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Dior and Audrey had grown close at a rapid pace, to the point where it felt almost painfully lonely just watching them from the side.

Considering they were together all day, except for meals and sleeping, it was understandable.

Ian sat at the entrance of the laboratory, watching as Dior and Audrey exchanged their opinions.

“They do suit each other well.”

He felt like an intruder.

There was no longer any reason for him to stay here. Perhaps he could leave everything to Dior and head back, he thought, just as the door opened and someone walked in.

“Hmm?”

“Huh?”

What Ian saw was a stout Dwarf. His long, sagging beard left a strong impression.

The Dwarf stared at Ian with a puzzled look, then glanced inside the laboratory. Audrey, seeing this, turned toward him and called out in a cheerful voice.

“Master Garavan!”

“Audrey! How have you been?”

“Of course! What brings you here?”

“I stopped by the Magic Tower briefly, and I thought I’d come see you. But who are these people?”

Audrey hesitated for a moment before introducing everyone.

The Dwarf’s name was Garavan Asila. He was a Level 6 Mage and a Golem Artificer, also affiliated with the Green Magic Tower, and a collaborator walking the same path as Audrey.

In fact, he could be considered the one who taught Audrey how to create Golems.

“A Dwarf who’s also a Mage…”

It seemed like a rare combination, but given his deep expertise in Golem crafting, it made sense.

Audrey gave Garavan a brief explanation of what they were working on here.

“…Testing the Golem’s performance against a knight?”

Golems grow. The longer they are operational, the more combat experience they accumulate, learning and becoming stronger. Because of this, knights are often reluctant to fight Golems.

Though their learning process is slow, and they can’t perfectly imitate techniques after just one encounter, there is still a risk of family martial arts being leaked. This made sense.

Even if they couldn’t grasp the profound subtleties, they could still mimic certain forms.

This applied to humans as well, but for some reason, there was a particularly strong aversion toward Golems. This was likely very surprising from Garavan’s perspective.

“Oh. Would it be alright if I observed the process as well?”

“Go ahead.”

Ian nodded. After all, he was the one who had accepted the request, so there was no issue with making decisions.

Moreover, since Garavan was essentially Audrey’s mentor in Golem creation, he might eventually join her research.

There were no great secrets involved, so there was no harm in showing it.

Though Dior seemed reluctant, he eventually drew his sword at Audrey’s request.

Clang! Clang!

Dior clashed with the six Golems, gradually increasing his speed.

Amidst the relentless attacks, the way the Red Spear Knight only focused on defense was incredibly dazzling.

He completely blocked or dodged even the attacks aimed at his blind spots, and the fact that he could move like that while wearing armor was truly astonishing.

“Oh….”

“What do you think, Master Garavan?”

“How long has this test been going on?”

“A week. As of today.”

“It’s been about a month since we last saw each other. His movements have become much smoother since then. And the reaction speed is clearly faster. How is this possible? The growth rate seems abnormal.”

That must be Audrey’s ability. If she possesses genius far beyond other Golem Artificers, it would make sense.

However, Garavan seemed to think the opposite—that this was Dior’s ability.

The demonstration continued. Garavan stroked his beard.

Ian, noticing Garavan’s serious expression, asked why.

“What’s wrong?”

“…”

Garavan remained silent, frowning.

Jealousy? Envy? Perhaps. But his gaze was lowered.

If he harbored any hostility, he would have been glaring at Audrey.

Although his fist was clenched, there wasn’t any force behind it, so he wasn’t suppressing his emotions either.

“I’m troubled.”

“Troubled?”

“…”

“You seem to have a lot on your mind. Is it something difficult?”

Garavan, who had been staring into space, turned his eyes toward Ian.

“Are you busy by any chance?”

“Pardon?”

“If you don’t mind, would you have a drink with me? I’ll buy. Something good.”

It was hard to refuse. He seemed like he had something to say.

Audrey quickly chimed in from the side.

“Should I make a reservation?”

“No need. I’ll take care of it. I just want to talk with him for a bit. Audrey, why don’t you and Dior go grab a meal?”

Leaving a flustered and bewildered Audrey behind, Garavan gestured to Ian to step outside with him.

“Did you do that on purpose?”

“Hm? For those two? Not at all. They seem to have mutual interest, but that’s something they can sort out on their own. I genuinely wanted to have a chat with you.”

Garavan led them to a nearby tavern close to the Green Magic Tower.

It was a quiet place where people conversed softly while enjoying their drinks, and the overall atmosphere was dim with soft music playing in the background.

Ian took a sip of his drink. It was good. A smile naturally formed on his face. But Garavan didn’t seem ready to speak.

“The drink is nice.”

“…It is.”

“It seems expensive. Are you sure it’s alright?”

“…There are days when you need something like this.”

Despite Ian’s attempts at conversation, it wasn’t flowing smoothly. He began to think about heading back when Garavan finally spoke.

“…You.”

“?”

“I’ve heard your name before, Ian Berger.”

Of course, in the eastern part of the Empire, anyone who hadn’t heard that name would have to be from another country. And not in a good way.

Though perceptions have been improving recently, prejudices don’t change so easily.

Garavan looked at him with the same doubtful gaze.

“The rumors weren’t exactly pleasant. But I could understand you. Many possess brilliant talent, but how many crumble in the face of such brilliance?”

