Chapter 20: The Reincarnated One Does It All

At the café 'Lilac' located on the shopping street of Borsipha, a place known for its vibrant decorations with various flowers, it was always bustling with not only students but also visitors from outside. "The manager here is a graduate of our Enchantment Department, and I'm not kidding. She has enchanted all the flowers in the café to maintain their best condition year-round."

"......"

"Ah, if you don't know about enchantments, you might not fully appreciate it, but maintaining the quality of living organisms like flowers through enchantments is incredibly difficult."

Isehun looked at Rea Clodel, who was chattering away, with a peculiar expression. If you ask what profession frequently collaborates with blacksmiths, nine out of ten would say enchanters. Blacksmiths create weapons, and enchanters enhance their power. Unless they are completely isolated, blacksmiths and enchanters are bound to work together.

'Rea Clodel...'

Thus, as a blacksmith, Isehun couldn't help but hear about famous enchanters, and Rea Clodel was no exception. A genius who had revolutionized the enchanting industry, she had elevated rare-grade weapons by two levels, transforming them into legendary-grade weapons. This was the future of the girl, Rea Clodel, right in front of him.

'I knew she wasn't much older, but I didn't expect her to be at Babel... Well, in a way, it makes sense.'

Most outstanding heroes come from Babel, so if someone is in a similar age group, they are likely to be inside Babel. Isehun knew this much, but he never expected to meet such a famous figure so easily, which made him look at her with a curious expression.

'In any case, it's not bad if it's really Rea Clodel.'

No matter what had happened, their connection had been established in the blink of an eye. Considering her future reputation, the effect of the connection stone wouldn't be bad either. After sorting out his thoughts, Isehun looked at the chattering Rea.

"So, the important thing is the blood flow..."

"Let's stop the small talk and get to the main topic."

"Ah, should we?"

"......"

Rea, who had been talking non-stop, suddenly changed her attitude, and Isehun looked at her with a bemused expression, causing her to laugh awkwardly.

"Well, it's been so long since I've talked to someone, and I just started spilling out all the stories I've been holding back..."

"Main topic."

"Ah, ah, right. The main topic, the main topic."

Rea, who had been tapping her lips, took a sip of her coffee and began speaking in a calmer voice.

"To the point, I want to enchant the bracelet you made."

"This one?"

Isehun rolled up his sleeve to show the prayer beads, and Rea's eyes sparkled again.

When he moved his arm slightly, the beads followed, and Isehun chuckled at her absorbed reaction.

'Well, if it's black heavy rock, it makes sense.'

It's not easy for a regular student to get a black heavy rock, which is a hero-grade material and sells out as soon as it's available. Rea, who had looked dull-eyed at first, now looked at him with bright eyes. Isehun took off the prayer beads from his right arm and held them out.

"......Huh?"

"You haven't seen the information window, have you? Take a look."

"Huh? Ah, information... information window? This can't be... high-grade... no, rare-grade?!"

Rea, who had widened her eyes, looked down at the prayer beads in her hand. Isehun watched her dramatic reaction with a peculiar expression.

'She really is a unique one.'

Not only did she rarely talk to others, but she also showed no interest in anything outside of enchanting, even as the top student in her department. Isehun had heard that she was obsessed with enchanting even before the regression, but seeing her now, he realized the rumors weren't exaggerated.

While some might find her off-putting, Isehun found her somewhat appealing.

'In any case, she has the skills.'

If she were just a crazy person with no talent, he would have dismissed her, but with her abilities, the situation was different.

"A rare-grade weapon made from black heavy rock. And it has both mana absorption and storage functions. If I add a few more enchantments... No, this isn't enough..."

Rea, looking at the prayer beads, muttered incomprehensible words. Isehun, not rushing her, sipped his smoothie and waited.

After 10 minutes, 30 minutes, and an hour, as lunchtime approached and more students started buying sandwiches, Rea finally spoke.

"Ah, no."

Rea, who had put down the prayer beads, muttered with a dazed expression. Isehun, who had ordered a sandwich, asked while eating.

"Is it not as good as you thought?"

"No, the weapon is perfect. It's even better than I expected, making my heart race."

Rea, who had already had four cups of coffee, drank another one in one gulp and looked at Isehun with shining eyes.

"But I have too many ideas."

"Hmm, really?"

"Yes! This bracelet is strange! It's made of black heavy rock, but why is it so compatible?! There are so many enchantments I can add that I can't decide which ones to choose..."

Seeing Rea about to spill out more words, Isehun placed the sandwich he had ordered in front of her and cut her off.

