Chapter 9

Episode 9. I Seduced Him First (2)

Keter arrived at the entrance of the blacksmith and looked around.

The blacksmith before him was massive and grand. The smell of iron and earth was thick, and the hot air made the surroundings shimmer.

“Whoa, it’s scorching from here.”

He knew the Sephira family had a blacksmith and its location, but this was his first time visiting. In his past life, he had no interest in archery.

He only started using archery after the Sephira family had completely fallen, and before that, anything he could get his hands on was his weapon.

This time, he came to find the Demon Bow Amaranth. If not for that, he would have aimed for the Sephira family’s heirlooms.

The three legendary artifact bows, known as the Three Sacred Treasures.

The bow of wind, ‘Tempest,’ created by a human archmage and an elf spirit mage.

The super-heavy bow, ‘Agares,’ made by the Dwarf King from the heaviest metal in the world.

And finally, the shape-shifting bow, ‘Doppelganger.’

Each of these artifacts could fetch at least ten million gold if auctioned.

But this family only uses one of these incredible heirlooms.

Even if Agares is too heavy for anyone but the chosen, Tempest isn’t used because they want to comply with the kingdom’s magic ban law.

Doppelganger is said to be used by the head of the Sephira family, my father.

If I hadn’t known about Amaranth, I would have aimed for Tempest.

“Please stop for a moment. Are you Keter, young master?”

As Keter tried to enter the blacksmith, a soldier blocked his way.

Really, they all block first and ask questions later.

“Why are you blocking me when you know who I am? I hope you don’t have a reason. That way, I have a reason to beat you.”

“Ah, well, this is a blacksmith. I thought you might have come to the wrong place.”

“I know it’s a blacksmith. That’s why I’m here.”

“May I ask what your business is…?”

“Take a guess. You get one chance.”

The soldier licked his dry lips.

He hadn’t intended to block Keter. It was just that Keter’s sharp demeanor instinctively made him sense danger, so he blocked him out of professional duty.

“Are… are you here to see the bows?”

Keter looked disappointed at the soldier’s answer.

“Lucky you.”

“Phew.”

The soldier sighed in relief and naturally stepped aside, forgetting why he was relieved in the first place.

“It’s disgustingly hot.”

He felt the heat at the entrance, but it was nothing compared to inside. Even in midwinter, one would sweat buckets here.

Clang! Clang!

The sound of hammering echoed rhythmically from all sides. Glancing at the blacksmiths crafting bows and arrows in real-time, Keter pushed through the heat.

As he reached the far end of the blacksmith, the person he was looking for came out to greet him.

“Who’s this? I don’t recognize you.”

Short and stocky, with a rugged build. A thick beard. Half-bald head. A typical middle-aged dwarf.

His name was Vulkanus. A half-dwarf, half-human, destined to die by a mana arrow shooter in three months.

In his past life, they had only exchanged names and had no further connection… but this time, he planned to owe him a lot.

The power of archery isn’t just about the bow; it can be amplified dozens of times depending on the arrow. In other words, to make the arrows I want, I need a lot of labor from a master craftsman like Vulkanus.

Seeing the old man glaring at me, he seems full of energy, and it makes me feel good.

“I’m Keter.”

“Keter? Are you Basil’s bastard?”

“And you’re a dwarf, right?”

The noisy blacksmith fell silent in an instant. The blacksmiths stopped their work and stared at Keter.

“Calling the master a dwarf. Is this guy crazy?”

Vulkanus, being a half-dwarf, had blacksmithing skills that surpassed humans due to his dwarf blood, but he also had a past of being exiled from a dwarf village long ago.

I don’t know the reason, but anyway, that’s why he hates being called a dwarf.

The soldier from the entrance, who had followed Keter just in case, stepped in to explain.

“Master Vulkanus. Young master Keter didn’t mean any harm by calling you a dwarf, so please understand. Young master Keter, Master Vulkanus dislikes being called a dwarf.”

Keter shrugged.

“Is there a reason I can’t call a dwarf a dwarf?”

“Ah, no…”

“You stay out of this.”

Vulkanus, who had dismissed the soldier, slung the large hammer he was carrying over his shoulder.

“Keter, was it, brat?”

“Pretty big for a brat, aren’t I?”

“No sense of humor or manners.”

Keter shrugged.

“Suddenly introducing yourself. Anyway, nice to meet you.”

