Chapter 353: A Staff of My Own
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 353: A Staff of My Own
“I’m so sorry!”
A moment later, the woman bowed her head and offered an apology.
It was thanks to the children’s spirited defense of me.
But more than that, I was focused on her speech and actions.
‘Flawless etiquette… Is she a noble, after all?’
As I’d suspected, she was no commoner. She carried herself with the kind of grace that could only come from being systematically taught etiquette from a young age.
“To have been so rude to the person who saved these children, without even knowing the full story… Even if I had ten mouths, I would have no excuse.”
Judging by the faint tremor in her mana, her apology wasn't just for show.
Of course, that would be a different story if she had acting skills on par with Shin Yuna.
“It’s alright. As long as the misunderstanding is cleared up, that’s all that matters.”
Anyone can make a mistake.
What’s important is one’s attitude after the misunderstanding is resolved.
It would be one thing if she’d gotten angry and turned the tables on me, but I had no intention of being harsh with someone who readily admitted their fault and asked for forgiveness.
It wasn't because I had any ulterior motives, of course.
“Instead, if you don’t mind, could you tell me your name?”
“…My name?”
The woman seemed to hesitate for a moment before cautiously parting her lips and nodding.
“It’s Delia.”
I’d never heard the name before.
That was to be expected.
The number of nobles in England was considerable, and it wasn't as if I had memorized all their names.
It might have been different if she had given me her surname.
The fact that she only gave me her first name told me she was drawing a line.
Then again, a noble lady wearing a hood in a slum like this was proof enough that she didn't want her identity known. It was only natural she would hide it.
“My name is Kang Hyun-woo.”
“Kang Hyun-woo…? Ah, you’re Korean?”
Hearing my name, Delia fell silent, a thoughtful look on her face. Then, as if she’d remembered something, her eyes sparkled.
“Could you be… the genius mage from Korea who reached the 5th Circle at the age of 21?”
At Delia’s words, I reflexively put a hand to my forehead.
“…I don’t know about being a genius mage, but it’s true that I’m at the 5th Circle.”
I sighed inwardly.
Of course, it wasn't unreasonable for others to think of me as a genius, but being called that to my face brought on a wave of unbearable shame.
Only someone with the mental age of a middle schooler would enjoy being called that.
“Wow… I never thought I’d actually meet someone I’ve only seen on the news.”
“I’m more surprised to meet someone in England who knows who I am.”
As a country known as the homeland of magic, England had more mages than the United States.
I had already encountered dozens of them just walking around London.
With so many mages, and being on the opposite side of the world from Korea, it wouldn't have been strange at all if I were completely unknown here.
It's like how a country overflowing with soccer players wouldn't have much reason to pay attention to a Korean one.
“Even if it weren't for me, there’s hardly a noble or mage in Northern Europe who doesn't know you, Mr. Hyun-woo.”
“…Excuse me?”
What was she talking about?
“Oh? You didn’t know? A few days ago, Duke Winchester mentioned you in an interview.”
“…Duke Winchester did?”
The moment I heard the name leave Delia’s lips, my mind went blank.
Duke Rupert Blake Winchester.
Along with the Duke of Rutland, Choi Hyena’s grandfather, he was one of only two dukes in all of England and an 8th Circle Archmage.
He was also the Lord of the Blue Magic Tower.
Why on earth would someone like him…?
“He spared no praise, calling you an outstanding talent. He’s not one to say such things usually, so many people found it quite surprising.”
“…I see.”
For a moment, I wondered if the Duke of Rutland had put him up to it, but I quickly shook my head.
That old man would sooner curse my name than praise me.
‘Come to think of it, those police officers were unusually deferential. Was it because they knew who I was?’
It was a possibility.
As Delia said, if the famously stingy-with-praise Duke Winchester mentioned me as an ‘outstanding talent’ in an interview, it wouldn't be a stretch for people to assume I had some real connections.
“Delia.”
