I Tricked a God

The sun had not yet climbed high enough to warm the cold stones of the mountain range. The wind howled, tearing down from the peaks and vanishing between two sheer slopes that squeezed a narrow gorge. A dark fissure in the earth stretched deep into the ground, dissolving into the gloom below.

Beside the gorge, along a relatively even mountain path, a group of more than a hundred people made their way forward.

The mages of the Empire had spread out around them, guarding the youths of Lasthold. Cornelius and Severus walked at the head of the column, calmly leading the group forward, while Yukina—the woman with snow-white hair who had conducted Kael’s interview—took position at the rear. Walking beside her was a young man who observed the entire column with faint disdain. The rest of the Empire’s mages had spread out through the crowd, evenly spaced along the procession.

Despite the Empire’s protection, the tension among the youths was almost tangible.

Muffled conversations rippled through the column.

“I’ve never been this far from home…”

“My parents said terrifying spirit beasts live in the mountains…”

“Are we… are we really going to survive?”

Some tried to speak quietly, but anxiety still broke through their voices. Many kept glancing at the dark mountain slopes, as if expecting something dangerous to leap out from the rocks at any moment.

For most of them, this journey was the first real step beyond the borders of the world they knew.

At that moment, Kael was walking just behind Elder Cornelius, carefully observing everything around him. His gaze moved over the rocky slopes, the narrow path beneath his feet, and the strange vegetation sprouting even through bare stone.

Violet spiral-shaped plants grew everywhere, small bells hanging from them and producing a soft melodic sound.

“I’ve never seen them growing like this. When they’re sold, they’re always shriveled and much darker…” Kael noted to himself, studying the strange plants.

Out of the corner of his eye, he kept noticing the nervousness of the other “chosen.” Many walked with tense faces, some clenched their fists, others glanced around far too often.

Listening to his own heart beating slightly faster than usual, Kael thought: “Their fear is understandable. Even I feel a hint of it…”

He raised his gaze toward the cliffs. Twisted white trees with dark purple leaves grew between cracks in the stone—another plant he had never seen in the wild before.

For a moment, he remembered the Divine Library.

“I didn’t expect this journey to be so fascinating…”

A crooked smile appeared on his lips.

“Although, if you think about it… this is the first time I’ve left the surroundings of Lasthold too.”

For a second he looked ahead, where the path disappeared far beyond a bend in the rock.

“The Divine Library was just an enormous prison, and I had never gone beyond it. In fact…”

Kael let out a quiet breath, finishing the thought: “…this is the first time I’ve stepped into the real outside world.”

At that moment, his thoughts were interrupted by a light touch from behind.

Kael turned around in surprise and saw Lissandra walking behind him. The girl slowed slightly, as if unsure whether she should approach at all. Lifting her emerald eyes from beneath the fringe of her green hair, she said quietly:

“Kael… May I walk with you?”

Girren and Violet, who were walking beside him, raised their eyebrows in surprise. Violet was the first to break the short pause.

“Is she a friend of yours, Kael?”

Lissandra hesitated, as if flustered by the sudden attention. She even looked away, unsure how to respond.

Kael, however, said calmly, “Of course you can.”

Then, lowering his voice slightly, he added:

“I was planning to come speak with you anyway.”

Lissandra raised her head in surprise, a silent question clearly written on her face.

Kael explained quietly:

“Sooner or later we’ll stop to rest. I wanted to gather everyone I can trust nearby. In the future, it’s better for us to stick together.”

Girren and Violet exchanged glances, freezing for a moment before both giving a short nod.

However, Lissandra had barely taken a step closer when another figure appeared beside her. A girl with long red hair.

It was Roselle.

She looked a little embarrassed and, blushing faintly, said quickly, “It’s not like I was eavesdropping… I just…”

But Kael immediately interrupted her. “You should stay close as well, Roselle.”

For some time now he had noticed Roselle gradually drifting closer to him, as if accidentally ending up nearer and nearer in the crowd.

