Chapter 361: Avalon
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 361: Avalon
Although the United Kingdom is known as the land of mages, that doesn't mean it neglects its hunters.
In fact, it was quite the opposite.
High-ranking hunters have long been granted titles by the royal family, enjoying considerable prestige.
Of course, most of them were merely knights, a rank of quasi-nobility, but no one in the UK—no, in all of Europe—would dare look down on a knight.
The reason for this was the existence of the Round Table, the ‘Guardians of Europe.’
The origins of the Round Table, with its thirteen seats, trace back to a time long past.
It was formed when twelve knights, gathered around a man named Arthur Pendragon—commonly known as King Arthur—conquered an S-rank Gate with the help of a brilliant mage.
The current Knights of the Round Table are the successors to their names.
...No wonder he looked so familiar.
Richard Thorne Greymont.
Better known by his title, ‘Sir Lancelot,’ than by his noble name, he was not only a member of the Round Table but also the head of the Greymont comital family.
“Is he here to have his sword repaired?”
“Yes.”
Something about Baronet Sheffield’s indifferent reply felt off.
I had heard that the one who inherits the name of Lancelot is bestowed the famous sword, ‘Arondight.’
And Arondight was famous for being an artifact that could never be broken.
Yet here he was, having a sword repaired.
...A practice sword, maybe?
It was certainly possible.
Even if it wasn't, plenty of people collected swords as a hobby, so it wasn't particularly strange.
“What are you standing there gawking for?”
“...I was just wondering why Sir Lancelot, who possesses the unbreakable sword Arondight, would come to have a sword repaired.”
But once the question popped into my head, I couldn't just dismiss it.
I am a mage, after all.
“Do you happen to know the reason, Baronet?”
“Don't know.”
Whoosh—
With that curt reply, Baronet Sheffield nonchalantly tossed the ingot he was holding to me.
I caught it reflexively.
It was surprisingly heavy, which startled me a little.
It looked like it weighed around five kilograms, but holding it, it felt closer to fifty.
“That's mithril. A metal found only on the rarest of occasions in high-level Gates.”
“...Mithril?”
The moment I heard that, I instinctively held the ingot with both hands.
I knew a lot about mithril, but this was the first time I had ever seen it in person.
Mithril was a metal used in various fields, including alchemy and artifact creation, and its value was dozens of times that of gold.
Unfortunately, there were no mithril mines in South Korea.
Even in all of East Asia, there was only one in Japan and two in China.
“Infuse the ingot with your magic power. It’s a process to imprint your magic onto it, so don’t stop until I say so.”
“...Imprint?”
That was the first I’d heard of it.
Besides, what was the point of infusing it with magic if it was just going to be melted down anyway?
It felt like a waste of effort, but I didn't have the in-depth knowledge to question a Master Smith.
I silently began to channel my magic power into the ingot.
“At that snail’s pace, when do you plan on finishing? The sun will set before you’re done!”
“...”
I thought it required a delicate touch, but apparently not.
Vmmmm—
Pushing in an amount of magic that felt a bit excessive, the mithril ingot began to vibrate faintly.
Its surface, initially gray, gradually took on a bluish luster and began to glow.
Seeing this, I instinctively realized the ingot was resonating with my magic.
About ten minutes passed.
“That’s enough.”
Snatch!
Baronet Sheffield snatched the ingot from my hands.
Unlike before, the mithril ingot was now sparkling like a jewel.
“Now, I’m going to melt this mithril and a top-grade magic stone to create a mana alloy. That will form the body of the staff. Finally, I’ll embed the core of the Colossus into the finished staff, and the work will be done.”
“...Mana alloy?”
What was that?
“I’m not your damn professor. If you’re curious, look it up yourself.”
With an astonishing display of foresight, Baronet Sheffield cut me off before I could even ask my question.
It was a bit dumbfounding, but that was all.
I wasn't so ungrateful as to complain to the man who had cut not only the labor costs but also more than half of the material costs.
“So, how long will it take to complete?”
“Don't know.”
“...Excuse me?”
Pop!
Popping the cap off a beer bottle with his calloused hand instead of an opener, he chugged the beer and plopped down onto a chair.
His behavior was still hard to believe for a nobleman.
