Shade Grapeton was quite a large village.
In terms of size, it was about five times the size of my hometown (the fake one).
Somewhere between a city and a village, I felt it was easier to think of it like that.
I asked a servant for bath water and stared at the flame inside the lantern.
After a short wait, the servant approached me.
“It’s ready.”
“Please bring the wine as well.”
“Understood.”
I headed towards the backyard of the inn.
It was a place surrounded by walls on all sides, and access was controlled, so only one person could enter at a time in order.
Steam was rising from a large bath.
I undressed, placed the lantern next to me, and dipped my body into the hot water.
A deep breath escaped my lips.
Haa.
This is heaven.
“Excuse me.”
“Come in.”
As soon as I gave permission, the servant cautiously entered.
This was why female servants were used.
If the servant was a woman, it was possible for her to enter in situations like this, regardless of whether the customer was a man or a woman.
The servant placed the wine on a wooden tray, floating it above the water, then quickly left the backyard.
I poured the wine into a glass.
Drinking alcohol while bathing… if snow had started falling, it would have been perfect.
But unfortunately, it was September, so snow was still far off.
Drinking alcohol in a bath speeds up blood circulation, so you get drunk quickly.
It’s bad for your body, so good people shouldn’t try it.
By the way, I’m a good person, but I have a strong body, so it’s fine.
I savored the aroma of the wine through my nose and drank it slowly.
Mmm.
That exquisite bitter taste.
I finished the wine and muttered,
“Wine is just… okay.”
Honey wine is on a divine level, and I’ve been trying every kind of alcohol in this world, but none of them can rival the dominance of honey wine.
Of course, it tasted fine, but it was just ordinary wine.
It wasn’t anything special, despite the fact that I don’t particularly like wine.
There’s such a huge difference when compared to the special honey wine I’ve tasted in modern times.
Why is it that honey wine is so particularly exceptional?
It’s fascinating.
I swirled the wine in my glass and continued drinking.
Fascinating or not, I had to drink.
After finishing my bath, I changed into fresh clothes and left the inn’s hall.
I sat down at a table and raised my hand.
“Two glasses of honey wine!”
“Didn’t you just drink wine while bathing?”
Leon, who had been sitting there already, said in mild disbelief.
I took out my pipe and opened my mouth.
“I couldn’t drink it earlier. My craving for honey wine must be satisfied. What about you, Chris?”
Chris had decided to stay with us during the festival.
After bonding for half a month, it felt a bit sad to part ways so soon, and that was Chris’s opinion.
In response to my question, Leon explained while drinking milk.
“I think he went to meet people.”
Right.
Chris was a traveling merchant.
In order to sell the wine he brought properly, he needed to investigate the town’s situation.
I blew a puff of smoke toward the ceiling and placed the lantern on the table.
Fwush.
The flame inside the lantern seemed to grow a mouth.
Noticing this, Leon put down his glass of milk.
“It’s truly an amazing magic.”
“Magic is always fascinating.”
This magic was a form of applied elemental magic, as opposed to pure elemental magic, and it was a spell that swallowed sounds that spread around it.
I had discovered the characteristic of fairness in the flame element.
Then, I delved into that part, grasped the principles of rules and restrictions, and reached the third tier of mastery.
So, was the magic that erased sounds activated by the flame of fairness?
Half right, half wrong.
It was correct that the magic was activated by fairness, but the foundation of the magic was separate.
Flame devours everything.
Wood, stone, animals, herbs, people, emotions, memories… it doesn’t discriminate, devouring everything violently.
It’s a born predator.
And that was the new characteristic of the flame element I had discovered—predation.
I realized it about half a year ago when I was staring at a flame.
Discovering new characteristics while understanding an element was a natural process.
In the case of Kelton, he discovered more than ten characteristics, and the increasing number of characteristics he realized was expressed as a broader understanding of the element.
The broader the understanding, the more magic one could use.
That’s why it was said to expand.
On the other hand, digging into one characteristic and realizing various principles from it was said to be a deepening understanding of the element, and this deepening was what related to ascension in mastery.
So, most mages tended to focus on digging deeply into one characteristic.
It was only when they were stuck or needed to investigate other characteristics that they would try to understand multiple aspects.
But usually, they deeply understood only one characteristic.
I replaced the contents of my pipe and asked,
“Where are we starting the investigation?”
“Originally, I was thinking of investigating the vineyard.”
“You wanted to check if the land could continue producing good harvests, right?”
“Yes.”
“But it turns out that it had been poor harvests for several years?”
From the fact that the land was not fertile, Leon’s plan was essentially blocked from the start.
It was a rather awkward situation.
Leon nodded and then spoke.
“Still, it seems like the grape harvest itself is going well, even if only the high-quality grapes aren’t coming through. I’m thinking of doing some research on it.”
“Good luck.”
“What about you, Ruina? What are you planning to do?”
