Chapter 390

Chapter 390

For Sale. Fallen Lady. Never Used.

Episode 390: Nidavellir

Unlike Alfheim, where the Great Forest was created by the Circulating Life for the elves, and the World Tree manages it, preventing instantaneous teleportation.

Nidavellir was surrounded by mineral mountain ranges created by the Clashing Steel, but teleportation wasn’t blocked.

The purpose of their creation was different.

The Great Forest was a foundation created to protect the elves, and the mineral mountain ranges were created so they could hammer away at steel to their heart’s content without worrying about materials.

Well, thanks to that, I could fly to Nidavellir quickly this time, so it was fortunate for me.

Iona is god-like, and teleportation is invincible!

“Student Yandel… I need blood…”

“Here you go.”

“Yum.”

Of course, it had the fatal flaw of being devastatingly inefficient in terms of mana consumption… but it wasn’t a problem for Iona.

She could just suck blood and recover quickly.

…Actually, I’d been a high-level magician for quite some time now, and in terms of mana alone, I surpassed Iona, so I could use teleportation myself.

However, it was thwarted by Iona’s vehement opposition, as she wanted to teleport a few times and then suck blood.

I offered my neck to Iona like feeding a baby milk, and looked around.

A vast plain of unknown origin. Unlike my women, who were familiar with sightseeing or resting on the portable chairs they had brought, Baru’s mouth was wide open, to the point where I wondered if he was alright.

For a layman, there’s no magic as intuitive and mysterious as teleportation. Even if you don’t know magic well, everyone knows that instantaneous movement is amazing.

“By the way, Professor. Has your mana capacity increased a bit? You always teleported twice in a row and then rested, but this time you used it three times consecutively.”

“Eubeup. Eubeubeup?”

“Ah? So, as my blood has become better recently, your power as a vampire has developed a bit more? In that case, we should see it as the efficiency of converting blood to mana increasing rather than your mana capacity increasing.”

“Beubeup.”

Since I offer my blood so often, we can now communicate with just rough mumbling.

After roughly nodding to the affirmative Iona, I turned to Faye, who had been deep in thought since earlier, and spoke.

“Senior Faye.”

“……”

“Senior Faye?”

“…Huh? Ah, yeah. What’s wrong, Junior?”

“What were you thinking about so deeply?”

“Well, we’re going to see Father now. I’m much better now, but it’s still a bit awkward. More than anything, we’re not going for a good reason.”

Indeed. Suddenly having to face childhood wounds, and on top of that, hearing that the person might die. Her feelings must be complicated in many ways.

I gently patted Faye’s shoulder and said,

“It’ll be alright.”

“How do you know it’ll be alright when you don’t know what will happen?”

“I’m saying it’ll be alright because I intend to make it alright no matter what happens.”

“…Junior. You know that sounds really reckless, right?”

“This is the only way I know how.”

I shrugged and replied playfully, but it was the truth.

Ever since I fell into this world, I had no other choice. Either smash through everything blocking my path and reach a happy ending… or collapse as I was.

Faye, who had been pouting, soon realized I was serious and gave a small smile.

“Thank you. But I won’t just idly rely on your help anymore either.”

“Oh?”

“I’ve been thinking about it ever since the day you sponsored me. Raising livestock is to eat meat, farming is to eat grain, right?”

“That’s right.”

“Then what’s the reason you sponsored me and helped me improve my skills? Is it also to eat me in the end?”

“No…”

Well, the fact is I am eating her, so I don’t have much to say, but that wasn’t the reason I sponsored her.

I was just planning to raise her as is and get a final set of equipment.

Faye chuckled at my bewildered expression and continued.

“At first, I really did think that, but not anymore. Junior. Be honest. You saw my potential through the future in Fafnir’s arrangement, didn’t you?”

“…Well, it’s true that was the reason I initially approached you.”

“Heuheuh. Don’t be so sorry. Actually, most of the people gathered here had a better future open up for them thanks to that arrangement, right? So, it’s okay; I’m actually grateful. But… I was worried if I could really live up to your expectations.”

“Senior Faye is always….”

“Being helpful? I know. But I wanted to be more than that. Just like you changed my life, I wanted to lead your life in a better direction too. I’m your senior, even if I look like this, right?”

Faye said, then giggled. Was it because she was out in the bright light? Or because her mind had been at peace for a while?

It was a smile that held more playfulness than her usual gloominess.

“So, Junior. Leave it to me this time. I’ll show you how much I’ve grown thanks to you.”

“I’ll look forward to it.”

Faye and I exchanged glances, facing each other.

There were no more words. But that was enough.

“Kyaaaak! S-save me, Junior…!”

“……”

Was it really enough?

While Iona was preparing for the next teleport, I couldn’t help but smile wryly at the sight of Faye, who had been attacked by tentacles again while I was checking on the artificial muscles I had been cultivating in between.

