Chapter 58
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 58
Chapter Title: Disease Amidst Fire - 11
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It was already a matter firmly decided after consulting with Ellie.
They would not reveal to Mariel, nor to Harman, that they were in the same tower.
In a situation where they couldn't meet, they agreed not to try to soothe their longing in some half-hearted way.
Whether letters or videos, nothing could possibly quench that thirst.
A sip of half a cup of water only serves to remind one of the taste of water.
"This might take a while, so let's sit down."
"Worried about my leg health too?"
"You just said it hurts to stand still less than a minute ago."
"Nitpicking as usual. Pull over that chair next to you and sit."
One leg dragged across the floor with a scraping sound.
"You need to get this fixed."
"What, is it broken?"
"It's uneven. One side's bent, so it wobbles."
"That's what I thought you'd say. It's still usable at that level."
In a way, the person who should pay the most attention to details was lenient about flaws in everyday objects.
Not just objects, though.
"I'm a blacksmith, not a carpenter."
"But you do process wood sometimes. Like sword hilts."
"Learning woodworking doesn't make you a woodworking expert. You should know that better than me, but you're asking dumb questions today."
"Can't go a single sentence without a jab."
This pointless bickering was ultimately to ease the tension.
She wanted to treat Harman as casually as always, like nothing was wrong.
She had a feeling the conversation they were about to have wouldn't be light in the slightest.
"That kid. What was her name?"
"Rien... you mean?"
"Yeah, Rien. Ever since the day you brought that young adventurer to my forge, something's been off."
The day Luden reached the tower's first floor.
Six years ago from now, Harman had to forget many memories.
Including the person he loved most, his daily life consisted of the memories that made him a master craftsman.
However, since the tower's assigned role for him wasn't to create works, he had no choice but to seal away knowledge beyond what was necessary.
"Memories were always full of holes. I could never figure out why I knew how to do something or why I started it in the first place."
And we unlocked that lock.
Harman's abstraction, Rien's trait, and the time I poured in became the keys.
"But thanks to the sword you all made, I learned a bit. Memories of Mariel, and what I was thinking back then."
"No regrets?"
"Regrets?"
"...Rather."
Resentment would have been a more fitting word than regret.
But once spoken, it was far too late to replace it with a better alternative.
"Because we poked around unnecessarily, we brought back things you were living without remembering."
"Why would that be a regret? I'm grateful. What's to dislike?"
"......"
"You don't think I'm suffering because of Mariel, do you?"
She'd hit the nail on the head.
Her expression must have shown it enough for Harman to notice.
"Of course I miss her. Madly so. Now I can never see her face or hold her hand again."
"If you'd never known for the rest of your life—"
"It would've been fine? You've already forgotten what I was doing in the meantime."
Harman extended his index finger toward the workshop.
"You know what's piled up in that corner over there."
Crude swords were stacked like a mountain.
They were made in excess of need.
Only the obsession to remember something remained, leading him to churn out swords endlessly.
"Did I look normal before remembering Mariel?"
"No. No matter how you dress it up, you weren't normal."
"Exactly. Better to go mad for someone you love than to lose your mind pointlessly."
"Is that how it is?"
"That's how it is. At least now I know why I'm mad."
Longing was certainly painful, but pain had always been a constant for Harman.
He thought knowing pain was better than unknown pain.
"You're interrupting, so I can't say it right. This isn't what I originally meant."
"Sorry. So, what do you mean it's strange?"
"That dream I mentioned earlier. It's no dream, no matter how you look at it."
Mariel's dream of leaving him.
To Harman, it was no different from a nightmare.
"I've slept countless times in this tower and had all sorts of nightmares, but none this vivid."
"Always the same content?"
"No. Similar, but the timeline shifts a bit. Sometimes it starts earlier, sometimes it goes much further."
Harman said that after regaining memories of Mariel, he dreamed every single night without fail.
"In the dream, some guy called the captain comes looking for Mariel."
He was already convinced it was no mere illusion.
Once a gap opens, things start seeping through bit by bit, no matter how much you block it.
