Chapter 30: Gran Cappadocia (3)

Chapter 30: Gran Cappadocia (3)

For over three hundred years, despite his work as a blacksmith, the material was unlike anything Ronan had ever seen. Ronan laughed as he stroked Cita.

"This is the shell that it came out of when it hatched."

"B-B-But..."

Cita patted Ronan's hand, her face buried in it. Doron's eyes widened.

"A shell? Are you serious?"

Doron began examining the shell as if he were entranced.

He examined it by rotating it emotionally, of course, he also put it in the furnace or put it on the anvil and hammered it. Finally, Doron, who had sprinkled unknown reagents on the shell, exclaimed with admiration.

"This is truly remarkable. Hardness, weight, toughness... everything is perfect! If it's mixed properly with Brangar magnetic iron, my greatest masterpiece as a blacksmith might come out. Can I really use this?"

"Well, yes. It was just in case, but it turned out well."

Doron let out a breath. He grabbed Ronan's hand and started shaking it up and down.

"Thank you. I'll definitely make you the best weapon. Come back in three months."

"Alright... wait, three months?"

Ronan furrowed his brows. Even if it took a long time, it was still too long. He needed to get the weapon as soon as possible to be able to attend Navirose's lessons.

"Yes, three months. I want to make it faster, but there's nothing I can do. I just did a heat resistance test, and it seems we need to use top-grade flame coal to melt it. We're almost out of flame coal right now."

Doron pointed to a cube-shaped furnace. There were about six reddish and round chunks rolling around it. These were the flame coals used to melt high-temperature ores.

"We're also backed up with requests from other customers. I'm sorry, but you'll have to wait."

Doron scratched his head with the handle of the hammer and said. Marya, who had been silently listening to the conversation, widened her eyes.

"Just a moment, Grandfather. Flame coal, you say?"

"Hmm? Yes, flame coal."

"Can I get some for you?"

"What? What are you talking about? I heard there was an earthquake in Drumcus, the largest source of flame coal, so it's not circulating throughout the region."

That's why the dwarves were busy pouring lava. Since they couldn't completely stop working, they had to melt special ores with the heat of the lava. Marya nodded her head.

"Yes, that's right. There was an earthquake. But right before that, our upper ranks visited Drumcus."

"Th-That means..."

"Yes. We have about one wagon's worth left. We're holding onto it until the price goes up... would you like to buy it?"

"Of course! How much...how much should it be? Dydican! Bring my vault!"

Doron threw the hammer and shouted. The pupils revealed between his beard were shining brightly. It was the moment when Dydican, who was surprised, was about to move his foot.

"Wait. We don't need money, Grandfather. Can we accept something else?"

"Something else? What...?"

"We have weapons here. Overall, they're of very high quality, so we'd like to try selling them in our upper ranks."

"You mean these practice pieces? Well, okay then. As long as you give me the immediately usable flame coal, you can take as much as you want."

"No, we can't do that. It would be bad if we scammed other people, wouldn't it? Just let me explain again."

With a smile, Marya took out paper and a pen from her bag. With graceful handwriting, she wrote the contract and explained the details of the deal to Doron.

"So... I've assessed the value of one piece of flame coal to be this much. As for the weapons, each type..."

"Ahh, I wouldn't understand even if you explained. Just take the flame coal and go."

"No, I can't do that. We should write an accurate contract."

Marya smiled and took out paper and a pen from her bag. With graceful handwriting, she wrote the contract and explained the details of the deal to Doron.

"So... I've assessed the value of one piece of flame coal to be this much. As for the weapons, each type..."

"Well, even if you explain, I won't understand. Just leave the flame coal and take whatever you want."

It took well over an hour to finish writing the contract. Marya smiled satisfactorily and tucked the contract into her bag. Doron grumbled and rubbed his tired eyes. Seeing his appearance, Ronan burst into laughter.

"You're quite something, seriously. Trying to be a merchant in this situation."

"Hehe, it's basic to become the best merchant. I think this deal could help us expand in the upper ranks."

"You didn't suddenly put on a merchant's disguise after living like a mole for hundreds of years, did you?"

"Hey! How do you see the future head of the Carabel upper ranks?"

Considering the future image and the philosophy of my father Duon, it seemed unlikely. I thought I did well to become close friends with Marvas back then.

It was a good thing that they could receive the weapons quickly. Ronan handed over the letter of credit from Gracia to Dydican.

