Chapter 49
Chapter 49
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 49
Chapter Title: Flame #3
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< Chapter 14 - Flame #3 >
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Amita Ignacia.
A being who stood at the pinnacle of all blacksmiths in Knight Saga.
Also called the Final Blacksmith, for he wielded the Final Flame.
“I’ll ask again. Who are you? Why do you reek of the Sword Duke? Are you acquainted with him?”
The bipedal raccoon interrogated them in a sharp voice. Felicia pressed her temples, looking confused as she spoke.
“Wait, wait. Amita? A raccoon?”
And it wasn’t just any raccoon. It was smaller than an average one. With its round, cute face, it looked for all the world like a raccoon kit.
But this was no ordinary raccoon, and Amita scowled as it retorted sharply.
“What, got a problem with me being a raccoon? First time seeing one talk?”
“N-No, it’s not that… Well, it is my first time seeing a talking raccoon, but…”
Flustered, Felicia’s words trailed off into a mumble. Not a raccoon beastman, but a literal raccoon. It was a situation that would bewilder even Felicia, who had traveled all over the Demon World.
Ingong, who had met Amita three times in Knight Saga, was just as taken aback, but he managed to collect himself.
‘Well, he appeared as all sorts of people, regardless of age or gender. I guess he could appear as a raccoon, too. Or maybe he was a raccoon in disguise all along.’
Come to think of it, it seemed quite plausible. While it was from a foreign tale, raccoons in old stories and legends were known to be skilled shapeshifters.
Ingong offered a simplified gesture of respect and spoke.
“Master Amita, I am Shutora Ignus, the 9th Prince of the Demon King’s Palace. I have come to find you on the Sword Duke’s recommendation.”
At Ingong’s introduction, Amita’s eyes narrowed before turning to Felicia. Felicia, like Ingong, offered her respects.
“I am Felicia Doomblade, the 6th Princess.”
Since they weren’t from the Demon King’s Palace and were acquainted with the Sword Duke, the two of them spoke formally. Pleased by their courtesy, Amita’s expression softened somewhat.
“The Sword Duke recommended me?”
“Yes, he said since we’ve acquired some fine materials, we should seek out the best artisan.”
Amita’s eyes narrowed again, scanning Ingong from head to toe. His gaze fell upon Ingong’s arms.
“Those things. They’re an Elder Dragon’s armaments.”
“Yes, they are the armaments of Watcher Ainkel and the great Enkidu.”
Amita’s eyes narrowed even further. He pressed his dainty paws to his head, then shivered and said.
“Ugh, fine. I’d normally chase you out, but you’ve come at the perfect time.”
From the way he spoke, it seemed he was deeply involved in the current situation. Felicia lowered her posture to reduce the height difference with Amita and asked.
“Master Amita, what exactly is going on? Could you explain?”
“It’s a bit of a long story, so bear with me if I skim over some parts.”
Looking up at Felicia, he sat down on his tail and continued.
“I’ve been staying in the center of the Spider Forest for a few months now. I was planning to stay for about another half a year before moving on. But five days ago, trouble suddenly broke out. Strange bastards shrouded in purple miasma invaded the Spider Forest.”
In an instant, the expressions on Felicia’s and Ingong’s faces changed.
Amita tilted his head and asked.
“What? You know them?”
“We fought monsters shrouded in purple miasma on the Anger Plains. Their target was the guardian spirit of the plains.”
At Ingong’s explanation, Amita’s face wrinkled in a frown.
“So they’re professionals at this. Anyway, I’m indebted to the Spider Forest’s guardian spirit for a few things, so I put up a barrier to stop them. Lycanthrope rangers patrol this area periodically, so I figured if I just held them off for a bit, the Lycanthropes would take care of it.”
Ingong recalled the transparent wall the white giant had been pounding on. As expected of someone who had lived for so long, he seemed proficient in various arts.
“But the problem was… the ones shrouded in purple miasma weren’t the only ones who showed up.”
Ingong and Felicia nodded in understanding. They hadn’t seen a single monster shrouded in purple miasma while fighting in this forest. Moreover, the elementals hadn’t gone berserk like this on the Anger Plains.
Amita sighed and said.
“Ones after the Final Flame appeared. I knew these ones. They’ve been after the Final Flame for a long time. The moon turning green, the elementals rampaging in the forest, it’s all their fault.”
“Who are they, exactly?”
