Chapter 23
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 23
Chapter Title: Meeting with the Duke
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The attack on the Wall of Glory caused a massive stir in the Empire, just as Abel had anticipated.
It wasn't due to an overwhelming enemy force they couldn't handle or any particular laxity in their defenses.
The emergence of an entity with unprecedented abilities, never before seen. And the fact that it had intelligently exploited their vulnerabilities.
This meant that their foundational strategies for dealing with Gigadeus and its legions needed a complete overhaul.
Even days later, the chaos showed no signs of abating.
Abel had only heard that he'd receive a major reward later and was granted a few days' rest along with the other special class cadets.
So far, everything was going according to plan.
But there was one thing Abel hadn't foreseen at all.
‘This is incredibly awkward.’
Flaming red hair. A matching red beard.
Piercing eyes and muscles so massive they bulged even through his clothes. Topped off with a fierce scowl.
His striking appearance made him instantly recognizable.
Abel opened his mouth cautiously.
“……It’s an honor to meet you, Duke Del Kior.”
Duke Del Kior.
He was the lord of the Duchy of Del Kior and Hena’s father.
‘Why the hell…….’
What Abel hadn’t anticipated at all.
A private audience with the Duke.
The Duke coming all the way to the academy wasn’t all that strange.
He was notoriously doting on his daughter.
So it was entirely plausible that he’d rush over the moment he heard his only daughter had nearly died.
‘The issue is why he singled me out for a private meeting.’
Abel eyed the Duke Del Kior with tense anticipation.
“Hmm.”
The Duke stroked his beard as he regarded Abel, then spoke.
“Abel Klein, right?”
“Yes, sir.”
“I heard you played a big part in this incident. They say the damage would’ve been much worse without you.”
“Th-that…… I just did my utmost in that situation.”
Abel stammered a bit but managed a polite response.
The Duke fell silent again for a moment, then suddenly placed something on the table.
“Ahem. I expect great things from you going forward. This is a personal gift from me.”
“Ah…… Thank you.”
Caught off guard by the sudden gesture, Abel still responded promptly.
But what came next was even more bewildering.
The Duke rose from his seat right after hearing Abel’s reply.
“Well then. We’ll meet again when there’s a chance.”
With that, he opened the door and left.
Abel stared blankly at his retreating figure, thinking.
‘What was the point of calling me here?’
His mind went blank in the face of the incomprehensible situation.
Abel scratched his cheek absentmindedly and opened the pouch on the table without thinking.
Soon, an exclamation burst from his lips.
“Whoa. Holy shit.”
It was stuffed full of gold coins.
* * *
It didn’t take long to figure out why Duke Del Kior had requested the private audience or suddenly handed over the pouch of gold.
Hena showed up shortly after it ended.
“Phew. He didn’t say anything weird, did he?”
“Nah. But is it really okay to just take this?”
“Of course. He gave it to you to use, didn’t he? As long as he didn’t say anything odd, we’re good.”
With that, Hena said she had to go catch her dad and left in a hurry.
What she told him right after the unexpected visit went like this.
After the Wall of Glory incident, Hena had spoken with the Duke about Abel’s exploits.
Intrigued, the Duke had come straight to the academy and requested a meeting with Abel.
Abel watched Hena’s brisk retreating figure from afar and thought.
‘She takes after her dad.’
Especially in how they said their piece and vanished.
Abel glanced at the pouch in his hand and tucked it away for now.
Money was always better in abundance.
The Klein Count family provided some support, but having funds he could freely spend was naturally a good thing.
‘Perfect timing, since I had a place to spend it.’
With that thought, Abel started walking slowly.
He’d only showered and met the Duke right after waking up, so his stomach was growling.
He headed to the cafeteria intending to eat first, but the moment he stepped inside, the cadets eating there turned their gazes toward him.
He’d drawn eyes before, but this was on another level.
The scale of this incident was just that different.
