Chapter 20
Cafe Lilac was located in the shopping district of Borsippa.
It was one of the shops set up by graduates and was famous for its lively decorations with various flowers. The cafe was always bustling with students and visitors from outside the academy.
“The manager here is actually a graduate of our Department of Enchantments, and he’s no joke. He enchanted all the flowers in this cafe so that they stay in perfect condition year-round.”
“…”
“Ah. Well, this might not really impress you if you don’t know much about enchantments. Just know that with living things, like these flowers, it’s pretty hard to apply enchantments that help maintain their quality…”
Se-Hoon looked at Lea strangely, wondering how she had so much to say.
Whenever a blacksmith was asked which profession they worked the most with, nine out of ten times the answer was “enchanter.” The blacksmiths forged the equipment, and the enchanters enhanced its ability. Unless the blacksmith lived like a hermit, such a relationship between a blacksmith and an enchanter was inevitable.
Lea Claudel…
As a result, even if he didn’t want to hear about famous enchanters, he had no choice but to be aware of them, and Lea was no exception.
She was a genius who completely revolutionized the enchanting industry, a genius who was able to enhance Rare-tier weapons by two levels, transforming them into Legendary-tier weapons.
That was the future of the girl in front of him.
I knew we weren’t far apart in age, but I didn’t think she would be at Babel Academy… no, perhaps it should have been obvious.
Most prominent heroes graduated from Babel Academy, so if their ages were similar, it was highly likely that they would have been classmates. And while Se-Hoon was aware of this, he didn’t expect an encounter with someone as famous as her this easily, so he looked on with wonder.
If she really is Lea Claudel, there’s nothing for me to lose here.
Regardless of what exactly happened, a bond between them had been established in the blink of an eye. Considering her future fame, the effect of the Fatestone would likely not be bad either.
Having somewhat finished organizing his thoughts, Se-Hoon looked at Lea again, who was still chattering nonstop.
“So, the important thing about blood flow…”
“Let’s cut the chatter and get down to the main point.”
“Ah. Shall we?”
“…”
As if waiting for it, Lea promptly changed her attitude. At this behavior, Se-Hoon observed her with a bemused expression, causing her to laugh awkwardly.
“It’s been so long since I’ve had a conversation with someone that I ended up bringing out all these stories I had piled up without even realizing…”
“The main point.”
“Ah. Right. The main point, the main point.”
After tapping her mouth, Lea took a sip of the coffee placed in front of her. Then, with a slightly calmer voice, she resumed the conversation, “My point is, I want to enchant that bracelet you made.”
“You mean this one?”
He slightly rolled up his sleeve and showed her the bracelet. At the sight, Lea’s eyes began to sparkle. As he moved his arm, her head followed his movement. He chuckled after realizing how engrossed she was.
It makes sense. This is made from Inkstone, after all.
Given that Inkstone was Hero-tier material that sold like hotcakes, it was tough for ordinary students to even acquire some.
After seeing the once lackluster eyes being replaced by a gaze that was vibrant and full of life, he undid the rosary bracelet from his right arm and extended it toward her.
“Huh?”
“You haven’t even looked at the information message, right? Take a look.”
“What? Ah. Information… information message? Don’t tell me this is Advanced... no, Rare-tier?!”
She looked down at the bracelet in her hand with wide-open eyes. At her overly dramatic reaction, Se-Hoon made a strange expression.
She really is an odd one.
It was evident that she didn’t talk to others often and was only fascinated by enchantments, seeing as how she didn’t even know that Se-Hoon was an honor student.
Before the regression, he heard that she was obsessed with enchantments, and seeing her now, it was clear the rumors were not exaggerated.
But while some might find her off-putting, Se-Hoon quite liked this aspect of her.
She would be persecuted if she was just an unqualified lunatic, but the story changes if she possesses the necessary skills. And she does.
“So this is a piece of Rare-tier equipment made from Inkstone. It even has the ability to absorb and store mana. If I just add a few more formulas here… no, that won’t be enough…” Lea mumbled as she gazed at the Inkstone Bracelet.
