KR Translators:
・StarrySkySailor
・KawaiiKage
・ImmortalInk
・KingPotato
・SugoiSenpai
Chapter 10: Why Take the Long Way When You Know the Short Cut? (5)
Imperial Year 372, June 16th.
The mayor of Monok would be feeling quite wronged in many ways. This is because the delegation was leaving right after breakfast. Therefore, there wasn’t enough time to properly entertain them. After all, entertainment is best done at night.
For reference, the place where we had dinner last night was, unfortunately for the mayor of Monok, within the jurisdiction of Nek. Up to that point, the Emperor’s people had followed and hosted dinner, leaving no room for the mayor of Monok to interfere.
As a result, this corrupt mayor, arriving late, was unable to properly entertain the delegation that was departing early.
However, he showed that he was a clever man.
“Is this a gift?”
“We declined any more offers.”
He presented the delegation members with burdensome gifts. Items with a value that was just awkward enough to make it ‘difficult to refuse’.
I scratched my face with my finger as I looked at the 50-centimeter long ebony box padded with cotton and lined with silk. The box itself was a high-quality item that could fetch a good price, but the problem lay with its contents.
Levidian lifted the contents and said,
“It’s an excellent dagger, and practical too.”
“Teacher, is it that good of a dagger?”
“Yes, it is. Ah, Marlin might not know. This is a magically enhanced dagger.”
“Magic?”
Compared to the first year of the Imperial Era, mages are relatively common. There are two in the delegation, and our family also has a private mage. He’s loyal only to my father and brother, so I don’t bother with him.
There are various classifications of magic, and it seems there’s a specialized school dedicated to imbuing objects with magic to create magic items. I don’t know much about it, but this seems to have gone through that process.
Levidian pointed to the center of the 30-centimeter long blade.
“If you look here, you can see it’s engraved in black letters. There are detailed magic runes drawn, but the important thing is the letter in the center of the engraving. It says ‘Iperfect Workshop’. It’s ancient Eastern language.”
“Oh, Teacher, you know ancient languages too?”
“A little bit, on a common knowledge level. That’s not important right now, Risel. ‘Iperfect’ is a school of magic imbuement that any swordsman should know.”
“A swordsman?”
“Absolutely.”
She nodded firmly. Then, she held up the dagger and began to explain.
Iperfect.
It means ‘perfect’ in ancient Eastern language. True to its name, the Iperfect school is a group formed by those who seek perfection in the field of magic imbuement.
Levidian explained briefly that specialization is essential to achieve ‘perfection’. Wouldn’t it be easier to reach ‘perfection’ by focusing all your energy on one field rather than pursuing multiple ones? There’s a saying about sticking to one well.
In the schools of magic, there are those who specialize in a single field in this way, and Iperfect is one such group.
Their magic is ‘imbuement’, and the field they chose is ‘weapons’.
To achieve ‘perfection’ by imbuing all kinds of weapons with magic. Even selling weapons is an extension of their experimentation and a way to raise research funds, so Iperfect is said to be the most famous place for crafting magic weapons.
“This dagger is the same. It doesn’t have any special magical effects, but it doesn’t rust, the blade is incredibly sharp, and it doesn’t get stained by blood, oil, or other foreign substances. Moreover, it’s impossible to break it with impact unless you use magic.”
“Wow, that’s amazing.”
“It’s not that impressive. This is something the Iperfect masters make as a pastime, so the price is relatively cheap. That’s why the mayor of Monok probably gifted it without hesitation. He’s certainly clever. To give something cheap yet valuable enough to save face. Someone who doesn’t know would gratefully accept it as a precious item. But for those who pride themselves on weapon crafting, this kind of thing is just a pastime.”
I nodded along with the explanation, but tilted my head slightly at the last part. I felt like I had heard something similar before I died.
When was it? It was definitely before my last sortie, at breakfast, I think……
Suddenly, a word slipped out of my mouth.
“Spert.”
“Pardon?”
“Don’t they call those people, Spert?”
