episode_0027

Tei was taken aback when Tae suddenly embraced his waist.

Nevertheless, he calmly stroked Tei’s thick, dark hair and let it pass.

Even with such impromptu actions, this guy could only look charming.

“Haha. Despite being slightly behind in skill compared to the prime of his career, he is still excellent.”

Just looking at this masterpiece made me burst into laughter involuntarily.

Beautiful.

A masterpiece that not only preserves but enhances the characteristics of the maestones.

It’s a textbook example of top-notch maestone craftsmanship.

“Now, have you calmed down a bit?”

“Sigh… Yes…”

I don’t know why he suddenly burst into tears, but I don’t dwell on it.

Whatever the reason, it doesn’t matter.

Tei will now be my exclusive maestone artisan as long as he continues to provide me with his services.

“Besides the next maestone request, I have one more proposal. Would you like to become my exclusive craftsman?”

“Excuse me? Exclusive?”

“I don’t mean for you to only accept my requests. Take on commissions freely, but if I entrust you with a task, always prioritize that task. That’s all I ask.”

“Is that… too much of a demand?”

“Oh, no! I’ll do it! Your exclusive craftsman! No, I want to ask you! Please let me become your exclusive craftsman!”

I was worried about what if he refused.

Indeed, unlike the main heroines, Tei does not commit acts of ingratitude against those who show him kindness.

That’s why I can’t help but find him charming.

“This maestone has a symmetrical structure. It would be best to split it in half. Even so, the output won’t decrease much…”

“Then go ahead and do that. Apart from that, feel free to work as you please without consulting me. What I want is the result of your skills without any regrets.”

“Really? No conditions at all? Just work as I please?”

“Yes.”

Tei’s eyes sparkled with excitement.

Thanks to meeting a client who wasn’t demanding, he seemed delighted to infuse his preferences abundantly into the work, as if seeing an elated illustrator.

Since the results of his work done as he pleases will be the best outcome, there’s nothing for me to gain by imposing conditions.

“When the work is done, just contact me through the hotel room as before.”

“Yes, got it! Goodbye! Master Mijeong!”

The exclusive contract was also finalized.

I will entrust him with the next top-tier maestone crafting request.

With lighter steps, I head out of the workshop.

[Mijeong: 4.9%]

[Receiving faint admiration. Someone special to someone.]

[*Caution. Impersonating others.]

Someone special to someone?

Given the circumstances, that someone must be Tei.

At that moment, pondering this oddity.

“Master!”

Was he calling for me?

I turn around at the robust voice.

It was Tei, accompanied by an elderly artisan.

“Thank you!”

He approaches me panting and awkwardly bends his already uncomfortable waist.

“Tei, this lad, has been struggling due to his unique habits until now. I once thought those habits might become talents when handling top-tier maestones, but I never considered entrusting him with something so valuable. So, even though I couldn’t see him doing well in this industry, I was about to kick him out to find a new path… Thanks to Nari’s bold investment, Tei was able to blossom his talent! I am deeply grateful from the bottom of my heart!”

Well, if he says so.

Seems like he was a master who truly cherished Tei.

I don’t really know how much Tei has suffered or how significant it is for him to regain confidence through this request.

“You’ve found a good mentor.”

“I’m a lousy mentor. I still haven’t recognized Tei’s talent properly…”

“If it were anyone else, they would have kicked me out a long time ago. I truly want to express my gratitude to you for keeping Tei by your side all this time.”

“Sob… Sniff…”

Ugh. Why are you crying all of a sudden?

I wasn’t curious or interested in seeing an old dwarf whimpering like that.

Was it always a thing for dwarves to be so tearful?

I’ve already seen the dwarf cry twice today alone.

“Please continue to take good care of Tei in the future.”

Before witnessing any more disgraceful scenes, I turn my back and leave.

As always, there’s so much to do today.

Despite being a well-developed city, Basel has quite a few unexplored dungeons in its vicinity.

Shouldn’t all the dungeons around such an important city have been cleared by now?

The reason there are still unexplored dungeons near Basel is that they are all Black Star Dungeons.

These are dungeons where mercenaries have shed blood multiple times and declared giving up on conquest at the Mercenaries Guild.

While giving up on conquest doesn’t mean it’s forbidden, there are hardly any fools willing to challenge such dangerous dungeons.

In other words, there are plenty of dungeons around Basel that can be subdued leisurely without interference.

Some even have double dungeons beyond the first one, offering double rewards—a real sweet deal.

I am now heading towards one of those dungeons.

“Eek!”

“Don’t scream if you’re not falling. Can’t you trust me?”

“…I trust you.”

Carrying Mijeong on my back, I traverse through the city.

Of course, it had to be the time when the water was rising again, and Mijeong was asking to be carried with a disgusted expression.

Thanks to Mijeong’s growth being halted at a young age, to others, it just looks like I’m carrying a younger sibling.

