“Oh, can I ask you one last thing?”
Evangeline, who had carefully picked up her pockets at my words, trembled in surprise.
She looked at me with an anxious look that seemed to have the meaning of ‘I hope I won’t do something that never happened’.
Seeing that, I smiled a little as if to be relieved.
“I would like you to make three separate artifacts with protection and call functions. Evangeline, please ask for the shape and size you want. Of course, if you need additional money, we will pay it later.”
She breathed a small sigh of relief at those words and asked.
“uh… Well, it doesn’t matter how many more when you order more than ten numbers. Where are you going to use it?”
“I’m going to give it to Evangeline.”
“… yes?”
For a moment, she looked unexpectedly.
“And one for Professor Alice and Jeong-Jeong Jin.”
She nodded slowly as if she understood the words that followed.
It was intended to insure just in case the three most likely targets of Randsch.
“Why?”
“no… .”
She was looking at me with squinted eyes.
She said to me after she had lost her appetite.
“By the way, are you giving me a present?”
“What… You can see it that way.”
“And now you’re asking me to make my own gift for myself?”
Evangeline shrugged, licking her lips and muttering.
I was momentarily taken aback by her sudden, blunt reaction.
What, why is that girl all of a sudden?
Before I could say anything, she got up, tucking her pockets into her robes.
“This is a really bad situation, but as a client… Hmm, I can’t help it because someone who might be a future employer asks me specifically.”
As she spoke in her characteristic relaxed voice, she looked at me with a frown and closed one eye.
“I will work hard and make amazing things that will surprise you.”
“… Then please. How can I send you detailed requests?”
“Um, if that’s the case, my guild, the Blue Sap… No, no.”
She shook her head and pulled out her phone from inside her robe.
Seeing that, I had an absurd thought as to what kind of magic was lurking in that robe, where something kept popping out and going in.
“Have we not exchanged numbers yet?”
“Didn’t you do it last time?”
“It’s for business. This is for my privacy.”
With a relaxed smile, she handed me the phone.
After entering the number there and returning it, she pressed the call button to confirm that the call was going, and she nodded slightly.
“Yeah, you can send it here. Send it by text or email, then you can do it over the phone.”
“I wish you well.”
“Yes, yes. Then take good care of yourself, Master of the World Tree.”
After saying those words, as she walked to the door, she said, “Oh my gosh,” and turned her head back.
“Thank you for trusting me and entrusting me with the work. To be honest, there must be many great producers besides me. Is it because of the close friendship you’ve had in the past?”
As she nodded her head at her sweet smile, a small laughter came out.
“After all, there is nothing better than networking at a time like this. That’s why I keep doing ten lessons even when I’m bothered.”
… According to the original story, the great witch, who should have met the legendary death that her body continued to maintain magic according to her transcendental will, even though she died long ago while fighting to save people, looked at me and smiled.
“It’s my personal opinion, but I think it’s okay for us to keep a deeper friendship. Is not it?”
With those words, she closed the door and left, saying goodbye once more to take good care of herself.
It was when I was leaning on the chair with my chin feeling very exhausted.
“… … .”
“Laune? Why are you like this, it’s frustrating?”
Laune, who had been hiding in my pocket, suddenly whined and came up on the table.
The guy looked at me and jumped up in place.
It was when I changed my posture to the attitude of the guy that seemed to tell me to look at this side and focus.
“… … .”
“What is it, huh?”
He pointed to the door where Evangeline had left, followed by putting something in his arms and pulling it out, and then repeating the act of putting out roots as if asking for himself.
Just in case, I pulled out one of the many scales I had been keeping in the shadows.
“Are you asking for this?”
“… !!!”
It seemed right.
I carefully handed it over to the outer part of the scale to make sure he wouldn’t get hurt.
Then, Raune politely received the scales with the roots as if using both hands.
“Where are you going to use that?”
“… … !”
Without saying a word, Laune put the scales on her face, rode it like a sleigh, covered it like a blanket, and so on, holding it and performing various movements without a break.
It was as if he was trying to find the proper use for the scales.
“… … .”
As I sat down and stared blankly as if observing the figure, the guy moved around and bumped into something.
These were potions that Evangeline had left behind.
“ah.”
It was a sight to behold and I was able to calm myself down.
