The Artisan City of Nosvel
The city of artisans? Nosvel. Suh Hwian slipped into the heart of the city where screams and chaos bloomed like flowers.
Without hesitation, he drew his sword and glared at the wyverns screeching in the sky as he spoke.
“I’ll need support. If you have any energy left, heal the people too.”
“Yes.”
Serena Silvana followed Hwian into the city and skillfully took cover behind a building. The sight of her skillfully drawing mana from her staff made a faint smile slip across his lips.
She had grown so much.
It felt like only yesterday that she would panic and run at the appearance of even the smallest monster, back when their journey had just begun.
She still couldn’t fight monsters herself, but she had at least grown enough to hide behind cover in dangerous situations. Her role was to stay concealed and cast various support spells on Hwian and the people around them.
Lesser wyverns… Seven of them? That’s a lot. This is exactly why I hate the eastern continent.
The hyenas of the sky—lesser wyverns. Aerial predators that traveled in packs, searching for wounded prey.
Feeling Serena’s support magic seep into his body, Hwian drew forth his own mana.
As the magma-like heat of his power surged between his muscles, he kicked off the ground.
“Hup…!”
From the ground to a stall, from the stall to a rooftop. Using the uneven walls and roofs of the buildings as footholds, he climbed higher and higher.
When he reached a high vantage point and looked around, he saw people frantically running away. Beyond them, Hwian spotted what appeared to be the source of the explosion and tilted his head in confusion.
A research lab…? That building looks pretty unusual.
It was a grayish-white structure reminiscent of apartments from his original world. The sight of several people carrying buckets of water suggested a fire had broken out inside.
It was probably an accident caused by some experiment gone wrong.
And the wyverns must have caught the scent of blood from the injured.
It was a predictable story.
“Whether it’s a magic tool research lab or whatever, you should be more careful when making dangerous things…!”
He swung his sword widely at the wyvern diving toward him with a shrill caw.
With a slicing sound, scales flew off. Blood scattered, followed by a heavy death cry.
Thud—! The lifeless body of the wyvern tumbled across the rooftop.
Hwian wiped the blood from his blade with a quick swipe and spoke.
“Six left… It would be nice if they kept flying in stupidly like that.”
He glanced up at the sky. The wyverns were now on high alert, screeching at one another as if debating whether to attack or not.
For Hwian, who couldn’t fly, this was bad news.
If they simply turned and left, that would be ideal. But if they continued to struggle in the air, things would get troublesome.
“…Tsk. Yeah, of course. That’s just how my luck works.”
The moment that thought crossed his mind, a red glow flashed at the wyverns’ mouths.
It was a diluted version of the breath attack used by true dragons—a small fireball from an inferior species.
Watching the wyverns aim their mouths in different directions across the city, Hwian tensed his entire body.
Knocking all of them down would be impossible. In that case, he would have to focus on deflecting the fireballs heading toward the most crowded areas.
His muscles tightened.
“Hey, you! Who gave you permission to stand on my roof?! Get down right now!!”
“…?”
An odd voice suddenly reached his ears.
When he looked down, he saw an old man with a cranky attitude yelling at the top of his lungs. Around him stretched a strangely peaceful village scene.
Aside from the people injured in the first explosion and those carrying and treating them, the area was mostly calm.
Even though wyverns were screeching and flying through the sky, the residents continued their daily lives without much concern.
“What the…?”
This was very different from ordinary villages that would turn into chaos at the appearance of even a single mid-sized monster.
The peaceful village scenery made him doubt his eyes for a moment.
As Hwian tilted his head in confusion, forgetting he was in the middle of a battle—
“—Ugh!?”
A massive explosion suddenly echoed from far away.
It was a blast somewhere between a gunshot and a missile, striking the entire city. At the same time, a single beam of light shot up from the center of the city and pierced straight through the chest of a wyvern flying overhead.
“Magic? No, that’s… …Ugh.”
The explosions didn’t stop at one.
Six thunderous booms rang out, accompanied by six beams of light. Watching the wyverns whose chests had been pierced lose strength and plummet, Hwian let out a dumbfounded breath.
“…Magic tools. Whoever made them, their power is incredible.”
