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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Kiteretsu]
[Proofreader - Kyros]
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Chapter 38
"I have inherited the legacy of Emperor Ernstine."
"The legacy of the Great Emperor...?"
The Emperor who first unified the continent. A hero who defeated the Demon King and the Grand Sword Master, Ernstine.
To think someone had inherited his legacy.
Myorn’s eyes trembled at the declaration.
"Contained within it are the insights of Emperor Ernstine and the memories of someone he dearly loved—Queen Kaina of the Dwarves. That’s how I discovered your name, Myorn."
Myorn nodded at Kaylen's words but couldn’t erase the doubt that lingered in her heart.
It had been 1,000 years since Emperor Ernstine disappeared.
Countless individuals, including his descendants, had searched tirelessly for anything left behind by him, but nothing substantial had ever been found.
‘So now, after all those years of fruitless searching, his legacy just happens to be discovered? It doesn’t make sense.’
But then again, Kaylen’s very existence defied logic.
He wasn’t even 20 years old yet and was already a Sword Master, a 4-circle mage, and someone who also knew secrets about the Dwarves.
"By the way, what happened to Queen Kaina?"
"My grandmother, who stayed in the village… eventually, she said she was going to search for Emperor Ernstine. After that, she disappeared."
"Your grandmother… then, are you her granddaughter?"
"…Yeah, I suppose you could say that."
Myorn answered reluctantly, her tone nonchalant.
Kaylen pondered the implications of her words, his thoughts drifting to Kaina.
Kaina disappeared… and Myorn is my granddaughter? Kaina must no longer be alive after all this time...
The average lifespan of a Dwarf was around 300 to 400 years.
While Dwarf Queens were known to live longer, Kaina had already been 312 years old when he met her. Living for over 1,300 years seemed virtually impossible.
As Kaylen reflected on Kaina, Myorn broke his thoughts with a pointed question.
"But you—how do you know about my spirit power?"
"I learned of it through the legacy I inherited."
"The Great Emperor's legacy…"
"It even included the method that increased Queen Kaina’s spirit power."
"What? Seriously?!"
Myorn’s hair practically stood on end.
To know how to increase the spirit power of a Dwarf Queen?
Come to think of it, Kaylen had also known what to do when it came to Irene.
"The method you used on Irene, was that also part of the legacy?"
"Yes, it was."
The technique Kaylen used to enhance Irene’s spirit power.
Myorn had dismissed it before, assuming it was something only applicable to Elves.
But now, it seemed he even understood how it applied to Dwarf Queens.
"Wow. Teach me! I need it! My spirit power hasn’t improved at all."
"Of course. As long as there’s appropriate compensation."
Though Myorn was Kaina’s granddaughter, and thus in some sense also Ernstine’s, this wasn’t a situation where Kaylen could just hand over knowledge freely, even to a family member.
Furthermore
‘I’m not even sure if she’s truly his granddaughter.’
Kaylen’s doubt lingered. He couldn’t ignore how Myorn hesitated when asked if she was Ernstine’s descendant.
If Kaina had truly been her grandmother, would Ernstine have left her as she was? It seemed unlikely. Ernstine wasn’t the type to idly stand by if his granddaughter were still bound by the constraints of being the Dwarf Queen.
"Compensation..."
At the mention of compensation, Myorn’s expression grew sullen.
Irene had promised Kaylen a Mana Suit once she became an advanced Spirit Master, but Myorn couldn’t offer anything comparable.
"I don’t have anything to offer like Irene did..."
"Who says you don’t?"
"...What could I possibly have?"
"You, Myorn. You’re more than enough."
"Me? I’m expensive, you know."
"Regardless, if you want to increase your spirit power, you’ll have to stay with me."
Kaylen’s calm tone carried an unshakeable confidence as he continued.
"Increasing a Dwarf Queen’s spirit power is far more difficult than it is for an Elf. You must control the forces of both earth and fire."
