Chapter 54

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Translator: penny

Chapter: 54

Chapter Title: Fire in the Heart - 7

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Rien thought it was truly fortunate that she hadn't gone into detail about the blacksmith.

If she had even mentioned the fact that the place where she'd met Harman was the tower's first floor, she had no confidence she could withstand the storm that would follow.

This was one of those rare times when she was grateful for her own indecisive nature.

Normally, it was a flaw that led to delayed decisions at crucial moments, resulting in half-baked outcomes.

"Did you see anyone else? Like Lynet and Theo?"

"I'm not... sure. I don't know who they are."

"They're the blacksmith shop owner's son and daughter. Theo grew tall early, so he'd be about this height, and Lynet is still..."

Mariel held her hand out flat at waist level.

She was describing the heights of the two children she'd had with Harman.

"Ah, but that was ages ago now. Thirty years have passed, so they'd both be all grown up."

She realized even that description was from far in the past and trailed off.

Rien's mind grew even more jumbled.

She had seen 'Sylvia,' Harman's granddaughter who lived with him, but she'd never seen his children.

She'd never heard names like Lynet or Theo on the first floor, either.

"Was there no one else living in the house with him?"

"I was only there briefly, just long enough to buy a weapon and leave, so I didn't see if anyone else was at the smithy."

"Ah... I see."

It was a convenient excuse.

By simply saying she didn't know, she could dodge all the probing follow-up questions.

"You're the first adventurer I've ever seen who's visited Luden. What an unbelievable coincidence."

"Ha, haha..."

"For a while there, I thought people were only coming from other places."

'Coming? What does that mean?'

"In the past, most were from the north, with some from the south now and then, but for the last few years, they've been from places I've never even heard of."

The unfamiliar place names Mariel rattled off were Korean locales.

They were answering with the regions they'd lived in before entering the tower.

"A lot of time must have passed outside, so the names probably changed, or new villages were built."

"......"

"So it's only natural I wouldn't recognize them."

Even as she spoke, the enchanting work hadn't even begun.

Mariel belatedly came to her senses and realized she was being incredibly rude to her customer.

The valuable magic stone sat neglected on the table for several minutes.

She'd been shocked enough to doubt her eyes when she saw the sword he'd commissioned, but they were still just a customer seeking enhancement and an enchanter.

She couldn't keep talking only about herself forever.

Rien hadn't shown any discomfort or irritation, but Mariel—lacking the skill to read others' inner thoughts—worried her behavior might be bothering the guest.

"I'm sorry. I've wasted your time with my nonsense."

"Oh, no, it's fine."

"I'll start the work right now."

Mariel carefully placed the sword that kept catching her eye on the table.

She wiped the high-quality magic stone clean with a soft cloth.

Foreign particles could never mix into the process.

"......"

"......"

Once Mariel immersed herself in the work, a long silence fell.

There was nothing to do but fidget awkwardly in the tense air, but it felt far more comfortable than fielding one thorny question after another.

'It's better if it ends here.'

She still had no idea why Mariel even existed on the undiscovered 11th floor, separated from Harman.

There was no way such a tragic life—unaware of her husband's fate—had come about for any good reason.

And the fact that Mariel's two children, Lynet and Theo, weren't at Harman's house couldn't be for any good reason either.

'Nothing good comes from digging deeper.'

Even now, her answer of 'I was just passing through the village briefly, so I don't know' had been the best possible response.

Otherwise, the moment Mariel asked for details, their absence would have been glaringly obvious.

"I'm really sorry. Can I ask just one more thing?"

"Pardon? What is it?"

She'd just been relieved that the conversation had stopped when Mariel turned to her.

"Did Harman... seem happy?"

"......"

It was a difficult question to answer.

'Did he seem happy? Or not?'

She recalled the scenes from the master smith's forge.

Making swords obsessively as if entranced, piling them up in the corner of the workshop beyond any need—it didn't seem like the look of a happy man.

Downing painkillers indiscriminately while suffering headaches—it didn't seem like the look of a happy man.

