Chapter 46

Chapter 46

[I accept the challenge.]

By the time Gerwin accepted the challenge, the incident from half a year ago had already spread so widely that no one was unaware of it. Back then, everyone had treated it as just another incident, but looking back on it now, there were numerous suspicious aspects to it.

“Was it a coincidence that it overlapped with the selection period for the sponsorship?”

“If it hadn’t been for that incident, wouldn’t Luize have received it? Not to mention the fact that the person who forged her wand was Vier Barmauth, who is well-known for his cooperative relationship with the Kruger family...”

“When it comes to the Krugers or Barmauths... you never know, at least based on the rumors.”

What started as a small suspicion had grown larger and larger as it passed from person to person, and it eventually overflowed, reaching ears beyond the academy.

—Tsk. Pathetic.

And that included the UD Group which was owned by Gerwin’s family.

—You can’t even handle one insignificant person properly? How did you let such gossip spread around?! There’s a limit to how much you can tarnish the family name.

The irritated voice of Daniel Kruger, the third son, resounded clearly through the phone. Hearing Daniel’s words, Gerwin bit his lip hard.

“I’m sorry... Brother.”

—We’d only make things worse if we get involved, so handle it by yourself. Got it?

“...Understood.”

—You fool...

Click-

The call was hung up coldly and Gerwin’s hand, the one holding the phone, began clenching tightly.

Crack!

The phone was crushed in his hand. His anger still fuming, he muttered in a low voice with his head bowed down, “Damn old man...”

Daniel Kruger, the third son of Wurgen, was seventy-three years old this year. It wouldn’t be strange to consider their relationship as grandfather and grandson, but their actual relationship was far from such a harmonious-sounding one.

In the Kruger family, the sons continually competed over the numerous subsidiaries of the UD Group regardless of age. As such, to Daniel, this incident was a perfect opportunity to oust Gerwin.

If only Father would help, this could be taken care of instantly...

As the UD Group’s CEO and one of the few Perfect Ones in the world, if Wurgen Kruger took action himself, such a trivial matter would easily be resolved, but that was all the more reason for him not to intervene.

Rather, upon hearing that one of his sons couldn’t even solve a problem of this level on their own, his assessment of them would be lowered and he would take away a corresponding amount of their inheritance and authority.

“Damn it...”

How did the situation that should have already been resolved end up like this? Annoyed, Gerwin began swearing and clenching his fist. At that moment, a young man, with neatly combed-back blonde hair and a robust impression, entered his room without knocking.

“Gerwin.”

Seeing the young man who carried an unusual pressure, Gerwin twisted his expression.

“Well, well, well, look who it is. If it isn’t my dear friend, Vier Barmuth!?”

“...”

“So? What brings you here all of a sudden? Did you come to prove to everyone that we did, in fact, try to get rid of that scum half a year ago? Huh?”

Hearing his sarcasm, Vier simply stared back without a word.

Seeing this, Gerwin’s smile twisted, and he soon glared at Vier with blazing eyes.

“Say something, you idiot. It was you who changed the plan that could have cleanly ended with her getting expelled and thrown in jail. Or do you want me to say that it was actually Professor Charles’s fault?”

Originally, Gerwin intended to cleanly eliminate Luize from the academy without leaving a single trace. However, Vier had gone against the plan and withdrew the countersuit after receiving a proposal from Professor Charles. And, because of that, the situation had now twisted to this point.

At the time, he had accepted, thinking it would also be beneficial for him, but now that things had turned out this way, it had become a different story.

Facing Gerwin’s sharp gaze, Vier sighed.

“I have nothing to say about this matter. It was my mistake.”

“No, I don’t want to hear your apology,” Gerwin said, walking up to Vier. His eyes flickered with dark mana, glaring intensely.

“Come up with a solution right now unless you want to be dragged out of the line of succession as well.”

The struggle for succession within the Barmuth family was no less fierce than that of the Kruger family. Hearing Gerwin’s words, Vier looked at him silently for a moment before slowly opening his mouth.

