LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 97
“Is this…?”
“The wind has grown cool…”
As the party members said, the wind blowing across the barren plains felt extraordinarily refreshing, unlike before.
Originally, the wind in this land was dusty and musty, providing no sense of freshness. Now, however, it was infused with vitality.
There were no immediate changes visible. Nevertheless, everyone must have sensed it. Life was beginning to sprout again in this land.
“First… let’s head back.”
We had emerged from a place far away from the mine. It seemed we had wandered aimlessly inside the dungeon until we reached here.
Dragging our exhausted bodies, we made our way toward the towering castle walls.
*
The castle entrance was bustling. Soldiers in armor dashed around, meticulously checking the faces and belongings of those trying to enter.
At that moment, one of the soldiers looked over at us with a surprised expression and shouted.
“Found it! We found it!”
That was the signal. The soldier’s voice drew the attention of everyone around. Soldiers who had been scattered, searching for something, began to rush over in a frenzy.
“This is…”
Alfonso, greatly flustered at the sight of the soldiers, quickly adjusted the helmet tucked under his arm. But could he really conceal his identity? The soldiers swiftly surrounded our party, including Alfonso.
“Your Highness! It’s definitely the Third Prince!”
At that moment, a young man pushed through the soldiers. He seemed to have hurried here, panting heavily.
“Alfredo… Is it really Alfredo…?”
“Alex, big brother…”
The gaze of the two brothers met in the air. Alfonso, or rather Alfredo, who had been silently enduring the stare, took off his helmet. His golden hair, which flowed freely, was matted with blood and sweat, making it look disheveled.
“Where have you been…?”
Alex’s gaze slowly inspected Alfredo’s body, as if he were looking at something precious.
As he silently endured that gaze, Alfredo quietly spoke.
“I went on an adventure… a real adventure.”
*
Returning to the castle, Alfredo was in a frenzy. His reckless actions had caused many lives to be lost. He felt the weight of responsibility for the lives of his fallen party members.
Alfredo realized that the stories of adventurers from the books he had read were all fabricated tales.
During the dungeon exploration, their party had been cut in half. There was no guarantee that death, which had come so close, wouldn’t aim for him next. Although scared, he forced himself to act as if everything was normal.
For Alfredo, death was unfamiliar and strange. However, other adventurers brushed off the deaths of their companions as if it were nothing. As if it was a common occurrence.
His fragile mental state felt like it was being pounded endlessly with numerous hammer strikes.
“Whew…”
Alfredo took a deep breath and stopped in front of the king’s chamber. Signaling to the soldiers standing beside him, the door began to open naturally.
Alfredo walked confidently. Whenever he stood before his father, King Raoum, he always felt small, but today was different.
“Alfredo.”
“Father…”
“I received all the stories from the party members who were with you. So, you dealt with the Dark Mage in the dungeon?”
It was a question for verification. If he answered no, the stay of the comrades who had fought alongside him would undoubtedly be extended.
“It is true.”
“Magical traces were discovered inside the mine. It seems that was what moved you… coincidentally, a magician whose identity is yet to be revealed participated in your party.”
Alfredo frowned at those words. In the process of escaping the dungeon, the dungeon had completely collapsed. The collapse affected the largest mine in the kingdom.
Alfredo could sense his father, King Raoum’s intentions. He surely planned to hold the Mage Tower accountable for the collapsed mine and this incident.
“It was merely a coincidence.”
Alfredo’s slightly hunched back straightened as he spoke from the perspective of an adventurer Alfonso, rather than the Third Prince Alfredo.
“I know that I created an artificial dungeon inside the mine through my reckless actions. Father, rather than shifting the responsibility onto my comrades who accompanied me, it would be wise to capture the one who chose that location and hold them accountable…”
King Raoum Santos silently gazed down at his youngest son. The son who always appeared nervous and disappointing when standing in front of him was now expressing his thoughts confidently.
In truth, the investigation into the incident had already concluded. Everything had occurred due to coincidence, and he knew there was no responsibility on the shoulders of those who had fought alongside his son. And he also knew how this incident would change the kingdom. Santos merely wanted to test Alfredo.
The dull blade had transformed. The adventures from there, the accumulated experiences had sharpened the blade that was Alfredo.
Santos smiled contentedly.
“Alfredo.”
“Yes…?”
“That magician, was it Seris?”
“Oh, yes. I believe that was the name she used…”
“What’s your relationship with her?”
“… A precious comrade.”
As Santos drummed his fingers on the armrest of the throne, he considered the matter. Even if Alfredo had changed from being timid, he was still the Third Prince. As long as the two brothers in front of him were alive, it wouldn’t be easy for him to inherit. Of course, if the land regained vitality and returned to its former self from centuries ago, that would be a different story.
Alfredo needed a foundation. A foundation from which he could stand on equal footing with his brothers.