Taking care of his cute granddaughter and living with her, even if he seemed indifferent—it seemed like the look of a happy man.

The moment he finished the sword and remembered Mariel again—he had been happier than anyone.

"......"

But those weren't the things to weigh.

What mattered was,

'Should I say he seemed happy? Or not?'

She had to decide what answer to give, not the truth.

If she said he was happy, then Harman was a man who hadn't cared about losing his wife.

Mariel wouldn't have asked if she wanted to hear that he didn't miss her.

If she said he wasn't happy, then Harman was a man suffering for life after losing his wife.

Mariel wouldn't have asked if she wanted to hear that he was grieving.

'Even so, saying he seemed happy is probably better?'

But in the end, she gave the same answer again.

"I'm not sure."

"......"

"I was only at the smithy for a very short time, so I couldn't really read his expression."

She fell back on her convenient excuse.

"Thank you for humoring my bothersome questions. Now, please relax and wait."

"Ah... yes."

The sound of the cloth rubbing against the magic stone repeated several times.

She scribbled incomprehensible diagrams on paper.

How much time passed?

The magic stone glimmered.

"Thanks for waiting. Here you go."

The sword's information was now filled with even more question marks.

'I can't tell, but it must be better than before, right?'

She trusted it had turned out well, following her senior's advice.

"The fact that he made the sword you gifted me exactly the same means he still hasn't forgotten me, right?"

"......"

"I don't know how much you bought it for, but I hope he charged you top coin for it."

That was a relief.

She'd claimed she bought it at the smithy but hadn't thought about the price.

Bluntly asking would have definitely killed the conversation.

She returned after enhancing her weapon.

Seeing Fria's state made the guild branch visit's outcome obvious.

Her face was completely buried in the pillow.

"......Damn it."

"Didn't go well, huh."

"How can a guild master be so irresponsible? If you're gonna say something, you should follow through to the end!"

Amelia was still absent.

"No matter how busy she is, this is ridiculous! At this point, isn't she basically missing?!"

"Come on. I can't imagine the Crimson Flame Guild Master getting kidnapped or anything."

"That branch head guy... the way he answered ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠made it seem like even they didn't know exactly where she was. Something's off, right?"

Fria chewed her nails with an anxious expression.

'She's in sensitive mode right now. Gotta be careful.'

She had reached a level where she could gauge Fria's emotional state to some degree.

It was a skill honed naturally for handling sudden situations.

"Is there some reason it has to be the Crimson Flame Guild? You seem strong enough to join any guild without issue."

"The rumors have spread everywhere. Our reputation's already in the gutter."

"I'm not so sure. If I were recruiting, I'd value skill over rumors."

It was at least an opportunity to be scouted by a major guild amid the negative buzz.

But if there was still no word by the time they reached the 11th floor, there'd be no point clinging to the Crimson Flame Guild.

"That's not even the main issue. Ugh, we've already bragged so much—if we can't get in, it'll be humiliating."

"To who?"

"That jerk from the first floor who picked a fight with me. Imagining that bastard laughing at us... hah."

Their bad blood still wasn't resolved.

"I heard he joined the Moonlight Guild. Why the hell would they take in a moron like that?"

"And how'd you find that out?"

She didn't want to join a guild inferior to Moonlight, so Crimson Flame was the only option left.

She'd been on the verge of joining, even lined up for the guild master's direct track to rapid success—only for it to vanish suddenly.

"Rien, you haven't forgotten, right?"

"That we're catching a devil tomorrow?"

"Yeah. Let's nail it on the first try and head to the 12th floor quick!"

Fria gave her a quick once-over.

"By the way, what'd ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠you buy at the shop? Your gear looks the same, so consumables maybe?"

"I heard they had something special, but nothing worth buying."

"Too bad. Anyway, get some good rest tonight, and we'll challenge it fully prepared tomorrow."

The sword at her waist gleamed a bit more than yesterday, but Fria didn't have the eyes to notice.

She changed into comfortable clothes and lay on the bed.

Just as Fria said, turning in early was best.

The 11th floor's clear condition and boss monster.

Tomorrow, they'd face the devil bound underground.