Chapter 83 : Chapter 83
Chapter 83
Hot.
Evangeline was surprised by that fact.
A scorching heat welled up. The breath she exhaled was feverishly hot.
It was a sensation similar to when she had swung her sword all day.
It was unbelievable.
The surroundings were still covered in pure white snow.
With every breath, thick vapor spread into the air, and the occasional passerby on the street was invariably dressed in thick clothes.
‘Why?’
Then what was this sensation?
Where was this heat coming from?
After a moment’s deliberation, Evangeline realized.
The source of the heat was inside her body.
It was as if she had swallowed a ball of fire. A hot flame was spreading from her lower abdomen throughout her body.
“Evangeline.”
“……Yes.”
“Are you hot?”
“Yes.”
“Let’s take off all your outerwear.”
Evangeline obediently followed Reinhardt’s advice.
The heat grew stronger. The heat made it impossible for her to stay lucid.
She hadn't even noticed when Reinhardt had approached.
With trembling hands, she finished taking off her outerwear.
Thin, casual clothes were revealed.
It was an outfit she couldn't even have imagined when she first came to Elmore.
“Are you still hot?”
“Yes. Still.”
“It will be okay soon.”
Evangeline nodded, exhaling a hot breath.
It would be okay soon.
Anyone else might have thought it was meaningless encouragement, but the one saying it was Reinhardt.
If he said it would be okay, then it really would be okay soon.
It had always been that way.
Those who followed Reinhardt’s advice always found the answer to their problems.
The heat was gradually subsiding.
The sweat that had been flowing like rain all over her body stopped.
The heat subsided. And what came next was a cold that seemed to cut through her flesh.
“I-it’s cold.”
The words escaped her lips without her realizing.
She didn't even have a moment to feel embarrassed, even though it was a voice unbecoming of a knight.
Her body began to tremble uncontrollably.
Her teeth chattered wildly, making a clattering sound.
At that, someone put an outer garment on her.
It was Reinhardt.
In her barely lifted gaze was the knight, as calm as ever.
“It will be okay soon.”
This time was the same.
Evangeline felt a sense of relief at his promise and willingly accepted his touch.
Three layers, four layers.
Only after putting on all the clothes she had first worn out did she feel she could finally breathe again.
“It’s not because your mental strength is lacking. It’s admirable enough that you didn’t scream.”
“Sir Reinhardt, no.”
Evangeline barely managed to open her mouth.
“Reinhardt, how do you know that?”
“I already knew. Because I have to know that fact.”
“Do you mean you’re doing what you have to do?”
“It is an extension of that. As always, I am simply where I need to be, doing what I must do.
Right now, I just have to present Dame Evangeline with the proper training method in Elmore.”
It was an absurd story.
Anyone else would have questioned such an answer deeply, but Evangeline merely nodded.
Because Reinhardt was just that kind of person.
Even Miya Luxpenber, the personnel officer of the Paganoa Knights, had vouched that the
Reinhardt she knew was originally that kind of person.
“It will get hot again.”
“……”
“And it will get cold again.”
Evangeline gritted her teeth. It was a sensation that was frightening just to imagine.
As Reinhardt said, this was not a level that could be overcome with mental strength.
“But I will be by your side. You will not be left alone.”
It was a comfort.
The fear in her heart was washed away in an instant.
If so, she felt she could endure it.
A will to see it through to the end filled her chest.
She gritted her teeth, and.
A terrible heat washed over Evangeline.
***
Almost three hours.
After clenching her teeth and enduring, Evangeline fainted.
Reinhardt lifted the collapsed girl and carried her to their lodging, laying her down.
“I knew this would happen to you sooner or later. If you need medicine, let me know. I’ll get you something that works well.”
The innkeeper, who had been watching the situation, spoke to me with a pitying expression.
“Thank you.”
“Why did you do that? For days, outside……”
“There were personal reasons.”
“We were already making our own guesses. A penance to attain enlightenment, or perhaps an atonement.”
“I can say it’s something similar.”
The innkeeper nodded as if he understood.
The northernmost tip of the Empire.
The coldest city among the places where humans could reside.
Perhaps because of that symbolism, Elmore occasionally had outsiders who engaged in bizarre acts.
In his eyes, Evangeline was no different from them.
Because she had been meaninglessly throwing herself into the cold for days.
“When your companion wakes up, could you prepare a warm stew? I’ll pay for it in advance.”
“The one from before?”
“Yes.”
“Let’s do that. Is there anything else I should tell her?”
“Please tell her to get plenty of rest.”
“Understood.”
Evangeline would probably wake up late in the evening.
Or she might even sleep soundly for a couple of days.
Either way, it didn't really matter.
‘She’s passed the first gate.’
Evangeline had adapted to the cold.
Right after she woke up from this sleep, she would surely not feel the cold in Elmore’s weather.
It meant she had met the minimum qualification to be called the ‘Knight of Frost’.
‘The rest won’t be such a painful process. The goal is to adapt to her newly awakened power.’
And as she used her abilities, the reward of growth would naturally follow.
As a Knight of Paganoa, she would be fighting enemies frequently anyway.
The time spent on training was only about a week.
I had achieved results much faster than initially expected.
