The Regression Of A Grand Mercenary

After we went back to the Amber’s mansion, thing were a bit quiet because everyone was tired for the day.

Just as Evelyn was able to get off the carriage, she quickly went to her room to try and get some time for herself. As for me, I went to my room to gather my thoughts for what has happened on the first day of this festival.

First to consider were the people of this festival. Mainly the royal family and Amelia herself who left me a letter just right before she left.

For the Royal family, the eldest prince himself was what captured my attention the most out of the entire family. And it was not something I would have thought to consider, but throughout all my interactions with him, his eyes were oddly directed at me 90 percent of the time despite the fact that other influential families were gathered around him like the Ambers and the Cottons.

And it wasn’t simply because of the fact that my armor caught his attention, but oddly enough…I could feel that his eyes were looking deep into me like I was hiding a secret of sorts. He was almost desperate to find something from me…

As for the other Royal families, I wasn’t able to encounter them. Although I was able to hear chatter of their names being called out from the other noble families, I never oncce came ot meet them face to face other than their passing at the parade.

But for Velorria, she was a different case entirely.

She was always above the balcony looking down on the entire mass of noble families…and half of the time, her eyes were on me.

I could tell that her stare was almost similar to that of the first prince. They both looked at me as if I was some sort of target….but when things soon settled down, when people were starting to leave, the stares soon faded as well.

Which leaves me with nothing to worry about except for the letter that Amelia gave me.

In the privacy of my own room, I finally had the chance to read the letter. As I pulled it from my pocket, and stared into the envelope, I noticed a familiar symbol pressed against the wax seal. It was the symbol of a cross centered around a golden sun.

This kind of letter only came from one religion.

“…the Alitcrast.”

But why did she gave me a letter that came from said religion when she was kicked out of it?

To this question, I opened the letter and read the contents inside.

“…?!”

I was surprised.

I didn’t really know what to expect of this letter, but after reading it…I instantly found myself burdened yet again with a situation that I want nothing to do about.

The moment I read the entirety of the letter, it was then that it suddenly exploded at a volume of a small fire cracker.

At the same time, out from my window, I could see fireworks also exploding out in the open night air.

It showed the sign of the first day of the spring festival ending.

“…Why would she want me involved in this?” I asked myself as I sighed heavily of the expecting burden to come.

When I sat on my bed, I noticed that a few footsteps were outside of my room. Footsteps that were oddly quiet for even to a maid walking by. It almost seemed like someone was eavesdropping on me.

To not alert them, I used my ability to control the winds and lifted myself off of the floor and near to the door. As I was close enough to reach the door handle, I quickly opened it and noticed a shadow fleeing from the hallway.

It was but a moment, but I caught the scent of the person who left the scene in a hurry.

“…A woman’s perfume.”

As quick as I could, I followed that shadow.

Through the halls, I ran faster than I normally would, passing through the maids and guards who were standing by. Thinking that maybe the one who was spying on me was an enemy, but the faster I sped through the trail she was leaving behind, the more I noticed something was off.

All the trails she was passing about went around the mansion of the Amber’s, but it never once left the building…it was strange.

For a spy, they would most likely leave the building immediately to escape, but it seemed like this enemy seemed more adamant in not leaving. They must have a different reason for luring me around like this.

And then it hit me.

As quick as I could, I had to go back to my room. To reach the nearest shortcut, I had to jump through one of the windows and out to the front of the mansion, from there, I then flew to my room’s window.

When I crashed through, I saw someone else was already standing there, struggling to lift the armor I put on the stand. The armor itself weighted enough for normal men to struggle. Because without a core, the entire armor itself weighed around 250kg.

“Who are you!?” I asked as my voice quacked the entire building.

“…Ah-” as he noticed me, all of a sudden, I felt danger coming from behind. To counter the rushing danger, I quickly lowered my stance to dodge it, and as I did, I woman came flying past by me and straight to the wall.

Using the winds, I manipulated the sword that was with the armor and I threw it to the woman who just attacked me. In her effort to protect herself from the incoming sword, she drew a dagger from behind and she blocked the sword. But in result, it held her hostage. With my sword’s blade against her dagger while she was against the wall, she could do nothing else but struggle.

As for the old man who came to steal my armor, I leaped up to him and grabbed him by the throat.

Before he could even react, I squeezed his throat to stop him from talking.

“Wait!” said the woman as she looked at me with pleading eyes. Desperate for me not to go too far.

“Who are you two?” I asked as I loosened my grip on the old man’s neck.

“A-aggh…P-please let me go!” he said as he yelled at me while his legs were kicking in the air. For a man, he was quite short. Shorter even than Berny, almost like a dwarf.

“You didn’t answer my question.” I said.

“W-we’re…”

Before the old man could say anything, I heard dozens of footsteps coming from the halls. Soon after, around a dozen guards came with spears pointed to our direction.

And behind them, Reginald came walking in with a glaring face.

“What is going on here?” he asked he then noticed two faces inside my room.

“These two came into my room. From the looks of it, they’re trying to steal my armor.” I said plainly.

“I see…I know this may seem abrupt, but let them go.” he said.

