Chapter 87
Chapter 87
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 87
Chapter Title: The Value of a Summoning Stone
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# Chapter 87.
"A summoning stone..."
Martes's eyes, deep as an abyss, scanned through Seo Woojin's inner self.
Seo Woojin shrank back, feeling as though he had been stripped bare.
But he did not avert his gaze.
"You must know the reason."
He pierced through Seo Woojin's realm—that is, his level.
"You've grown so much in such a short time. As expected, heroes are truly bizarre beings."
"Thanks to the Magic Duke."
"I'm glad my gift pleases you."
The smile on Martes's face deepened a bit more.
"But granting your request is another matter entirely. Child, do you understand the value of a 'summoning stone'?"
Value?
If it was about the price, he had no idea.
He hadn't grasped the economic concepts of this world yet, to begin with.
From the moment he was summoned until now.
Seo Woojin had never used money.
Everything had been provided—supplies and support.
As he had thought before, the 'summoning stone' didn't seem like something that would be of great help to the people of this world.
So its inherent value probably wasn't that high.
But that didn't mean it was worthless or common.
The fact that Martes was asking like this suggested the 'summoning stone' was quite difficult to obtain.
"...I'm not sure."
That was all Seo Woojin could say.
"It is precious. Only grand sorcerers, those who stand above mana engineers, can pour their heart and soul into creating them."
'Tch.'
The owner of the Sky Tower was saying this, so it clearly wasn't something easy to acquire.
He let out a sigh inwardly in regret.
But the next words made his eyes widen in surprise.
"I'll give you ten."
"T-Ten?"
He was startled.
Unlike the bait he had laid out earlier, this was an outrageous offer.
'Each one can be used ten times, so that's a whopping one hundred monster summons.'
He had thought getting even one would be fortunate, but ten times that? He couldn't help but be shocked.
Seo Woojin swallowed hard.
"Thank you, I am overwhelmingly grate—"
"Of course, it's not free."
Seo Woojin, who had been bowing deeply, froze in place.
'Of course it wouldn't be.'
Something that hard to obtain wouldn't be handed over easily.
'Money? That's a problem...'
Though everything for daily life was provided, it wasn't actual money.
Of course, he received pocket money for outings, but no matter how he thought about it, that wouldn't be enough to buy ten summoning stones.
"There's no need to worry too much. Just fulfill one small request of mine, and that will suffice."
"A request... you say?"
Seo Woojin felt a bit relieved at Martes's casual tone.
It seemed like it wouldn't be a difficult favor.
"Do you know of a city called Mernotain?"
No, he didn't.
To be honest, he didn't even know the name of the Empire's capital where he was now.
Martes chuckled softly at Seo Woojin's blinking eyes.
"It's a city in the eastern part of the Empire."
"Ah, I see."
Seo Woojin nodded.
"You must go there and handle one task."
"...In that Mern-whatever place?"
"It's not a difficult task."
"A grand duke..."
Seo Woojin looked a bit burdened.
First the Sword Sage, then the Magic Duke, and now a grand duke.
He was about to meet people whom others might not see even once in a lifetime, one after another.
"I'll only know what the request is once I get there. This is getting annoying."
Martes had said that upon arriving at that long-named city and meeting Grand Duke Briana, the nature of the request would become clear naturally.
Honestly, he wasn't thrilled.
He had a strong premonition that he'd get dragged into something weird again for no reason.
But he couldn't exactly refuse to go.
The 'summoning stones' were far too tempting.
Not just one, but ten of them.
It was worth putting up with a little hassle.
"At least that's fortunate."
Martes had promised to arrange a temporary leave from both the Empire and the Academy.
The Academy's training hadn't felt particularly useful lately anyway, so traveling around now didn't seem like a bad idea.
"Alright. Let's go."
Martes had said it was fine to bring someone along if he wanted, but Seo Woojin planned to go alone.
It wasn't helpful for him, but it was a big help for the others at the Academy.
'There's even a train line, so I should be able to finish the task and return in two days?'
Unlike Zion, the Empire definitely had good transportation.
Seo Woojin entered the training grounds with a satisfied smile.
"Uncle's here!"
"You're not late today."
The group, who had just finished eating and gathered at the training grounds, welcomed Seo Woojin.
He smiled back at them and stretched to prepare for training.
'Hurry up and finish, then go back and level up.'
He had six summoning uses left on the remaining 'summoning stone.'
He figured he could raise at least ten levels.
The place was bustling with crowds.
It felt like he was looking at Seoul Station.
'Where are all these people even going?'
Seo Woojin clicked his tongue at the sea of people before him.
He had heard that train tickets were so expensive that most people couldn't even dream of buying one.
So he had naturally assumed the platform would be deserted.
But he was wrong.
'It’s like a pickpocket's paradise.'
Seo Woojin waited for the train to Mernotain, jostled this way and that by the crowd.
Since he was wearing casual clothes instead of his Academy uniform, no one recognized him as a hero.
Some people did glance at Seo Woojin occasionally, but that was simply because of his looks.
After undergoing physical evolution, Seo Woojin had become quite handsome.