Just as I was lost in thought, a young girl with an innocent gaze tugged at Delia’s sleeve.
“Yes? What is it?”
“Let’s eat together.”
The smell of food was wafting from inside the tent.
It was the food Delia had brought.
“I’ll be right in. Why don’t you start without me?”
“Okay.”
Satisfied with the answer, the girl gave a bright smile and went inside the tent.
Delia watched her go with a fond expression.
“…Her name is Erin. She just turned five.”
“She’s quite small for a five-year-old.”
She looked like she weighed less than 15 kilograms.
It seemed like a strong gust of wind could knock her over.
“…She’s actually doing much better than when I first met her. Back then, she was nothing but skin and bones.”
“So you come by often to look after the children, Miss Delia?”
Delia nodded, her expression somewhat dark.
“Can’t you send them to an orphanage? There must be quite a few run by the church.”
“There used to be, but… many have been closing down recently due to financial problems. There’s no place that will take these children.”
Her eyes trembled slightly as she looked at the tent with a bitter smile.
“…Of course, if I pulled a few strings, I could get them into an orphanage, but that would just mean other children would be left to wander the cold streets.”
I watched Delia without a word.
That statement was an indirect way of revealing she held a status that allowed her to influence the church.
“…I heard Koby stole your wallet, Mr. Hyun-woo.”
Delia bowed to me once more.
Her silver hair cascaded downwards.
“This incident is entirely my responsibility as their guardian. Please, allow me to compensate you.”
“I’ve already gotten my wallet back.”
“That doesn’t erase the time you wasted or the trouble you went through. More importantly, I heard you used Holy Water to treat Koby.”
Unlike potions, when one drinks Holy Water, a faint radiance envelops the entire body.
The higher the concentration of divine power, the stronger the light.
The children must have told her.
“I just happened to have some low-grade Holy Water on hand. Please don’t worry about it.”
“But…”
Of course, the loss of high-grade Holy Water was a painful blow.
The price was one thing, but it was also something that could only be made by a cleric of bishop rank or higher.
Unlike in Korea, where I had connections to prestigious magic families, there was no way I could obtain it in England where I had no connections.
Unless I was a noble myself, perhaps.
Of course, it wasn't entirely impossible. I knew someone influential enough to be recognized by the church in England.
But I wanted to avoid that method if at all possible.
“If it truly bothers you, how about we have a meal together sometime?”
“…Excuse me?”
I smiled slyly.
“I came to England for some sightseeing, and I’ve been looking for a good restaurant. But since it’s my first time here, it hasn’t been easy.”
“Ah…”
Again, I had no ulterior motives.
After hearing my words, Delia seemed to ponder for a moment before nodding with a faint smile.
“If you’d be alright with me.”
“That’s a relief.”
After that, Delia and I chatted for a bit before parting ways.
For the record, we didn't exchange contact information.
As I just said, the dinner invitation was purely to build a friendly relationship with her as a noble, not to satisfy any personal desires.
If Delia felt indebted to me or had taken a liking to me, she would seek me out soon enough.
If she had no such intention, she wouldn't.
For now, that was all our relationship was.
‘…Tsk, maybe I should have asked for her number?’
Truthfully, it wasn't that I had no ulterior motives.
I suppressed my regret, left the back alley, and hailed a taxi. I ran into a few knife-wielding muggers along the way, but I just folded their arms in half.
*
Delia stared blankly at Kang Hyun-woo’s retreating back.
Her eyes held a complex mix of emotions that words couldn't fully express.
‘…He’s a good person.’
Though they had just met today, he was clearly a good person.
Otherwise, there was no way he would use precious Holy Water on a homeless child who had tried to pickpocket him.
He had called it low-grade Holy Water, but the children said a beam of light brighter than the morning sun had enveloped Koby’s entire body.
‘He must have used high-grade Holy Water, at the very least.’
High-grade Holy Water wasn't something you could get just because you had money.
