Dungeon Base Camp. Blacksmith's Shop.
"What's on your mind?"
Kellibey asked me with a concerned expression.
Lost in my thoughts, I sighed and turned my head to the side.
"I can't figure out what my subordinates are thinking..."
"Why, did you have another fight?"
"No, it's not that..."
I shook the [Bestowed Sword] in my hand back and forth.
"Should I just say that I really can't understand them?"
It wasn't a figure of speech; I genuinely had no clue!
I had no idea what had happened between Ash and Lucas in the past, and as a result, I didn't know what Lucas wanted to do!
- 'Even if I tell you that I once betrayed my lord in the past...?'
After dropping such a cryptic hint, Lucas applied for leave for the first time since joining this front.
And then he just up and left...without telling me where he was going!
Damn it! Shit! Knowing full well I'm clueless about the past, why would you zip your mouth and run away? Why not just spit it out? Ah!
"Sigh..."
I turned my head to the opposite side and let out a deep sigh.
"I thought if I paid them well and got along, everything would be fine... but turns out I'm entangled in a past I can't even remember."
"Hmm."
"Managing a squad is more of a headache than I thought. Sigh."
"Squad...? What are you talking about?"
Even while cocking his head at my complaint-laden joke, Kellibey diligently prepared for the equipment upgrade.
I had already copied Lucas's awakening rune onto a scroll.
I had found the [Bestowed Sword]. Had procured all the other materials. Now, only the upgrade process was left.
I put the hilt of the shaking [Bestowed Sword] onto the table with a thunk.
"Sigh. Anyway, how long will this take?"
"Looks like it'll take at least a week."
Kellibey took the sword's hilt and made a noise of either admiration or exasperation—hard to tell.
"Anyway, this sword's hilt is... intriguing. It's soaked in such deep 'regret.'"
SSR-grade characters' exclusive equipment is usually tied to the character's storyline.
Though some are intrinsically great items, many are rather mundane in terms of their properties.
So, even after upgrading, they don't perform well when wielded by others.
However, when used by the respective character, they trigger unique interactions, outperforming most endgame equipment. That's the mechanism behind exclusive equipment.
"Regret... So that kind of thing can imbue a weapon?"
"Yes, particularly this sword's hilt—it's overflowing with 'regret.'"
So a blacksmith can read that too? Interesting.
"At this point, are you a blacksmith or more in the realm of a wizard?"
"Heh, I did have some talent in magic. Not in 'releasing' it but in 'infusing' it. That's why I chose this path."
I imagined Kellibey in a wizard version, a bald dwarf in robes, emitting magic with a stern expression.
'Doesn't fit at all.'
Just stick to blacksmithing. You suit it so well.
I turned my head and asked Hannibal, the assistant blacksmith who was on standby.
"By the way, are you doing a spirit enchantment this time too?"
I wondered if it would be possible to upgrade this weapon into a spirit weapon, like Evangeline's exclusive equipment.
Hannibal shook his head vigorously.
"No, I don't think it's possible with this weapon. The emotion imbued is too strong..."
According to Hannibal, the stronger the specific emotion imbued in the equipment, the harder it is for a spirit to inhabit it.
Apparently, equipment needs to be emotionally neutral for a spirit to comfortably reside within it.
I wasn't sure, but could it be that spirits don't like it when household appliances are built into a new home?
"Come to think of it, shouldn't you be working as a Spirit Master rather than a blacksmith?"
"Haha, I can communicate with spirits, but summoning them is a different story... I was able to learn some techniques for 'infusing' while helping in the blacksmithing."
Hannibal scratched his head awkwardly.
Hmm. Interesting. A disciple of a magical blacksmith who also is a Spirit Master? Now that I look at it, there do seem to be some similarities between the two.
"Anyway, I'm counting on you. Please upgrade my equipment to be worthy of going down in history."
As a token of my request, I offered gifts of alcohol, snacks, and various metals.
After cheering the two on with a "Fight on!" I returned to Crossroad.
Today, I planned to go around the city to catch up on various tasks that had piled up.
"Shall we go, junior?"
"Yahoo~!"
Since Lucas wasn't around, I had Evangeline act as my escort for the day, and diligently toured Crossroad.
I stopped by the Alchemy Workshop to request research on a 'Magic Tower' summoning scroll I had acquired earlier.
I also visited the construction site for the hotel. They were currently laying the foundation.
Serenade, the architect, and various experts like the head of the Stonemasons' Guild and the Carpenters' Guild, gathered to share progress and held a meeting.
After reviewing the blueprint, I nodded in satisfaction.
Preparations for winter were also progressing well. Firewood, coal, and food were being distributed to every household.
I also ordered winter clothes and gloves for the soldiers... Ugh, it's all expenses.
I met with the citizens around the city to inquire about local issues.
The simple folks of this neighborhood had no special demands. They just gave me lots of encouragement to continue taking good care of the city.
After spending the entire day touring the city, it was evening.
