66 – Dinner
The cultural impact is enormous.
A well-made work has the power to move people’s hearts, and in fact, the drama ‘Heo Jun’ had a tremendous influence in Iraq, recording an 80% viewership rating.
Accordingly, the first lady of the Iraqi president at the time invited Jeon Kwang-ryeol, the actor who played the main character of Heo Jun, and he was treated as a state guest.
In Iraq, a country with a travel ban, actor Jeon Gwang-ryeol, who has a completely different culture, appearance, and values, became a popular star and received a warm welcome from local media and fans.
And here is Jeon Gwang-ryeol of the Dwarven United Kingdom.
Edgar Fix.
He was given the title of ‘Salvation’ in an official setting.
The treatment given to him was so great that it was given directly by the Dwarf King, and he even enacted a new law to stipulate the formalities and etiquette to be observed by the ‘Blacksmith of Salvation’.
Then why did Ed, who only performed one stage and not a 16-episode drama, receive such treatment?
That’s because Ed planned and carried out all of this.
From the love story of Dagran and Rayna, to revealing her truth and punishing her evildoers, to letting Rayna go.
The boy from the empire received attention because he was in charge of all the scripts, all the directing, and all the hosting.
In particular, the scene where Ed pulls out the holy sword on display and offers it to Rayna, who comes on stage, had such a ripple effect that it will be remembered as an eternal moment that will never be forgotten.
“Therefore, I will bestow the title of ‘Salvation’ on Edgar Fix. “Edgar Fix, the blacksmith of salvation, accept the hammer presented to you by your home country.”
In this way, Ed received a hammer symbolizing ‘salvation’ along with a title given directly by the king.
And for the owner of this hammer, there were these benefits.
-Free pass to all administrative procedures of the Dwarven United Kingdom
-Free use of all shops and smithies in the Dwarven United Kingdom
-Once the news of your visit is announced, you enter the capital in a carriage (led by a mountain goat) that only Ortiga (nobles who can become king) can ride, accompanied by a ministerial figure.
-You can receive a salute from all public officials except for a few high-ranking officials, including Ortiga (a high-ranking noble who can become king)
-You can participate in all official events of the Dwarf United Kingdom, and if you express your intention to participate, a special VIP seat will be provided.
Etc. It was truly jaw-dropping social treatment.
“What is your name and identity?”
As a result, a strange scene unfolded.
Dwarves have long treated imperial officials differently based on their status, but with Ed’s meal, the appearance became funny.
“Isabella, Princess of the Graham family.”
“You can stay in room 3 of the special building. “What is the name and status of the next person?”
“Enya Cruel, princess of the Cruel family.”
“We will assign you to room 5 of the special building. “What is the name and status of the next person?”
“Edgar Fix. Uh…The eldest son of the Fix family? Well, I’m just a commoner.”
“Eh, Edgar Fix!?”
The office workers suddenly look at Ed’s face with startled expressions.
But that was only for a moment, and they took their stance with restrained movements and then saluted Ed in unison.
Because I have already heard what he did here.
Also, he had already read the official document that he had been given the title of salvation and had been elevated to the level of a state guest.
It was their natural duty to show respect to the blacksmith who had received the title.
“······.”
However, Ed’s group looked at this scene with dumbfounded expressions.
I can’t believe they are nobles, but they show such contemptuous courtesy to Ed, a commoner.
Of course, that didn’t mean I was dissatisfied.
Ed, who was just a commoner, rose to such an unrivaled status, and although it was absurd, it was so amazing that my brain stopped.
“Edgar Fix, I will personally guide you. “I will take him to the special VIP room.”
While I was stunned for a moment, the secretary finished preparing to escort me.
When Edgar asked if he could take James with him, the secretary smiled softly and replied that he could.
“Then, I would like to ask you to guide the rest of us.”
The secretary left the rest of the work to his subordinates and guided Ed to the special VIP room.
The special VIP room he guides is the most special lodging equipped with all kinds of leisure facilities and conveniences, and was originally a space where only kings of foreign countries or those with equivalent status could stay.
However, Ed has been given special treatment as he has received the title of ‘salvation’, to the extent that such facilities are obediently given to him.
As a commoner, Ed was the only one who was assigned that lodging.
“Commoner, you’re so arrogant anyway.”
Isabella muttered that and walked to her own quarters.
However, contrary to what she said, her face was full of laughter.
It is her own expression of affection.
“Heh heh. “Now, we are entering a lodging that can only be used by the royal family.”