He hadn't been bad-looking before, but with his body now perfectly balanced and his skin improved, his appearance had become much cleaner and more refined.
He might not hear jokes about being a once-in-a-generation beauty, but he was definitely the friendly, likable type.
Seo Woojin pretended not to notice their gazes and smiled to himself.
Being treated like an idol as "Hero-nim" was embarrassing, but being stared at because he was handsome? That he welcomed.
He was chuckling contentedly to himself when, right on cue, the train to Mernotain pulled into the platform.
'Here it comes.'
Seo Woojin fiddled with the train ticket in his pocket.
This too had been given to him by Martes—a first-class ticket, no less.
'I’ve heard of golden tickets, but I didn’t think they actually made tickets out of gold.'
It was processed thin like paper, but it was 24K pure gold.
Seo Woojin boarded the stationary train, wary of potential pickpockets.
"This way?"
Unlike the bustling platform, the train interior was quiet.
It was probably because it was the corridor leading to the exorbitantly expensive first-class section.
Seo Woojin enjoyed the serene silence as he headed to his assigned seat.
"Here it is."
As befitting first class, it was a private room.
'Oh, luxurious.'
He opened the ornate sliding door, and the interior came into view.
"Wow..."
Seo Woojin exclaimed in admiration.
The cabin was filled with antiques, like some high-end salon.
"Hm? But..."
There were two seats.
Not just two chairs, but an interior clearly designed for two people.
"Even first class has shared seating?"
A little disappointed, Seo Woojin stepped inside and sat down.
Plush—
The expensive sofa cradled his body like a cloud.
Satisfied with the unexpectedly comfortable feel, he closed his eyes.
'It takes about four hours, they said...'
He could take a short nap and wake up refreshed.
That was when it happened.
Slide—
The sound of the cabin door opening rang out.
He cracked his eyes open slightly, and the figure entering came into view.
"...Huh?"
Seo Woojin blinked.
It was an all-too-familiar face.
Long hair, cold expression.
And even the blue armor.
"Eirin?"
"I didn't think you'd go alone."
Eirin shot Seo Woojin a slightly pouty glare.
"How did you get here?"
"The Magic Duke asked me to accompany Woojin. He even bought the ticket himself."
"Ha, haha."
An awkward laugh escaped him.
He hadn't planned to bring anyone, hoping to enjoy some alone time after so long...
'This is bad.'
He sniffled, looking at Eirin's face, which seemed even colder than usual for some reason.
"Are you uncomfortable?"
"Of course not!"
Seo Woojin quickly shook his head.
He truly wasn't uncomfortable.
He was just a bit flustered by the unexpected situation.
"I didn't expect you'd leave me behind too."
"It was personal business, so I didn't think to bring you. You have your duties at the Academy."
Eirin was handling various tasks alongside the other knights.
Guarding the Academy, preparing for classes, and so on.
Unlike the heroes who only needed to receive training, she must have mountains of work piled up.
"My duty is to assist Woojin by your side."
But Eirin coldly shook her head.
To her, the most important thing was Seo Woojin.
Even her Academy work was ultimately to support him.
"To begin with, Woojin doesn't know our world well enough to wander around alone."
He had nothing to say to that.
He didn't even have basic economic sense.
He had received some education when he was first summoned, but that was long forgotten.
He had been too busy just training with the sword.
"In any case, it's been a while since we've traveled together."
Seo Woojin flashed a pleased smile.
It was a desperate attempt to gloss over his mistake.
And Eirin, as if seeing right through it, showed no change in expression whatsoever.
"I'll tell you about Mernotain."
And so, an impromptu common knowledge lesson began in the first-class car of the train.
'So much for a relaxing trip.'
Reminded of the spartan training in the North, Seo Woojin listened to Eirin's rote lecture with a sense of resignation.
It continued nonstop for a full four hours until they arrived at Mernotain.
Hiss—
Remnants of mana puffed out as the train came to a stop.
"We've arrived."
Eirin, her expression softened a bit as if her stress had been relieved, stepped off the train first.
"...Yeah, finally here."
Seo Woojin, looking pale as a ghost, followed behind.
'She didn't let me rest for even a second.'
The fatigue felt like he had ridden in the caboose instead of first class.
"This way."
Eirin took the lead, guiding the path.
Her steps were confident, as if she had been here before.
'I thought she only stayed in Zion.'
Come to think of it, Eirin seemed oddly familiar with the Empire.
He had noticed it from the moment they first arrived.
But he didn't pry and simply followed her.
"Wow—"
Seo Woojin let out an exclamation as they exited the station.
It was magnificent.
The scenery of Mernotain unfolding before his eyes was a far more splendid city than even the Empire's capital.
It felt like arriving at a luxury resort.
'I heard from Eirin, but I didn't expect it to be like this.'
During the lecture, he had memorized that Mernotain was the most blessed city in the eastern Empire.
But there was a big difference between hearing it and seeing it with his own eyes.
"Where do we go to see the grand duke?"
When Seo Woojin, marveling repeatedly, asked, Eirin pointed to one side.
"Over there."
At the tip of her finger stood a massive castle.