Chapter 68

After Kuna ran away, I stayed behind and decided to catch a glimpse of the great mage Cyril and his party who had come from Elsie.

I wanted to see how much the Cyril of the past had changed from the Cyril of the present.

Cheers were getting closer from the direction of the gate.

It seemed that the carriage had arrived and was heading towards the center.

Finally, it passed in front of me.

"Quite impressive."

I couldn't help but mutter.

The carriage from Elsie wasn't as ornate as those typically used by nobles.

The decorations were minimal, but it was filled with functional beauty.

The wheels were wrapped with something like rubber tires, and the suspension system included high-precision shafts and bearings. Clearly, this was over-technology for this era.

Upon closer inspection, even the horses pulling the carriage were unusual. They had abnormally thick legs, yet their bodies were slender and muscular. I wondered what kind of breeding and training had produced such creatures. Elsie, despite being a small country, had developed both magical and industrial technology to an abnormal degree.

"Lord Cyril! Wave to us!"

A young girl behind me let out a shrill cheer.

Then, a man waved from inside the carriage.

He was supposed to be in his late forties, but he looked like a beautiful young elf in his late twenties. Though he looked young, his face exuded a sternness and a genuine warmth that came from experience.

Just like in the game era, he was the world's strongest mage, Cyril. The very person I knew.

Even just by waving, Cyril made my body hair stand on end.

At Rank 6, his mere presence exuded an overwhelming power that inspired awe.

A woman sitting next to Cyril caught my eye.

She was about the same age as me and Kuna. A young fire fox girl with silver hair and fox ears.

Like Cyril, she was waving back to the cheering citizens of the capital.

She was a beauty, perhaps even as beautiful as Kuna. She might be the Yuki that Kuna had mentioned.

The carriage carrying Cyril and his party passed by me.

Naturally, my fists clenched. That was the man I would eventually have to overcome.

◇

After watching Cyril's carriage pass, I wandered the city alone.

"I have some time, so maybe I'll do some shopping."

After all, I had recently earned a considerable amount of money.

Yes, during the duel between Anne and Clanel, I had bet a large sum on Anne.

Gambling is a common occurrence at such events in the capital. I had bet ten million bal on Anne's victory.

The odds were four to one, so my bet had turned into forty million bal, and I had received a promissory note.

Normally, betting such a large sum would make the bookies hesitant, but this time, the customer base was good, and the bets on Clanel had been so concentrated that the bookies were happy to let me bet.

When I went to collect my winnings, the bookies were grateful. It seemed that even after paying me forty million bal, they would still make a huge profit.

"I promised Kuna I'd make her a sword, so I need to find the materials."

I rarely get the chance to come to the capital. I need to thoroughly check and find some good deals.

In addition to materials for Kuna's sword, I also wanted to purchase metal for my own weapons. My current mithril was reaching its limits. After repeated use, it had accumulated fatigue and its performance had started to decline. If I continued to overuse it, it would eventually break.

Moreover, I felt that mithril's strength and magical adaptability were insufficient. It was fine at Rank 2, but in battles between Rank 3s, plain mithril wouldn't suffice. In fact, when I used the [Emblem Armor], I had to fight Tiranau bare-handed.

If I had orichalcum or adamantite, it would be different.

Orichalcum is superior to mithril in both magical adaptability and material strength. Adamantite is slightly inferior to mithril in magical adaptability but surpasses orichalcum in material strength.

These metals are the result of certain metals being exposed to mana for thousands of years, so they can't be found in underground labyrinths and can only be obtained by digging up old geological layers. I had to wait for them to appear on the market.

I entered the commercial district and started looking around.

I visited weapon shops, armor shops, and precious metal shops, but I couldn't find anything good.

Orichalcum and adamantite are ultra-rare metals. It's understandable that they don't appear often, but at the very least, I wanted some mithril that hadn't accumulated fatigue.

◇

"Completely wasted effort."

I had visited all the shops in the city, but found nothing.

Even if I couldn't buy materials, I had planned to melt down high-quality weapons and armor to secure the materials, but there weren't even any of those.

I would have to make do with my current mithril, but what about Kuna's sword...

"Oops, sorry."

A man's voice rang out, followed by a light impact on my shoulder.

Someone had bumped into me.

My attention had dropped because I was lost in thought. The person who had bumped into me was sitting on the ground, and their face was obscured by a deep hat.

"I'm the one who wasn't paying attention. Are you okay?"

I extended my hand.

The man took it and stood up. The moment he grabbed my hand, a foreign magic coursed through my body.

It was similar to the analysis magic I had used to study the optimal movements for Anne...

"What do you think you're doing!"

I pulled my hand away, jumped back, and prepared for battle.

Anyone who tries to gather information on you out of the blue can't be normal.

As I focused on the man, my body began to tremble. What was this magical strength, this power of protection?

His strength was in a completely different league from mine, at least ten times stronger.

This unreasonable and overwhelming power...

"I apologize. Your magic circulation was so clean, I just wanted to know more. I had no ill intentions."

The man smiled and took off his hat. Beneath it was a face of inhuman beauty, yet it exuded a chilling aura.

He had elf ears and the characteristic [Emerald Eyes] of a High Elf, the superior race of elves. He was a living legend, the strongest [Rank 6].

His name was...

"Cyril."

"You know me. Is it okay to meet for the first time? Let me introduce myself. I'm Cyril. Nice to meet you."

He extended his hand for a handshake.

I suppressed my trembling with sheer willpower and shook his hand, though my hand was stiff.

There was no way I could win against him now. I suppressed my overflowing hostility and tried to maintain my composure.

"So, we 'happened' to meet here. How about we have a drink?"

"It's still bright out. It's too early to drink."

"Drinking during the day is more fun."

"Why would you want to drink with someone you just met? You're a busy person, aren't you?"

"I've been delegating more tasks to the younger generation lately, so I have quite a bit of free time. That's why I slipped away from my boring work. Besides, at my age, I like to drink with younger people."

I was bewildered by his sudden invitation.

There had to be some hidden agenda. It was unbelievable that Cyril, the leader of Elsie and a busy man, would take time out of his schedule for an ordinary citizen.

"Don't worry about the cost. I'll treat you. Come on, let's go. Asure recommended a place. It's sure to be good."

Cyril put his hand on my shoulder and started walking.

"Wait, I have things to do."

"Don't worry about your errands. If you come with me, I can arrange for the orichalcum you're looking for."

"How do you know that?"

"I followed you for a bit. I could tell what you were thinking just by following your gaze. Come on, let's go. Son."

"Who's your son!"

And so, I was forcibly taken to a bar by the man who was once my arch-nemesis and the wall I had to overcome.