Chapter 91 - I Want to Speak (7)

It wasn't a waste, but I wanted to tell everyone around me how regretful and wronged I felt. However, my concept didn't allow it.

I acted cool on the outside while crying loudly on the inside as I handed over the dragon carcass.

"You guys weren't coming at all, so I came here myself!"

And right after that, a visitor came to the Temple.

It was someone from the Magic Tower.

"What, did something happen??"

Around that time, I was somewhat spaced out after receiving a small token of appreciation—5 million gal—in exchange for the transfer, as they said they couldn't just take it for free.

It wasn't because the amount was too large, but because jokes like 'your material has been replaced with money' were floating around in my head.

Honestly, no matter how large the amount was, it was still a shame when considering the rarity of the material. I wanted a sword made of dragon scales more than 5 million gal.

But that wasn't possible...

"It is nothing you need to concern yourself with. Rather, what brings you here?"

... Can't I do a dragon raid one more time?

"I want to test the finished product right away, but you guys weren't coming."

I guess not. Yeah.

Honestly, I'm not confident I could go out to that sea again either. I'm even less confident about hunting a dragon on that ship.

If that's the case, I'd rather just wait for the next raid that comes out. Sob.

"So, ah, this is the Demon Knight, right? I can tell just by looking."

Anyway, it was about time to deal with the visitor.

I reined in my desperate regret and glared at the visitor. Despite my insolent gaze, the visitor didn't lose his amiable smile.

His platinum eyes curved long between his cocoa powder-colored skin.

"My name is Murloc. The alias I received as a Great Sage is Fierce White Wind! It's been a while since I've taken on such a fun task, so I enjoyed it!"

He reached out to hold my hand. The other person looked quite old, but I couldn't allow contact, so I lightly swatted it away.

White Wind's repelled hand retracted as fluidly as water before clapping together with his other hand. It was natural.

"Now, so I brought a seal, and just to tell you the functions first, it suppresses demonic energy but converts a portion into mana so you can use it when needed! Additionally, it also has a function to brainwash the demon residing within, but though I say brainwash, you can just think of it as suppressing its ego. Simply put, it stops the demon from acting up! Ah, I didn't know what you'd prefer, so I made both one you can wear on your neck and one for your right arm, so could you pick one of them?!"

It was natural, but his energy was too high.

He's so different from our Archmage...!

"If possible, pick the one for the neck! If I do it right, I can add a function to BANG! blow your head off in a crucial moment—."

"What in the world are you saying!"

The Archmage, who had seemed intent on watching from behind, rushed over in shock.

It was a moment when I was truly glad that the Archmage of our party was the Archmage.

I almost lost my human rights right after the dragon scale sword.

"What? The arm? What a shame. Alright. Try putting it on first..."

SHATTER!

"..."

"..."

"... I'll go make it again."

Not that things ended well after that, though.

* * *

"Now, let's see how it is today!"

A brief controversy over the character of the Great Sage, Fierce White Wind, arose, but the talk about the seal didn't die down.

Regardless of what the Inquisitor had assured, it was natural since it was better not to have such an incident occur at all.

Thus, I stayed with him the entire time I remained in the city. It was under the pretext of checking the seal's effects.

"Improved version number 93! Here we go!"

Was that uncomfortable? Well. At least not to the point where I wanted to run away.

He was considerate when I washed or slept, and whenever a part that needed improvement was found, he returned to his Magic Tower lab. The improved versions started from number 1 and reached the 93rd.

In reality, counting only the time we stuck together, it was less than two hours a day. He even listened to my minor requests without demanding a price.

CLICK.

Anyway, the 93rd improved version born through such a process was fastened to my right arm. It was positioned slightly higher than where my gauntlet sat, right up against my armpit.

「You have equipped the seal. Your stats will decrease.」

Along with the feeling of my head clearing up a bit, the window I had grown accustomed to over the past few days appeared.

"How is it, how is it?!"

What does he mean, how is it. The fit itself wasn't much different from the previous ones. Even when I pulled up the status window, well, my mana returning to the 1,500 range was all there was.

Compared to my anxiety over whether all my stats would be slashed, it was a pretty reasonable penalty. Since it was mana that had risen for no reason, there was no great inconvenience to it dropping again.

Though there was definitely a feeling of having something given and then taken away, I was satisfied with this much. It was still a shame that the Rage skill wasn't deactivated, though.

"Good, try using your mana!"

However, from what I had experienced over the past few days, the strength of the penalty wasn't what I needed to pay attention to with the seal.

"It won't explode this time."

It was whether the seal could stably supply the mana consumed when using skills.

