Chapter: 402
As I prepared to teleport, I frowned at the memory of the perverted apostle and the trash that had latched onto me while I was leaving the church.
The chaos had all started with that perverted apostle. While I was still inside the church, he was all gratitude and bowing his head, asking for my help if I ever needed it. And then, suddenly, he dropped the bomb.
“Lady Alrn, may I have your permission to express the inspiration I gained from you in my art?”
Though he twisted his words, the intention was crystal clear. He wanted to create art with me as the protagonist, just like when he painted my portrait ages ago!
Upon hearing that, I gave him a serious no.
Did he seriously think I’d let these crazies run wild if I gave in?
When I first heard he was composing songs about me, I was already pretty mortified. I didn’t want to dive any deeper into that embarrassment!
The perverted apostle sulked and stepped back, but not the rest of the art guild’s perverts.
Upon hearing my refusal, they looked as if the world was ending and started kneeling by my side one by one.
“O goddess incarnate! Please! Please permit us!”
“Take my life if you must, just grant me your inspiration!”
“Just reconsider! I promise no trouble whatsoever!”
Watching fully grown men crying and banging their heads in front of me felt unsettling.
I thought about how a king might feel seeing his servants begging at his feet in the Joseon Dynasty!
But no matter what I thought, my decision was unwavering.
In fact, seeing their antics only strengthened my resolve. I could already picture the calamity that would ensue if I granted that permission.
I did feel a little tempted when I heard they were willing to donate half of their income from these art sales to me and keep only the bare minimum for themselves, but even then, I could turn them down.
I eventually crumbled, though, due to one particular painting the perverted apostle showed me.
“Lady Alrn, please at least take a look at my prototype!”
He carefully pulled out a sheet of paper showing me staring at my reflection, eyes filled with flames of vanity.
It captured the moment when I was checking my beauty thanks to my artistic sense.
I remembered the recent time when I had just woken up from fainting, wondering how on earth he managed to create such a lifelike painting.
He must have rushed it, yet not a single flaw was visible!
While I was lost in complicated emotions staring at the drawing, the perverted apostle exclaimed proudly, “Such beauty should not be left only in our memories!”
Even though he shouted this with the purest intentions, to me, it felt like a direct threat.
Showing off a moment of vanity in front of others wasn’t enough; he was planning to immortalize it in art! That felt like a social assassination!
There were a few more paintings he bragged about before I finally threw in the towel. I couldn’t bear to watch my black history spread around!
However, after discussing with Grandfather, I did put a few restrictions in place. Whether that would actually help, who knows?
“Lady Alrn, you may go in now.”
Having left the church, instead of returning directly to Alrn Territory, I opted to visit the Coliseum in the Tercha Empire.
Since my return to the academy was drawing near, I had to find a replacement for my shattered armor, right?
Plus, I might be able to see if my aesthetic sense could help me choose some weaponry.
As expected, the people in the Coliseum area recognized me. It wasn’t just my flashy appearance but also my recent deeds that made it obvious.
So as soon as word got out that I was looking for armor, hawkers swarmed around me, inviting me to check out their blacksmith shop.
“Our blacksmith is…”
“Our shop has always supplied weapons to the territory…”
“If you come to our blacksmith!…”
I was planning to browse around blacksmiths from the start, so I followed their lead into their shop to check out their gear.
To cut to the chase, among the flashy blacksmiths, there were barely any decent options.
Sure, there were a couple of acceptable pieces, but nothing more than that.
Even without aesthetic sense, I wouldn’t have bothered with most of them. A few shops had slightly better options but, from my perspective, their gear was still pretty mediocre.
I thought if I had to choose from such junk, I’d rather find a way to fix my broken armor.
As I continued to check out the shops, the atmosphere among the blacksmiths started to sour.
“What’s the problem! This armor has been praised by the lord!”
It was obvious what the blacksmith was thinking.
Since I hadn’t said anything and merely shook my head, some clueless kid probably thought I was just playing around.
