Chapter 136
Chapter 136
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 136
Chapter Title: Equipment Commissions and Royal Decree
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1
"Oh...! So this is the bread made with the mold I crafted last time!"
Memphis examined the fish-shaped pastry from every angle, his eyes sparkling.
He seemed fascinated by the bungeoppang that had come out of the mold he'd made himself.
"Eat it before it cools."
"Then I shall gratefully partake...!"
Memphis, who had apparently just come from working and was drenched in sweat even in the depths of winter, carefully picked up one fish-shaped pastry.
Due to his massive build, it looked like a mini size in his hands.
"It's sweeter than I expected."
"I filled it with custard cream."
"It seems perfect for snacking on during work. The shape is fun, and it's easy to eat."
Memphis eating fish-shaped pastries while working.
It was strangely hard to picture.
"You should at least eat proper meals."
Memphis just gave a faint smile without giving a straight answer.
I'd half-expected as much from the moment he suggested eating these instead of a meal.
He was definitely the type who wouldn't see anything else once he dove into his work.
I understood that.
"I had no idea food like this existed! I bet we could adapt it in all sorts of ways...."
"There are plenty of variations. You could just change the shape and give it a new name."
Walnut cookies, peanut breads, and so on.
They differed in details, but on a broader level, they were all in the same category.
They all tasted best in winter, too.
"You know so many amazing things.... The alloy you mentioned last time is yielding some pretty significant results. How do you even know these things? It's nothing short of inspiring."
"It's just that you're so skilled, Memphis. I didn't do anything."
"No. No matter how much effort you put in, without that spark of inspiration, nothing comes of it. If it had been just me, it would've taken ages to even try the alloy. I may have been the one to test it, but you were the one who provided the idea, Theo."
He was talking like Einstein or something.
I'd planned to brush it off modestly, but Memphis shook his head with such sincere eyes.
All I'd done was leak information that he would've figured out on his own eventually.
Having him praise me like this made my conscience twinge for no reason....
"Ahem, anyway, I suppose it's about time I commissioned some equipment."
"Really!? I've been waiting for this!"
Memphis leaned forward toward me, his voice two octaves higher than usual.
His promise to wait last time hadn't been mere politeness—his face was beaming.
Wasn't his energy a bit too high, though...?
"I've even prepared a few designs in advance! From armor to accessories and auxiliary weapons! Just say the word!"
"Uh...... Well, it's not just for my gear."
The Simon Tower bombing had made the need for proper equipment crystal clear.
With the Earth Dragon's Heart and all my training since, I no longer had to worry much about the backlash from swinging the magic sword.
Sure, if I summoned Night or used mana release and pushed my body to its limits, I'd collapse from the backlash—but under normal circumstances, that wasn't an issue.
The problem was magic.
Dimensional magic, which had become my mainstay, and rune magic, which I'd held back on using for a while, both still suffered from the same mana capacity limitations.
Increasing my internal mana reserves was pretty much impossible.
So without gear to compensate, I wouldn't be able to use either freely.
Dimensional magic was practically my only reliable spell, and while rune magic was tricky, it was a powerful trump card.
For the sake of my peaceful life, I needed to gear up to use both properly.
Of course, that was just my situation.
Leon, who would face even more dangerous foes ahead, needed multiple pieces of equipment piled on.
Ethan, with his master Jin, had probably changed his fighting style, so he needed new gear tailored to that.
Noel, as a sniper, required agile, stealthy gear plus various auxiliaries. Louis's lightning was inherently hard to control, so support items would help.
Kiriacos didn't seem to need much, but more gear couldn't hurt.
That made six people total.
I was starting to feel bad for Memphis at this point.
If my funds ran short, I'd sell a golden button or something to pad the commission fee.
"Combined, it's for six people. Can you handle that?"
"Of course! If it's a commission from you, Theo, I'll roll up my sleeves and get to it!"
Memphis thumped his chest with gusto and shouted.
His enthusiasm was a sight to behold.
"However...... I don't have enough Memphiston for six sets. It's hard to procure more...."
"Don't worry about that. If you need other materials, just let me know. I'll take responsibility and gather them."
"Really? But making you go through that trouble......"
"It's fine. Nothing's too good if it means crafting great gear."
I knew the locations of most rare resources.
I had no intention of fetching them myself, though.
Pierce was great at this sort of thing, so I'd just leave it to him.
"Then I'll leave it to you."
"We can gather materials over the winter."
"Good to hear. If we push hard, we could finish before the spring flowers bloom. By the way, do you head to your family home in winter?"
"That's the plan for now."
I'd have to hide Pudding somehow.
My grueling winter break was already looming in my mind.
"Then, would it be alright if I came along?"
Memphis's tentative question caught me off guard.
"Well...... I'd like to put extra effort into your gear especially, Theo."
Why would coming with me help with crafting gear?
I knew next to nothing about smithing, so I couldn't second-guess him.
If Memphis said so, then it must be.
"Sure. Let's go together. I need to buy some supplies first—want to tag along?"
2
"Blue or pink—which do you think is better?"
I held up a gaudy accessory set adorned with large gems.
The earrings, ring, and necklace were flashy and oversized, clearly aimed at kids.
Memphis hunched down his massive frame to inspect the two colors.
"Personally, I think the pink brings out the color nicely. But as a gift for your little sister, blue would suit her too. Blue for a cool vibe, pink for something bright and cheerful—what do you think?"
"Hmm...... That's tough......"
His advice only made me waver more.
Which would suit Erica better?
Honestly, both would.
