Chapter 108 - Chapter 17: Test #7
“Master, I have become great. I think that you should compliment me.”
Green Wind declared as soon as he opened the door of the workshop. Due to being in a solid state, people aside from In-gong could see Green Wind.
Amita’s workshop was dual structured, and the door to the inner workshop, which could be called Amita’s real workplace, was closed tightly. In-gong looked at the stone table that Greenie was sitting on and asked,
“Greenie, you’ve become great...?”
“Of course. So amazing that... uh, wait! I am not Greenie! Master, I hate when you call me that!”
Green Wind nodded gently, then shouted suddenly. She kept nagging him despite being visible to others.
"Green Wind..."
Karma said in a small voice from where she was standing in the corner. There was a complicated expression on her face.
As Carack comforted Karma, Amita jumped on the stone table and slapped Green Wind.
"Get out of the way, you’re covering everything.”
“Uhum.”
It was true, so Green Wind had nothing to say. She simply jumped down from the stone table.
Amita stood where Green Wind was just sitting and pulled out White Eagle from a wooden crate.
It was mysterious that the shield was floating in the air, but this was a familiar sight to In-gong’s party.
Carack gazed at White Eagle closely and tilted his head.
“Uh... did you just add the black border?”
The original White Eagle consisted of a gauntlet for the left arm and a shield capable of being mounted on the gauntlet.
The shield was the main body of White Eagle, but despite Amita’s readjustment, there wasn’t much change in the appearance.
Black metal plates were added to the edge of the shield which was all white.
Carack’s question made Amita click their tongue.
"That is the case when just looking at the outside, but these are separate things. Green Wind?”
At Amita’s call, Green Wind nodded with a confident expression.
“Look carefully, Master. You will definitely want to praise me.”
As her name suggested, Green Wind dispersed into green wind and returned to White Eagle.
Then a green light emerged from White Eagle. So far, there was no difference from the original, but that changed with what happened next. There was a metallic sound and the black metal plates at the border of White Eagle spread out widely. As more things appeared in the air, the shield doubled its size in a flash.
The width was 1.5 times wider and the length of the shield was also impressive. The additional embellishments caused the shield to become a long diamond shape.
The additions to Carack’s shield had flown from Amita’s workshop. However, the additional parts added to White Eagle had appeared in the air, as if they came from In-gong’s inventory.
Amita raised their chin and explained,
“In the first place, this is a relic of an elder dragon. It’s not like I put a gimmick on this. Moreover, that isn’t all.”
Once Amita tapped their finger, a metal sound was heard again, and the white and black parts separated into two.
"Separation?!"
Carack cried out with shock, and Amita waved their tail with a delighted expression.
"The white shield and black shield—should they be called White Eagle and Black Eagle? The basic performance will be carried out by White Eagle, but Black Eagle will be very useful. It has been blessed by the last flame.”
White Eagle and Black Eagle stood side by side in the air.
Green Wind then took a solid state once again and appeared in front of In-gong.
"Now, I will be able to protect Master twice as much. When they’re combined as one, the defense is stronger. Isn’t this a good idea?”
‘So, go ahead to pat my head and praise me!’
That’s what Green Wind’s eyes seemed to be saying. However, rather than responding to expectations, In-gong’s eyes narrowed as he asked,
“It is great, but... can you fly both at the same time?”
One person was steering two objects. There was no easy way to drive one fighter jet while steering another remotely.
Green Wind blinked at In-gong’s question and looked over at White Eagle. Looking at her expression, it seemed like she had never thought about the steering difficulty.
“I- I can do it. I can definitely do it. I will do it, kul.”
She started off with an uneasy voice but became confident at the end. Green Wind now had the noble expression of a higher-order guardian.
Amita looked at Green Wind’s back and clicked their tongue.
"I originally made two additional pieces for a total of three separate shields, but... I thought that two would be easier to steer.”
Green Wind flinched after hearing that the original plan was three shields. Amita continued speaking,
"You don’t have to worry so much because there is some degree of automatic steering. I entered some defense patterns just like the guardian shields used by magicians.”
"S-speaking so much is useless. Talking raccoon, quickly explain the next function.”
Green Wind cried out with a red face. Amita laughed before turning their gaze toward White Eagle.
"The original curtain of light is still there. Well, rather, it has been adapted to attack more efficiently. Green Wind?”
Rather than becoming the wind, Green Wind flicked her fingers, and a defensive green light curtain was activated from White Eagle and Black Eagle.
Then the next thing...
“Oh.”
In-gong exclaimed unknowingly with admiration. The curtain of light had become a narrow blade when Green Wind flicked her finger again.
It was like a green light blade had been attached to the edge of the shield.