“Spert……Ah! That’s right. It’s the name of the current leader of Iperfect Workshop. He became the leader two years ago. Since they started promoting the leader’s name extensively, that’s how they’re called now.”
As expected. There’s no way I wouldn’t know such a famous place. It’s just that 10 years later, Spert became more famous than the name Iperfect.
Because they perfected the mass production technology for basic magic imbuement and signed a contract with the Imperial Knights. Also, on the morning of the day I died, their weapons were deployed on a trial basis in the 1st Knight Order.
This is it. I need to add them to the contact list.
Mass production technology will be achieved 10 years later, but who knows? Maybe I can use the information I know from the future to shorten their timeline. That way, I can build up a debt with them.
Hmm, it seems I have something to thank the mayor of Monok for. Thanks to him, I was able to reminisce about some useful information.
I fastened the dagger to my waist and said,
“It’s a good item. It will come in handy.”
“Right. And since it’s a dagger, it’ll be helpful in emergencies. Keep it safe. Ah! This has decided our lunch training for today. How to use a dagger in emergencies……”
She clapped her hands lightly and rejoiced. And I could slightly glimpse the thought behind her joyful expression.
Damn it. I’ll be rolling around again today for practice.
Mayor of Monok.
Thank you ‘in many ways’. Grrr.
★⭐★⭐★⭐★
Hello everyone. I’m Arisein Ka Herduke. Please just call me Risel. It’s more comfortable that way.
I’m looking at the sky right now. I can see trees here and there piercing the blue sky, and white clouds passing by fluffily. It’s a common sight in the forest, but it’s truly peaceful.
I’m not looking at the sky because I have to look up after drinking water like a bird. My spine is currently perpendicular to gravity. Simply put, I’m lying on the ground.
If you ask why, it’s thanks to Teacher Levidian, who, despite being a stunning beauty, is one of the five strongest individuals on the continent and holds the title of Sword King.
To be precise, it’s because Teacher, who makes me wonder which weighs more, her hidden coyness or her hidden skills, has decided that my lunch training today will be ‘rolling’.
Officially, it’s ‘How to use a dagger in emergencies’, but in reality, it seems to be rolling 30 times. Every time I used the dagger, she tripped me, pushed me with her shoulder, or used various other methods to knock me down.
Anyway, if there’s one thing I’ve learned for sure from what she taught me today……It’s that the weather is clear today.
So, this concludes today’s weather report.
Sob. I suddenly feel very sad.
While I was lying there, grinding away at my useless self-pity, a shadow fell over my head. The owner of the shadow that appeared on my right was……Sermaila.
She tucked her ash-gray hair, which had fallen to the side of her face, behind her ear and asked me,
“That thing in your left hand, is it from the Iperfect Workshop?”
“You recognize it?”
“My father has the same thing.”
“I see.”
I took a deep breath and got up. This was the first time she had spoken to me. The girl with mysterious ash-gray hair and golden eyes smiled faintly as she watched me dust off my clothes.
“I enjoyed watching your training. You have quite a relentless teacher, don’t you?”
“Pay the viewing fee. It’s not something you can see just anywhere.”
“If this were a theater, I would have given you a tip.”
“Do you go to the theater often?”
“Not really.”
She answered simply and shrugged. The reason she speaks informally to me is because we decided to do so when we introduced ourselves. We’re the same age, so there’s no pressure, and I think that’s why she approached me so casually.
I wiped the sweat from my face and neck with a handkerchief, and Sermaila stared at me before abruptly saying,
“Sir Herduke, are you really sixteen?”
“Oh dear. This is why looking young is tough. You get these misunderstandings because of your youthful appearance.”
After a beat, Sermaila retorted sharply to my joke.
“It seems the Herduke Dukedom’s education includes nonsense, but our family doesn’t.”
“It’s not polite to casually disparage other families.”
“Hmm. Responding to a sincere question with a joke is also impolite.”
“If you were sincere, I apologize for responding with a joke. As we formally introduced ourselves yesterday, I’m Arisein Ka Herduke. The second son of the Herduke family, and I’m sixteen years old this year. But why did you ask?”