“There will be a simple inspection of the power room for the Hall of Martial Arts on the day of the duel. It won’t be much of a difference, but if something happens during the duel, the barriers will react slower.”

“...”

“And since that could be dangerous if something happens ‘by chance’ during the duel, it’d be wise to caution the staff to prevent any accidents.”

Hearing Vier’s suggestion, Gerwin was skeptical.

“Is that all? If so, I’m disappointed.”

“...There’s also something that can sabotage her condition on the date of the duel. If things go well, she’ll probably collapse, but even if she doesn’t, she won’t be able to fight properly.”

“Hmm. Fine. At least that sounds usable.”

Although the Barmuths were a bit sloppy last time, there really was nobody else who handled matters as thoroughly as the Barmuths. If Vier was making such a firm statement, Luize would likely be taken care of by them this time.

“You may leave now.”

“...Good luck.”

Wham-

Slamming the door shut, Vier exited the room. Seeing his behavior, Gerwin smirked.

He still doesn't know his place...

It seemed Vier had become a bit too proud recently thanks to his growing influence, but ultimately, Gerwin was holding his leash.

Recalling Vier’s stiff expression, Gerwin looked at the void pocket on his desk.

I should be able to easily beat her now, but...

It wouldn’t hurt to be prepared for any possible event. With that thought, Gerwin opened the void pocket and took out his weapon.

Swoosh-

A black mist instantly filled the room and his eyes began sparkling with a dark light upon feeling his whole body surge with power.

***

Finally finishing his examination, Se-Hoon withdrew his hand, finally putting an end to the glaring contest Erika and Luize had been having out of the corners of their eyes.

“That should do it.”

“My jaw is killing me.... So, is it over with this?”

Nodding in response to Luize’s question, Se-Hoon added, “But, I need to prepare one more material. Both of you, please step outside for a moment.”

“Okay.”

“You should have prepared such things in advance...”

Erika nodded and stepped out first, with Luize trailing behind, grumbling as she followed.

Taking the chance, Se-Hoon, pretending to hurry her along with a gentle push, naturally extracted Luize’s bond.

[Extracting bond from subject ‘Luize Valente’]

[The bond with the host is Lv. 1.]

Her bond seeped into his hand, and upon seeing the amount, he became slightly surprised.

This is way more than I thought.

He had expected there to be some accumulation since he had helped her treat her mana impairment and taught her Incantation Magic, but it seemed she thought more highly of him than he expected.

“Don’t push me.”

He wasn’t simply recalling some knowledge bit by bit; he had complete awareness of every circuit from start to finish. It was like the difference between doing a puzzle by searching for each piece one by one and immediately fitting pieces together without hesitation as one grabbed them.

Such a thing required not just the skill of a blacksmith but also born talent.

I might have to revise my evaluation of him, Erika thought, her eyes deepening at the unexpected sight.

Now that the magic circuits were fully engraved, Se-Hoon spoke up.

“Luize. Are you done?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah. I think so.”

Seeing that the Enchanted Aquamarine had been completely dyed silver, Se-Hoon placed the metal plate under her hands.

“Carefully place it on top of this.”

“Got it.”

Gloop-

When Luize opened her hands to carefully place the Enchanted Aquamarine on the metal plate, it slowly began to fill the magic circuits.

“Wow...”

“...”

They both watched the stone’s lifelike movements in amazement. Then, Se-Hoon began casting Incantation Magic with the circulating mana in his mouth.

“Mana Amplification.”

Zzzzt-

With a buzz, the Incantation Magic spell was bestowed upon the magic circuits filled by Enchanted Aquamarine.

But, Se-Hoon didn’t stop there. He continued to use incantations, bestowing suitable spells onto each magic circuit. It was as if he was soldering many parts onto the metal plate.

“Spell Correction, Voice Amplification, Pain Relief...”

With his newly acquired skill, Incantation Attribute, he was able to easily use incantations to bestow simple spells with desired effects, unlike enchantments that require precise formulas.

In exchange, however, the effects of the spells were weaker and less durable, making them unsuitable for permanent use. But, that was only if he didn’t have Luize’s Fatestone.

