1.
On the way back to the estate.
Ruby, who had been utterly thrilled, fell fast asleep in the carriage.
She was actually snoring too. It was louder than I expected, but...
Snore...
This should stay a secret, right...?
Probably.
And so the otherwise silent carriage raced hard toward the estate.
Honestly, I was a little nervous. It was late at night, and with Dolores gone, I worried about what would happen if a band of thieves showed up.
Of course, Ruby would beat them up herself, but she was still a student.
But then.
As expected... once the carriage set off, mounted soldiers rode alongside us.
Behind us and at our sides.
I had wondered why they had been following us since our departure, but the coachman explained that they were an escort Dolores had hired separately.
Thanks to that, I could relax, close the window, and lie down.
I pulled Ruby’s head toward my shoulder so it would not bang against the window frame as it swayed.
"Snore..."
Ruby squirmed a little before soon going quiet again.
Some time passed, and the darkness outside began to turn into the dim light of dawn.
"We’ve arrived."
I opened my eyes at the coachman’s voice.
"...Carry me."
"...Huh? Oh. Okay."
I was still half-asleep, so I answered first.
But who was carrying whom...? Hey, hey! You’re taller than me!
Thud.
"Urk."
She was way too heavy...
Sebas came over, sweating profusely as he offered to help, but Ruby was an adolescent girl, so I carried her all the way myself.
After that grueling workout, I finally laid Ruby on the bed and collapsed beside her.
I knew I ought to wash up and change clothes... but it remained only a thought.
Just sleep.
But.
At that point, there was no one else in the house.
"Huh...?"
Squeeze...
Dolores usually slept between Ruby and me in the middle of the bed.
Without that breakwater, there was no one to stop Ruby’s arm from reaching out in her sleep.
Just like that, I became a doll, crumpled up and buried in Ruby’s embrace.
"Ruby, wait a moment..."
Snore...
Ah.
And somehow, I managed to fall asleep. A few hours later...
Scrub, scrub...
"Ah."
I was squatting in a corner of the workshop, doing laundry.
"Fuck."
Don’t even ask what I was doing.
It had been a while since Dolores’s fashion show last time.
Why did this suddenly happen again?
Was it some kind of backlash from getting taller? Or had something else gotten bigger...?
Anyway, it definitely was not Ruby’s fault.
My bones still ached.
Whoosh...
After hanging Lionel’s underwear on the storage room window frame, I returned to the workshop.
It was the one spot that was out of sight while still getting plenty of sunlight.
Just then.
Knock, knock.
Creak.
Someone opened the workshop door and entered.
"Lionel, did you sleep well?"
Flinch.
It was Dolores.
She came in right after I finished...
I got to my feet, shaking the water off my hands.
"You’re back?"
"Yes. It seems Ruby is still asleep."
"I guess she was very tired yesterday."
According to Hwiri, working together with spirit generals would have required an enormous amount of mental energy.
That was probably why she was still sleeping.
Of course, talking about myself was fine, but...
"How did it go?"
I was more curious about Dolores’s side of things.
"I spoke with Camilla. Cordelia has passed the critical point... and she said they should be able to begin Adeline’s treatment as well."
"Ah..."
That was a relief. It seemed like everything had gone exactly as they wanted, but...
Camilla said she planned to remain at the garden for the time being and devote herself to treating the two of them.
I nodded as I listened to the explanation, but...
"...Was it not enough?"
"Hm?"
"No, I was just thinking about the equipment..."
This equipment had been made specifically for her.
On top of the performance I had designed, it contained Camilla’s abilities and even the things she had desperately wished for.
Still, it was strange that the treatment had not been completed immediately even with that.
Should I enchant it, too?
If its performance was insufficient, perhaps its enhancement was lacking...
Just as I was thinking that—
"And, Lionel."
"Yes?"
Dolores looked down at me with an odd expression.
"Camilla asked me to make sure I passed something along to you."
"To me?"
Something she wanted to tell me?
I waited for Dolores’s next words...
"...She said her aunt is grateful to you."
"Ah... yes, of course."
That was nice.
It always felt good to be thanked.
"I’m glad she’s putting it to good use."
I smiled and nodded.
"And this is a gift she can give you in a hurry for now."
"A gift?"
Riiip.
Dolores slashed a finger through the air, opening a subspace.
Then Mom took out a box as large as my head and set it down on the workbench.
It was tightly locked, and it looked extremely valuable.
Tap.
Click.
Dolores tapped the lock with her finger, and the box opened.
Inside lay a blue ore as large as my head...
"...Huh?"
Clouds were moving inside the transparent stone, which could have been called either ore or a gemstone.
I initially thought the workshop lights were merely reflecting off its surface... but something white was definitely flowing inside it.
─────────────────
[Blue Cloudstone] [★★★★★]
[Do you wish to control air currents?]