Dreams naturally have hazy parts here and there.
The man introduced himself right away.
"I am the captain of the Ka■■■ Subjugation Squad, ■■■s."
His name matched the squad's.
He said he'd named it after himself from the start.
A narcissistic naming choice.
His face bore countless scars, and his body was packed with well-maintained muscle.
He looked like someone who solved every problem with brute force, but his conduct wasn't.
"Please."
He bowed his head politely.
And in Mariel's direction.
"Explain so I can understand. What is this sudden visit about?"
"We need you, Mariel. We earnestly request your participation in this subjugation."
"I don't know what subjugation you're talking about. My wife is not a mercenary."
The captain was showing all due courtesy, but even that seemed rude in Harman's eyes.
"Ah, sorry. I explained too haphazardly. We're preparing to subjugate a sealed demon right now."
"A sealed demon... you mean the monster that appeared in ■■■?"
"Yes."
"I understand even less. Why drag me into such a dangerous subjugation...?"
The place where the demon appeared was quite far from Luden.
A captain wouldn't visit by chance, so it meant he came specifically for Mariel.
"■■■ judges that subjugating the demon is impossible with our current forces."
"What? Didn't you say you lead the subjugation squad?"
"Yes. But this time, ■■ has ordered all major subjugation squads to assemble. It's practically mandatory, but the rewards match the risk, so there's not much backlash."
Shortage of forces.
An enchanter could reinforce multiple pieces of equipment as long as mana stones were supplied steadily, making them ideal for solving this issue.
She roughly understood the situation, but still couldn't fathom why they sought out Mariel specifically.
"We need a skilled enchanter."
"I know enchanter talent is rare, but surely not so rare that ■■■ couldn't find one even with their resources."
"We found a large quantity of mana stones on-site, but there's no safe way to transport them to the capital. And if we finish the work externally, we'd have to haul all those weapons back to the site..."
Can't move the items, so move the person instead.
Having her work on-site near the subjugation area would minimize transport of equipment and mana stones, making it vastly more efficient.
"We're seeking many enchanters besides Mariel. But most refuse due to the danger."
"Same here. No need to even answer."
"Hear me out. The rewards come straight from ■■■. Not some metal scraps from a random mercenary band."
The captain glanced around the house.
Only the couple faced him, but four lived there.
"For example, special herbs to cure your children's incurable diseases."
"What did you just say?"
"■■■ ordered it as payment if Mariel participates in the subjugation."
Harman and Mariel were dumbfounded.
Special herbs?
If they could be cured, it wouldn't be incurable to begin with.
"■■■ holds cures for over eighty percent of so-called incurable diseases. It's more like they arbitrarily label treatable illnesses as incurable."
"Wh... why?"
"To create value worth staking a life on with a simple treatment."
The captain wore a bitter expression.
Diseases that kill, or make death preferable.
Yet they hide the cure for profit.
No matter how much money you have, you can't cure it without drawing their desired card.
How depraved can humans be?
"I... I'll join. ■■ru■-ssi! I can help with the subjugation too!"
"Harman-ssi, sorry, but I was ordered to bring Enchanter Mariel. I know your skills well, but we don't need another blacksmith."
Mariel looked at Harman.
"Mariel, no."
"......I have to. For ■■ and ■■."
"Wait, just a moment. Give us time to think. Please."
The captain kept his head bowed to the end, fulfilling his role.
Regardless of his own judgment, following orders only.
"I can't give you much time. Even now, ■■■ is crumbling."
"■■rel■■-ssi. Can you come back in a day?"
"By then, all decisions will have been made."
The one-night dream ended after buying another day's time.
"Pretty detailed. Even with some words I couldn't hear in between."
"Right? Normal dreams fade by morning, no matter how shocking."
Harman tapped the table with his finger.
"It feels exactly like a memory I should have had. No sense of unfamiliarity."
"......"
"But some words, I just can't get no matter what."
For example, Mariel's line: 'for ■■ and ■■.'
The blanks should be filled with Linnet and Theo.