If only I could keep my mouth shut to avoid any potential confrontation…
Other blacksmiths watching the situation seemed to share a similar sentiment, their gazes sharpening.
Do they genuinely think this stuff looks good?
Sure, it might be decent for an ordinary person but it looked too flimsy for someone like me.
Hmmm. Wasting time looking at these half-baked goods feels pointless, and being looked down upon just because they seem small and cute was a bit frustrating. Should I set them straight?
“Hey, doesn’t that ugly guy over there see how ridiculous this is?”
“…Ridiculous, you say?”
“Can’t see? Then, how about you, shorty? Does this look good to you?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Anyone else? Is there anyone?”
I glanced around at the blacksmiths, but no one was stepping up to speak. They were too busy trying to gauge each other’s reactions to say anything.
The blacksmiths I imagined would be quirky and free-spirited were way too tame in reality.
This is boring.
With no one arguing back, I puffed out my lips and grabbed the armor in front of me, crumpling it in my hands.
Seeing it break so easily, made from decent metal, left everyone in stunned silence.
I guess nobody thought it would break that simply.
“Curious how you guys are still on duty with skills like this? Looks like every single one of you is a total loser.”
I tossed the crumpled armor in front of the blacksmith, smacked his chest lightly, and spoke in a mocking tone.
“Just keep making this pathetic stuff for the rest of your life. But don’t step out of this alley, or you’ll feel the urge to bite your tongue upon seeing better stuff out there.”
Leaving the frustrated blacksmith behind, no one dared to stop me as I walked outside.
They all knew they could end up in his shoes if they stepped forward.
If I’d known this was going to happen, I would’ve just returned straight to Alrn Territory. What a waste of time.
In a few months, I’d be hunting for armor that would be considered half-endgame quality, so until then, I might as well fix the one I used to wear.
[You really think that’s possible? The armor you were wearing has already hit its limit. Fixing it wouldn’t even be better than not wearing it at all.]
‘So am I really supposed to not wear armor? At my level, wearing average armor feels worse than nothing!’
[That’s not a bad idea either. Wearing weaker armor than your own body would just get in the way.]
While I chatted with Grandfather, I roamed around the streets, searching for a glimmer of hope when I spotted something shiny tucked away in an alley.
That feeling… it’s similar to when I first saw the sword’s handle!
Curiosity piqued, I trusted my aesthetic sense and ventured into the alley.
The blacksmith shop within was beyond any positive description.
It was shabby and old, just barely holding up against heavy rain.
However, the items displayed inside were something else.
The old blacksmith’s wares were not flashy, but their true substance was enough to entice any warrior.
Even the shabby blacksmiths seemed to be holding onto something incredible with all their might.
“Excuse me, but our business is… oh. What brings the Lady of the Alrn Family to this humble place?”
“Are you stupid? Why would someone noble visit a pit like this?”
When I showed them the token I received for winning the Coliseum, I could see the blacksmith’s eyes widen in surprise.
“What? Is this not enough? With such a sorry appearance, you dare to…?”
“No! That’s impossible! The token given to you by the lord couldn’t possibly be insufficient! It’s just that my master might currently be unavailable, so our blacksmith isn’t making any wares.”
I sighed heavily after hearing their explanation.
I’d finally found a decent place, but this one was closed for business?
Super annoying, yet I knew if I had to look elsewhere, I’d definitely be disappointed.
Hmm. Hmm…
“Well then, bring out any decent armor you might have. Even a semi-intelligent half-wit like you can manage that, right?”
After mulling it over for a while, I decided to compromise with reality.
An armor that’s already made, no matter how flawed, would still be better than the other junk.
“Armor… you say?”
After hearing my request, the blacksmith eyed me up and down for a while before disappearing inside to fetch an armor piece.
He rambled about the metal it was made from and its various functions, but I didn’t catch any of it.
I had already made my decision to buy it before he even started talking.
The moment I spotted the artisan’s seal embedded on one side of the armor, my mind blanked out.
Of course! That seal on the armor means it’s from a blacksmith capable of creating hidden items in the Soul Academy universe!
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