Chapter 84
Chapter 84
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 84
Chapter Title: Hilda Ragnar (4)
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Kirson was clutching his temples again, thanks to the uninvited guests who had shown up at the crack of dawn.
"So."
"Yes."
"Theo... that damn... no, our... lovely grandson... sent you...?"
"That's... correct."
"And he said he'd do it 'for free'...?"
"Yesss..."
Tremble tremble!
Kirson's hand, gripping his pipe, shook violently.
He vaguely remembered hearing about casualties from the fifth squad of the White Dragon Knights who had suffered major injuries.
But he never imagined they'd dump them right in front of him like this.
For free, no less. Free!
'This brat really sees me as a total pushover!'
The problem was, he had no way to complain to Theo.
Theo's reputation was soaring higher every day.
And all her businesses were riding the "Theo wave," rising alongside it.
The kid knew that and dumped them here anyway.
On the other hand,
Trainer and the injured men, unaware of this, exchanged uneasy glances.
'Is this really okay?'
'Let's just tough it out for now.'
'Yeah! Evelyn and Theo said it would be fine.'
After the battle to capture Blanqui Fortress, as they were returning, Theo had spoken to them when they voiced their worries about the aftermath.
—...I appreciate the offer, but will Basque Workshop really help us? I doubt it.
—Why do you think that?
—We don't have any money. Something like that would cost a fortune, and if a master craftsman gets involved... well, it's beyond what poor salaried folks like us could handle.
—Ah, so that's what worried you.
—It's something we can't help but fret over...
—Don't worry. Just go and tell them.
—Huh?
—Tell them I promised to do it for free.
—...?
—You'll understand what I mean once you get there.
At the time, they had no clue what Theo meant.
But now that they were here, it all made sense.
'Who knew Madam Cecilia was that master craftsman Kirson's adopted daughter.'
'Doesn't that make Theo his grandson too?'
'Who knows how this'll turn out!'
As Trainer and the injured men's eyes sparkled with anticipation,
"...Hoo! No helping it. They're our. Grand. Son's. Coworkers. Can't take their money. Right? Ahaha. Ahahaha."
Kirson finally forced a laugh.
Seeing this, the injured men thought,
'The master craftsman known for loving money and gold so much... but his affection for his grandson is on another level(?) altogether.'
As the misunderstanding spread,
Kirson racked his brains on how to turn this opportunity to his advantage.
* * *
"...?"
「What's wrong all of a sudden?」
「Ah, sorry. My ear started itching out of nowhere.」
「I don't repeat explanations twice. Make sure you commit it to memory.」
「Yes.」
Screeeeech—
Theo and his group were swiftly heading toward their destination.
In the process, Theo was receiving a lecture from Klevel.
'Did someone just talk about me?'
Pushing aside his fleeting doubt, Theo focused on Klevel.
There were only a few inspectors qualified in the Ragnar family.
Of course, Evelyn was one of them too, but her field was different.
'This is also a gift from the Black Dragon. Can't miss it.'
「What do you think 'thunder' is?」
A fundamental question.
「The most violent natural phenomenon—or disaster—you can see in everyday life?」
「Let me be more specific. What do you think thunder is made of?」
「Hmm... thunder and lightning?」
「Wrong. It's light and heat.」
Theo's eyes lit up for a moment.
「Light is fast. Not for nothing is it called the speed of light. The closer you get to that speed, the more destructive power increases proportionally. Add weight to it? Perfect.」
「Light...」
「Heat is different. Unlike light that travels in straight lines, it spreads outward. And the higher the temperature, the wider the range of effect.」
Klevel's explanation continued.
「Light has no answer but tempering. It's directly tied to swordsmanship. But heat connects to mana. The purer the mana, the higher the efficiency, the higher the temperature you can emit. 'Heat Rift' means exactly that.」
「So it means it increases mana efficiency.」
「Yes. That's why I gave you the Clarity Pill, which has the property of purifying mana.」
The formula for Clarity Pill and Heat Rift.
These two would undoubtedly enhance the heat in the Thunder Dragon Instant Claw technique.
Heat would translate to destructive power.
'How much stronger can I get?'
Why was he already looking forward to it?
「Now, swallow the Clarity Pill.」
Following Klevel's instructions, Theo opened the wooden box and popped a Clarity Pill into his mouth.
It melted smoothly on his tongue and slid down his throat.
「We're moving now, so efficiently absorbing the elixir will be tricky. I'll help guide your mana pathways... Huh?」
Guiding someone else's mana pathways directly to help them remember the routes properly, or assisting absorption in a similar way, is called [Mana Guidance].
Klevel placed his hand on Theo's back intending to do just that, then tilted his head.
He sensed Theo's mana wriggling in his Aura Hall, and then the Clarity Pill's energy vanished in an instant.
Completely.
Checking Theo's mana again, wondering if it had been absorbed already, he found no real difference from before.
「What's wrong?」
「Ah, nothing. Seems the Clarity Pill I gave you was defective. Eat this one.」
Mass-produced items like Clarity Pills sometimes came out flawed due to mixing errors during manufacturing.
Thinking that was the case, he handed over a spare Clarity Pill.
「Thank you.」
Theo swallowed another Clarity Pill.
Gulp.