The days were short as it was winter, and it was already getting dark. I entered the prison in the center of the city.
This was my last task for the day.
"Hey, spy."
Tapping on the bars, I spoke to Mason, a fresh inmate in the cell.
"How's prison treating you?"
"You are mistaken, Your Highness..."
Mason, the spy caught earlier today, looked at me as if he had been wronged by the world.
"I am just a poor refugee with no home. I am definitely not a spy. Please believe me."
"Bullshit. If you're going to lie, at least make it believable. Look at yourself, big guy."
Mason had a more imposing physique than any hero under my command.
He was shorter than Kuilan but much broader, so he looked even larger. The one-person cell even seemed cramped because of him.
Wow, look at those veins popping on his arms. His strength stat must be several times higher than mine.
There's no way this sturdy-looking man is a refugee. Maybe if he had infiltrated as a mercenary, I would have bought it.
"Let's not play dumb, shall we? Just spill the beans since you're already caught."
I pulled a chair outside the cell, sat down, and snapped my fingers.
"You're from Aegis Special Forces, right? Which team?"
"Heh..."
Stroking his beard and smiling ruefully, Mason shrugged his shoulders.
"Surprisingly, I was leading the first team, Your Highness."
"How refreshing to hear you admit it. By the way, first team, huh? Sounds like you guys have something going on. What's your main job?"
"We, of the Aegis Special Forces, all do similar stuff, you know, spy activities."
"But there must be specialized areas for each team, right?"
With a physique as conspicuous as yours, no one would mistake you for a mere spy. Even a fool could tell you're not just gathering intelligence.
Mason seemed to give up, raising both his arms in surrender. "Infiltration and disrupting enemy lines, as well as... suppression of armed forces," he finally admitted.
I glanced over at Mason's greatsword stored in the prison's armory. It was nearly as tall as me.
The Aegis Special Forces' first team, in other words, seemed to represent 'power' even within the Special Forces.
"So what brings you to my city, Team Leader 1? Planning to suppress some forces?"
"How can a mere Special Forces grunt like me do anything about the monster front that's responsible for the southern border of the Empire? That's not why I'm here," Mason bowed deeply as he spoke.
"To be frank, ever since the destruction of the intelligence network in Crossroad, gathering information has become difficult. Our Special Forces team decided we need to reinforce the intelligence line, so additional manpower was deployed this time."
"Then why are you here? Using a sledgehammer to crack a nut?"
"Lord Lucas is here, and I forced my way down to meet him."
Mason's massive hand moved to his chest.
"I belong to Lord Lucas' Noble House, the MacGregor. I've dedicated my life to serving the MacGregor Noble House. When I got a chance to meet him after so long, how could I not come?"
"Hmm."
So Lucas' surname was MacGregor. I'd heard it a few times but never committed it to memory.
I realized I really didn't know anything about Lucas, despite having been his bodyguard for so long. I didn't know which Noble House he belonged to, how many family members he had, or whether he got along with Ash in the past. I knew nothing.
Since Lucas' acquaintance was here, I thought it might be a good time to gather some info.
"You seemed pretty close to Lucas, Mason?"
"Close? I was the one who first taught him how to wield a sword. I've been watching him since he was born. Not like a son, that would be disrespectful, but more like a nephew."
"That's convenient."
I pressed my body close to the prison bars. "Could you tell me more about Lucas' childhood? Just curious."
"What benefits would I get from sharing that information?"
"Well, it depends on how interesting your story is. Maybe you'll find yourself in a much more spacious and comfortable cell."
Mason smirked as if amused.
"It's strange, Prince Ash."
"Huh? What is?"
"You grew up with Lord Lucas from a young age."
Mason bared his teeth, flashing a menacing grin.
"Why do you act like you've forgotten everything?"
***
Whooosh—
Lucas stood alone on the southern wall.
The chilly wind of late autumn and early winter slashed across his face. He silently absorbed the wind, looking down from the wall.
He had applied for leave for the first time, yet he had no particular desires or destinations in mind.
He simply wanted to run away from a past that kept catching up to him.
'MacGregor, MacGregor...'
Repeating his surname, etched into his memory like crimson letters that wouldn't fade, Lucas clenched his mouth shut.
'If only I could live without remembering.'
His surname, his memories, his past...
If they could all vanish with the flow of time, that would be enough.
If he could just live in the 'here and now,' serving his lord, that would be more than sufficient.
Reality had never been so warm.
Just as the seasons changed and the "Winter General" came calling every year, the past relentlessly breathed its cold air down Lucas' neck.
"Haah..."
Lucas let out a long sigh.
The weather had turned remarkably chilly, so the breath he exhaled instantly froze into a white mist.
'...It was an early winter day like this back then too.'
Watching his own breath scatter like fog, Lucas thought to himself.
About his own past.
A past dotted with memories, longings, and betrayals.
Days Lucas McGregor never wanted to revisit.