When I checked, I was surprised to find out that I had only been staring at Laune playing for nearly 10 minutes and picked up a potion bottle.
“How am I supposed to do these things? .”
It was so difficult that a voice of lamentation could leak out.
However, the words of Evangeline, who had a hard time making it to just throw it away or throw it away, were whispering in her ear.
There were a total of four types of potions.
First, several green potions that were said to be neutralizers.
And they were potions marked with [before], [after], and [change] in English.
Maybe one after another, as she said, getting younger, growing up, or changing gender.
When you turn the sign over, it says that about 10 years of change occur, and when you change your gender, you sometimes change to a different figure, but it is just a change in appearance and there are no side effects, so don’t worry.
It was when I looked at the potions with explanations that seemed very contrived, and decided that it would be better to keep them in the shadows.
“… ?! … !!!”
Laune, who had been playing well in the blink of an eye, got up from her seat and ran in front of me.
Then he turned back and looked towards the door and raised his scales like a soldier with a shield in front.
“… … .”
Naturally, I put my hand into the shadows at his action, and soon after, someone snapped and opened the door without warning.
A black mask on a hoodie on a hat.
strong physique.
And an energy that is astonishingly huge and infinitely close to nature.
‘… Who is it?’
It was an unfamiliar feeling, but it was magical as if he had encountered it somewhere.
Then, from the shadows, Minerva appeared as if trying to protect me.
“… … .”
Without a word, she gently leaned her body against me, hugging me from behind as if trying to lock me in her arms.
Looking sideways, she was silently staring at the man who had just opened the door.
I had strongly asked her not to come out without my permission if there were other people around, except for people who knew the circumstances.
… That said, it was either the unavoidable situation right now, or that the other side was not human.
If so, what you need to know now is why the hell did that person come to me, and what are their intentions?
For the first time, it was time to slowly look over there, thinking that it would be better to go out carefully.
“… Is it okay if I go in?”
Suddenly he opened his mouth.
It was a voice that sounded like sparks splattering as a wood fire blazed quietly.
He was looking straight at Laune, not me.
“This is the land of the World Tree, but at least this room seems to be your realm, even if it’s only for a moment. I don’t have any bad intentions, so I’d like to avoid the act of stepping on my feet without your permission as the owner.”
At his polite request, Laune glanced at me.
When I nodded, he looked at the man as well.
“Thank you for the invitation, comrades with the spirit of wood, mud, earth, moss, forest, weeds, and seven evils.”
Then he looked at me and started taking off the hat and mask that was covering his face.
His appearance was revealed, and he looked like he was in his mid-30s, looking like a dignified voice.
But he knew as soon as he saw that he wasn’t human.
This is because human eyes are not burning like flames.
“I came at Belluna’s request. Are you Yoo Ji-hyuk?”
At his words, he nodded as he put the handle of his half-drawn sword back into the shadows.
It seemed that what I was half-confident in was correct.
“I asked for your help. What… I got the advance payment from him, so if you don’t have enough money, I’ll charge him for it, so don’t worry about it.”
“Excuse me, but may I ask for your name?”
“No excuses. I … … say.”
I couldn’t understand the name he was talking about.
I swear it was the first language I had ever heard, and it was probably a name that could not be expressed in the human language system.
And he nodded his head a little, noticing it.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I forgot that humans and our languages are different. uh… What better to explain… .”
After thinking for a moment, he opened his mouth.
“At least there is one name known to humans, so I will replace it with that one. You can call me at your convenience.”
The man who gave off an aura like a blazing flame, who seemed to not be pushed at all compared to Belluna, told me another name.
A name passed down as a legend among artisans.
“The blacksmith of Yado. It was once called by that name.”
* * *
‘Fortunately, it doesn’t seem like it was something I was worried about.’
Wagging his tail, Minerva thought quietly.
He had already noticed that Yoo Ji-hyuk had a strange scent that entices and uplifts spirits.
Belluna, her energy, who is also a high-ranking spirit of the wind, blocked miscellaneous spirits like mosquito repellent.
If he had been a powerless ordinary person, he might have been dragged into the world of spirits without the knowledge of mice or birds.
‘no… .’
Minerva looked down and looked at Mandragora, who was clinging to him.
Although he could feel the energy of Sbangali, he was also a spirit.