Without bothering her, Se-Hoon sipped on the smoothie in front of him while passing the time.
And so, ten minutes, then thirty minutes, and then an hour passed. People around them started buying sandwiches for their lunch.
“Oh, no.” She put down the bracelet and muttered with a vacant expression.
He observed that she was still somewhat spaced out.
“Is it worse than you expected?” he asked while eating the sandwich he had ordered.
“No, there’s no problem with the bracelet. In fact, it’s even better than I thought, to the point that it got me all worked up.”
She looked at him with her sparkling eyes after she gulped down her fourth cup of coffee in one go.
“But there are too many things I want to try.”
“Hmm. Really?”
“Yes! This bracelet just doesn’t make sense! Why is its compatibility so high when it’s made of Inkstone? There are too many formulas that can be added, making it hard for me to decide which ones I should put in…”
She was about to spill more of the story, but Se-Hoon cut her off by placing a sandwich he had ordered in advance in front of her.
“So, in other words, you’re worried because it can accept more enchantments than you thought?”
“Exactly. That’s what it is.”
“If that’s the case, then it doesn’t really matter.”
“Huh?”
Noticing Lea’s puzzled look, Se-Hoon rolled up the opposite sleeve to show another Inkstone Bracelet.
“I’ve got more.”
“…”
“Oh, and.”
He brought the bracelet he got back from her close to the one he was wearing. As soon as they were brought close to each other, they created a resonating phenomenon, causing them to tremble.
“Keep in mind the fact that they can trigger a resonance phenomenon if you’re going to enchant them.”
“…” She blankly stared at the scene before her, then rubbed her forehead and ordered another cup of black coffee.
“Wait a minute. I feel like I’m overloaded right now. Just give me a moment.”
After drinking the newly arrived coffee and barely managing to eat the sandwich, she looked at Se-Hoon after a long thought.
“Who exactly are you?”
It took quite a long time for her to ask for simple introductions.
“I’m Lee Se-Hoon. A freshman of the Department of Blacksmithing and this year’s honor student of Borsippa College.”
“You’re only a freshman? Ah, but being an honor student might explain it. That’s impressive…”
It seemed she was slightly impressed by his introduction. She coughed lightly and introduced herself, “I’m Lea Claudel, a junior of the Department of Enchantment. And… hmm… is there anything else I should explain?”
“Well, if you want to enchant my equipment, you need to show me your skills first.”
Having roughly figured out what kind of person he was dealing with, it was now time to see her skills. Lea nodded at his words.
“Alright. Since you’ve shown me something impressive, I should return the favor.”
Click.
She proudly handed one of the hairpins tucked into her braided hair to him.
The hairpin had a silver body centered around a blue gemstone. At first glance, it seemed like a shooting star. Se-Hoon became intrigued by its appearance.
The level of completion is higher than I thought… could it be?
He immediately examined the information message of the hairpin he received.
[Mercury Mk. 1]
[Tier: Rare] [Quality: Perfect]
[A hairpin modeled after the planet Mercury.
It’s crafted from water-attribute elemental ore, refining its power and enhancing the potency of bestowed skills by mimicking the birth of stars.
*Increases the wearer’s water-attribute resistance and mastery
*Enables the use of the skill ‘Water Comet’]
Wow, Rare-tier equipment of the highest quality. Even though the materials don’t look that great, it’s well-forged.
The tier was high for the materials used, and above all, the quality of the hairpin was excellent. With a bit more finesse, it wouldn’t be surprising if she advanced this hairpin to Hero-tier through enchantments.
Of course, acquiring that bit of finesse wouldn’t be as easy as it sounded. However, depending on how prepared one was, the difference in difficulty was huge.
As I expected… this is impressive.
While he examined the hairpin with interest, there was a sudden commotion near the cafe entrance.
Thinking that it was just a group that had come to eat, he tried to not pay them any attention.
“Hey, hey. Behind you.”
“…sigh.”
When Lea pointed behind him, Se-Hoon turned around to figure out whose gazes were piercing through him. The first thing he saw was a familiar, fierce-looking student, who was surrounded by other students. He quickly recognized who they were.