『A stone born from the sky. Its very nature is different.』
─────────────────
"Wait, you’re giving me this?"
Hell yeah!!
A five-star material just fell into my lap!!!
I looked back and forth between the box and Dolores.
"Camilla said she was sending what she had on hand first. Once the matter is settled, she said she will repay you properly."
"I see."
I was not going to refuse compensation anymore.
Welcome. Please give me more of this stuff.
Up until now, looking at the rankers... no, the Dawn Apostles, it was clear that each of them had stashed away precious materials like this.
"Please tell her I’ll put it to good use..."
"Of course."
I could not stop the corners of my mouth from rising.
Was this blessing coming my way because I did laundry first thing in the morning?
"Lionel, then enjoy your time..."
"Yes."
Perhaps she was a little tired, because Dolores smiled faintly and turned to leave.
"I’ll dry them properly and fold them for you, okay?"
"Yeah, yeah."
"Hehe."
My mind was already completely occupied by the Blue Cloudstone, so I answered absentmindedly.
What should I use this for?
For now, it was incredibly... clear, hard, and transparent.
Thump, thump.
"..."
But... as I stared at the ore and thought over her words...
Wait a second.
"...What?"
Huh?
Dry what?
When I turned my head, Dolores had already disappeared.
"...Ah."
Clatter! Creak!
I hurriedly threw open the storage room door.
But the underwear I had hung there... Lionel’s underwear was already gone.
"Ah."
Wow.
She caught me.
My face blazing red, I returned to the workshop and flopped down.
Only after pressing my forehead against the Blue Cloudstone for a long while to cool myself down could I finally come to my senses.
This was kind of cool...
"..."
Once I had calmed down somewhat, I forced the thought from my mind and considered my next piece of equipment again.
Right now, there were two possible directions.
The first was making an accessory for Ruby.
I had initially considered a ring, but...
"It seems a little questionable."
After looking into it further with Yuna...
apparently, rings were rather dangerous accessories for people who worked out.
They could get caught in equipment or put pressure on the fingers.
The same went for a spear user.
Not only silk gloves, but the ring itself would be a considerable burden, and it could alter her sense of touch.
So there was a high chance that putting anything on her hands would hinder Ruby...
That was the conclusion.
Which left the second direction.
Following my convictions.
Even though I had spoken to Ruby about enchantments, I had never told her I was making her equipment.
There was no way for her to know... and delaying it a little would not hurt her feelings.
So... I could move its priority down a slot for now.
I looked at the Blue Cloudstone on the workbench.
This precious five-star ore right in front of me.
I should look for the best possible equipment that could make use of it.
First, I needed to see what this thing did well.
I would examine its weight, hardness, durability, mana content, and everything else to find its most suitable use.
If, after considering it all, accessories turned out to be the best match?
Then it would naturally become Ruby’s.
Besides, since I was unemployed, making one piece of equipment would not throw my schedule off by much.
Let’s do this.
"All right, let’s inspect you."
I first took out my handmade scale and placed the Blue Cloudstone on it.
Ten hours passed.
Fuck.
"...Ha."
About ten sheets of paper covered in my scribbles were piled up on the workbench.
Some were even written on both sides because I ran out of room.
I tested how well it endured fire using the methods of the Heirs of Fire...
and I also examined its internal grain using the methods of the Children of the Forest.
I used every test and appraisal method I knew to find out exactly what this thing was capable of.
"Conclusion."
First, its weight.
This thing was insane.
It was quite heavy by default, but the instant I brought a mana stone near it, it became as light as a feather.
Right. Just like its name, Blue Cloudstone.
It could become as light as a cloud.
Second, durability.
It would not even scratch when I scraped it with an iron nail.
The same went for when I struck its edge with Dawn Bringer.
Clang!
But what was even stranger came next.
When you strike a stone, the impact should travel back into the handle, right?
No matter if it was Dawn Bringer, some of that force should have returned...
But with this thing, none of it came back at all.
I mean, there was only so hard I could hit it with my strength...
But it did not feel like striking a stone. It felt more like I had simply swung through empty air.
I found out why during the third test, when I examined the interior using the methods of the Children of the Forest.
The clouds floating inside the transparent ore.
Thump...
The instant I struck it, the internal grain trembled and those clouds moved rapidly.
They rushed in a wave toward one side...
Whoooosh...
Wind burst out from the opposite side of the ore.
"...What the fuck?"
So...
when it received an impact, it converted that force into wind and expelled it?
If I laid out all of those traits...
the equipment that suited this material was...
"Not an accessory, at least."
I squatted down and began to think.
Honestly, I might have already reached a conclusion in my head.
Maybe I was only pretending to deliberate.
Namely...
"A sword."
The uniform sword I had seen yesterday kept flashing through my mind.
Why?
Because it had been so plain and boring.
