Ch.237Chapter 237 – Metal of Fantasy (1)

# Harmonizing Steel.

Dbell pointed to the ingot.

“This is something that can only be produced by mixing special rare metals that are no longer available with those that are still being mined today in specific ratios, followed by a refinement process using magical power.”

Dbell explained that it was extremely difficult to craft. I asked him a question.

“You’re saying the materials aren’t available anymore?”

“That’s right. They were quite abundant back then, but after the Demon War, those rare metals suddenly became depleted.”

Dbell said, slightly lifting the ingot as he spoke.

“As I mentioned earlier, it’s a metal with incredibly diverse applications depending on how it’s used, so it had many uses… You could call it a legendary metal that has now disappeared.”

“Really?”

“Indeed. Why would I lie to you folks?”

Dbell replied, seeming slightly bewildered.

“If it’s no longer produced, its value must be enormous.”

“That goes without saying. To obtain this now, you’d have to melt down existing items made from it, or somehow create a perfect substitute.”

As he spoke, Dbell held the ingot close to his face.

Perhaps genuinely delighted to see such a precious material that could no longer be obtained, Dbell laughed heartily and said:

“This could rightfully be called the last Harmonizing Steel in this world. How should I work with this…”

Dbell spoke with great excitement.

Then Sera grabbed his arm.

*Crunch*

“Let go! M-my arm is getting crushed!”

“Could I have it? I’d like to take a look…”

Despite Dbell’s panicked voice, Sera remained calm.

Her gaze was fixed solely on the Harmonizing Steel, suggesting her interest was completely focused on the metal.

In truth, she wasn’t the only one fixated on it.

“How much would that fetch at an auction?”

Eve was deep in thought with her arms crossed.

Looking to the side where there was a small commotion, I saw the two mages with their heads together, seriously discussing something.

“Bea, did you hear that? It contains metals that aren’t produced anymore. Let’s steal it.”

“Calm down. That girl’s arm strength is no joke. We’ll wait for an opening to snatch it, then analyze it.”

Judging by her expression, Beatrice wasn’t making her move simply because she was afraid of Sera’s arm strength.

Still, her curiosity about the metal continued to grow, and she seemed to be looking for an opportunity.

“A metal that’s no longer produced…”

“Perry, you seem quite interested.”

“I’m a blacksmith, after all.”

Finally, the blacksmith and the dwarf were showing tremendous interest in the Harmonizing Steel.

From what I could see, if not for that super-strong alchemist, a major commotion would have broken out.

Then an ominous sound spread.

*Crunch*

Eventually, unable to withstand Sera’s arm strength, Dbell’s arm armor began to crumple.

“Let go! I said let go!”

Perhaps wanting to live, Dbell moved his arm vigorously, but it showed no sign of coming free.

And Sera, with an unfazed expression, continued speaking to Dbell.

“J-just for a moment, please. Just a little…”

“I said let go and then we can talk!”

Dbell was desperate to survive, but Sera remained immovable.

Having traveled with her, I could confirm that she wasn’t doing this deliberately.

It was simply that her scholarly curiosity had been stimulated by the appearance of an unfamiliar object that she wanted to investigate.

In other words, she seemed unaware that she was applying force with her hand because she was a bit excited.

“Ah, fine! Take it!”

“Thank you!”

Sera took the Harmonizing Steel in her hand with a bright smile.

People began to gather around her, while Dbell, clutching his arm, approached me.

“…That young lady, is she part orc or something? Such arm strength…”

While I understood why Dbell would say that, I knew teasing Sera about her strength would make her sad, so I needed to moderate this.

“That’s rude to say about a young woman. Besides, the dwarves say she has dwarf blood in her.”

I recalled that Sera had mentioned her maternal grandmother was likely a dwarf.

Dbell, massaging his arm, quietly said:

“…She’s probably twice as strong as most dwarves.”

He continued examining his arm, saying that if he didn’t have his current body, his arm would have broken much earlier.

“She must be some kind of mutant.”

“If you don’t want to get hit, you’d better keep quiet. She’s sensitive about her strength.”

At my words, Dbell finally hung his head.

Then Mask and Eina approached us.

“Should we not intervene?”

“It’s fine. She’ll calm down on her own.”

Eve was simply calculating the value in her head, while Perry and Lara were imagining what they could make with it. Beatrice, Asam, and Sera were simply displaying their scholarly curiosity.

Everyone knows where to draw the line, so I think they’ll reach a compromise.

Yes, there’s no problem.

I’m not saying this because I don’t want to get involved.

“We should probably move the egg containing Chris first.”

“Shall we move it to the place we’ve been using as our lodging?”

I thought about Eina’s suggestion.

‘Rubrum doesn’t seem to harbor any more hostility toward us.’

At least, he didn’t seem likely to try anything further.

He had even invited us to stay.

But originally we were trying to escape from here before coming this far to rescue Chris, so it feels a bit awkward.

‘I guess there’s no choice.’

Even if we left out of pride, it would be difficult to move that egg somewhere else right away.

Meanwhile, Lorona approached with a smile.

“I would recommend staying until the person in the egg emerges.”

Lorona said, pointing to the egg.

“If something serious happens, I believe my master or Sir Dbell will offer some assistance or wisdom.”

“Rubrum?”

“Yes.”

Lorona smiled as she spoke.

“He has acknowledged you as a dragon. As a guest.”

She explained that he would therefore provide maximum convenience and some assistance.

‘I guess I have no choice.’