“Did that happen to you as well, Master Garavan?”

“I’ve been through it too.”

“Because of Audrey?”

At Ian’s blunt question, Garavan, who had been silent beside him, suddenly burst into laughter.

“Hahaha, no way. Audrey’s talent is remarkable, and while I’ve felt envious at times, I’ve never been jealous or resentful. She’s my disciple, after all. But that’s not what I want to talk about right now.”

“Then what is it?”

“I wanted to talk about how you’ve risen again. I feel a sense of kinship because I’ve been through something similar.”

Garavan tilted his glass, now only filled with ice.

“Isn’t the world absurd? Even if you have noble ideals, you end up frustrated when your talent isn’t enough to overcome the harsh realities of life. Or, you believe you’re the best in the world, only to find countless others far surpassing you.”

“…”

“And when you hear their stories, it’s almost laughable. You think, ‘If I were in that situation, I could have done it with ease.’ But reality doesn’t work that way. You’re never given such opportunities. And even if you were, how many people actually manage to seize them successfully? If everyone did, there’d be no success stories in the world, because everyone would have succeeded. So, life is absurd.”

“…”

“That leaves us with two options—there might be more, but I see two. The first is to accept the limits of your talent and be content with it. The second is to venture into uncharted territory, into fields that others haven’t chosen.”

“Did you choose the second?”

“Indeed. Golems. I shifted my focus to miniaturization. Fortunately, there were a few pioneers who shared my vision, and they helped me along the way. Even though it wasn’t easy, I discovered I had a talent for this field of mechanical engineering. Maybe it’s because I’m a Dwarf.”

“Dwarf mages are quite rare.”

“Rare indeed. Most of us become artisans.”

“Was there a reason you took an interest in golems?”

Garavan emptied his glass before responding.

“There is. Why wouldn’t there be? I wanted to be a hero.”

“!”

“Everyone who knows anything says it: the end is coming. It may look peaceful on the surface, but beyond the seas, the Outer Gods have set their sights on us. When I heard that, I wanted to save the world. I imagined myself one day fighting alongside a champion of the Lord. Looking back, it was probably my desire for fame. I wanted to be praised by the people. That was part of why I delved deeper into this field. I believed this was where the potential lay.”

“Is that different now?”

“I still want to save the world. But I don’t think I’ll be doing it alongside a champion.”

His troubled expression suggested there was a story behind those words.

Feeling a strange sense of kinship with Garavan, Ian couldn’t help but ask why.

“Why not?”

“Because I’m not qualified. Unlike you. Have you ever seen the Outer World?”

“Why wouldn’t I have?”

He wasn’t lying—he had even seen one of the Outer Gods.

“About eleven years ago, I got caught up in the rampage of a third-level Outer Gate. The environment of the Outer World began to merge with reality in a process of world-shifting. It wasn’t just some strange environment; it was a vision of another world that had already perished. And what I saw there was horrifying. Do you know why?”

“I’m guessing you saw something you shouldn’t have.”

Garavan’s face twisted in pain for a moment before he chuckled quietly.

“That’s right. I saw something I shouldn’t have. Creatures that probably used to be human kept swarming in. No matter how many we killed, they just kept coming. My comrades and I fought to close the rampaging gate. In the end, I was the only one who survived. I was the one who closed the gate. And in that place, filled with corpses…”

“…?”

“No, never mind. In that place, I gained spiritual power and reached Level 6.”

He didn’t look pleased about it, so Ian didn’t congratulate him. It was probably because of the comrades he had lost.

“Since then… I’ve continued my research on golems. And I’ve made significant progress. That’s why I’d like to ask for your help. Just like you helped Audrey. I want you to test my golem. I’m curious to see how it performs against a knight.”

“Hmm, very well. Shall we head to the testing grounds now?”

They had been drinking, but Ian wasn’t nearly intoxicated enough to turn down the request.

Garavan shook his head.

“My golem isn’t here. It’s at Helrem Fortress.”

“Helrem?”

Ian knew the place, but wasn’t it… in ruins?

A bad feeling crept over him. These sudden, unexpected plans always seemed to involve the Outer World.

It had happened countless times before. At this point, he was almost certain—he could call it a jinx.

And most of all, remembering that in the future, Helrem would be reduced to ruins, it seemed likely that there was some connection.

“You mean near the defensive line?”

“Oh, you know? Not many people are aware of that. Yes, it’s a bit far. The quickest way is to teleport to Cordis and then take the train.”

“Will you pay me for this?”

“Of course. I can’t pay much… how much do you want?”

“Not much, really. How about five gold coins?”

“That’s a bit steep.”

“It’s a bargain, considering my value is rapidly rising these days. Also, I’d like a basic lecture on golems.”

Garavan’s eyes widened in surprise at the unexpected request.

“…Hm? About golems? Aren’t you a knight? You haven’t studied magic, so you won’t have the basic knowledge to understand it. Building a golem is difficult work. It’s not something you can learn in a day or two.”

“I understand that. I’m just curious about a few things, so don’t worry too much about it.”

“If it’s just that, then alright. Let’s have another drink.”

Garavan refilled his glass, and Ian raised his own as well.

Clink—

The soft chime of glass filled the air briefly.

———-