< Chapter 96 - Masterpiece #4 >
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“Let’s start again slowly. I’ll take the lead.”
“huh.”
After cleaning up the campfire, Uder glanced back at Cordelia. She was putting the dishes she had magically cleaned into her space-expanding pouch, but at first glance, she looked the same as usual.
‘but······.’
Even now, when I close my eyes, the image of Cordelia crying comes to mind.
‘nightmare.’
A scary dream.
But can you cry like that just because you had a dream?
‘I’m weak.’
It wasn’t a story about the body. It was a story about Cordelia’s mind – the so-called mental side.
In Uther’s eyes, Cordelia seemed to have a very strong mentality.
But being mentally strong had two meanings.
One meant that the defense itself was excellent, so it was not affected by any kind of attack, and the other meant that although the defense itself was low, the stamina was so high that it was not shaken by any kind of mental attack.
There was a fairly significant difference between the two: sustainability.
‘The former holds up well for a long time.’
The former could be likened to a warrior wearing full body armor.
No matter how many times he was beaten, only his armor was damaged, so the warrior inside was left unharmed.
But the latter was a different story.
A naked warrior with an extremely strong body.
At first, it seems like it can hold up well, but eventually, because it is naked, each time it is attacked, the wounds on its body increase. It starts to bleed little by little, and eventually, due to the accumulated wounds, it collapses.
And in Uther’s eyes, Cordelia was closer to the latter than the former.
‘It’s understandable that you’d be tired.’
The number of diagonals Cordelia has crossed so far is in the dozens.
Moreover, looking back on the process, it was all extremely disastrous.
Bones are broken and bruised.
He exhausts his magic and stamina until he is exhausted, his small and delicate body becomes a mess, and he vomits blood several times. He even goes blind, although it is said to be temporary, because he is overdoing it.
Thanks to the healing magic, it was cured right away, but at this level, it wouldn’t have been strange for trauma from violence to develop.
‘Maybe it’s a sign of PTSD······.’
Posttraumatic stress disorder.
Of course, it didn’t look like it was in serious condition yet.
What he considered a sign was nothing more than Yuder’s own arbitrary interpretation.
But I couldn’t help but feel worried.
‘Cordelia would have been ordinary.’
Not the present, but the past, a story from a previous life.
Uther himself was not ordinary.
He was a person who had been exposed to excessive violence since childhood and had become accustomed to it.
But what about Cordelia?
Although we never spoke openly about each other’s past lives, we could get a general idea of what kind of lives we had lived through our interactions.
A girl who was born and raised normally in an ordinary home.
It was a great feat that she had come this far without crying even once.
‘Once this is over, I have to force myself to rest.’
Because people need rest.
We should go see nice places together, eat delicious food, and rest well for at least a month.
Yuder, who had made up his mind, nodded once and then spoke.
“Cordelia.”
“uh?”
Cordelia, who was finishing packing her bag, raised her head and answered. The way she swept back her flowing hair was very lovely.
“I will do well.”
“huh?”
Cordelia blinked and tilted her head as if wondering what was going on, but soon smiled brightly.
“Yeah, I’ll look forward to it.”
“Yeah, I’m really looking forward to it. Should I carry you for now?”
When Uther turned his back, Cordelia laughed again and nodded.
“Okay, Cordelia will be a kangaroo.”
After saying that, she jumped up onto Yuder’s back with her bag still on her shoulder. Her movements were as steady as a demonstration by a skilled trainer.
“Okay, then let’s try again and get going?”
As Uther spoke with a fake cheerfulness, Cordelia hugged Uther’s neck tightly and whispered in a small voice.
“But Yuder.”
“Oh, Cordelia.”
“You’re still doing well.”
I’m quite satisfied.
She spoke shyly, leaned into Yuder’s ear and kissed his lips, and Yuder, who trembled for a moment, let out a cough.
And one person.
Melissa, who had been watching this whole scene, spoke in a cold voice.
[Let’s do it in moderation, in moderation.]
People don’t know the extent, the extent.
But unfortunately, and understandably, Melissa’s voice did not reach the two, and Uther and Cordelia continued on, sobbing, into the forest.
&
Cassius Dalton frowned.