"Send all three shares to Shullifen de Gracia."

"Are you sure? The amount might be considerable."

"This should be a turning point to wake him up. We can't let that 'Rising star of the Empire' mess around with women..."

With a chuckle, Dydican wrote up the trade agreement. It was a deal in which Doron would create weapons for Ronan, Aselle, and Marya, and the payment would be made from Gracia. Aselle hesitated and spoke up.

"Um, um... I haven't decided what kind of weapon to get yet..."

Aselle hadn't even drawn up an estimate yet. Doron, who was preoccupied with the shell, raised his head belatedly.

"Oh, right. You're here. A mage, right? What type of magic do you handle?"

"Telekinesis..."

"A rare talent. Precision is crucial in that field. Can you cast spells without a staff?"

"Yes... for now."

Doron permitted Aselle to show him magic. Aselle hesitated for a moment, then extended his hand forward and cast a spell.

"Invisible Hand."

About twenty different weapons of various types floated in the air. Aselle manipulated the weapons like chess pieces, moving them around. Doron nodded.

"Hmm... not bad at all. Can you control each of them separately?"

Although there were a few mistakes due to being more accustomed to manipulating mana with a staff, Aselle did an excellent job overall. Doron chuckled.

"Interesting, quite interesting. You're the first kids I've seen who are this interesting."

He bent over for quite some time, chuckling to himself. Eventually, he raised his head and, with a somewhat serious expression, stroked his beard.

"Did you say your name is Aselle? When you have the chance, you should visit the Twilight Matap where Lord Lorehon resides."

"Lord Lorehon...?"

Aselle knew about him. It was a name he had learned from his first lesson with Philleon magic. The first 9th Circle mage of humans. A transcendent being who surpassed the limits of the physical body and enjoyed hundreds of years.

"Enchanted Inspirations."

The name was also familiar to Ronan. The author who had sealed one of the three giants during the Advent. The problem was that he had used his own soul as a catalyst. Aselle asked in a trembling voice.

"Can...can I meet Lord Lorehon?"

"I'm not sure either. I've only met him a couple of times. Anyway, you should definitely visit the Twilight Matap."

Doron patted Aselle's back as if comforting him.

"I'll have to discuss your weapons with the other old folks. Mages' equipment requires much more delicate adjustments. There's someone who's good at that kind of thing."

"Doron, if I decide to receive the flame coal immediately, how long would it take?"

"Hmm... even generously, a fortnight should be sufficient."

Ronan nodded. A fortnight was a reasonable period. He could spend that time doing other things that had been left unfinished.

"Then I'll be looking forward to it, Doron."

"Farewell. Thank you for rekindling the fire in this old man's heart."

With those words, the group left the blacksmith's workshop. Dydican escorted them to the exit. As they were about to step onto the elevator, Ronan's ears caught a strange sound.

"Vroom..."

Ronan looked around, but Aselle and Marya seemed not to have heard it. He poked Dydican's side and asked.

"What's that sound?"

"Hmm? Oh, what is it? You heard it? You have excellent hearing."

"Yeah, I did. It's coming from deep within..."

"Don't worry. There's a new tunnel being dug deeper inside. It seems to be doubling as a mine."

Ronan frowned. It didn't quite sound like the noise of digging the earth. Cita was also staring intently at the direction of the sound. Dydican chuckled.

"It happens often. Dwarves handle rocks like they're kneading dough, so you don't need to worry."

"Well... if you say so."

With a somewhat gloomy expression, Ronan nodded. Dydican shook hands with the group one by one.

"It was a pleasure, friends. If you ever have any business in Gran Cappadocia, don't hesitate to find Dydican. And please give my regards to my older brother."

"Brother?"

"Yeah, my older brother is Kydokan of Philleon Academy. Tell my younger brother that I'm satisfied with my work in the iron forge. He worries about me a lot."

Ronan managed to recall Kydokan's appearance with difficulty. He was one of the examiners who conducted his interview and the instructor responsible for his archery lessons. Ronan smirked.

"If you say so."

The group boarded the elevator and headed to the surface. In their hands were the makeshift weapons they had taken from Doron's forge.

Marya held the greatsword she had swung earlier, Aselle carried a slightly smaller wand than his usual staff, and Ronan wielded a new, pure white longsword. The appearance and material were ordinary, but the quality was far superior to the black iron sword he had been using.

