Chapter 226
Liam wanted to have a conversation with Vargan.
After losing sight of his original name, he went to find Vargan several times.
However, Vargan always avoided him, citing busyness as the reason.
Despite this being an important matter that was clearly related to Vargan, he never set aside time for Liam.
Possessed, with memories of his former self lingering from the outside world.
Liam couldn’t speak loudly about secret topics in crowded places.
In the end, time passed without him asking anything.
Liam pondered alone if there was any forgetting beyond ‘name’ in the memories of the outside world.
He spent the day feeling anxious.
Then one day.
A nagging question struck Liam: Was he not treading the same path as before?
“Just like during midterms. After my teammates went on, I stagnated without any development.”
His group members, who had met a tragic end at the hands of Archbishop Zagan.
And the Spirit Summoner Nikela, who had to leave the Academia.
Liam was momentarily overcome by the weight of it all and sat down.
He couldn’t perceive anything else.
“…It took quite a while to rise again. Thinking about it now, how pathetic. If I was responsible for their deaths, I should have stood up and grabbed my sword much sooner.”
Had he done that, he would have been stronger than he was now.
It would have been easier to widen his scope of action.
“Right. Let’s not repeat the same mistake. At least one silver lining is… other than my name, my other memories are intact.”
Maybe he had already forgotten unnoticed.
But Liam wanted to think positively.
It hadn’t been long since he felt his powerlessness during the match with Arha.
At this point, was he supposed to fall again into fear and despair and sit still?
That would mean missing out on opportunities when they came.
Instead of wallowing in misery, it’s better to train his body a little and prepare for potential situations.
“Besides, right now I can’t gather any information about possession.”
Minimizing worry and moving his body was the way forward.
Liam learned this from watching Vargan, who never stopped running ahead.
“Even if our personalities don’t quite match, he’s impressive in many ways. I must learn from him.”
So, Liam picked up his sword.
It had only taken him 4 days to reach this point.
Compared to the months it used to take, this was remarkable progress.
“There you are.”
“Hey bro, if you’re going to do it, why not do it together? What’s so grand about practicing alone?”
Emily and Kaiman approached Liam as he was training.
Kaiman pulled out his sword, looking eager to duel at any moment.
Emily warned him not to disturb Liam, to which Kaiman shot back that she shouldn’t be the one disturbing.
“You’re the one who said not to disturb, aren’t you?” Iman snapped.
Despite their bickering like this…
As the days went by, the three of them were spending more time together.
They trained, sparred, and refined their swordsmanship as comrades, pointing out each other’s flaws.
Liam wiped the sweat from his brow with the towel Emily had handed him and asked, “What’s up? It’s not even time for our appointment yet.”
There was still about an hour left until the time they had agreed to train together.
Seeing that they came like this, it seemed they had a purpose.
Just as Liam was pondering this, Kaiman sheathed his iron sword and nodded toward the exit of the training ground.
“Kello told us to gather. He said they’re going to divide the search party into detailed segments. Did you really not hear the announcement?”
Kello, the one-eyed swordsman ranked 8th in the Hero Ranking.
He was the captain of the airship they were riding.
Liam, Emily, and Kaiman were now part of Kello’s squad and were currently on their way to the Central Church aboard the airship.
Feeling embarrassed as he tried to recall what had happened moments before, Liam sheepishly laughed.
“…I had no idea. Sorry.”
“It’s all good. It was a bit of a hassle to come this far, but it’s quite commendable that you didn’t hear it while focusing on your training. I like that you’ve been more alert lately, Liam.”
“Thanks…?”
“What was it? A few days ago… like four days ago? You were slumped in the corner like mold, so I tried to kick you to wake you up, but you snapped out of it on your own, saving me the trouble. So, I thought you could come this far at least.”
“Hey! When was Liam slumped like mold? What a way to say it!”
Emily shot back sharply at Kaiman’s harsh words.
Kaiman, taken aback, looked at Emily as if she was saying something absurd.
