Chapter 167: The Knot (7)

"

Hmm...

" I murmured.

"One of the Four Swordmasters suddenly showed up and wiped out an entire drug-trafficking gang," Lime said casually.

That's my doing, isn't it?

I was startled, but I did my best not to show it.

I clenched my fist tightly and brushed it off as if it were nothing. "One of the Four Swordmasters?"

"Yes, a famous figure descended. They said Marquis Leandro came," Lime said.

"He must have a lot of free time if he came all the way out here."

𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

"I thought it was strange too, but according to eyewitnesses, he was able to wield sword aura freely and matched the rumored appearance."

"Appearance?"

"Light bluish-grey hair... It's a rare color."

Damn.

I realized I absolutely couldn't use Masquerade in front of Lime. If I took off my helmet and used that skill, Lime would immediately figure out that the massacre had been my doing. I couldn't predict how they'd react and didn't want to take any unnecessary risks.

Lime continued, "They said he gave the order to the Lord of Yublam to have the criminals commit suicide before judgment and then disappeared elsewhere without showing up himself."

I probed carefully. "Couldn't it be an impersonator?"

Lime didn't show much of a reaction. "Who knows? Maybe something urgent came up. In any case, Yublam... has become quite a decent city since then."

"A decent city?"

"Yes. Since the marquis didn't show up, the officials started working properly, fearing he could appear at any moment."

"

Hmm...

"

"I doubt anyone worries about that now, especially with rumors of his death spreading everywhere."

Indeed, some people deliberately spread false rumors about the marquis' death.

Who knows what they were trying to cover up?

However, considering how far the rumors had spread, it wasn't strange.

"In any case, a power vacuum formed, and my organization filled it neatly," Lime concluded.

"Demon King worshippers?" I asked.

"Not necessarily. This has nothing to do with the guild. It's a private organization."

Considering the power Lime was hiding, they wouldn't need support from Purson's followers to take over a city like this. Even if they weren't on par with the marquis or Gith-Za-Rai, they were definitely in a class of their own.

Now, Lime's organization was managing Yublam—a direct result of my actions. In the early days, I'd carried out a minor massacre, wiping out the corrupt guards.

So this is what it led to.

The further I walked, the more it sank in. As Lime had said, the city looked noticeably cleaner, as if the officials were actually working. Maybe fear truly moved people. Even the stench of drugs that had lingered when I came with Rena was faint now.

Lime strolled down the main street with an easy familiarity as dawn slowly broke. Soon, a neat brick house came into view.

"The child is in there," Lime said.

Inside, I sensed four children turning over in their beds. One of them was a girl who looked like Rena's sister.

"Doesn't look like an orphanage," I said.

"It's not. It's just an ordinary household. Humans, I trust."

I could sense an adult couple preparing a meal.

Knock. Knock.

Lime knocked on the door and entered.

A woman in her late forties rushed out and shook our hands. "

Oh

, sir! Welcome!"

There was a modest reception room for visitors.

"Is your work going well?" Lime asked.

"Of course, thanks to you, sir," the woman replied.

"I'm glad to hear that. If you need anything more, don't hesitate to ask."

"

Oh

no, what more could you possibly do for us? Are you here to see Hailey today?"

"Yes."

"I'll prepare some tea... Let me go fetch the child."

Lime waved their hand. "That's alright. I'll wait here. Let her finish her meal in peace."

"Okay."

The firmness in Lime's eyes made the woman bow her head silently and return to the kitchen.

Something felt off.

She didn't ask about me.

I was standing right there, but she didn't mention me at all.

As if sensing my discomfort, Lime calmly said, "If I don't mention you, they won't ask. That's the courtesy they uphold."

"

Hm.

"

As I stood in the narrow room, I could feel Lime's gaze settle on me.

"Do you have something to say?" I asked.

Lime scratched their head. Each strand of the hair they created was unnervingly detailed.

"Well... about the sword you carry. Would you mind if I examined it more closely?"

"This one?"

"Yes. I know it's a strange request, but..."

"I don't mind."

I handed the two-meter greatsword over. The sword had been crafted by one of the three great lords of Grassmere, but it couldn't do any real damage to Lime anyway. I couldn't slash or crush them.

Lime extended its hand. "Thank you."

Then, the hand holding the hilt began to ooze, spreading over the sword.

Appraisal?

Perhaps one hand wasn't enough, because one of Lime's arms began to melt and stretch, completely covering the sword.

"

Hmm...

"

The sight of Lime covering half of themselves with the sword looked grotesque, but their expression was more serious than ever.

They're fully immersed...

I recalled how they would earnestly appraise each item I brought to the orphanage. Maybe appraisal really was Lime's greatest joy.

About ten minutes passed.

It's taking a while.

Lime usually never took longer than seven or eight minutes.

However, after thirty minutes, Lime muttered something incomprehensible. "This is... primo... phite?"

It was the first time I'd heard that word. "What?"

"It's a type of metal," Lime explained.

"Never heard of it."

"There are over six thousand types of metal in this world, if you classify them properly. As for this one..."

Ding!

A translucent status window popped up before my eyes.

[Scan Complete]

[Hero-rank Greatsword - A (Unnamed)]

[—A greatsword crafted by a master artisan.

—Contains 35% of the rare metal primophite.

—The metal is unevenly distributed.