But the fact that she’s older than me is nonsense.

“But does she really have attachments to life?”

It’s a question that arises belatedly but naturally.

The fact that the Guardian Knight activates means that Mijeong perceives being protected by me.

That implies she also has a will to survive.

However, observing Mijeong’s behavior makes me doubt if she truly wants to live.

Not once does she ask for food even when starving.

She doesn’t flinch even when a wolf’s claws are inches away from her.

It’s peculiar, to say the least.

There must be some behavioral principle here that I have yet to understand.

We’ll figure that out as we go along.

“You’re already leaping twice, isn’t it exhausting?”

“…Exhausting. Overflowing.”

Inside a secluded dungeon in the mountains.

Mijeong proudly shows off an empty flask, having just supplied fresh blood.

Of course, since Mijeong refuses to drink any other blood, I had to cut my arm to feed her.

This resulted in a deep gash across my left arm.

Does she only refuse blood that’s slightly less fresh?

Surely she doesn’t have a special liking for my blood.

I should have experimented with fresh blood when we wiped out that bandit group last time.

“Shall we conduct a performance test?”

A gemstone emitting a brilliant light crafted by Tei.

Originally intended to be inserted into a sword for use, I brought it as is because even the time to work on it felt wasted.

For maximizing the gemstone’s performance, close contact with the body is crucial.

Since there’s nothing to fix it in place, I place it on my left hand and roughly wrap it with bandages to secure it.

“Hmm. There certainly seems to be a difference.”

When I didn’t know how to handle magic power, I couldn’t understand why good gemstones were so expensive.

Just feeling a bit lighter and more alert?

It was so subtle that it could almost be considered a placebo effect.

To me, it was no different from a germanium bracelet.

But now, possessing magic control capabilities, it is definitely a whole different story.

Previously, I had to concentrate all my attention to control the flow of magic, but now it seems like controlling it has become ten times easier.

Naturally, the time I can maintain without going out of control has increased.

With the extra focus, I can put more into battle, so my overall combat power can only increase.

The higher the skill level, the more pronounced the effects will be, so risking one’s life for a magic stone is definitely worth it.

“Kyaak! Kieeek!”

“Huh.”

Just then, a performance measuring device appears.

It’s a goblin.

However, unlike a “blin,” its skin is a mess, and perhaps living only in dark places has made its eyes vacant, giving it a creepy appearance.

Once again, I realize that compared to “blins,” goblins are on the uglier side.

Shuk…!

The creature boldly pulls back the bowstring and shoots an arrow.

Unlike “blins,” these creatures seem filled with malice, leaving no room for conversation.

I immediately switch to a combat stance.

“No injuries, right?”

“…Yeah.”

Mijeong catches the arrow right in front of her face.

In the past, I would have pushed Mijeong away to avoid it.

Thanks to magic control, the arrow seemed so slow that I could catch it easily.

“These guys. They’re not elves, yet they shoot arrows so well.”

“Kkeok!”

Thud.

As the arrow flies, it pierces the chest of the goblin holding the bow, then lodges into the head of another goblin behind it.

I keenly feel the surge in combat power.

Shall we test with a sword this time?

“Kkieeeek!”

“Kyaak!”

The creatures’ screams echo loudly in the dungeon but soon fade away.

They’re just goblins, not high-level monsters, so it wasn’t difficult.

At this point, it seems like we could even take on a Fenrir pack head-on.

Let’s move forward slowly.

“…Yeah.”

After dealing with the goblins, a long corridor stretches ahead.

At the end of the empty corridor, a door leading to the final room is visible.

If we make it there, it’s the end without facing the final boss.

“This path ahead is full of traps. I must step only where I’ve stepped before.”

“…Yeah.”

Of course, there won’t be nothing in between.

The long corridor is packed with deadly traps.

Even though there are only goblins as monsters, some might have given up due to the difficulty of conquering the dungeon.

Of course, I didn’t memorize the layout by personally poking my head in 12 times.

Occasionally, there are crazy people who challenge dungeons deemed impossible, and I’ve followed them, marking where they fail.

By repeating this every time, I found a safe path to the end of the corridor.

“If you slip up, we’ll both die.”

“…Yeah.”

It shouldn’t be difficult.

Just stepping where I’ve memorized should get us through safely.

It seems like I haven’t developed dementia yet, as I crossed without forgetting anything in the middle.

Now, if only Mijeong crosses, it’ll be over.

“Hey! Hurry and come over!”

“…Huh?”

When I look back,

At the end of the corridor, a goblin with its body cut in half, only the upper body remaining, pulls back a bowstring.

As soon as it releases the arrow, it loses consciousness and falls.

Tough bastard.

The arrow that flew swiftly embeds itself in the platform right in front of Mijeong.

“…Ah.”

As the platform collapses, Mijeong’s body drops down below.