107 – New Possibilities – 1

As a member of the great craftsman race and the finest master artisan in western Gratia, the dwarf Glittertoss scowled as he looked at the man sitting across from him.

“You came because you have a material you want to add to the shield? And so suddenly?”

“Because I acquired it suddenly.”

Gi-jun spoke in a casual tone as he laid the fragment of the innate domain down on the table.

Glittertoss, who had intended to grumble first regardless of what the material was, immediately turned around and checked the lock on the room as soon as he saw it.

Even though he knew it was a highly secure room, he felt relieved after checking it for no reason, and then he screamed at him.

“It’s a holy relic, you crazy bastard—!”

“Yeah, it’s a holy relic.”

“Oh, Ptah…”

Gi-jun shrugged as he listened to Glittertoss’s sigh calling upon his god.

That deity, also called Ptah or Phtha, was the chief god of Memphis, the capital of ancient Egypt.

He was a creator god and chief deity, but at the same time, he was famous as the patron god of craftsmen and artists, so it was only natural for a dwarf to worship him.

Of course, he was quite concerned about why someone from another civilization would speak of Earth’s Egyptian mythology—but considering that Lora, who was also from another civilization, worshiped Ishtar of Mesopotamian mythology, it was not so strange.

He could only assume that gods manifested across civilizations.

“A holy relic is a treasure that can decide the future of a civilization. This is the first time in my life I’ve seen an individual acquire one, let alone bring it in to be crafted into equipment.”

Meanwhile, Glittertoss, who had been calling upon his god, spoke in a calmed voice as if he had finally regained his composure.

Gi-jun glanced at him and lightly provoked him.

“So, can you not make it?”

“Just leave it to me!”

Bam! The dwarf, who stood up while slamming the table, shouted as he stared intensely at the fragment of the innate domain with fiercely burning eyes.

“What dwarf wouldn’t be envious of an opportunity to work with a holy relic! Getting to know you is the greatest fortune of my life!”

“Good, then I’ll leave it to you.”

“However, it is impossible to add even this to the shield currently being made. The properties are too different.”

“Wait, what?”

Gi-jun, who had been full of anticipation, could not help but hang his head.

Somehow, he had a feeling it would be like this.

After all, he had already said last time that there were enough materials for the shield…

“You use two shields anyway, so what’s the problem? You just need to equip both that one and the shield crafted with this holy relic as the core material.”

That was true, of course, but it was a bit disappointing for Gi-jun, who had harbored the rather childish desire to gather all the best materials in one place and make the ultimate shield since he was crafting a shield anyway.

However, thinking about it coolly, he could not use the holy relic as a shield material unless he infused it with his own mana, so it was impossible to make anything with it for the time being anyway.

“So, I’d like to hear it first.”

Gi-jun, who had retrieved the holy relic, asked in a still disappointed tone of voice to Glittertoss, who stared intensely at the relic until the moment it went back into his cloak.

“If this is the core material, what other materials do you need?”

“Hmm, let’s see. It would be great if you could bring any Legendary-grade material. And preferably one imbued with Yang energy. The shield currently being made contains too much Yin energy—so I want to make the other shield with a material containing Yang energy.”

Upon hearing those words, Gi-jun recalled the materials of the shield he had entrusted to the dwarf.

Silver Moon Ore, the claws of the Moon-Devouring Wolf Hati, and even the Dullahan’s head—every single one of them was indeed likely to be filled with Yin energy.

“What about Monoceros’s horn? Is that Yin too?”

“No, that’s the Lord’s horn. Since it came from a male, it is naturally a material overflowing with Yang energy. It’s only because of that horn that I can barely refine the overflowing Yin energy; if not for it, I wouldn’t have even dared to make the shield.”

“Crafting is difficult.”

“Hmph, it’s not like you can just mindlessly swing a hammer because you’re a blacksmith. If you overlook harmony and balance, it leads to disorder rather than creation.”

Nodding at the craftsman’s prideful words, Gi-jun blankly thought about materials containing Yang energy.

Coincidentally, one came to mind immediately.

Skoll, the Sun-Devouring Wolf.

If it was the bastard’s byproduct, wouldn’t it be an excellent Yang material to counter Hati’s claws?

