Chapter 11

When placed in the basement, it wouldn’t reach the upper floors, so it inevitably had to be placed in the center of the second floor. However, the head chamberlain nearly fainted, insisting that such a hideous thing could never be placed in the middle of the hallway.

“It’s right where you see it as soon as you come up from the entrance. You absolutely cannot place such an object in the sacred space where the statue of the goddess stands! It would bring disgrace to the duke’s name. You’d be smearing mud on His Grace’s face!”

Honestly, even with mud on it, that face would still shine. But Melody couldn’t say that directly to the chamberlain’s solemn face.

“So, what exactly are you making? I thought magic tools were usually just used for carriages and things like that.”

Anna asked as she inspected the storage room. Melody couldn’t exactly tell her the true purpose.

“It purifies the air, clears the mind, boosts immunity, reduces inflammation, prevents illness, and extends lifespan. It’s the pinnacle of magical engineering.”

“You can make something like that with a magic tool?”

Melody said it with a deliberately serious face, and Anna was startled by the response.

The next day, Anna happily reported that a few of the maids had suddenly recovered from their colds. Melody simply laughed it off.

“Oh right, try going to the smithy behind the training grounds. The blacksmiths there are very skilled. I mean, even with a rough sketch like this, they made it perfectly. If the design looks better, maybe the chamberlain will allow it to be placed on the second floor.”

Melody glanced between the drawing Anna had made on paper and the jewel box in her hand. It was almost unbelievable that a few lines had been turned into something that resembled a real form.

“Isn’t this way too rough?”

“That was my best.”

“This… is it a lizard?”

“It’s a bird.”

Seeing how Anna’s drawings got worse the more she tried, Melody thought she might as well try getting help and went to visit the smithy.

The place was like a battlefield. Clanging sounds never stopped, and flames constantly shot up. The blacksmiths, drenched in sweat, were endlessly hammering metal.

Then one of them, after receiving Melody’s request, said flatly:

“No can do.”

It was a large man with dusty brown hair and a thick beard. His name was Gerson.

“It’s for the duke.”

“And which one of these things isn’t? We’re at the point where we’d borrow even an ant’s finger during an expedition. Please move aside.”

“This hammer!”

Offended by his dismissive tone, Melody suddenly pulled out the hammer she had brought.

“This was the most surprising thing I found in the duke’s estate. The perfect weight. The amazing balance. I’ve never seen anything this well-made.”

“Hmm… I did put effort into that one.”

She had heard that most of the workshop’s tools had been made by him, so she brought it up. A look of pride appeared on Gerson’s face.

“I need the craftsmanship of a true master.”

“And who doesn’t? Even if we hammer all night, we barely get one weapon. There are hundreds of knights, you know. Do you even understand how many swords get worn down from hunting monsters? Stop interrupting and go.”

“So if you had more time, could you do it?”

“Time, she says.”

With a sigh, Gerson looked at his frantically working colleagues and continued.

“None of these guys have ever made it home on time. That guy over there only found out his husband ran off three days later. This one still hasn’t located the family he moved with two months ago. And me? Every time I see my kids, it’s still awkward. The guy next door probably knows them better than I do.”

“Can’t you ask the duke to hire more blacksmiths?”

“This is after hiring more. And even if we do, they just run away.”

Bang, bang!
As Gerson hammered away, the red-hot iron flattened under the blow. He plunged it into cold water and added,

“The knights are risking their lives on these expeditions, so their weapons at least need to be sturdy. If not for that, I would’ve run off too.”

“What if there were a way to shorten the time?”

In Melody’s hometown, there hadn’t even been a smithy. Iron was too scarce. That made preserving blades all the more important. She recalled a few magic tools she had used for that purpose and offered,

“I can help.”

“You a magic toolmaker? I don’t have time to waste on nonsense gadgets. People’s lives are on the line—how can we trust some unproven machine?”

“Of course you can’t.”

Melody pointed to the furnace, the charcoal, and the knives.

“I might not be able to forge a sword, but I can temper one. The machines I make are actually quite convenient.”

“Tch.”

The blacksmith, thinking it not worth arguing, began hammering again.

“Just try it and decide.”

Sometimes it’s better to show than to explain. Once someone uses it, they can never go back. Melody was confident.

“I’m a better inventor than I look.”

---

* * *

‘Ahh… Aaaaagh…’

There was no getting used to pain. Deonis trembled and curled his body tightly. His tiny prison cell barely had space to stretch his legs, but crouching felt better.

His appearance was a wreck. His tangled hair reached down to his ankles, his body shriveled and emaciated with protruding bones. Only his crimson eyes still blazed like a beast’s.

‘Let it begin.’

The Emperor sat in a crimson chair, watching him. The day he came was always a terrible day—because the pain was worse than any other.

A woman cloaked in black appeared, and the momentary break from pain was shattered by searing light. His body felt like it was being torn apart. He struggled to escape the agony, but it was futile.

Through the iron bars, the emperor took a step forward. His pale blue eyes, like a cloudy sky, stared intently.

Clink!

Amidst his hazy consciousness, he heard something shatter.

‘Is it a failure?’

‘It seems the vessel can’t withstand the power.’

‘So it truly cannot be extracted?’

Meaningless voices floated above his head. Deonis gasped, desperate for breath. He saw transparent shards scattered across the floor.

He reached for one, grabbed the sharp piece, and drove it straight into the white shoe in front of him.

“Aaaagh!!”

The black-robed woman fell to the side, screaming in pain. The torment stopped. Deonis glared at the man in front of him.

The Emperor, staring down at him with blue eyes, said,

“A beast that doesn’t know its place.”

“Your Majesty, it’s dangerous to get too close.”

“I will tame this beast.”

---

Deonis woke up atop the corpse of a monster. He’d finally gotten some rest, but the feeling was vile. He had dreamed of the days he spent in the imperial palace as a child.

Kreeeaaaah!!

A monster’s cry echoed through the forest. In lands beyond the holy barrier, rifts to the void still remained—and through them, monsters emerged.

“Three more are closing in!”

At the knight’s shout, Deonis stood. Monsters were usually house-sized, sticky and viscous like a swamp. This one looked like a grotesque, distorted toad.

“Aim for the legs!”

“It’s coming this way!!”

Six knights formed ranks to face the creature. One lost balance as the monster’s tongue lashed toward them from all sides.

 

In a flash, Deonis leapt forward and blocked the monster’s jaws.