Chapter 140 : Trials (Part 1)

After what happened, Rei had to stay in the manor until he finished the sword.

But what's more surprising is that...

*TING*

*TING*

He didn't stop swinging his hammer for 3 days straight, without a rest, without sleep, and without eating.

He didn't stop his focus for one second a bit, he continued to swing his hammer, setting out the flame to the perfect temperature and forging the weapon.

Osgar, the owner of the workshop, watched this young man's dedication from up close.

And after that 3 days, Vincent, the head of the Sigebehrt family, had come to visit.

"He hasn't rested for that long?!" Vincent shouted when he heard the news from Osgar, as they stood right in front of the workshop.

The door was sealed behind Osgar and they could hear the clashing sound of a metal.

"Yes, sir, he didn't sleep nor touch the food he was given. He just swung that hammer again and again." Osgar spoke.

Vincent sighed as he was distress that his guest didn't care of himself and that made him worried.

"Unbelievable... then! Is he still working on the Sword of Dawn?!" Vincent spoke as he wanted to get inside the workshop room.

But Osgar stopped him by standing before him, "Do not worry, sir, the sword was done long ago."

"Huh?? What do you...."

*THUD*

Then Osgar gave Vincent a sheathed sword, "He gave me a message for you, [treat it well next time, if it broke, just bring it to me]." Osgar relayed Rei's message to him.

Vincent was surprised when he held the sword. It didn't seem to change more than usual, but when he gripped the sword handle..

He could tell how different it was from what it used to be.

'No way...'

*CLINK*

Vincent unsheathed the sword, revealed the true form, from the rusted and covered in dirt…

*SHING*

Into a brilliant sword, the blade had a more vibrant steel color as it seemed to glow in the dark, the handle of the sword was golden and there's a symbol of the Sigebehrt carved on it.

Just like the name, the Sword of Dawn. The color of when the sun slowly set could be seen from the blade itself.

'I can feel it...this sword isn't what my father used to show me.'

'But...this one looks more alive. Is this what the true [Sword of Dawn, Grand] looks like!'

'But to make sure of it...I need it to be appraised.' Vincent still have tiny bits doubt that is this the same sword that he gave it to him.

Then Vincent looked at Osgar, hinting of what he want, but Osgar immediately shook his head.

"My apologies, sir. I don't think I can appraise such a weapon." Even without him saying it, Osgar knew what his master want it.

"But I am sure...that is the Sword of Dawn, Grand since I have been watching him, continue to hold that sword and forging it without stopping."

Vincent was surprised by his words, "....?! Even so, how is that even possible? you are our best blacksmith." Vincent spoke.

Osgar shook his head again, "I know, but I don't think that title fits me anymore, with him around...it opened my eyes to whole new world." He spoke.

"I see..." Vincent could feel his legs almost gave out from shock, 'To think he is this skilled to fix this weapon that no one ever could...'

'...?!' Until he realized something.

"Wait, if the sword is done, what is he doing right now?" Vincent gulped as he became more curious since Rei haven't coming out despite the sword is done.

"Currently, he is now still using the workshop." Osgar answered.

"Huh?? For what?" Vincent looked at the steel door behind Osgar as he still hearing the clanking sound.

"Right now, he is forging his own weapon." Osgar answered.

"...?!" Vincent continued to be surprised by what he said.

"His own weapon?" Vincent repeated his words.

"Correct." Osgar answered.

'Not only he able to fix this sword, he is now forging his own weapon?!' Vincent couldn't help to feel nervous at this moment.

'He is already that strong and skilled at forging.'

'...?!'

'Then! If he is also that skilled, his weapon is might more powerful than [Grand]?!' Vincent thought.

Then Vincent gulped down his dry saliva once more,

'Dear god....what kind of monster did you send me.'

But then he couldn't help but laugh because of the thought of Rei forging his own weapon, it made him curious what will it be for the final result.

******

The next day…

*CREAK* *PSHHHH*

The steel door of the workshop was opened, releasing this large amount of smoke.

Vincent and Gilbert already stood there and had been waiting for this young man's arrival.

Rei walked out from there without his helmet, his face looked like a mess and his eyes covered in dark bags, meaning that he hadn't slept over four days straight.

Rei yawned as he noticed their presence, "You guys are waiting for me?" Rei spoke while yawning once again.

Gilbert nodded his head, "Yes, we were waiting for you, Crimson-san."

"I see...so the preparation is done?" Rei asked him as he already expecting that.