However, he was still a bit uneasy about facing a Divine Beast, so it seemed better to move after this quest was over and he had gained more power.

“Ah, now that I think about it, there was also this.”

“What in the world… is this an ogre! To pull out the spine completely like this, and it’s not even a normal ogre!”

Glittertoss’s eyes flashed once again as he saw what Gi-jun pulled out of his inventory so casually.

The material he pulled out was none other than [Spine of the Burning Ogre Destroyer (U+)].

After submerging the leader of the ogres into the lava lake in the volcanic crater during the Faction War, he had pulled it out and butchered it, resulting in a material that retained the volcano’s heat intact.

“Splendid, it’s a very splendid material… But it’s slightly lacking to be the main ingredient, so you will indeed have to find something to add.”

“Yeah, I have something in mind for that too, so wait.”

“And one more Yin-infused material to balance the Yang energy.”

“Glittertoss, don’t you think you’re assuming I’ll fetch everything the moment you say the word?”

To Gi-jun, who glared at him with an incredulous expression, Glittertoss snorted and replied.

“You should say that after looking at the materials you’ve brought so far. Besides, right next to you is a superb material imbued with Yin…”

Knock, knock. It was at that moment that someone knocked on the door.

Glittertoss, who stopped talking, leaped up from his seat, verified once again that the holy relic was safe in Gi-jun’s embrace, and opened the door.

“Meister, there’s something I want to check… Ah, I knew it.”

“Unika?”

Surprisingly, the person who appeared there was none other than Unika.

He had known that she returned to manage Turis on behalf of the Lord who remained in Cor—but since they had already said their goodbyes in Cor, meeting like this after so little time had passed made things feel a bit awkward.

But perhaps Unika thought a bit differently, as she gave him a small smile.

“You were indeed here, Jun. Seeing the griffin outside, I wondered if you might be…”

“Yeah, I had something to drop by for.”

“Right as I mention it, here she comes.”

Glittertoss grunted as the two exchanged greetings that carried a noticeable difference in warmth.

Gi-jun, who tilted his head in confusion for a moment, soon realized that the dwarf was talking about the ‘Yin-infused material.’

‘Right, Unika had a horn too. She was a female, and coincidentally, Biche had also mentioned that…’

No, thinking any further would be rude to Unika.

Gi-jun shook his head to erase the thought of the message Biche had sent and stood up from his seat.

“Anyway, I’ll look for the materials, so I’ll count on you when the time comes.”

“Sure, I’ll try to finish the shield currently in progress as quickly as possible. So… what brings the Lord Representative here?”

When Glittertoss asked Unika while exchanging a heavy nod with Gi-jun, she looked back and forth between the two, then shrugged and spoke.

“I came because I have an important proposal for the Meister’s workshop… but let’s do it next time. Since a more important guest has arrived.”

“Hmm? Unika, I was about to head back right away…”

“Surely you didn’t plan to return without even seeing my face after coming all the way here?”

He wanted to clap and tell her she was right, but the atmosphere made it feel like he would get hit by Unika if he actually did.

Since the exploration of the ruins had finished much earlier than expected, wouldn’t it be fine to stay for a bit? Gi-jun, who quickly sorted his thoughts, decided to give her the answer she wanted.

“Of course not. Shall we have dinner together?”

“I believed you would say that. Let’s go right away, then.”

Unika gently grabbed his arm and pulled him.

However, when Gi-jun suddenly looked back before leaving the room, he saw Glittertoss sending him some kind of sign.

‘The material, the material.’

When he stepped out of the workshop, completely ignoring the dwarf who was repeatedly tapping the very center of his own forehead and conveying his message solely through silent lip movements, Unika suddenly spoke.

“Do you perhaps need my horn?”

He had been caught after all, thanks to that stubby little dwarf!

“No—of course not. That dwarf is just talking nonsense, so ignore him.”

“I can give it to you.”

Gi-jun tried to deny it first while cursing Glittertoss internally, but Unika spoke without hesitation.

“If you need it, Jun, I can give you my horn anytime.”

“Unika, it’s really fine. I can get plenty of Yin-infused materials in the future anyway…”

“I misspoke.”

