The Berserker’s Second Playthrough in the Game - Chapter 36



Only Krnovel

Episode 36. Wizard Hunt (2)

Old Man Sledgehammer, Gulak’s blacksmith shop was cramped and shabby.

The smell of iron mixed with the musty smell created a stench like rotten blood. Tools such as iron tongs, hammers, chisels, and rivets were scattered haphazardly on the floor, and the stand where finished products were hung was empty. The rusty anvil, the holey foot furnace, and the empty furnace like the eye sockets of a corpse have long since forgotten the days when they were full of heat and sparks.

An awkward atmosphere hung between the host and the intruders. Still, he felt he had to treat his guests, so Gulak limped out carrying a tray. An unidentifiable, yellowish liquid sloshed inside the dented cup.

“… … I’m sorry I don’t have anything to offer you, Your Majesty. It’s a drink I made two years ago, so I’m not sure if it’ll suit your taste.”

“No, it’s okay. “It’s my fault for coming suddenly without any notice.”

Gulag used the anvil as a table and placed a tray on it. Enrico let out a sigh. It would have been a sight that would have shocked other blacksmiths who held the anvil sacred. However, Kadim did not react at all and calmly picked up his glass and drank down the alcohol.

And then he left his honest impressions.

“Your taste buds have never been so bad. “Is this alcohol made with dog milk?”

“… … .”

The already awkward atmosphere became even more awkward.

Enrico couldn’t believe his ears. What a horrible insulting remark. He hurriedly drank his glass to lighten the mood.

But I couldn’t even swallow a single sip and threw it up.

“Ugh, keke! Hehe, hehe, hehe! This, this… … “What kind of drink is this, Gulak!”

“… … It’s a drink made with dog milk. I’m sorry, Your Majesty. It doesn’t seem to suit your taste.”

While Enrico was making a face of anger, Gulag put away the glass he had brought. He stood up and glanced at Kadim. It seemed that his gaze towards the barbarian had changed a little.

It took some time for Remtana’s counselor to recover from the shock of the milking. When he finally came to, Gulak confirmed what he had just heard.

“So, this Atallain mercenary… … “So you killed the troll blocking the twin canyons?”

“Hmm, that’s right. And that too alone.”

“And you also saved the life of the Inspector General?”

“yes.”

“So, the commissioner introduced me to you?”

“That’s right. No matter what anyone says, there’s no other blacksmith in our city like you.”

“… … .”

Gulag’s face hardened like coal. Enrico’s lips turned up stiffly. In an awkward silence, the two were busy looking at each other.

Kadim found this situation truly bizarre.

It is not unusual for a blacksmith to be cautious of a councilor. The most powerful person in the city is here in person, so it’s worth noting. But it was definitely strange for even the councilor to look at the blacksmith. Even if he said he wouldn’t do the work, he would be in a position to force it… … .

An even stranger thing happened after that.

Enrico erased his stiff smile and wiped his face. After hesitating, I took a deep breath and stood up.

Then he knelt down in front of the blacksmith.

“… … !”

Gulak, startled by the sudden action, opened his eyes wide. Enrico lowered his head and opened his mouth calmly.

“It’s too late, but let me apologize on your behalf for everything you’ve been through. “Once you take on the position of councilor, you have to take on all the responsibilities of the city, but I neglected that obvious fact and my apology is late.”

“… … .”

“I know it’s been a long time since you’ve done your blacksmithing. But, could you please help my benefactor just this once? This is not something that just anyone can do. It’s a job that only a craftsman as tight-lipped and skilled as you can entrust.”

Kadim captured Gulak’s agitation through the cold darkness.

His matted beard twitched. The wrinkled corners of his eyes trembled. There was such a desolate sadness on the old man’s face that he wanted to cry at any moment, but his emotional well was dry and no tears came out.

The commotion subsided after quite some time. Gulak, who had finally regained his composure, finally spoke.

“… … Wake up, Councilor, you will get better. You haven’t done anything wrong, so why are you kneeling in front of such a lowly iron bastard? … .”

Enrico showed no sign of getting up. He was only able to get up after his Gulak came limping and helped him.

“Okay, I see. Oh, right, it’s not just anyone else, it’s the Chief Inspector who’s telling us this, so we can’t just let him go… … Let’s find out what’s going on.”

Enrico expressed his gratitude deeply and gestured outside. The soldiers who were waiting came whining and carrying something large that was tightly covered with a cover. When the cover was removed, solid plate armor was revealed.

An exclamation of admiration came out of Gulag’s mouth without warning.

“Oh my god, Remillion… … . This… … .”

