"We will be together in the end anyways. But only after I erase all of my infamy."
"You must have a lot of money."
"If it doesn't work then I can take care of it with money."
"You aren't planning to run away in secret while you have the protection of the temple are you?"
It's normal for him to think this way. It is impossible for the average person to erase this level of infamy with a quest.
Plus, once you receive an infamy quest from a temple, you get 6 months of protection from the temple. During that time, nobody can arrest me.
It also becomes harder to track down my infamy. If you are nearby, you would be able to strongly feel the evil aura, but as you get further away, the Temple's protection makes it hard to feel the aura.
Which means that while I am under the protection of the temple, I can run away to places where it will be difficult for Infamy Hunters to catch me.
Of course, an experienced one like Kaicher won't let me slip by that easily.
"I guess you'll find that out after waiting 6 months."
"Fine. I will wait. But you better prepare yourself. My anger will continue to grow every minute that I am waiting for you. And once the temple's protection is gone, I will use all of the power bestowed upon me by the gods to cause you pain. I promise that right here."
It wasn't an empty threat. Kaicher was being completely honest. His anger will really continue to build while he waits.
Kaicher's title of Warrior of Light isn't actually Warrior of Light, but the 'Crazy Warrior.' [1]
There wasn't anything I could do right now. I needed to wait for the right moment to help him relieve that anger.
"I will also make you a promise."
"What is it?"
"Before these 6 months are up, you will get rid of this misunderstanding you have of me. You will then start to respect me. I will make that happen."
I really didn't even need 6 months. No, I can't let it go that long.
In the near future, the Chaos Battle will begin in the Ameri Kingdom. It is an event that happens once a year, but for warriors, it is the continent's greatest festival.
I need to make sure I take part in that battle. There are quite a lot of things to earn from the battle, but most importantly, if I miss this moment, all of my plans may end up in smokes. Almost like how a sand castle without water crumbles down.
I have less than 4 months until that Chaos Battle.
Which means, I need to finish this blacksmith quest within 3 months.
"Hoho."
Kaicher laughed again.
This time, the laugh was a bit stronger.
You will end up laughing in front of me again. But the reason for it will be very different.
But in order to make that happen, I need to quickly finish this blacksmith quest.
* * *
Tang. Tang. Tang.
One of the dwarves started hammering early in the morning.
The other dwarf showed up to the blacksmith shop a bit later and tilted his head in confusion.
"Hey, what are you making right now?"
"Can't you tell? A pickaxe. You hurry up and start too."
"Damn it. How long will it take us to make 200 of them?"
"That is why we need to start now. We can't go against a promise made in front of the god Volcanus."
"I should have known from the moment he asked us to mix mithril into the pickaxe. Especially when he wanted the whole thing that way!"
"This is bad. We don't have enough mithril. In fact, we are extremely lacking in mithril. Contact the other dwarves!"
"Son of a…."
Tang. Tang. Tang.
The dwarves' hammering was much rougher today than usual.
"Deputy mayor! Deputy mayor!"
The secretary ran into the office in shock.
Donstar glared toward the secretary. To interrupt his morning coffee and his peace.
"Why are you so frantic at this time of day?"
"They finished developing the Northern Mines."
"……What?"
He had heard about a group of miners heading toward the Northern Mines.
Of course he laughed. To think that a small group of people could develop the Northern Mines when nobody has managed to do so for so many years.
He was going to wait until they failed before he put together another team. Since there were many miners kicked out of the Batoom Mines, this was the best time to do so.
But to successfully completed the development? It hasn't even been that many days since they headed that way. It was impossible to believe.
"What about the monster?"
"They caught it. One of the miners took the monster in as a slave."
"WHAT!"
Donstar jumped up in surprise. His coffee mug ended up falling over and ended up spilling all over the table, but there was no time to worry about that.
"You're telling me that it really was cleared completely?"
"Yes. They said that miners were busy finishing things up. They should be able to start mining within 15 days at most.
How could this unbelievable thing be the truth.
"God damn it!"
