Belmare and his guests ascended the stairs and went into the antechamber. The room was L-shaped, and it is located at the left-wing of the anchor building. Lines of chandeliers lit the room with its warm tones. The walls are decorated with wallpaper borders and picture frames of the previous representatives of the Stockfelt Noblehouse. They all had the same red hair and stylized as scales.

 

Unlike the factory-scene like earlier, the antechamber shares a resemblance to how Royal Evanslei Palace looks—It has glamorizing parquet flooring. By the windows, golden statues are holding a functional lamp. You need to put ashes at the statue’s gaping mouth and a lit matchstick for this to work. From this room, you can see very well how large the Metallurgy Section was. 

 

At the antechamber’s ceiling, just like every room in Royal Evanslei Palace, it is painted with possible depictions of how the Evanslei kingdom rose to power and decimated demons. No one really knows how the first king managed to retaliate against the demons and won the war.

 

“Umm… Welcome back, Master Belmare,” A maid greeted as she pushed a cart filled with beverages and snacks. Standing at 5’4 ft tall, she has a considerate and average-mannered feel. Her light brown hair, dip-dyed halfway with shades of grey, is stylized in a milkmaid braid.

 

“We should take this time to have a break... She’s a bit shy. You folks need to keep your distance...,” Before Belmare could finish his sentence, Izuna hastily rushed towards the cart and cherry-picked what’s the most colorful.

 

“Finally! Now it feels like I’m really indebted. I thought I’m going to die from not eating any sugar,” Izuna yelled as she ate the sweets as any normal child would do. Talking while eating as food stains pile at the side of their mouth.

 

“Umm… I’m glad you liked the deserts,” the maid said with a slight smile on her face. “If you’d like some more, I could make another batch.”

 

“Ah~! My goddess! My savior! Yes, please give me another batch!” Izuna exclaimed as she got close to the maid and held her hand.

 

“Umm… Definitely,” the maid wiped Izuna’s hand and mouth gently with a cloth. She didn’t mind when Izuna got close because she is too adorable and easily approachable. She then prepared a mead which consists of honey and water and served it to Belmare.

 

During this scene, Belmare sat on a couch and picked the newspapers on top of the table in front of him. The headline and its story talk about the rescued Evanslenian survivors from the war and how they lived secretly under Demons’ territorial occupation in the east. This made Belmare clasped his hands and looked down, “tch!”

 

“Eek!” the maid accidentally dropped the plate.

 

“Ah! I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you,” Belmare assured.

 

“Umm… Don’t be,” the maid immediately cleaned the mess.

 

As soon as Gevanni familiarized himself with the previous representatives of Stockfelt Noblehouse, “Can you bring me a glass of water?...” he asked.

 

“Umm… Yes, of course,” the maid replied. 

 

Gevanni felt uncomfortable and tried to rub his forehead with his hand to soothe the stinging sensation. Before he knew it, a migraine attacked and made him fall to his knees. He tried to keep himself screaming in pain by forcing his mouth shut with both of his hands.

 

Izuna rushed towards Gevanni and caught him before he fell. “Stay with me, Gevanni!” She yelled as she shook him.

 

It took a few minutes for Gevanni to recover.

 

“It looks like you’re not okay, Gevanni. Do you seek immediate attention?” Belmare asked as he stood up.

 

“Thanks for the offer but I’m fine now. It’s just a harsh memory from the past triggered,” Gevanni replied. 

 

What the heck is with that scene? It’s like I needed water as I cling to my life. For a moment, I know I’m imprisoned in some sort of crystal and somewhere with a lot of icebergs. Gevanni thought.

 

Are you messing with me again, Lu!? Gevanni questioned telepathically as glyphs of unknown origin appeared in his eyesight.

 

If I had that level of freedom, I wish to enact noxious acts to instill your brain with my concepts of ideology… I daresay your brain is adapting to ours, and the need for constant hydration confirms you’re dealing with unwarranted stress. Would you like me to seek out unworthy victims and offer you their tears, Master? Lu read the glyphs for Gevanni.