Gilbert were surprised that he still managed to thought about that, "Y-yes! The preparation for the next expedition is going great, we just need your approval and plan for it to be finished."

Rei yawned again "I see..."

But they looked confused as they looked at his messy appearance. He didn't bring anything out.

"Ummm, Crimson-san... May I ask?" Gilbert began to feel curious.

"Hm? What is it?" Rei asked.

"Where is the weapon that you had forged?" Gilbert asked out of curiosity.

Vincent just stay quiet beside him, despite he was curious as well.

"Well, ummm, hmmm." Rei take quite a lot of time to think, "Sorry young master, but I can not reveal it yet."

"Huh?? Why?" Gilber asked once again.

Then Rei smiled at him, "Since this weapon....is quite dangerous after all." He answered him as his eyes glinted for a moment.

And that made them trembling for a moment.

"...?!"

Then Rei clapped his hand to shook the heavy atmosphere around them, "But can I get some sleep and food?" He spoke with smile as then he sluggishly walking past them.

Vincent who froze on the spot immediately realized that Rei already went pass through them. "Y-yes, Gilbert, can you help Crimson-san to his room." Vincent spoke.

Gilbert was the same as he couldn't help to feel pressured by his presence alone. "Y-yes, father." He immediately answered him as he followed Rei to escort him to his room.

Vincent looked at their back and sighed, "What was that all about?" Then he shook his head, "I guess the expedition will be going well."

Until, Osgar came out from the workshop.

"Oh, Osgar, how are you—hm?!" Then he was surprised after seeing Osgar's expression.

The way he looked, as if he was drained down and horrified yet also so shocked he almost fell on his feet.

"Osgar! What happened to you?!" Vincent helped him to stand.

"Oh...sir, my apologies for troubling you." Osgar spoke while shaking his head.

"It's okay, but what happened?"

Osgar looked hesitant to answer him, "I saw it....I saw it!"

"Saw what?! What did you see?!" Vincent become more worried of his mental.

"...the weapon that Crimson-san forged."

"...?!" Vincent widened his eyes, "You saw it?! T-then what does it look like?!"

Osgar shook his head, "I...cannot comprehend it, it's beautiful and yet it looks ominous...I cannot describe it." Osgar explained.

"Ominous? Did he create a [Cursed] weapon?" Vincent spoke.

"No...it's more than that." Osgar gulped, "It's as if...a manifestation..."

"...of the Chaos itself."

With those words alone, Vincent could tell...

'This might be an ominous sign, but...I don't know whether this is a good thing or a bad thing.'

*******

'Well...I still don't know that yet, but I am unsure of this.' Vincent thought of it again when he seen such sight what in front of him now.

*MUNCH* *MUNCH*

At this time, they are in the dining room where Rei was sitting down, surrounded with luxurious and large portions of food.

Meanwhile, Vincent and Gilbert watched him in disbelief.

'He is...the same age as me, right?' Gilbert thought while watching him gobbling all that food alone.

Then Vincent coughed to get his attention, "Ahem, Crimson-san, my apologies to interrupt you at this time."

Rei looked at him while holding his food, "Hm?"

"It's about the expedition, we are planning to start it 3 days from now, if that's okay with you." Vincent spoke in a formal way as if he wasn't the boss here.

"Sure." But Rei just agreed to him.

"Huh?? Are you sure? You don't need anything to add on?" Vincent asked to assure his answer.

"No, I have prepared enough, I mean you already prepared our carriage and lent some soldiers to be on this expedition right?"

"Yes, that's true, we lend you 10 mages, 15 warriors and 5 priests, since we have limited ration and fighting power in the city, this is the best that I could do." Vincent answered.

"Then I'm thankful for that, we'll do the ration by hunting alone."

"But for the soldier, 5 Mage, 5 Warriors and 2 Priest would be fine." Rei suggested.

"Huh? Will that be enough?" Vincent asked to assure what he said.

"Yes, it is enough, since we have splendid S-Class Adventurers on our side." Rei answered him.

"Hmmm, could you tell me the reason?" Vincent trying to dig in the information bit by bit that Rei trying to hide.

"Hmmm, well, the reason is that we can reduce the casualty and the strength of the monster we are about to fight." Rei answered him while taking a bite of his food.

"The casualty and the strength of the monster?" Vincent asked since he was confused by his phrase.

"Could you tell us, what are we facing?" Gilbert decided to ask.

