Chapter 213
Chapter 213
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 213
Chapter Title: 85. Wildflower (2)
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While Yuri's group was enthroning Luther as the new king of the Holy Kingdom, an unexpected visitor arrived at the cave where the meteorite was stored.
He gazed up at the round lump of metal and smiled.
Sibyl's death had been unforeseen, but what his master truly desired was something else entirely.
"Metal from another world."
He spread his hands wide.
"A sacrifice."
Standing alone in the empty cavern, he extended both arms. Dark energy began to billow forth like smoke.
Soon, the mist coalesced into a distinct form.
It was a monster with tentacles.
Leading this monster—crafted even more vividly than Sibyl could have managed—he approached the lump of metal.
Orichalcum.
The metal that had fallen from beyond the skies.
This metal possessed the power to repel dark magic.
Yet conversely, it could also serve as a catalyst for it.
Unsullied by dark magic, this metal could act as a beacon for beings from other realms. A specific void unmasked by darkness would become a lighthouse for the summoned entity.
His black energy pierced into the orichalcum. The metal began to vibrate.
"More..."
His magic carved into the orichalcum. A sizable chunk broke off from the bottom, leaving a noticeable dent in the corner.
It wasn't tainted by dark magic, but neither was it entirely immune. The sharp edge of dark magic splintered the orichalcum this way and that.
Soon, a statue of the monster, small enough to cradle in one's arms, took shape.
"Hoo... hoo..."
Carving and sculpting the orichalcum was exhausting even for him. He set the statue down on the ground and caught his breath.
"Now..."
But suddenly, footsteps echoed from the cave entrance.
Startled, he glanced around wildly, then snatched up the statue and dashed to the far corner. The secret passage Yuri and the secret society's members had used during their fight with Sibyl was still there.
He vanished into the tunnel.
And right after, a group of people entered the cavern.
"Your Highness. Why have you come back here?"
"There's something I need to check."
It was Yuri.
He had returned to the cavern with Jared, Umshtain, and Fenek.
He hadn't wanted to revisit the place where he'd killed Sibyl, but one lingering question demanded answers.
"This orichalcum."
Yuri looked up at the metal lump.
"It seems to have some peculiar properties..."
He placed his palm on its surface.
When Sibyl had mutated under dark magic, exuding ominous energy, Yuri had entered the realm of Heart-Soul Severing to observe.
The entire cavern had been corrupted, yet the orichalcum remained utterly unaffected.
Perhaps it could become a tool to resist the black army the Empire would forge in the future.
Yuri pulled something from his pocket.
It was a scrap of parchment no bigger than a finger joint.
Retrieved from where Sibyl had fallen by the Holy Kingdom, it had been passed to Yuri via Fenek.
Tiny as it was, it still harbored traces of dark magic.
"Umshtain. Does the orichalcum resist dark magic?"
"I don't know. I didn't even know dark magic existed. The tribe elders might, but..."
Yuri held the parchment scrap up to the orichalcum for inspection.
"Hm?"
There were marks where a chunk had broken off. Hidden in the shadow at the bottom, it was hard to spot without close examination.
Yuri stared at the spot for a while.
"Hm..."
He tilted his head, then scanned the surroundings. A jagged edge protruded from the metal.
Yuri rubbed the parchment scrap vigorously against it. The surface tore ever so slightly.
"Just as I thought."
Ordinary blades couldn't harm this parchment due to the lingering dark magic residue. Yet mere contact with this unsharpened, protruding edge had damaged it.
Yuri was now convinced the orichalcum could counter dark magic.
"Umshtain. How many weapons could we make with this orichalcum?"
"Does it really have that power?"
"Yes. It seems so."
"Hmm..."
Umshtain tapped the metal.
"Not forging weapons from it directly, but coating them with orichalcum? We could produce quite a lot that way. Isn't that what you want?"
"If that's possible."
"Of course it is. But..."
Umshtain stroked his chin.
"To work orichalcum, we need the legendary weapon handed down in our tribe. Otherwise, we'd botch it."
"Legendary weapon?"
"Yes. In fact, Gultenshtain and I left the mountains to retrieve it. My brother got sidetracked along the way, but..."
"What is it?"
"Well."
Umshtain grinned. His face lit up with pride at the mere thought.
"What do you need to strike, hammer, and shape metal?"
He wasn't asking for an answer.
"The forces of nature itself."
"Forces of nature?"
"The elements scattered across the world—fire, water, wind, and earth. Only when they harmonize can we truly master metal. Because forging metal from the earth is the result of that harmony."
Umshtain caressed the orichalcum with a wistful expression.
"To wield this, we need the Sword of Four Elements, imbued with the power of all those forces. A legendary creation of our ancestors."
"The Sword of Four Elements?"
"Yes. Daggers, each infused with the power of fire, water, wind, and earth. With them in my hands, shaping orichalcum would be child's play. But their whereabouts are currently unknown."
Yuri and Jared exchanged glances.
Umshtain continued.
"Last sighted in the Empire, then they vanished without a trace. Someone must have them, but..."
"With those, you can work the orichalcum?"
"Of course."