Thud…. The sound of the falling wyverns echoed somewhat hollowly.
He turned his head and glanced deeper into the city.
At the spot where the first explosion had occurred—still billowing thick smoke—a large crowd was applauding someone.
A woman….
A girl who looked about Serena’s age was holding a large cannon in one hand, encouraging the cheers.
The sight was overflowing with self-satisfaction. Hwian let out a dry chuckle.
She must be some kind of artisan too. As expected of Nosvel….
The atmosphere was quite different from when he had visited before his regression. The Nosvel he remembered had been a solemn and serious place, but the current Nosvel seemed filled with the vigor of youth.
Hwian turned his head sharply and descended from the roof.
When he reached the ground, he spoke to Serena, who had been blankly staring at the sky.
“It’s over. Good work, Serena.”
“Mhm. I didn’t do anything this time. Nosvel is amazing…. I didn’t expect all those wyverns to fall at once.”
“I didn’t either. Their power was pretty impressive. Anyway, shall we go find an inn?”
Hwian asked in a slightly awkward voice. Serena nodded happily and began walking.
The city residents chatted peacefully as if this were just another ordinary day. Scattered among them were adventurers wearing expressions of shock at the recent spectacle. Children ran about between them.
“….”
The more he walked, the more the lively atmosphere made Hwian feel a sense of unease.
The current Nosvel was relatively young and innovative. In contrast, the future Nosvel he remembered had been dominated by elderly artisans stubbornly carrying on tradition.
What was this sense of disparity between his memories and the present?
What was going to happen in this city?
[This place wasn’t always this quiet either….]
“….”
Recalling the words of an artisan he had known before his regression, Hwian quietly crossed his arms.
A rather unpleasant premonition was slowly creeping over him.
“Welcome to Nosvel, Hero Hwian-nim and Princess Serena Silvana-nim.”
The guild they arrived at shortly after was the Nosvel branch.
What could he even call this…? The interior was filled with ‘original’ decorations, from the paintings on the walls to the arranged chairs.
There were twisted, gnarled lumps of wood that were hard to tell whether they were chairs or art pieces. The table in front of them seemed to wriggle slightly, as if it were alive.
A massive frame reminiscent of surrealism. After confirming that even the frame was made of hardened slime, Hwian squeezed his eyes shut and gave up on looking any further.
“This place really is… quite unique. Both the guild and the city.”
“Hehe. You flatter us, Hero-nim.”
“I wasn’t complimenting you. Don’t look so proud.”
After withdrawing some of the money he had deposited, Hwian reflexively snapped at the eccentric-looking receptionist before him.
Serena clung tightly to his side, trembling slightly as if frightened by the avant-garde interior. He placed a hand on her head and continued with a sigh.
“I thought it was an innovative city, but I didn’t expect even the guild to be like this. There’s a limit to how innovative things should be…. Haah. The Nosvel I know definitely wasn’t like this. This sense of disparity is driving me crazy.”
“Hehe, you flatte—”
“It’s not a compliment. Never mind that—recommend an inn. Somewhere with good facilities to relieve our fatigue, and as un-innovative as possible. You know what I mean…?”
The receptionist smiled and nodded at Hwian’s clear, deliberate words.
“In that case, we have several suitable accommodations. The recommendations change depending on the price….”
“The most expensive and best one.”
“Understood. Then how about up there?”
The receptionist pointed straight out the window. Hwian glanced in that direction and nodded with a slightly impressed expression.
“The heart of Nosvel, the Peak of Flame and Steel.”
Outside the window, a massive mountain peak rose majestically. It was the same towering mountain he had seen before entering Nosvel, so high that mist gathered around its summit.
“It is where many blacksmiths reside. It is also a historic site that has been beloved as a resort for a long time.”
Serena’s eyes sparkled with curiosity as she looked up at the mountain outside the window. The receptionist continued, gazing at her with an affectionate smile.
“It is also famous for its invigorating hot springs. Wouldn’t it be the perfect place to shake off your fatigue?”
Hot springs. At those words, Serena’s eyes lit up as if she had been waiting for them.
Seeing her gaze at him so earnestly, Hwian let out a wry chuckle.
The answer was already decided.