“Me? I need to buy a dagger.”
I was neglecting the magic I had just obtained.
I couldn’t even drink a single drop of water until this issue was resolved.
“You’ve had enough honey wine, haven’t you?”
“This isn’t water, it’s alcohol.”
I finished the honey wine the servant had brought and stood up from my seat.
“Then I’ll see you tonight.”
“Understood.”
As I stepped out of the inn, the wind made my robe flutter.
The sign above me shook.
I glanced up and read the words on the sign.
[Where the Wind Stays]
Ah, it’s that Barmergoth again.
Is there really no franchise in this world?
I can’t take it. I’ll come back and ask the innkeeper later.
The streets were packed with people. It seemed like a lot of outsiders had come into town because of the festival.
I weaved through the crowd and made my way to the building I had scouted earlier.
The first thing that came into view was the gray slate roof, scorched by rain and wind.
Black smoke was constantly rising from the chimney, and light was spilling out from a slightly open door.
I opened the door and entered, and a wave of intense heat hit my face.
I pulled my robe down to cover myself and looked around the building.
Various weapons were decorated on the walls.
The blades gleamed brightly, showcasing the impressive craftsmanship.
Honestly, I didn’t know much about weapons.
I’d learned magic, not how to choose a good sword.
I called out cautiously.
“Is anyone here?”
Clang, clang, clang.
The rhythmic sound of metal striking iron filled the building.
Couldn’t they hear me, or were they too busy working to respond?
“Is anyone here?”
I called a bit louder, but still, no answer came.
Reluctantly, I walked further into the forge.
Inside the forge, there was a large furnace.
In front of the furnace stood a man, silently staring at the anvil while holding a hammer.
The hammer fell.
The red-hot iron on the anvil collided with the hammer, producing a sharp, resonant sound.
When the blacksmith stepped on the bellows, the flames grew fiercer in response.
I stood there, mesmerized by the flames.
Each time the blacksmith pressed the bellows, the fire grew in size in a steady, predictable rhythm.
I was so absorbed in the mesmerizing, alluring flames that I didn’t notice the blacksmith speak.
“This area is restricted to authorized personnel only.”
The blacksmith spoke without taking his eyes off the anvil.
So they had ignored me, not because they couldn’t hear me?
I replied,
“I came in because no one answered.”
“Wait outside.”
Following the blacksmith’s instructions, I quietly waited in the store section of the forge.
A short while later, the blacksmith wiped the sweat from his brow and came outside.
“What’s the matter?”
“I’d like to buy a dagger.”
“For what purpose?”
“I dream of becoming a knight.”
“A magic knight, I see.”
The blacksmith, upon hearing this, took out one of the daggers displayed in the shop and handed it to me.
“This should be good.”
The dagger the blacksmith handed me was a basic dagger, commonly called a “stiletto.”
It was about 40 cm in total length, with a 25 cm blade and a 15 cm handle.
Typically, daggers have a blood groove down the center, but this one did not.
It was the most basic form of a dagger, making it quite suitable for an aspiring knight.
“That’ll be 50 silver coins.”
“Here you go.”
I handed over the money, and just like that, the wages I’d earned from escort duty over the past two weeks vanished.
But it was fine.
If this dagger allowed me to activate the Yondan magic, it would be worth it.
I attached the dagger to my waist, drew it dramatically, and whispered,
“Shine, Seungya.”
A faint blue glow shimmered over the dagger.
At the beautiful sight, I almost shed a tear.
The blacksmith, perhaps moved by the spectacle, spoke to me.
“I’ve lived a long time, but I’ve never seen someone activate Yondan magic like that.”
“Was I the first?”
That couldn’t be true.
If I were the first, it would mean the people of this world had no heart, and that was too horrifying to consider.
I believed in people. I figured the blacksmith just hadn’t seen anything like it before, having been cooped up in the forge.
I then sheathed the dagger.
“I really like it. I’ll give you 5 more silver coins.”
“Next time you need a longsword, come back. I’ll give you a good price.”
“Got it.”
I silently vowed to get an even better Yondan magic next time as I left the forge.
The streets were noisy.
The festival hadn’t even properly started yet, but everyone was already happily drunk.
Seeing that, I suddenly felt like having a drink myself.
Well, if that’s the case…
I headed into the nearest pub and sat down at the counter.
“Five honey wines, please.”
“Are you with a group?”
“No, just by myself.”
“…Please wait a moment.”
As I waited for the honey wine, I casually glanced around the pub.
People were laughing and chatting while drinking.
Amidst all that, I overheard something.
“I’ll evolve from a knight to a dragon knight. Checkmate.”
“Wow, where did you get that Arcana Chess set? Incredible.”
“That’s not true. I’m just the son of an ordinary farmer, not a noble.”
“Right, son of a farmer.”
The voices of a couple of men brushed past my ears.
I blinked.
Arcana Chess?
I couldn’t resist.