I pondered a bit longer.
Still no decision, so I just bought both.
I'd let her choose.
Imagining her chubby cheeks with the accessories already had me smiling.
"Thanks—I picked well because of you."
Memphis just smiled sheepishly.
He was humble in moments like this.
"Do you need anything for your trip to Agrit County, Memphis?"
"They'll have a smithy there, so I can borrow their setup. I'll just bring my hammer. I'll know more once I pack."
"If anything comes up, tell me right away. Even if it's on the way home, I'll make sure we get it."
That wrapped up today's outing.
As I headed to District 9 to see Memphis off, I spotted a long line of people at one end of the shopping street.
"Something going on today?"
"Oh, that's the churros shop line. It's been getting longer lately."
Churros.
Dipping warm chocolate in churros was Esset's national winter snack.
The only churros I'd known were the cinnamon-dusted fried dough from amusement parks.
They say it's good, so I was curious.
"Want me to grab some?"
"Since we're out, let's go together."
Memphis and I lined up in the lengthy queue.
After a solid thirty minutes, we got our freshly fried churros and glossy chocolate sauce.
Dipping the steaming churros into the chocolate sauce filled me with bittersweet sweetness and cozy warmth.
It wasn't the churros I knew, but damn, it was good.
My hand kept going back for more; hard to stop.
"I've only ever looked while passing by—first time trying them. They're fantastic. Still, I prefer the fish-shaped pastries."
"You could always go into the bungeoppang business."
Haha, Memphis just laughed.
With snacks conquered, I was fully local now.
Who knew when I'd get churros again? I'd treasure that 3,000 gilding—or 3,000 won—in my heart.
3
"We still have intelligence reports of Aphrenbru circulating under the table."
In the capital Esset, at Enenbra Palace.
Ludwig, entering the throne room, reported the information he'd received from Theo Agrit.
Louis and Kiriacos had crushed the distribution network, but that didn't mean Aphrenbru deals had vanished.
Rumors of trades were popping up in a few more areas, so they'd need to deploy royal troops to verify directly.
It was a reasonable, by-the-book request, but the ministers' response was icy.
"Not long ago, we had friction with the Federation. Third Prince, dispersing royal forces now would be dangerous."
The Ministry of Rites Minister replied glibly.
Even claiming it was for the people would get the same answer.
The Foreign Ministry was currently dominated by First Prince Clemens's faction.
It was practically his personal organization.
Moving troops now would earn Ludwig credit, so they'd stonewall—then magically deploy for Clemens at the first chance to steal the glory.
It was obvious to anyone.
Clemens himself stared straight ahead, expressionless.
They didn't need many troops.
One regiment would suffice.
But clashing head-on with Clemens's faction now would do more harm than good.
As usual, Ludwig gritted his teeth hard.
He swallowed his emotions, feigning the demeanor of an ordinary twelve-year-old prince.
Only his exterior was calm.
Inside, he lamented these people ignoring open drug trafficking for factional squabbles.
'Do I have no choice but to move Lunox again....'
Lunox's essence was a secret society.
Too much activity would expose them for sure.
A secret society found out was no longer secret.
Losing their greatest strength—secrecy—would halve Lunox's power and value.
"Isn't everyone being too stiff? The little guy's right. If we don't stop Aphrenbru, drugs spread, and the people's lives get wrecked."
Then, out of nowhere, Second Prince Rainer shot to his feet.
Ludwig shot him a glare, narrowing his eyes inwardly at this sudden support.
Clemens finally rolled his eyes toward Rainer.
"Rainer, you agree with Ludwig—we need to move troops?"
"Sure, but no need for a full deployment. Let's see—five knights should do it, right? I'll handle the sweep myself!"
"Five knights? What can you accomplish with that?"
"A frail brother like you might not get it, but I'm more than enough."
Clemens glared at the bold provocation.
Cold golden eyes met aggressive ones.
The throne room's air froze in an instant.
An eternal silence flowed.
Clemens broke eye contact first.
He sighed in exasperation and scoffed.
"Do as you like."
"Then I really will. Your Majesty, five knights should suffice, but just in case—attach Theo Agrit, who blocked the Federation with a mere four, to me!"
The unexpected name caused a stir in the throne room.
Even Clemens, who had averted his gaze, widened his eyes and glared at Rainer. Ludwig, feigning normalcy, couldn't hide his surprise.
It was a shallow ploy.
Before anyone could react, ministers aligned with Rainer chimed in.
"Having the heir of a meritorious noble join would set a new milestone for the next generation. As expected of Prince Rainer."
"With his prior achievements, it'll set an example for other nobles."
"A golden opportunity to straighten out lax noble etiquette!"
They could wrap it any way they wanted.
It sounded noble, making it hard to undercut.
It might come off as a personal attack on Theo Agrit, or if dodged, a criticism of Rainer's judgment.
The throne room buzzed for a while.
Rainer's faction listing merits one-sidedly, Clemens's faction silently grinding their teeth, Ludwig quietly reading the mood, and finally Lucius's unshakable neutral Third Faction led by the steady figurehead.
The commotion ended with one man's words.
King Cursbeuk Sol Lionel, seated on the jade throne, finally parted his lips.
"I permit it."
The king's command.
Even princes couldn't object.
Clemens clicked his tongue at the sudden turn, while Ludwig swallowed a bitter smile inwardly.
Rainer, eyeing his brothers, bowed exaggeratedly to his father.
"Thank you, Your Majesty. The thought of heading to battle with the renowned Theo Agrit already has me thrilled!"