—Mana transmission efficiency increased by 5%.

—Sword aura transmission efficiency increased by 10%.

—If reforged using pure primophite, volume is expected to be reduced by 50%.

—Mana/aura transmission efficiency may increase with customization.]

Hmm?

I stared at the window floating in front of my eyes. It wasn't until a while later that I heard Lime's voice again.

"It's a sword made from unrefined primophite ore. If this were melted down and reforged, its value might skyrocket."

I remembered how easily Lime had repaired my armor before and looked at Lime with subtle hope. "Can't you handle it yourself? Melt it with your acid and..."

However, Lime shook their head. "Apologies. It's nothing like regular steel... My capabilities fall far short. If you travel to the Eastern Mountains, where the dwarves supposedly live, you might find someone who could. You'd need a black-tier artisan, though..."

"

Hmm...

"

I had used this sword all this time without any clue what it was made of.

As I fell silent, Lime continued explaining. "If you ever go that way, I really suggest asking around. With a rare metal like this, you'll have craftsmen lining up to get their hands on it."

"Thanks for the information."

The greatsword had been crafted by one of the three lords of Grassmere, a master artisan of extraordinary skill. Even he hadn't managed to extract the rare metal properly. In any case, it was highly valuable information. If I could further improve the efficiency of magic and aura through this sword, it would undoubtedly help in combat.

The Eastern Mountains...

I now had one more reason to go. Hobgoblin Zixkisses had mentioned a goblin mage, Mudcash, who supposedly made a spatial distortion pouch.

Was it chiik, chip, chiiip?

It seemed like a good idea to head to the Eastern Mountains after stopping by Grassmere. While I was slowly recalling the words Zixkisses had told me to summon the goblin mage, a girl who had finished brushing her teeth opened the door and walked in.

Creak.

It's been a while.

It was my first time seeing her in this life, but I still remember her clearly from when I operated out of the orphanage with Rena.

"Director?" the girl called out.

"Hailey, come in," Lime answered.

The girl glanced at me. "Who's this man?"

"He's a close friend of your sister."

"My sister's... friend?"

Her face scrunched up slightly at Lime's explanation. The girl, with rounder cheeks and light brown hair unlike Rena's, blinked and stared at me.

I quickly checked her condition.

She's healthy.

There were no signs of abuse or violence. She wasn't scared of me despite my unfamiliarity. Her emotional state seemed stable.

She's been doing well.

"You're Rena's friend?" Hailey asked.

I nodded. "Yes."

I took out Rena's letter from my inner pocket and handed it to her slowly, the envelope still sealed. "It's a letter from your sister. Want to read it?"

"Yes."

Hailey opened the seal and immediately unfolded the letter to read it.

Her round brown eyes blinked quickly several times. She read the entire letter in one go, then folded it up and put it back in the envelope.

Then, she firmly said, "I'm not going with you."

"What?"

Hailey perked up her ears and made a face like an angry cat. "My sister's been gone all this time. She didn't even contact me. And now she just sends a letter asking me to come?"

Tears welled up in Hailey's brown eyes.

"I'm not going! Hailey isn't going anywhere. I made friends here too," Hailey whined.

"

Hmm...

"

This kind of reaction...

I hadn't expected it at all, nor did I know how to handle it.

"Do you believe the letter?" I asked.

Hailey shook her head while sniffling, clearly angry with Rena. From Rena's and my perspective, we'd been busy running around nonstop, but it wasn't unreasonable for the child to feel abandoned.

What now?

Of all the skills I possessed, none were useful for comforting an angry child. I had no choice but to tell the truth.

When we had to verify the information Isaac had given us, I blocked Rena from contacting Lime. I remembered how regretful she looked at the time. She may have wanted to see her sister back then.

This is my fault.

"Hailey, it's not like that..."

Lime stepped forward to comfort her, but I gently stopped them. "I'll talk to her."

She wasn't even ten years old, but still old enough to understand words. However, I kept my helmet on.

"Rena couldn't contact you because of me."

"Because of you?"

"Yes." I nodded and continued, "I kept Rena to myself."

Her eyes widened. "Then... are you her boyfriend?"

"Well..."

"From the way she wrote the letter, she seemed to really like you. Want me to show you?"

I wasn't all that curious. Seeing the letter might just make me flush with embarrassment.

"That's okay. It was meant for you. But I'm not going to be with Rena anymore."

"Why?"

"I've got too many things I need to do on my own."

I didn't want to drag Rena, who had finally found her place in T&T, back into my life.

The girl looked at me with reddened eyes. "For how long?"

"From now on."

"Forever? Until you die?"

Yes.

My death had to be something I faced alone.

I nodded to her. "That's right. So I want you to stay by Rena's side instead."

Hailey tilted her head, her tears slowly stopping. "She wrote that you'd take me to another city?"

"It's a safer place. If you're doing well, your sister will contact you more. She'll come to find you."

That was if Rena ever truly settled down, if she came to live the normal life she once talked about...

"..."

"As her friend, I want you to protect Rena instead of me," I said resolutely.

"Me... protect her?" Hailey mumbled.

"Of course. She really needs you."

"

Hmm

..."

Hailey fell into a quiet, thoughtful silence. Her sweet expression must have comforted Rena countless times throughout her life.

Before I knew it, Hailey's tears had completely stopped.