"True. Elves only need to focus on one element, but I’m stuck with both. It’s much harder."
"But it’s not impossible for me."
"...How?"
Kaylen began walking toward the pile of equipment.
The heap was cluttered with failed prototypes of Mana Suits, scattered like junk. Finding something resembling a weapon among the mess seemed unlikely; most of it consisted of basic armor components that formed the foundation of Mana Suits.
"There really aren’t any swords here," he remarked.
"This era doesn’t need swords anymore," Myorn muttered.
Kaylen nodded slightly, acknowledging her observation.
"But it seems they’re not entirely gone."
Stopping his search, he extended his hand toward the pile of scraps.
Buzz...
The mountain of debris began to tremble. Suddenly, a single sword shot out from within, flying into his hand as though drawn by an invisible magnet.
The hilt of the sword, caked in dust, settled firmly in Kaylen’s grip.
And then...
A brilliant golden light erupted from the blade.
"This... this can’t be..."
Myorn rubbed her eyes with her fur-covered hands, unable to believe what she was seeing.
In her distant memories, from when she was just a child, she had occasionally glimpsed this phenomenon—an aura only the greatest of warriors could manifest.
A fully materialized Aura Sword, something only a true Master could produce.
"An Aura Sword...?"
"To employ the methods of the Great Emperor, one must be at least a Sword Master," Kaylen explained. "As you can see, I meet that requirement."
"Help me for just one year."
"One year...?"
"And if you feel your spirit power increasing during that time, we can extend the agreement further."
Myorn wasn’t sure how a Sword Master could enhance her spirit power, but…
"One year is but a brief moment for a Dwarf Queen."
Myorn nodded. She couldn't afford to pass up the opportunity to increase her spirit power.
"…Alright."
***
"Myorn, Myorn!"
"Huh?"
"What are you doing? Aren’t you going to take the Mana Stones?"
Myorn snapped out of her thoughts and returned to the present.
"That rascal Kaylen… Did he finally become the Flame Meister?"
"Even so, I doubt he’s undergone the official Meister certification yet."
"Well, he did have a week. Maybe one of the major Magic Towers conducted their own tests."
As the arena buzzed with excitement over Kaylen's extraordinary magic, Princess Violet approached Myorn.
"I’ve lost. Here, take them."
She handed over the Mana Stones with a gracious smile.
"Ah, thank you… Wait, two?"
"I just have one question. If it’s too difficult to answer, you don’t have to."
"What’s your question?"
"Is Kaylen a Meister now?"
Princess Violet's question made Myorn pause, but she judged that answering wouldn’t breach the Vow of the Volcano. Holding the two Mana Stones in her fur-covered hand, she replied calmly.
"No. He’s a mage."
"Thank you for the answer. I’ll see you again next time, Dwarf Queen."
With a bright smile, Princess Violet departed. The icy mask covering half her face gleamed more brilliantly than ever.
"He's not the Flame Meister?"
"No."
"Then how can he use magic like that? Myorn, be honest with me—did you succeed with the gauntlet?"
"No, look at it."
Myorn pointed to Kaylen as he descended from the stage. More specifically, she gestured at the gauntlet he was wearing.
"It’s completely cracked."
"You're right. It’s unusable now."
"Did you make it disposable?"
"No, it wasn’t designed to be. It just became a one-time-use item."
"…Does that even happen?"
"Who knows."
Step. Step.
Kaylen descended from the arena, gracefully dodging the crowd of eager scouts, and made his way toward the VIP section.
As he approached, Irene stood up first, greeting him with a radiant smile.
"Oh my, what a spectacular victory, Sir Kaylen."
"Thank you."
"Wow…"
Alkas stared, mouth agape, unable to take his eyes off the Elf's smile in front of him, clearly stunned. This was the typical reaction of most men.
"Alkas, snap out of it. This is rude."