“You’ve got a big mouth, you bastard. What gives you such confidence? Do you think Basil will protect you?”

“My body has been taking care of itself just fine since birth.”

Keter’s unyielding attitude made the onlookers even more anxious.

Vulkanus expressed his displeasure by cracking his neck.

“Hoho, this kid. Your guts are not just outside your stomach but completely dried up. I’d like to smash your face with this hammer, but out of respect for Basil, I’ll give you a chance to redeem yourself. I hate being called a dwarf. So, bow down and apologize, and from now on, call me Master Vulkanus the Blacksmith.”

It was a declaration.

Then Keter made his own declaration.

“I also have my father’s dignity to consider, so I’ll give you a chance. I don’t particularly dislike the nickname ‘bastard,’ but I don’t like being called a bastard. Call me a genius, a madman, a solver. Something like that.”

The onlookers stared blankly at the standoff between Keter and Vulkanus. He doesn’t dislike the nickname ‘bastard,’ but he doesn’t want to be called a bastard? What kind of logic is that?

But Vulkanus seemed to understand and nodded.

“Is that so? Fine. I won’t call you a bastard. You don’t call me a dwarf.”

“Alright, then.”

“Being a country bumpkin, I’ll forgive your lack of manners out of my generosity.”

“How about a handshake between fellow country bumpkins?”

Keter bent his knee to meet Vulkanus’s gaze.

Though Keter was taller, Vulkanus’s muscle density and size were overwhelmingly larger. Yet, Keter offered a handshake. Vulkanus, with a look of having been caught, took Keter’s hand and said.

“Welcome to Sephira, country bumpkin.”

“Looking forward to working with you, old dwarf.”

Everyone was shocked once again by Keter’s words.

He said not to call him a dwarf, and now he calls him an old dwarf? And while shaking hands?

As if to show their worries weren’t unfounded, Vulkanus, with an angry face, tightened his grip on Keter’s hand, intending to crush it.

Crack!

Just the sound of his muscles straining made it seem like the skin would tear.

‘This guy is dead now.’

Everyone expected Keter to beg for forgiveness, crying.

But Keter was fine.

“Old dwarf, haven’t you had lunch yet?”

“…This guy?”

Vulkanus’s face turned even redder, and the veins on his arm bulged.

Vulkanus’s grip strength could tear thick wooden planks horizontally. It was a superhuman strength, yet for some reason, it didn’t work on Keter.

After what felt like an hour but was only a minute, Keter pulled his hand away and said.

“Let’s end the greetings here. I came to see the bows.”

Saying he came to see the bows in this atmosphere. The blacksmiths thought Keter must have gone mad from the blacksmith’s heat.

‘He’s not in his right mind.’

‘He must be crazy.’

‘Don’t make eye contact.’

Vulkanus calmly glared at Keter, who was looking for bows. In his 150 years of life, he had never seen a human go mad in this way.

Perhaps that’s why he found it interesting.

“Have you ever used a bow?”

“Thirty years of experience.”

“Boring. Follow me, brat.”

Arrogant and haughty human.

But Vulkanus didn’t dislike Keter.

‘Unlike the kids these days, he’s got backbone. If he weren’t of Sephira’s bloodline, I’d want to take him as my disciple.’

The dwarf race has an almost obsessive mission. To create outstanding weapons and pass them to those with the rightful qualifications.

Even if Vulkanus denies being a dwarf, he was still born with dwarf blood.

Wanting to test Keter’s capabilities, Vulkanus took him to the bow warehouse.

* * *

The bow warehouse, filled with countless bows.

Wooden bows, iron bows made of minerals, horn bows. And many others made of unknown materials. The common point was that all were masterpieces.

Vulkanus, still leaning his hammer on his shoulder, pointed at the bows with his chin.

“Country bumpkin. Here are the bows you wanted. Pick one.”

Normally, he would explain the types of bows, but he didn’t for Keter.

He liked Keter’s backbone, but not his personality. So, to assert dominance, he brought Keter to a warehouse filled with defective bows.

Though they were defective, to the untrained eye, they looked like excellent bows with no flaws.

‘Those full of vanity would pick the big and flashy bows.’

There were many bows here that vain people would love. More flashy than practical. All made by Vulkanus out of boredom or by other blacksmiths out of vanity. Of course, they were still worthy of being called masterpieces outside.

Keter didn’t even look closely at the bows, just glanced around, and then approached one.

“This one looks good.”