For reference, this was also the reason why the number of seal improvements had to reach 93. They all broke because they couldn't withstand the output.

"I'm serious!"

Still, I had no complaints. Because without a seal like this, the Order would probably keep taking issue with Breaker.

Above all, the reason the experiment was taking this long was because White Wind was taking on the challenge of trying to seal only the demon without blocking my skill usage.

Seeing as my skills could be sealed if things went wrong, I had no choice but to quietly cooperate.

Without my skills, I was worse than a fish-shaped pastry without red bean filling.

"Now, hurry, hurry!"

Leaving the urging man behind, I trudged to the center of the training ground. It was a space provided by the guilty Temple, but...

Though they called it a training ground, it was nothing more than them giving me an unused back mountain. I could easily tell by seeing how the uneven ground wasn't even smoothed out, let alone compacted.

The fact that they set up a barrier so people wouldn't unknowingly get caught up in it was a fortunate point, though.

SLASH!

"Good, the basics are a success."

I lightly threw a slash. There was nothing wrong with the seal. You could say phase one was a success.

"Now, the next output!"

However, if there was a phase one, there was bound to be a phase two.

If skill usage was possible, it was now time to pay attention to the output.

I used the next skill to meet White Wind's expectations. Going solely by what was written on the description window, it was the skill that ate up the most mana, Bombard.

SWOOSH!

A spiral of mana shot out from the random sword lying around the Temple. A beam slightly smaller in scale than the one I had used unconsciously in Montata pierced forward.

My mana instantly plummeted.

"It didn't break this time either! It didn't break, right??"

Because up until now, even if I could use skills, the seal would break if a Bombard-class output came out.

Leaving White Wind's foot-stomping behind, I briefly stuck the retrieved sword into the ground and felt the ring on my right arm with my left hand.

I swept my finger over the seal's surface, but I couldn't feel any cracks other than the originally engraved text. It meant that the seal had finally withstood the output of Bombard, the demonic wall.

"Good, good. Let's keep going like this!"

White Wind read the truth from the fact that I didn't undo the seal. Joy was gradually welling up on his face, which brightened as if success was right before his eyes.

"Keep going!"

I was likewise full of expectations for success. If even the final test succeeded, this tiresome experiment would finally end.

"Hurry!"

I obediently accepted White Wind's urging. Skills with massive mana consumption poured out one after another.

Since Three groups, which increased the trajectories to three, was also activated, the mana consumption was massive without even needing to calculate it.

The slashes that had increased to three, the Mana Spears that embroidered the empty air, and the skill that shook the earth continued for a long time like a combo attack.

Since I was also practicing skill proficiency and application while doing the experiment, the form of the skills that poured out every time varied slightly.

BOOM, CRASH.

"You're doing great, you're doing great!!"

And just about when the land that had been overworked for days was declaring gg, saying it really couldn't take it anymore.

My mana finally hit rock bottom.

"Did it break? Did it break??"

The moment I fired off the final slash, I looked at the identical trajectories that appeared on both sides and shook out my wrist.

Since I had gained the Mana Control skill, I paid a bit of attention to mana regulation as well, which left my mind and body entirely exhausted. It was to the point where sweat, which didn't usually break out, flowed down my neck.

"Give it here!"

However, the researcher didn't care about my condition at all.

"Hurry!"

He hurriedly ran over to my right side and stomped his feet. The reason he didn't touch my arm to take it by force was because of the implicit rule that had formed between him and me on the first day.

Well, although I called it implicit, it was just that I didn't express it in words; my sword had indeed cleaved the empty space next to him. That's probably how that research fanatic understood.

I undid the seal and handed it to him. Though a faint crack had been drawn on it, it hadn't broken. White Wind's face brightened completely.

"Good! Now I just need to supplement its durability a bit more!"

He hopped around, unbefitting the title of Great Sage.

It wasn't a feeling I couldn't understand. It was just because his age and position were so high; anyone would be happy if they succeeded after close to a hundred attempts.

Besides, I was equally happy. That went for both my real self and my concept, without exception.

If it was because the concept was freed from fundamental stress due to the annoying things disappearing and a seal that reminded him of demons... my real self didn't need to say much.

Modern people need personal space.

"See you later!"

Leaving the person who greeted me every time without me even giving a single reply, I sheathed my sword without answering. It was a harsh treatment if you could call it that, but it was my concept, so it couldn't be helped.

"Move out of the waaaay!!!"

Additionally, Fierce White Wind probably didn't particularly want my greeting either. His zipping away after finishing his own greeting was proof of that.

He didn't seem to have a huge age difference with the Archmage, but he was a truly rough... no, energetic person.