‘I’ll get used to it.’
He had no intention of feeling burdened or swelling with pride over something like this.
Compared to the plans and goals he’d set for himself, this was a tiny blip.
“Abel!”
As he filled his plate and looked for a seat, someone called out.
Turning, he saw Daniel waving. He’d apparently waited until Abel had his food.
Charlotte and Rian sat beside him.
Abel walked over and took an empty seat.
“You feeling okay?”
Daniel asked right as he sat.
Abel nodded.
“Yeah. Getting by.”
After the battle, Abel had passed out cold. He’d wrung every last bit of strength from his body.
He hadn’t woken until a full twelve hours later, so their concern was understandable.
Even after top-tier treatment, his body had been wrecked enough to leave aftereffects……
But fortunately, he was perfectly fine now. Thanks to the quest’s bonus reward: a healing potion.
Abel stabbed a hefty chunk of meat with his fork and casually returned the question.
“You?”
“I’m good too. Just sore from missing training.”
It wasn’t empty talk; Daniel looked fine at a glance. Despite clearly pushing himself hard in the fight.
Of course, Abel knew why.
‘Lucky bastard.’
Daniel possessed monstrous stamina and even greater vitality.
His energetic demeanor after insane training sessions wasn’t just personality.
‘That’s why his trait is Indomitable.’
An S-rank trait with all sorts of effects.
As Abel mulled this over, Charlotte, seated beside him, chimed in.
“When they say rest, you really gotta rest. I’m still sore all over.”
“Yeah…… Feels like I’m dying.”
Rian added his two cents from the side.
They looked worse off than Abel. Bandages everywhere, groaning nonstop.
Without that separate healing potion, Abel would’ve been in the same boat.
‘At least the rest is a blessing.’
Everyone from the special class who’d been on-site was under mandatory rest until two days from now.
No training allowed—strict orders to recuperate fully.
Daniel grumbled about being bored, then turned to Abel.
“Anyway, you’re heading out today, right?”
“Yeah. Just a quick trip.”
Outings were normally weekend-only, but classes were suspended after the incident.
Not just for the special class cadets—many instructors had been called up too.
Plenty of them were veterans of active duty, most having fought in the last Great War.
Meaning they had plenty of experience against Gigadeus.
‘It’s not entirely unrelated to the academy either.’
Either way, it gave Abel his chance to head out.
Not that every cadet got free rein.
Abel had earned it through his contributions and a strong personal request.
While he drifted into thought, Daniel and the others started piping up again.
“Should’ve applied to go out myself. Ugh.”
“Don’t go causing trouble out there. Just stay in the dorms.”
“What trouble am I gonna cause?”
Abel quietly ate amid their bickering.
He’d sat last but finished first.
“I’m heading out.”
“Oh, sure.”
After returning his dishes and waving goodbye, Abel left the cafeteria and headed straight outside the dorms.
He’d already packed everything that morning, so no need to stop by his room.
Outside, cadets were milling about in small groups toward the school grounds.
“Hey, over there.”
“That’s him, right?”
Like in the cafeteria, stares and whispers followed, but Abel ignored them and kept walking.
The academy was so vast that reaching the main gate took considerable time.
Short compared to his actual destination, though.
“You’ve arrived, sir.”
The good news: he didn’t have to walk the whole way.
A carriage from the Klein Count family waited at the gate.
The Count had sent it personally for his outing today.
Abel greeted the coachman politely.
“Yes. Thank you for your trouble.”
“The pleasure’s mine.”
After the brief exchange, Abel boarded and stated his destination.
“Then we’ll be off.”
The carriage soon began rolling forward.
* * *
After leaving the academy and traveling some distance, the carriage stopped in a fairly remote area.
“We’ve arrived.”
“Yes. Thank you.”
Abel stepped down and surveyed the familiar street.
“I’ll be off then.”
“Yes. I’ll wait here.”