Then Rei licked on top of his lips to clean the mess from his messy eating,

"Well the first thing, is that the location on the next expedition regarding the The Three Great Evil, is at the [Ancient Cemetery]."

"[Ancient Cemetery]?" Gilbert asked.

"Yes, it is a place that was once lost and buried due to climate change by the Eternal Freeze curse."

"So after a Temple...now a Cemetery?" Vincent muttered.

"Yeah, it does sound weird isn't it?" Rei spoke.

"Yeah...that's true." Gilbert couldn't help to agree.

But then Rei smirked, "But for me, I don't think so." As he spoke.

"Huh? Why do you think so?" Vincent asked.

Then Rei take a bite of a big piece of chicken, "Ahmp...Mmmm~ Mmmm~"

*GULP*

"There was a saying, that life and death are one side of a coin, we can view them when we flip the coin and the one who decided fate was...the human themselves." Rei spoke.

They were curious by his words, but fascinated by his words.

"What does that mean, Crimson-san?" Vincent asked.

"It means, after [Life]...it comes [Death]." Rei spoke.

"....??" They become more confused at this moment.

"You could say, the [Temple] is symbol of [Life] and the [Cemetery] is symbol of [Death], to make it simple." Rei spoke while munching his food.

"It sounds like a riddle, but dow do you know all of this?" Vincent asked.

He looked at them, seeing they were curious about his words.

"Well...the only thing I can say is, the Three Great Evil...is the Trial that was given by my Master." Rei answered.

"Trial, you say?" Vincent repeated.

"Yeah, in order to gain new strength...I have to defeat three of them and pass their Trial." Rei explained while taking another bite of his food.

They were confused since he left out the most important things about it, but since he was talking about his master, The King of Dragons herself, it could be something very important.

"Ummmm...may I know about this Trial?" Vincent gained his courage to ask for it.

Rei was still eating his food, "Mmmm...well there are three Trials, since we know that there's Three Great Evil."

"That's true." Gilbert nodded.

"So, the first trial I faced was the [Trial of Life] that was on the [Ancient Temple]."

"The [Trial of Life]?" Vincent repeated his words.

"Yes, the Trial was to face the guardians that protected the Ancient Temple that belonged to the Goddess of Preservation." Rei explained.

"I heard it from Raven...but to think that Ancient Temple belonged to a forgotten Goddess…"

"Yes, although it is pointless to reminisce about the past, we just need to keep looking forward." Rei spoke.

Then he continued, "So about the Golem that was guarding that place, he was known as the [The First Templar of the Goddess Preservation, Arrangias]."

"Arrangias...isn't that the monster that you fought before?" Vincent asked.

"Yes, it is the same Arrangias, he was someone who once protected this land." Rei explained.

"Along with his two friends..." Rei spoke.

"..." Vincent and Gilbert become more and more curious of this story.

"Two friends...does that mean the other two Great Evil are also once who protected this land too?"

Rei nodded, "Correct, it was a very long long time ago, before your ancestors even stepped foot here." Rei explained.

Then Gilbert stared at him, "You speak as if you have seen it."

Rei smiled, "Nope, I have never seen it..."

"Then?"

"But... I experienced it."

"Experienced it?" Vincent asked.

"Yes, though I can not explain it, since it will be hard for you to comprehend it." Rei explained.

"I see...then these three people were once someone who protected this land, but...how come they fall to become the Three Great Evil?" Vincent asked.

Then Rei stopped eating his food, "Well... it's because of the Greed of you...humans." Rei spoke coldly as the atmosphere changed for a moment.

Vincent and Gilbert shuddered after they felt the pressure coming from his words.

But Rei immediately pulled back his pressure, "My apologies, it was just an unpleasant memory for me."

"So I'd rather not talk about it." Rei spoke.

"I see..." Vincent gulped.

"So, is there anything else?" Rei asked him.

Vincent had no choice but to stop at this moment, since if he asked further it might worsen the mood.

But Gilbert took this chance to ask, "Then...may I know the remaining Trials you're gonna face?" Gilbert asked.

Rei smiled at him, "The remaining Trials are...

"[The Trial of Death]."

"And..."

"[The Trial of Human]."

******

In the next three days, the preparation was finished.

Rei was now meeting with Alicia and the others just right in front of the city gate.

Several carriages were set out, with the soldiers that were lent by the Duke's order.

At this time, Rei wore a full plate black armor underneath his coat, it even covered his arms and hands. The armor was originally based on his previous style, although this one was more slim which leaned more to speed and durability.