“Why?” I asked.

“…Please let them go. Despite their sudden arrival, I know them.” he said as he looked ashamed at seeing the two thieves.

“Who are they?” I asked.

“Please…just let go of his neck.” he said.

Trusting Reginald, I let go of the old man, and stopped my sword from pushing the woman.

“Kah-!” as the old man fell to his knees, he struggled to breath, but soon regained his strength to stand back up again.

“…Now, tell me who you two are?” I asked.

“I-I’m sorry for barging in like this…hahaha.” said the old man as he started laughing.

“Quiet Oswal! This is no time to joke around.” he said in a shout of rage. “Why are you inside my home at this time of night?! and intruding no less in one of my guest’s room!” yelled Reginald as he looked red with anger.

“We’re sorry…” said the woman as she looked ashamed of her actions.

“I would have expected this from the old man, but you Dyna? You know better than to involve yourself with him!” said Reginald as he looked to the woman with the same anger, but with a more delicate expression.

“I-I owed him a favor…” she said as she stuttered to make clear of her words.

“…Do not blame her, she simply did what I ask of her.” said the old man as he smiled, pleading to Reginald for mercy.

“I’ll blame her for all I care. She’s an adult who choose to do this kinds of act. With her occupation as a damn assassin in this ruined city, I would expect no less…now tell me, why did you come here? Is it to steal his armor?” asked Reginald.

“…You know me. I’m simply doing what my client ask of me…” said the old man.

“Bullshit! You’re a greedy piece of filth who only looks out for himself! I thought that you would have gone straight all those years ago, but here you are, still greedy as ever! You’re worse than a fucking thief, you’re a sad excuse of a blacksmith!”

“!?” I was shocked by what he just said.

“Hmph…now that you found me out, what are you going to do to me?” asked the old man.

“…” Reginald was then silent after that. Almost as if he didn’t know what to do.

So seeing him act hesitant, I decided to take action myself.

Without waiting, I grabbed him straight at the throat again.

““!!?”” all of them, even the guards were surprised by my action. But I didn’t let that stop me. I had to get an answer from him…something that comes out of his own mouth.

“Okay…I’m being nice by not breaking your neck in two. Now tell me, why were stealing my armor?” I asked in a stern voice.

“Wait, Thill don’t hurt him.” said Reginald as he tries to stop me.

But I raised my hand against him, telling him not to move.

“From the looks of it, you two are friends…and one thing I know in situations like this is that the friend doesn’t get to make the choice. You’re too close to matters like this…I have to make a decision…or at least someone who can actually make a decision that could straighten all of this out.”

“…” Reginald was silent, but he couldn’t disagree.

“Okay, now…you’re name is Oswal right? I’ve never heard of you before…but you seem to be a blacksmith. In my experience, stealing someone else’s armor is…one of the things a blacksmith should be ashamed of most of all. I should know, I’m a blacksmith as well.” I said as I stared at the old man with bloodlust.

“You? A blacksmith? Someone as young blooded as YOU? Don’t lie to me boy!” said the old man as if he was insulted by what I said.

“Hmm, It doesn’t matter what I say, I’m not the one in trial here. What I want to know are your intentions for stealing my armor.”

“For a young blood, you sure are hot-tempered. Hehehe…” he said as he laughed despite my hand around his throat.

As we would have proceeded further, all of a sudden, new footsteps came into the room.

It was Evelyn and her mother who came with a nervous curiosity.

“What’s going on?” asked Evelyn.

“…Oswal?…Dyna?” said her mother Emilia as she too seems to be familiar with the two thieves.

With the present family gathered, it seems that things were getting more complicated.

“Emilia, it’s not what it looks like.” said Dyna the assassin.

“Yes it is…” Told Reginald as he became even more ashamed.

As things were getting more personal, Evelyn asked the guards to leave.

“Guards…leave the room.” said Evelyn.

With only the six of us in the room, things were tense.

While I was still holding on to the old man’s neck, Emilia suddenly gave me the order to let go of him.

“Let him go…things won’t be straightened out if we keep hurting each other.” she said worryingly.

To her command, I let him go again.

“Now…tell us the truth. Why did you steal the armor?” asked Reginald…but instead of asking the old man, he turned his attention to Dyna who seemed more willing to talk.

“I-I…I don’t know why he wanted the armor. But a few hours ago, he just came by the guild to ask me to help him. Things seems to look serious on his end, almost as if he just came back from a fight. He wouldn’t tell me why he looked awfully beaten up, but…I was guessing that maybe it was his usual drinking problem. With how the festival was getting more ‘festive’, anything could have happened to him.” she said honestly.

“…It sounds right.” said Reginald.

“You still haven’t overcome that drinking problem of yours? You miserable drunk?” asked Emilia as she looked at Oswal with a scowl.

“…Hmph, boy…was it true of what you said about you being a blacksmith?” asked the old man as he ignored the rest of the people in the room.

“…Why are you asking the obvious?” I asked.