Roselle felt both pleased and flustered. It seemed she wanted to start making excuses, to explain that Kael had misunderstood.

But he cut her off, looking at the two girls more seriously now, and said:

“Forget the politeness and the embarrassment. We don’t know what awaits us ahead. If you need help, come to me immediately.”

At that moment, a contemptuous snort sounded somewhere behind them.

Kael’s amber eyes immediately shifted toward the source of the sound. He noticed a tall young man of about twenty with blue hair, walking a little apart and watching them with obvious displeasure.

Girren noticed him too. His gaze grew cold for a moment, and a sharp glint flashed in his eyes.

Sensing his friend’s tension, Kael calmly turned forward and said quietly, “I don’t envy Aiden.”

Girren and Violet looked at him in surprise at the same time.

“Why not?” Girren asked.

Kael tilted his head slightly and answered quietly, so that Aiden wouldn’t hear:

“Because he’s weak. His mana channels are simply terrible. He was only taken among the “chosen” because the Vengeful Thunder Family moved quickly enough. And the Empire doesn’t mind having the offspring of one of Lasthold’s major families as hostages.”

He glanced aside for a second and added, “Just like the Ancient Roots Family.”

His gaze settled on the second young man walking beside Aiden. He was shorter, and his green hair stuck out in every direction, as if it had never been styled.

This was Arnevir—the same young man who had been at the drinking party in the Violet Topaz restaurant. That was when he had given Kael a reason to carefully examine both Aiden’s mana channels and Arnevir’s.

Roselle raised her head in surprise.

“Aiden is weak? In Lasthold he was one of the strongest of his generation.”

But Kael merely shook his head.

“You’ll understand when we arrive in the Blood Dragon Empire.”

And to himself he added coldly: “We’ll be outsiders—and from a backwater at that. I doubt even true talents can expect equal treatment there. As for second-rate mages like Aiden…”

With that thought, Kael gave Girren a light slap on the back.

“Perhaps soon your revenge against Aiden will no longer matter.”

Girren frowned and cast him a sidelong glance.

“Are you speaking in riddles again? You know I don’t like that.”

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Kael merely smirked, saying nothing out loud.

“Fate has a sense of humor…” he thought calmly. “And if it decides to make a joke… Aiden will feel everything he once made you go through.”

But at that moment, the language of the Blood Dragon Empire suddenly sounded from the front. It was the voice of Elder Cornelius:

“I see you have many friends, Kael.”

Only Kael understood his words, while Violet caught only part of what was said. Kael’s other companions simply tensed, not understanding what was happening.

Kael gave a slight bow, replying in the same language, though his speech carried a noticeable accent.

“I’m fortunate to meet good people.”

Cornelius smiled faintly.

“Make good use of that fortune.”

Then he added in a slightly more cunning tone, as if offering advice:

“Sometimes the ability to influence people and lead them is more valuable than strength.”

Kael paused for a moment, considering what he had heard, then gave a short nod.

“I’ll remember that. Thank you.”

Cornelius nodded with satisfaction and said calmly, “Tell everyone we’ll stop to rest in an hour.”

Kael bowed slightly again, then turned toward the column and announced loudly:

“Elder Cornelius says we’ll stop to rest in an hour! Just a little longer and we’ll be able to rest!”

Almost immediately, dozens of eyes turned toward him.

Different emotions could be read in the eyes around him. Some looked at him with hope, seeing Kael as someone through whom they might learn what was really happening. Others watched with cold interest, already viewing him as a potential rival. And some walked as if noticing nothing at all, still lost in confusion.

But Kael hadn’t even managed to turn back.

Pushing lightly through the crowd, a smiling young man quickly made his way toward him and exclaimed loudly:

“Hey! You were standing in front of me in line! It really is you!”

Kael raised an eyebrow as he watched a short but broad-shouldered young man come up beside him. He was stocky and clearly physically strong. While walking, he extended his hand in greeting.

Even the strong mountain wind could not ruffle his dark violet hair—it stuck out in every direction like stiff spikes.

