Chapter 28

"Come in," said Firman as he opened the door.

At first glance, there was nothing particularly special inside. But then, he suddenly pulled up two floorboards, and a soft glow emerged from beneath.

There, sitting calmly, was a beautiful girl. Her flawless, pale skin, long black hair, and dazzling golden pupils gave her an almost otherworldly presence.

"You even brought him here? Is he that special?" the girl asked. From her voice, Aslan recognized her as Alya.

"Whoa, this place is huge. What is it?" asked Aslan.

Alya stepped aside and pointed to a furnace and some blacksmithing tools.

"That should be enough to explain it."

"Wow~ So you can smith too?" Aslan asked Firman.

"Hmm? Ohh, hahaha, not me, buddy. She does the work," Firman replied.

Aslan was surprised. Alya was a girl, and her frame didn't fit the typical image of a blacksmith. His expression must've shown it, because Alya raised an eyebrow.

"Just because I'm a woman doesn't mean I can't craft better gear than that knockoff armor you're wearing," she said, patting his shoulder—specifically, the shoulder guard shaped like a serpent's head.

"Hehehe, sorry for doubting you," said Aslan, scratching his head.

But Alya didn't reply.

Suddenly—

"Whaaa!!" Alya shouted, startling both Aslan and Firman.

They instinctively braced themselves for danger. But as they turned and saw Alya's expression—a mix of shock, excitement, and awe—they realized it wasn't fear. It was pure joy.

"W-What's wrong?" Aslan asked, confused.

Instead of answering, Alya rushed over to him, her eyes locked onto his armor. She gently touched his shoulder piece with near reverence.

"This… This is Seekh's head!" she exclaimed.

"Seekh?" Aslan blinked.

"Yes! A giant serpent that only appears in toxic swamps! Its scales are so tough that even regular swords can't leave a scratch! And you—

—you made it into a shoulder guard?!" she said, her voice rising with disbelief and admiration.

Before Aslan could react, Alya moved on to his arm guard. She tapped on it and gasped again.

"This… this is Exarion! A giant scorpion monster! Its shell is as hard as enchanted steel! You used this for your arm guard too?!"

Aslan looked more lost than ever.

"I… didn't know."

Alya tilted her head.

"What do you mean, 'didn't know'?"

"All this gear… it was inside the pouch my teacher gave me. I never really paid attention to it."

Firman raised an eyebrow.

"So you're telling us you had no idea you were wearing priceless equipment?"

Aslan nodded slowly.

Alya took a deep breath and resumed examining his outfit. Her fingers brushed against the cloth covering most of his body. Her eyes sparkled once again.

"This fabric… it's not ordinary… don't tell me… is this Aracnithea silk?!"

"I… don't know what that is either."

Aslan was clearly overwhelmed.

"Of course you don't!" Alya exclaimed.

"Aracnithea is a giant spider that lives only in the deepest caves. Its silk is stronger than lightweight steel, flexible like silk, and resistant to high temperatures! It's one of the rarest materials for combat gear—

—and you wear it like it's just casual clothing?!"

Even Firman was impressed now.

"Whoa~ so all of his outfit is insanely valuable?"

Alya nodded quickly and then turned her eyes to the mask Aslan had worn earlier. She picked it up and examined it closely.

She gasped again.

"I can't believe this… this isn't just any wood… this is Eldraviq!"

"Eldraviq?" Aslan repeated, still lost.

"A Tier-7 tree… it absorbs magic energy and lives for thousands of years! Its wood is incredibly hard and can only be cut with special techniques. It can even block tors energy detection, meaning no one can sense who's behind the mask. It's not just rare—

—it's legendary!"

Alya stared at Aslan with a wild mix of admiration, jealousy, and excitement.

"Aslan! Who is your teacher?!" she demanded, handing the mask back.

"Just an old, grumpy grandpa," said Aslan as he looked at the mask, a soft expression on his face. He truly didn't know just how much Grandpa Erwin had done for him.

---

"Let's eat," said Firman, floating over some food with telekinesis.

"What did you cook?" asked Alya.

"Monster stew from the ones we killed earlier. Oh yeah, here's your share," he said, tossing a small pouch toward her.

"It's fine, you can have it," Aslan declined.

"Thanks. I'm running low on monster cores anyway," said Firman, grabbing the pouch again.

"Shameless," Alya muttered.

"Hoohh! And whose fault is that? I spent ten years gathering those cores, and you burned through them in one day. Now you're still making me cook. Who's the shameless one now?" Firman shot back.

Alya didn't say a word, quietly digging into her meal.

"Hahaha, you two really do act close. So, how did you meet? Last time I saw Firman, he was alone," said Aslan.

"Hmm… that was two years ago."

---

Flashback from Alya's perspective

I went into the forest to search for my grandfather. Like me, he was a blacksmith. We were running low on materials, and since I was only at Tier-2 back then, he went alone—and didn't return for two days.

Worried, I entered the forest alone. But I ran into a horde of monsters and was nearly killed. That's when I met Firman.

"Do you have a death wish?! This forest is too dangerous for someone like you," he scolded.

"I'm looking for my grandfather. He hasn't come home in two days," I said, sobbing.

"Still, coming here alone is suicide. You could've died today."

"I don't care. I just want to find him."

"I heard rumors in the village. A group of illegal slave traders attacked people in this forest recently. Your grandfather might've been taken," Firman told me.

I was terrified and didn't know what to do. As a Tier-2, there was no way I could face slavers on my own.

"You know… you've got a pretty face. If you agree to bear my child, I'll help you find your grandfather," Firman said with a straight face.

---

Back to the present

"Wait, you promised to have his child just to find your grandfather?" Aslan stared at Firman.

"You bastard! Hold on, that was two years ago—so where's the kid now?"

"There isn't one," Firman replied bluntly.

"Hahaha, we've never done that kind of stuff. At first, I was scared he was just using me. But he promised he'd only ask me to keep that promise after I found my grandfather. So even though we've lived together these two years, Firman has never laid a finger on me," Alya explained.

"For the past two years, he's always protected me. He trained me, taught me how to fight… He's never treated me like an object. And that… that means a lot," she said.

Aslan let out a small breath of relief after hearing her story.

To be continued…