It wasn’t because I wasn’t feeling well hammering today or because I didn’t like the piece I was working on.
“What the hell are you doing?”
Cassius was both a skilled blacksmith and a powerful magician.
This is because magic was essential to create weapons above a certain level in the first place.
After all, Cassius was a sorcerer, and the Baikal Forest was her magical domain.
And the wizard was bound to know everything that was happening within his domain.
A young couple.
Up until this point, it was not a common sight, but it was a sight you could see occasionally.
Although there were quite a few monsters in the Baikal forest, there were people who went to the forest to catch those monsters.
But those two people behaved differently from the typical visitors – hunters.
side.
Kiss kiss.
Kiss kiss kiss.
Chochorochochochochochochocho.
They were just busy kissing each other all over their bodies without stopping.
But the funny thing is that even as I was drawing, I was still progressing very well.
“Oh, this really sucks.”
Is this their living room?
Why are you doing that in someone else’s forest?
Of course, there were many men and women who sought out quiet places to do so-called dirty things, but this was the Baikal Forest, far from any village.
Again, this is a forest with monsters.
“If you keep doing that, you’ll get in trouble. No, just get in trouble.”
Cassius, who had been spewing out evil words, turned his gaze back to the anvil to divert his attention.
I wanted to go out there and tell him to get out, but that would have broken the hiding magic I had worked so hard to create, so I had no choice but to hold back for now.
‘Let’s do some hammering.’
Today too, Kang.
Tomorrow too.
Several times a day, thump thump.
Cassius was hammering away and making strange noises, but only a few times.
Because I had to raise my head again soon.
“What are those?”
What is that sight?
I wasn’t talking about kissing each other nonstop.
Monsters.
Guys popped out from all over the place and rushed at the man and woman, but not a single one of them was able to land a proper hit.
This was because dozens of magic balls floating around the woman blocked the monsters rushing in as if they were self-defense.
But that wasn’t the only surprising thing.
‘Are you coming this way?’
The deepest part of the hideout.
The man and woman were approaching straight towards Cassius’s workshop, as if they were coming to find Cassius himself.
‘how?’
I took another close look just in case, but they were faces I had never seen before.
‘what?’
There was a moment when I tilted my head without realizing it.
The man who had been arrogantly looking back and not looking ahead entered the first barrier.
It was a barrier that made those who entered wander and ultimately sent them back the way they came.
But I didn’t get lost.
The red-haired woman – that is, the woman who was being held in the arms of the black-haired man like a princess, her collarbone twitching and squealing as she was being sucked in – moved her hands in the meantime, and the barrier was disabled by that gesture.
To be exact, the maze magic was being countered by the pathfinding magic.
It was a disconcerting sight.
Is it possible for a girl who is barely in her late teens to have that level of skill?
No, skill aside, what is that ridiculously large magical power?
It was not at a level that was possible for humans.
“uh.”
I broke through the maze.
We’ve entered the next boundary.
“Oh, oh, oh.”
You’re just passing that one along again.
It’s a barrier that strikes fear into the minds of those who enter it, causing them to run away, but they’re calm about it.
No, I’m still so busy kissing that I don’t know what to do.
“Huh, huh, huh?”
What the heck, why aren’t any of the barriers working?
Are they human?
And come to think of it, aren’t they all here now?
Isn’t this the entrance to the hideout now?
Knock knock.
At that moment, Cassius was startled by a sound from behind him and quickly turned around.
Because a loud voice was heard from beyond the steel door, followed by a knock.
“Are you there!”
The voice of a human male.
Cassius, who was in conflict for a moment, put strength into his hammer-holding hand and shouted back.
“Who are you! You!”
“I have come to see you, Cassius!”
also.
As expected, I came here knowing the right thing.
Who the hell is it?
How did you know about this, and how did you know about yourself?
“Oh, shit. I don’t know. Just do it.”
Since they’ve come this far, they’ll just open that steel door and come in.
Cassius, who had made up his mind, grabbed his sword instead of his hammer and shouted.
“The seal is broken! Open it and come in!”
A steel door that weighs hundreds of kilograms and would be difficult for an ordinary person to push.
But the door opened normally, and a man and a woman appeared.
&
Melissa was satisfied when the steel door opened.