「Then this time... Huh?」
「Is there a problem?」
「Hmm, looks like everything I brought is subpar. Sorry for the hassle.」
「No, I'm grateful for your help.」
「Your character is refreshingly upright, unlike a typical Ragnar. This one should be fine.」
When the same thing happened again, Klevel inwardly cursed the quartermaster who prepared the items and handed over another Clarity Pill.
Precisely, a [Clear Light Pill], a higher-grade elixir than the Clarity Pill.
'It was meant to be a showy gift after all missions succeeded, but oh well.'
Right now, properly integrating the Heat Rift formula into his body was key.
But.
The Clear Light Pill vanished just like the Clarity Pill the moment it entered his body.
'What the...!'
Elixirs dispersing without effect was unheard of.
Klevel's pupils shook violently.
「It really is an elixir. My head feels clear.」
'But it doesn't have that effect normally...?'
Klevel's mind reeled at Theo's admiration.
How was he supposed to handle this?
Theo, reading Klevel's thoughts, chuckled inwardly.
'They all seemed genuine. Better play dumb.'
Truthfully, this bizarre phenomenon was unexpected even for Theo.
[Aura Heart has absorbed all external energies.]
[A significant amount of impurities has been removed, beginning to purify mana purity. Fluidity improves.]
[Efficiency increases.]
[Hint obtained regarding mana density.]
[Mana capacity has slightly increased.]
.
[Muscle fiber tissue has been reinforced.]
Who could've known that the moment the Clarity Pill was absorbed, mana from the Dragon's Heart would surge out and devour it?
Thanks to that, Klevel remained oblivious and ended up handing over more innocent elixirs.
'Mana capacity increase and muscle fiber reinforcement aren't supposed to be Clarity Pill effects either. Jackpot.'
It seemed like a synergistic bonus from the Dragon's Heart and Clarity Pill.
Explaining all this wouldn't be easy.
Theo decided to play innocent.
「Please explain the operation method. I'll give it a try.」
「Uh, uh? Y-yeah.」
Klevel, dazed, began the explanation anyway.
But the questions still swirled in his mind.
* * *
'Heat emission. Mix this with Divine Thunder, and I could create artificial hot winds?'
While Theo pondered how to integrate the breathing method with his existing techniques,
'Genius...! How does he have such comprehension?'
Klevel was stunned by Theo's absurd talent.
Theo was already emitting heat outside his body.
The heat haze rising faintly over him was proof.
'He even deconstructed the Heat Rift formula and created an applied version using part of the incantation.'
Gulp!
Klevel swallowed dryly.
Judgment, talent—he had it all.
Now he fully understood why the Black Dragon was so frantic when mentioning Theo.
How great would it be if such a guy were his deputy?
'Our captain's going to be busy again. Black Snow will have her eyes on him fully now.'
Meanwhile, Evelyn smiled, thinking of Julius clutching his head at the sight.
'...He might actually pass the promotion exam.'
Hazel clicked her tongue, gauging the talent she'd only heard about.
'Still too early to tell. Let's watch until the mission ends.'
As the examiners all marveled, the group finally reached their destination.
The northeastern city of Kalhelm.
Even at dawn, merchants lined up before the gates.
"These are artifacts inscribed with perception-blocking magic. Everyone, put them on."
Theo and the group donned the robes Klevel handed out.
The embedded magic activated, making it hard to distinguish each other.
"Our visit to Kalhelm must not be recorded, so we'll sneak over the walls. Then, we immediately raid the 'Breathing Hill' inn and kill everyone inside."
Theo, Evelyn, and Hazel nodded.
Klevel pulled his hood down.
「Then, let's begin.」
With the telepathic message, they moved.
Flash!
* * *
Scaling the walls wasn't hard.
Frontier cities like Kalhelm rarely faced attacks, so they were peaceful normally.
With perception-blocking magic and stealthy movement, no one noticed their approach.
They arrived at a rundown inn that looked like it might collapse, with no guests in sight.
Bang!
Klevel kicked the door open first and charged in.
"Wh-what?"
"What the hell are th—!"
The clerk dozing at the counter jumped up in surprise, but a flash gleamed.
Slash!
"N-not yet! You bastards!"
A comrade nearby realized the intruders late and reached for his weapon, but Evelyn appeared and decapitated him.
Screeeeech—
Theo and Hazel then shot off in opposite directions like arrows.
Theo to the basement, Hazel to the upper floor.
It was a pre-planned move.
To leave no survivors.
"Upstairs! Up! St—!"
Slash, slash—
Theo mercilessly cut down the men rushing up the stairs.
Each sword flash brought a blast of hot wind, leaving black scorch marks on walls and floors.
Proof that he'd already begun externally emitting heat by integrating Heat Rift into Thunder Dragon Instant Claw.
With improved mana efficiency, not only was his attack speed faster, but the power seemed greater too.
'And it has explosive force now.'
"Argh!"
"Guh...!"
"By some kid... Ugh!"
Those who faced Theo fell like autumn leaves.
Assassins were feared only for their unpredictable stealth.
Face-to-face like this, they were no match for Theo.
Especially against a zweihander with speed, power, and range!
Rumble!
Finally, with a heat storm, the basement corridor door exploded, sweeping away everyone nearby.
"Th-this can't be...!"
Tremble tremble...
The assassins couldn't even approach Theo.
On the charred black floor.
Wreathed in intense heat, spewing pale steam and bright yellow lightning,
He looked like a yaksha risen from a fiery hell.