“This is the armor worn by the high-ranking knights of the Empire. And inside it are fragments of a ‘new soldier.’”

“Kadim said nonchalantly. Gulag rubbed his eyes and hit his forehead in disbelief.

“Oh my goodness. I’ve only lived long enough to see this. I never thought I’d see all the gear of a high-ranking paladin in my lifetime… … How come there’s so much stuff here?”

“It has a complicated history. It’s not something you’ll enjoy hearing, so I’ll skip the explanation. Of course, you can’t tell anyone that you saw this.”

“… … .”

“Anyway, I want to process these into weapons. Do you think it’ll be possible, Old Man?”

Gulag’s mind had already left this place. He was in a state of ecstasy, examining the armor carefully. He even touched it, pounded it, brushed it, kneaded it, and even tasted it. He got so close that he almost got his face burned by the new soldier’s fire.

After several minutes, the blacksmith finished his observation. Sweating profusely, he expressed his feelings of wonder.

“Red iron and cobalt… … Taeseok and Kang are an alloy with a few more things added to them. You’ve created an amazing combination of heat resistance and strength. The technique of engraving patterns and driving rivets is artistic, and it even contains a mysterious power that I don’t know about. Damn, I want to take a closer look inside, but I can’t because it’s hot because of the new body parts… … .”

“… … .”

“But, can’t we touch that new recruit because of his rejection reaction? But if we just melt it all down, the blessings that were bestowed on him will disappear. How on earth are we supposed to process that into a weapon?”

Kadim explained step by step the method he had planned. To be honest, even though I had come this far, I was still in doubt as to whether it was really possible.

Gulak, who heard the whole story, snorted.

“How ridiculous. Do you think that metal is just clay that can be molded and placed anywhere? There is no blacksmith in the whole world who knows how to do that kind of work.”

Just when I was about to be disappointed, thinking that it wouldn’t work out, a quiet whisper followed.

“Except for the ancient dwarves who conquered the North, and this ‘old man sledgehammer’ of Remtana.”

The sledgehammer-inspired Gulag grinned, revealing his broken front teeth.

It was a smile full of pride in his own skills.

“… … “Then let me ask you a favor.”

Gulak nodded vigorously. For the first time in a while, the craftsman’s eyes, which had become dull after a long absence, filled with heat resembling a furnace. He shouted excitedly as if he were someone else.

“Don’t worry, I’ll get right to work, so come on in, Your Majesty! Let’s see, first we need to clean everything up, and then we need to remove the rust from the anvil, fix the bellows, and buy some firewood and charcoal… … . Ah! Come here, mercenary. I saw you drinking quite a bit earlier. Do you need more? I have some left… … .”

Kadim almost blurted out something harsh. Has this old man already forgotten what I said about him having no taste?

However, since he had given me a job, I thought it wouldn’t hurt to try to please him a little, so I handed him an empty leather water bottle. Gulak smiled broadly and filled the bottle with milk. He must have been really happy because he offered to do something I hadn’t even asked him to do.

“Oh, do you need me to take care of the weapon you have? It won’t take long anyway, so I’ll take a look at it when I have time while working.”

After much thought, Kadim decided to just leave the mosquito behind and hide the axe behind. The dwarven axe wasn’t in such bad shape anyway, and if he gave it away, the blacksmith would be distracted by the sight and forget about it for half a day.

“Oh, you used that sword so viciously… … . It’ll take at least two weeks to make what you asked for, and to take care of the sword as well. Why don’t you take your time and go sightseeing in the city?”

The sun had already set, and the outside was covered in a gloomy evening light. The sergeant, the barbarian, and the soldiers came out of the shabby forge one by one.

As I walked down the street, the sound of the blacksmith bustling with excitement did not stop.

*

“… … Poor old man. He ruined his life because of his great talent.”

On the way out of the outskirts and into the city center, Enrico told me about Gulag’s story, even though I hadn’t asked him specifically.

“He is a native of Remtana who has lived there since long before I came. He is said to have shown great talent in ironworking since childhood, and was widely known in the neighborhood.”

At that time, there were many monsters around Remtana, so there were quite a few mercenaries, and naturally, the demand for good weapons and armor was high. It was natural that Gulak, who was the most skilled blacksmith, gained money and fame. He soon married a village girl, had a son, and started a wealthy family.

However, the Demon Tower’s subjugation order changed their fate.

A large-scale subjugation dried up the seeds of the monster. All the mercenaries who hunted and made a living left the city. After suffering from reduced demand for years, Gulak finally decided to leave Remtana and go to the big city of Delutana.