'I think it's no problem at all.'

=======================================

[The Black Armor of the Sky Beast]

Grade: Epic

Type: Armor

VITALITY: +100

Durability: 100%

An armor that was created by a monster that was evolved into a being that once ruled the sky, the color darkened by the color of the blood of the monster which could kill everything that it touched.

Skill:

[Miasma Mist]

Active Skill

MP Cost : 200 MP

The user could release miasma surrounding their body, when the enemy touches the user, it will put the enemy into [Poisoned], [Paralyze], [Blind] state while giving the user increasing STRENGTH by 50.

Duration : 240 sec.

Cooldown : 600 sec.

[Hardened Scale]

Active Skill

MP Cost : 100 MP

By the power of the monster that evolved into being that once ruled the sky, it created a strong scale that protects the user from harm. It increased user [Vitality] by 50.

Duration : 240 sec.

Cooldown : 600 sec.

=======================================

=======================================

[Black Armor Boots of the Sky Beast]

Grade: Epic

Type: Boots

AGILITY: +50

Durability: 100%

A pair of boots that was created from the beast that once ruled the sky. It gives the user the ability to move between the power to run in the sky.

Skill:

[Sky Leap]

Active Skill

MP Cost : 50 MP

Maintain Skill : -5 MP/sec.

Cooldown : 200 sec.

Using the power of the sky, it lets its user run through the sky or stand in mid air.

=======================================

'This might be the first time I wore this, even though I made it long ago.' Rei thought of it while looking at his own hand.

"But I guess it fit for me now." Rei muttered.

Meanwhile the leader of the Duke's army began to approach Rei who was in the meeting with his fellow adventurers, he was a male warrior with a big figure and a large sword on his back.

"Are you Crimson?" The male warrior spoke without honorifics.

"Yes?" Rei replied.

Rei who stood there felt he wasn't that tall with his big figure in front of him, but despite that.

'He doesn't seem intimidated by my appearance.' The male warrior thought while looking at him just calmly stood there.

[Remember, do not be deceived by his appearance, he might look weak and cowardly with his full plate armor].

[But behind that, he is a monster that we cannot offend...since that monster is also being backed up by someone of a higher status than mine].

That was the warning that The Duke Vincent gave to him.

'Weak and cowardly...people might say that, but my instinct tells me..'

'That he is dangerous.' The male warrior gulped.

'But...'

"I forgot to introduce myself, my name is Garon, it is an honor to meet you, Crimson." Garon spoke out while extending his hand to him.

Rei just stared at him as he was observing him closely, but then he extended his hand to grab his.

Then he shook their hands.

"I am looking forward to working with you, Garon-san." Rei replied to him

Garon, who shook his hand, suddenly realized something. 'Such a firm grip...even with my hand that is bigger than his, I could tell how strong his muscles and his grip strength were.'

'Duke...my lord, what kind of monster am I facing right now?' Garon could only stay quiet.

Then after they shook their hands, Garon couldn't help feeling nervous in front of him.

Hiba, Hilbert, Ashley and Sharon noticed Garon's expression, as they know what it felt like to be overwhelmed by his presence.

Only Alicia remained oblivious and continued to stare at Rei as she admired him the most.

Finally, the Duke's Son, Gilbert joined them. He wore thick attire, along with armor to protect himself and a sword that Rei himself recognized.

The soldier army, including Garon, immediately stood in line and welcomed Gilbert.

Gilbert, who stood in front of them, immediately approached Rei.

"Crimson-san." Then he bowed his head slightly, "We are ready." He spoke.

All of them were stunned by the sight of a noble, bowing towards this one man.

Rei nodded, "Understood, lead the army, young master." He spoke while tapping his shoulder.

Then Rei left along with the other adventurers to the carriage.

Gilbert couldn't help but feel excited and proud of himself, 'I finally...I can finally prove to my father that I can protect this city.'

Then he faced his army, and began his instruction.

"We shall set out now before dawn arrives! We don't know about the danger that we are going to face! But I promise you! Your name shall be written in history to end this curse!"

"In the name of the Sigebehrt family, I, Gilbert Fei Sigebehrt, will bring you victory!" Gilbert shouted out his voice in the midst of the cold.

Yet the army stood firmly without any complaints or nervous expression.

"Yes sir!" They answered him simultaneously with such proud looks.

Then finally, they set out together to the [Ancient Cemetery].

To be continued...