Otherworld Metal Factory

Chapter 77

The city, exhausted from the festival, remained asleep even as dawn broke.

Stray dogs and cats, along with crows that had flown in from somewhere, scavenged through discarded bones and food scraps.

Drunks, too intoxicated to find their way home, lay sprawled in a corner, their bellies protruding, lost in a deep slumber.

******

A light fog hung over the city.

Someone approached the sleeping Aspur.

The Aspur, nestled on the straw in the stable with its head tucked under its wings, flapped its wings and lifted its head.

-Caw...-

"Whoa... Quiet. Quiet. Sorry to wake you."

Startled by the presence, the Aspur opened its eyes and let out a cry, prompting the approaching person to soothe it by stroking its neck.

Recognizing the person, the Aspur rubbed its head against him in acknowledgment. He smiled and stroked its head in return.

The person who woke the Aspur began to place a saddle on its back.

He passed the saddle straps under its wings, fastened them with buckles under its belly, and then placed a rather large bag on the back of the saddle.

"Heavier than I thought."

He secured the bag tightly to the back of the saddle with straps and then moved to mount the Aspur.

As he was about to step on the stirrups attached to the saddle and pull himself up, someone else spoke to him.

"Where are you going?"

The man, about to mount the Aspur, stopped at the question and looked back. It was the Factory Manager, in a running shirt, smoking a cigarette.

Looking at the Factory Manager, he smiled and replied.

"On a journey, of course."

Oran, holding the reins, responded with a smile. She then stepped on the stirrups and mounted the Aspur.

As Oran settled on the Aspur, she patted its neck, and the Aspur shook its head in delight.

The Factory Manager asked.

"When did you two get so close?"

"I've been feeding it and taking it for walks for the past few days. It smelled, so I even washed it once. Illia's been taking care of it, but you haven't been doing it properly."

The Factory Manager shrugged and approached the Aspur, stroking its neck.

"If you take this one, how will you make deliveries?"

"I've asked the blacksmith, Popper. I'll bring another one. I was originally going to ride that one, but it'll take some time."

"Thorough, aren't you?"

The Factory Manager patted the Aspur's neck a few times and then handed Oran a pouch.

Oran, accepting the slightly heavy leather pouch, looked at the Factory Manager.

"What's this?"

"Money. You're not going on a journey without money, are you? You need to eat."

Oran opened the pouch and looked inside. It was filled with silver coins.

"Is it okay to give me this much?"

"Do you think I'm struggling financially? Don't worry and take it."

"You're not stopping me from leaving."

The Factory Manager exhaled a puff of smoke and stroked the Aspur, saying.

"Would you not leave even if I tried to stop you? You're going to leave anyway, so what's the point of stopping you?"

At the Factory Manager's slightly melancholic words, Oran gave a subtle smile.

"Well, be careful on your journey. So, where are you going?"

"I'm planning to visit Shellen-nim's inn first. I'll check my next destination after that. How's the road?"

"To the inn, it should be fine. I haven't been further than that, so I don't know what it's like beyond that, but it probably won't be safer than our country."

Oran nodded and took the hat hanging from the saddle and put it on.

Wearing the wide-brimmed hat, Oran said.

"I'll send letters along the way. I don't know if they'll arrive properly, though."

"Right. If you ask the merchants coming here, they should arrive without any problems. Then be careful."

Oran nodded and flicked the reins. The Aspur slowly walked towards the back gate.

Stopping briefly at the gate, Oran looked at the Factory Manager and said.

"Meet with your son."

"What... He'll be fine on his own."

The Factory Manager replied, and Oran smiled and flicked the reins again. The Aspur ran off into the pre-dawn twilight.

The Factory Manager, smoking a cigarette, watched Oran's retreating figure for a long time. He then crushed the cigarette, which had burned down to the filter, and went back inside the factory.

***

In a room at the Lord's Mansion.

A young man sat with a book open, gazing out the window.

The slender and delicate young man possessed an appearance that wouldn't be out of place as the center of an idol group.

Rather than handsome, the word"pretty"suited him better as he sat by the window, lost in thought with his book open.

Suddenly, the door to the young man's room burst open, and someone entered. It was Grace, with a long sword at her waist.

Seeing the young man by the window with a book open, Grace sighed slightly and said.

"Older Brother. You're spacing out again."

The young man slowly turned his gaze to Grace and smiled gently. It was a captivating smile that could charm anyone who saw it.

However, Grace, who was not easily swayed by such smiles, sighed.

"It's Grace."

"You're spacing out again. You didn't even come to class. Grandfather sighed."

"Ah. There was swordsmanship class. I forgot."

"Father will scold you again. What is it this time?"

"Grace. I'm in love."

Grace sighed.

The young man's name was Carlos. He was the eldest son of the current Lord and the heir apparent.

