“Huff…! Huff…!”
I was out of breath.
Thud!
The masked man, pierced through the heart, collapsed forward right in front of me.
“I thought I was going to die, you b*stard…”
This was, without a doubt, the toughest opponent I’ve ever faced.
It’s hard to understand why someone with his skill would waste it on devil worship.
Drip, Drip.
But that aside…
As I caught my breath, the searing pain in my side grew more intense.
A quick glance revealed torn leather armor and broken chainmail, blood streaming freely from the wound.
The injury was worse than I thought.
Staggering, I forced myself to stand.
Crash! Clang!
The battle was still raging.
Even so, it seemed Lorenz’s subordinates held the upper hand.
Well, that was to be expected.
Rumble!
“Gaaah!”
Beyond the chaos, Lorenz was holding one side of the battlefield on his own, allowing the rest of the forces to focus here.
…I knew there was someone on their side as skilled as the one I just fought.
Yet Lorenz not only held his ground but also subdued the other masked attackers single-handedly.
No need to worry about that side. I’ll focus on helping here.
Hah.
Let’s finish this quickly so I can get treated.
The pain is getting worse.
Thunk!
I pulled a broken sword from the masked man’s corpse.
That makes twice now—two fights against Aura users, and both times my sword broke.
I really need to get myself a sturdier weapon.
Shunk!
“Gah!”
I stabbed another masked man creeping up from behind, killing him, and took the sword from his hand.
When I return, I’ll need to ask for a proper sword as my reward.
After all, I managed to take down a seasoned Aura user—a devil worshipper highly skilled in Guard techniques.
It may not match the accomplishment I achieved at the mansion last time, but it’s still significant enough.
With that, I tore a piece of fabric from the fallen masked man’s clothing to bind my wound before jumping back into the fight.
**
“Your wound is severe.”
“Yes.”
“Mel, take care of him.”
After the battle had ended, Lorenz’s subordinate, Mel, cast a healing spell on me.
Healing here isn’t like the instant restoration you’d see in games from my past life.
It’s more like disinfecting the wound and alleviating pain.
I’ve heard that high-ranking clerics can heal wounds entirely, but I doubt I’ll ever have the opportunity to be treated by someone like that.
Still, I’m grateful for even this much.
The pain is far more bearable now.
“Make sure to get proper treatment once we’re back.”
“Understood.”
I knew I needed to get treated as soon as possible. After everyone received basic first aid, we began making our way back up through the sewers.
Fortunately, there were no more ambushes as we ascended to the first floor.
We eventually made it to the surface without further incident.
“Come find me after you’ve been treated.”
“Is there more work to do?”
“No, I want to reward you personally.”
After exchanging those words with Lorenz, we parted ways.
Instead of heading to a public medical facility, I decided to go to the Boyd family estate.
I trusted their healer more than some stranger.
“You’re hurt?!”
“Yes, could you treat me?”
“What?! What kind of wound is this?!”
It had been too dark to see clearly before, but in the bright light, the severity of my wound was undeniable.
Although I had done basic first aid, the broken chainmail and leather had fused into the wound, creating a grisly sight.
“Oh my! Doesn’t it hurt?!”
“…It does, but I’m fine.”
“I’ll give you a painkiller. Please lie down here!”
Listening to the healer fuss, I focused on the treatment.
“Let’s start with surgery.”
The healer skillfully removed the fragments of chainmail and leather embedded in the wound, then expertly stitched my torn side.
Their precision was truly impressive.
“You must rest completely! Stay here in the treatment room!”
“Understood.”
“And don’t even think about sneaking off!”
“Do I look like a child? I’m not going to run off.”
Whirrr.
The healer gave me a doubtful look, as if my words weren’t reassuring, but still…
“Absolute rest! Remember that!”
With that, they left, saying they’d bring more medicine.
Hah.
Looks like I’m stuck in this treatment room for a while.
Still, it’s not a bad trade. I fought someone that strong and walked away with just this much damage.
So, I decided to comply and rest quietly, as instructed.
Knock, Knock.
“Yes, come in.”
Someone entered after knocking. It wasn’t the healer, judging by the polite knock.
“Are you feeling any better?”
Ah, it’s Lowell.
“I feel like I’m dying. Could you send me some good medicine?”
“I’ve already instructed to use whatever we have available.”
“That’s good to hear.”
The medicines here worked wonders when I’d been treated before.
I’d probably be back on my feet in a week.
“By the way, Lorenz told me. You fulfilled your role admirably.”
“You’ve already heard from Lorenz?”
How long could it have taken for me to get treated? And yet, he’s already met with Lorenz?
“With so many devil worshippers emerging from the sewers, Lorenz had to act quickly.”
“Ah, so the suppression unit’s being dispatched?”
“The Royal Knights have been deployed.”
“Oh…”
The Royal Knights, huh…?
“Think they can handle it?”
Honestly, my opinion of them isn’t very high. After all, weren’t they the ones who marched out boldly only to be ambushed?