It was because the feast that had been unfolding before my eyes had stopped, but my anticipation was greater at the prospect of meeting the survivors of Magellan of the Magic Kingdom.
‘Because given the circumstances, Cassius is most likely one of Magellan’s survivors.’
Many of the tools Cassius used were those of Magellan.
And above all, Cassius was old. Although he never said it out loud, it was clear that he had lived for at least a thousand years.
Of course, not all of Magellan’s survivors had a connection to Melissa.
He had never met Melissa, and he likely had no relationship with those who managed her.
But for Melissa, who had been trapped in the laboratory for hundreds of years waiting for the researchers who never returned, the mere fact that Magellan was a survivor meant a lot to her.
[Thump thump, thump thump]
He was so excited that he said it himself.
‘It’s not broken, is it?’
‘no way.’
I guess I’m just so excited.
And then the door opened.
A very large but well-organized workshop and a naked elf woman standing awkwardly with her arms crossed.
“Stop for now. If you cross that line, we’ll attack.”
At Cassius’ warning, Jude and Cordelia looked down at their feet and stopped in front of a line drawn on the floor.
Cassius Dalton.
An elf woman with white hair and red eyes.
She had dark circles under her eyes, which was either natural or a sign of her decadence. She was in the middle of work, and her entire body was drenched in sweat, not to mention her red tank top.
“How did you know about this place? Do you know about me?”
At the nervous question, Uther and Cordelia glanced at each other.
Up to this point, the process was exactly as expected.
‘Because I skipped all the events.’
Various events required to meet Cassius.
But it was inevitable. The situation in the South had changed so much that it was impossible to continue on the same path as the original.
“I am Juder August Bayer. This is my fiancée, Cordelia August Chase.”
“Greetings to Lord Cassius.”
As Jude and Cordelia bowed in front of each other, Cassius’s eyes, which had been glaring at them, softened slightly.
It seemed like he liked being polite and showing respect.
“You guys know basic manners. So, how did you find out about this place and come here? Who told you about me?”
This is where it got important.
So, Uther cleared his throat and began to speak with the kind of face Cordelia liked, that of a conman in our house.
“The Witch of the Western Forest told me.”
Cassius was more of a witch than an orthodox magician.
So rather than giving it a poor name, it would be better to sell the Witch of the Western Forest, which could be called a legend among witches.
‘There is ample evidence to support it.’
There was also a spellbook inherited from the witch of the western forest, and there was Cordelia who had learned several spells directly from her.
So, if I were to tell the story that I had heard from the witch of the Western Forest that there was a powerful witch in the Baikal Forest, and that I had guessed from the various events I had experienced on the way here that the witch was none other than Cassius, then I could have gotten over the current situation as I always did.
‘Because there is no way to confirm.’
So, how are you going to check it, that’s Uder’s specialty? – That was it.
And this time, it worked out well.
Cassius, who was captivated by Judas’s smooth speech, soon lost most of his initial hostility.
‘As expected, there’s a scammer in our house.’
Cordelia, who laughed, happily grabbed Yuder’s sleeve, and Yuder smiled brightly after finishing his story.
‘Now, if I tell you that I have the hide, scales, bones, teeth, and even a piece of the dragon’s heart…’
That’s the real end of the situation.
As in the original, Cassius would rather be hanging on this side.
But that was just then.
“Are they telling the truth?”
Something completely unexpected came out of Cassius’ mouth.
Moreover, she was speaking while looking somewhere other than Uther and Cordelia.
A corner of the studio.
A woman in a black dress with long black hair and pure white skin, sitting leisurely on a large chair.
She smiled brightly.
The very existence of Yuder answered the question of how to confirm it.
What can I do?
Just ask yourself.
The Witch of the Western Forest.
Unlike the original, the soul of the Great Witch was released from the seal instead of ascending.
Instead of answering Cassius’ question, she looked at Uther and Cordelia – especially Cordelia, who was holding on to Uther’s sleeve even tighter – and laughed.
“hi.”
Hello you two.
“I told you we’d meet again, didn’t I?”
The one word she left behind when we broke up.
Uther and Cordelia looked at each other, swallowed dry saliva, and faced the witch of the Western Forest with awkward smiles.
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< Chapter 96 - Masterpiece #4 > End
