The 9Th Class Swordmaster: Blade Of Truth [EN]: Chapter 272

187. Ice Spring (2)

“Excellent.”

Kail looked out the window.

The cave, a vast hollow of unfathomable depth, was clearly not a natural formation.

‘It must have taken quite some time to create something of this scale… I don’t know how many Gnomes survived, but they certainly possess abilities humans don’t.’

Below the cave, as Kal Mack had said, was a large spring, surrounded by buildings large and small, arranged like a fortress.

“I’ve heard news of your exploits from time to time. Kal said that if he returned with you, it would be the day the Duchy’s master changed… At first, I thought it was a joke, but it seems it’s true.”

Calypso looked much the same as when they had met in the Tatur black market.

The deep wrinkles were still there, and he sat in his chair just as he had when he was handling jewels in his small shop.

“Judging by the fact that you’ve established a base, it seems you’ve found the Gnome Kingdom’s bloodline.”

“All thanks to you. I was able to find Rubel, who was living in the White Bunker.”

“Rubel?”

“Haven’t you met him? It seems he told me a far-fetched story—the last of the Gnome Kingdom’s lineage, as you said.”

“Far-fetched? I found him. For sure.”

“Heh heh…”

Kail replied with a nonchalant attitude to Calypso’s words.

That was because, in his past life, Calypso had given him the conviction that they were alive, but he had never seen them himself.

“It’s good to see you again.”

“Likewise.”

Kail gave a wry smile at his words.

The Calypso he remembered from his past life was just gloomy and full of vengeance.

‘It’s only natural. Oliven used this place as a battlefield. It was inevitable that the remaining Gnomes would be annihilated.’

Back then, he only considered the existence of the Fallen as the enemy.

‘But Oliven in his past life might have known that the Gnomes were living here and deliberately didn’t help them.’

Why?

The Gnomes’ technological prowess would have been helpful, but Oliven let them die.

‘Could it be that he didn’t know?’

That was unlikely.

In the first place, the human who first had a connection with the Gnome Kingdom was Wooden Cloud.

Another possibility.

‘For some reason, the Gnomes might have been a hindrance to what those guys were trying to do, so they killed them.’

They had tried to exterminate even the remaining clan, so now that they knew the Gnomes had established a force, they would not leave them alone.

‘Even if Wooden Cloud and his cronies were defeated, they would try to eliminate the Gnomes.’

Kail sensed that this would be a good condition for a deal with Calypso.

“I want to trade with the Gnome Kingdom.”

“Trade with you again? No, no. If I trade with you, I won’t even break even, and I’ll lose everything I have.”

Calypso brought up the events of the Tatur black market, pointing to the ring on his finger.

“You still haven’t used the Fang once, have you?”

He spoke as if he was deeply moved by the masterpiece he had created, an artifact engraved with powerful protective magic.

“Ah… that’s right. I guess I was lucky.”

“May I see it for a moment?”

The crimson gem, filled with Kail’s magic, was shining brilliantly.

“Amazing. All four Fangs are filled to the point where they can’t hold any more magic. And the bracelet on your wrist seems to be absorbing magic as well…”

“That’s right.”

“To be wearing two magic-absorbing devices and still be fine, not to mention not running out of magic… It’s not luck, it’s that you’ve become a monster.”

Kail shrugged lightly at his words.

“But the gauntlet needs some work. Give it to me.”

Clank— Clatter—

The only sound in the quiet building was the sound of tools working on the mithril gauntlet.

A silence fell between the two.

Sizzle…!!

Calypso melted the broken mithril and dipped it in emerald-colored water. White steam billowed out, and surprisingly, it smelled sweet.

“What is that water? I heard from Kal in this cave that there’s a spring with magical properties.”

“That’s right. It’s water from there. I was lucky. After the Elven Spirit Spring disappeared, I thought I would never see water with magic like this again.”

“Hmm…”

Kail glanced at Calypso’s words.

“So, what do you want from me?”

Calypso asked, not taking his eyes off the gauntlet, as if he knew what Kail was thinking.

“I obtained the blueprints for the magic era golem, Askalon, from the ruins before. I’ll have to find the rest, but that’s not difficult.”

“A golem…”

“I asked a reliable engineer to design it. But he can’t do it alone. To craft the activation stone, you need a master craftsman like you.”

“Isn’t that trading with me, not with the Gnome Kingdom?”