As they left the old blacksmith's shop, intense sunlight poured over their heads. Looking at the people walking under the blue sky, the time they spent in Gran Cappadocia felt like a dream.

"Cita!"

Cita flew up as if it had been waiting. After enjoying their outing, the group returned to Philleon.

****

The weekend and the following week went by smoothly.

Ronan focused all his efforts on using his time efficiently. At the mostly deserted gym where he usually went to train, he often encountered familiar faces.

"Heh-heh-heh! My junior Ronan, you're here again! Your persistence is admirable!"

"Oh, you're here again today, Senior Braum. I didn't have much else to do. By the way, how's the greatsword?"

"Don't worry, my junior! I repaired it right after our match on the induction day! It's now 130kg!"

"Impressive."

"By the way, Instructor Navirose kept asking about your well-being. Is something going on?"

"Um... please just pretend you don't know. I'll visit her soon."

At night, he read books and reviewed subjects at his lodgings. Unlike the entrance exam preparations, he only took the courses he was interested in, making the learning process more enjoyable.

"Hmm. So that workbook wasn't interesting after all. Reading isn't as bad as I thought?"

Ronan sprawled his legs on the desk as he read various books. [Imperial History], [Journeys in the West], [Why Did the Countess Give Steak to Max?] and more...

There were interesting books and boring ones. Nonetheless, the fact that he could learn unknown information without physically moving brought him joy. On the third Monday, he took Cita to visit Professor Varen.

"Oh... Oh my! That... that child is..."

"It took much longer than I expected. It's been a while, Professor Varen."

The class with Professor Varen hadn't started yet due to personal reasons. This was the first time Ronan had a conversation with him since entering Philleon. The tuft of hair between Cita's eyes caught Varen's attention noticeably.

"Ah, please have a seat. I'll bring tea. How have you been? Oh, congratulations on your second place in the induction!"

"Take your time. I'm not going anywhere."

Ronan sat on the sofa. Varen swiftly brought refreshments like lightning. Throughout arranging the tea and cookies, his gaze remained fixed on Cita.

"Baklava?"

Cita was sitting on the table, looking at Varen with curious eyes. Varen carefully pulled out a handkerchief and wiped his eyes as Cita's gaze held him.

"... Truly, such a beautiful child. What's its name?"

"Cita."

"Right, Cita."

Varen very cautiously reached out his hand and brought it in front of Cita's eyes. As Cita blinked, its face brushed against Varen's finger.

"Purr~"

"......!"

Ronan deliberately raised his teacup to his lips. The sight of over 3 meters tall Varen shedding tears was not a pleasant spectacle. At that moment, Marpez, who had been napping on Varen's chair, approached them.

-Phee?

"Hey there, your fur has grown even more. Have you been well?"

His azure feathers had become so thick that they reminded one of a thicket. When Ronan extended his hand, Marpez approached with a chirp. Seeing this, Cita's eyes sparkled.

"Meow?"

-Meow?

Marpaz's reaction was the same. There was no need for someone to start. Cita and Marpez simultaneously flew and rushed toward each other.

Soon, the two dreambirds met as if they had waited for this moment, and they began grooming each other's feathers. Seeing the heartwarming reunion, Varen murmured as the main voice.

"hehe, is there no way to capture this moment, this scene, and preserve it forever..."

"That's true. Um, sorry to ruin the mood, but Varen, do you happen to know what's influencing it?"

Ronan pointed his index finger toward Cita. Varen sniffled and stood up from his seat. Searching through his desk, Varen placed three pieces of paper on the table and said,

"I apologize. I thought of Marpez's child, and my emotions got the best of me... Haha, the only thing I can guess is that these three are related."

On the paper were detailed drawings of creatures that appeared to be fantasy creatures or monsters. Ronan raised an eyebrow.

"This is the Black Dragon Orsego... as for the others, what kind of creatures are they? Is this one not human?"

On the far left paper was the depiction of the Black Dragon Orsego. A dragon that had moved its residence to the far western plateau after being defeated by the Empire. Ronan was familiar with it from the fairy tales Iril used to read to him during his childhood.

The problem was that he didn't know the names of the other two beings. In the center paper, there was a human man dressed in elaborate attire, and on the other sheet, there was a pink luminescent mass resembling a sea urchin.

Varen spoke up. His gaze was still fixed on Marpez and Cita.

"The one in the center is a vampire from the Barschaba lineage, and the one on the right is an Atia fairy. They each possess magic that manipulates blood and the ability to heal wounds."