Chapter 85: 84. A Blacksmith's Sense of Responsibility
1.
This made one thing clear...
There was something I had been slightly mistaken about until now.
Everything I had done as a blacksmith... in other words, making equipment, had contained my ego.
That was only natural.
Because I forged them with an intention for what kind of result they would produce and what sort of abilities they would possess...
My intentions and will were always embedded in the finished product.
That was why I felt more attached to them, more familiar with them.
More than anything, they felt like things I could take responsibility for to the very end.
But the latent abilities that emerged from high-level enchantments... honestly, they had little to do with my own opinions or will.
What had just happened made that even clearer.
"Whew."
So far, I had pushed the enchantment to its limit on Silver Palace, Ether Circle, and Dolores's hair tie.
The first two were not items I had made.
So I had learned that I could not control what abilities would emerge at the end of an enchantment or what direction the item would ultimately take.
That was why, unconsciously, I had thought of these items...
Especially Ether Circle.
'Anyone can use it.'
I had thought of it that way quite often.
"I guess I shouldn't have done that."
It had been a careless assumption that if someone used it and felt side effects, they would stop. That they would simply stop using it on their own.
Even if it was not equipment I had made, the moment I laid my hands on it and improved its performance, I gained a certain degree of responsibility for it.
"If I'm a blacksmith..."
I had to take responsibility for it, no matter what. Once I held the hammer, it came from a blacksmith's hands, didn't it?
I could not make it and then shift the blame onto someone else.
First, let's see what happened to the compatibility. Normally, compatibility granted by a latent ability would not change, but... this was an unusual situation.
I opened Yeomhwa's interface and tried on the Circle.
─────────────────
[Ether Circle] [★★★★☆]
[Unique Equipment] [Compatibility] [39 / 80]
[Enchantment Level] [+20]
─────────────────
[The latent ability no longer interferes with the wearer's mana circuits.]
[The +20 latent ability, 'Recursive Chant,' has restructured the circulation of the existing latent ability.]
[Accumulated mana passes through an independent circuit within Ether Circle.]
[The equipment will cause no further damage or long-term side effects. However, already damaged mana circuits require separate treatment and recovery.]
─────────────────
"Thirty-nine."
Perhaps because the equipment's effect itself had completely changed, it was in far better condition.
Its compatibility was comparable to that of Dolores and Silver Palace? It was simply decent.
There would be no problem using it now, and it did not look like it could worsen any further...
In a sense, the after-sales service had ended successfully.
"I should tell her myself."
Jingle.
Holding Ether Circle, I headed for the manor.
But first, Dolores.
"I got it to +20, for now."
"You worked hard, Lionel."
"...Dolores, there's something I need to tell you."
I planned to explain the series of events to Yeomhwa.
Why the bracelet had damaged her body, and that she would need to recuperate from now on.
And naturally, that I was the one who had enchanted it.
The obvious problem was that my identity would be revealed. After all, no one properly knew who I was yet.
When I explained my plan...
Dolores thought for a moment, then nodded.
"...My sisters and I are bound by a precept that prevents us from ever doing anything that would harm one another."
"...I see."
"It would be the same even without the precept, of course."
A precept... That was some pretty strong wording. They naturally trusted each other, but it seemed there was also something more they were required to uphold.
"To be honest, I had long thought that Lionel needed a reliable ally besides me."
"Me?"
"Yes. Because you are far too outstanding, Lionel."
Mama said with a gentle smile.
"The moment that fact becomes known, countless people will covet you."
"..."
"That is why I have not told even my sisters about you until now. I did not think the time was right yet."
Dolores paused for a moment before continuing...
"...Perhaps it was my own selfishness."
She continued with a small laugh.
"There is a limit to how long we can keep you hidden. The right course would be to reveal you gradually."
Dolores looked at the Ether Circle in my hand.
"Little by little, you need to increase the number of people who know your worth but will not exploit you, people you can entrust with your secret."
"..."
"Yeomhwa can certainly become that kind of person."
In other words, since I could not keep the secret forever, I should make more people who were on my side and could share it.
Increase my allies little by little.
Yeomhwa might become one of them.
From what I had seen so far, Dolores was absolutely not someone who trusted people easily.
If Mama was this certain, though, I had no reason to hesitate further.
I took her hand and headed for Yeomhwa's room.
Knock, knock.
"May we come in?"
"Who is it?"
What was with that bright voice?
Had she recovered already?
Creeeak.
When we opened the door, Yeomhwa was sitting propped up against the bed.
Her complexion was a little pale, but the redness in her eyes had faded somewhat... She looked better than before.
"Hi."
Yeomhwa waved at me.
"What a cute kid. Is this Lionel?"
"Yeah."
Dolores, standing beside me, answered.
"About earlier... sorry. I was out of it, so honestly, I barely remember anything. I'll at least give you some spending money. Just a moment..."
