Chapter 206: So Much Like Him
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 206: So Much Like Him
“Hey, old man.”
“You’re here. Took your sweet time, didn’t you?”
“Haha, sorry. I’ve been a bit busy.”
“Right, so I’ve heard. That ‘Black Knight’ everyone’s talking about lately—that’s you, isn’t it?”
“Is that the rumor going around? I haven’t heard it myself.”
It had been a while since I’d visited the forge. There was a reason for my absence... I’d promised to go buy materials for a shield with him last time, but it had completely slipped my mind.
“How did you know it was me?”
“Who else but you has been promoted to Cobalt Grade recently? It wasn’t hard to figure out.”
“I see.”
The blacksmith hammered at a hunk of iron for a moment before standing up to stretch his back. It felt like he was getting shorter, but whatever.
“By the looks of it, you seem to have picked up a new sword and shield from somewhere.”
“Yeah... it just kind of happened. It’s a long story, but I inherited them from my swordsmanship master. Want to take a look?”
“Let’s see.”
I pulled the Knight Lord’s sword and shield out of my storage artifact and laid them on the forge floor. Despite being ancient relics at least seven hundred years old, they still retained their strength and sharpness. They had to be top-tier items.
As expected, the dwarf was first taken aback by the sheer size of the weapons. Then, as he leaned in for a closer look, his eyes widened even further.
“W-What on earth is this?!”
“What’s wrong?”
“How is this possible?! Why is this even here?!”
Seeing him jump around in shock made me curious about the Knight Lord’s equipment all over again. I had no idea what was making him react like this.
“Come on, tell me what it is.”
“You brat...! Where did you get these weapons?!”
“I told you. I got them from my swordsmanship master.”
I hadn’t exactly received them directly, but Hersha would understand. Who else would use them? In the end, I was the only one who had truly inherited the Knight Lord’s swordsmanship.
“H-Heh...! This is unbelievable! These weapons...!”
The dwarf gripped the sword’s hilt with both hands, barely managing to lift it. He examined the blade with exaggerated intensity, making a huge fuss.
“There’s no mistake! This weapon is made of Orichalcum!”
“Orichalcum? That metal actually exists?”
“Of course it does! You call yourself an explorer and you didn’t know that?!”
“Well, the only Orichalcum I know is the rank.”
“The other ranks are named after metals, so why would Orichalcum be any different? I’m telling you, this is made of Orichalcum!!”
“I-I see... So, what’s so good about it?”
“Gah!”
The blacksmith clutched his chest as if he were about to cough up blood. To me, it was just a question born of ignorance regarding the metal’s reality, but to a blacksmith, it was the ultimate trigger.
“Orichalcum is the foundation of all rare metals! It is the purest, most definitive original form of rare metal!”
“Right, okay. So, what kind of abilities does it have?”
Everything called a ‘rare metal’ in this world was something I had never seen in my previous life. To use the dwarf’s explanation...
“So they’re basically Orichalcum with impurities in them.”
“Exactly. Zephyrite, the ultra-light rare metal. Etheraite, which has excellent mana-retention properties. All of the dozen or so rare metals are ultimately the result of impurities mixing with Orichalcum.”
“Why does that happen? Can’t you just melt them down and filter them out?”
“You fool! If you could just melt them down into Orichalcum, would they even be called rare metals?”
Orichalcum was the prototype for rare metals with various characteristics. When impurities, including different types of mana, mixed in, a specific trait would manifest—like becoming lighter, for instance.
“Then doesn’t that mean Orichalcum itself has no special abilities?”
“Y-You idiot...! You’ve got it all wrong! Orichalcum is a metal that can possess the traits of all rare metals!”
“The traits of all rare metals... Is that even possible?”
The blacksmith went to a corner, brought over the shield he’d given me before, and placed it on top of the Knight Lord’s shield.
“This one was made by mixing Verdantium and Zephyrite. Do you remember?”
“Ah, yes. I remember.”
“I can melt this shield down and extract the essence of the rare metals used as materials. It’s a process that requires magical techniques, so I can’t do it here, but...”
“What happens once you extract the essence?”
“You infuse that essence into the Orichalcum. Then, this shield would gain the abilities of Verdantium and the traits of Zephyrite.”
“Is there nothing in it right now?”
“Hmm... It seems it’s been neglected for a long time. Look, the interior of the Orichalcum is brimming with mana. If you infuse the essence of other rare metals, it’ll last for decades. The exact duration depends on the amount.”
In short, it meant you could sacrifice rare metals to transfer their traits to Orichalcum. And you could even stack them.
“Isn’t that completely broken?”
“That’s why it’s a legendary rare metal! The fact that this metal still exists is simply mind-boggling!”