"In short, you're struggling to decide which enchantments to add because there are more options than you expected?"

"Yes, exactly that."

"If that's the case, it's not a problem."

Rea, who looked puzzled, watched as Isehun rolled up his other sleeve to show another set of prayer beads.

"I have more."

"......"

"And."

Isehun handed her the returned prayer beads, and a resonance effect occurred between them, causing them to tremble.

"Consider this resonance effect if you're going to enchant them."

"......"

Rea, stunned by the scene in front of her, eventually rubbed her forehead and ordered another black coffee.

"Wait a moment. I feel like I'm overloaded. Just give me a minute."

After drinking the new coffee and forcing down the sandwich, Rea thought for a while before looking at Isehun.

"Who are you, exactly?"

Thinking it had taken a long time just to exchange names, Isehun replied.

"Isehun. First-year in the Refining Department, and this year's top student in Borsipha."

"First-year? Ah, but as a top student, that makes sense. Impressive..."

Impressed by Isehun's introduction, Rea cleared her throat and introduced herself.

"I'm Rea Clodel, a third-year in the Enchantment Department. And... um... is there anything else I should explain?"

"Well, if you want to enchant my weapon, you should show me your skills."

Now that he had a good idea of her personality, it was time to see her skills. Rea nodded at Isehun's words.

"Alright. Since you've shown me something this good, I should return the favor."

Click.

Rea pulled out one of the hairpins from her braided hair and proudly handed it to Isehun. A hairpin with a blue gem at its center and a silver body, it looked like a shooting star. Isehun, intrigued, immediately checked the information window of the hairpin.

[Merccury Mk.1]

[Grade: Rare] [Quality: Excellent]

A hairpin modeled after Mercury.

A water-attribute mana-infused mineral was refined and processed to enhance the power of a skill mimicking the origin of a star.

* Increases the wearer's water-attribute resistance and mastery.

* Grants the skill 'Water Comet.'

'A rare-grade, excellent-quality item. The materials don't look that great, but it's well-made.'

The grade was high, and the overall quality was excellent. If she could grasp the nuances a bit more, she could easily create hero-grade items.

Of course, grasping those nuances isn't easy, but preparation makes a big difference.

'So, she really is impressive.'

While Isehun was examining the hairpin with interest, the café entrance suddenly became noisy.

Thinking it was just a group of students coming for lunch, Isehun tried to ignore it, but...

"Hey, behind you."

"......Sigh."

Sighing at the stares and Rea pointing behind him, Isehun turned his head.

The first thing he saw was a young man with a familiar fierce expression. After scanning his face and the students around him, Isehun quickly recognized them.

'They're Erica's subordinates.'

Why they were suddenly looking at him with such murderous intent was clear for many reasons. Isehun stared at them, as if daring them to say something.

"......We need to talk. Can we step outside for a moment?"

The words were a suggestion, but the look in his eyes was a threat. Isehun, recalling the same situation at the bus stop, pondered for a moment.

'How should I handle this?'

Judging by the look in their eyes, they had moved beyond the point of ignoring each other. He needed to resolve this somehow, but how? While Isehun was considering his options...

"Where are we going?"

Rea, sitting across from Isehun, narrowed her eyes and glared at the subordinates.

"Can't you see I'm in the middle of a conversation?"

"......I want to handle this quietly. It won't take long, please."

The young man, Seitz, ignored her and continued to speak only to Isehun, causing Rea's eyes to narrow and her lips to curl.

"Looks like a dog that only listens to its master. Can't even understand what people are saying, huh?"

"......What?"

"Let me explain it to you. Bark! Get lost, you idiot! Bark!"

Rea, mocking him with barks, made Seitz's face contort with anger as he glared at her.

"You're still as arrogant as ever, even though you couldn't keep your position as top student."

"Ha! You couldn't even become a top student in your department, and you're provoking me now? It's really ridiculous..."

"Provoking? I'm just stating facts. Your grades dropped because you kept bringing in failed projects, didn't they?"

Grinding his teeth, Seitz's eyes glinted with anger as Rea's lips curled.

"Ha, ha, ha. At least I'm still in the top tier. If anyone heard you, they'd think you're a useless graduate chasing after juniors for a job."

"You...!"

"Why? I'm just stating facts. Oh, did I forget to mention the great 'young master' you've been following around? Sorry about that~"

Grinding his teeth, Seitz's eyes glinted with anger as Rea's lips curled.

The tension between the two was palpable, and Isehun, remaining calm, focused on the necessary information.

'A slump. This is unexpected.'

Considering her fame before the regression, he had assumed she was always on a winning streak, but it seems she had her tough times.