Leading Gi-jun out of the workshop, Unika spoke quietly as they walked up the hill leading to the Lord’s villa.

“I want to give my horn to you, Jun.”

“It’s not something that can be broken off so easily, is it?”

“Anyway, the horns of our tribe are bound to be broken once in our lives no matter what. There shouldn’t be any problem in bringing that time forward a bit.”

The moment he heard those words, a sense of anxiety washed over him.

Gi-jun resolved never to ask when they were originally supposed to break their horns, but—

“Originally, females of the Monoceros-kin have a custom of breaking their horns at their wedding, but…”

Without making his resolution worthwhile, Unika went ahead and revealed it.

Gi-jun shook his head, covering the corner of his mouth that his mask could not fully hide with his hand.

“Please don’t explain the reason. I’m begging you.”

“It seems you’ve already guessed it roughly. In that case, what would it mean for a female of the Monoceros-kin to break her horn before her wedding…?”

Unika, who was speaking in a playful tone, burst into a giggle upon seeing the sweat trickling down beneath Gi-jun’s mask.

“It’s a joke. It’s a very old custom, so hardly anyone keeps or remembers it now. Didn’t my father break his horn and give it to you as well, Jun?”

“By the way, when a male of the Monoceros-kin breaks his horn…”

“If he has a son, to make his son’s first weapon. If he has a daughter… for his son-in-law as a dowry.”

The meaning contained in the horn was too heavy!

If he could, he felt like barging into the workshop to retrieve Monoceros’s horn, but it must have already been processed as a shield material… No, wait.

“It’s a bit awkward to talk about someone who is already dead, but did Tolchi perhaps like you?”

“Well, I don’t really know. I had no interest in him.”

Unika pretended not to know while avoiding Gi-jun’s gaze, but that was as good as an answer already.

As expected, the guy had been obsessed with the Lord’s horn not simply out of loyalty to the Lord, but because he knew the Monoceros custom.

Just because he learned this did not mean he intended to forgive the guy, but realizing the reason behind those blind and reckless actions made him feel a bit relieved.

“Anyway, I will give my horn to you, Jun.”

“No, I get it, I understand, but…”

It seemed that Unika breaking off her horn for him was already a decided matter.

He had thought they had become quite close while spending time together, but he did not think they were close enough to break off a horn without hesitation.

Leaving aside her own feelings, what in the world would the Lord think when he found out about this later?

…No, that old man might actually like it.

Just as Gi-jun was worrying about how he should respond, Unika stopped walking.

“Now, let’s head inside.”

“Ah.”

While they were talking about the horn, the two had already arrived at the villa before they knew it.

* * *

Gi-jun decided to first retrieve the vampire furniture he had placed in the villa into his inventory.

Unika implicitly seemed to hope he would stay over, but Gi-jun, who did not feel like sleeping in a comfortable place alone while his party members were struggling in the dungeon, boldly retrieved all the furniture.

However, her disappointment at him being cold-hearted was only brief.

After tasting the chicken sauté, salmon meunière, and potato potage Gi-jun had personally made, Unika ate them up with a bright smile like a baby angel, and even cleanly finished the crème brûlée served for dessert.

“Being able to eat food made by you, Jun… is a truly happy thing.”

“It’s nothing that special.”

In fact, making crème brûlée properly was quite difficult.

This was because the ingredients, though simple, were excessively simple.

Making the custard cream was one thing, but the key lay in layering the sugar to an exquisite thickness on top and searing it moderately with fire to caramelize it without making it too bitter.

Originally, Gi-jun had found this control difficult, but now that he had contracted with the Fire Spirit and even obtained fire manipulation power due to the reinforcement of his Persona, truly delicate fire control became possible—and as a result, a perfect crème brûlée, so delicious that if two people were eating and one died, the other wouldn’t notice, was born!

—Contractor, one more of this pudding!

—Kiiiiit!

Even if he tried to act modest, Lucy and Ur, who were devouring the crème brûlée while getting cream all over their noses, did not cooperate at all.

Gi-jun, who sighed and refilled the desserts for the two, turned to Unika and asked.

“Would you like one more too?”

“It’s a very tempting proposal, but… more than that, there is something I want to tell you right now.”

Unika, who glanced at the spirits absorbed in their dessert and gave a small nod, gently pulled him.