This was just too unfair. Just how much had he spent to develop the Northern Mines until now. Of course it was always the Titan Valley public funds and none of his own personal funds. But in Donstar's perspective, Titan Valley's money was his money.
But to lose the Northern Mines to some punk.
He could not just sit still. He needed to do whatever he could to take it back.
He then recalled something that was just said.
"He took that monster as a slave?"
"Yes."
The monster in the Northern Mines should have an extremely high level of infamy. Donstar didn't know the exact number, but he knew it should be at least over 500.
To take that kind of monster as slave ……!
"He should have gained quite a bit of infamy."
"You are correct. That is why he headed out to complete a temple quest and erase his infamy."
"Temple quest? Hoho! That makes things easy."
With that level of infamy, he would need to do at least 10 A grade quests and if he wanted to take care of it at once, he would need to do an S grade quest.
But the duration of the Temple's protection from the quest is only 6 months.
There is no way he can erase that much infamy within that time.
Donstar just needed to aim for that moment. As long as Hwi Ram had a stake in Titan Valley, there was a reason to capture him before the Infamy Hunters do.
If Donstar can capture him and threaten him, the Northern Mines will automatically become his.
"Which temple is it?"
"Avanguarde's Volcanus Temple."
"Send two security force members to make sure he does not run away. Make sure they capture him as soon as the temple's protection is gone."
Yes Deputy Mayor!"
2 months later.
The noise that started the morning off in the Volcanus Temple was quite unique.
Tang. Tang. Tang.
A clear and refreshing hammering noise.
It is because dwarves were a race that preferred the morning. In return for going to sleep early in the evening, they woke up really early to start working.
But the dwarves here at Avanguarde's Volcanus Temple were taking that to the extreme.
No, they were working differently than the normal pattern of the dwarf race. They woke up really early and worked without resting until late at night. They were like dwarves poisoned by greed.
Of course they weren't always like this. It only started a few days ago.
The reason?
It was because they had to work hard and make those pickaxes for me. Pickaxes made completely of titanium and mithril at that!
Was that the reason? Listening to the noise of the hammering as I laid in the temple residence made me smile really widely.
Tang. Tang. Tang.
'They are working hard.'
Thanks to the dwarves, my day started earlier as well. Before I knew it, the sky outside my window was becoming brighter.
'Should I start moving as well?'
I ate breakfast with the basic spread the temple provided for me and then headed straight for the Temple Gates. It was part of my daily routine. I started each morning with Kaicher.
You are completely wrong if you think it is because of Kaicher's beauty.
The reason I am doing this is to build a bond. Even a bond made from him hating me is still a bond.
I need to keep seeing him like this for my presence to be vivid in Kaicher's mind.
Just inside the temple gate was a small hut. The Volcanus Temple prepared it just for Kaicher.
Kaicher was of course inside the hut.
It was symbolizing that he would make sure I could not run away. The walls of the temple are protected by a divine force, so blocking the temple gate was blocking my only way out.
But he really is amazing.
His hips were straight and he was standing tall. It's been over two months already, but he doesn't even look a tiny bit disheveled.
It made me remember that although he was the Crazy Warrior, he was still a priest of the Ares Temple. I even understood why they called him the pride of the Ares Temple.
Kaicher should not know anything about the progression of my quest.
Not only Kaicher, but the bishop and priest of the Volcanus Temple as well. As long as they were human, it would be almost impossible to become friendly with the dwarves.
I'm sure the dwarves did not tell anybody about it.
In that aspect, I felt sorry for Kaicher. He's been waiting like this for two months for something he won't successfully accomplish.
I guess it is better to be out here getting fresh air than being stuck in a temple.
'Have those fools not come out yet?'
The security force that Deputy Mayor Donstar sent.
At first, they were taking turns night and day and looked pretty dedicated.
But it did not last more than 15 days. They started to leave their posts little by little, until now, when they were probably spending more time away than actually watching me.
I guess I would be the same way. They're only doing it because they can't go against Donstar's orders.
I got close to Kaicher's hut and sat down as if I was facing him. Then I waited patiently until Kaicher started to talk.
"Stop bothering me and go away."
