/

chapter 98




‘Did he notice the bracelet’s secret?’
Frey was concerned for a moment before quickly regaining his composure.
It was impossible.
Very few people knew that the Staff of the Great Sage could be transformed into a bracelet.
Even the Strow Necklaces, who claimed to know Schweiser best, and Shepard Jun, who was an executive in that circle, did not know the bracelet was a relic.
Frey shook his head.
“You can’t.”
“C-, come on, just a little…”
“Why are you so interested in this bracelet? It’s just an ordinary bracelet.”
Hector laughed when Frey said those words indifferently.
“An ordinary bracelet… you don’t need to lie to me.”
“…”
“Well. It makes sense that you’d think so. Most people wouldn’t be able to realise the true value of that bracelet.”
Perhaps, even the most proficient appraiser wouldn’t be able to notice anything.
However, he was different.
Hector’s gaze sharpened.
This item was definitely priceless.
He calmed his desperately beating heart.
“I know it’s not believable if I say it myself, but I am one of the best alchemists. In fact, I’m sure that I am among the top three among those on the continent.”
It was something that was not completely believable since he was the one that was saying it. But it was impossible for Frey to dismiss it just because he couldn’t take his word for it.
At least, this man in front of him was the first to even notice Schweiser’s bracelet.
“I can’t even remember the last time I saw a magic tool and admired it. That’s why that bracelet is so shocking. This is just my speculation, but I believe it might be a relic passed down from the Age of Light, where Magic Science was most prevalent.”
This was the first time he’d ever felt inferior while looking at a magic item since he’d begun studying alchemy.
Hector wasn’t confident that he’d be able to make something like that bracelet even if he was given all of the necessary materials.
This was what made him so curious.
He wanted to see how it was made.
Pure curiosity practically boiled within his gaze.
Frey was happy to hear his acknowledgement of Schweiser’s skills, but there was absolutely no way he would show this item to one of Lord’s followers.
He couldn’t afford to get caught in such a foolish way.
“You can’t.”
“…hoo. Of course, my words wouldn’t mean anything.”
Hector’s voice was low.
He stood up from his seat with a firm expression.
Seeing this, Frey raised his guard as he noticed Hector’s strange momentum.
Thud!
Hector pounded his forehead against the floor.
“Please!”
“W-, what are…”
“Please! Show it to me just once!”
After saying that, he crawled over and grabbed the hem of Frey’s robe.
Frey looked down at him with a shocked expression.
Hector’s face looked desperate and pitiful.
Was this all an act?
No.
He would not have been able to make such an expression even if he was the best actor in the world.
Frey hesitated after he saw this performance.
‘…an alchemist ranked among the top 3 on the continent.’
This was how Hector had introduced himself.
So he should be better than Adelia, right?
Frey couldn’t tell. However, even Adelia had not been able to notice the Staff of the Great Sage in its bracelet form.
At least in this aspect, Hector was better than her.
“I want to ask you something.”
“Yes! You can ask me anything.”
Hector’s eyes shined brightly as he said this.
Frey quickly spoke with a slightly troubled expression.
“…this doesn’t mean that I’d show you the bracelet just because you answer.”
“That doesn’t matter! After hearing my response, your heart might soften a little!”
This was what Frey wanted.
He nodded and recalled the questions he had asked Adelia in the magic tower in the past.
“Can you create a Golem with a core that contains 1 million ME?”
“A core with 1 million ME? Hmm….”
Hector narrowed his eyes.
After thinking for a moment, he shook his head.
“It would be extremely difficult.”
His response was better than Adelia’s, who had called it downright crazy, but it wasn’t a far cry from Frey’s expectations.
“I see. As expected.”
“Expected?”
“Even the best alchemist I know told me it was a crazy idea.”
Hector’s expression changed a little.
“Hmm… can you tell me in detail? What they said.”
Was he interested in the other alchemist’s opinion?
That didn’t matter. Frey told him what he heard from Adelia.
“First of all, they said it was almost impossible to create a Golem using a 1 million ME core.”
“I agree with that opinion. In general, a 10,000 ME core is required to make an Iron Golem.”
One Iron Golem was capable of fighting ten Ogres at once.
In other words, with a simple calculation, that would mean that a single Golem with a 1 million ME core would be able to fight 1,000 Ogres at the same time.
When he thought that, he realised just how ridiculous a 1 million ME core really was.
In terms of raw numbers, it might not be challenged even if it went head to head with an adult Dragon.
“They said the body would have to be made with Orichalcum, and Mithril would have to be used as the nervous system in order to drive such a large amount of energy. They also said that the process of calculating formulas, programming commands and establishing its consciousness would be even more challenging.”
“…”
Hector lowered his head as he pondered for a while before looking at Frey again.
“What is their name?”
“I have no intention of telling you that.”
After all, Adelia was a member of the Circle. And even if she wasn’t, he wouldn’t reveal her name since his identity could be traced through her.
“There’s no need to be so cautious. Lord has ordered me to not reveal anything I see or hear here. Once given, a command cannot be disobeyed. In other words, everything that’s happened here would be a secret kept between the two of us.”
“…”
“Anyway, that person is pretty good at alchemy. Although, they still have some ways to go. Huhu. They remind me of myself from a hundred years ago.”