However, unlike his grandfather and father, he had no interest in swordsmanship or the art of war, and instead, he loved reading.

At Carlos's leisurely tone, Grace pulled up a chair and sat next to her brother, saying.

"Which house's Lady is it this time?"

"You make me sound like a playboy."

"You are a playboy. How many has it been already? Just the ones I know of, there are five. And you couldn't even confess to any of them. And now they're all married. Really, what kind of foolish story is that?"

"You're really merciless for my younger sister."

"I have to be this blunt for you to come to your senses, Older Brother."

Carlos listened to Grace's words, smiled gently, closed his book, and looked out the window. Then he spoke.

"But this time it's real. When I first saw her, time around me stopped. I felt like I couldn't describe her beauty even if I gathered all the words that praised beauty in the world."

"Oh my. This time it's really serious. So, which house's Lady is it?"

"I don't know."

"You don't know? Then what's her name?"

"I don't know her name either."

Grace made a tired expression. And with a deep sigh, she said.

"Oh my. You're saying you fell in love without even knowing which family she's from? Is she a commoner, by any chance? That would be a big problem, Older Brother. Father won't stand for it."

"She's probably not a commoner. She was wearing a white dress that looked like it was woven from the clouds in the sky, with a blue striped garment over it and a white hat. She also wore glasses. Red-rimmed glasses that suited her very well. She might even be a princess from somewhere."

"Wow... You remember her in such detail?"

"She's the one I'm in love with. I remember everything, from her long, angelically beautiful legs to her straight, sharp fingers that were diligently writing something on paper."

At Carlos's words, Grace frowned.

"Older Brother. That's really creepy. You shouldn't say things like that so casually. Talking about legs and fingers is a bit too much. Besides, when people usually describe a woman's appearance, they talk about things like hair color or length."

"Oh, Grace. Of course, I remember those too. She had slightly wavy, emerald-colored hair. It was like a thin thread spun from emerald."

"Emerald-colored hair?"

Grace pondered for a moment and then drew the sword from her waist.

Carlos laughed and raised his hands.

"Oh dear. If you need the position of Lord, I'll yield it to you. You don't have to point your sword at me."

"Don't make such a boring joke, Older Brother. It's not that. Have you heard about the blacksmith who made this sword?"

Carlos looked at the sword. It was a unique sword with a pattern in the center of the blade, like a sword from legends, and a guard with a complex design.

Grace had boasted about it so much that Carlos knew it well. He thought it was a very well-made sword.

"Hmm. You mean the place that Grandfather is keeping an eye on. I remember well how enthusiastically you explained it. You said they make metal objects with magical techniques. What about that blacksmith?"

"There's a woman working at that blacksmith shop who has emerald-colored hair and wears glasses."

Carlos beamed and jumped to his feet.

"Really?!"

Slightly surprised by Carlos's sudden energy, Grace nodded.

"Yes."

"What's her name?"

"Uh... her name is... Wait a minute. I heard it... Te... Te... Tehez! It's Tehez."

"Tehez! Tehez! What a beautiful sounding name! It's the name of a goddess from ancient myths. Her dignified appearance is befitting of someone who inherited the name of a goddess!"

"Was there a goddess with that name? I've never heard of it."

"I just made it up."

"Made it... Sigh... Really..."

Grace sighed and stood up, looking at Carlos.

"Really, I can't stand it, Older Brother. Please have some dignity as the next Lord. I'll be going now."

"Wait! Grace!"

As Grace walked towards the door, Carlos grabbed her arm in a hurry. Grace looked at Carlos as he held her arm.

Carlos asked urgently.

"Grace! Where is that workshop? I need to go there right now!"

Grace frowned and looked at him with a truly disgusted expression.

"Huh?! Are you going to go there and just stare blankly again? Seriously, don't do that. From a woman's perspective, it's so creepy when a man does that. Besides..."

"B-But you know I'm not the type that women would like... I don't have muscles, I'm timid... I'm the next Lord, but I have nothing else..."

As Carlos slumped his shoulders, Grace sighed and grabbed his shoulders.

"Have courage, Older Brother. Be confident! And straighten your back! If you could just fix that timid personality of yours, you'd be fine. It's a shame you're not more manly. You should have swung your sword more diligently and worked on your muscles."

"I don't know if that's a compliment or you're making fun of me..."

"Think of it as a compliment. I can't go with you to that workshop right now, but I'm scheduled to go with Grandfather soon, so let's go together then."

Carlos's eyes widened, and he smiled again.

"Alright! Definitely! Tell me when you're going!"

Grace laughed and nodded.

'He's really a handful, my older brother. He's too kind for his own good. I guess I'll have to work harder.'

Grace thought to herself as she looked at her delighted older brother.