novelraw Chapter 65 : Chapter 65
Chapter 65 : Chapter 65
Chapter 65
“Is your conversation over?”
It was Selina’s refreshing voice that ventilated the terribly subdued atmosphere.
It felt as if the air itself changed with her appearance.
For one, the old man, whose already grim face had been twisted in a scowl, brightened up as if greeting a cherished granddaughter.
After exchanging greetings and light pleasantries with the old man, Selina's gaze turned to me, more precisely, to the Ella 7 Sword in my hand.
“You received the sword!”
“…It turned out that way.”
“That’s great.”
Selina was happy as if it were her own affair.
Although she was a mage, she was also a swordsman who handled a sword.
It was only natural for a swordsman to show interest in a good sword, just as a sparrow couldn't simply pass by a mill.
But in her eyes, only feelings of congratulations were revealed.
Not to mention jealousy, not even a slight hint of greed was contained.
“Sir. This is a question born of pure curiosity, but are you planning to make an 8th sword as well?”
“Even if I were to make one, I would not give it to you, my lady.”
“Come on, I told you. It’s really just pure curiosity, you know?”
The old man let out a hearty laugh at Selina’s coquettish question.
And as he stared blankly at the blacksmith’s hammer placed on the anvil, he waved his arms and massaged his shoulders.
“If I had my way, I would like to fill ten, but. As I am getting on in years, my body doesn’t keep up. I believe the Ella 7 Sword will be my last work.”
“You still seem vigorous to me…. Then, are you quitting blacksmithing altogether?”
“On days when I have the energy and my body is in good condition, there might be days when I lightly tap the hammer, but you can think of it as a temporary retirement.”
At the old man’s words, Selina was greatly disappointed.
It would be stranger not to be disappointed upon hearing the news of the retirement of a master who had been a great help not only to the Verdin family but also to the kingdom.
But Selina respected the old man’s choice.
“I understand. But you will stay in the Verdin territory, right? I will also visit the mansion often, so please visit me when you think of it, sir.”
“I’m not too fond of the Verdin mansion because of that blunt old man…. But I will visit from time to time to see you, my lady.”
The old man, who had let out a refreshing laugh, approached me.
He placed his hand on my shoulder.
“Please survive for a long time. The seven swords I made are like my children to me. If you die, the 7th sword will also fall into the hands of those White Hero bastards, and if that happens, my already short lifespan will be shortened.”
“…I will keep that in mind.”
Including the recently completed 7th sword, three of the seven swords had already fallen into the hands of White Hero.
How could I, of all people, dare to understand how the old man in front of me must have felt every time he heard that news?
…I had stolen two of the three.
Somehow.
I didn't have any thoughts about it at the time.
I was just happy.
But seeing the slightly dejected face of the creator right in front of me, a thing called guilt became an awl and pricked a corner of my heart.
My breath caught in my throat, and it was hard to even look him in the face.
“I have one question.”
“Speak.”
“The name of this sword…. I mean, is there any special meaning to the name Ella?”
There was no special meaning to this question.
I wasn’t particularly curious either.
It was just a question I had blurted out as I thought of it, wanting to escape from this faint sense of guilt I was feeling.
But.
“It is the name of my daughter, whom I had in my old age. She was a soldier, and she fell in battle, defeated in a fight against White Hero…. I don’t even remember what I was thinking when I gave it that name now.”
“……”
I had to deeply regret the thoughtless question I had thrown out.
* * *
Several days had already passed since the Ella 7 Sword, made of Jeogeun, not a standard-issue iron sword, had taken its place at my waist.
This morning.
A message came from the shipyard.
That the new Unit 917 airship was ready to fly.
“Byan.”
“Yes….”
At my call, Byan, who had been lazing around in bed, rubbed his eyes and sat up.
A small cough was heard.
He must have been quite excited about becoming the field commander of the 2nd squad, as he had been training with his unit members until late, and his condition seemed to have deteriorated.
Byan, who had some combat experience and had received some benefits from the nurturing system, was in this state, so it was obvious what the condition of the soldiers under him would be without even checking.
‘…He’ll manage on his own.’
Byan was no longer a squad member under my command, but a field commander in the same position.
I was not in a position to tell him what to do, so I kept my words to myself.
If necessary, the commander, Selina, would take care of it.
“Get up. It’s better to get ready to go out.”
“…Can’t I sleep a little more? I’m so sleepy.”
“You won’t be able to sleep anyway.”
I waved the letter that had just been sent from the shipyard.
“This letter. Selina must have received it too.”
“…Ah.”
Byan, with a look of realization.
At the same time, the sound of excited footsteps could be heard from afar.
Byan sighed and put on his outer clothes, and soon the door was flung open with a knock.
“Rian! Byan! Get ready to go out right now…. Oh my, you’re already done?”
“I’m human too, so I learn.”
“That’s a good phenomenon. Seeing the two of you grow makes me happy too.”
“…Don’t be happy. It’s a backhanded compliment.”
I left the barracks with Selina, who was feigning ignorance.
The distance to the shipyard was not that far.
Ririsa had already arrived in front of the shipyard.
“……?”
Was it my imagination?
Ririsa’s expression looked dark somehow.
She was definitely waving her hand with a smile, but strangely, I could feel a shadow.
“Ririsa.”
“Yes.”
“Did something happen?”