They’re Erika’s subordinates.
He could immediately think of many reasons for them to suddenly come looking for him while wearing murderous expressions.
He looked back at them, urging them to say something.
“I have something to talk about with you. Can you step outside for a minute?”
Though he sounded like he was kindly inviting Se-Hoon, his eyes implied the opposite.
What should I do? He pondered, finding himself in a situation similar to the one he encountered at the train station.
The look in their eyes suggested that ignoring them and walking away was no longer an option. Thus, he tried to figure out how he should resolve this situation.
At that moment, Lea, who was seated across from Se-Hoon, narrowed her eyes and glared at the subordinates.
“You’re taking him outside? Where to? Can’t you see that I was having a conversation with him?”
“…I want to resolve this quietly. It’ll only take a moment, so please,” Seitz said to Se-Hoon, ignoring her words. His attitude caused her to contort her face, her lip curling in scorn.
“So you’re just a dog that only listens to your master, huh? You can’t understand human speech, can you?”
“What did you say?”
“Shall I make it clearer for you? Woof! Scram, you idiot, just bark!”
She mocked Seitz directly, even imitating a dog’s bark. Seitz’s face contorted viciously at the blatant mockery and he started gnashing his teeth.
“You’re still so impertinent despite losing your honor student position.”
“Ha! Says someone who has never been an honor student before, let alone a top-ranking student in their department. You’re calling that a provocation? How ridiculous…”
“A provocation? I’m merely stating facts. It’s not my fault that you’ve failed every test. Plus, it’s true that your grades dropped, isn’t it?”
Grind.
At Seitz’s sneer, Lea gnashed her teeth, her eyes blazing as her mouth twisted in derision.
“Ha. Ha. Ha. Still, I’m in the upper ranks, you know? I’m not a pathetic dog that has to tail after an underclassman just to get a job after graduation because they don’t have much skill.”
“You…”
“What? I’m just stating facts. Oh, did I forget to mention your amazing ‘young master’ act? My bad~”
Grind.
A terrifying tension swirled between the two.
Amidst an atmosphere where it seemed they might actually start fighting at any moment, Se-Hoon focused calmly to take note of any essential information that was mentioned during their quarrel.
A slump. That’s quite unexpected.
Considering her fame before the regression, he thought that her success started way earlier, but it seemed like she also had difficult times.
Realizing why Lea was so interested in his bracelet and why their bond had been formed so quickly, he decided that it was time to mediate this fight.
“And… that’s enough.”
Clap!
With a light clap, he gathered their attention. Then he turned to Lea, whose eyes were nearly spinning.
“Let me ask you one thing.”
“What is it?”
“Is there a minor within the Department of Enchantment that you’d recommend?”
Though he spoke somewhat indirectly, it wasn’t so indirect that his hidden intentions couldn’t be understood.
At those words, Lea’s eyes sparkled and she responded enthusiastically, as if she hadn’t been angry at all, “Try the class on Ancient Enchantment. The professor is excellent, and there’s an awesome sunbae too. You’ll like it.”
“I’ll keep it in mind.”
Since the bond had already formed, it wouldn’t be too late for him to learn the details of the Fatestone by taking that class together.
Deciding to check out the Fatestone at that time, Se-Hoon stood up and looked at Seitz and his subordinates standing in the back.
“You wanted to talk to me somewhere quiet, right? Lead the way.”
“Follow me.”
“If that guy pulls anything weird, you can tell me later!”
Receiving Lea’s farewell, Se-Hoon followed the subordinates out of the cafe and to the location. Shortly after, they arrived somewhere not far from the shopping district, the Department of Curses. It was one of the departments with a high standing in Borsippa.
But like its name, both the main building and the surrounding forest had an eerie atmosphere.
“From here on, you guys should all wait here.”
Leaving the other subordinates behind, Se-Hoon and Seitz entered the forest alone. Amidst the strange atmosphere, Se-Hoon looked around.
A secluded forest with no prying eyes. Quite the classic setup.
As Se-Hoon followed with an intrigued expression, Seitz suddenly stopped walking and turned around.