Daphne, the druid, asked, her face a mixture of curiosity and fear. Amita clicked his tongue as if the mere mention was distasteful and answered.
“They were once guardian spirits, now they’re just mad nature spirits. They covet the power of the Final Flame.”
“Is the Final Flame good for nature spirits?”
“I don’t know. I doubt they could even absorb it. But it’s a fact that the Final Flame itself is an incredibly mysterious and wondrous existence. They seem to believe that if they absorb the Final Flame, they can return to their former selves… before they lost their source and went mad.”
Although Amita was an exceptionally skilled artisan, the divinity imbued in the armaments he created wasn’t from his own power. It was from the power of the Final Flame he used to forge them.
Regardless of whether it was truly the ‘first flame’ as the legends claimed, it was certainly no ordinary fire.
“Anyway, to stop them from suddenly barging in, I had no choice but to strengthen the barrier. It was so urgent that I drew not only on the power of the Spider Forest’s guardian spirit but also on the ley lines. As a result, the barrier grew stronger… but I ended up in a situation where I couldn’t even escape. The Final Flame and the ley lines have become attached. It’s not permanent, and I can separate them again, but that will take time.”
To Amita, the most important thing was the Final Flame. It was an apology to the Spider Forest’s guardian spirit, but it wasn’t something he could give up like the forest itself.
“The mad nature spirits joined forces with the ones shrouded in purple miasma. They pulled some trick and both became even stronger. And today, another barrier was broken. Now, only one remains.”
He was clearly talking about the transparent wall the white giant had smashed.
Felicia asked in a grave voice.
“Master Amita, what happens if the Final Flame is extinguished?”
“I don’t know. It’s never been extinguished before. It’s unlikely, but… maybe the world will end, just like the rumors say.”
Amita shook his head and answered bitterly. Not knowing what would happen made him all the more anxious.
“Just in case, is the Sword Duke anywhere nearby?”
“He is not.”
At Ingong’s answer, Amita let out a sigh. It was easy to understand how he felt. If the Sword Duke were to appear, the current situation would be resolved in an instant.
“Damn it. He’s never around when you need him.”
After spitting out a curse, Amita stood on his hind legs again and looked back and forth between Ingong and Felicia. He then looked at Felicia, who seemed particularly soft-hearted, with moist eyes and said.
“6th Princess and 9th Prince, help me. We must protect the Final Flame and the guardian spirit of the Spider Forest. We must stop them. Uphold the pride and duty of royalty.”
At the mention of royal pride and duty, Felicia reflexively started to nod. But at that moment, a sharp voice cut in.
“Hold on! Wait a minute!”
It was Karak, who had been watching with his mouth shut until now. Ingong and Felicia looked quite surprised by Karak’s sudden interruption, but Karak paid them no mind. He crossed his arms stubbornly, looked down at Amita, and said.
“What’ll you give the prince and princess for helpin’ you out?”
“What?”
“Payment, I’m talkin’ about payment. Don’t tell me you expect them to just risk their lives for nothin’.”
At Karak’s words, Daphne looked at Felicia in surprise. But Felicia just smiled enigmatically and kept her mouth shut, and Ingong also decided to wait and see.
Amita, looking back and forth between Ingong and Felicia, thumped his chest with a dainty paw in frustration and said.
“Did you not hear me, you brute? This is an unprecedented crisis where the Final Flame could be extinguished!”
“You said yourself you don’t know what’ll happen if it goes out. For all we know, the flame might just go out and that’s it.”
Karak’s nonchalant voice added a strange persuasiveness to his words.
Amita’s mouth fell open in disbelief, his fists trembling. He thumped the ground with his tail and shouted.
“Fine, you came looking for me for a commission in the first place, I suppose. I will craft one piece of equipment for the prince and one for the princess. Is that enough?”
Amita’s gaze was not on Ingong and Felicia, but on Karak.
Karak shook his head with a resolute expression.
“Not enough. The cute and lovely lady sleepin’ over here is the 8th Princess. The poor thing lost consciousness fightin’ them. And all of us have to put our lives on the line. I’m one thing, but the lives of a prince and princess aren’t so cheap. Same goes for Delia, Seira, Lady Daphne, and Green Wind.”
Whether intentionally or because he’d genuinely forgotten, Karak conveniently left out Roben.
Amita pressed a paw to his forehead as if he felt a dizzy spell coming on and sat down on his tail again.
“You fool, do you have any idea what my armaments are worth?”
“Don’t know. Do I need to?”