And Elena once again admired Ed’s abilities and was happy for her student, whose social status was gradually rising.
It seems like only yesterday that he was banging a hammer in a small blacksmith shop, wearing shabby clothes, but now he has become a student at the center of the Imperial Academy and a highly-honored blacksmith.
‘Of course, he is the man I will marry.’
And Enya was delusional.
She will one day marry Ed, and when she herself visits the kingdom as a couple, she will ride to the capital in a goat carriage prepared on a red carpet.
After that, they went to the lodgings where only royals could stay, had a glass of wine, and when they got drunk, they kissed each other…
“hehehehe…”
With that, Enya entered her own quarters with her sinister smile on her face.
There will be a lot of pillows prepared in the accommodation, so you will be able to increase the level of delusion.
“······.”
But on the other hand, Charlotte was going to her own quarters with a despondent look on her face.
As Ed became more and more amazing, she felt that she was distancing herself from him.
‘At first… I thought we could be together.’
Originally, Charlotte dreamed of a campus life with Ed.
This is because, as a commoner, he thought that he would hang out with fallen nobles whose situation was similar to his own, rather than with high-ranking nobles who were steeped in the ideology of the chosen people.
Especially when we were assigned to the same team in the first evaluation match, I thought it was some kind of fate.
It was a huge coincidence that he ended up sitting next to me among the countless seats at the entrance ceremony, and we ended up on the same team in the first evaluation match that immediately followed.
‘But it wasn’t.’
But he was much better than he thought.
Even though he put Max’s gang in danger by coming up with an ingenious strategy, it was an unthinkable ability to equip Max with a huge gauntlet that I had never seen before and finish Max off with one blow.
He was not only excellent at speaking but also at fighting ability.
After that, he became increasingly distant from himself.
The seats next to him where he wanted to sit were taken up by the princesses of the grand dukedom, and while he himself did not pretend to know anyone, the children of the noble family, known as Ed, greeted him first and pretended to know him warmly.
So Ed is the center of the academy.
No, he stood at the center of the empire.
An academy cadet played a pivotal role in diplomacy between countries.
-What? Are you with Edgar Fix? Wake up from your dream! Fuhahahahaha!
Suddenly, I had an auditory hallucination.
When he confessed to Ed, the people around him laughed at it.
It was a natural reaction.
He didn’t have much talent, that didn’t mean he was good looking, and he wasn’t the person Ed needed.
It’s just that kind of relationship that can be broken at any time if you let go.
“hahahaha… Unreasonable greed”
Now, I have almost given up.
Even the great Isabella showed interest in Ed, but there was no way she could be in his eyes.
With that, Charlotte looked blankly at the place Ed had left with her complicated feelings, and she soon walked back to her own quarters.
It was a night when I had a lot to think about.
***
The next day.
Ed and his group were invited to a dinner party.
The dwarves held a grand party for Ed and his group, who saved them from a nightmare 40 years ago.
Alcohol, food, entertainment.
It was a party that lacked nothing.
From noble mtl dot com
“Khahahaha! Bring me more beer! Let’s drink and die tonight!”
However, the dwarves’ feast was different from the empire’s.
Their party had no procedures or formalities, and the main purpose was just to laugh, chat, and fill one’s stomach with alcohol.
As a result, wherever we went, there was lively music and alcohol, and even high-ranking nobles and the king enjoyed the party without hesitation, drinking beer or dancing.
“Oh hey!”
At that time, there was a place that caught Ed’s attention.
A simple furnace located in the middle of the party venue.
A small confrontation is taking place there.
“Come on! How do you like my work?”
“Kkkkkkkk. Man, you were so excited to lose. “What on earth is that little chrysalis?”
“It’s your place.”
“This person!”
“Puhahahaha!!”
It was quite an interesting sight.
As expected, the dwarves were competing in glasswork and metalwork.
“Oh, five minutes and seven seconds! After all, there is no one who can beat you, Vulkan.”
“That’s amazing. “The record has improved since last time.”
“Give me five minutes… I can’t win this.”
And next to it, a competition was taking place to assemble firearms by collecting scattered parts.
There were dozens of different types of gun parts scattered around, so choosing the parts you wanted and making a finished product in 5 minutes was an eccentric pastime that no race other than dwarves could pull off.
“Well, if it doesn’t trigger, isn’t it my victory? “Just give it a shot!”
However, even if the assembly speed was slow, there was room for a reversal.