The energy and scent of that mandragora, whom he called Laune, was exuding from Yoo Ji-hyeok, and Minerva could easily recognize that it contained threats and warnings.
Simply put, this human is under his protection, so if he touches even a single hair, he will make a life-and-death decision.
Anyway, he was the one who was interested in the spirits in many ways.
And the man who came to me was strong enough to remember Minerva, and he was also a high-ranking spirit who was once revered as a god.
He realized in a hurry, wondering if he might even harm Yoo Ji-hyuk, but fortunately, his guess was wrong.
In fact, he recognized himself and even bowed his head slightly to say hello.
It looked like he had no hostility at all, but somehow he didn’t like it.
So, she just stared at him without saying a word and gave Yoo Ji-hyeok a little more strength in her arms.
It was when he pulled him a little closer to him like a parent protecting a child.
He groaned and groaned strangely, then glanced back.
“I’m sorry, Minerva, could you please stay away for a bit?”
“… … ?”
“It’s a bit embarrassing to say, but… It’s a little bit difficult.”
“I am fine.”
“… I’m not okay.”
At his words, Minerva seemed to have no choice but to back away, releasing his arms.
“… !”
Then, a good thought came to her, and she muttered in a melancholy voice, as if she was sad for nothing.
“You are so cold as frost in the middle of winter, my dear. … … Or was it that I was just your stumbling block? Even if the back of your back tells you that it’s a cliff, you won’t hold the hand I stretched out.”
“What? No, Minerva. what do you say It’s not like that… .”
Yoo Ji-hyuk was embarrassed and grabbed Minerva’s hand, which was moving away without me knowing.
Minerva was able to act as if she was still upset, barely expressing herself.
That was easy for her.
In the end, after making a sincere apology come out of his mouth, and after hearing an oath that he would unconditionally grant him a request later, Minerva restored the drooping corners of his eyes and tail, which seemed to symbolize sadness.
“… … .”
Her eyes were pointing towards the potion lying on the table.
It was twinkling and her eyes gleamed a little.
It was like a predator’s gaze with an insatiable prey in its eyes.
* * *
“It’s a fun skill. Absorb all the various abilities and make it your own… I think I can see why you put so much effort into nurturing your disciples.”
Randsch murmured as he kicked the almost dead man’s body.
The body of the old man with his two legs crushed was as stiff as a piece of wood, and he rolled over and crashed into a corner.
Isaac McDowell.
He was also the leader of the Big Watch, but the most important thing for Randsch was that he was an excellent alchemist.
Taking minimal steps to prevent the exhaling old man from dying, he leaned back on the comfy sofa and murmured quietly.
“Are you two together now?”
… The medium he had collected and woven dragon hearts over hundreds of years was unstable and could not be used.
So I was trying to get the lens in my hand to stabilize it, but thanks to stupid things, I ruined everything.
Randsch sighed and spit the acidic saliva straight into Isaac McDowell’s face.
He blinked as he looked intently at him wriggling painfully with the sound of burning flesh.
Gracius was useless because it did not meet the conditions in the first place, but in the case of Natalia Milited, the story was a little different.
If she ‘processed’ a little, she was fully qualified to meet the conditions like herself.
But, unable to break his useless pride and stubbornness, he foolishly became possessed by his daughter, whom he had so lowly and despised. It was so pathetic that he shook his head.
“Uh… .”
He was well aware of the dangers of the ten rivers.
The shogi horses he arranged were not enough, and he had to be careful because he was the only one he could trust.
First, he decided to shake the river and seize Natalia, so he quietly pulled out his phone.
“It’s me.”
― Go, I suddenly contacted you for some reason… .
The person who answered the call muttered in a voice that seemed to be perplexed.
Randsch spoke quietly to Choi Jun-hyung, who is a member of the upbringing and can also be said to be his servant.
“There is a traitor on your side.”
— … Yes?
“There must be rats there too.”
Randsch, who muttered in a confident voice, let out a deep breath.
“I have to go there for a while.”
He blinked and closed his eyes, pulling something out of his arms.
It was a piece of pottery engraved with a picture like a mural.
There were engraved pictures of Milited, his master, and a saint and a saint.
He murmured, gently stroking the painting with his fingers.
“… Because we can’t ruin what we’ve been preparing for hundreds of years now because of a single human.”