Chapter 189 - City of Blacksmiths (2)

Bastopol, the capital of the Baranov Duchy.

This city, settled on cold and proud cliffs, gave the feeling of being disconnected from the world.

"Still, the streets are better maintained than I thought. Clean enough for carriages to pass through."

As Vlad had said, although the cliffs imposed an inevitable slope, the streets were clearly paved.

And they weren't just simple paths, but well-maintained roads hard to find anywhere else.

Vlad found the sensation of the rough stones under his shoes quite refreshing.

"When I saw it from afar, I thought the road would be in bad condition because it was on a cliff."

"But it's still a duchy. If we just look at the size, it's a much larger city than Sturma."

The city of Bastopol wasn't located in a place with good climate for people to live in, but it was also a secure city.

From the most perfect era of dragons to the present era.

The northern city, said to have never been captured for hundreds of years, was a city worthy of prosperity as it had survived for so long.

"But don't you think making such well-built roads would make it easier for attack? Maybe there's no longer a reason to locate in hard-to-reach places?"

"Really?"

Vlad had started thinking from a commander's perspective, but Rutiger simply smiled quietly.

"Well, there was a time when I thought that too."

Sometimes, experience is worth more than ten explanations.

Rutiger, who knew this well from firsthand experience, didn't bother explaining it to Vlad.

"Raise the flag. We'll soon reach the castle gate."

As they moved away from the winding cliff road, they could finally see the castle gate of Bastopol in the distance.

They had been traveling for exactly three weeks since Soara.

When they finally arrived, the Iron City, capital of the Forge, still shone and reflected sunlight, even from afar.

"Hm?"

"Now you see."

However, unlike when seen from a distance, there were things he could see as they approached.

Examining the smooth and shiny surface of the castle wall, which didn't seem to be made of stone, Vlad widened his eyes.

"Why is it called the Iron City? The answer is right there."

The dark gray stones that Vlad vaguely thought were stones were actually not.

They were entirely made of steel.

Even looking up, the castle walls, which were difficult to see with the naked eye, were filled with steel.

"...What the hell is that?"

The dark gray walls of the castle gleamed from afar.

Now that he knew the reason, Vlad simply stared at the walls of Bastopol without even thinking about raising his flag.

The great steel city approaching beyond the bounds of common sense was leaving deep marks on Vlad's world.

***

"Finally, everyone has arrived."

There was a man standing alone by the window, his back to him, slowly sipping his drink.

Timur, the Iron Lord, watched from afar as the procession approached his mansion beyond the castle gate and brought the glass to his lips.

"Fortunately, thanks to Baron Alicia, we will be able to organize the meeting."

"That's right, Duke."

The mage Fernand, who was also in the office, nodded at Timur's words.

The Northern Council had long been composed of seven families, but it lost one of its ancient pillars due to the extinction of Baron Utman.

However, it was clearly a happy thing for Timur, as Hainal filled the unpleasant vacant position at just the right time.

"...Is the seal still active?"

"Yes, Duke. It's getting worse as time goes by."

However, there was a reason why Timur couldn't easily smile now.

The uncontrolled presence of dragon fragments, much more aggressive than during Lindworm's call, was the reason.

This warning, like a signal, also indicated that the possibility of a dragon was intensely approaching the city at this moment.

"Blond hair and blue eyes... And the possibility of a dragon coming."

Timur's eyes, which had paused on his tinkling wine glass, suddenly began to look towards the procession that had arrived in front of the mansion.

Where his eyes landed, there was a blond knight reaching out to a woman with light blue hair.

"Well, if that's the case, then I suppose I can understand what has happened so far."

Timur, who had been silently observing Vlad, nodded as if he finally understood.

There are no results without reason.

After only a few years of wielding the sword, he became a knight and used Aura.

And the unique talent to draw his own world and overlay it onto reality was a talent Timur knew had never existed before.

"Get ready. I want to see it for myself."

"Understood."

The old mage silently bowed his head at Timur's words and dispersed like smoke.

"...That tree was as dazzling as its color."

However, the tree he had seen in Moshiam was too beautiful to be simply classified as a residue of a fierce dragon.

The golden glow still lingering in Timur's eyes proved that if they had just painted it, it would never have come out.

"I hope not."

There was one last sip from the glass he held.

Timur raised his tinkling glass and looked at Vlad from a distance, frowning as if he were disappointed.

***

The group passed through the gates of Bastopol and arrived at the Smith's mansion, now divided according to their respective banners.

The seventh banner begins to rise slowly alongside the six banners waving over the mansion. High day.

Now, at the moment when he had to move only under Hainal's banner, not under Rutiger's guidance, Vlad felt so many eyes on him and shuddered.

"Baron Hainal of Deirmar! Welcome to Bastopol!"

The mansion door slowly opens with a hearty welcome.

Beyond there was a wide garden path that seemed capable of accommodating several carriages moving at the same time.

[You can't do it now.]

"..."

[Ask yourself why you're here, Vlad.]

And as if they were waiting, even the knights lined up on either side of the well-kept path seemed ready.

On the surface, it looked like a crowd welcoming Alicia, but there was a sharpness among them that was hard to ignore.

"Lord Vlad?"

Duncan, the old knight holding Hainal's banner in front of him, silently looked at Vlad.

His innocent appearance, as if he felt nothing.