It was the king of all weapons, yet it was only that impressive despite being a four-star item. What a shame.
How would I have made it?
If I made a thin blade from Blue Cloudstone,
it could become light when mana was poured into it and swung, while any impact from a clash could be diverted away as wind.
My first sword.
Just thinking about it made my heart race.
But there was a problem...
"Who would this sword be for?"
When I make equipment, I imagine its intended user and obsessively study them.
That was how I could make equipment with a high compatibility rating.
But right now, there was not a single person around me who used a sword.
So no matter how much I wanted to make a sword...
"Who would I make it for?"
There was no one I could hand it to...
Then one person came to mind.
I had forgotten about her because we had not formed a personal connection yet.
There was someone.
"Seren."
Seren... Seren...
Seren de Lumiere.
Ah, but this was awkward too.
"Seren uses a greatsword."
The idea I had just come up with was rather different.
And she did not just carry any greatsword—she carried a zweihander taller than she was.
Besides, moving her up in the order this abruptly also felt a bit much.
Scratch, scratch.
"...Should I just ask her?"
It was then.
[Brother, is that offer still valid...?]
"What offer?"
Yuna called me.
[The one where you told me to let you know if anything came up.]
"Yeah, it’s still valid."
Yuna then brought up an article in front of me.
[Breaking News] [Cordelia Rosenfelt leaves the Company climbers]
"...Huh."
I read the headline again.
Then I quickly read through the article as well.
It said that after recovering, Cordelia had personally expressed her intention to leave.
"Isn’t this fake?"
It could have been a gossip article, or one of those outlets that published things without verifying them...
[I looked into it briefly. The head of this press outlet is one of the Dawn Apostles.]
"..."
None of the Dawn Apostles I knew ran a company.
If that was the case...
"Then it’s someone I don’t know."
[Yeah. So I think we can trust what the article says.]
Then the news had not been released by the Company.
"...One of the Dawn Apostles gathered at the garden—one of Dolores’s colleagues—must have personally confirmed it with Cordelia and reported it?"
The article had gone up only thirty seconds ago.
I had not expected the world to change this much in ten hours.
"What about an announcement from the Company?"
The departure of the number-one-ranked climber would naturally cause enormous repercussions.
[Nothing yet.]
Then should I look at people’s reactions first?
I closed the article and opened the community.
[Did Cordelia really leave the Company?]
[Rank 1 leaves her team lmao]
[She ran the second she woke up lmao]
[I seriously don’t get why the Company is the only one getting blamed when they treated her]
[The Company is fucking doomed]
Every time I refreshed, a stream of new titles pushed the old ones down.
And people were fighting in the comments at an absurd speed.
"Wow, this is on fire."
As expected of the rank-one climber, the central figure of the community’s faction wars, the community’s activity surged in an instant.
How long had I been watching when...
[Oh? The Company put out a statement.]
"Already?"
I read the new post Yuna brought up.
The Company must have been desperate, because it was not even an article...
They had pinned a notice right in the middle of their homepage.
I quickly read its contents.
[We sincerely congratulate climber Cordelia Rosenfelt on regaining consciousness.]
The first line was harmless enough.
But then.
[Our Company has provided medical treatment and climbing support to ensure that climbers can continue their activities over a long period of time. Considering the trust we have built together, we find it deeply regrettable that immediately upon her recovery, she expressed her intention to leave unilaterally and without any discussion.]
"..."
Huh.
Wait a minute...
[We are particularly concerned whether an announcement made while she is still in need of sufficient rest reflects her sound judgment...]
Ah, I see.
[The Company has not held climber Cordelia personally responsible for the failed raid. Nevertheless, at a time when we must work together to address the aftermath of that failure, is it truly responsible to leave without any explanation toward her colleagues and affiliated organization... ]
[We place the climber’s health above all else and await a conversation. We hope that climber Cordelia will also take into account the concerns of the colleagues who have stood beside her until now.]
After reading that much, I understood perfectly.
I was certain now.
Cordelia really had left the Company.
And the Company...
was framing Cordelia as a bitch who had stabbed them in the back after they barely managed to treat her.
The words sounded pretty, but this was practically an attempt to bury her.
And responsibility?
What a joke. How about you assholes gave her some decent equipment?
Sure enough, the community reactions were also...
[So she’s the queen of backstabbing?]
[First time I’ve ever felt bad for the Company, fuck lmao]
[I am not happy at the Company....]
[[Web Message] You must respect me, I am rank one and have countless individual achievements....]
Posts criticizing Cordelia came pouring in.
I did not know whether they were paid commenters the Company had spread around, or people who had been stirred up after reading the notice.
But there was one thing I knew.
"She definitely left."
Just look at the way they were acting.
It was like watching someone badmouth an ex who had left them, writing pathetic posts about her.
"...How disgusting."
The Company.
I had not expected them to be this disgusting.
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