A hundred years ago.
Frey’s expression became strange.
Exactly how old was this man?
“You mean you’re better than the alchemist I know?”
“Of course.”
“…”
“You don’t seem to believe me. Then…”
Hector put his hands together and clapped twice
Pak pak!
“Yes, Master!”
The maid, Aeri, who had left earlier, approached them once more.
Hector pointed at her and said.
“This kid is a Golem I made myself.”
“I see.”
“…”
“…”
There was silence for a moment.
Hector then looked at Frey with a strange expression on his face.
“Is that it?”
What other reaction was he supposed to give?
When he saw Frey’s puzzled expression, Hector’s expression became weirder.
‘He had the insight to tell that Aeri was a Golem with just a glance, but he doesn’t have any knowledge of puppet making?’
He was a strange man.
Then he wouldn’t be able to figure out just how elaborate Aeri was or how skilled he was at puppet making to have created her.
Hector sent Aeri back with a bitter smile.
“Do you really have a 1 million ME Golem core?”
“…”
Once again, he received no answer.
Hector’s expression became awkward. He didn’t know just what this man was thinking.
If he had some idea of what he wanted, then maybe, he would be able to make a deal to get what he wanted.
‘I want to see that bracelet one way or another.’
Recently, Hector had been feeling like there was a slump in the progression of his alchemy knowledge.
To put it bluntly, he hadn’t made any progress in decades.
He’d searched, examined and read countless research books, magic tools and Golems of other people, but he couldn’t find any new stimulation.
This was natural.
Most of them were much worse than him.
Day by day, he felt his body and mind slowly rot, and he feared that he would not be able to progress any further in his life.
Alchemy was the only thing keeping him going. But at this rate, he would lose interest in alchemy.
This was the last thing he wanted to happen.
Frey’s bracelet, which had appeared in a time when he was floundering in the dark and shivering in fear, was like a light of salvation for Hector.
Then Frey spoke.
“Hypothetically, if I said I had it, would you be able to make a Golem with it?”
“…”
Hector’s expression became serious.
Frey couldn’t help but feel that this face was the true face of the man before him.
His expression was one that could only be seen when someone who took pride in their job became serious about their job.
Hector pondered for a long time.
He blankly tapped his finger on the counter and mumbled to himself.
Frey waited patiently.
Finally, Hector opened his mouth.
“It’s possible.”
“…”
“You don’t believe me?”
“Would it be strange if I didn’t?”
Hector let out a laugh.
“The hardest thing to do would be to get the ingredients. You would need large quantities of orichalcum and mithril. You must know that those two metals are not things you can just buy with money.”
He was right.
Both were valuable items fit to be called the divine metals.
This meant that not only were they basically impossible to buy even if you could afford them but that they were also incredibly hard to work with.
“But those aren’t the only metals you can use. I know of metals that can be used as replacements. I assure you, there is no other alchemist who knows as many metals as I do.”
Could he be sure that this man was better than Adelia?
Hector sighed as though he could sense something from the subtle shift in Frey’s expression.
“I do not want to belittle the alchemist you know, but as far as I know, there are only three top alchemists on the continent currently.”
“Including you?”
“Including me.”
“…”
His eyes were firm as he said those words.
Frey looked at him for a moment before asking.
“Who are the other two?”
“The Eleventh Tower Master of the Kastkau Empire. And Akrich of the Frozen Lands in the North.”
The Eleventh Tower Master and Akrich.
They were figures that he would have never imagined.
Especially the former.
“I thought there were only ten magic towers”
“That’s right. However, the Eleventh Tower Master exists. He is one of the hidden guardians of the Kastkau Empire. That’s all I can say.”
“And Akrish of the Frozen Lands?”
“…”
Hector’s gaze deepened slightly.
He stared at Frey for a moment before saying.
“He’s not an alchemist; he’s a Wizard. But he’s a damn monstrous bastard who’s knowledge of alchemy surpasses both myself and the Eleventh Tower Master’s. This can be considered natural, though, since he’s lived for more than 1,000 years.”
“…”
“Anyways, you should remove any thoughts you have about asking him for help. He’s stuck in his dungeon below the Frozen Lands, devoting all his time to Magical Science. He’s also got a nasty temper, so don’t approach him unless you want to risk getting cut into unrecognisable pieces.”
His words only made Frey curious.
But there was something else that Frey was even more curious about.
“Who are you?”
“I’m Hector.”
“I’m not asking for your name. I’m asking who you are since you are able to stand equally beside the hidden guardian of the Kastkau Empire and Akrich who has over 1,000 years of accumulated knowledge.”
Hector was silent for a moment before slowly opening his mouth.
“Well. Although my current state appears quite miserable, I used to be a member of a pretty powerful race.”
A powerful race from the past?
“All of it was stolen from me, and I was trapped inside this fragile body. Strong scales that couldn’t be cut even with the sharpest sword, a body that was large enough to blot out the sun and a heart that was more powerful than any power source imaginable.”
After hearing that, Frey’s expression changed greatly.
“Still, I survived because he recognized the large amount of knowledge I’d accumulated in my life. Or maybe he wanted to laugh at my miserable existence from close by.”
“…you can’t mean…”
Hector gave a self deprecating smile.
“I… was a Dragon.”