“No. I’m buying your skills, and in return, I’ll protect the Gnome Kingdom. It’s definitely a trade. But now that I think about it, I’d like to wrap it up in a better word, like alliance.”

“Alliance? Protect us from whom?”

“From humans. More precisely, from those Wooden Cloud bastards. They won’t leave you alone.”

Calypso scoffed at Kail’s words.

“We haven’t harmed them in any way, so why?”

“Does there have to be a reason for a fight?”

“Stop with the ridiculous threats. Leave if you’re planning to create unnecessary trouble.”

“It’s not an impossible scenario. Wooden Cloud has definitely contacted the Gnome Kingdom. Then they must know about the existence of this spring filled with magic. Why do you think they’ve left you alone?”

Kail put strength into his voice.

“Because they can’t use this spring properly yet. But they’ll soon take it from you.”

“What’s your basis for that?”

“There have been only two springs with magic so far. One is the Spring of Arcane created by Aln Zavius in the magic era, and the other is the Elven Spirit Spring that has existed since the mythical era.”

Kail folded one of the two fingers he had extended.

“One, the Spring of Arcane is meaningless without arcane power. But the Spirit Spring is different. Wooden Cloud has a child who is a half-elf, half-nephilim [a being of mixed human and angelic descent]. Don’t you think something smells fishy about what they’re trying to do?”

[You’re quite glib.]

Kail slightly raised the corners of his mouth at Lamine’s voice.

‘It’s not a lie.’

[I agree. I think his tongue might be more venomous than mine.]

Mael said as if he had been waiting for it.

‘You be quiet. I’m still watching you until Agniel’s suspicions are cleared.’

[……]

Dismissing their taunts, Kail looked at Calypso.

“That’s not enough to threaten me. If you want to form an alliance with the Gnome Kingdom, bring something that will attract our interest.”

The old Gnome, with his years of experience, was not easily swayed. Kail smacked his lips as if he had expected it to some extent.

“If that’s the case, I won’t show my king to you either.”

“Is that so… It can’t be helped.”

Kail decided to take a step back for now.

The Gnomes’ technological prowess would be needed for a long time to come. It was not something that could be achieved simply by subjugating them with force, as had been done in the past.

“But I’ll give you one piece of advice. When I was in the White Bunker, I saw a golem made by humans. It was based on the Enderus of the Murga family, the dwarven royal family. It’s quite good, but lacking.”

“I know. I’ll continue to improve it in the future.”

Calypso shook his head at Kail’s answer.

“Improving the exterior or the armament won’t improve the golem’s essential performance. That’s just decoration.”

“Then?”

“Because of the lack of performance, they created a cockpit and transformed it into a format where humans directly board and control it. It’s the best they can do for now, but in fact, the Murga’s Enderus in the past didn’t have a cockpit.”

“……”

“The activation stone is not simply fuel for the golem’s operation. It can’t be made by condensing and crafting attribute stones. That’s why humans failed and dwarves succeeded.”

“Explain what you mean properly.”

Calypso handed Kail the gauntlet he had finished repairing.

“The activation stone used in the golem called Enderus is a spirit stone containing the will of Maktun, the Earth Spirit King. Dwarves are a race blessed by Maktun.”

“A heart containing the power of the Spirit King…”

“Yes, it’s because it contains that will that the golem can exert all its performance even without a cockpit. Askalon of the magic era? I don’t even need to see the blueprints. The reason why they can’t make the activation stone is because they can’t obtain the spirit stone and tried to make it with attribute stones, but failed.”

Kail couldn’t hide his surprised expression at his words.

He had only thought of golems as weapons that moved according to the operator’s commands, and had never thought of giving them a will of their own.

“If we can borrow the power of the Spirit King, can we make the activation stone?”

“Impossible.”

“Why?”

“Because you are human. No, even I can’t do it. Only those who have received that blessing can use the spirit stone. Even among dwarves, only the Murga family can handle the Earth Spirit Stone.”

“Does that mean there’s no way to make the activation stone…”

Kail bit his lip slightly at his words. He thought that recreating Askalon in this life might be a failure.

“It’s impossible with spirits, but there is a way to imbue the golem with will.”

“What is it?”

“It’s a once-famous but now-disappeared method. I don’t know if you’ve ever heard of it. In the past, there was a technique to revive souls and put them into golems. Of course, it wasn’t as big as the golems in the Duchy, but the size of a person.”

Kail frowned slightly at Calypso’s words.