As In-gong reacted, Green Wind excitedly changed the blade into a variety of shapes and sizes. He could feel that the power of White Eagle had tripled.
Green Wind combined White Eagle and Black Eagle into one then turned it around.
“Look carefully, Master. Now the space behind the shield is widened, so it is possible for Master to fight on top! Would you like to take it for a ride?”
Green White changed White Eagle to the size of a small surfboard. It felt like a snowboarding device that could be attached to his feet.
White Eagle flew through the air and landed in front of In-gong. He climbed up, feeling that it was definitely more stable than before.
“Ohh.”
As In-gong let out a sound of admiration, Green Wind nodded with a satisfied face.
"You may fly through the sky with the strange blue cloth, but my existence is solid.”
He could hear a lot of worry in her voice, and she couldn’t hide her deep sense of relief.
In-gong stroked Green Wind’s head, and she was deeply pleased.
It was at that moment...
"Strange blue cloth? What are you talking about?”
Amita asked with a confused expression. In-gong blinked at that, but he soon understood. He had forgotten to talk to Amita about it.
"I obtained one more relic of an elder dragon from Sun Lake. I forgot to tell you that it is a cloak that transforms into a muffler.”
Amita was a blacksmith that dealt with swords and armor, so he hadn’t thought that Amita would handle clothes. Moreover, there had been no reason to report it to Amita at the time because he hadn’t known they wanted to readjust the elder dragons’ equipment.
Amita’s eyes widened at In-gong’s explanation. They were very interested.
In-gong asked with a smile,
“Its name is Night Watch. Do you want to adjust it as well?”
Amita jumped. Green Wind, who was more than twice as big as Amita, shouted hurriedly,
“Ah, no! Talking raccoon! Don’t take away the value of my existence! B-but it is also necessary for Master... uhh...”
As Green Wind fell into agony, In-gong stroked her head gently and looked at Amita. Amita’s eyes were burning intensely, but they showed some restraint.
“Ummm. There is no time. I’ll do it later.”
There truly was no time as In-gong was leaving the Demon King’s Palace tomorrow.
Silvan, who had stayed quiet since his arrival in the workshop, spoke up,
“Amita, please don’t forget my sword...’
"Ah, I’ll give it! I’ll give it to you tomorrow morning!”
Amita hit their tail against the ground and cut off Silvan’s words. Silvan stepped back sullenly.
As Felicia comforted Silvan, In-gong mounted White Eagle on his left arm.
‘Indeed.’
By increasing the size of the shield with White Eagle and Black Eagle, the defense area had increased. Additionally, overlapping the two into one would make the defense significantly stronger.
In-gong consciously separated White Eagle and Black Eagle and tried to navigate around them. Not surprisingly, he felt much safer compared to when there had only been White Eagle.
"It is really awesome. I am looking forward to Earth Quaker.”
"Huhu, let’s hope for the best. Whatever you imagine, I will show you even more.”
Amita said with a smile. Then Daphne, who had been the assistant for the past few days, hugged Amita from behind.
"Master."
Green Wind called out to In-gong, and he understood her meaning. He stroked Green Wind’s head and said,
"Great, Green Wind. But I am busy today, so next time.”
“Umm... I understand. I will endure it.”
Green Wind nodded with a despairing expression and disappeared.
"Well, is it over now?”
Felicia asked, and Amita nodded. They had shown the result of White Eagle, and there was nothing else to share with In-gong’s party.
"Okay, then let’s go back to the reception room to prepare it for guests. Today, we’ll have to be fully prepared for the tea party.”
It was only a couple of hours before the concubine children would come to visit.
Felicia clapped and got everyone’s attention, then said to In-gong,
"Shutra, do you understand that you are the protagonist today?”
"I know.”
His status window also said that he was the protagonist.
The party hurried out of the workshop.
&
The day passed quickly.
The concubine children who followed Felicia and Chris weren’t the only ones who attended the tea party. The concubine children who had been deeply interested in In-gong for a few months visited the mansion as well.
Of course, this was through invitation, so it went through some type of screening process. The potential spies, such as Cadaroph who had been with Daphne the other day, couldn’t attend the tea party.
Felicia had made the purpose of the tea party clear,
“The tea party today is just for introductions. Think of it as the process of identifying who is standing on our side. Of course, you should also be aware that you are the head of our faction.”
It made sense to make bonds by talking to the people who belonged to the faction and impress the people who followed Felicia and Chris.
The afternoon tea party was short and sweet. It ran for only two hours, but they had been able to accomplish all their purposes.
‘Blood Knight Silas.’
Along with Daphne, he was the only one of the concubine children who needed to be obtained.