There was a minor accident where the carefully cultivated tentacles—no, artificial muscles—were eaten, but we somehow arrived safely at the teleport plaza of Nidavellir’s capital.

The huge black steel castle visible in the distance was quite impressive… but the person we were meeting wasn’t the King of Nidavellir, but Faye’s father, Jarl Rohan.

This was also the only coordinate in Nidavellir that Iona knew, and we only stopped by briefly because we needed to go through some simple procedures. We couldn’t just sneak in.

And there was also the calculation that, if we were lucky, we might find out the teleport coordinates for the Yareunshade territory.

As a nation with a low proportion of magic, Nidavellir didn’t have teleport plazas in most of its large territories. There was only one in the capital.

Instead, it had a railway connecting the entire country and trains that boasted the fastest speeds on the continent… but they weren’t as convenient as teleportation.

During the entry procedures, when we revealed our identities and told them our destination, the tense official informed us of the Yareunshade territory’s coordinates.

Fortunately, as we expected, the capital was aware of the basic information of each territory.

Well, they were aware, but it wasn’t information they would give to just anyone… and our group’s status wasn’t that of just anyone.

After that final teleport, we arrived at the Yareunshade territory.

To be more precise, as soon as we set foot on the wasteland a little away from the lord’s castle, Baru, who was supposed to be our guide, muttered with a ghost-possessed expression.

“…It really did take only a few hours to arrive.”

“Ah. This is the convenience of magic.”

“However, it is a convenience that only a chosen few can enjoy. Technology is a convenience that everyone can enjoy as time passes. Teleportation is amazing, but personally, I think trains are more excellent.”

I had said it half-jokingly, but the reply was serious.

Having lived on Earth, where science was far more developed than here, I couldn’t deny what he said.

“Perhaps. This is a topic we could argue about all day if we delve into it deeply… but we have more important matters right now, don’t we?”

“Now I can finally fulfill my original role. It’s a short distance, but I will properly guide you to where the Jarl is, so please follow me.”

Baru said and walked ahead.

His legs were short, but his body moved forward much more quickly than his steps suggested. It was probably due to the walking assistance function of his shoes.

Thanks to that, we could follow him without having to slow down our pace.

As the Yarunshade lord’s castle drew closer, Faye, who had been quietly looking at its outer walls, opened her mouth with a slightly hardened face.

“It’s been a while. But it hasn’t changed at all since the last time I saw it.”

“It hasn’t even been three years since Senior Faye entered the academy. How much could have changed in that time?”

“…I guess so. So much has happened to me that I didn’t realize it’s only been that long.”

While Faye let out a hollow laugh, we were finally able to pass through the castle gates and enter the interior.

The buildings were generally small, perhaps designed to match the height of dwarves. However, strangely, most of the materials were heavy metal.

It was a scene I knew through H&A, but seeing it in person was even more amazing.

“It’s fascinating. It looks like a fortress instead of a regular house.”

“Heuheu. Right? When I first came here from living with Mom, I thought the same thing. There’s a reason for it… but it’s a bit funny.”

“What is it?”

“Nidavellir is cold, but it’s a country with the best ore veins on the continent, right? So iron is cheaper than wood.”

“Heoh…?”

“If there’s cheaper and stronger iron, there’s no need to bother using wood.”

That’s absurd.

But that’s probably what best represents the country of Nidavellir and the dwarven race.

Iron is common, and blacksmiths who handle iron are also common. It’s no wonder that the mindset that blacksmithing is the best would flourish, going beyond just taking pride in their skills.

…Faye was trying to surpass blacksmithing with alchemy and take over that territory in a place like this?

Whether she was oblivious or just had strong determination.

Either way, that’s not something that should have made Faye treated like she didn’t exist.

Faye, who had been smiling and explaining the surrounding scenery one by one, was met with cold gazes or ignored by the territory’s residents.

…Seeing this in person was a bit infuriating.

Faye is an illegitimate child, but she’s still the Jarl’s daughter, isn’t she? But they’re treating her with such blatant disregard? Aren’t they commoners?

Still, Faye seemed alright, so I held back for now. The problem was after we arrived at the inner castle.

“Welcome. The Jarl welcomes the guests.”

“What?”

The head steward bowed his head, saying they welcome the guests—directed at Faye.

In a way, it was just a polite greeting, but having shown my face in various places and become somewhat accustomed to ‘aristocratic conversation,’ I knew.

I don’t know why the head of the family called her, but that was a roundabout way of saying, ‘You’re not part of this house.’

Thinking that dwarven culture might be a bit different from human culture, I glanced at Faye, just in case.

She was slightly biting her lip and frowning.

…Faye asked me to let her handle it, but just this once should be fine.

“Ssssssssss.”

I took a deep breath. Then, consciously mixing in Dragon Fear, I shouted.

“GAAAAAAAH!!!!”

I won’t forgive anyone who hurts Faye’s feelings!