Chapter 122
Chapter 122
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 122
Chapter Title: To Balamut
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122
7
“I have to head out pretty far, so I’ll just grab a few decent pieces of armor.”
I said this while looking around the villa that had basically turned into Memphis’s workshop.
The forge was belching heat, and weapons and armor of every kind—swords, spears, bows, you name it—were scattered everywhere.
Memphis, who had been sweating buckets as he stoked the forge fire, blinked his brown eyes.
“What I’ve made so far are all prototypes, so it’s hard to let them go…”
“Prototypes? These are pretty well-made, though?”
I tapped the rough breastplate right next to me.
Rough was putting it kindly—it was actually quite ornate.
No big lion-head ornaments or anything, but the surface was etched with intricate patterns.
You could tell he’d put a ton of work into forging and then engraving them.
Clang!
The sound rang out clean, no impurities or cracks, and the quality was top-notch.
Not perfect, as Memphis said, but too good to dismiss as mere prototypes.
“No! They’re still nowhere near good enough! Especially if you’re the one using them, Theo!”
“I don’t have time, so these will do just fine.”
Up until now, I hadn’t needed armor, and good pieces were hard to come by anyway.
But this time was different.
In the worst case, I might end up clashing head-on with the Karmut Federation’s invasion forces.
Of course, I’d do everything to avoid that… but it never hurt to have insurance.
Plus, I wasn’t going alone, so the armor here was more than sufficient.
“Even so, the first gear I give you can’t be some test piece! How much time do you have? A day… no, for light armor, I could have it done in half a day!”
Memphis grabbed my shoulders and shook them hard.
I’d never seen him this fired up before…
He looked like a completely different person, like some switch had flipped.
“I don’t even have half a day. Really, these are fine. If it comes to it, consider this a loan, and I’ll take proper ones later.”
“Ugh, compromising because of deadlines…!”
Memphis finally let go of my shoulders.
Only then did it hit me, watching him gravely stroke his chin.
Ah, he’s a craftsman too.
And craftsmen always get stubborn about the weirdest things.
“I should prepare something in advance… I don’t know what kind of armor you’ll need, so let’s base it on light armor with detachable parts… Black as the main color? Mix in some Memphiston for accents—that’d be perfect. Draw motifs from dragons or wolves…”
There was even a hint of obsession in Memphis’s mutterings.
I never would’ve guessed he had this side to him…
If I left him like this, who knew what’d be waiting for me next time.
For now, I’d call it a win that I’d secured some emergency armor.
“Ahem, any progress on your skills lately?”
I quickly changed the subject, and Memphis scratched his cheek sheepishly before nodding.
It was a gesture that didn’t quite fit his burly build… but if you ignored that and just looked at his gentle face, it actually suited him.
“I’ve gotten a feel for handling Memphiston freely.”
Oh, that was welcome news.
Just getting a feel for it opened the door to crafting gear a step below divine items, even if not quite there.
The odds of success were low, but better than zero.
“Nice. I’ll have to commission something soon.”
“If it’s for you, Theo, I’m always welcome…! I’ll prepare some designs in advance! Twenty types per category should be enough, right?”
No, that wasn’t what I meant for my own gear.
Making Leon stronger ensured my peaceful life, so in a broad sense, it was for me.
But saying that now would just complicate things, so I just nodded.
“Why wait? Or… no, if you’re waiting, why not experiment with mixing Memphiston with other minerals?”
“An alloy, you mean?”
I nodded casually.
Memphiston had excellent hardness and strength, but its true value shone in alloys with other minerals.
It amplified the strengths of those other materials on top of its own base performance.
Making the alloy was tricky, though… but a grown Memphis could pull it off through trial and error.
Too bad I couldn’t advise on exact ratios or processes since I didn’t know them.
“Yes, I’ll give it a try!”
Memphis nodded without a shred of doubt.
His ox-like innocent eyes were fixed solely on me.
Would he believe the sun rose in the west if I told him tomorrow?
8
“Is it really okay to just ditch the academy like this…?”
Noel asked belatedly, after we’d already boarded the train.
Leon, sitting across from him, fiddled with his sword hilt and nodded.
“Sometimes saving people matters more than attendance.”
“We can’t just forgive the jerks bullying those kids, either.”
Thud thud. Ethan punctuated his words by tapping his fist into his palm.
He still hadn’t fully shaken off his anger from the slave incident.
“I get that, but…”
“Don’t worry about attendance. I got permission.”
I shoved my bag into the luggage compartment and took my seat.
Noel tilted his head slightly in surprise, blinking his golden eyes.
“How…?”
How?
I couldn’t exactly tell the administration I was off to stop a war, so I’d borrowed some connections again.
And there weren’t many people who could pull strings at Esterro Academy.
Among the ones I knew, just Ludwig.
“Too annoying to explain. Point is, permission’s secured, so no worries. Better to prepare for what’s coming.”
Noel nodded, his doubts cleared.
Ethan, propping his chin next to him, let out a short groan.
“Balamut, huh… Our merchant house doesn’t deal with them much, so I don’t know details. Oh, but isn’t Agrit Territory close to Balamut? Just a forest in between.”
“Close, yeah, but I don’t know much either.”
In the original story, Balamut avoids federation invasion but gets wiped out by the Precursors.
By the time the player reaches it, it’s already fallen, so all I knew was surface-level info on intact Balamut.