"I hope this is the last one..."

Leaving the empty sensation that came from pouring out my mana to my heart's content, I massaged my neck.

Since my mana recovery speed had also increased after that day, it would fill up quickly... but this feeling of having scraped it all the way to the bottom wasn't something I could get used to, no matter how hard I tried.

I felt as helpless as a newborn baby.

"... Shall I go."

Still, the things I needed to do right now were all finished.

I moved my stiff limbs and left the training ground. It was noon on exactly the tenth day since I left Zakrati and came to Canaves.

* * *

"Sir!"

Did I return to the Temple while avoiding the blank stare of the training ground manager? DeB was the first to welcome me.

"You've come at just the right time!"

The next person to welcome me was the Inquisitor. Her body was draped in armor of a rather different shape from what I had seen so far.

It was armor with a blue-silver base. Even though blue was the base, the color was pale, so it matched her red hair quite well.

It's a bit surprising how they completed it into a full plate set even though there shouldn't have been enough quantity.

"It was completed thanks to the efforts of the blacksmiths at the Temple. They discovered that it could be mixed with baptized iron, rather than ordinary metal, so they were able to make it a full plate set."

Even though I had transferred it, I didn't intend to ask any related questions to maintain my concept of not being interested in others. However, the Inquisitor chattered away, pouring out the story before I could say anything.

It felt like a school-age niece or younger cousin running over to show off, so I didn't mind listening.

Even if a bit of lingering attachment to the sword made of dragon materials remained every time I heard something.

"However, because it was mixed with iron, the color changed like this. I think it's fortunate, as it would have stood out intensely if it had been made only in its original color."

... I want a dragon scale sword too!! I want dragon scale gear too...!

"Hmm, I'd kinda like to speak up now."

No. Even though I didn't get a reward this time, Kimchi Dumpling is happy. Our Kimchi Dumpling suffered so much there, she deserves this much.

It's a mystery why I have to be the one giving it instead of the others giving her a reward, but still, as long as she likes it, that's what matters. Sob.

"Sir, an additional message came from the Adventurer's Guild..."

Just as I was desperately soothing my boiling regret, DeB slipped in and confessed his business.

"They said you need to go receive another medal."

... Again?

No, I just got another one ten days ago, so why??

"They said it's from Ayu Hin and Rampan."

I furrowed my brow slightly.

It couldn't be a mindset of needing to give one themselves just because Zakrati did, and if they had the money to make those medals, they should just spend it on citizen welfare instead. What nonsense.

Furthermore, I already had two medals. The one I got in Tatara and the one I got in Zakrati.

"Useless."

I had barely managed to reject the medal they offered as a token of gratitude for saving the Western Sea by slaying the corrupted dragon by crushing it right in front of the branch manager's eyes, and now they want me to take two more? Not a chance.

I sat down in a seat in the dining hall and leaned my sword beside me.

"... Are you not going to accept these ones either?"

Ah, I won't accept it. My inventory is already full of enough dead stock!

And if they have the money to make that, tell them to relieve the kids and refugees instead!

"As expected of the Demon Knight...!"

When I remained silent, the reaction popped out from another side. It was the Inquisitor.

"In that case, we will dismantle the Demon Knight's medals as well and replace them by raising relief funds!"

"... I figured it would be like this, but seriously. You people really seem to have no desires."

I wondered why she was suddenly acting up again... but that sort of thing isn't bad.

It wasn't bad, but didn't it seem a bit weird? Why did my rejection connect to having no desires? She should have just assumed I was being a total jerk.

And why was she so boldly saying she'd dismantle them to use as relief funds? Did she think I would tolerate that? Or maybe she thought I wouldn't care anymore since I rejected them?

Concept-wise, the very last one was the correct answer, but somehow it felt like they assumed I'd like that, making my feelings complicated.

Is my concept really okay like this??

"Was everyone here?"

Fortunately, before I could experience a concept-gestalt collapse, the Archmage entered the dining hall. She held a rolled-up map in her hand.

"This is perfect timing. I have a proposal for everyone; would you care to listen?"

"What is it?"

I felt a sense of déjà vu as I looked at the map placed in the middle of the dining hall.

"Inquisitor, from this incident, I felt that we need to supplement our personnel. Just looking at the present, isn't the burden of combat alone being concentrated solely on the Inquisitor and the Demon Knight."

After finishing a task, taking a good rest, and gathering to unfold a map when generally in normal condition, usually...

"So regarding that, why don't we stop by this place and look for some talent? If it's an arena, there might be at least one person with the talent we desire."

Doesn't the talk of going to the next location usually come up...?