“What are you worried about, woman? Back then, you were missing meals and looking like a corpse. Aren’t you saying that was false?”
“Well, that… Wait, woman? Doesn’t that mean wife?”
“Isn’t it? You two are dating, aren’t you? So I just called you that for implying you’ll marry later.”
Emily blinked in surprise at Kaiman’s conservative comment.
She hesitated to argue and somehow turned her head, capturing Liam’s expression with a hint of expectation.
“That’s not it. We’ve never promised to marry or anything, nor are we dating.”
“Is that so? Since you’re always together, I just assumed.”
Even while Liam had been showing a good vibe until a few days ago, he now wore a ‘kindly’ cold smile as if it were always this way.
“……”
Somehow, Emily felt as though a rock had been placed on her chest.
Nothing was wrong with what he said, but that reaction… it seemed to change the direction Liam was headed, and it felt like he was drifting away from her.
“Liam… um…”
“Anyway, let’s hurry up. If we take too long, we might get in trouble.”
Kaiman unintentionally cut Emily off.
Liam nodded and started walking ahead.
‘Sorry, Emily.’
Liam silently apologized to her.
He couldn’t bear to look at Emily’s expression, which he knew would be hurt, so he deliberately stepped a bit faster.
‘Sorry.’
Not knowing whose feelings these were for her right now, Liam couldn’t express any special words to Emily, who had said she wouldn’t wait long.
*
In the capital of the Troa Empire, Burtemberg.
There was also a trading post called Terrarium, where everything was exchanged in the shaded areas.
“VVIP Vargan… how did your eyes end up like that?”
The owner, a bishop-level Altife, delivered the question with a sly voice.
While he spoke as if worried, the emotion gleaming in his eyes was curiosity.
The emotion with a tongue is curiosity.
Feeling no value in responding to that ridiculous play, I ignored it and immediately stated my purpose.
“I would like to create a weapon, as I mentioned earlier.”
“Ah, a weapon you say. Understood. If you show me the materials you’ve prepared, I’ll take a moment to attune to the emotion and let you know the expected grade.”
Bishop Ultreman, who I ignored, showed no signs of being bothered at all.
That guy, smelling strongly of a con artist, smoothly continued the conversation.
“Here they are.”
I pulled out all the materials I had carefully kept inside White.
Ultreman adjusted his top hat and showed a hint of excitement.
He rarely expressed his true feelings, so that reaction seemed genuine.
“Ooh… You really brought all the materials you mentioned.”
“Did you think I would lie?”
“No, could I ever doubt VVIP customer Vargan? I was simply once again impressed by your resourcefulness.”
“Your tongue rolls quite well.”
“Thank you for the unmatched praise for a merchant. Now, may I take a look?”
“Sure.”
Ultreman, wearing white gloves, cautiously examined the materials.
First, the Mana Stone of Brilliance I had received from Erica in the past.
Of course, its condition was top-notch, with not a single scratch to be found, and the size and concentration of mana were exceptionally high.
The reaction to mana was also outstanding; whatever weapon was made from it would surely be rated at least 2nd tier.
Moreover,
“This Mana Stone… is currently serving as a medium for the Spirit of Darkness, Arcane, isn’t it?”
In simpler terms, that Mana Stone had become Arcane’s home.
It’s only natural that its performance would be superior.
Once the weapon was completed, Arcane would take her position as the ‘ego’ of the Ego Weapon.
Having finished assessing the Mana Stone, Ultreman picked up the next item with a glimmer in his eyes.
“The materials from Yggdrasil are always astonishingly splendid.”
The colossal tree Yggdrasil, towering in the center of the continent.
The only church that unites all people in the world and firmly grasps the hegemony over great nations, it’s a part of the sacred tree of the Yggdrasil Church.
The sap of Yggdrasil, with its broad utility.
The branches of Yggdrasil that would beautifully form the body of the weapon.
These top-tier materials, which bring joy just by looking at them, are treasures that can’t be purchased and can’t be obtained without being affiliated with either Academia or Rikeion.
