Chapter 42
Chapter 42
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 42
Chapter Title: Preliminaries (1)
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Freya's room was littered with all sorts of miscellaneous items.
It wasn't trash.
There were valuable jewels and machine parts of unknown purpose assembled together.
They were quite varied, so it didn't seem like something to throw away.
"I was trying to make an artifact... but it's more difficult than I thought."
"An artifact?"
An artifact was a piece of jewelry with special functions.
The rosary and ring I'd taken from the Empress's report were examples of such artifacts.
Some were said to be created naturally under the influence of myths or gods.
But most were made artificially.
Freya picked up one of the jewels scattered on the bed.
"This is for Lady Irena. I was wondering what to give her, and I thought an artifact would be more helpful than a weapon she already has."
"So you've been working on this the whole time?"
"Yes. I wanted to make it myself. What about you, Ian?"
I set the teacup down on the desk.
A gift for Irena.
I'd thought of several options, but nothing was actually prepared.
"Looks like you're preparing something too, Ian."
At Freya's words, I nodded briefly and sat down.
A golden gear part slid across one corner of the desk with a small click.
"I haven't decided yet. I don't want to give her something half-hearted."
Freya's eyes sparkled at my words.
"Then want to make it together?"
"...Together?"
Freya gestured to the precious metals and machine parts scattered around the room.
I was a complete novice when it came to artifacts.
But from her words, I could tell those were parts for making an artifact.
"You have a good sense for these things. I think it'll turn out better if we make it together than separately."
My deliberation was short.
Actually, there wasn't much to deliberate.
"...Sounds good. Let's do it. But I don't know anything about this."
"It's fine. Honestly, I don't know much either. I'll just make the shape, and we'll leave the engraving to a professional."
Freya smiled awkwardly as she picked up a book.
It was one from the bookstore the three of us had visited together before.
So she'd been preparing like this since then?
"Ahem. First, we need to decide on the shape. Since it's jewelry, maybe a bracelet or a ring."
So that's why there were jewels scattered everywhere in the room.
Traces of trial and error.
Freya had been crafting the jewelry to turn into an artifact.
I looked around the room.
Among the jewels on the bed, under the desk, and on the floor, one caught my eye.
"That one...?"
"Oh, that's a magic stone. It's been specially treated, so it's safe."
I thought for a moment, then shared my idea with Freya.
"What about a necklace?"
"I tried making one. It's not finished, but... ah, here it is."
Freya lifted an unfinished necklace from the desk and bed.
A chain linked into a long loop.
And a crudely attached gem hanging from it.
"What do you think?"
Freya looked up at me, expectant for my evaluation.
I pondered how to respond politely for a second, then just said it straight.
"You did a good job."
"...I made it by myself, so... Now that you're here, Ian, we can make it like a professional."
Freya and I got seriously to work on the necklace.
We spent a day reading the basics from the book to get the fundamentals down.
Then Freya and I began receiving private lessons from a master jeweler.
It was, of course, thanks to overwhelming capital.
"Can you teach me jewelry crafting?"
"I don't teach people—"
"...How about this much?"
"When and from what time shall I start teaching you?"
After that, we jumped straight into practice.
"Is this right? Isn't it a bit warped?"
"Uh, that's exactly what I wanted to ask."
We started with gold at first, but when it seemed impossible, we practiced with softer metals.
Freya's overwhelming capital made worrying about material costs pointless.
"Don't worry about the money. I've got it!"
"No, that's not the issue. I have money too..."
But gold is still gold.
Turning it into crude trash gave me a pang of guilt.
Freya didn't care.
After a week of private lessons and devoting ourselves solely to crafting, we got the hang of it.
Complex decorations were still impossible, but the results were starting to look decent.
Freya proudly showed off the necklace.
It was the product of an all-nighter.
"It's finally done. Ta-da!"
"Oh. The asymmetry gives it artistic merit. Very stylish."
"Asymmetry?"
"...That wasn't intentional?"
"No."
We holed up in Freya's room, working nonstop.
We mostly just did the crafting, but there were a few mishaps.
"Ian, this time I really brewed it properly. Want some black tea?"
"It's good."