Granted, despite the ambush, they still managed to deal significant damage to the devil worshippers and the remnants of the Lugar Kingdom, allowing us to successfully hold them off.
“They were highly skilled.”
“…They were?”
“Yes. However, their youth and rashness have been an issue.”
Lowell’s words were in past tense.
“So, that’s no longer the case?”
“After their earlier harsh defeat, I believe they’ve learned their lesson.”
Well, maybe I can expect more from them now.
Then again, the Royal Knights aren’t some kids’ playgroup.
I’m sure they’ll handle it fine.
Anyway, my role here is done.
“More importantly, what would you like as your reward?”
Ah, right. It’s time to claim my reward.
Considering how difficult this first mission was, just a standard paycheck doesn’t seem fair.
“I want a good weapon.”
“A quick answer.”
“My sword broke again.”
I’d already decided.
After two fights with Aura users, both of my swords had snapped.
The thing I need most right now is a reliable weapon.
“A personal weapon, then. Perfect timing.”
Lowell said, pulling out his wallet.
I thought he was about to hand me money to buy a weapon when—
“Take this.”
He handed me not money, but a slip of paper.
“What’s this?”
“A ticket.”
“Sorry?”
“Follow the directions written on the back.”
Looking closely, the luxurious paper had the name ‘Gareth’ written on the front, and a simple map on the back.
“This is…”
“A VIP voucher for Gareth’s forge.”
Gareth. Gareth.
I’d never heard of the name before.
But if Lowell was giving me this ticket, it must mean Gareth is an exceptional blacksmith.
“He’s the kingdom’s finest craftsman. You should pay him a visit.”
“I’ll head there soon.”
“Yes, once you’ve recovered.”
Carefully, I tucked the voucher into my pocket.
A few days later.
“Absolute rest!”
“Yes, I understand.”
Taking advantage of the healer’s absence as they left to tend to other matters, I opened the window and stepped into the garden.
From there, I made my way back to the doghouse and changed into proper clothes.
“Oh, heading out for the first time in a while?”
“Yes, I’ll be back soon.”
I greeted the gatekeeper casually before leaving the estate.
The staff here didn’t know much about my situation, so no one said anything.
The only ones aware of my injuries and the mission I’d returned from were probably Lowell and the healer.
Most likely, everyone else just assumed I’d been away for unrelated reasons.
Anyway…
Once I stepped outside, I immediately began following the map on the voucher, heading toward the high-end commercial district.
The anticipation made me restless.
A personal weapon! Doesn’t that phrase carry such a romantic allure?
Besides, today was also the day I’d promised to meet Jevan, the mercenary captain. I could visit the forge and then swing by the Mercenary Guild to confirm my fake identity.
Sure, I’d face the wrath of the healer when I got back to the estate, but… well, it’s always easier to ask for forgiveness than permission.
“Is this it?”
Following the map, I arrived at a massive building in the high-end commercial district.
It didn’t look like a typical forge—it resembled the surrounding commercial buildings.
The unusual thing was the large crowd gathered on the first floor.
The people standing in line ranged from merchants in sharp suits to mercenaries in rugged armor radiating powerful auras.
It made sense for a forge; the clientele would be diverse.
…But do I have to stand in that line too?
I mean, I have a VIP pass from the Boyd family. Surely that means I can skip the line, right?
Looking closely at the voucher again, I noticed something peculiar in the instructions on the back.
[Entrance: 2nd Floor]
The second floor?
But everyone else is queuing on the first floor…
Ah, of course. The second floor must be the VIP entrance.
I decided to find the stairs to the second floor and walked around the building, but no stairs were visible.
…Do I have to push through that crowd to find the entrance upstairs?
As I was contemplating this, my eyes landed on a terrace on the second floor of the forge.
It was a small terrace with large windows, closed and curtained.
…That’s also an entrance, isn’t it?
If I’m a VIP, surely it’s fine to use it.
Thump, Thump.
Testing the height, I bounced lightly on the balls of my feet a couple of times.
Let’s see…
Gathering Aura into my legs, I readied myself.
Bang.
With a burst of energy, I used Fleet to propel myself into the air.
“Huh?”
“What’s that?!”
I ignored the startled exclamations from below and landed perfectly on the terrace.
Knock, Knock.
I rapped lightly on the window.
Creak.
The curtain shifted, and the window opened.
“Oh, excuse me, I—”
“Please, come inside.”
I’d intended to apologize for possibly intruding, but the woman who opened the window showed no reaction. She simply gestured for me to come in.
“So… it’s okay to enter through the window?”
“Yes. This is the designated entrance for VIP guests. There’s no issue.”
“Oh.”
So this really is the entrance.
That old man Lowell could’ve explained this better.
His sense of humor is something else…
Anyway.
“This way. I’ll escort you to Master Gareth.”
Excitement bubbling up, I followed her deeper into the forge.