Realizing why Rea was interested in the prayer beads and why their connection had been established so quickly, Isehun decided to wrap up the conversation.

"That's enough."

Snap!

Isehun clapped his hands to draw attention and looked at Rea, whose eyes were half-glazed.

"I have one question."

"What is it?"

"Is there a minor in the Enchantment Department you'd recommend?"

While he phrased it indirectly, Rea, who wasn't that clueless, answered with sparkling eyes.

"Ancient Enchantment. The professor is great, and there's an amazing senior, so it would be perfect."

"I'll keep that in mind."

Since the connection was already established, he could learn more about the class later. Isehun, deciding to check the connection stone then, stood up and looked at Seitz and his subordinates.

"You said you wanted to talk in a quiet place. Lead the way."

"......Follow me."

"If that guy does anything funny, tell me later!"

Rea's parting words echoed as Isehun followed the subordinates out of the café.

They arrived at the Cursed Studies Department, not far from the shopping street, a high-ranking department in Borsipha with a gloomy atmosphere.

"From here, we'll go in alone."

Leaving the other subordinates behind, Isehun and Seitz entered the forest. Isehun looked around at the eerie, secluded forest.

'A secluded forest where no one can see. How cliché.'

As expected, Isehun followed with a curious expression. Suddenly, Seitz stopped and turned around.

"Since it's the first week of school, you must be busy, so I'll get straight to the point."

"Go on."

Nodding, Isehun urged him, and Seitz, frowning, sighed and continued.

"Apologize to Miss Erica for your rude behavior."

"I haven't been rude."

Seitz, taken aback by Isehun's calm response, bit his lip and took a deep breath before continuing.

"Did you tear up the invitation Miss Erica gave you in front of everyone, and now you're saying you weren't rude?"

"She told me to tear it up."

Why was he blaming him for following orders? Isehun looked at Seitz with a bewildered expression, and Seitz nodded.

"Yes, you have a point..."

Then, he looked at Isehun coldly.

"If you hadn't received an invitation from Jake Myers."

"What's that... Ah."

Confused by Seitz's words, Isehun frowned, but then Jake's words came to mind.

The Noble Exchange is a gathering for students with illustrious backgrounds. Naturally, not all of them are on the same side.

They might be competitors in a certain field or have personal grudges.

'Myers and Inoue don't get along, it seems.'

Isehun had torn up the invitations Erica gave him twice but accepted the one from Jake Myers. While it might seem like a coincidence, the kind of people who attend such gatherings wouldn't miss such gossip.

'They must have found this an opportunity to save face.'

While it was a ridiculous matter to Isehun, it was unbearable for those who valued the group more than themselves.

Having a rough idea of the situation, Isehun thought for a moment before asking Seitz.

"Did Erica tell you to do this?"

"It's none of Miss Erica's business. I took the initiative."

Seitz's answer made Isehun chuckle.

'Of course, he would say that.'

A person who values the group's reputation wouldn't act on their own, but at least Seitz didn't seem that stupid.

After a moment's thought, Isehun quickly figured out who the instigator was.

"It must be that 'young master,' right?"

"......Apologize to Miss Erica, and it will be over."

While he didn't answer, it was as good as an admission.

Recalling who this 'young master' was, Isehun thought:

'Probably... Inoue Ren, the next head of the Inoue family.'

Erica's older brother and a genius in food manipulation, who would lead the Inoue family in the distant future. Isehun had heard from Bing Jian Amir that he had a questionable background, which seemed to be true.

'So, he's the one who took the first step.'

Considering his pre-regression actions, it made sense that he would be concerned about the family's reputation. Understanding the situation, Isehun looked around the forest more calmly.

"If I refuse, will I die here?"

"No matter what, I won't kill you. However..."

Snap.

Seitz snapped his fingers, and mana surged from various points in the forest, creating a chilling atmosphere.

A sign that a barrier had been activated. Seitz, revealing his hostility, looked at Isehun coldly.

"You might be found injured in the Cursed Studies Department's facilities by accident."

I'll beat you up so badly that it won't be obvious, and wake you up with a shock. Isehun, fully understanding Seitz's intentions, chuckled.

"Right. You've prepared everything to avoid any trouble."

In that case, there was no need for him to hold back. Isehun, having made his decision, looked at Seitz calmly.

"You. Do you know what I'm good at making besides weapons?"

"......"

Seitz, surprised by the sudden question, watched as Isehun took off his student jacket and continued calmly.

"People."

"......What?"

"Making stupid people," Isehun said, tossing the jacket behind him.