Was it that ignorance is bliss?
Faced with Karak’s shameless expression, Amita once again looked dumbfounded. He sent a pleading gaze toward Ingong and Felicia, but it was no use.
“Fine, fine. I’m the one in a bind, so I have no choice. I’ll make a piece of equipment for each of you. Are you satisfied now?”
It was a truly exceptional offer. But Karak still didn’t nod.
“We have a companion who went to call for reinforcements. A very precious companion, and a subordinate the prince needs.”
Ingong thought for a moment about Karma and nodded. She was one of his only two knights, and it was true that he was fond of her.
Amita shot up from his spot.
“That’s it! No more than that!”
“Got it. Equipment for everyone here and for Karma, who went for reinforcements. You promised, right?”
“Yes, I promise.”
Amita replied, waving his paw dismissively. Karak grinned and turned to Ingong and Felicia.
“What do the prince and princess think?”
“We’ll do it.”
“We accept.”
Ingong replied, looking not at Karak but at Amita. Amita glared as if both master and servant were equally detestable, then approached Ingong and said.
“I’ll return to the center of the forest for now. You are not spirits, so there’s a risk you’ll get lost if you follow me. Come to the center of the forest tomorrow morning, after the illusions have disappeared. If you hold this, you’ll be able to pass through the barrier I’ve set up.”
Amita took a leaf from his pouch and handed it to Ingong. It was so exquisitely crafted it looked real, but it was a piece made of metal.
“Understood.”
“Right, see you tomorrow.”
Amita said with a weary sigh, then leaped into the bushes.
About a minute passed. Once certain that Amita was gone, Ingong shrugged his shoulders and said.
“Feels like a storm just passed, doesn’t it?”
It really did. Moreover, the conversation with Amita had taken an unexpected turn.
Karak scratched the back of his head and said.
“Sorry for oversteppin’. His eyes were full of thoughts of workin’ the prince and princess for free, so I had to step in.”
Come to think of it, he was right. Amita had tried to assign them the task by appealing to their royal pride and duty.
Felicia smiled pleasantly and opened her fan.
“Well, the outcome was good, so it’s fine. An aide and their master are practically one and the same, so the more of Amita’s equipment we have, the better for us. But I am a little worried. He won’t make them shoddy just because he’s angry, will he?”
“He won’t. He seemed to have great pride in his work. Whatever he makes, he’s sure to make it properly.”
Karak hadn’t pushed Amita without thinking. As Felicia said, if Amita was the type to make defective goods out of anger, Karak would have taken a different approach from the start.
Ingong also nodded.
“I agree with Karak. As long as his name is on it, he would never be able to create something subpar.”
That was the kind of person Amita was. Furthermore, equipment made with the Final Flame was imbued with divinity. To make such equipment carelessly would be nothing short of sacrilege.
“Yes, anyway, that was amazing. Well done.”
Amita wasn’t a common artisan; one was lucky to commission him even once in a lifetime.
Since the chances of having a continuous relationship were low, it was advantageous to get as much as possible when the opportunity arose.
At Felicia’s sincere praise, Karak grinned.
“I’m glad I could be of help.”
Not only Felicia, but Daphne and Delia also looked at Karak with smiling faces. In their eyes, there was even a hint of respect. It was the kind of look one gives a man with impressive life skills.
‘Well, with Karak, his wife and kids would never go hungry.’
Ingong, finding himself nodding, took a deep breath to clear his head.
“Anyway… it’s clear this is no ordinary matter either.”
The Final Flame itself was involved. As Amita himself had said, it was unlikely the world would end if the Final Flame were extinguished, but the loss of a flame that could create divinely imbued armaments was a true shame.
Furthermore, it was concerning that the ones shrouded in purple miasma—the Knight of Death’s minions—were targeting the Spider Forest in a similar manner to the Anger Plains.
What was their goal? Why were they attacking the guardian spirits?
“But we can’t back down. As Master Amita said, we are royalty. Protecting the Spider Forest’s guardian spirit and the Final Flame is our duty. We must protect the Spider Forest until Karma brings reinforcements.”
Felicia spoke resolutely, her gaze turning to the sky. Ingong followed her lead and also looked up.
The green moon was melting into the night.
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“What, why are there more people?”
“Talking raccoon, I was by Master’s side yesterday too. You can’t leave out my share.”
“A talking raccoon is amazing!”
< Chapter 14 - Flame #3 > End