238. Innocence (1)
Basel’s workshop.
The lights on the top floor of that building never went out.
It had been 3 years since Master Craftsman Tay had stopped taking on commissions.
Her last commission was to process a large quantity of the highest quality magic stones needed to hack into the Union’s communication network.
Tay had not done any work since then.
More precisely, she had not done any work ‘publicly’ since then.
“Master Craftsman, your meal······.”
“Just leave it there.”
Clatter, clatter, clatter.
The workshop where sparks flew and flashes of light flickered.
The apprentice craftsman who had entered with a tray inside was startled by the sharp voice and trembled.
Watching the back of the Master Craftsman who was engrossed in her work, the apprentice froze in place for a moment.
There had been many rumors about the Master Craftsman.
In fact, there were rumors that she had already died.
There were also rumors that she had injured her hand and could no longer work.
There were also rumors that she had given up crafting and gone off to enjoy the rest of her life.
But none of them were true.
The apprentice who had come to the top floor for the first time was able to see the Master Craftsman’s healthy appearance and······
“Wow······.”
He could see a magic stone of a size he had never seen before in his life.
At first, he didn’t even realize it was a magic stone.
Most magic stones were about the size of a small jewel.
Even the largest ones were only about the size of a fist.
But what was that?
Was it possible that such a magic stone, which looked like a person, actually existed?
He couldn’t even imagine how big it must have been before it was processed.
It was even the highest quality, with a beautiful arrangement that was evident at a glance.
“What are you doing? I told you to leave it there?”
“Oh! Yes, sir!”
Only then did the apprentice realize that he had been staring blankly and hurriedly left the workshop.
The door slammed shut.
The workshop was once again free of anything that could disturb Tay, such as noise, magic power, or magic energy.
“That brat! Where did the Master Craftsman’s assistant go and who let you in!”
“I’m, I’m sorry. The Master Craftsman’s assistant was away, so I took his place······.”
“Don’t you ever open the door without permission again. The Master Craftsman is doing very important work. She has been working on a magic stone that can only appear once in human history for the past 3 years! A single mistake could ruin 3 years of work and eat away at human history! Do you understand how dangerous what you did was?”
“······!”
The apprentice’s face turned pale.
3 years. It had been 3 years.
It was said that for 3 years, Master Craftsman Tay had not gone outside except for one day a year to mark an unknown person’s anniversary, and had only worked on that magic stone.
It was an unrealistic story.
No one would have believed it if they hadn’t actually seen the magic stone.
However, the apprentice, who had seen its grandeur and majesty with his own eyes, could not help but believe it.
‘Then what is that magic stone for······?’
As he went down to the lower floors, the apprentice was lost in thought.
The largest magic stone that Tay, the continent’s greatest craftsman, had worked on for 3 years.
He couldn’t figure out what it was for.
Even if he didn’t consider its rarity, which was unparalleled in the world, its value was astronomical, even if he made a conservative estimate.
It was worth enough to build dozens of airship fleets and buy several countries.But who on earth could possibly buy such a magic stone?
There was no one in this world who could afford it.
The more she thought about it.
The apprentice gradually felt like she was getting lost in a maze.
Just then, the elevator door opened.
A race she had never seen before appeared inside the workshop, where outsiders should not be able to enter.
“Is this the elevator going up? Excuse me.”
“Hey, wait a minute! How did an outsider get in here…”
Ignoring the apprentice’s attempt to stop him, the man forced his way into the elevator.
“Whew…”
A sigh escaped from Tay’s mouth.
Her fully concentrated hands manipulated the machine.
The machine meticulously carved the magic stone without a single inch of error.
The raw material for this magic stone was discovered more than 3 years ago.
The day Eugene disappeared.
It was discovered near the Necromancer’s Transcendent Body, beneath the collapsed dungeon.
Its size was incomparable to any magic stone that had ever been discovered.
It was dozens, no, hundreds of times larger than the typical top-grade magic stone.
Even if you gathered all the top-grade magic stones in the world, they would only be about twice the volume of this magic stone.
“Just a little more…”
The food on the plate on the table grew cold.
Mealtime had long since passed.
After nearly collapsing from exhaustion after skipping meals and continuing to work, Tay had been eating every meal on time.
But this time, she couldn’t stop working and continued as if possessed.
It had been 3 years.
3 years since Eugene had entrusted her with a request and then suddenly disappeared.
And Eugene had not returned.
He had not given her the request either.
But the moment she discovered the magic stone in the dungeon where Eugene had disappeared.
Tay immediately had a hunch.
This magic stone was the task that Eugene had left behind.
It was his request.
Someday, the day would come when he would need this magic stone.
It was a request for that day.
That day, Eugene would return.
Tay began working without a doubt in her mind.
She had initially set a goal of 6 months, but it was unrealistic.