Sssss-

The effect of Enchanted Aquamarine, reflecting any characteristics bestowed upon itself, enhanced and prolonged the effects which compensated for the drawbacks.

Se-Hoon licked his dry lips, looking over the entire metal plate, which had been bestowed seventy-three different spells via incantations.

Like a painting, the completed metal plate showcased an exquisite interplay of colors.

“...It’s beautiful,” Luize said, staring at it with a dazed expression.

On full display, the phenomenon that arose due to the ability of the Enchanted Aquamarine, which added color with each incantation, was shown beautifully.

The sight, which would have been impossible with Luize’s Fatestone before the regression, also made Se-Hoon crack a smile.

“It is, indeed.”

With that, the preparation for Luize’s new piece of equipment had been finished. Now, Se-Hoon could begin assembling it slowly, following the seams he had pre-defined in advance. It was like folding a piece of paper with a blueprint drawn on it.

Creeeak- Screeech!

With each fold, the metal plate began to bend and fix into place on its own, interlocking with itself.

Click-

And with that last part, the piece of equipment that had been uniquely designed for Luize was completed.

[Equipment ‘Vargr’ has been completed!

A great blacksmith transcends conventional wisdom to create equipment that exceeds expectations! The blacksmith’s imagination, which fully leverages the potential of the materials to create a new type of equipment, surpasses even first-rate craftsmanship.

The tier evaluation for ‘Vargr’ is ‘Rare’.]

“Phew...”

Seeing the achievement message in front of him, he let out a sigh of relief.

He was worried that the tier might drop due to the relatively modest materials used, but fortunately, he managed to achieve Rare.

I remember how Luize’s weapon, especially, consumed a lot of money to forge.

The cost of the materials he wasted during trial and error could probably have bought a small city.

Let’s see what its effects are...

[Vargr]

[Tier: Rare] [Quality: Excellent]

[A special piece of equipment made specifically for the subject ‘Luize Valenete’.

The finely engraved spells via incantations and magic circuits transform this equipment into one that draws out the user’s limitless potential. It strengthens the will contained in the infused mana, allowing more powerful incantations.

*The seventy-three incantations used to bestow spells apply in a complex manner depending on the situation

*Enables the use of the skill ‘Transformation’]

Hm. It turned out decently.

If the materials had been slightly better, it might have barely reached the Hero tier. He was satisfied with how it had turned out.

“...This is my equipment?”

But, understandably to Se-Hoon, Luize was looking at the completed piece of equipment with a dubious expression since at first glance, it didn’t look like a piece of equipment.

“Um... can I try using it?” Luize asked with half-doubtful eyes.

Smiling, Se-Hoon handed the Vargr over to her.

“Sure, but try to use the weakest spell possible.”

“Why?”

“Because you might not be able to control it.”

Seeing how confident he was in his assertion, she looked at Vargr with a puzzled expression.

A weak breeze should be okay, right?

***

“Sigh...”

Professor An Jeong-Wan walked down the hospital corridor with a deep sigh.

“Just when I thought they’d stay quiet, they pull something like this...”

The fact that the student causing a stir in Babel Academy was his patient weighed heavily on him. Recalling the flood of calls from last night, he felt a headache coming on.

I didn’t expect that fellow, Lee Se-Hoon, to... tch.

When he heard that Luize was doing some kind of strange training with Se-Hoon, he decided not to interfere. The training didn’t seem particularly dangerous, and more importantly, Luize had become more lively and less insistent on pushing herself during rehabilitation experiments.

I never expected that they would spout nonsense about overcoming her mana impairment.

It didn’t matter if they were just getting along, but if it could lead to health issues, then it was another matter entirely.

Worried about potential complications, he quickened his pace towards Luize’s room. And the moment he arrived—

Boooooom-!!!

A tremendous explosion sounded from inside the room. Startled, Professor An Jeong-Wan quickly opened the door.

“...This thing is nuts.”

And he found Luize muttering dazedly in the center of the room, which looked as if a typhoon had swept by.