"Ah! Yes, sorry!"
Kaylen scolded him casually before turning his gaze to Myorn.
"By the way, Myorn, have you talked to Irene yet?"
"Ah, right. I got distracted because of the bet."
"Bet? Ah, the one from five minutes ago."
"Yeah, look, Kaylen. I won two Mana Stones. If Irene gives me hers, that'll make three."
"…Well done. Now, go ahead and tell Irene what you need."
"Got it. Irene."
Myorn, who had been proudly showing off the Mana Stones, shifted her gaze toward Irene.
"Yes?"
"I've decided to cooperate with Kaylen for a year. I'm joining his anti-Mage faction."
"You're joining… Kaylen's faction?"
"Yeah. It’s fine, right? I’ll do both, act as a technical advisor and also teach."
Irene’s eyes widened in surprise.
What is she talking about? What happened in the past week?
"Uh… What if I say no?"
"Then I'll have to quit the Fairy Tower."
Myorn replied, sounding resigned. It seemed clear that her top priority now was joining Kaylen's faction.
‘Why...?’
The Fairy Tower was one of the kingdom's top magic towers, and Myorn had been a technical advisor there. The workload wasn't heavy, and the compensation was more than enough. For Myorn, it was the best job.
In contrast, Kaylen’s faction was a fledgling group. They didn’t even have Mana Suits yet, and hadn't they asked to borrow one from her?
It wasn't a position Myorn should have been aiming for. It was far too small for her.
So, how had he managed to convince her?
"Kaylen, what exactly happened here?"
"It’s similar to your situation... You could look at it that way."
"My situation?"
Irene was taken aback by his words. She had only assumed it had something to do with her spirit power.
"Could it be...?"
"You’ve guessed correctly. You don’t need to say anything in front of all these people to confirm it."
"…I see, there are a lot of eyes watching."
"We’ve agreed to prove it in a year. Until then, please allow her to serve in both roles."
Irene bit her lip at Kaylen’s words.
Myorn’s decision was understandable.
For both Elves and Dwarves, spirit power was an invaluable force. If there was a chance to increase it, she couldn’t possibly let it slip away.
"Alright. I'll allow her to hold both positions."
"Thank you."
"However, please make sure she isn't put in danger. Her talents are too precious to be used in dungeon raids."
"Of course. She’ll mostly be working on research in our faction anyway."
"…Understood. I’ll take my leave then."
Irene, whose once radiant smile had now been replaced with a stiff, serious expression, turned and began walking away.
As she walked off, Myorn called after her.
"Irene, what about the Mana Stones?"
"Sigh… I’ll send them to the lab."
"Right, send them quickly~"
Once Irene left, and most people had begun to depart from the VIP seats, Myorn stood up, still examining Kaylen's gauntlet.
"Let’s head to the lab, Commander."
As he stood, he glanced subtly to one side.
"And… is that him?"
He pointed toward Alkas, who was silently waiting next to Kaylen.
"Yes, that's him."
"He was all spaced out, staring at the Elf’s smile. Does he have any talent?"
"Talent and that have nothing to do with each other. He’s still young."
"You’re younger, though."
"Well, let’s just say it’s something like that."
Alkas, who had been quietly listening to their conversation, felt a little frustrated. Was every man supposed to act like a fool after seeing that smile? He felt like he was the only one acting like that.
‘Why is the Lord so calm even after seeing the Elf's smile...?’
"Tch. It can’t be helped. Come on, you go too."
Myorn motioned toward Alkas, as if offering a rare favor.
"Me too?"
"Yeah. Let’s go look at the Mana Suits."
"But I’m a knight..."
"Right, a knight with no Meister talent, completely devoid of any color or aura."
"…Yes."
"That’s why you’re coming along."
Myorn responded with a light tone, almost cheerful.
"Right now, someone like you is exactly what we need."
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Kiteretsu]
[Proofreader - Kyros]
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