This isn’t a situation where I can just stand on pride.

For Chris’s safety, we should stay a bit longer.

Still, it seemed best to change locations.

“…Let’s go upstairs and rest for now.”

There’s no point in staying in front of the seal any longer.

I just wanted to let our tired bodies rest as soon as possible.

Then, Eina quietly approached the egg and spoke:

“…Will she really be alright? The Sister…”

“We have to believe she’ll be fine for now.”

Unfortunately, we can’t know the situation inside the egg.

We only know that Chris is curled up as if sleeping inside the egg, and that she’s still alive.

“Sister…”

“You seem to worry a lot about Chris. You must have become close.”

Eina nodded at my words.

“She’s someone who would smile and listen to the end whenever I shared my troubles.”

“Troubles?”

“Yes.”

Eina hesitated slightly before speaking.

“Actually, I wanted to talk to you about this too, Kei, but you’ve been so busy that I couldn’t find the chance.”

“Will you tell me what it is?”

Even though I was tired, it seemed good to at least hear what had been troubling her.

After hesitating, Eina quietly began to speak.

“…I’ve been wondering if there’s a way to help those who were in the same situation as us.”

The people in the same situation Eina referred to must be the Red Templars.

“We were lucky enough to regain our senses, but they still haven’t… and they’re being exploited.”

Eina looked at me quietly as she spoke.

“I didn’t want to ignore them. I wanted to find a way to help. But…”

She trailed off slightly before continuing.

“…I don’t know magic. Nor do I have any special talents. I wondered if it was right for me to think about saving others when I’m barely getting by day to day.”

“…”

“Some people are already beyond help.”

At her words, I found myself hanging my head.

“Sister Chris smiled and said there must be a way. That others would help too.”

“Did she?”

“She said that you, Kei, would certainly help. That’s what she said…”

After saying this, Eina bowed her head apologetically.

“I was worried I might be asking for too much while you’re so busy, which is why I haven’t mentioned it until now…”

I hung my head at Eina’s words.

‘Saving other people, huh.’

Until now, I’d been so focused on taking care of those close to me that I hadn’t thought about this.

I felt ashamed for having acted as if only my survival mattered.

And then, memories of the test subjects I had cut down began to surface in my mind.

‘Damn it.’

Perhaps it would have been better for them if I had cut them down rather than letting them continue being used as puppets, but…

Fatigue was instantly forgotten, and shame filled my mind.

‘I’ve been too indifferent.’

I couldn’t look at Eina’s face.

At that moment, someone placed their arm on my shoulder.

“Both of you, don’t think too deeply about it right now.”

Perhaps sensing our depressed mood, Mask spoke with a hearty laugh.

“Mask.”

“I can’t quite follow the flow of the conversation, but young lady, you don’t need to focus all your attention on that. And you don’t need to be ashamed.”

Though I couldn’t see because of the mask, it seemed like Mask gave a slight wink.

“…One can only worry about such matters after one’s own problems are resolved. The reason you haven’t been able to think about this issue is because you’ve been struggling with all your might just to survive.”

“That may be true, but…”

“Unless you’ve just been idling around, you have no need to blame yourselves.”

Mask placed a hand on Eina’s shoulder as well.

“Young lady, you have a warm heart to think of them, and you have the conscience to feel ashamed upon hearing it. If either of you had the luxury, you would have tried to help them. You didn’t neglect them out of malice, did you?”

Mask seemed to chuckle slightly as she looked at Eina and me in turn.

“…You should do your best in the situations you’re given and those that will come. If a way to save them comes to mind during that time, that’s fine. They would understand your circumstances.”

With hands on both our shoulders, Mask spoke.

“A solution will come, so don’t blame yourselves too much. Especially you.”

Though she probably didn’t fully understand the situation, she wanted to comfort us in her own way.

After Mask finished speaking, Eina’s face looked much more at ease.

“Yes. That’s right.”

I also felt somewhat relieved.

At least, things are better now than they were then.

If I do my best, perhaps a better solution will present itself.

‘Yes. I can’t stay like this anymore.’

I felt that it was now my turn to come up with some solution for them.

Otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to face those I had cut down for my own survival.

‘…Perhaps I should raid that laboratory after all.’

Previously, Asam had mentioned Traigiana’s laboratory, saying it might help us find a way back home.

It would be good to address the Red Templar issue at the same time.

Or perhaps some other solution might present itself before then.

“For now, let’s move Chris first.”

With a lighter heart, I spoke, and Mask smiled.

“You should rest since you’ve overexerted yourself. Eina and I will move her.”

“Yes. The two of us will move her.”

I nodded at Mask’s words.

‘That was considerate.’

I was gradually losing strength and felt like I might collapse.

It must be from fighting intensely while wearing armor.

‘…Come to think of it, how much time do I have left?’

How much longer will this body last?

And how much longer can I use this power?

My heart is still beating safely, but I haven’t been completely avoiding strain until now.

I need to check…

“Ow, hot!!”

“Are you alright, Mask?!”

“I’m fine… but why does the holy power surrounding the egg cause pain… Oh right. I’m half-demon.”

…Looking back, I saw Mask, who had forgotten she was half-demon and burned her hand on the holy power-infused egg, and Eina who didn’t know what to do.

And further back, I could see people still engrossed with the Harmonizing Steel.

“…How should I put this, they’re incredibly self-absorbed, your companions.”

“…”

I had no rebuttal to Dbell’s comment.