“Even if you are a free man, you need a huge amount of money to move your residence to another city. Even the money Gulag had saved up until then wasn’t enough. He had no choice but to use the money he had saved to move his wife and son’s residence first. He planned to save up enough money here and follow.”

But the previous inspector before Enrico had no intention of letting that go. A skilled blacksmith was a valuable human resource that was hard to replace. He held them back by insisting that they pay twice as much as others.

Gulag gnashed his teeth at the absurdity of the action, but he had no choice. The councilor was not an opponent that a blacksmith could stand up to. He endured his longing for his family and saved money for years. Finally, he gave the huge sum of money he had saved to the councilor.

“But the counselor did not keep his promise. Instead of giving me permission to go to Del Rutana… … They framed him, confiscated his property, and cut off the heel of his gulag.”

“… … .”

Kadim could now understand why the blacksmith had abandoned his work, why the two men had reacted so uneasily to each other, why the sergeant had knelt before the blacksmith.

There was no great inspiration. It was a universal misfortune in this world that had been seen many times since 300 years ago. Rather, in Kadim’s opinion, the sight of the counselor apologizing for something that was not his fault was even more unusual.

The councilor, conscious of the gaze, added a few words.

“The councilor of the alliance is clearly different from the lord of the empire. “Most lords rule only one territory throughout their lives, but a councilor can stay in one city for at most 10 years.”

“… … .”

“But as I said before, it’s no different in that you have to take responsibility for all the business there during your stay. Even though it’s not my fault, his resentment and resentment are now on my shoulders. I had already planned to visit at least once, but there were so many problems at hand that I couldn’t find the time. “It’s because of you that I had the opportunity to come and apologize.”

“… … “It won’t be easy to be a counselor.”

“It’s a position where you can learn a lot and it’s rewarding. Well, it would be a lie to say that I’m working as an inspector just for that reason… … .”

While they were talking, they arrived in front of the council residence. Enrico suggested that they stay here for a while and search for traces of the wizard. Kadim declined. If a large savage were to frequent a place like this, he would be very noticeable.

Instead, Kadim chose to stay at an inn on Main Street.

“Welcome, ‘Drunken Bull’!”

As I crossed the threshold, a waitress with short hair greeted me cheerfully.

Perhaps because it is a city, the facilities were so good that they could not be compared to rural inns like ‘Eccles’ Feast.’ Duncan could not hide his ecstatic expression when the courier said that he could take a hot bath in the bathhouse for just 10 Luden. I couldn’t help but be embarrassed when I heard that if I gave 100 Luden, he would even invite a woman to help me take a bath.

“Ha, haha, that’s right… … . Okay, I have a wife back home… … .”

Duncan reluctantly declined. Even though I told her that she wouldn’t know unless she returned home with her woman by her side, the point remained. The waitress eventually changed her target. Kadim followed her into the bathhouse and persistently solicited customers.

“Our kids are really good, aren’t they? Like the teacher, he is big and has big things… … Wow, Remillion… … .”

“… … .”

“Well, the Atalains who had big things, they all returned satisfied… … .”

The courier, facing the savage’s strong muscles and cargo, blushed and swallowed his saliva. I raised my gaze and looked around slowly, and only after seeing the grimly wrinkled face did I give up on business.

Holding a woman in his arms was a luxury he had stopped enjoying since his madness. Kadim returned to his room after only removing the old stains. Duncan, who had returned first, was lying on the cotton-filled bed, melting. His face was the happiest he had looked since he had started his journey.

When I saw that sight, a fading memory suddenly came back to me.

Memories of lying on a soft bed and lazing around all day, ordering chicken and drinking a cold can of beer when I felt like it. Maybe these old memories will remain as mere memories forever.

This is why I felt uncomfortable staying in a place with good facilities. Kadim twisted the corner of his mouth bitterly and prepared to leave again.

“Just enjoy the city for a while, Duncan. “If you’re hungry all night long, empty that canteen.”

“I understand, I’ll get better! “Well, what are you doing here?”

“Wizard Hunt.”

“… … yes?”

Kadim jumped out the window without adding an explanation.

A quiet landing that didn’t suit his physique. The cool night air brushed against his rough skin. Perhaps because it was a small city, there weren’t many places with lights on. The moonlight had disappeared, and the sky was filled with only faintly scattered stars.

That alone was enough for the barbarian’s eyes to see through the night scene.

‘The inspector said that the wizard frequently went in and out of the northern part of the city… … . I guess we should look in that area first.’

Kadim ran through the night air. The spirit of the mighty barbarian warrior melted into pitch-black darkness.