Side Story 3. The Magic School and the Monster in the Basement (2)

The workshop did not smell as if someone lived here. Of course, it was natural. It hadn't been long since I created the workshop and didn't visit if I didn't have anything to research. Still, I made Percival and Tristan live here, but since it still seemed like no one was living here, did they not use any household items?

"Ohh, Master is here?”

Shortly after I entered the workshop, Tristan came up from the basement of the workshop used as the main laboratory and greeted me.

"I’m here. I've prepared some household items. Don't you use them?"

It was a shame. I even made it so it would be no different from when they were alive, such as allowing them to convert food to mana and eat it.

"Ah, Neither Captain nor I can hardly keep a house. We didn't even touch them in case we made more of a mess. And we don’t particularly get hungry either."

"Really? Well, if you are unable to do household things, it'll be a little hard for Holy Queen to live in. Do I need to find a servant?"

However, the fewer people that could enter the workshop, the better. The only ones who could enter the workshop currently were Milpia, an informant, and Hillis, who was in charge of the Holy Queen’s treatment. Honestly, I was reluctant to increase it here. In particular, it was all the more so because a non-magician could touch something without knowing and die.

"Oh, that's fine. There's a professional housekeeper among those who haven't been revived yet."

"Who is it?"

Tristan smiled lightly and answered, "Gwalchavad. He's a scary guy who pushed me to be a stone statue. In addition to Gwalchavad, Yvain, Caradoc, and surprisingly Bediviere can do it too.”

Gwalchavad was a gentle fellow based on the memory I read from the core containing his soul.

"Then I should wake up Gwalchavad today." Saying so, I headed to the basement where Arietta was.

Next to Arietta, Percival was anxiously looking at her. "Has Master arrived? There was nothing else wrong with Her Majesty the Holy Queen."

"I know. Her vitals are sent to me in real time," I said.

Percival nodded. "I see. Oh, while Master was away, Miss Hillis came to heal Her Majesty then left."

"Really? I hope she didn't touch anything dangerous".

Although I had cleaned up to some extent, I was a little worried since the laboratory was full of many dangerous substances used for alchemy.

"It's okay. Except for healing, she just chatted with Her Majesty when she had briefly woken up."

Hillis was quite free-spirited, but she seemed to have done well what I had asked.

I nodded and checked Arietta's condition. When I was in my hometown, I had experience treating external and internal injuries under Elder Mirpa, so it was not difficult to treat her.

"Mmm, are you here?"

While I was making potions to treat Arietta, she seemed to have regained consciousness and greeted me with a small voice.

"Are you up? It's better to sleep more for recovery," I advised.

Arietta smiled bitterly. "U-hu-hu, I often have nightmares when I sleep all day long. So let me have a break and be awake for a while." She tried to force herself up.

"You should stay lying down. If you force yourself to move, you'll get hurt," I said firmly and pressed her shoulder to lie down again.

"Still, it's a bit painful to lie down still...”

"It can't be helped. If you don't stay lying down calmly, I’ll restrain you, so just lay still." I threatened and warned Percival and Tristan. "Stop Hillis from moving her when she comes. We’re currently in the process of dispelling the curse on the wounds. After I lift the curse, I won't say anything even if she moves and the wound bursts."

For Arietta, the biggest problem now was the curse that was placed on her just before being sealed. She had fast healing abilities as expected of the Holy Tribe of the battle races, so as long as the curse was dispelled, there would be no problem.

"How did you end up with such a terrible curse?" I asked.

Arietta replied in a low voice, her expression stiffening, "That… Do I have to say it?" She pursed her mouth tightly as if she didn't want to think of it.

"No. If it was a curse I didn't know, it might be different, but since I know this curse, I can dispel it without you telling me."

The curse on her was the curse of despair, and it was also the curse I used when I made the "Gaebolg". It was a myth-class curse and it appeared that a witch’s curse was mixed in, so although it would take considerable effort, it wasn’t impossible to dispel.

"Then I’d rather not right now. It's not such a good memory."

"Okay. If you don't want to say it, you don't have to say it."

Personally, I wasn’t into sad stories, so I didn't want to go out of my way to hear it.

"Thank you." Arietta smiled bitterly.

After finishing today's healing treatment, I took out the body of the dragon tooth soldier that Gwalchavad’s core was in from my pocket space.

"I thought this after seeing Sir Percival and Sir Tristan, but it's amazing that you made it so sophisticated. Caron was so bad with his hands. Did you carve it yourself?"

Arietta erased her lonely smile and looked at Gwalchavad's body with sparkling eyes. "No."

I had no dexterity to make something so sophisticated.

"It's more like what Gwalchavad himself created than me. You can consider it as a magic where I just make the skeleton and soul materializes the shape from their life. I only supplied the ingredients.”

Actually, the skeleton was also outsourced to Milpia, so the only thing I did myself was the magic circle for where the core would go in.

"Oho, was there such a mysterious magic?"

Well, although I referred to the necromancy and black magic of the Demon King summons, there was no need to say that. I repeated the procedure I did when I installed Percival and Tristan's core.

Tristan freaked out when the back of Gwalchavad’s head split open. "Eek! Gross, Master! Does my head perhaps open like that too?”