Even if it is completed plausibly, it is of no use if it does not trigger in the end.
– Bang!
“Kkkkk. “What do you think of me?”
However, the skills of the dwarf called Vulkan were quite excellent, and the assembly was quick and the gun was assembled properly.
The other person, who confirmed that the mana bullet, which is harmless to the human body, was fired without a problem, nodded his head with a sullen expression and retreated.
“If it looks fun, why not join in?”
At that time, the Dwarf King suddenly appeared and spoke to Ed.
Ed was about to bow to the king, but before he could, Ed stopped him and said,
“That’s it. What is the formality at a party? “In dwarven culture, such a stiff attitude is rather rude.”
“hahahaha. Yes. “I will enjoy it.”
“Kkkkkkkk. Okay. Anyway, what is it like? “Actually, you have a lot of friends who want to see your skills.”
Just as the king said, the dwarves were often glancing at Ed, showing interest.
The reason I invited him here in the first place was because I heard rumors about Ed early on.
“Good. “It looks fun.”
So Ed readily accepted the king’s offer.
For dwarves who were so anxious to see their skills, it was not a good idea to keep hiding them.
“Can I take on the challenge too?”
When Ed entered the center of the confrontation, the atmosphere there changed.
When Ed, who had been shrouded in mystery, finally announces his appearance, the dwarves welcome him with excitement.
“Cancer! “Aren’t you a blacksmith with a title?”
“Kkkkkkkkkkk Vulkan, you’ve met the right match this time.”
“Let’s take a look at your skills!”
As a result, the dwarves in the party began to gather.
Isabella, who was sitting in the corner sipping her beer, Enya, who was drunk and dancing wildly, and Charlotte, who was looking out the window with a depressed expression, all gathered there.
Soon, a dwarf explained the rules.
“The rules are simple. All you have to do is pick up the parts you want and complete the gun as quickly as possible.”
“I understand.”
“But if it doesn’t trigger, it’s useless, so keep that in mind! “No matter how quickly you assemble it, you lose!”
“Yes.”
“Okay! Then let’s get started! Three···! Two···! One···! Start!”
Ed’s hand stretches out in an instant.
He looked embarrassed as Vulkan took away the ‘bolt bundle’ he was trying to pick up first.
That’s because the thing that Ed snatched up in an instant was the bundle of bolts that Vulkan had originally intended to take.
‘Hmph, but it doesn’t matter.’
But Vulkan was a veteran of this game.
As soon as Ed took the bolt assembly, he took away the key parts necessary to assemble the bolt assembly.
‘You learn by losing! ‘Tsk tsk tsk!’
The bolt bundle that Ed chose is a part of a firearm called the ‘eagle’s eye.’
The bolt assembly in question is not very compatible, so it was made in a structure that makes it difficult to fire without the parts taken by Vulkan.
So Vulkan was confident of his victory.
Because he took the key parts that Ed needed to take first.
-Pot! Pot! Pot! Pot! Pot!
But Ed didn’t care at all.
He was just quickly completing the parts of the gun one by one, picking up the remaining parts.
-Swoosh, click… Click! Swish! Slam! Slam! Jeee…
The sound of mechanical sounds coming together precisely.
Everyone watched Ed’s excited assembly with nervous expressions.
I have never seen a gun being assembled at such an absurd speed before.
Is that really a reasonable speed?
“Mmm…!”
In comparison, Volkan, a master gun assembler, had only completed the main body of the gun.
Defeat in the speed battle has already become a foregone conclusion.
‘If that’s the case, it won’t be triggered! ‘Because I have the key parts!’
However, Volkan was still confident of his victory.
The bolt assembly that Ed brought with him won’t work without this key part!
“Completed.”
However, Ed announced the end of assembly with a calm expression.
Then, he opened the magazine of the single-action revolver he had assembled and pushed in just one mana bullet.
And then-
-Wheee!
I turned the magazine.
The magazine loaded with one mana bullet rotated at high speed.
-Crash.
Soon, the rotating magazine stopped.
Ed pulled back the hammer of his single-action revolver.
With a clear mechanical sound, loading was completed.
– Bang!
Ed just pulled the trigger.
The mana bullet flew in a straight line, leaving a trace in the center of the target area.
Vulkan, who was busy assembling a firearm, looked at Ed with a blank expression.
“Oh, how…”
How did you do it?
Ed answered with a smile.
He couldn’t reveal that he had amazing skills called ‘manipulative skills’ and ‘engineering thinking’.