His deep voice is charismatic no matter how much I hear it. Thank goodness I'm a guy. If I was a girl, something definitely would have happened. Something definitely would have happened many many times.
"I am curious."
Kaicher did not respond.
Nor did I expect him to. I've talked to him with no response back for quite a while now. Kaicher only spoke when he needed to speak.
But if I keep talking at him, he ends up responding at some point.
"Why do you hate me so much?"
"Because you are a criminal."
"Is that so? Then if I prove that I am not a criminal, you won't have a reason to hate me!"
No answer again.
"Not everyone with high infamy are criminals. You can earn infamy through an unavoidable situation."
"I trust my experience more than your words. I have never seen anybody with your level of infamy that was a good person."
"Then I'd be the first! I am exactly that type of person."
Kaicher let out a deep sigh.
It must mean that there was no reason to even respond.
"Either way, you are bound to fail and return empty-handed. I will soon complete this temple quest and erase all of my infamy."
Kaicher lightly snorted this time.
After chatting with him like this for over two months, I can pretty much tell what he is thinking by looking at his expression.
"You're thinking that it is impossible. Then if I manage to succeed, I'd be an amazing person who managed to do the impossible. Do you admit that?"
No response again.
But this time, he will have no choice but to respond. It was time to bring out the present I prepared for Kaicher.
"Then how about this? Make a bet with me."
Open your eyes now.
"I will first name the condition. Bind my wrist with this!"
At the word 'bind,' Kaicher finally opened his eyes. He was looking at the item I took out of my bag.
At the same time, the eyes that were glaring at me started to burn.
'Ay, that was shocking. Why is he like this?'
"What are you doing? You dirty ……!"
Dirty? Oh! The name!
[Lovers' Promise]
Durability: 9,999/9,999
Binding Power: 9,999
Binding Condition: TBD
Release Condition: TBD
Who cares about the name? Isn' the important part the ability?
"Don't get the wrong idea. What are you thinking. I prefer women, not men."
"Then what is this?"
Kaicher pointed toward the 'lovers' promise' with his chin, as if he was dealing with dirty poop.
"I told you. Bind my wrist with this. All you have to do is think of it as a promise of fate, not lovers'. The binding condition is 10 days later! The release condition is either I complete the temple quest or you win! How about it?" [2]
This is a handcuff with magical powers. Right now they are apart like two bracelets, but the moment the binding conditions are completed, they will attach to each other. They will then not release until the release condition is fulfilled.
Which means, if I do not succeed in this temple quest, my wrists will be bound 10 days later.
"Tsk. Tsk. Why does the priest of a temple have such tastes in that direction? Does looking at the name make your heart beat faster?"
"Wa, what are you talking about? I have no interest in that direction."
Then why is your face red? Very suspicious!
"So? Are you saying no when I am saying I will let myself be caught?"
I could feel the conflict in Kaicher's eyes.
But the conflict did not last long. Kaicher focused his eyes as if he made a big determination.
"What is it you want from me?"
"Spend just four days with me."
"……Wh, what?"
Kaicher's gaze shook once more.
This dude's imagining something weird again! Did he have some traumatic experiences as a kid? I can't believe it!
"I just want to show you the type of person I am. Why do you keep letting your mind wander off in a weird direction? Do you have a lot of interest towards that?"
His face was getting red again.
It is very disappointing. Seeing as how he was not disheveled at all after 2 months, I thought he was really well trained. But for his composure to be disrupted this easily.
Was it because he was the Crazy Warrior?
I guess you need to be able to explode your emotions quickly in order to bring out the most of your potential.
"I will ask something before agreeing. If you are so confident, all you have to do is erase your infamy. Why would you request such a deal with me?"
"Ah, that?"
Of course there is a very special reason.
'I don't want to have to kill you with my own hands this time.'
________________________________
[1] The Korean word for light can also be used for crazy.
[2] The korean word for lovers and fate is just the same words in opposite order. Lovers is 'yunin' where as fate is 'inyun.'
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Translator : Miraclerifle
Proofreader : Miraclerifle