“Then where can I get that... essence infusion done?”
“Ugh... For starters, I can’t do it. There’s hardly any Orichalcum left in this world to begin with. I doubt there are any blacksmiths left who even know how to perform such a task.”
“Tsk, then what should I do?”
Orichalcum hadn't been discovered for a very long time. It was uncertain if a blacksmith capable of infusing rare metal essence into Orichalcum still existed. I’d have to search for a workshop capable of such work.
“This isn’t going to be easy.”
“Good grief. Bringing me something this ridiculous... just who are you, anyway?”
“Haha... I wonder.”
The dwarf let out a deep sigh and set the weapon back down on the floor. Even then, he couldn't take his eyes off it, muttering about it being a master’s final work or a masterpiece of the ages.
“What should I do? Is it not great to use as it is?”
“No, it’s already a fine sword. Orichalcum deserves to be called the strongest metal even without any essence.”
“Then I guess I’ll just use it.”
“Don’t worry. I know someone who might know a blacksmith capable of handling Orichalcum.”
“Oh, really?”
Well, dwarves were a demi-human race that lived quite a long time, though not as long as elves. I didn’t know how old he was, but when it came to blacksmiths, dwarves were considered the best of the best.
He likely had connections.
“But it’ll take a while. It’ll take time to go see him and come back.”
“What about the Gateway?”
“Him? If he has money, he’d rather buy metal than use a Gateway.”
“I’ll give you the money, so just go and come back quickly.”
“Where would you get that kind of... right, you’d have it.”
“I’m not a Lead Grade anymore, you know.”
The dwarf scratched his head. I wasn't a rookie explorer anymore.
“It’s been a while since I’ve left Calax.”
“How long has it been?”
“Probably fifty years.”
“Is your friend even still alive?”
“You little brat...! You really have no filter, do you?”
“Ahaha... I’m joking.”
“And he’s not a friend. He’s my master.”
“...Is he really still alive, then?”
“Get over here, you brat!”
* * *
In the end, the dwarf left Calax to meet his master for the first time in years. My father said he planned to participate in the Labyrinth Opening in three weeks, so he suggested we head to the 50th Floor after that was over.
Since I had another three weeks of free time, I figured I could take things a bit slower.
The first thing I decided to do was go see Iris.
“Any progress?”
“I’m not sure.”
“Is it that difficult?”
“In my current state, I can hardly use magic.”
“Hmm.”
Iris had entered the Great Labyrinth to meet its master, only to receive curse-like skills as a warning. She had gained the Necrophilia skill in Hechituk’s Great Labyrinth and a Succubus racial skill in Roanmarie’s, which made her unable to use the mana she had accumulated as a member of the Vampire Species.
“Is it possible to have a human appraiser remove the skills?”
“It should be possible. After all, demi-human mana circuits are somewhat similar to humans.”
“Then the reason you haven’t had them removed until now is...”
“Because they would find out I’m a vampire.”
Assuming she was a normal person, removing the Succubus racial skill should reveal a human mana circuit. However, once the skill engraved on Iris’s body was gone, what would be revealed was not a human circuit, but a vampire one.
Either way, once the skills were deleted, her identity as a vampire would inevitably be exposed.
“That’s tricky. But if the skills are removed, can you regain your original power?”
“If I’m given time to recover.”
Though Iris’s body had lost all the mana she had accumulated as a Vampire Lord, her ‘status’ remained. It seemed that if she returned to being a vampire, she could recover her mana and regain her strength.
“If I bring an appraiser, will you let them remove the skills?”
“Based on what trust?”
“I’ll bring someone trustworthy.”
“That’s not it.”
Iris straightened her posture, moving her hand from her chin, and stared at me intently.
“What if I kill people after I regain my strength?”
“I don’t think you will.”
“How do you know?”
“You didn’t do it seven hundred years ago, either.”
“....”
In the anecdotes about the people of the northern polar regions that Soles Getia had mentioned, there was ultimately no mention of vampires. There were only stories about a knight presumed to be Hersha, and even Hersha hadn't particularly killed people.
“You said you were neutral, Iris.”
“...That’s right.”
“Why did you stay neutral? Setting aside the masters of the Three Great Labyrinths, why did you?”
“Fighting is a waste. There’s no need to take a side and fight.”
“Then you can just keep doing that. I’ll bring an appraiser, so just wait a bit.”
“Wait a minute—”
I left the magic item shop immediately, without listening to the rest of what Iris had to say. Ravi would probably be at the inn by now.
I didn't think she'd be at the appraisal office.
“I wonder if she can do it.”
* * *
“....”
Left alone in the magic item shop, Iris stared blankly at the closed door before slowly lowering the hand she had reached out to stop him.
“My, how can he... resemble him this much?”