It was the same reaction as Percival.

"Of course. This requires a lot of concentration, so don't talk to me," I warned.

Tristan shut up and I safely fitted Gwalchavad’s core.

"Open your eyes, Gwalchavad."

At my voice, Gwalchavad frowned, seemingly dizzy.

"Keu! This is... Where is this? Sir Percival? Sir Tristan? And... Your Majesty the Holy Queen?”

"How do you feel?" I asked.

Gwalchavad looked at me. "You…! I see. So you are my new master."

It seems his memories from when he was still a stone statue had revived.

"Well, that's right. Call me whatever you want," I said.

Gwalchavad readily nodded. "Then I'll call you Master. Your solid shield, Gwalchavad, greets Master."

"Yeah. I'm Denburg Blade, and I picked this up because I heard it's your shield."

I took out the Holy Shield that was in the collapsed castle armory from my pocket space.

"This is! Ahh, I had thought it had fallen into the hands of the King of the Giants, but I'm glad."

With a relieved look, Gwalchavad swept and touched the cross-shaped shield.

"Unfortunately, I couldn't find David's sword or Sword of Strange Lines or something. I can't bring Balin’s sword because it belongs to the Dragon King of the Dragon Tribe,” I said.

Both swords were Gwalchavad’s and the “Sword of Strange Lines” in particular was said to have such strong power to the extent that it was comparable to the Holy Sword.

I wanted it, but I didn't know where it was.

"It's okay. I didn't expect such things in the first place. Holding the shield again is a miracle in itself."

"That's a relief if you think so."

"In addition, the Sword of Strange Lines is a cursed sword that only I can use, so it's okay."

Perhaps without the curse, that sword would have become the 5th God Sword. Moreover, if the sword was picky about its owner, there was a possibility that the cursed sword is an ego-sword. Well, that wasn't important now.

I grinned as I touched his shoulder. "I heard you're a professional housekeeper, but can you also cook? It's already late in the evening.”

Gwalchavad smiled refreshingly. "It’s my specialty!"

He pulled up the sleeves on his arms and went up to the kitchen to start cooking. Those dishes were unfamiliar because they were dishes from 500 years ago, but they were enough to be called the best foods.

"Ohhhhh! Tasty...!”

Suddenly, Gwalchavad looked perfectly reliable.

-o-

After finishing the meal that Gwalchavad made, I left the workshop after confirming that Arietta was asleep again.

Gwalchavad offered to escort, but I refused and told him to protect the workshop and Arietta. It was more urgent to support her, a critically ill patient, than an escort.

"I'm back."

When I arrived at the boarding house, an unexpected face welcomed me.

"You’ve returned? Give me the bag. I'll take it upstairs."

It was Hameln, the new employee who came in today, who took my briefcase very naturally.

"How are you here... No way...?”

As I stretched my words, Hameln smiled gently and bowed his head slightly.

"Yes. As you guessed, this is where I moved my luggage today."

Alphonso rushed in for a moment when I was dumbfounded by Hameln’s answer.

"Wah! Den! You're late!”

As usual, I blocked Alphonso's head to block his charge and asked, "Will you be okay? Although we don’t really care about formality, you’ll be living with your senior."

Moreover, I was a much younger senior. It was usually the younger senior in the military that was the most annoying. [1]

Hameln responded with a smile. "Haha, it's okay. You can take advantage of me at work as well as at the boarding house.”

Uh… Is he nuts?

For some reason, I wondered if I got tangled with a crazy person who I shouldn’t associate with.

"Den! You're late! Hurry up and come so that we can have a welcoming party!"

From the kitchen side where the table was, Alice held out her head and beckoned me to come quickly.

At first glance, they prepared it quite plentifully. Perhaps because it was specially prepared, they didn't eat and waited for me.

"Okay."

I've already had dinner, but I can just join in Lisbon and Alphonso's nightly training and move my body a little.

Let's push Lisbon to his limit today.

Deciding so, I said to Hameln, "Okay, let's go. I'll put the bag down. You're the star of the welcoming party."

When I brought my bag back, Hameln looked at my bag with a disappointed face and nodded.

"Yes, all right."

In front of the plentiful table, Hameln introduced himself once again, and Mrs. Arscilla opened a bottle of luxurious champagne. While talking about this and that and eating together, Yuria brought up the magic school.

"I heard that the Adventurers' Guild invites an adventurer instructor around this time of year. Do you know who will come?"

Yuria’s question was what Milpia had already told me. I shrugged when all eyes were suddenly directed towards me. "Well, there’s been no talk about it so I don't know.”

If one were to go as an instructor, I thought it’d be me or Fiona, but Fiona was busy because she just took over Roseland's work.

Alice smiled and jokingly asked, "What if it’s you?"

I smiled and nodded. "There's a possibility.”

Alice and Yuria were surprised.

"Oh? Really?

"I hope Den comes!"

No, I don't want to because I'm lazy. I guess I’ll find out tomorrow.

1. In Korea, military service is mandatory, but some people go later due to college, and so when they go to the military, there may be ‘seniors’ who are younger than them. ?