Ignoring the nervous voice of the blacksmith, the party put on the armor that was placed in front of them. Kyle, who was the only one who ordered a plate armor, put it on with the help of the blacksmiths assistant.
Its fine.
Ruon brushed his hand over the leather gauntlet that tightly wrapped his shoulders and upper body. The feeling of the scales touching his skin was unfamiliar.
Then the blacksmith quietly approached him.
Ive been proud of having touched almost every material in my 40 years of ironwork, but dragon scales. Haha, I feel like half of my remaining life has flown away. How much I struggled to refine them
He sighed heavily. His name was Sanson. He was the person who the lord recommended to the party as the best blacksmith in El Tigre.
I like it.
It was a brief compliment, but the blacksmiths face brightened up as he was dealing with a special person.
I thought it would be neither here nor there if I refined it poorly, so I made it into a gauntlet that preserves the shape of the scales. Since I was short of materials, I placed more dragon scales on the vital parts.
He said that and pointed to his chest and armpit alternately. As he said, the gauntlet that Ruon was wearing also had blue-green scales shining faintly in that area.
If you wear a padded coat over this, you wont have any problem with warmth. Do you want me to get you one?
Thanks.
Ruon answered with a faint smile and looked at Colin, who was making a nervous expression next to him.
Do you like it?
Colin, who was also wearing a scale gauntlet, answered hesitantly.
Can I really use such a precious thing?
Why not?
Colin swallowed his saliva at the indifferent answer and spun the sword in his hand. The sharp blade that gleamed with gloss looked like a superior product at a glance. He muttered.
I have to pass it on to my child someday.
At that, Kyle jumped in with a pale face.
Youll die if you say that!
What, what? Fuck, why?
Ruon said that before. What was it? Fleur? No, shes a witch.
Ruon chuckled and answered.
Flag.
Yeah. That!
Kyle clapped his hands and started to explain the death flag to Colin, who blinked his eyes as if he didnt understand. Of course, that was also nonsense.
After giving a small tip to Sanson (the lord promised to pay all the amount), the party moved out of the blacksmith shop.
Hello!
Have you had lunch?
Thank you. Always take care of yourself.
The busy people who were going their own way greeted the party brightly when they saw them. The three people who had been fighting at the front line for a week were already so famous in El Tigre that there was no one who didnt know them.
Then someone came through the crowd.
She was wearing a gray robe instead of a blue one, probably conscious of the others eyes. It was Amela.
Are you done?
Ruon shrugged his shoulders at her words.
As you can see.
I just finished preparing too. I bought a horse. Oh, by the way. The kid named Caliban, hes so nice. He has a lot of charm.
What?
Ruon frowned without realizing it. It was the most absurd thing he had heard in the last few months.
Ive been feeding him sugar and carrots. He doesnt even treat me like a person Is he an irresistible male?
Colin, who was lamenting with a sigh, laughed and said.
Then were all ready. Shall we go?
As they were about to move, a voice came from behind. Wait a minute! They turned around and saw a man with a bandage wrapped around his chest running towards them.
He arrived and gasped for breath. He was a familiar face to the party. He was Wayne, the lords guardian knight.
I heard you were in critical condition. Why are you here?
Kyle said that and put his hand on Waynes shoulder. A faint light flashed under his palm and Waynes complexion brightened up.
I heard you had packed your luggage in the room and hurried over. Are you leaving already?
Ruon nodded.
The barbarians have retreated, and the kingdoms army will be here soon. Theres no reason for us to stay.
The woman tried to interrupt, but the man raised his hand to stop her. His squinty eyes looked straight at Ruon.
May I ask why a foreigner has set foot on this barren land?
Ruon quietly faced him, feeling no hostility in his question.
Well, Im here to kill your chieftain.
Of course, that was not his ultimate goal, but he said it deliberately. There was no better way to gauge the reaction of his opponent.
Surprisingly, the man and the warriors behind him fell silent. Even though he had openly declared his intention to kill someone who was like a king to them.
Then the man stepped into the circle of light cast by the bonfire. His face, which had been half-hidden in the darkness, was revealed.
He was a striking man, with sharp features and a scruffy beard that covered his lower face. He wore a large bear skin over his head and shoulders. But what caught Ruons attention was the blue tattoo that covered his entire face.
Your name must also start with Ba.
Ruon knew from the previous fight that those who had smeared their faces with blue dye were the chieftains of the barbarians. He asked the question he could.
The man nodded briefly.
Yes. I am Ba-Hengel.
The man, Hengel, spoke.
Warrior. Raise your weapon. I have something I want to confirm with you.
At his words, a woman who looked like Hengels sister snapped at him. She was so agitated that she dropped the honorifics.
Wait! Brother. This is rash. We dont have any certainty yet!
Hengel answered without looking back.
Thats why I want to check, isnt it?
They were talking about something only they knew.
In the strange atmosphere, Ruon lifted himself up with his hand on the ground. He slapped his buttocks lightly, showing no sign of tension. The warriors behind Hengel glared at him with sparks in their eyes.
He asked as if he didnt care.
What do you want to do? Fight until one of us dies?
Hengel shook his head.
No. Well stop when one side admits defeat.
Ruon frowned. That sounded more vague than asking a barber to cut his hair moderately.
But he soon nodded.
Suit yourself.
Then Amela poked his back and whispered.
Youll go easy on him, right? He seems to be from the tribe that clashed with the Great Chieftain
What if he is?
Ruon retorted playfully and approached Hengel. The barbarian chieftain quickly drew his double-edged axe from his waist and growled.
His low voice gradually turned into a beast-like roar, and his ferocity became more evident.
A bear?
Ruon saw a huge illusion of a bear wavering behind Hengel. Just like the one who climbed the wall before had a wolfs illusion, the barbarian in front of him had a bears illusion on his back.
Kroo!
With a wild howl, Hengel swung his arm down. The axe fell with a satisfying sound, fast and strong enough to split anyone from head to crotch.
But Ruon, who had read his trajectory from his shoulder movement, dodged lightly and punched the empty space.
At that moment, the large axe blade shattered like a glass window hitting a rock.
Huh!
Hengel avoided the flying shards with an incredible agility that did not match his large body, but he could not dodge the fist that followed.
He was hit in the chest and flew up, unable to even fall properly. He rolled on the ground without a sense of direction. He barely stopped with the help of the warriors behind him, and blood gushed from his mouth.
Ugh-
After spitting out blood for a while, Hengel lifted his head with trembling eyes. There was Ruon, looking down at him with a sullen face.
I dont know if thats enough.
Enough More than enough.
He bent his knee and looked at the barbarian who admitted defeat eye to eye.
So what did you want to confirm? What is this being that the Great Mother spoke of?
Hengel answered, catching his breath.
The Great Mother is our tribes elder, who has the ability to divine the future by looking at the stars She said A being that will end this damned war will appear.
He opened his mouth slowly, trailing off.
After a long silence, a new name was engraved in the sky. He will drive away the old and stir up the blue in the ancient history.