“Ethel, how is the Chaosium?”
“It’s stabilizing well as it’s something I stabilized until I had a hole in my chest.”
Ethel fiddled with the chaosium and answered my question. The Chaosium shimmered in a much darker, duller color than I had seen before. To be honest, it just looks ominous.
“Po, won’t it explode or something? Are you okay?”
Ber asked nervously.
“It won’t explode unless you slam it with a hammer.”
“It’s a bit like that to be completely relieved. Umm… … .”
“I don’t think there’s ever going to be a shock like that. Calm down.”
I replied to Ver, who was still uneasy, and glanced at Caspal. Dimitri sat quietly beside him. For now, I thought it would be okay to talk here. Even if you rush around for no reason, you will only get tired.
“The pitch blend of this mine is definitely excellent. It almost exploded, but it’s amazing that it’s been converted to this level.”
“I’m going to ask you now. What if it exploded?”
“hmm. Perhaps this abandoned mine has completely disappeared from the map. Maybe even swallowed the village.”
“What kind of atomic bomb is it?”
I had a terrible imagination of a mushroom cloud explosion in the wilderness. If I made a mistake, I could not even break the bone.
“Atomic bomb? I’m hearing this for the first time. What is it?”
“You don’t have to know.”
I hope that such heinous things do not appear in fantasy backgrounds. I wish there were no things that would be used if possible. Even a magic stone with good efficiency is enough.
“But maybe it’s because it was done in a hurry, I don’t think it was completely refined.”
“Hasn’t it been completely refined? Then what happened?”
“It is stained with death.”
“… … I ask for a more specific explanation.”
It’s a poetic and wonderful answer, but I have no idea what it is. It’s common in fantasy.
“I don’t know yet either. It will take some verification, but maybe you can do what Caspal’s older brother was trying to do?”
“that… … You mean you can bring the dead back to life?”
“no.”
The answer to my question came from Caspal, who was sitting at a distance.
“Being undead and moving is still the same as being dead. It never saved me.”
“is it?”
“There may be some will left, but it is more like the reverberation of the living. It is no different from the hatred of the living that the undead possess.”
“Surely it is as you say. There were no undead with significant intellect except for those who were integrated with the black beast.”
Ethel crossed her arms and agreed to Caspal’s words.
“It’s just taking away even the rest after killing. that ability.”
Caspal sighed as he finished speaking.
“Is it like that? How did you find out?”
“… … that is, what can I say Do you think your mother told you? Somehow I found out. I can say that I understood in an instant.”
When I asked because I was concerned, Caspal answered with a little hesitation. Could it be that he came to realize it in a brief embrace with his mother, who had been purified for a moment?
I couldn’t easily imagine what emotions and realizations I would have felt in that short amount of time.
‘… … .’
Suddenly, I remembered the face of Mikhail’s mother, whom I had never seen before, who had been killed by the emperor. I consciously thought of something else and dispelled the image that came to me.
“It’s pitiful that such power is the identity of what the family has pursued for generations.”
“It is true that it is a powerful force. Depending on how you deal with it.”
I answered and handed the chaosium to Ethel. Quite heavy for its size, the chaosium glowed dully.
‘Is it okay to use this?’
There may be other uses after verification, but frankly, it is considered only sinister.
“not good? Power is something that exerts great deterrence just by having it.”
“… … I’ll have to listen to Caspal’s opinion. Because it was the power his family originally wanted.”
“I do not need it. The Crown Prince has it.”
I wanted to be honest, so when I said it, Caspal answered before asking.
“Such ominous power, I don’t want to have it.”
“… … I agree with you.”
“It doesn’t seem like it can be easily removed. There is no one other than the crown prince who wants to entrust it to me.”
I implied that I didn’t want to have it, but it didn’t work.
“I don’t know if you mean it or not, but if it helps Sangvis Sangvis, you’ll like it too.”
“Ugh. is it… … .”
If it comes out like that, what’s the point of rejecting it? Selling your brother here is a clever bastard. How long have you been dead?
“Well, it’s okay for me to give it to strange people and then things get messy. I have no choice but to have it.”
In the first place, it was too dangerous to hand over to others. In the end, I had no choice but to have it.
Maybe it could be used for something other than the heinous use of killing and saving. Or is it really a way to get rid of it by shooting it somewhere like a nuclear bomb? Like shooting at the house of an annoying corps commander. I don’t know what will happen if I do, but just imagining it makes me feel a little better.
‘Well, in addition to the power to create the undead, if I can handle black fog or shadows, then it must be a powerful power.’
It’s just that I’m still not sure if I can handle it properly. I think it worked somehow because blood magic matched well, but how about for me to use it?
‘Come to think of it, Borland… … .’
I suddenly remembered it and looked it up. Borland had pulled out something like a straw from inside the collapsed tent and was arranging the two bodies. It was a gesture familiar to him as he had sorted out hundreds of corpses at the entrance.
After placing the two side by side and covering them with straw, Borland said a light prayer. Then, he looked at Caspal, who was not consciously looking in his direction, with a worried gaze.
“It will be fine. If it’s not okay, I’ll help you.”
“is it. I was worried a lot, but I’m glad I made a lot of friends. I also have a good older brother.”
When I approached and said something, Borland chuckled as if he was relieved.
‘Come to think of it… … Did I throw it too hard?’