Kael calmly extended his hand in return.

And in the very next moment he felt his palm clamped in a vise.

The handshake turned out to be unexpectedly powerful. Not hostile, but so firm that an ordinary person would have winced.

Kael instinctively lowered his gaze to the stranger’s hand, noting: “Rough skin. Burn scars. Strong body…”

Raising his gaze again, he said almost unconsciously, “You’re a blacksmith?”

“And you’ve got a sharp mind!” the young man laughed loudly.

He gave Kael’s hand a couple of energetic shakes before finally releasing it.

Quickening his pace and falling into step beside Kael, he introduced himself:

“I’m Gilmesh. One day I’ll become the greatest magical blacksmith.”

Kael couldn’t help but smile and nodded approvingly.

“I get the feeling you’re not too upset about leaving Lasthold with ambitions like that.”

Gilmesh did not even try to hide his excitement and nodded at once.

“You’re seriously asking that? I finally won’t have to listen to my old man’s endless grumbling. And that’s not even counting the ores and crystals I’ll get to see—things I could never find in Lasthold.”

He squinted awkwardly and, clearly trying to look sly, added:

“A personal assistant like you would be very useful for my plans.”

At those words, Girren immediately frowned and was already about to respond sharply, clearly intending to stand up for Kael. However, Kael lightly touched his elbow, stopping him before he could open his mouth.

Violet, meanwhile, narrowed her eyes as she studied the newcomer.

“Gilmesh?” she murmured. “Aren’t you something of a rising star in the guild of magical blacksmiths?”

Gilmesh immediately nodded proudly, even straightening his shoulders slightly.

Meanwhile, Kael walked beside him calmly, though in his mind he had already taken note of what he’d heard.

“A rising star? Having a blacksmith around wouldn’t be bad…”

With the same calm smile, he turned to Gilmesh and asked, “And why exactly would you need an assistant like me?”

Gilmesh answered without the slightest hesitation:

“In everything that isn’t related to blacksmithing or jewelry, I’m a complete idiot. Without someone to translate for me, I’ll be in trouble, heh-heh.”

He gave Kael a friendly slap on the back and added: “You’re Kael, right?”

And without even waiting for an answer, he continued:

“So, Kael? Will you work for me? Once I get settled and get my own forge, I’ll pay you well. I promise.”

There was not a trace of ill intent in his words, but the way he phrased it was so clumsy that it almost sounded like an insult.

However, Kael did not care about that. On the contrary—one detail in Gilmesh’s words caught his attention.

“Jewelry?” the thought flashed through his mind. “Now that’s more interesting…”

Evaluating Gilmesh from head to toe while replaying his behavior in his mind, Kael thought with a faint smile: “This guy couldn’t be simpler… Like a grown child…”

Realizing this, the corner of Kael’s mouth twitched slyly. But the next moment he laughed good-naturedly.

“You really are an idiot, Gilmesh.”

Gilmesh looked up in surprise, but there was not a trace of offense on his face—only sincere confusion.

Kael shook his head sadly and continued:

“You absolutely don’t know how to talk to people. If you keep this up, you won’t get far, and you’ll only ruin your own talent…”

Gilmesh frowned, scratching his chin.

“Do you really think so?”

Kael only nodded and said:

“In Lasthold, everyone knows each other, and even rudeness is forgiven. But in the Empire it’ll be hard for you. That’s certain.”

Gilmesh thought for a moment, then gave an irritated nod.

“Damn… my old man warned me about that…”

Noticing the blacksmith’s confusion, Kael smiled gently and said, as if in passing:

“As for me, I’m very talented in negotiations. All the people close to me know that, because I often help them with matters like that.”

He briefly shot a glance at Girren and gave him a subtle wink.

Girren flinched for a moment, but immediately picked up the cue, “That’s true. You’re good at that, Kael.”

Violet didn’t entirely understand what was happening, but she caught the strange tone of the conversation and decided to play along:

“That’s one of the reasons I want to stay close to you. You’re a reliable ally.”

