Chapter 22

Chapter 22. Seria (1)

In this age of savagery, disability was treated as a sin. That was because people were ignorant about disability.

The truth was that some were simply born with congenital deformities, but to those who did not know that, they looked like demons and sinners. That was why they were despised and oppressed.

But Balun was an enlightened citizen of twenty-first-century South Korea, and so he did not think the same way as these barbaric people.

Because he knew the truth.

What sin had a disabled person committed? They were merely different from others.

And so they should be treated the same as everyone else.

Without excessive consideration, without needless pity, without making it obvious....

That was what Balun had intended to do.

He failed spectacularly.

‘No, seriously, how am I supposed not to look at that?’

Balun could say this with certainty. There was no one who would not be conscious of that.

How could anyone not stare when the ears were that long?

‘They are way too attention-grabbing.’

They said that when people looked at another person, the first thing they noticed was the eyes.

The problem was that the ears were fairly close to the eyes.

Which meant it was physically impossible not to look at those long, deformed ears.

And to make matters worse, her hair was green too.

That meant it was impossible not to look, no matter how hard he tried.

“So, that bastard Calrent told you to bring me this letter? He said that if you delivered this, I would make your weapon for you?”

“That is right.”

“Ha, look at that slippery snake of a mage. How many years ago was that promise? And he still has not forgotten it?”

It did not matter whether that beautiful forehead furrowed or whether crude curses that did not suit her came spilling out of her mouth. None of that entered Balun’s eyes or ears.

Balun only felt miserable. No matter how hard he tried not to be conscious of those long ears, it was not going the way he wanted.

‘Balun. Endure it. You have to endure it. You are not that kind of cruel person. It is rude to do this when you have just met someone.’

Balun desperately tried to persuade himself. He felt that only then would he be able to keep talking with a calm expression.

‘Think about it. It has to be a painful wound for her. If you keep staring like that, how badly is she going to think of you?’

Normally, Balun would not go this far.

And yet he was trying this hard because the woman before him was the one who would make his weapon.

The benefactor who would forge the awesome S-rank weapon that would become his number one treasure.

How could he possibly treat such a person rudely?

Balun wanted to make a good impression on the woman before him. He wanted to earn as many points as possible. That way, she would make his weapon as good as she possibly could.

Just think about it. What if she held a grudge because he had been rude, threw in some strange materials, and cut corners on cost? This was not some shoddily built apartment complex.

“Could you stop glaring at me like that?”

“Hm?”

“Is this your first time seeing an elf?”

“What? Ah, no.”

Balun panicked. An elf?

‘Wait. If it is an elf, then that means long ears and living in the forest....’

Of course Balun knew what an elf was. In his previous life, he had indulged in games and web novels often enough.

He simply had not connected that concept to reality.

Because on Earth, elves were not a race that actually existed.

Besides, Balun had grown up for sixteen years in the Red Fang Tribe without even once hearing that other races existed.

“At this rate, you are going to bore a hole through my ears. Are you planning to give me piercings or something?”

“Ah, I am sorry.”

Balun scratched his head.

He really had made an absurd misunderstanding.

He had treated a perfectly normal person—no, an elf—as though she were disabled....

“Just look openly instead. That is better.”

“Really?”

“I said it is.”

“All right.”

Only then did Balun handle his gaze naturally.

When Balun obediently did as he was told, Seria let out a snort of laughter.

“Honestly. In all my life, this is the first time I have seen a Barbarian this strange. What kind of case is this?”

Seeing that, Balun panicked. He thought she was mocking him.

Was it because he had treated her like she was disabled?

Or because he had stared too much?

Even if she had told him to look, staring too much was still a bit much, was it not?

‘Damn it, I am done for. My first impression is completely ruined.’

But Seria was not mocking him at all. She quite literally meant that Balun was fascinating.

And for good reason. Every Barbarian she had ever seen had disliked her. They called her an ear-freak, sneered about how arms that thin could not possibly have any strength, called her race cowardly, and kept their distance from her.

But this Barbarian showed not the slightest sign of that and obediently followed everything she said, so how could that not feel refreshing?

And what was with that look in his eyes?

He was looking at her as though she were some respected teacher. It was certainly something new.