It was later noticed that the double barrel shotgun Borland wore around his waist was almost broken. At first it only caused trouble, but in the end it was quite helpful.
“Borland. The weapon worked well this time. I promise to support you in the future.”
Performance has been sufficiently verified. It is polite to invest even if you are sorry. It’s a shame to pass it on to someone else.
“Ohh. that’s good! Good luck in the future! By the way, what kind of aristocrat is your brother?”
Is it time to reveal it properly? I took a small sigh and said, holding the weight.
“It’s the crown prince.”
“… … ?”
What kind of bullsh*t was that expression. A little blood rushed to his head.
“… … Would you like me to explain properly?”
“No, leave it alone. Let’s see how far it goes.”
He calmed down the very upset Katyusha. slowly got annoying I decided to leave it as it is, because it would only annoy me if I crawled out now.
“Well, don’t overdo it! If you receive an investment, please ask in a way that does not put too much strain on the family. It’s good to be invested, but I can take care of my own business.”
Is there any other kind of annoying caring like this? He’s a great guy in many ways.
“Come to think of it, did you say you work in a workshop?”
“yes. Actually, it’s a one-person workshop. Grandpa is almost as good as retiring.”
Does grandpa mean the owner of the studio? I just imagined an image.
“I’ll give you enough money, so retire and move. I’ll give you a seat in the Azmash workshop.”
“Uh, Azmash?!”
When the name of the famous studio suddenly came up, Borland was startled. Then, he began to think about it while fiddling with his chin.
“hmm. But going there is a compromise with my line of pushing the low price policy… … .”
“If you don’t like it, quit.”
“I’ll go! Please tell me!”
With a little pressure, the problem was immediately resolved. I guess I was just bluffing.
‘what the. What would the emperor think if he knew what I was doing here?’
Although he wasn’t particularly classist, it was a funny situation to be a crown prince who could talk to the common people.
‘Father, if you think about it, this must be a big deal for Caspal too.’
The eldest son of the family is dead. Other than that, there are a lot of things I have to tell you.
Can the current Caspal explain it well by himself?
“Caspal.”
“yes.”
“I will stay with you when you go home and talk about everything.”
It would be good for me to go along and offer a few words of help.
“… … .”
Caspal looked at me and shook his head.
“Thank you for your heart, but it’s okay. It’s something I’ve been neglecting all along, but I’ll take care of it myself.”
From noble mtl dot com
“Are you okay?”
“are you okay. How can I live in Iron Blood if I can’t do this alone?”
How is he going to try to solve it himself this time, since he has built a wall with his family for a long time? If so, what’s the point of meddling anymore?
“Then you know that. It’s nice to rely on you sometimes.”
“I’ve been relying on him too much lately, so I’m embarrassed to rely on him any more.”
“To be shy.”
“… … That’s a bad expression.”
Caspal said with a genuinely displeased expression. Dimitri, who had been silent next to him, coughed as if trying to force himself to laugh.
After a short rest, we left the abandoned mine.
Caspal’s Mansion. We booked a wagon the next day with a brief report that the quest had been completed and returned to our rooms.
Of course, Caspal never returned. It was because the story with my father remained.
“… … I hope you don’t end up in a bad situation.”
“Well, it will be fine.”
Responding moderately to Dimitri’s concerns, I focused my hearing on the wall I leaned against. Caspal’s father’s study was just downstairs, so if you boosted it moderately, you could barely overhear it.
“… … So, is Felix dead?”
“yes.”
“Right.”
A very brief conversation was heard. It was after explaining everything.
“sorry.”
“What are you sorry about?”
The atmosphere didn’t look too good. Dimitri, who said something more, put a finger to his mouth to be quiet.
“I used to think that one day it would be like this. It’s all because of my vices.”
Fortunately, it didn’t seem like he was blaming Caspal.
“I did nothing wrong to you and your mother, and I couldn’t even properly take care of that wandering kid.”
“… … What is the difference between me and me?”
“Where did you come to say this? I could have left without saying anything. Didn’t you hate seeing me face to face?”
“How can I hate you because I’m so good?”
Caspal said calmly to his father, who was joking.
“… … It was too late to realize.”
“Not really. My family just ended too soon.”
My father, as if he had already known this would happen, remained unconcerned. It was a bit pitiful to think of the composure he could have because he had already lost his wife twice.
“Did you say you became friends with the crown prince?”
After a moment of silence, my father changed the subject.
“In the future, the way to come out will be open. I’m glad you were able to get out of here too.”
“He is a good person.”
‘He’s a good person’, wouldn’t there be a better way to wrap it up?
“I’ll let you rot quietly here, so you can live your life. I have given you nothing, and you have nothing to repay me.”
It was quiet, as if it had said all it had to say.
“… … I will be back.”
The moment I wondered if this was the end, Caspal said.
“huh?”
“Because I plan to spend my old age here. Until then, don’t die.”
“… … Such a boring territory would be nothing but baggage. You are the type of person who loses a lot.”
“It must be because he resembles his father.”
“That’s a wise answer.”
Finally, the conversation is really over. I heard Caspal open the door and leave.
‘How did it go?’
I breathed a sigh of relief.
“… … Over there, Crown Prince. Did I upset you with something?”
“No, I was just listening. don’t mind.”
And he waved his hand at Dimitri, who was genuinely embarrassed by his continued ignoring.