“You should be pretty busy, as it’s still the first week of enrollment, so I’ll get straight to the point.”
“Go for it.” Se-Hoon nodded, urging Seitz to continue.
Seitz then furrowed his brow and sighed before continuing, “Apologize for being rude to Miss Erika.”
“But I haven't done anything rude.”
At Se-Hoon’s calm response, Seitz bit his lip and took a deep breath.
“Are you even listening to yourself? You tore up the invitation Miss Erika gave you twice in front of others.”
“Well, she told me to tear it up.”
Having only done as instructed, he found it absurd that he was being questioned about it. Seitz nodded at Se-Hoon’s incredulous look.
“Yeah. What you’re saying does make sense to some extent…”
He looked at Se-Hoon with a cold gaze.
“However, that’s only if you hadn’t received an invitation from Jake Myers.”
“What do you mean—oh?”
When Se-Hoon was about to be puzzled by Seitz’s cryptic comment, he suddenly remembered what Jake said to him.
The Noblesse party was a gathering for students with dazzling backgrounds, and naturally, there was no guarantee that they were on the same team.
There would be rivalries within certain fields, as well as relationships tangled with debts and grievances.
It seems like the Myers and the Inoue aren’t on good terms.
The act of tearing up both of Erika’s invitation letters while easily accepting Jake’s invitation might seem coincidental on the surface, but those attending the party wouldn’t let gossip of this caliber go untouched.
Is that why they’re here, upset over how I made them lose face?
Although this seemed ridiculous to Se-Hoon, it was an intolerable situation for those who prioritized the faction over the individual.
Having roughly understood the situation, he took a moment to think before questioning Seitz, “Did Erika tell you to do this?”
“Miss Erika has nothing to do with this. It was my own decision.”
Se-Hoon chuckled at his response.
As if I would believe that.
If he so valued the reputation of his faction, would he have acted independently on this matter? Though it seemed possible, Seitz didn’t seem foolish enough for that.
After pondering briefly, Se-Hoon quickly figured out who the instigator was.
“Is it that young master or whatever?”
“…Just apologize to Miss Erika. Then I’ll leave you to be.”
Though Seitz ignored his question, the answer was pretty clear in his words.
At Seitz’s response, Se-Hoon tried to recall who the young master might be.
It’s probably… Ren Inoue, the next heir to the head of the family.
Ren Inoue was Erika’s brother, a genius shikigami user who led the Inoue family in the distant future. He had often heard from Frost Dog Amir that Ren was the most sketchy among the heroes, and it seemed like those rumors were not unfounded.
So, he made the first move, huh?
Considering what he had done before the regression, it made sense that he would be overly concerned about the family’s reputation even now. Understanding the whole situation, Se-Hoon looked around the forest in a more relaxed manner.
“And if I refuse, do I die here or something?”
“I wouldn’t go that far, however…”
Snap.
The moment Seitz snapped his fingers, mana surged throughout the forest, and a chilling air enveloped the surroundings.
It was a sign that a barrier had been activated. Revealing his hostility, Seitz looked at Se-Hoon with cold eyes.
“It’s possible that you might be found injured in the forest of the Department of Curses after you ‘accidentally’ stumbled in here.”
The implication was clear: he intended to beat him just enough, without leaving any marks, until he came to his senses and agreed. Se-Hoon chuckled after realizing Seitz’s intention perfectly.
“Right, and I assume you’ve prepared everything to avoid any trouble.”
Se-Hoon felt that there was no need for him to hold back either. Having reached a conclusion, he spoke calmly to Seitz, “Say, do you know what I’m best at mending, after equipment?”
“…”
With a clueless look, Seitz watched as Se-Hoon began to take off his uniform.
Then, Se-Hoon finished his words in a calm voice, “People.”
“What?”
While Seitz was confused, Se-Hoon tossed his jacket behind him.
“I’m good at beating sense into fools.”
kyokon's ThoughtsKyokon: Ooh here we go, the first official battle for Se-Hoon!!
Sigh: Damn, guess I jinxed it. The annoying young master cliche here we come.
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