Chapter 86: Precursor (5)

Chapter 86: Precursor (5)

A worker who came to construct the Blacksmith Guild branch, and at the same time, a new human blacksmith named Golan who will work there once it’s constructed, was currently looking at a place with a strange expression.

The place he was looking at had the Blacksmith Guild’s Guild Master to whom he needed to report on materials today, the Iron Monarch whom he greatly respected, Reneide River.

However, the reason Golan couldn’t easily approach her, despite her presence, was because of the hero of Lartania standing in front of River, that is, Elena.

...More precisely, it seemed more accurate to think it was because of the atmosphere flowing between the two.

“I heard that you were well-acquainted with the Lord from ten years ago.”

“Well, yes? I used to talk about this and that a lot with my sworn friend from ten years ago.”

“That’s interesting. If it’s okay with you, could you tell me a bit about the stories you shared with the Lord from ten years ago next time? I do talk a lot now, but I’m a bit curious about the Lord from ten years ago.”

“I can tell you about it anytime. But I might not be able to tell you everything! There were so many stories from ten years ago... Well, we were together for more than a year if you count by the years.”

The content of their conversation was clearly ordinary.

Elena was smiling.

River was also smiling.

It wasn’t a bad atmosphere at all.

Even the topic of the conversation was nothing unusual.

However, despite that, Golan was definitely feeling a strange atmosphere in that space.

Really.

“But, if you’re the Guild Master of the Blacksmith Guild, shouldn’t you be in the Norba Kingdom rather than at a branch? I heard that you’re the Guild Master and that you’re in Lartania.”

“Ah, the Blacksmith Guild doesn’t necessarily have to be tied to the headquarters, and more importantly, I wanted to work with my sworn friend. Of course, I was directly given permission too?”

“That makes sense. Ah, now that I think about it, I’m pretty sure I heard it from the Lord. You can’t officially belong to the territory, but you’re helping it. Thank you for helping even though it’s not your affiliated territory.”

“...My sworn friend and I are very close. I can do at least this much. Plus, in a few years, I’ll essentially be affiliated with the territory anyway.”

...A strange, strange atmosphere.

Therefore, Golan continued to watch the peculiar conversation between Elena and River for a while.

A little later.

“Please take care of me?”

“Yes, I ask the same of you.”

Golan, who was watching Elena and River shaking hands with smiling faces, said,

“Wow...,”

looked at his fellow blacksmith, who was expressing admiration next to him, with a puzzled expression and said,

“Why?”

“Huh? What?”

“I was just asking because you seemed impressed.”

“Oh, that? Just, it’s surprising to see our very down-to-earth Guild Master in a power struggle for the first time.”

“...Power struggle?”

In response to Golan’s puzzled question, his colleague looked at him as if he was asking something obvious and replied,

“Yeah, power struggle. She was just doing that intensely with that hero, right?”

“...I knew the atmosphere was unusual, but that was really a power struggle? It just seemed like a normal conversation?”

“Tsk, you really don’t know?”

“No, why did the conversation jump like that?”

In response to Golan’s words as he was frowning slightly, his colleague sighed and said,

“That’s why I asked, because you’re so oblivious.”

“No, so you’re saying that conversation had a deeper meaning?”

“Of course, how could it not? Listen closely.”

His colleague said so and then began to translate the conversation Elena and River had earlier.

-I heard you were close with the Lord from ten years ago?

-Yes, I was much closer to him than you, having had many conversations.

The world of Arteil he knew was one where the night sky was brilliantly illuminated with stars.

That’s because, as far as Kim Hyunwoo knew, ‘stars’ played a very important role in the world of Arteil.

Of course, despite ‘stars’ being a very important setting in the three years Kim Hyunwoo played, the concept of stars was almost forgotten in the story after the initial part of Arteil, not mentioned even once...

Anyway, by always showing the stars shining excessively whenever the night sky appears in Arteil, it proved that stars were a very important plot element, making Kim Hyunwoo feel puzzled anew.

“...Got it.”

After sending Elena away and a few hours later.

Realizing it had become night while making a Magnifying Glass, Kim Hyunwoo looked up at the sky.

“...It’s true.”

He realized that the night sky was pitch black, except for the moonlight.

Despite being a fantasy world, the sky was so dark that not a single star could be seen.

Staring blankly at it, Kim Hyunwoo then lowered his gaze back to the quest.

The quest related to territory development designated like a quest to obtain the clue ‘Extraterrestrial’ and the next clue.

Kim Hyunwoo, looking at it and pondering for a while, thought,

‘...I should probably increase the development speed a bit more.’

Thinking that, he looked at the quest.

In fact, Kim Hyunwoo had been deliberately avoiding looking at one fact all along.

Because, even if he was curious, there were no clues to approach that truth, and the more he thought about the reality he couldn’t return to, the more he felt he would suffer from severe nostalgia, so he deliberately looked away.

However, the moment Kim Hyunwoo realized a way to obtain even a little clue about this world, he no longer needed to do that.

No, more precisely, it became harder to turn away from reality.

Honestly, he was more curious about why he had fallen into this world than being overwhelmed by severe nostalgia.

Therefore,

‘...Can I do it within a month?’

Kim Hyunwoo set a goal and stared at the quest window.

About a week later.

The Southwestern part of the Continent.

At that point, when only about 15 out of 50 summoning circles remained.

Kelva was-

“Hmm, I’m a bit busy, you see. How about contacting Moluto instead?”

“...No.”

“As you know, I’ve been using a lot of power recently, so there’s a high chance I won’t be of much use if I go now.”

“...No, wait.”

“What a pity, I accidentally entered a necromancy area yesterday and my soul got damaged, so it’s become very difficult for me to materialize now.”

“...This has been brewing for a whopping seven years-”

“Sorry about that, then...!”

“...Sigh.”

For the fifth time, looking dejected as the commanders of the legion, as if fleeing, severed the connection, and he soon turned his gaze to where a man was looking in the distance.

“Sigh, when will it be summoned...?”

“Hmm, it seems it will be summoned soon.”

“Remember, it’s fifty-fifty, got it?”

“Tch, don’t act like a glutton wanting more.”

Merilda and Rin were there, not destroying the summoning circle but sitting and waiting for the demon to appear.

“...Damn it-”

The man, Kelva, closed his eyes tightly.