"If I find them, would you melt this metal and coat our army's weapons as payment?"
"Hahaha, you're in quite the hurry, aren't you? Sure. If it comes to that, hammering this metal is no trouble at all."
"Good."
Yuri nodded and reached into his pocket, pulling something out.
"Here."
"Hm?"
In Yuri's hand were four daggers.
The Fire Seal Dagger, Crystal Dagger, Wind Spirit Dagger, and Earthshaker Dagger he'd acquired at the Empire's auction. Useful as they'd been, they seemed to have a true owner, so it was time to return them.
Umshtain tilted his head and peered at the four daggers.
Then he snapped his head up.
His eyes bulged wide. Nostrils flared, mouth gaped. Even his ears perked up, every orifice on his face stretching to its limit. His facial control was masterful.
"Wha—what? What is this?"
"What do you mean?"
"Why do you have them right now!"
The stunned Umshtain placed the four daggers Yuri handed him onto his palm.
"Why do you have these?!"
"Got them in the Empire a while back. Bought them at auction."
"You were the one who bought them?"
"Yes."
"Impossible! This can't be real!"
Umshtain clutched the four daggers dearly and hopped in place.
"To think you had these! What in the world!"
Fenek, standing nearby, chimed in.
"This must be divine guidance as well."
As a holy knight, Fenek had deep faith. He closed his eyes and made the sign of the cross, truly believing it was the god's will.
Jared spoke up.
"Perfect. So you'll coat weapons with this orichalcum now?"
"We'll need to set up a forge. Once the facilities are ready, we can start immediately."
Umshtain raised the Fire Seal Dagger.
"I can feel the essence of fire within. With this, we can build a furnace hot enough to melt orichalcum."
"Good. Let's get started right away."
"It won't be instant. Orichalcum isn't easy to work."
"Understood."
Yuri hadn't expected things to resolve so smoothly and was inwardly dumbfounded.
In his past life, some knight had wielded the Swords of Four Elements—unrelated to dwarves. He'd never imagined they'd connect to the dwarves.
Returning to their owner in this second life felt surreal.
"Thank you so much."
Umshtain pumped Yuri's hand repeatedly. It was clearly a treasure of great significance to them. Yuri shrugged.
"If you're grateful, then work hard in return."
"Naturally."
And so, Yuri acquired both the orichalcum and a dwarf craftsman.
"Once this is over and we return to the tribe, everyone will be thrilled."
Watching Umshtain, Yuri thought to himself.
Even in his second life, there was so much he didn't know.
He'd only recently learned of the dwarves' existence and their mountain home.
After killing Cedric, visiting the dwarf village to experience what he'd missed didn't sound bad. A distant future prospect, but the thought crossed his mind.
Cori researched ways to break the mana-binding chains. But his power was insufficient, and the circus troupe leader strictly controlled the locks.
"Hey, ugly."
"Filthy orc spawn."
Even when troupe members taunted him, he ignored them. Beatings from sudden groups were frequent, but Cori had resolved to endure.
No matter his treatment, the leader didn't care. He only wanted to make money.
Cori reached one conclusion.
Among the circus crowds, highborn folk occasionally appeared. The leader was exceedingly polite to them, even bowing deeply at times.
He needed to win their favor.
Perhaps one might rescue him.
"Everyone, be on your best behavior today."
The leader gathered the troupe and warned them.
"It's an Imperial noble. Someone trash like you would never meet in a lifetime. Don't be rude, or I'll slit your throats myself. Got it?"
Cori held high hopes.
He'd seen Imperials a few times with the Allied Forces.
No close ties, but maybe someone would recognize him. He planned to beg help reaching Yuri.
But those hopes crumbled.
This noble was nothing like the knights from the army. Just a bloated, greasy-bellied aristocrat.
He wasn't enjoying the circus—he relished mocking and scorning the performers.
"All Imperial nobles are like that. The worst."
The troupe members muttered among themselves.
Cori waited backstage, steadying his breath. He wasn't performing tricks; he had to go out and tell a story. The noble's reaction was unpredictable.
If the noble ran amok, he was powerless.
Cori gazed at the stage with unease.
Then, one acrobat slipped up.
The noble rose from his seat.
"I paid good coin to come here, and you botch it? Think I can't handle a proper show?"
"N-no, sir!"
"Feels like it."
The noble laughed as he heckled, as if waiting for a mistake.
"Fine. Your acrobatics show fine agility."
The noble smirked.
"You won't mess up twice, right?"
The performer bowed deeply.
"Yes! Never again."
"Good. Then..."
The noble turned and beckoned.
"One of my men wields a blade like no other. He'll swing at you—dodge. Survive, and I forgive the mistake. Or just die."
"Uh..."
Sighs rippled from backstage.
It was a death sentence.
Cori watched as the noble's ordered man took the stage.
He was gaunt and slender. Cloth fully shrouded his face, revealing only his eyes—through the slits, scarred, burn-like skin flickered.
Cori's eyes widened.
Something felt familiar.
The gait, the stance—it resembled someone he knew. Not identical, but eerily similar.
Yet those cold eyes were utterly alien.