“…Pardon?”
She seemed a little surprised.
She opened her eyes wide and fidgeted with her face as if to check her expression, and then she laughed like a fool.
“I guess it’s because I didn’t sleep well yesterday. Nothing happened.”
“…Then that’s a relief.”
I had never thought of myself as being sensitive to the subtle emotional changes of others.
In the first place, I was a person who didn't pay much attention to others.
Nevertheless, the reason I reacted so sensitively to Ririsa was probably because I remembered what had happened with Edam.
At that time, if I had detected Edam's subtle change and dealt with it, would something have changed?
Because I didn't want to feel that unpleasant sensation ever again.
But literally, there was no basis for it, it was just my gut feeling.
I felt like something would come out if I held her and questioned her, but I couldn't shake the thought that I was barking up the wrong tree.
As I hesitated due to a lack of conviction, Ririsa followed Selina and went ahead.
“Byan.”
“Yes?”
“Isn’t something strange about Ririsa?”
“Pardon? What is?”
Byan, with a tilted head, frowned and examined Ririsa’s complexion.
Byan, who had been observing Ririsa for a long time while following her closely, soon shook his head with a look of utter confusion.
Maybe I was being too sensitive.
Still, just in case, I looked for Latia to ask her, since she shared a room with Ririsa, but I couldn't see her.
“Ririsa. Where is Latia?”
“She couldn’t wait and went on ahead.”
“…She’s not a child.”
“I know, right.”
“You two! If you don't hurry up, we're going first!”
As I was worrying about various things, the distance between me and Selina, who was walking at the head, had widened considerably.
Byan, who had been near Ririsa just a moment ago, was also walking in step with Selina.
They weren't children on the day before a picnic.
Selina was extremely excited.
Ririsa, who was covering her mouth and giggling at them, didn't seem any different from usual.
And so, I followed Selina, who was almost running at the head, to the innermost part of the shipyard.
There, an airship stood majestically.
“Wow….”
A wide smile bloomed on Selina's face like a flower in full bloom.
The airship, which was about twice as large as an ultra-small one, was stylishly engraved with the wolf symbol of Unit 917.
The crew members, who were busy loading luggage, spotted Selina and bowed their heads.
Normally, Selina would have greeted them with a relaxed face, but today, perhaps because she didn't have the time, she boarded the airship with a half-hearted greeting.
A small airship was on a different level compared to an ultra-small one.
Starting with the width of the deck, the size of the airship was larger, and the engine output was also stronger, so it was full of various equipment that could not be loaded on an ultra-small one.
Unlike the ultra-small one, which had only one main cannon, there were also two auxiliary weapons attached.
I met eyes with Selina, who was excitedly looking around.
She asked me, looking puzzled.
“Rian. You don’t seem… happy.”
“Me?”
“Yes.”
“…I guess I’m just not the type to be moved or amazed by things like this.”
Although I said that, the memory of when I first got my hands on a small airship after leaving the ultra-small one while playing D&K was still vivid in my mind.
I remembered being greatly shocked by the foolishly grinning face in the mirror.
How could I not be happy that the unit's combat power had increased?
I was just used to it.
I headed to the corridor where the cabins were lined up to decide on my personal quarters.
“…You’re fast.”
Latia’s nameplate was already attached to the room that was the most stable, far from the engine room with the least noise pollution, and also the largest.
But did she know?
Usually, the best cabin was for the captain.
And another thing.
This was the army, and rank was king.
“It seems I’ve been too lenient with you.”
Selina rushed into the room without hesitation, and a moment later, the incident was settled with a sniffling Latia walking out and taking down the nameplate.
And so, the tour of the new airship continued until the five new soldiers, including Mars Bang, who had been called late, arrived.
After everyone had boarded the airship and the supplies were loaded.
The engine started to move with a loud noise.
And the airship of Unit 917 soared into the sky.
It was the end of a long, if you could call it long, and short, if you could call it short, break.
* * *
“I will now brief you on the next operation!”
The next morning.
Selina, who had gathered all ten soldiers of Unit 917, including myself, on the deck, raised her voice.
Breathing in the clear dawn air high above in the sky, we focused on Selina’s voice.
“Until now, our Unit 917 has flown in the skies of the remote areas, but…. judging that the size of the unit has grown to some extent, we will now head to a larger battlefield.”
Although I had expected it to some extent.
I couldn’t help the trembling in my heart.
We had finally left Stage 1.
And unlike Stage 1, which was overflowing with beginners who had not even mastered the basics of strategy, let alone how to fight, this was a place where there were many who had mastered the basics.
A place where those who had survived the fierce battlefields fought fiercely every day for survival.
We were heading to Stage 2.
There were two paths in Stage 2.
One was the Black Sea of Trees, Letipus.
It was the heart of a vast nature where trees with dark blue-green leaves stretched out endlessly like the sea, but it was a place that neither White Hero nor the Alliance could ever give up because a large amount of mana sources could be secured.
And the other was a place where several sky islands were gathered together.
The Sky Island.
The Frei Archipelago.
Once a route was chosen, depending on the case, it was common to move on to Stage 3 without even seeing the other route.
Therefore, the first choice had to be made well.
And as if she had already made up her mind, Selina hurried the announcement without a moment's hesitation.
“Our Unit 917 will head to the Sky Island, the Frei Archipelago.”