything was over, but he had left for Igrail imdiately after receiving it, and when everything finally settled, he had ended up unconscious for ten days.
At first, Beirets Hurbel would not have noticed since he was in Denimarad, but after coming to Portplum, he must have realized.
The item that should have been in the temple was showing a different location, while Saint Ianpel was still at the Grand Temple.
That was why he had co personally.
Because it was an item he had created solely for Ianpel.
“A tracking map, right? It does not show the exact distance, but it is nearby. And red hair ans…”
“Reschenhardt, right? I wanted to explore the Frost Forest too! But there is no red-haired person here?”
Bejiana and Ridim leaned in to look at the map Beirets Hurbel was holding.
While their attention was fixed on it, Aquila seized the opening and, without the slightest hesitation, removed the bracelet from his left wrist.
“…Cahena.”
He whispered.
The mont the words “red hair” ca up, Cahena, who had already been wary of Beirets Hurbel, tilted her head.
“Why would he be looking for our young master? Could it be sothing related to the Guild of Darkness—”
“No. More importantly, put this into the luggage of soone who is moving right now. Do it quietly.”
“What? But this is the bracelet you were gifted—”
“Hurry. Unless you want to deal with sothing extrely annoying.”
Aquila whispered with a severity entirely unlike before.
His eyes were sharp, deadly serious.
Cahena froze upon seeing that expression.
She did not know what was happening, but it was clear that sothing serious was unfolding.
She nodded, glanced around—
Pop!
She vanished and reappeared in the sa spot an instant later.
“Huh. It blinked just now. Anyway, it is moving! Guess it is not here.”
“…Red hair. It should be red hair.”
As soon as the red dot on the map began to move, Beirets Hurbel tilted his head and turned around without a word.
Just as suddenly as he had appeared, he left just as abruptly.
Bejiana exchanged a baffled look with Ridim, then shouted after him.
“Thank you for buying sothing, you rude custor!”
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