While Yuri and his party were enthroning Luther as the new king of the Holy Kingdom, a stranger had appeared in the cave where the meteorite had been kept.
He looked up at the round lump of metal and smiled.
Sibylla's death was unexpected, but what his master truly desired was something else.
"Metal from another world."
He spread out both hands.
"Sacrifice."
Standing alone in the empty cavern, he spread his arms wide. Then, thick black energy began to billow up.
Soon, the mist formed a tangible shape.
It was a monster with tentacles.
More vividly shaped than when Sibylla had made it, he drove the monster forward toward the lump of metal.
Orichalcum.
A metal that had descended from beyond the skies.
This metal possessed the power to repel the energy of black magic.
But conversely, it could also serve as a catalyst for black magic.
A metal that could not be eroded by black magic could serve as a coordinate to beings from another world. A certain type of blank space, not hidden by darkness, could become a beacon for a summoned creature.
The black energy he wielded struck the Orichalcum. At that, the metal began to tremble.
"More…"
His magic carved into the Orichalcum. When a sizable chunk fell away from the lower part of the metal, a deep dent was left in the corner.
Although it could not be tainted by black magic, that did not mean it was completely immune to its power. The malice of black magic chipped away at the Orichalcum in all directions.
Before long, a statue of a monster, large enough to hold in one's arms, had been created.
"Huff, huff…"
Carving the Orichalcum into shape had been a difficult process, even for him. He set the statue down on the ground and caught his breath.
"Now…"
But suddenly, footsteps echoed from the cave's entrance.
Startled, he rolled his eyes about, then grabbed the statue and ran to the far corner. The secret passage through which Yuri and the Secret Society had infiltrated during the battle with Sibylla still remained.
He disappeared beyond the tunnel.
And immediately after, a group of people entered the cavern.
"Your Highness, why have you come here again?"
"There's something I need to check."
It was Yuri.
He had returned to the cavern with Jared, Umstein, and Fenek.
He hadn't wanted to revisit the place where he had killed Sibylla, but there was one question he needed to resolve.
"The Orichalcum."
Yuri looked up at the lump of metal.
"It seems to have some strange property…"
He placed his palm on the surface.
When Sibylla had been transformed by black magic and exuded a dark aura, Yuri had entered the realm of the heart-soul and witnessed the scene.
The entire cavern had been contaminated, yet the Orichalcum lump alone had remained unaffected.
Perhaps, it could become a tool to resist the black army that the Empire would produce in the future.
Yuri took something out from his breast.
It was a fingernail-sized fragment of parchment.
Recovered by the Holy Kingdom from the spot where Sibylla had fallen, it had come back to Yuri through Fenek.
Small as it was, the parchment still carried traces of black magic.
"Umstein, does Orichalcum have the power to resist black magic?"
"I don't know. I didn't even know black magic existed. Perhaps the elders of my tribe might know…"
Yuri held the parchment fragment up to the Orichalcum and examined it.
"Hm?"
There was a mark where a piece had broken away. It was in the dark shadow under the lower part of the metal, a place one wouldn't notice without a careful look.
Yuri stared at that spot for a while.
"Hm…"
Tilting his head, he looked around. There happened to be a jagged protrusion on the metal.
He rubbed the parchment against it forcefully. The surface of the parchment tore slightly.
"As I thought."
No ordinary blade could harm this parchment, for it carried the remnants of black magic. But simply scraping it against a slightly sharp protrusion, without even sharpening it into an edge, had damaged it.
Yuri was now convinced that Orichalcum could resist black magic.
"Umstein, how many weapons could be made from this Orichalcum?"
"Are you sure it really has such power?"
"Yes, it seems so."
"Hmm…"
Umstein tapped the metal.
"Rather than making weapons entirely out of it, if we used Orichalcum for coating, we could produce quite a lot. That's what you want, isn't it?"
"If that's possible, yes."
"Of course it's possible. But…"
Umstein stroked his chin.
"To work Orichalcum, we need a legendary weapon handed down in our tribe. Without it, we'd only be able to handle it clumsily."
"A legendary weapon?"
"Yes. In fact, Glutenshtein and I left the mountains to retrieve it. My brother got distracted along the way, but still…"
"What is it?"
"That would be…"
Umstein grinned, as though the mere thought filled him with pride.
"To strike, pound, and shape metal, what do you need?"
He wasn't asking to hear an answer.
"Why, nature itself."
"Nature?"
"The elements spread across the world—fire, water, wind, and earth. Only when they are in harmony can we work metal properly. After all, extracting metal from the earth and forging steel is the result of all those forces working together."
With a rueful expression, Umstein caressed the Orichalcum.
"To work this, we need the Sword of Four Elements. It's a legendary creation of our ancestors, imbued with the powers of fire, water, wind, and earth. If I had it in my hands, working Orichalcum would be nothing. But those daggers have vanished without a trace."
Yuri and Jared exchanged glances.
Umstein continued.
"The last sighting was in the Empire, but after that, they disappeared completely. Someone must have them, but…"
"If you had them, you could work the Orichalcum?"
"Of course."
"If we find them for you, would you, in return, melt this metal down and provide Orichalcum-coated arms for the army?"
"Hahaha, you must be in quite a hurry. Fine. If it comes to that, hammering this bit of metal is no trouble at all."
"Good."
Yuri nodded, then reached into his breast and pulled something out.
"Here."
"Hm?"