“Come inside already. Do not just stand there blankly.”

“All right.”

“Still, you are a guest sent by that bastard Calrent, so it feels wrong to just leave you standing there. Want some tea? Ah, Barbarians do not like tea, do they? Then should I give you a mug of beer instead?”

“No, I will drink tea.”

“You are going to drink tea? That is unusual. Well, all right. Wait a moment.”

Once he sat down, Seria brewed some tea and brought it over. It was a flower tea with a fragrant floral scent, but the taste was quite astringent.

“How is it? Is it decent enough?”

“It is good.”

“That is expensive stuff. Those tea leaves can only be obtained in our homeland. I do not give them to just anyone.”

“I thought so. No wonder it tasted so good.”

Balun sipped the flower tea without the slightest aversion, and Seria leaned forward and stared at him intently.

What was it? Why was she staring so deeply at him?

“Why are you doing that?”

“I really do find it fascinating.”

“What do you mean?”

“The fact that you drink that so well.”

“Is that strange?”

“It is. I have barely seen any humans who like that. And now a Barbarian likes it too. How could that not be fascinating?”

Balun tilted his head. Why would anyone dislike this? It smelled so good.

The astringent taste was quite strong, but that did not bother him at all. He had enjoyed tea often enough in his previous life, so he was used to it.

Seria was probably telling the truth when she said it was expensive tea.

“People have no taste. Balun likes this tea. It is excellent tea.”

“No taste...? What is that supposed to mean?”

“It means they are fools who do not know what tastes good.”

At those words, Seria’s eyes widened into circles, and then she burst into laughter.

After laughing for quite a while with her hands on her stomach, she wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes and said,

“Pfft, exactly. You do know a thing or two. These damned human bastards do not know the true value of this tea. Do they have any idea how delicious and precious this tea is? But what do they say? ‘Why would anyone drink this tasteless garbage?’ ‘Why is there not even a hint of sweetness?’ Those dog bastards!”

Seria suddenly began talking much faster.

With a highly agitated expression, she spat out a rapid-fire stream of words, then finally calmed herself and added,

“You pass.”

“Hm?”

“I like you. You are worthy of wielding my weapon. You are a hundred times better than those noble bastards who swagger around acting important.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I am saying I will make your weapon for you!”

Balun flinched in surprise.

Damn it, that startled him.

Why did she have to shout like that?

“Take it as an honor. I do not make arms and armor for just anyone. I only make them for those who are worthy. Even if it is a request from that mage bastard Calrent.”

Seria said that with a satisfied expression, while Balun merely tilted his head.

Because he truly could not understand.

What was this? Had his first impression not been completely ruined?

***

After finishing tea time, Balun gave Seria the specific details of what his future weapon should look like.

Seria wrote down Balun’s lengthy explanation for a while, then scratched between her brows and said,

“One two-handed axe and two hand axes. The two-handed axe is your main weapon, and the hand axes are for versatile use. That part is fine. The problem comes after that. The handles absolutely must be made from True Elfwood. That part.”

“Why is that a problem?”

“You are asking for that without even knowing what True Elfwood is?”

“It is a good material.”

“A good material. Right. It is a good material. It certainly is, but... ha.”

Naturally, Balun had no idea what it was.

He was only saying it because Calrent had repeatedly told him that it absolutely had to be included.

Honestly, what did it matter what the material was? As long as it could endure the power amplified by Enhancement Art, that was all that mattered.

“This is driving me crazy. That insane mage bastard is really trying to strip me of every last bit of my capital. Good grief.”

“Is it very expensive?”

“What?”

“I mean True Elfwood.”

“Of course it is. Does that even need to be said? It is a treasure of our clan. Even if you worked for hundreds of years, you still would not be able to buy a single piece of it. And you are asking me to use that as a material?”

Balun’s eyes widened. Just how amazing a wood was it, for it to be called a treasure?

“There is no helping it. A promise is a promise. Our clan always keeps its promises. Unlike you cowardly humans.”

“Will you make it?”

“I do not lie.”

“Good!”

Balun nodded in satisfaction and started to pull out his pouch.

He meant to pay.

“I will pay the labor cost. How much do I owe?”

“Labor cost? There is no need. How much money could a Barbarian even have?”

