Chapter 332: Caught In Crossfire

Han didn't exactly forget about the fact that there was a Guardsman who knew that he was involved with those three 'fugitives' that entered the City of Gloria. 

But time seemed to move differently within the forge and it was all that mattered. This Blacksmith had no idea about who Han was and he could say the same for her—they were just chatting together as he watched her do her work.

Until she finally lowered her hammer and moved away from the anvil. 

"Let's call it a day, I'm tired."

"Huh?"

The young woman gave Han a look and shook her head. "How you managed to stay here without bleeding your ears, you must be deaf." 

She dispelled [ Circle of Furnace ] and finished her work for the day. 

She set down and arranged several pieces of horseshoes. Each one organized to the last piece. Along with those were a small pail filled with metal nails and other small metallic gears that seemed to have been made for a clock. 

Han was impressed with how many she made during his time here and it was obvious that each one was made carefully and with a certain standard. 

The level of perfection was nailed to… the last nail.

He genuinely appreciated the craftsmanship. However, if Han Jing was going to compare it to what a machine could do… Well, machines still sort of triumphed by a huge margin.

Not that he was going to mention that.

Han didn't need a hammer thrown at his face.

The woman moved over towards one of the small metal-like safe on a further table and she opened it up. A cool blast of wind blew out of the box, the Blacksmith quickly snagged out two glasses and then walked up to him. 

"You look like you're melting, have some water."

Han accepted the glass and felt the frost on his fingertips. "Neat, I didn't know you guys had an ice-box." 

He forgot if he saw something like this before but conversation was conversation! Between the two of them, Han made it a point to continue their talk and fill in before a silence settled in.

The Blacksmith raised her brow and shrugged. "It's a little magical to keep the temperature within the box, but essentially, it's an ice box as you said." The woman sipped her drink. "Without worrying about the ice melting at all."

"Makes sense and thank you. Is this some kind of special water?" Han took a sip and enjoyed the refreshing water on his tongue. He left the dining hall during lunch and practically just ran around—he didn't realize how tired he was.

Endurance or not, Han was still a layabout by heart.

A snort left the Blacksmith's lips. "What's with you giving too much thought into plain river water? Unless we get some special Hydromancer who specializes in changing some element within the water, you're drinking water."

"That's still cool, you know?" Han finished his drink. "I'm absolutely refreshed. Thanks for the water, Miss Blacksmith."

A light of amusement twitched in the woman's gaze. "Good. So what are you planning to do next?" The Blacksmith rested a hand on her hip. 

"Me? I don't have any plans—none whatsoever. What are you asking for? You got anything you want me to do?" Han asked. "I could help you uh, carry those materials out to the city for shipment?"

She placed her drinking glass on the table and then removed her goggles."Are you going to stay here all day until your classes end—I haven't met a lot of people who skip classes and choose to do it here in a hot forge."

Han evaded the first question and simply grinned. "Well does that mean you still met someone who spends their time here?"

"Hmm… kind of." A thoughtful look appeared on the woman's face, before it broke into a small smile. "They're an overall strange boy, just like you are."

"Woah, hold on there. I'm pretty normal and average." Han insisted. 

"Sure, convince yourself with whatever you want." The Blacksmith snorted. "But someone with common sense would have left immediately and read the social cues when I told them to leave."

"Then you can say that I'm someone who ignores those cues."

"And only a fool or someone strange would do that. Pick your poison, boy." 

Han chuckled and raised a hand. "Okay, you got me. That's really fair, Miss." 

"So what are you really here for?" The Blacksmith asked. "Not a lot of people know the way to get to my private forge area, so you must have received some instructions from a friend or a professor?"

"Didn't I tell you that I got here by accident?"

"Oh you did—still, what kind of luck do you have to end up here?" She glanced at him up and down. "You must be pretty unlucky if you ended up here."

"I think I can attest to that—this boy's supposed to be arrested." Owen Liddell slipped inside of the forge and looked around the area. He gave a small nod at the Blacksmith, "Sybeth. Sorry to intrude on your forge today."

Han blinked at the name. "Sybeth? Wait, you're the one that Theodore and Kai talked about! The expert senior Blacksmith."