In Yuri's hand were four daggers.
They were the Flame-Seal Sword, the Water Spirit Sword, the Wind Spirit Sword, and the Earthquake Sword he had acquired at the Empire's auction. He had used them well until now, but since they seemed to have a rightful owner, it was time to return them.
Umstein tilted his head as he looked down at the four daggers in Yuri's hand.
Then, he suddenly jerked his head up.
His eyes went wide as could be, nostrils flaring, mouth agape. Even his ears perked up—every opening on his face expanded as far as it could. His ability to control his facial muscles was astounding.
"Wha—wha—what is this?"
"What?"
"Why are they just right here?!"
In shock, Umstein took the four daggers from Yuri and held them on his palm.
"Why do you have these?!"
"I obtained them from the Empire. Bought them at an auction."
"You were the one who bought them?!"
"Yes."
"This is absurd! Absolutely absurd!"
Holding the four daggers as though they were treasures, Umstein hopped in place.
"To think that you had these! What in the world is going on!"
Fenek, who was standing beside him, spoke.
"This too must be divine guidance."
As a paladin, Fenek had his own deep sense of faith. He seemed to truly believe that all of this was by God's hand, closing his eyes and making the sign of the cross.
Jared spoke up.
"That's good then. So you'll coat the weapons with Orichalcum for us?"
"I'll need to set up a forge. Once the facilities are ready, it can be done immediately."
Lifting the Flame-Seal Sword, Umstein said,
"I can feel the essence of fire within this. With it, I can make a furnace hot enough to melt Orichalcum."
"Good. Please start right away."
"It won't be immediate. Orichalcum is not a metal to be taken lightly."
"Yes."
Yuri was inwardly dumbfounded that things had been resolved so easily.
In his previous life, the one who had wielded the Sword of Four Elements had been a knight. It had nothing to do with the dwarves. Therefore, he had never imagined the Sword of Four Elements would have any connection to them.
Now that he had returned to the past and could give them back to their rightful owner, it felt strange.
"Truly, thank you."
Umstein shook Yuri's hand over and over. It seemed the weapons had deep meaning to them. Yuri shrugged.
"If you're grateful, just work as much as you're grateful."
"Of course."
Thus, Yuri had secured both the Orichalcum and a dwarven craftsman.
"When this is all over and I return to my tribe, everyone will be delighted."
Looking at Umstein, Yuri thought to himself.
Even though he was living his second life, there was far too much he did not know.
He had not even known that dwarves existed, nor that they lived in the mountains.
Once he killed Cedric, visiting a dwarven village to experience what he had never known might not be a bad idea. It was a thought for the distant future, but it suddenly came to him.
***
Cory had been researching a way to remove the chains that controlled his mana. But it was impossible with his power, and the lock was strictly managed by the circus leader.
"Hey, ugly."
"You orc bastard."
Even when the members picked fights, he no longer bothered to respond. It was now common for several members to suddenly show up and beat him, but Cory decided to resign himself to it.
No matter how he was treated, the circus leader did not care. All the man thought about was making money.
Cory made a decision.
Among those who came to see the circus, there were sometimes important people. And to them, the circus leader was extremely polite, even bowing his head at times.
He had to win their favor.
Then, perhaps, the important ones might help him escape.
"Be careful today, all of you."
Gathering the members, the circus leader spoke.
"It's a noble of the Empire. Scum like you could live your whole lives and never meet such a person, so make sure nothing disrespectful happens. If any of you anger him, I'll personally cut your head off. Understood?"
Cory felt hopeful.
He had seen people from the Empire a few times while with the Allied Army.
He hadn't formed any friendships, but perhaps someone might recognize him. Then, he could ask them to help him get to Yuri.
But that hope was shattered.
The distinguished guest was nothing like the knights he had seen with the Allied Army. He was simply a noble with a belly bloated with fat.
He didn't enjoy the circus itself — he enjoyed mocking and belittling the performers.
"Imperial nobles are all the same. Truly the worst."
The circus members muttered among themselves.
Cory waited backstage, catching his breath. He wasn't going to perform a trick, but to go out and talk directly. He couldn't predict how that noble would react.
If the noble acted violently, Cory would have no way to resist.
He watched the stage with troubled eyes.
Then, one of the acrobats made a mistake.
The noble stood up.
"I paid to come here, so why make a mistake? Am I not worthy of a proper performance?"
"N-no, sir!"
"Sounds to me like I am."
The noble smirked as he picked a fight, as though he had been waiting for someone to slip up.
"Good. Judging by your act just now, you move quite well."
The noble grinned slyly.
"You won't make the same mistake twice, will you?"
The acrobat bowed his head.
"No! I will never do it again."
"Good. Then…"
The noble turned and beckoned with his hand.
"I have a man in my service who is phenomenal with a sword. He'll swing his blade at you, so dodge. If you survive, I'll forgive this mistake. Otherwise, you just die."
"Uh…"
Everyone backstage sighed.
That was as good as a death sentence.
Cory soon saw the man the noble had summoned stepping onto the stage.
He was very thin and wiry. His face was completely covered in cloth, leaving only his eyes visible, and in that gap, Cory could glimpse skin that looked as though it had been burned.
Cory's eyes widened.
Something about him felt familiar.
His gait and stance somehow reminded Cory of someone he knew. Not exactly the same, but strangely similar.
However, his cold gaze was entirely unfamiliar.