Several of the young knights lined up didn't bother to hide their mocking towards the old knight who couldn't even feel his own world.

[Anyone who wields a sword surely has a burning desire to win. So, pay no attention to their provocations.]

If you wield a sword, you're a swordsman.

However, if you have a duty beyond the sword you wield, you're a knight.

To fulfill his duty, Vlad tried to ignore the provocative glances and quietly knocked on the door of the carriage in which Alicia was traveling.

"I'm here. Baron Alicia."

"It's fine."

With Vlad's signal, the carriage door began to silently open.

The knights' eyes had been shining just a moment ago, but as soon as the carriage door opened, everyone around was instantly distracted by the watery shimmer that poured out as if melting.

"Thank you for your hard work accompanying me here. Lord Vlad."

"No problem, Baron."

Those who are currently looking forward with great anticipation probably don't know.

Perhaps those who were staring right now wouldn't know. That even now, Alicia's radiance, which couldn't take her eyes off her, wasn't shining with all its splendor due to the long journey.

"So, could you pave the way for me one last time?"

At Alicia's request to pave the way for her, Vlad quietly nodded.

He was under Hainal's banner here, not on behalf of Aureo.

"I'm here to do it for you, Baroness."

It was Aureo who was invited, but at this point, I am Lady Alicia's knight.

Under Hainal's waving banner, Vlad reached out to Alicia.

[You can do it now.]

However, it's not enough to just be good.

To pave the right way for Alicia as she hoped.

"…Ugh!"

"Mmm..."

Duncan, holding Hainal's banner, began to wonder when he saw the knights suddenly stagger.

However, if he had looked back even for a moment while he was very nervously raising the flag, he would have completely understood the current situation.

"Everyone bows."

"It's a show of respect to Hainal."

"I'm glad. I was worried we would be looked down upon."

According to ancient tradition, a knight spreads his cloak for a noble lady.

Vlad, who had blocked any insults that could reach her through my cloak, now silently recalled his own world through his closed left eye.

"Let's go. Baron Alicia."

Following Vlad's lead, Alicia began to walk slowly towards the Steel Smith's mansion.

The knights of the North nodded as she moved forward.

Seeing their hospitality, Alicia began to whisper quietly.

"It was a good idea to ask you to come."

Although there was no Hainal tree in this place at this moment, Alicia was still standing under it.

The color of the tree was golden.

It wasn't particularly large, but clearly, it was a tree that would reach high.

***

"Master Yahang! Master Yahang! Come and see this!"

The loud voice of a man began to echo across the island where only seagulls peacefully floated.

"Ah! If you're inside, just say so!"

"...I told you. Your voice, like a boiling pot, is killing me."

The elderly dwarf named Yahang looked disgustedly at Sigurd and his crew, who came running towards him, and shook his head disdainfully.

"I thought after a bit of fresh air, you might relax a bit, but it seems not."

"I've lived like this my whole life, what's a few months? Anyway, take a look at this."

Sigurd, who had returned from his mission, should have informed the tribe chief first, but the first person he sought out was the elderly dwarf named Yahang.

"A furnace? Why this?"

"It seems your eyes are also getting unpleasant with age."

As if he no longer wanted to waste any more time, Sigurd hastily took off his glasses and handed them to the elderly dwarf.

"Look now. Can you see it?"

"What good is an old blast furnace?"

The old dwarf, seeing that Sigurd seemed even more impatient than usual, began to adjust his glasses by turning the screw on the side of the frame.

----!

"Eh?"

Suddenly, he saw a small tail.

The old dwarf startled as he made eye contact with a small lizard hidden in an old blast furnace.

"What... is this?"

"Is it him? No, we've only seen it in books, never in person before..."

"What is this?!"

Upon hearing the old dwarf's sudden cry, the young lizard quickly hid inside the blast furnace.

The tail kept moving, as if all it had to do was hide its head.

"Where did you get this from!"

As Sigurd watched the old dwarf gradually lose composure, he became convinced he had brought the right thing.

"I guess it's true. Salamander."

Sigurd began to smile as he watched the old countryman shake hands with him.

Long ago, there was a dwarf furnace said to be able to melt anything.

However, the heat of the furnace did not come from burning something.

It was able to melt anything because it was born with heat.

"But Master Yahang, before going to report to the chief, I have a question."

Since confirmation had been completed, it was time to report.

However, the old dwarf embracing the old furnace was already completely absorbed in the young lizard inside.

"Well. Go on, you're such a kind one."

"...Perhaps you've made daggers for humans before? During your days as a slave in the west a long time ago."

"That's right. That's right. I won't harm you."

Looking at Yahang babbling like he was his grandson, Sigurd scratched the back of his head.

"When I was fixing it, although it was a bit worn out, I saw your seal, so I asked you... I'll ask again later."

As Sigurd took the furnace, ready to go see the chief, the old dwarf's eyes began to darken.

"Dagger...?"

The old dwarf began to recall a very ancient memory in response to Sigurd's question, which had been in his ears, but only then entered his mind.

"...I once made some daggers for them."

He couldn't answer because Sigurd was already walking away, but as Sigurd asked, the old dwarf had made some daggers for a human knight in the days when he served as a slave.

Although he couldn't make anything of quality due to his hurried escape, they were daggers with his seal.

Engraved with the promise that if they ever returned, he would make them a proper one.

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