“There’s Nort Academy in Balamut.”
Leon’s quiet words made Noel flinch.
That was the academy Noel had attended before transferring.
Not on Esterro’s level, but it had solid tradition and history.
That’s why kingdom nobles who couldn’t crack Esterro often turned to Nort.
Noel had just gone there because his mom was from Balamut and it was close.
“Know anything?”
“Uh…? Well…”
Noel’s tone was oddly awkward, but he cleared his throat and spoke slowly.
“Balamut is…”
9
The train finally pulled into Balamut Central Station.
My whole body ached from the long journey.
Stepping off, a blast of hot, dry sand-laden wind brushed my cheek.
The Kingdom of Balamut was a land of sand nestled in the desert.
Past the vast forest connected to Agrit Territory, the greenery vanished, giving way to dunes.
Hot, dry, with huge temperature swings—the desert wasn’t fit for living.
The only habitable spots were around oases.
Thus, Balamut was built around a massive oasis.
Their lifestyle differed greatly from the kingdom’s as a result.
They conserved precious water, and most cuisine developed to cook without extra moisture.
To shield skin from the blazing sun, wrapping the whole body in cloth was tradition.
Nobles added ornate decorations to signal status.
Lately, friendly exchanges with Tekat Kingdom had brought in kingdom-style clothing, which was a relief.
Sure enough, half the passersby wore traditional garb, the other half kingdom outfits like us.
Beyond the crowds, vibrant buildings in primary colors evoked Islamic architecture.
Couldn’t say for sure… but plop an Islamic mosque in the desert, and it’d look just like this.
“So this is Balamut…”
I was seeing pre-ruin Balamut for the first time.
Normally, I’d be thrilled by scenery even the game never showed.
But given the circumstances, I stayed calm.
“What about lodging?”
“No time to prep, so we’ll find something nearby.”
“Hotel on the main road, then? Easier to move if something comes up.”
Noel quietly chimed in at Ethan’s suggestion.
“No need for a hotel…? Our family has a villa nearby.”
“We can stay there?”
“Yeah, it’s a villa… I got permission already…?”
“Awesome, buddy! Villa it is!”
Ethan grabbed the embarrassed Noel’s shoulder and bellowed.
Deliberately trying to boost his spirits, no doubt.
Leon followed without complaint.
Easy lodging? Fine by me.
So we set off for Noel’s villa… or tried to, but didn’t move right away.
“Hey, if it isn’t Noel!”
Noel flinched at the saccharine voice.
“Marco…”
Noel murmured the name weakly.
His full name flashed in my mind reflexively.
Marco, Marco Davila.
Simple reason I knew it.
It kept popping up in Noel’s trauma.
I turned my gaze forward.
Marco Davila approached, waving cheerfully, looking innocent enough on the surface.
About my height, so around 177cm.
Slim but well-built.
His reddish hair was swept back, with one strand artfully dangling forward.
It kinda suited his mild face… but honestly, he looked punchable.
“First time since transferring to Esterro? Man, you just up and left without a word—hurt me deep, y’know?”
Marco grinned and closed in on Noel.
Anyone would think they were old pals reuniting.
The acting was that slick.
“Yeah…”
“So why’re you back today? Homesick? Oh, friends with you?”
Marco kept yapping nonstop while Noel stayed silent.
The bully struts around bold as brass, victim shrinks away.
Pissed me off.
No reason to let some small fry like him jerk us around.
Right as I considered breaking that smug nose, Ethan stepped forward with a smile.
“Oh, Noel’s friend, huh? Ethan Mertezacker. You?”
“Marco Davila. Noel’s old pal.”
Ethan and Marco shook hands amiably.
It didn’t last. Before even a full shake, Marco winced and grimaced.
“Ah, sorry, my bad. Thought you’d be sturdy since you’re Noel’s friend, but you’re frailer than you look?”
Ethan smiled breezily, but his blue eyes weren’t smiling.
Like the deep sea silently swallowing everything, calm on the surface—but Ethan was still pissed.
Months had passed since meeting Noel.
Spending that time together, Ethan had figured out what Marco was like.
His instincts were sharp in situations like this, unlike usual.
If Ethan had clocked it, Leon surely had too.
A quick glance: Leon was glaring, brows furrowed.
“Could be. No biggie.”
Sensing he was outmatched, Marco flashed a friendly grin and backed off quick.
Classic bully picking on the weak— no surprise.
“Oh, Noel. You still living there?”
“…”
“I’ll swing by before you leave. Promise.”
Marco decided that on his own, despite Noel’s silence, and sauntered off laughing.
Leon stared daggers at his back, fingering his holy sword’s hilt.
“He hides his expressions well.”
“Yeah, but the stench of sleaze wafts right off him.”
Ethan growled low, then slung an arm around Noel’s shoulders and shouted brightly.
“We got your back, so don’t worry! Buddy!”
“Y-yeah… I’m fine…”
Noel’s forced smile fooled no one.
He’d looked off-color ever since Balamut came up.
He’d grown a lot, but facing trauma head-on was tough.
Staring down deep scars was scary, no matter how much time passed.
Noel trudged toward the villa, shoulders slumped.
That small back reminded me of our first meeting.
I watched his precarious figure for a moment and resolved.
For Noel’s sake, next time we meet, I’d wreck Marco.
Make him regret messing with the wrong people for life.