He would be leaving with Chris tomorrow. It was a bit unfortunate that he was following Chris and not In-gong, but that wasn’t a problem at all. After all, following Chris was the same as being in In-gong’s faction.
The next morning arrived.
As promised, Amita appeared before Silvan, who had spent the night in In-gong’s residence.
"Here.”
Amita seemed more tired than usual. They handed a sword in a plain sheathe to Silvan.
“Thank you.”
Silvan swallowed his saliva and pulled out the sword slowly. A silver sword resembling the sword duke’s, without any decorations, was revealed.
Silvan gazed at the sword with a fascinated expression, but Felicia started frowning. Compared to the White Eagle she had seen yesterday, Silvan’s sword was too shabby.
"Amita, does Silvan’s sword have something like an ability to combine or transform?”
"What type of sword would have the ability to transform? It is just a sword!”
Amita slammed their tail against the ground.
'No, why would a shield have transformation elements?’
In-gong had the same thoughts as Felicia but decided to hold back. Silvan’s expression was filled with pure joy as he held the sword.
Silvan swung the sword through the air like a person possessed by something. The blade of the sword cutting through the air was very light.
Amita asked with a smile,
“How is it?”
“Good. Really... it is good.”
There were no other words to express it.
‘Just a sword.’
It existed for the basic purpose of stabbing the enemy.
Amita’s words were true; the other features weren’t needed.
Silvan was satisfied with this sword. That could be seen the moment he held it in his hand. It was a feeling that gave him goosebumps.
It was a sword that could be wielded freely, like an extension of his body.
For others, it was just a good sword.
However, this sword was tailored for Silvan. It was a perfectly coordinated sword that could only reveal its true value in Silvan’s hands.
"I see that you’ve figured out the truth. It was worthwhile to create this for you.”
Amita laughed heartily, and Silvan shed tears of excitement.
“And 9th Prince.”
Amita turned toward In-gong with a somewhat uneasy expression.
“There is still a bit of fine adjustment needed for Earth Quaker. Can you perhaps wait half a day? The work is almost over, but I need time...”
They had stayed up all night, but it seemed like it was impossible to finish on time.
In-gong nodded.
“It’s okay, Amita. You don’t have to worry because we are going together.”
“Hu, yes. Then wait just half a day... What?”
Amita jumped with surprise. In-gong spoke with a casual expression,
"You will go with me on the mission and can make the readjustments then. I’ve already asked the last flame.”
"Uh, when?! When on earth?”
"Yesterday, shortly after leaving the workshop...”
In-gong laughed.
He had originally intended to take Amita, even if Earth Quaker’s adjustment wasn’t late. Amita still had a lot of equipment to make, so why should they stay at the Demon King’s Palace.
However, Amita couldn’t accept reality. They waved both of their hands, and their eyes shook violently.
“Ah, no. The last flame wouldn’t have done that!”
Then one hour later, in front of the transport formation...
“The last flame...”
Amita carried a large bag on their back, just like at Spider Forest, and sat on the ground like someone who had lost their country.
In-gong and his party greeted each other while neglecting Amita.
The first one was Chris, who was heading to the south with Silas.
"Go safely.”
“Yes, look after Caitlin and Felicia noonim.”
In-gong smiled at Chris while Felicia pouted.
"You should be asking me, me.”
She whined, but her eyes were smiling. Chris said pleasantly,
"Noonim is sometimes quietly selfless. Don’t overdo it."
"I won’t overdo it.”
Felicia covered her face with a fan while replying. After laughing, Chris patted Caitlin’s head and said goodbye.
As Chris and Silas moved through the transport formation, Felicia looked back at everyone.
"Then is it our turn?”
Silvan was scheduled to leave on the Black Flame Dragon. The other royal children had gone to their respective areas through the transport formation, and now only In-gong’s party was left.
“I’m going, Oppa.”
"Yes, Felicia. Stay safe until we meet again. And Shutra, please look after Felicia.”
In-gong nodded and held out his hand to Silvan for a handshake. Felicia covered her face again, but this time she was laughing.
In-gong, Caitlin and Felicia stood next to each other on the transport formation, followed by Daphne, Karma, Delia and Seira.
Carack grabbed Amita’s neck and lifted them up.
"Raccoon person, I’ll make sure that you are comfortable.”
Amita waved their hands and legs after being lifted by Carack, but it was useless.
In-gong smiled at Amita, then let out a breath.
There was a mission outside the Demon King’s Palace...
And there would be confrontation between the Death Knight and the Demon King’s Palace.
There was also Zephyr who had left for Haragal...
And Vandal and Nayatra who he would meet in the future.
In-gong suddenly looked around. As promised, In-gong looked at Caitlin.
A red light shone from the floor.
There was a bit of noise, and the transport formation activated.