It would get a bit busier from now on. Santos rose from his seat and summoned a servant to prepare pen and paper.
“Father…?”
“Go see your comrades.”
*
“Ughhh~”
As I emerged from the massive castle, I stretched my arms wide. My stiff body cracked and felt liberated. All the party members, including myself, had been dragged to the castle and interrogated for two days.
It was a bit disconcerting, but I could understand the reaction of the Raoum royal family. The sudden disappearance of the Third Prince must have raised suspicions about everything.
Still, I hadn’t faced any discomfort during my time there. I had been provided with a soft bed and delicious food. It was even nice to focus on recovering my mana.
Once the Raoum royal family learned the full truth, they compensated us with even more rewards than promised. I looked at my heavy bag and smiled lightly.
“Hey, wait a second…!”
As adventurers who had received their rewards began to leave one by one, Alfredo, who had come to see us off, called out to me. He was dressed not in full plate armor, but in splendid everyday clothes.
“What?”
“If… we happen to meet again…”
“Next time?”
“Will you be able to go on an adventure with me again… form a party with me?”
I looked up at Alfredo with a somewhat puzzled expression at his words. His sparkling gaze felt burdensome.
“Hmm…”
How should I answer? Countless thoughts raced through my mind in a short time.
“Let’s see when the time comes.”
A smile spread across Alfredo’s face. When I thought about it, he was quite a decent companion as a party member. He treated the seemingly young girl without prejudice and didn’t bat an eye at the fact that I was a Gold-rated swordsman.
“Well then, see you next time.”
“Take care!”
I waved at Alfredo as I left the castle. As I descended the hill where the castle was located, I spotted a pink-haired girl waiting for me on the path.
“Miss Terra?”
“Hey. Are you done with your greetings?”
“Ah, yes. Were you waiting for me?”
“Yep.”
“Why?”
“Just. You’re not thinking of leaving right away, are you? Got anything to do?”
“Uh, well, about that…”
I glanced at the bag behind me. It was filled to the brim with gold coins and felt incredibly heavy.
“I’m thinking of making full plate armor.”
“Is it going to fit you?”
“Yes.”
“Oh, perfect timing. Leave it to me.”
“Eh…?”
“I run a blacksmith shop, you know.”
A Gold-rated swordsman is a blacksmith? As I looked at her with an inquisitive expression, Terra grabbed my hand and started dragging me along relentlessly.
Though it was a small girl’s hand, the callouses within it were undeniably firm.
“Your skills are assured, right…?”
“Just trust me!”
Where we arrived was a bigger blacksmith than I expected. The heat of fire and an environment filled with molten metal seemed strangely familiar to Terra.
“Want to try raising your hands for a bit?”
“Ah, sure.”
“Alright. Just stay still like that.”
Terra went to the corner and brought back a measuring tape, beginning to measure my body size. She was approaching this task with an extremely serious demeanor.
“You’re sturdier than I thought, huh? You can handle the weight well… Since you’re a wizard, minerals with high magic resistance would be good…?”
Terra began muttering to herself in a small voice as she wrote out the order form. Watching her, I hurried to speak up.
“Ah, please don’t make a helmet. Because of my horns…”
*
Clang-!
With each strike of the hammer, the forge’s flames flickered in response. A hazy afterimage began to shimmer around Terra’s small body.
Terra’s forge did not extinguish for an entire week. She hammered day and night. Finally, the instant the last blow was struck, she looked at me with dark circles under her eyes.
“Is it… done?”
Terra nodded silently. The completed silver armor gleamed brightly. She began to dress me with the armor she had created.
As her small hands fumbled, they tightened the leather straps firmly.
“Finished!”
When Terra took her hands off my body, a heavy weight pressed down on me. However, it wasn’t an unpleasant feeling.
The full plate had considerable weight, but since the weight was distributed across my body, it didn’t restrict my movement at all.
I lightly tapped the breastplate and smiled in satisfaction. When the Mana Barrier is breached, this armor will surely protect my life.
“What’s the price?”
However, she couldn’t answer my question. Terra, who had perched on a small table, was fast asleep while watching me.
“Hmm…”
How much should I pay…?
As I pondered briefly, I pulled out all the gold I received as the reward for this quest.
I had gotten the full plate I wanted, and I was done with all my business here. That meant there was no reason to stay any longer.
I draped a blanket over the soundly sleeping Terra, then mounted my Nightmare and left the Raoum castle.
Swoosh—
As the Nightmare trudged forward, the green wind spread out beneath its feet. Following that breeze with my gaze, I could spot a small flower blossoming on the desolate ground.
“Oh…”
A flower blooming in such a barren place felt even more special. Just as I was struck with awe while gazing at the small flower swaying in the wind, the Nightmare stomped over and snatched it up in one gulp.
“Ah…!”
Fwooosh—
The Nightmare waved its tail and continued on its way.