After chatting with the coachman, Abel set off on foot.
His destination was a short walk away.
He’d deliberately asked to be dropped off a bit early.
Didn’t want to draw attention, and he felt like stretching his legs.
‘Nothing’s changed here.’
This was the very street where Abel had lived all his life.
It looked exactly as it had when he left.
Not surprising, really. What could change in just a month?
The streets teemed with drunks sprawled out even in broad daylight, and some red-eyed lout glared at him.
“Grrrrrr…….”
Abel let the drunkard’s groan flow in one ear and out the other as he pressed deeper in.
An outsider stumbling into this place wouldn’t fare well.
But no one approached Abel rashly.
He’d been radiating sharp intimidation since stepping off the carriage.
He knew from experience—until recently, this had been his turf.
Even at rock bottom, no one gambled their life on nonsense.
Clang, claaang-!
After walking some way, the sound of metal striking metal echoed from ahead.
Abel grinned at the familiar noise.
Heading toward it, he spotted a massive building dwarfing the shabby surroundings.
He was used to grand structures now, but his jaw had dropped the first time he saw it.
Abel gazed up at the workshop, reminiscing.
The day he first met Vulcanus.
‘I asked why a rich guy like him set up shop in a dump like this.’
Vulcanus’s answer had been simple.
‘Only real customers seek out a workshop in a place like this. I don’t deal with riffraff.’
Abel had been dumbfounded.
Chuckling at the memory, Abel approached the workshop.
Claaang-!
The hammer strikes grew louder up close. The large door bore the workshop’s name.
‘Vulcanus Workshop’
Plain as could be.
Abel entered without hesitation.
First thing he saw: a wooden counter and the woman behind it.
“Welcome…… Oh!”
She started in a tone dripping with annoyance, then widened her eyes at Abel.
“Abel?”
“Yeah. Long time no see.”
“What’s with the ‘yeah’ to your big sis? Use proper manners, like I told you.”
She grumbled but couldn’t hide her delight.
Her name was Kaya, a workshop employee.
Her jobs: screen customers, complain about them, nap when bored.
Abel had wondered why she never got fired. The reason was ridiculously simple.
She was Vulcanus’s daughter.
Abel smiled at her.
“Got it. I’ll try. Where’s the old man?”
“Inside. Go on in.”
“He won’t yell about interrupting work?”
“Since when has he cared?”
“Fair point.”
Abel chuckled and nodded at her deadpan reply.
Kaya was the only one around his age at the workshop, so they’d grown fairly close.
As Abel headed further in, she waved.
“Come back alive.”
“I’ll try.”
He waved back and proceeded. The heat intensified as he went deeper.
Voices chattered ahead.
The Vulcanus Workshop employed many people, befitting its size.
Burly men bustled about inside; one spotted Abel and exclaimed in surprise.
“Hey, Abel!”
“Abel?”
Busy at work, they waved from their stations, beaming.
“Long time no see, everyone!”
Abel returned greetings casually as he pushed further in, deeper still.
At the workshop’s rearmost area, he finally found his man.
“Old man.”
Clang, clang, claaang-!
A sharp noise pierced his ears in lieu of a reply.
Abel crossed his arms, watching Vulcanus hammer away, sweat pouring.
Vulcanus didn’t look up for over ten minutes.
“You’re quick.”
At Vulcanus’s question, Abel smiled and replied.
“Did you receive the goods safely?”
“Yeah. If not for that, I’d have told you not to interrupt and come back later.”
He grinned back.
Vulcanus was a master craftsman. And like all great artisans, he was obsessed with rare materials.
Abel had sent every last bit of Telesium he’d gotten from Kaul here.
“Eleven kilos of Telesium. What are you having me make with all that?”
“Something I’ve already decided on.”
Abel gave the answer he’d prepared.
“A weapon. A massive two-handed sword, please.”
Abel wanted definitive striking power.