“Balun has money. Do you want to see it?”

When Balun tried to show her his pouch, Seria stopped him.

“That is enough. Put it away. Even if you do have money, it is probably just a few silver coins.”

“You are wrong. Balun has 200 gold.”

Balun declared that proudly, but Seria only let out a disbelieving laugh.

“Puh, 200 gold? How could that possibly be true?”

“I really do have it.”

“All right, all right, put it away. I do not have a hobby of taking pocket money from children.”

No, he really did have money.

“Now come with me. I need to take measurements.”

“Measurements?”

“It is a preparatory step I need before forging. Just come quickly.”

Balun followed her deeper into the smithy.

Once inside, the heat grew even more intense.

Seria pulled up her long hair into a tight ponytail and had Balun stand in a corner.

On the floor in that corner was a geometric pattern, and it looked very familiar.

It was almost identical to the one he had seen at Calrent’s house when he had undergone his talent assessment.

“Take off your upper clothes and stand here. You just need to stay still.”

“Why do I have to take off my clothes?”

“Because I need to determine your mana characteristics. It makes the process a little easier if you take your clothes off.”

“Is that necessary for making a weapon?”

“This is how I always do it. If you do not like it, then go somewhere else.”

“No. I will do it.”

He did not really understand, but he did as he was told.

He figured that since she was such an accomplished person, she probably had her own secret method.

‘Maybe it is like bespoke tailoring.’

Except this was a weapon, so perhaps it was bespoke weapon-making?

Once Balun stood at the center of the circle, Seria placed her palm against his back.

For a moment he felt the warmth of her touch, and then it was followed by the sensation of something foreign pushing into his body.

After more than ten minutes like that, Seria pulled her hand away and let out a low groan.

“What is wrong with your body?”

“Is there a problem?”

“There is not really a problem. I am just a little bewildered.”

“Why?”

“The level of mana you possess is that of an ordinary person. Which means you have never trained Aura. But the quality of your muscles and bones is absurdly outstanding. Were you an orc, by any chance? Or maybe a high orc?”

“I am human.”

“No, you are not. This seems even better than the orcs. Then are you a troll? An ogre?”

“I said I am human.”

Balun suddenly felt sorrowful.

Now discrimination by race was not enough, so they had moved on to discrimination by species too.

“This makes no sense. How can a human have a body like this?”

“It is probably because of my constitution.”

“Your constitution?”

“Balun’s constitution is a little special.”

Balun explained his constitution to her.

How his bones and muscles absorbed mana at an abnormally high rate compared to others, which meant he built up mana more slowly than everyone else.

And in exchange, he had gained a special ability called Enhancement Art, which explosively improved his physical abilities.

Originally, he had not intended to say any of this, but she had pressed him for answers so insistently that he had no choice.

How was he supposed to stay silent when she said she could not make the weapon unless he told her?

After hearing everything, Seria finally nodded as though she understood.

“So that is why. I had been wondering why you insisted that True Elfwood absolutely had to be used for the axe handle, and this is the reason. No, if there was something this unusual, you should have said so from the start!”

Smack!

Balun twisted his face and rubbed his back. Seria had slapped him across it.

“That hurts! Why did you hit me?”

“I hit you because it was supposed to hurt. It is punishment for being troublesome.”

It was utterly absurd. He had not even known it was something he needed to mention, so how could he have said it beforehand?

“When forging an Ego Weapon, the most important thing is to understand each individual’s mana characteristics perfectly. Without that, you cannot even attempt it. You nearly made me fail, so was I not supposed to hit you?”

Balun blinked.

It was because she had said Ego Weapon.

He had heard about it once from Calrent. That there were weapons that chose their owners.

And those were called Ego Weapons.

When he had first heard it, he had thought it was absurd.

What was there to choose? It was just a tool.

But now, after everything he had experienced in the meantime, Balun’s thoughts had changed.

There was magic, and there were other races, so why would that be impossible?

“Are you making an Ego Weapon for Balun?”

“Of course I am. What else would I make? I only forge Ego Weapons.”

“Hm?”

“What? You really had no idea what I make?”

Balun only blinked.

Why would he need to know that? Was not a blacksmith just a blacksmith?