“The Rothschild family’s puppetry.”

Calypso, on the other hand, widened his eyes as if surprised at his answer.

“That’s right. Heh heh… I didn’t expect you to know even that. To know even the forgotten techniques of the magic era… I really suspect you’re a dragon. If you really are, tell me in advance. Giving you the item I was going to send to the Platinum Dragon would be enough of an excuse.”

“Nonsense.”

He chuckled at Kail’s words.

“It’s a little different from the puppetry golem, but the size doesn’t really matter. The key is to put the soul into the activation stone.”

He continued.

“You’re lucky. The Rothschild family knows that method, and they live in the Duchy’s territory. Dwarves, Gnomes, and even Elves are no match for them when it comes to the technology of handling souls.”

He said quietly.

“I’ll write you a letter of introduction.”

“Then I’m grateful. I know the location anyway.”

As soon as Calypso heard those words, he unconsciously smirked.

“You’ve already found the answer.”

“But it’s thanks to you. I didn’t think I could solve two problems at once.”

“Hmm? Is there anything else that needs puppetry besides the golem’s activation stone?”

Then he looked at the Ice Claw hanging on his waist.

Woo-oong—

As soon as he finished speaking, the blade trembled lightly, as if the soul of Jarka Hoch, who was sleeping inside the Ice Claw, was answering.

“But before we go, can I take a look at the spring for a moment?”

Kail raised the corners of his mouth and said in a low voice.

“Why the spring?”

“Just. There’s something I need to check.”

“…You’re going to try to stop me, aren’t you?”

“Of course.”

Calypso laughed softly with an expression that said he knew it all along, and then answered.

“I understand.”

* * *

“It’s here.”

Deep inside the cave was an alien, massive door.

“But you can’t go in now. The moment you open the door, a cold air that will freeze the corridor in an instant will pour out.”

“Then when does the water rise?”

“The ice in the spring melts during the time when the sun is up after the night passes. The current becomes turbulent as if it’s surging.”

Kail nodded at his words.

Then, he put his hand on the door, and as he said, he felt a distinct coldness.

“That’s definitely true.”

He knocked on the door as if he was knocking and said.

“I want to see the inside a little.”

“Then will you wait until morning? Well, even then, the current will be so strong that you won’t be able to see it anyway.”

Kail said at Calypso’s words.

“No, I’m going to see it now.”

“…What?”

Instead of answering his question, Kail kicked the door with all his might.

Kwaang——!!!

The thick door made of rock shattered as it was with a rough sound.

“W, what is this…!!!!”

Calypso hurriedly lowered his head as if surprised by the sight and sat down on the floor.

“…Huh?”

But he didn’t feel the cold air he had expected.

Tsszzzzzzk…! Tsszk…!

Cheee——!!!

When he raised his head, he was surprised to see a red barrier blocking the broken door.

When the cold air pouring out of the spring touched the curtain of flames, a loud noise was heard and white steam soared, filling the hall.

“Be careful. It’s hot.”

“…Th, the spirit?”

Calypso looked at the figure of the red flame human in front of the barrier with an unbelievable expression.

Tung, tung—

Kail tapped on the firmly frozen spring. As Calypso said, the water in the spring was completely frozen, and he couldn’t see inside.

“Wa, wait a minute! If you break the spring, the cave might collapse!! Please…”

Calypso shouted in a worried voice, unable to enter from outside the barrier.

“Don’t worry. I have someone who will check it for me instead.”

“…What?”

Calypso looked at him as if asking what he meant.

“It’s going to hurt a little.”

Then he knew that his last words were not for him.

Swish—

Kail drew the Ice Claw and smiled with a meaningful expression. Then, without hesitation, he stabbed the sword into the frozen spring.

Crackling…!

Bubbling…!!!!

“…!!!”

The surface of the frozen spring shattered like glass the moment it touched the sword.

[Kuaaaaaaak——!!!!]

At the same time, a scream of pain filled the cave. The Ice Claw soared again over the surging spring, and black smoke rose above it.

Whirrrrr——!!

The smoke swirled like a whirlwind and formed a shape.

[…Are you trying to kill me!!]

“What’s the point of killing someone who’s already dead?”

[You devilish bastard…]

Unlike him, who spat out an exclamation, Kail smiled as if he was seeing a welcome face after a long time.

“Jarka.”

Kail called out the name of the soul rising above the spring.

“Tell me what’s inside.”