Which, I suppose, made him easier to deal with.
“A week, a month, a year. It’s up to this bastard here to decide.”
Baronet Sheffield said, tapping the jewel-like ingot.
I wondered what kind of nonsense that was, but I knew I wouldn't get a straight answer if I asked, so I just nodded vaguely.
It wasn't like he was the type to hurry just because I pestered him.
“You can send the bill here.”
I handed him the business card I had received from Han Lael.
“Hm?”
His expression turned strange as he looked at the card.
“You came with a recommendation from the Seongbuk Choi family, but you want me to bill the Jinryu Han family?”
“Well... that's how it turned out.”
I gave an awkward laugh and averted my gaze.
“‘How it turned out,’ my ass. You damn Casanova.”
Baronet Sheffield scowled at me, looking utterly flabbergasted.
“I’ve seen plenty of guys like you. Every single one of them got so full of themselves they went around messing with every woman they could, only to end up getting stabbed to death by a jealous one.”
“Haha... that’s a bit of a dark—”
“Does it sound like a joke?”
“...”
Phew—
Cigar smoke drifted through the workshop.
He looked at me with a slightly more serious expression.
“Remember this. If you think you’re about to get stabbed, it’s better to offer up a spot where a blade won’t kill you.”
“...I’ll take your invaluable advice to heart.”
I bowed respectfully.
A cold sweat trickled down my spine, which had gone chilly.
“Well then, I’ll be on my way...”
“Before you go.”
“Yes?”
Baronet Sheffield stopped me.
“That liquor you left last time. You got any more?”
“The liquor... you mean the makgeolli?”
“Magori? What a strange name. Anyway, if you’re going to bring a gift, you should bring a whole crate, not just three measly bottles.”
“...”
I was speechless.
How was I supposed to bring a whole crate of something that cost thirty million won per bottle?
“I’ll send a few more bottles when I return to Korea.”
“Hmph.”
Only then did he nod in satisfaction.
What an alcoholic.
For reference, the life expectancy of a dwarf is 200 years.
Not as long as the elves from that other world, but by Earth's standards, they were a long-lived species.
However, the actual average lifespan of a male dwarf is a mere 120 years.
The reason, which hardly needs explaining, is that they live on strong liquor and tobacco from a young age, just like the old dwarf before me.
“Excuse me, if it’s not too much trouble, may I ask one more thing?”
“No.”
“I’ve been invited to a party at the House of Winchester. Since this is my first time at such an event, are there any particular points of etiquette I should be aware of?”
The moment the words left my mouth, Baronet Sheffield stared at me as if I were some kind of freak.
But I remained unabashed.
“...Do I look like someone who has ties to places like that?”
“No.”
“Then why are you asking me?”
“Because you surely know more than I do.”
“Hmph...”
He let out a heavy sigh, a rare substitute for a puff of cigar smoke.
“Ignore them.”
“...Excuse me?”
Baronet Sheffield placed the ingot on the table and looked at me, his expression softening slightly.
“Nobles are a shady bunch, every last one of them. Nine out of ten will try to put you down just for being an Easterner. Even if your etiquette is perfect.”
“...Aren't you a noble yourself, Baronet?”
“Do I look like a noble to you?”
He chuckled.
With his shabby clothes, a cigar in one hand and a beer bottle in the other, and a beard and messy hair that looked like they hadn't been groomed in ages, he looked every bit the commoner.
“You’ll be criticized either way, so you might as well act according to your convictions. If someone insults you with a smile, challenge them to a duel. Make it so no one ever dares to look down on you again.”
“What if that causes problems?”
“Ha! To think I’d hear such words from the Duke of Rutland’s grandson-in-law. I must have lived a long time.”
“...You knew?”
I couldn't help but be surprised by his words.
The Duke of Rutland was officially unmarried, and it was already decided that a collateral branch of the family would inherit the title.
For him to call me the Duke's grandson-in-law was proof that he had seen through the relationship between the Duke of Rutland and the Seongbuk Choi family.
I thought he was just a man holed up in his workshop with no interest in the world, but it seemed that wasn't entirely the case.
“I just have a regular who likes to talk.”
“A regular?”
Baronet Sheffield waved his hand at me.