“Tsk…it’s just that your armor…that damn noble said that your armor seems to resemble that of a dragon? And from the looks of it, these materials came from the body of a monster called the Armed Hydragon…how did you claim such a monstrous material? Surely with your level, you couldn’t have killed one…so how?”

“…you said noble? So someone did talk.” I said.

“…That’s right. A noble by the name of Gryffith, surely you have heard of them.” he said with a cocky smile.

“Gryffith…you mean the Count noble? That Gryffith?” asked Reginald as he found it to be quite shocking.

The Gryffiths, from what I know…of them, I barely took jobs that relate to their families because their entire situation is only kept within their territory. They were so closed off from the country, that barely anyone other than the high-ranking nobles know what goes on inside their houses.

The only thing I know of them was that…they are born of white hair, despite who they marry from other noble families, each hair that comes out of their children are white. It showed that the genes in their line were strong. Along with that was the fact that they dominated the realm of archery. It was said that they were blessed by the Elvish Spirit to carry on the legacy of the bow, although all of it was baseless rumors.

Either way, hearing about the Gryffith name is simply a little shocking.

“Of course it’s that Gryffith. Do you know anyone else who carries such a tight name in this country?! Hahaha!” laughed the old man as he looked to Reginald with an unrelenting madness.

“Why would they be interested in my armor?” I asked.

“Who knows, but they really wanted somebody to take it from you…”

“…Wait, does that mean that you never were hired by the Gryffith family?” asked Evelyn as she caught clues from his words.

“Oh, looks like your daughter here is quite quick to the catch.” he said.

“Explain. Tell us everything you know.” said Reginald.

“Well, it all goes back to the fact that I was celebrating in my usual pub. It’s one of the biggest festivals of our kingdom….so it would be weird for me not to take a few drinks in the noon.”

“Hmp, typical drunk.” said Emilia as she looked at the old man with hate.

“Anyway…all of a sudden, the door burst open and two white haired nobles came walking into the pub with a rather agitated expression. It seemed like they both had diarrhea. Hahahaha…and by coincidence, I was just near enough for their conversation.”

“What did they talk about?” I asked.

“I’m getting there…Umm, yeah, it was about the Amber’s claiming a rather strong guard to walk around with their daughter. I’m guessing it’s you.” he said as he looked at me.

“…”

“And from the looks of it, they were both very interested in your armor. They were saying, it exhaled some kind of presence from a dragon…almost as if the armor itself was alive. After hearing, I left the pub…but couldn’t pay my tab, so they beat me up and left me in the alley to rot. Anyway, I look shitty now because I didn’t take a shower before visiting this fancy mansion.”

“So you came to the guild after you left the pub?” asked Dyna.

“Yeah, and I gotta say, they were not wrong. Just one look at your armor, and I can tell you that its more than just a piece of scale molded into a suit. Hell…its one of the most complex armors I’ve seen in my lifetime. The one who made it might surely be a master blacksmith…someone who walks on the line that is near divine. As a blacksmith myself, no normal man can craft such complex yet powerful armor. It just isn’t possible.” he said as he was sure of his words.

He isn’t wrong in the slightest…though because he was just an ordinary blacksmith, he wouldn’t understand that what he just said barely scraped off the truth behind the complexity of this armor.

My talents made from experience….made from my skill through twenty years surviving as a mercenary…I can say that I walk as a master blacksmith myself. Just like my father…

But the armor itself isn’t alive. Although it feels like its alive, a truly living armor needs the core of the monster its made from. Sadly, I used the core to put inside the pair of armor I promised Oxy. Only when it is alive can it be called a Willful Masterwork. Something a master blacksmith can make.

Sadly, the leftover pieces I have are just armor…although complex, it is just armor.

“…You know, I can tell that you’re frustrated.” I said.

“What? Me? Hahaha, maybe…but its not why you think.” he said.

“I know its awful of me to say this…but, for a pathetic blacksmith like you who can’t even comprehend a fraction of the complexity of this armor…I just don’t think you can truly appreciate it.” I said calmly…but mockingly.

“And you do? A child like you who isn’t even half my age?!!” he said as he start getting mad.

Without saying anything, I picked up one of the gauntlets of my armor. And I started explaining to him the details of that single gauntlet.

Every word that came out of my mouth seemed like jargon to those who didn’t know a single thing about blacksmithing…and as my words became even more complex, Oswal started to understand less and less.

Because the more I explained how I made the armor, the more he became just like a child.

Incapable of understand the works of a master blacksmith.

In just fifteen minutes of me talking, I was barely able to scratch the surface of the details of the gauntlet.

And Oswal…he could no longer keep up.

The decision to boast to him…to lecture him about my work was simply to prove to him that I was a real blacksmith…and because, he annoyed me for him claiming to have more experience in smithing than me.

This amateur thinks he can…but in truth, he can’t.

In the end, he simply could not longer understand…he just sat their on his knees…staring at me with troubled eyes.

“…It looks like you broke him.” said Evelyn.

“He’s a fraud.” I said.

In such a miserable state, Reginald could only look worried before ordering the guards to have him leave the mansion.

The guards had to carry him outside because he wouldn’t move. As for Dyna, she left on her own accord. We never saw her then once she left.