That was also one of the reasons I entered Academia.
“I have completed the review. There’s no doubt these are all genuine goods. With these materials, surely, as I mentioned before, a top-grade, one-of-a-kind staff will be completed.”
“Of course, it should.”
“Then now, you just need to put a small amount of your mana inside this.”
Having recovered from the excitement of seeing precious items, Ultreman returned to his calm demeanor and shifted into merchant mode.
What he presented was a small flask containing a clear liquid.
The liquid, resembling water at first glance, was Pure Mana Water without any contained magic.
Incredibly clear and transparent Pure Mana Water that never asks questions.
If I infused my mana into it, the weapon would respond to my magic more swiftly and accurately.
Without hesitation, I grabbed it and infused a small amount of mana.
Soon, it took on the color of mercury, reflecting my essence.
Ultreman took it from me.
Then he pulled out several sheets of paper and spread them out on the table.
“These are the elite mage engineers contracted with our Terrarium. They are the talents who will create your staff, VVIP customer Vargan, with great care and even better quality.”
“Those are talented individuals to create something amazing.”
Ultreman requested to choose one among them.
Each profile had a display of their careers and certifications, and they were all dazzling beyond comparison.
I slowly examined the profiles while holding them.
Among them was someone who crafted the prince of the Troa Empire’s scepter.
There were also those who made accessories for Ferangis, ranked 2nd in the Hero Ranking.
“Just to clarify, even if Lord Vargan creates a weapon, it won’t be recorded in that engineer’s records, so you don’t have to worry. These are originally undisclosed information, explicitly stated for our esteemed Vargan.”
Having Lord Vargan’s information leave a record would be a catastrophic event.
As Ultreman continued, he added additional explanations.
All the experience noted here had been confirmed, and most were contracts conducted externally, not through the Terrarium.
In other words, it was likely that the prince and Ferangis had not come into contact with the engineers through the Terrarium.
Well… even if they had, hardly anyone would know that the Terrarium belongs to the Goddess Church, so it wouldn’t matter.
After reviewing all the profiles, I quietly placed the papers on the table.
Noticing my odd reaction, Ultreman asked, “Is there no engineer that catches your fancy?”
“I’m looking for someone specific.”
“I see. Please tell me. It might take some time, but I will connect you to the engineer faster than any other trading house.”
“It’s the name Biblios.”
“Biblios… Please wait a moment.”
Maybe it was an unfamiliar name because Ultreman pondered over it.
Then, naturally, a new Ultreman came out from behind him, holding a profile and handed it over.
When he received the profile, Ultreman subtly showed it to me without even checking it himself.
The name on the profile confirmed it was indeed ‘Biblios.’
As I was scanning it, Ultreman said, seeming a bit puzzled, “Certainly, he is a skilled engineer under contract with us… but he currently has no remarkable experience. He doesn’t compare to the ones I just showed you; is he a personal acquaintance?”
“Not at all. A complete stranger.”
“In that case… should we give such precious materials to another engineer…?”
“Enough. I’ll go with him.”
I cut off Ultreman’s words cleanly.
The residence and characteristics perfectly matched the information I had about Biblios.
If that’s the case, there’s no need for me to ponder over other engineers.
Even if he lacks experience… considering the “legendary monstrosity” Biblios created in the original story, there’s no one else I can think of.
“Understood. If that’s Lord Vargan’s decision, I’ll hand it over to Biblios.”
With my resolve firm, Ultreman showed a reaction of disappointment but acceptance.
Honestly, it’s not surprising he would react that way.
The taste can vary dramatically even with the same ingredients depending on who cooks, so why would weapons be any different?
Even entrusting such top-quality materials to an inexperienced chef would be hard to comprehend.
But I know.
The “monstrosity” Biblios created.
Its power and danger.
The story of the weapon that dominated the frontlines, wielded by the hero Helion.
All the weapons crafted by Biblios come with a “high risk, high return.”
The stakes are enormous, but the returns are staggering.
And Biblios’ principle fits perfectly with mine.
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