It was a gesture telling me to leave now that my business was done, but instead, I took a seat.
“Hah... now what is it?”
He rubbed his face in annoyance and glared at me.
“Since I’m already asking, I have just one last question.”
This was, in fact, my main reason for being here.
“Do you happen to know how to obtain the True Blood of the Vermilion Bird?”
“...What?”
No matter how difficult the conditions were, I couldn't resist the chance to summon the Yellow Dragon.
*
That evening.
I left the hotel in an outfit vastly different from the day before.
While I had worn a neat suit to the auction house, today's style was more like a uniform, adorned with various decorations.
The whole outfit was a bit much, but the cape draped over my shoulders was particularly bothersome.
I wanted to tear it all off, but the owner of the shop Duke Winchester had recommended had insisted that this was the latest trend among nobles and repeatedly urged me to wear it no matter what. I had no choice.
I could handle being pointed at by nobles for being an Easterner, but I didn't want to hear them say I had no sense of style.
“...But does it really look that strange?”
The stares I received from the moment I entered the hotel lobby were incredibly burdensome.
I had worn suits many times before, but this was my first time in an outfit like this, so I couldn't properly judge whether it looked good or not.
I had even sent pictures I took in my hotel room to the girls, but their replies were all frustratingly ambiguous.
[Choi Hyena
-...If you so much as fool around at that party, I'll kill you.]
[Noel
-You have to bring that outfit when you come back to Korea! Okay?!]
[Jeon Seoha
-...Hyun-woo, when are you coming back?]
[Han Lael
-If I'd known, I would have taken a business trip to the UK instead of the US. But we're still going to Japan together, so I can look forward to that, right?]
[Shin Yuna
-Um... I'm on a movie set right now, but can I show this picture to my friend...?]
Their reactions seemed positive enough.
But just as I was blinded by my affection for them, they also tended to view me generously, so it was hard to consider their opinions entirely objective.
“We’ve arrived, sir.”
While I was looking at my phone, the taxi reached its destination.
I got out of the car and looked up at the Blue Magic Tower, which soared toward the sky amidst the old-fashioned buildings.
A calm flow of magic enveloped the tower, creating a strange atmosphere, as if time had stopped in this one spot despite being in the bustling center of London.
Ignoring the stares from those around me, I entered the tower.
The interior was noticeably different from the Gray Magic Tower, imbued with the classic, antique charm of medieval Europe.
To put it simply, it felt a bit like a movie set.
I looked around the Blue Magic Tower as I headed for the front desk.
“Welcome to the Blue Magic Tower.”
Just like at the Gray Magic Tower, a female employee with a charming smile greeted me.
She was a woman whose freckles and dimples suited her well.
“How may I help... oh?”
But the moment our eyes met, the employee froze.
A sense of unease began to creep in.
“A-Are you perhaps the genius mage from Ko—”
“Shh.”
I quickly took out my invitation and used it to cover her mouth.
I couldn't tolerate her trying to draw the attention of everyone in the crowded lobby.
“I was told to show this invitation. Where should I go?”
“...Ah! I-I’m so sorry!”
I gave her a friendly smile.
The employee checked the invitation for a moment, then, with a slightly surprised expression, called over another staff member.
Perhaps because it was a magic tower, the new employee was also a woman, but she seemed to be of a much higher rank.
I followed the employee deeper into the tower, where a single, old-fashioned elevator stood.
An elevator in a magic tower that used teleportation circles for moving between floors?
It seemed a bit out of place, but after taking the elevator down to the basement, I understood why.
An unbelievable sight unfolded before my eyes.
Vwooom—
Is that...
An alien sight, like a void had opened in mid-air.
A strange atmosphere swirled around it, making me feel as if I would be sucked in if I stared too long.
That's right.
What had appeared before me was the entrance to a Gate.
In that moment, I recalled a rumor I had seen spreading online like a tabloid story.
“From here, would you please take my hand?”
I took the employee’s hand and stepped through the Gate.
A familiar sense of floating enveloped my entire body. When I opened my eyes again, I was no longer under London's gloomy sky but standing on a peaceful plain under a vast, blue expanse.
“...Avalon.”
And so, I set foot on the mystical island said to be home to the mansion of the great mage of Britain, Duke Winchester.