Keter picked up a bow adorned with jewels. Vulkanus, who had been waiting for this moment, took a deep breath and shouted.

“I knew it. You’d pick something like this, you half-wit…”

Thud.

Vulkanus’s words were cut short. Keter had removed the emerald embedded in the bow’s tip.

“Huh?”

Vulkanus, about to yell, only swallowed air.

“Th-the jewel? Who said you could take it!”

Keter pocketed the jewel and said.

“It was stuck in trash anyway. I’ll sell it and buy you a drink later.”

“Ahem!”

Vulkanus wasn’t tempted by the offer of a drink. He was shocked that Keter called it ‘trash.’

‘This guy, does he know how to judge bows?’

Bows may look simple, but they are the most complex weapons in terms of structure and difficulty of creation.

If the overall balance isn’t perfect, not only does durability drop significantly, but the arrow won’t fly in the desired direction.

Vulkanus shook his head. Even he thought the jeweled bow looked suspicious.

“Trash? You only looked at the bow with your eyes and didn’t even touch it. Don’t act like you know everything.”

“I can see everything just by looking.”

“Hahaha. Are you saying you’re a dwarf?”

The divine descendants, unlike humans, are born with special abilities. Dwarves, for example, can roughly judge the value of equipment just by looking.

“I do drink like a dwarf.”

“Stop talking nonsense and pick a bow. You can’t leave until you pick one.”

There are over a hundred bows here.

And every single one is trash.

No matter what you pick, it’s all junk. Keter had no way out.

‘You’re going to pick a bow just by looking? How dare you show off like that in front of me.’

While Vulkanus was fuming, Keter clicked his tongue and muttered.

“Everything here is trash… What’s this box?”

As Keter stopped in front of a box after dismissing all the bows on the wall as trash, Vulkanus slammed his hammer on the ground and said.

“You don’t need to look in that box. It’s just a collection of unfinished products.”

“Is that so?”

Keter was the type to do the opposite when told not to.

But more than anything, Keter stood in front of the box not just out of curiosity.

Amaranth was calling. The Demon Bow Amaranth he was looking for was right here.

From within the box, Amaranth tempted him through thoughts. Promising absolute invincibility, fame, and wealth. Offering everything.

Meanwhile, Vulkanus shouted at Keter, who wasn’t listening.

“There’s nothing to gain from there, so pick from the ones on the wall!”

“Wait a moment.”

Keter pulled out all the bows from the box and picked up one from the very bottom.

It was a pitch-black bow, as if carved from darkness.

“Wow, you hid something like this.”

“W-wait! How did you find that!”

Vulkanus, with a shout, approached Keter with his hammer. The atmosphere was so tense it seemed he would strike at any moment, but Keter calmly said.

“Old dwarf. This place is full of trash bows, right? So why would you need a box for unfinished products? As expected, there’s something like this at the bottom.”

As Keter waved the black bow, Vulkanus spoke seriously.

“Put it down. That bow should never see the light of day.”

“Oh? The more you say that, the more I want it.”

“This is no joke, you brat! That’s a cursed Demon Bow!”

Vulkanus raised his hammer as if to strike immediately. But Keter didn’t flinch even with a knife to his throat.

“A Demon Bow, huh…”

Keter muttered as if he didn’t know, looking at the black bow.

Amaranth, who had called me, tried to dominate my mind as soon as I picked up the bow. Blocking that attempt with just mental strength, I could feel Amaranth panicking and thrashing.

Cute guy, thought you caught a sucker, huh?

But what to do?

You’ve been kidnapped.

“This guy, you’re really dangerous, huh?”

Keter’s tone was full of mischief.

Sweat dripped from Vulkanus’s forehead. He knew. The terror of the Demon Bow. So, he had no room to entertain Keter’s jokes.

“Last warning. Put the bow down. You think you found the bow, but it’s the opposite. The bow tempted you.”

“Nope.”

Keter held out his palm with a determined face. Then, making a ‘V’ with his thumb and index finger, he brought it to his chin.

“I seduced it first.”

“What!?”

“If this guy could tempt anyone, why would it stay hidden here all this time? It would have caught anyone. But why did it only react to me? Because I have that fatal charm.”

At Keter’s words, Vulkanus’s facial muscles twitched.

That expression, filled with contempt and absurdity, is what people usually call.

‘The look of staring at a madman.’

In just one hour, Vulkanus had figured out what kind of person Keter was.