‘Now, all that’s left is to craft the weapon. And grow Ria in the process.’
The blacksmith Ria was still in a similar state.
Her mind was slightly off, but it hadn't gone to an extreme.
She also hadn't fed blood to the Sealing Stone since the first time.
‘This time, a reaction should come out soon.’
Reinhardt headed to Hasker’s Smithy.
A familiar voice and a familiar situation greeted him.
The entrance to the smithy.
On the snow-covered path, blacksmiths clad in thick clothes were struggling with a hefty pile of materials.
“Who did this kind of……!”
A familiar blacksmith was shouting something harshly, then shut his mouth upon spotting Reinhardt.
“Excuse me.”
“Do you even feel excused?”
“Of course.”
“The process of building trust starts from meticulously keeping even the smallest promises.
Don’t you think so?”
The blacksmith was strangely grumpy.
It was as if he was pouting.
No, he was clearly pouting.
“Were you waiting?”
“Waiting? Who? You’re saying something ridiculous.”
“Is Ria’s condition okay?”
“As for that, you…….”
He was about to snap something but let out a deep sigh instead.
“She’s not okay. Damn it. Her words and actions are getting stranger by the day. Do you know something? Are you acquainted with those suspicious bastards?”
“I know them. They do not know me. I also know for what purpose they approached the smithy.”
“Who in the world are you?”
“I cannot say. I simply wish to help Ria. To help her escape the problem she’s facing now and move forward in a positive direction.”
“How do you plan to help?”
“Before I answer, let me ask you first. Why don’t you stop Ria?”
“That’s because……”
“Did she say she would leave the smithy if you tried to stop her?”
The blacksmith flinched and froze.
It was a clear ‘how did you know that’ expression.
Of course, it was information I could obtain because I had Bitdori with me, but Reinhardt made a suitable excuse.
“I know their methods well. Ria must be the talent who will carry on the legacy of Hasker’s. I will help so that those scoundrels cannot take Ria away. For I, too, have something to ask of Ria.”
“So in the end, you have the same purpose as those bastards.”
“No.”
Reinhardt asserted as such and took out a Magic Stone from his [Inventory], holding it out in front of the blacksmith.
“Does this item look like the same kind as the one those scoundrels left behind?”
The blacksmith’s eyes trembled violently.
He must have realized it the moment he saw it.
He was, after all, a man who had spent his entire life in front of an anvil.
It was only natural for any blacksmith of Hasker’s to recognize the true value of a Magic Stone.
“What in the……”
“There’s no time for a long explanation. Will you accept me as a customer? If you refuse even this time, I will have no choice but to find another way.”
The blacksmith let out a sigh of resignation.
“……I am Kron, a blacksmith of Hasker’s. I will guide you.”
“Due to circumstances, I am in a position where I cannot reveal my name.”
“I don’t mind. I’m not particularly curious either. What’s important to me is only that Ria comes to her senses and returns to her usual self.”
“Do the others feel the same way?”
“Everyone does.”
That meant it would be easier for Reinhardt to act.
“Follow me.”
Kron led Reinhardt into the smithy.
The scorching heat could be felt on the skin.
“You’d better take off your coat. More importantly, what’s your plan? What should I do?”
“Please explain the situation to the others. I will speak with Ria alone.”
“She’s not in a state to be reasoned with through conversation.”
“I imagine so.”
“You speak as if you know everything. Have you even seen what state Ria is in? That child is now……”
“She wouldn’t be in a state where she can have a rational conversation. It doesn’t matter. It happened because of her innate talent.”
The blacksmith Kron was at a loss for words.
Because of the situation, he had spoken sarcastically, but Reinhardt had answered so calmly.
“I thought you said you were an outsider. Has the rumor of Ria’s talent spread that far?”
“Not everyone knows. However, some, including myself, tend to listen to rumors that spread throughout the Empire.”
“Some, you say. It sounds like you’re saying all the important people roughly know.”
“There’s a discrepancy in the expression ‘important people’, but it’s similar.”
I felt furtive glances.
The blacksmiths who had been engrossed in their work were looking at Kron with questioning eyes.
Then, a blacksmith with white eyebrows spoke up.
“Hey, Kron. We’re not accepting customers right now……”
“This is a customer we must accept. I will report to the master.”
“……Is he really a customer?”
“He should be a customer. Probably.”
The elderly blacksmith frowned as if he didn't like it, but soon nodded.
It seemed Kron’s position in the smithy was considerable.
“The person called the master?”
“I was talking about Hasker. Literally the master of this place.”
“What is his relationship with Ria?”
“A master and apprentice who cherish and respect each other. You’ll see soon enough. I’ve guided you this far, but if the master doesn’t agree, there’s nothing I can do.”
The two reached the deepest part of the smithy.
There was a huge anvil.
It was the largest one I had ever seen.
In front of the anvil stood a blacksmith of small stature, his shoulders slumped down.
He held a hammer in his right hand.
“Master. A customer.”
The master, Hasker, turned his gaze to Reinhardt.
He had a long, white beard. Combined with his small stature, he had an impression more suited to a wizard than a blacksmith.
“I see. A customer.”
A deep, calm gaze sized up Reinhardt.
Then, without another word, he nodded.
“Ria will be pleased. Treat him with special care.”