"Right? Right? This time I really, really did it right. Look here—"
Freya's face stiffened rigidly after sipping the tea.
I casually remarked to her.
"It tastes good to me."
"...I'll do better next time."
We sometimes fell asleep slumped over the desk after crafting all night.
Irena searching for us after we vanished wasn't exactly a secret.
"Freya. Ian. Where are you! Here, here?"
Irena's expression turned icy cold as she flung open the door.
"Oh ho, looks like you two had fun while I was gone."
"I wish it were that, but no, it's not."
"Ah, you're back? Irena. Take a look at this. What do you think?"
After investing another week, it no longer looked like something made by total amateurs.
Around the time Freya was satisfied with the results.
We began the engraving process.
Engraving was the step that turned jewelry into a real artifact.
Without it, the jewelry was just jewelry.
A useless object with no functions.
Leveraging Freya's connections, we sought out the Empire's top engraver.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "Is this the right place...?"
Freya whispered softly in front of the door.
The place we'd come to was in the outskirts of the Imperial capital—an old cathedral-like mansion that looked half in ruins.
No sign, and hardly any signs of habitation.
I knocked.
The door opened, revealing an old man with his white hair tied back tightly.
Small but sturdy build.
His eyes were deep and sharp, like iron from an ancient forge.
"...You want engraving?"
"You're Engraver Theo Laurents, right? I'm Freya Nordelheim. I have a job I'd like to request."
Theo looked down at Freya and muttered softly.
"...So Baldir's really dead."
Freya closed her eyes briefly.
"Yes. In the subjugation battle..."
Theo's pupils trembled faintly.
He leaned against the doorframe, then slowly straightened up.
"Always obsessed with proof and duty. In the end, he met his end on the deepest battlefield."
I glanced at Freya.
She was forcing a smile, but her eyes were trembling.
She bowed her head and said quietly.
"Father fulfilled his duty to the end. He achieved our family's long-held wish to end the frontlines."
Theo's gaze shifted from Freya to me.
"Then you must be..."
"Ian Valencia."
"The duke who didn't like the Harst Mountains and shaved them down."
"?"
Why were these weird rumors spreading?
Before I could question it, Theo continued.
There was no more wariness or formality in his eyes.
"Fine. I'll take it. For my friend's daughter, it's the least I can do."
Freya wiped her eyes and smiled faintly.
"Thank you. Father would surely be happy too."
"Baldir's probably laughing in heaven right now, watching you try to make something with those hands of yours..."
Objectively speaking, Freya's handiwork was on the poorer side.
Theo snorted and turned inside.
"Come in. If you're asking for engraving, you have to hear some of my ramblings too."
Freya followed him.
Left alone for a moment, I turned to look back.
For an instant, my vision flipped, and the chill of the snowfields washed over me.
A cold sensation, the biting grip of a sword hilt clenched so hard it might break.
-When I retire, we'll live together. I've saved up money.
The voice of my already-dead squad leader echoed.
I closed my eyes and took deep breaths.
One, two, three—
I was standing in front of the workshop door again.
Theo and Freya were talking inside.
The topic was mostly Baldir Nordelheim.
I only knew fragments about him,
but listening to their conversation made me feel a bit strange.
"My engraving isn't just about making artifacts. It's projecting the traces of a soul onto an object. The materials need to carry karma."
Theo continued.
"Leave that to me. Or if you prefer, bring your own."
The next day.
I quietly took out an old sword hidden in the wardrobe in my room.
A worn scabbard wrapped tightly in leather straps.
The item I'd brought when leaving Baltazar at first.
After acquiring Rigid Body Armament, I'd kept it stored away.
"What about this? We spent quite a bit of time together."
I placed the sword on the workbench.
Theo examined it in the light.
"...Good. This will do."
The engraving work took a long time.
The necklace was carefully disassembled and fused with fragments of the sword.
Freya watched nervously, swallowing hard.
Red and blue lights pulsed alternately from the center of the necklace, spreading outward.
"...Done."
Theo finished and slowly handed over the completed necklace.
Objectively, it was just an ordinary jeweled necklace.
But now, a thin line like a blade was etched into the center of the gem.