"It's all right."
I stopped Yeomhwa as she tried to rummage through her clothes.
As for spending money... well, I had already received more than enough.
"Mmm, but..."
Yeomhwa's eyes rolled around before dropping to my hand.
"Is that my bracelet?"
"..."
Rather than answer, I held up Ether Circle.
"I'm here for after-sales service."
Honestly, calling it after-sales service was a little... Since it was equipment that had not even come with an instruction manual, perhaps a recall would have been more accurate.
"Huh?"
Yeomhwa tilted her head.
"Please take it first."
Rustle.
Along with Ether Circle, I placed the appraisal report I had prepared on the bed.
I had quickly printed it using the appraisal device in Dolores's office.
Yeomhwa first picked up the bracelet and the report.
"...Ether Circle..."
As she read...
Flinch.
"...+20?"
"Yes."
"...What?"
Yeomhwa blinked, then looked at Dolores.
Her gaze darted between me, the bracelet, and Dolores.
"What is this?"
"I'll explain simply."
I just came clean.
"I'm the one who enchanted this Ether Circle to +16."
"..."
"And I'm also the one who just enchanted it to +20."
"..."
Wow.
A person's expression could change this rapidly?
Yeomhwa's eyes turned to Dolores this time, and Dolores nodded silently.
She seemed to think for a moment, trying to process the current situation.
"Is this a dream?"
Riiip...
The seaweed stuck to Yeomhwa's forehead fell off.
"...I'll explain this part."
Dolores, a speaker more credible than I was, stepped in.
She explained it simply. Though I had not known it, all the way from the photograph of the work gloves enchanted to +20 that Dolores had sent in the group chat in the past... up through this Ether Circle, Lionel had been responsible for all of it.
"No, th-th-that doesn't even make se... wow."
Yeomhwa flailed around for nearly five minutes, then pointed at me as if she could not believe it.
"So this cute little kid is the one who enchanted Ether Circle?"
A little kid?
I was fourteen, in my own way.
Nod.
Dolores nodded.
"...Yes."
When I calmly answered...
"So you're the one who turned the Company upside down...?"
Yeomhwa murmured almost to herself, then suddenly opened her eyes wide.
"I bought this, Lionel! I use it really well. Do you know how much it raised my ranking? And you got it to +20? So getting sick gets me gifts like this, huh? I guess people need to get sick once in a while. It was about time for me to get sick anyway."
"..."
Just having a conversation with her was draining the life out of me.
She felt different from Isabella. Isabella kept interrupting me whenever I spoke.
Yeomhwa simply gave me no chance to speak at all. I had met about two of Dolores's acquaintances so far.
Neither of them was easy to deal with.
Feeling as though I would lose control of the conversation at this rate, I barely managed to open my mouth.
"But this bracelet is what made you sick, Yeomhwa."
"...Huh?"
Still, once I spoke, Yeomhwa did focus on me.
I explained the matter with the equipment as simply as possible.
The latent ability created by the enchantment and all that... That was too academic.
So I simply explained that Ether Circle did not suit Yeomhwa's mana circuits...
And that problems had occurred because she had overused it without realizing that.
Reaching +20 had changed how the equipment functioned, so the same side effects would no longer occur... but her already damaged body still needed separate treatment.
Yeomhwa did not interrupt even once. She nodded as she listened to my explanation all the way through.
"So..."
Yeomhwa looked down at the bracelet again.
"This little thing made me sick?"
"Yes."
"And the bracelet is fine now—no, it's even better. Honestly, I'm drooling... Sssip... Anyway, my body needs some treatment?"
"Yes, exactly."
Yeomhwa nodded much more calmly than I had expected.
And... this was where I got to my main point.
I bowed my head slightly.
"It was my fault for failing to properly verify and disclose the risks before it was sold. I'm sorry."
"Huh...?"
Yeomhwa tilted her head.
In fact, that was why I had revealed my identity in the first place.
It was equipment that I had worked on and released into the world, and someone had been hurt badly enough to nearly die because of it.
A blacksmith's sense of responsibility.
"Why is a little kid apologizing?"
"Because it was equipment I enchanted and put out there..."
"...Huh? I'm the one who used it because I liked it..."
Yeomhwa let out a soft chuckle and added,
"I'm the kind of person who pushes myself too hard. If my body says it's fine, I do it a few more times."
She raised one finger.
"And if it screams that it's not fine, I only do it two more times."
"That was dangerous."
"I always live dangerously."
If she knew that, why was she like this?
"This time too, I was the one who got excited over its performance and ran myself ragged. It's not like you forced it onto my wrist, right?"
Yeomhwa stretched out her hand toward me.
"And, little guy."
Flinch.
Dolores flinched behind me for a moment, but perhaps she felt Yeomhwa's intentions were not bad, because she did not move any further.
Tap, tap.