Without special connections to the church, you might have to wait for months just to buy some.
‘…If Mr. Hyun-woo hadn’t helped, Koby would have surely been killed by that officer.’
And the other children would have been left clutching Koby’s cold body, waiting for her to arrive.
Squeeze—
Blood dripped from the fist she had unknowingly clenched.
She barely felt the pain.
She could only feel suffocated by her own pathetic inability to protect even these children with her own hands.
But at the same time, she found herself wanting to meet him again and talk with him calmly.
It wasn't a romantic feeling.
It was simply curiosity about the man named Kang Hyun-woo.
‘…Though I know it won’t be easy.’
Considering her circumstances, meeting him again would only be a burden to him.
With that thought, Delia gave a bitter smile and looked up at the gloomy sky.
It was the same London sky as always.
*
After parting with Delia, I arrived at my hotel and checked in.
Then, after a late lunch at the hotel restaurant, I left again and caught a taxi.
My destination for the day had been set from the beginning.
“…Is this it?”
On the outskirts of London, a massive building stood alone in a quiet field.
Smoke billowed endlessly from a large chimney, and there wasn't a single person or even an animal in sight.
That was to be expected.
This was private property.
“Hey!”
Just then, someone emerged from the building and approached me.
A short, stocky build, a long beard, and a sturdy frame.
It was a dwarf, known for their belief in a blacksmith god and their love of alcohol and metal.
“If you’re a customer, get in. If not, piss off!”
For the record, dwarves are famous for their hot-tempered nature.
I bowed my head politely to him, showing my respects. It was the half-assed British etiquette I’d learned before leaving the country.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Baronet Jack Osborne Sheffield.”
The man before me was one of only five Master Smiths in England, Baronet Jack Osborne Sheffield, whose skill in crafting staffs and wands was said to be unparalleled.
Rumor had it that the royal family had offered him the title of Count, but he had refused.
“I am Kang Hyun-woo, from Korea.”
“Kang Hyun-woo?”
Hearing my name, the Baronet stroked his beard and seemed to think for a moment before snapping his fingers in recognition.
“That genius mage?”
“…”
I sighed inwardly.
It felt like my cringeworthy history was spreading uncontrollably across the globe.
“You look like a bad seed.”
“…Excuse me?”
After staring at me intently, he abruptly turned his head and walked back into the building without another word.
Just as you’d expect from a dwarf, he was a prickly man.
I followed him toward the building.
As soon as I entered the workshop, a gasp of admiration escaped me.
‘So this is a Master Smith’s workshop…’
The exterior had been grand, but the interior was beyond imagination.
The heat radiating from the furnace was so intense that even my body, which had reached a state of immunity to cold and heat, began to sweat.
It didn't look that large, but it was clearly no ordinary furnace.
Furthermore, the complexity of the magic circles carved throughout the entire building was enough to make even me give up on deciphering them.
They had to have been personally inscribed by a mage of the 7th Circle or higher.
“By the way, are there no other employees here?”
“Employees?”
“Yes.”
I’d noticed it the moment I stepped inside, but in this vast workshop, there was only me and the Baronet.
I couldn't sense the presence of anyone else.
“Hmph. Having people like that around would just get in the way.”
I couldn't hide my bewilderment at his words.
Although I didn't have expert knowledge, I knew how complicated and laborious the process of crafting a staff was.
And he did it all by himself?
“…You don’t take on any apprentices?”
“Apprentices??”
The Baronet’s face contorted into a scowl.
“Teaching a bunch of talentless fools is nothing more than a waste of time! I’d much rather spend that time kicking back with a cold beer.”
He snorted and plopped down onto a nearby chair.
It was clear he didn't care one bit for noble etiquette.
Well, that made things easier for me.
“So, what did you come here for?”
“I came because I need a staff of my own.”
“A staff?”
The Baronet looked me up and down, stroking his beard.
A glint of interest appeared in his eyes.
“You’re not here to have a sword made?”