Chapter 68
Chapter 68
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 68
Chapter Title: Karadun Kingdom
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"Don't joke around, Mangor. That young lady knocked? No way that's possible."
"What do you mean..."
Thud—
The dwarf man called Caidrak strode out of the mansion on his short legs. He headed straight for Simo without hesitation.
"A Dracain? How in the world did you interfere with the rune engraving? And you even altered the internal structure. Do you specialize in some kind of blood magic for that?"
His irritated glare soon turned to suspicion, and that suspicion shifted to interest. Caidrak circled Simo, spinning around her, before coming to a stop and speaking.
"Alright, Dracain. What business do you have with me?"
A strange silence fell after Caidrak's words. It was only natural for him to suspect Simo. Among the three mages present, only Durel and I could conceal our magical prowess.
Before Simo could open her mouth, I deactivated the concealment law of my second mana circle.
"I was the one who knocked, Mr. Caidrak."
In that instant, a vast amount of mana poured out from my body. Reacting to the surging blue light, Caidrak took two steps back and turned his head.
"What is this... What are you trying to do, gathering mana like that..."
His face stiffened as he reached for the ribbon at the end of his beard. It seemed he'd misunderstood the mana flowing from my body. In this world, mages typically only gathered mana when casting spells.
To Caidrak's eyes, I must have looked like a mage on the verge of unleashing a spell. I reactivated the mana circle's concealment and raised both hands. Of course, this gesture alone wouldn't ease his guard.
He backed away even further, maintaining his rigid expression.
"I'll believe you knocked... You must be the one who interfered with the runes inscribed on the inside of the door too, right?"
"You call those rune letters. Are they the characters used in engraving magic?"
"Answer my question."
"Yes. That was me."
"What in the world was your purpose...!"
"Well... You were inside, but there was no answer when I knocked..."
"You crazy bitch!"
Crazy bitch? Even I couldn't help but feel hurt by such crude words. The moment my expression hardened slightly, dozens of swords flickered into view around Caidrak.
Swish—
"Wha—what the hell...! Mangor! What kind of people did you bring here?!"
Caidrak shouted at Mangor, his face paling.
"No... No... This is..."
Mangor floundered in panic, at a loss for words. Things were heading toward a real fight. Just as the ribbon on Caidrak's beard seemed about to unravel, I quickly called out to Durel.
"Durel. Stand down."
"Yes..."
Even after Durel dispelled his magic, Caidrak's expression didn't soften. He hooked his finger on the ribbon, gathering mana as if ready to release it at any moment.
"Mr. Caidrak. We're not here to fight... There seems to be a misunderstanding... That earlier thing was just a feature of my magic..."
"Misunderstanding? What misunderstanding...!"
"Mr. Mangor. Could you explain, please? It might be better coming from our friend than from us..."
Were my words spot on? Caidrak, who had been on high alert, let out a long sigh as if willing to hear him out and glanced at Mangor.
"Hah, what in the world is going on here..."
With all eyes on him, Mangor slowly began his tale. From our first meeting to the minor events on the way here. Caidrak listened quietly, and only then did he remove the finger he'd hooked on the ribbon.
"You want to see engraving magic... Is that really all?"
"Yes. That's really it."
"Wanting to see engraving magic even after interfering with the runes... I can't understand it... But if Mangor says so..."
Fortunately, the misunderstanding seemed resolved. Muttering lightly, Caidrak turned and walked away. He stopped in front of the entrance, his short legs thudding along.
"Come in for now."
The homeowner had given permission. I approached the mansion's interior with light steps.
Passing through the large entrance revealed the inside. The layout wasn't particularly unusual. It reminded me of a typical family home, and as I tilted my head, Caidrak, following behind, headed for the stairs.
"Wait there. I need to re-engrave the rune letters you messed up."
"Your workshop... so the forge is on the second floor?"
Caidrak didn't answer. He just shot me a glare and quickened his pace. As he left the room, the rest of our group finally caught up.
"What the hell did you do...? I've never seen Caidrak that freaked out before."
"Well... just sort of..."
I shut my mouth before answering Mangor's question. Thinking back now, I realized just how much my actions could have been misinterpreted from Caidrak's perspective.
'Was it the knocking that was the problem...'
"Simo. Why didn't you say anything back there? Our master was insulted."
"You have to read the situation before jumping in... I could tell from Master's expression. Staying out of it was the right call then."
"I've served Master longer than you. What does a newbie like you know...?"
"Are you indirectly saying you're the oblivious one right now?"
Having resolved the issue with Caidrak, now my two disciples were causing trouble. The moment their mana circles began spinning rapidly, I lightly snapped my fingers. Mana released at the same time whipped up a small gust that cut between them.
Whoosh—!
"Don't fight. And try not to butt in unless it's necessary from now on."
Durel and Simo bowed their heads at my words. It was a relief that my disciples listened well. Their loyalty was touching, but in excess, it could turn poisonous.
Caidrak returned quickly. In his arms was a thick book, surrounded by a faint mana barrier on its cover.
He descended the high stairs in a bound, then headed straight for the door, saying,
"At least you didn't smash the door down... If you had, I'd have charged you quite a bit. Even if you're a friend of my friend's."
"I'm sorry for damaging the rune letters. But you were inside and didn't answer..."
"He probably set it up that way because he didn't want to be disturbed. Sheesh... How did you even know I was inside..."
Muttering that, Caidrak opened the book. Its widely spread pages were filled with long strings of characters I couldn't read.
'We speak the same language, but their script is different... How frustrating.'
"What is that?"
"A book recording ancient rune letters."
"Can I take a look?"
"Hold on. I'll find the runes I need and show you..."
Since he readily offered the book, the runes themselves didn't seem to be a big secret. Looking closely, the book appeared well-used, with frayed and stained spots here and there.
Flip flip—
Caidrak's rapid page-turning stopped. He stared intently at the page, apparently having found what he wanted.
"What are you doing?"
"Be quiet. I'm memorizing the Erkamon to imbue into the letters."
That was the moment. Right after Caidrak finished speaking, blue mana gathered at his fingertips. He began overlaying new letters onto the damaged ones.
'A massive hammer and a sharp chisel...'
Through Arcana, Caidrak's inner world came into view. Filling his mind's eye was a blue-glowing hammer and a chisel with a sharply shining tip.
The instant I recognized the new magic, a book flew from the depths of the vast library in my inner world and opened.
Flutter—
The sharp tip marked the starting point on the world, and each heavy strike of the hammer imprinted a massive presence into it. That was the extent of Caidrak's magic—engraving existence into the world.
The rune letters themselves weren't part of Caidrak's magic.
They were another law of this world. Like how repeated friction ignites fire, a mystery defined by the world. Simply existing.
That was what rune letters were.
Imprinting presence into specific letters and channeling mana to align their internal structure properly. The process to manifest the mystery inherent in those letters.
'Not that hard...'
The issue was the rune letters. To use the magic properly, one needed a thorough understanding of all the runes.
'What happens if you don't construct the runes properly?'
A sudden curiosity arose. Modifying existing letters was possible, though it greatly reduced the magic's power and left the letters unstable and prone to damage.
After a moment's thought, I held out my hand to Durel.
"Durel. The sword."
"Yes."
The sword he handed me was the new one we'd just bought. It had cost a pretty penny, and Durel seemed quite fond of it too.
Mana gathered at my right fingertip, sharpening to a point. Then, as my little finger passed over the sword, infusing the law of "sharpness"—
Crack—!
Clang!
The sword in my hand snapped cleanly in two.
"Ah..."