"Ah, Professor Liddell. Did I just let in some kind of criminal here in the forge?" Sybeth wrinkled her nose and glanced at Han with a tiny frown. While her words were now less vicious, that mere action already spoke levels of what he thought of someone with criminal activity. 

She even ignored his words in lieu of speaking to the Professor.

While Han shouldn't have cared that much since they were practically strangers, his reputation was still at stake and he needed to clear that up. He waved his empty glass and tried for a grin. "Er, we might have some mix-up, Professor Owen."

"How so?" Sybeth raised a brow. While she didn't seem to have cared at first, the sudden words that came from the Professor made her more wary and even critical about him.

All of their mildly accumulated friendship went down the drain.

Han sighed and looked at the Professor. He wondered if he should try to run and escaping, but the man was blocking the only doorway. What was he supposed to say to get out of here without any troubles? 

Gauge how much the man knows?

"Arrested seems like quite huge trouble, but all I did was sneak out with the others last night." Han scratched his head.

"I trust that, but it seems like you have a lot more that you have to explain." Owen eyed him with a knowing look. "People you've met and encountered, per se. I'm sure you must remember that this is the second time you've returned to the Academy past curfew. Let's talk about the first one."

Great, it seemed like the Guardsman spoke about the incident with everyone. 

Han barely remembered Boaz back then, but now it was biting him in the ass. "You know about that… I really don't know how to explain it? Those people that I met with the Guardsman? It's a funny story actually."

"How did you communicate with these people from across the continent? I think any communication would have been detected right from the start and would have been noticed immediately by the Mage Guild if that is how you sent messages—did you communicate through other channels?" 

Right.

A lot of questions.

"Is it not too late to bail?" Han rubbed his face. "Man, I need a lawyer." 

Professor Owen crossed his arms. "You should be happy that I'm the one interrogating you and not someone else—I don't dabble in torture. At least, not until you convince me that it's necessary. Sit down and let's have a conversation. I have time to listen."

"Fine…"

Owen Liddell pulled out his notebook and stood by the exit. "Let's start with your history—according to sources, you're an orphan and nobody seems to know who your birth parents are. There's no actual records, so are you really a Human or are you a Changeling spy?"

"I was born in Rockfall!" Han said. "Where else would I be from? I'm Human through and through." 

The slight look of hesitation on his face as he said it was interpreted differently by the Professor. He pulled out a quill and started jotting down. "You do not deny your relationship with the three fugitives—witnesses already say that you're involved."

"I mean yeah… but it happened by chance." 

"You just happened to stop three high-leveled individuals from ransacking the entire city?"

"They weren't there to do that—really, I think their motivations are different." Han said that… but he still couldn't help but remember Jilanya's first course of actions when he arrived. It was an attempt to defeat and end competition.

Those three might as well have been planning to do that, no matter what they may have said.

"So you're not merely a slave or someone who does their orders. Conversational level. Friends. Allies. Comrades, perhaps?"

"Er…"

This was why he wished he had a lawyer… Han sighed and rubbed his face. Well, this still could have turned out even much worse. While he didn't have any evidence to prove his innocence against a Guardsman's testimony—what if those three were still in the area? They could probably counter the witnesses right?

He wasn't so sure, but they could prove that he wasn't doing anything bad?

Would they even do that for him?

Han didn't want to put his hopes up based on their last encounter.

On top of that, having them come and save him from getting jailed would just make Han look even more suspicious. He'd rather not have that.

Professor Owen tapped his quill on his notes. "You must have met them prior or were in communications before the incident—I doubt anyone could have made friends out of our national enemies, regardless of any diplomatic Class. So what method did you choose and how had nobody detected it before? Even encrypted messages can be infiltrated."

"So you're telling me the people who send messages or whoever is in charge of them—they sell the content within what one sends to their friends and companions?" Han asked.

"That's not important right now."

"... Er, it feels kinda important for the long run." It made him feel like Earth and here weren't that too different. Kinda made sense, information business and all that. But Professor Owen didn't look at all bothered.

"Do you want me to heat up the furnace, Professor?" Sybeth dryly asked and picked up her tongs. The woman was still around and hadn't left the forge despite the impromptu interrogation. "This might make him confess up faster."

… Han tossed the Blacksmith a look. "Are you actually serious?" 

"If it's for the greater good, then I don't see why not?"