Sermaila twisted her lips into a smile and shrugged. It didn’t seem like a gesture a well-mannered lady would make.
She looked at me with a meaningful expression and said,
“Just wondering. Somehow, Sir Herduke, you seem different from the average sixteen-year-old nobleman. You seem to be thinking about the future and acting accordingly, rather than just blindly rushing forward.”
“We haven’t even properly faced each other for an hour in two days, how can you know that?”
“From the training that took place over those two days.”
“What?”
She put the book she was holding under her arm behind her back and clasped her hands behind her, slowly backing away. It was in the direction of the campsite, so I naturally followed her, and as we walked precariously, she said,
“The average sixteen-year-old noble boy wouldn’t bring such a relentless teacher. They would bring someone who could decorate them as much as possible. Someone who would make them stand out. But those people are no help other than fancy clothes. When you get a little older, you realize that building the muscles under your clothes is more important than that. You must know that too, Sir Herduke? You’ve focused so much on inner strength that there’s already someone in the group who looks down on you.”
I learned two things. That Sermaila is very perceptive of her surroundings, and that there’s someone who looks down on me.
In their eyes, I’m the son of a Duke, and, frankly, I’m undergoing unsightly training. Getting hit, rolling on the floor, looking like I’m receiving primitive teachings from someone of lower status.
I was doing this with that in mind. The reason, as Sermaila already explained, is to build inner strength. It’s certainly not something the average sixteen-year-old noble boy would do.
I looked at her and said,
“I know. But why are you suddenly saying that? I haven’t built enough rapport with Miss Hind to warrant such a conversation.”
“Aila. I’d like you to call me Aila.”
She suddenly revealed her nickname. I stared at her blankly and let out a small sigh. She’s a truly abrupt and unpredictable girl, but I have to follow noble etiquette and tell her my nickname as well.
“Risel.”
“Risel. It has a nice ring to it. Hehe. Oh, to answer your question. It’s a common saying, but if we don’t become friends, we’ll both be uncomfortable. I just wanted you to know what kind of person I am.”
“I agree that we should become friends. Aila, what kind of person are you?”
She smiled brightly. Her slender jawline, sharp nose, and small lips each came together to form a beautiful line. I can say with certainty that in about three years, she’ll have a face that will make her a stunning beauty. Seeing as she’s already radiating cuteness and freshness, it’s certain.
The promising girl held up two fingers and said,
“There’s a path you know. A path you know so well that you don’t even need to retrace your memories. But there’s a detour next to it. If you’re standing at the fork in the road where those two paths, with the same destination, diverge, where would you go? Straight ahead? Or take the detour?”
“Of course, I’d go straight on the path I know. Why would I take a detour when I know the way?”
I answered as if it were obvious. And Aila nodded, with a knowing smile, and said,
“I knew you’d say that. I’m the type to take the detour. Even though the destination is the same, no one knows which of the two is right. Don’t you think?”
And she turned and disappeared into the crowd preparing lunch.
Hidden between the carriages and people, the girl with ash-gray hair was soon out of sight.
I stared at the spot where she had disappeared and frowned.
She seemed to grasp the situation quite well for a girl who just blurts out random things without thinking.
No. It’s not just grasping the situation. That’s……
“Is she seeing through the essence?”
It seems she can accurately see through the essence of things. She seems to have a natural ability to arrive at the truth very simply. That’s why, even though she seems to be talking nonchalantly, there’s a truth hidden within her words that can be continuously unearthed with deeper contemplation.
However, the problem is that I can’t follow her train of thought due to her novel vocabulary and impulsiveness. Still, that natural ability is truly rare. Because she understands through intuition, not knowledge.
Why didn’t I know about her existence?
If she’s this capable, she could definitely make a name for herself later on?
“Sermaila Hind. You said Aila, right?”
For the next three months.
Besides the ‘idiot’, there’s one more person I need to keep an eye on.
It seems this trip will be……more special than I thought?
Phew, this is going to be fun.
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