The structure of the magic stone was much more complex than she had thought.
“Just a little more now…”
The work period had extended like crazy.
She couldn’t afford to take it easy when she didn’t know when Eugene would return and when he would need this magic stone.
From that day on, Tay began to devote all her time to work, except for the 8 hours she spent sleeping and eating each day.
Tay eliminated all distractions, literally.
No one was allowed to open the door to the workshop except during mealtimes.
Other than that, Tay only allowed two cases in which the door could be opened.
The first was if the workshop was in danger of collapsing.
And the second was if Eugene came looking for her.
“Please…”
Other than that, the only day off that Tay allowed herself was Eugene’s anniversary.
It was the only day of the year when she could go outside and meet people without working.
Each time, Tay felt her own growth.
Tay felt like she was still the same as before.
But she had suddenly grown taller and looked like an adult.
Tay’s skills had reached their peak, and it was reflected in her appearance.
“Ah…!”
Thud.With a sigh, Tay’s hands stopped.
The machine that had been tirelessly carving the magic stone fell to the floor.
Tay’s mouth fell open as she looked at the firmly fixed magic stone.
Her hands wouldn’t move.
For three years, her hands had moved automatically, without hesitation, but now they wouldn’t move as if they were broken.
There was only one reason for this.
The magic stone was now perfect.
There was nothing to fix.
From Noble mtl dot com
It was in a perfect state, maximizing all the possibilities of the raw stone.
“Is it······ done······?”
She couldn’t believe it herself.
The work that seemed like it would never end had just ended.
Only then did Tay look at her own hands, full of calluses, and realized that three whole years had passed.
She had lost track of time.
She had been so engrossed in her work that she had no time to care about anything else.
She had been running with only one thought in mind: to complete this magic stone.
But now that it was finished, strangely enough, she didn’t feel any sense of accomplishment.
Wasn’t this the largest magic stone in history?
Wasn’t it a magic stone that was impossible to value?
Wasn’t it a legendary achievement that would be passed down for generations?
But Tay wasn’t happy at all.
“It’s over······.”
Thud.
Tay collapsed to the ground, her legs giving out.
She had achieved her goal.
In other words, she had lost her goal.
What should she do now?
What should she do?
The future was uncertain.
Waiting for Eugene.
For the day when Eugene would need her.
She had been running forward like a racehorse, looking only ahead for that.
But now that she had finally arrived, there was nothing but a cliff in front of her.
“Aha. Did I work too fast? Did I finish before the investors even came back?”
Tay laughed in vain.
Was it too fast?
If she had known this would happen, she would have worked a little slower.
Tay’s laughter, which had been so empty, gradually turned into a sob.
She knew.
She knew, but she ignored it.
She knew that Eugene was dead and might not come back, and that the chances of that were very high.
When everyone else was living in a world without Eugene.
Tay chose to stop time.
She built a wall between herself and the world.
She lived only for the day when Eugene would return.
But now that magical time was over.
The time when she could thoughtlessly devote herself to her work was over.
It was time to return to reality.
It was time for the clock that had been stopped to start moving again.
“Ugh······.”
Swallowing her tears, Tay looked at her hands.
Her hands, her legs, her body had all grown a lot.
The old her was no longer here.
Even if Eugene came back, wouldn’t he not recognize her?
She was worried about that.
Tay was about to return to reality when.
“No. It seems like you finished just in time.”
“······?!”
Chin.
Tay felt goosebumps all over her body as a hand touched her shoulder.
She couldn’t bring herself to turn her head.
Her body stiffened.
Someone standing next to Tay exclaimed in admiration as they looked at the magic stone.”Three years, huh? You’ve worked hard. I didn’t say anything, but you found the materials and finished the request on your own. You’re like my exclusive craftsman. But have you been eating and sleeping properly? You get so absorbed in one thing that you become oblivious to everything else. I’m worried about your health.”
“Worry… you don’t have to… Who runs a marathon at full speed the whole time?… I’ve been living by adjusting my sleeping and eating hours appropriately…”
“You’ve grown a lot. You know how to think long-term now.”
“That’s true… I’ve grown… Compared to when you first chose me as an investor, it’s been a lot, a lot…”
Tears blurred Tae’s vision.
It had been a long time.
Tae had believed in Eugene.
And he didn’t want to betray Eugene’s expectations.
Just for today.
He continued to work with maximum efficiency and speed.
And Tae’s faith was not betrayed.
“I believed in you. And I think I was right to believe in you.”
“Huuuh…!”
Tae was hugged in the man’s wide embrace.
It used to be so wide that he could have easily fit inside.
Now it felt much smaller.
It felt like he would be crushed if he was hugged.
“……”
Mijung, who had been about to say something, sighed and lowered her hand.
It seemed like she had to give Eugene some space, just for this moment.