Yeomhwa lightly patted my cheek.
"Buying equipment at an auction house... is a gamble to begin with."
"..."
"You prepare yourself to be scammed, and you prepare yourself to lose money. Right, Dolores? You got scammed all the time, didn't you? Her nickname is Sucker."
"...Let's not talk about that."
Dolores answered evenly.
Strict Mama used to be a sucker?
That was a culture shock.
Yeomhwa's eyes curved into crescents.
"..."
"But what about me? I used this equipment to break through a wall. It gave me confidence that I could still climb higher."
Fiddling with the bracelet, she gave a faint laugh.
"I'd been stuck on that floor for three years... and then, in just two days..."
Yeomhwa added as though she found it absurd.
"I've already won a fortune gambling... so it would be kind of strange to turn around and blame the owner now that a problem came up."
"..."
I had not known that buying equipment held that kind of meaning for climbers.
Yeomhwa watched me for a while, then patted my cheek again.
"You found the cause, took the bracelet off before I died, and as if that weren't enough, you got it to +20 in just a few hours."
"..."
"So this is the important part: none of this is your fault."
Yeomhwa spoke firmly.
"Not one bit."
When I could not answer...
Squish, squish.
"You're such a thoughtful little kid."
Yeomhwa gently kneaded both my cheeks.
"...Why is he so cute?"
Grab.
"Enough."
Of course, Dolores stopped her.
All right, for now... I understood what Yeomhwa meant.
Still, I needed to finish saying what I thought.
"Anyway, your circuits are damaged right now."
"Yeah."
"I'll make you a piece of equipment that will help treat them."
"Oh?"
Healing her completely would be the doctors' job, but I could certainly make equipment that would aid her treatment and speed her recovery.
"This time, it will be suited specifically to you, Yeomhwa."
I was going to make the equipment Yeomhwa needed.
At last, Lionel Workshop's first equipment commission.
Not an accessory, and not a divine relic.
Custom equipment designed for one person alone.
Not Dolores, and not Ruby, but a complete outsider.
My first customer.
"You'll be my first outside commission."
"..."
Yeomhwa blinked rapidly.
Naturally, just hearing that might not be enough, so I needed to show her my portfolio...
Past equipment flashed through my mind.
Wait... Ruby had the weapon, but she was at a social gathering right now.
What I could show her immediately was...
"...Just a moment."
Still holding my goggles in my hand after taking them off, I approached Dolores and whispered in her ear.
"...!"
Dolores's face instantly turned red, and she flinched...
In the end, she reluctantly grasped her clothes.
Rustle...
Beneath the clothes she lifted slightly, Spring Breeze Carrying Fire revealed itself.
"Huh? You're suddenly stripping... What? It's pretty..."
Along with Yeomhwa's admiration, I declared confidently,
"I made this."
That was a shocking statement.
Of course, I was not going to make underwear this time.
Yeomhwa's eyes moved to Dolores.
"Is that true, Elysia?"
"...Yeah."
"..."
Squeeze...
Yeomhwa grabbed both of my hands and leaned forward.
Blue eyes suddenly drew close enough to be right in front of me, staring straight at me.
"Lionel, I'm in your care."
"Yes."
"Make it red."
"Pardon?"
"Like that one."
"...?"
For the moment, I cleared up the minor misunderstanding.
I told her that what I would make this time would not be underwear.
Yeomhwa seemed a little disappointed.
Why?
Anyway, it had been decided that I would make equipment for Yeomhwa.
The three of us headed to the garden to test the newly +20 Ether Circle first.
Thanks to the seaweed's treatment, Yeomhwa seemed to have recovered enough to walk on her own.
That did not mean she was completely fine, though.
Dolores was still holding Yeomhwa's arm.
"Only one test, with the weakest spell possible."
"I'm fine—"
"Will you?"
"Yep."
She was so well-behaved in front of Dolores.
We stopped before a tree at the end of the garden.
"So, cast a spell once."
Yeomhwa looked down at Ether Circle.
"Then I just have to think about casting the exact same spell one more time?"
"Yes."
"Got it."
Yeomhwa extended her index finger.
Red energy gathered at her fingertip before condensing into something the size of a bean.
"Bang."
Bang!
A red bullet shot out and embedded itself in the tree.
It made a hole roughly one finger joint deep in the bark.
That instant...
Hummm...
The bracelet around Yeomhwa's wrist glowed.
"Um... bang?"
Once again, red mana automatically gathered beside Yeomhwa.
Bang!
It embedded itself right beside the tree. The hole was a little smaller, though.
"..."
"..."
Well, not bad.
"...Oh, fuck."
But Yeomhwa's reaction was far more intense.
Yeomhwa stared wide-eyed at the bracelet...
"Lionel, want to sign an exclusive contract with me?"
She beamed at me and held out her hand, but...
"Absolutely not."
Dolores cut her off immediately.
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