Hearing this conversation, which sounded obviously unnatural from the outside, Gilmesh began shifting his gaze from one to the other.

It seemed he saw no falsehood in it at all and simply said with disarming sincerity:

“Are you really that reliable?”

After thinking for a moment, he leaned closer to Kael and added with complete seriousness:

“Listen, Kael… do you want to be friends with me?”

Kael smiled crookedly, as if he himself could not quite believe Gilmesh could be this simple. For several seconds he looked at him carefully before asking:

“You suggested that so I’d help you, didn’t you?”

Gilmesh nodded without the slightest shame.

“Well, yes. That’s exactly my plan.”

But almost immediately he added in a completely serious tone:

“But you earn my respect. If my intuition told me otherwise, I wouldn’t want to be friends with you.”

At these words everyone near Kael simply froze, unsure how to react. Gilmesh seemed brazen, yet at the same time he had a pleasant, even somewhat appealing aura.

Kael, however, could not help but laugh quietly.

“If you’re willing to listen to my advice, I’d be glad to be friends with you. But I need you to trust me. If your behavior ends up putting me in trouble, then we won’t be able to walk the same path.”

Gilmesh suddenly struck his fist against his palm and muttered with satisfaction:

“Perfect. A replacement for my old man has been found…”

Almost immediately, without wasting any time, he got straight to the point:

“Kael, I don’t know what’s going on in that Empire, but I need a forge. Can you arrange that?”

Kael only gave a crooked smile.

“I’ll do everything I can. But it’s too early to talk about that.”

Then, as if speaking to a big, slightly stubborn child, he calmly added:

“By the way, try not to come on so strong with people. Usually they don’t like it.”

Gilmesh immediately slapped Kael on the back and laughed.

“Come on, Kael. We’re allies now. You understand me, so there’s no problem.”

At that, Girren and Violet, as well as Lissandra and Roselle, could only smile awkwardly. It seemed Gilmesh simply did not understand social rules or boundaries. He said whatever came to mind and never considered how it sounded to others.

Kael, realizing it would be better to steer the conversation in another direction, said calmly:

“By the way… You mentioned that you also know jewelry work.”

“Of course,” Gilmesh nodded immediately.

With a spark of interest in his eyes, Kael casually asked, “Would you be able to cut a crystal that is as hard as a violet ruby?”

Gilmesh narrowed his eyes slightly.

“How complex of a cut are we talking about?”

Kael answered almost without pause.

“Sixteen facets. The main thing is to keep the symmetry perfect. And it would be ideal if the finished crystal could be set into metal. Something like a pendant.”

Gilmesh lifted his head and thought for several seconds, looking toward the mountain peaks.

Then he nodded slowly.

“Sounds difficult… But if I have the right tools, I can do it. Maybe not on the first try, but I can.”

He smirked and added honestly, “My old man would handle it easily. But I’m not quite at his level yet.”

After that, he perked up again, returning to his earlier thoughts.

“But if you can arrange that forge… And if I have the time… heh-heh…” He smiled broadly and, raising a thumb, added, “Then I’ll definitely surpass my old man.”

Kael narrowed his eyes, feeling a quiet wave of satisfaction rise within him, murmured softly:

“Don’t worry. Now it’s in my interest too…”

Violet glanced at him sideways and shook her head almost imperceptibly.

“He’s plotting something again…” she thought. “What’s going on inside that head of his?”

While she was still thinking about it, Gilmesh had already switched his attention to a new target. He stepped closer to Girren and, without wasting a second, began bombarding him with questions:

“Hey, what family are you from?”

“And what element do you have?”

“Have you tried enchanting weapons yet?”

“And do you even know how to use a hammer?”

The questions kept coming.

At first Girren answered patiently, but after just a few minutes he looked as though his head was starting to spin. He was far too quiet a person to endure such an onslaught calmly.

Kael, watching from the side, only chuckled softly and continued walking forward with the column.