It probably meant she wanted to talk somewhere where even the spirits could not hear.

Even though they would find out eventually anyway, he decided to do as she wished for now.

Contrary to his expectation that they would go outside to talk, Unika unexpectedly led him up the stairs.

“Unika?”

“This way.”

She went all the way up to the third floor without stopping at the second floor and stopped in front of a room in the corner of the right hallway.

It was a room Gi-jun had never entered.

“This room is…”

“It is my mother’s room.”

Replying quietly, she opened the door.

Squeak. Beyond the old door that opened with a creaking hinge,

a window where the evening sunset seeped in and an old bed placed next to it came into view.

On that bed, a gaunt woman sat half-leaning and quietly stared out the window, before suddenly realizing they had entered and looking back.

A small child who ran past Gi-jun and inside—Unika—threw herself into the woman’s arms and smiled brightly.

The woman, who looked somewhat like the current Unika, also hugged the child and smiled.

The eyes of the two and their fluttering hair shone in a sepia color.

Crack. Suddenly, cracks formed in the scene, and it shattered into pieces.

“Ah.”

When Gi-jun closed and opened his eyes, there was only Unika standing there alone in a daze.

“As expected, nothing has changed at all.”

She turned to Gi-jun, smiled faintly, and spoke.

Facing her smile, Gi-jun felt as if a space that had been severed in the past had been incorporated back into reality.

Whether she knew his thoughts or not, she sat gently on the edge of the bed and spoke while softly caressing it with her hand.

“After I lost my mother, my father forbade me from approaching this villa. He probably did not want me to remain trapped in the past.”

Trapped in the past.

He could not help but nod at the words that exactly matched the sentiment Gi-jun had felt the moment he opened the door and entered.

“To me, this villa was a space that symbolized my childhood. Even after being banned from entering, I missed this room all the time.”

“I see.”

“So when my father first said he would lend the villa to you, Jun, I was actually very angry deep down.”

“You didn’t just keep it deep down; you made it quite obvious.”

“But now, I am grateful to my father. Perhaps my father felt it instinctively. That you would change me, Jun…”

Unika completely ignored Gi-jun’s words and continued speaking as she slowly looked around the room.

“It is still a precious space, but I don’t feel like staying only here like before anymore. The same goes for the Uralta matter. In the past, telling me to leave Turis and go to another city would have been unimaginable, but after receiving my father’s proposal, I nodded surprisingly easily.”

“And that’s thanks to me?”

“Of course. It’s thanks to growing after meeting you, Jun. I gained the courage to escape the cage I had locked myself in and step outside of Turis.”

Honestly, he had not been able to pay much attention to Unika in Cor, so had his actions influenced her without him even realizing it?

He tried to recall what he had done in Cor, but since he only had memories of running wild like a madman and smashing things, he quickly stopped reminiscing.

If Unika had been impressed by his exploits, he felt like telling her to stop before it was too late.

Looking back at Gi-jun, she smiled again at his peculiar expression and spoke.

“So I wanted to say thank you. Because it is a change I could never have imagined if not for you, Jun. …If not for you, my father would not have entrusted me with the position of Lord Representative either.”

“I think you and your father overestimate me every time.”

“You are underestimating yourself, Jun.”

Replying tartly, Unika touched the horn on her forehead.

Compared to the Lord of Turis’s, its light intensity was somewhat lacking, but it was still enough to catch a glimpse of the divinity contained within.

“As for the horn, if you don’t need it right away, could you wait just a little longer? It seems my species rank will grow soon, so I think it would be better to break it after completing the growth.”

“It’s not urgent, so it’s fine. …Thank you.”

At his words of gratitude, Unika’s eyes curved beautifully.

“Don’t mention it.”

Looking up at him with upturned eyes and smiling, Unika added.

“I am merely helping because you asked me to.”

Gi-jun, who for some reason felt a threat to his safety from Unika’s coquettish smile, felt like leaving Turis immediately, but—

[Five Strongest Orc Brothers: Jun, I heard you returned to Turis.]

[Five Strongest Orc Brothers: …Could we perhaps talk for a moment?]

He ultimately could not do so, due to the message that arrived at an truly coincidental timing.