 

Just stay inside and don’t act without my consent, Lu!

 

As you please, Master...

 

Belmare extended his hand. Gevanni accepted it without hesitation and cleared the dust from his knees.

 

The maid shakily handed Gevanni a glass of water. He consumed all of it in seconds.

 

“It seems ‘it’ happens now,” Belmare assumed.

 

“What is the ‘it’ you’re talking about?” Gevanni asked, and that boggled his mind. The ‘it’ Belmare talked about could be anything. Is there a chance of it being business-related or his acquired limited information? This is the question that resonates in his mind.

 

“Duality of Life. Where one does not have any value without its counterpart. Like Somas who balance the world, some beings shape societies such as those born with magic and those who do not. Evil won’t exist without Goodness. Light and Shadow. Revenge and forgiveness. Hot and cold. Sweet and sour. All of them are complementary, just like a bird’s pair of wings,” Belmare explained.

 

“What are you trying to say?”

 

“Your counterpart somewhere is starting to move...”

 

Izuna stood in the middle between Gevanni and Belmare with her arms locked to one another on her chest as she stood firmly with legs widely.  “What are you two babbling about? Of course, it’s just a myth. Those Doppelgangers… It’s not like they exist. You live the way your life is supposed to be.”

 

Gevanni was surprised that Izuna let that out. If she’s a demon, wouldn’t it make sense that Doppelgangers exist as well? As he was about to let out, “Yes, yes. Whatever,” Belmare spoke first.

 

“You’re right, Izuna but some of our folklore becomes true at some point,” Belmare said as he glanced at Izuna and then shifted to Gevanni. “That’s why you need to be careful when someone who looks exactly like you approaches you, Gevanni,” Belmare warned. “There’s a saying in Evanslei, ‘A warned person is prepared’.  

 

“There’s no need to worry. I don’t trust myself in the first place. That is my driving factor in achieving everything.”

 

“Are you going to say ‘Don't believe in the you that believes in me and don't believe in the me that believes in you. Believe in the you that believes in yourself’!?” 

 

Belmare got to thinking, Izuna spoke so fast and it doesn’t make sense or some sort of chant in their world. He tilted his head as he watched the two bicker at each other.

 

Gevanni stretched his fingers and turned it into a closed fist, “Izuna…”, accompanied by glaring red eyes. He headchops her.

 

“Ouch!... That hurts! I need to call the Child Protection Services!” Izuna rubs the bump on her head as her eyes turn into >.< expression.

 

“You’re not a kid!” Gevanni retaliated. 

 

“You two truly are peculiar…” Belmare commented. Even though Gevanni and Izuna’s actions at that point are immature, he brushed it off since it was appropriate for their age.  Also, things might’ve turned ugly if Izuna didn’t step in. It would be troublesome for someone with unstable mana to release all of that and give birth to nasty somas. 

 

 “Come, this is the way to the Enchantment Section,” Belmare took the lead and opened the door.

 

Gevanni and Izuna calmed down and followed Belmare.

The Enchantment Section is divided into two. The first room is where the lifts deliver items in bulk to be enchanted and enchanted goods ready for packaging. The second room reminds you of a peach forest. It is devoid of any machinery or any power-operated tools. The enchanters who work here are graduates from Advent Mogarelia, and their skills are top-notch. They mainly provide the needs of mercenaries from all ranks, but of course, the higher your status is, you have the urge to craft or enchant yourself.

 

Belmare chose his workers to be all-male based on his previous experience where females tend to sneak out jewelry often to prevent that from happening again.

 

“Everyone! Noble Belmare is here. Give your hearts!” One of the enchanters exclaimed as they remained eye contact, accompanied by a nod towards Belmare, and resumed their work.

 

Belmare shook each of the enchanters’ hands personally. “Thanks for the good work as always.” 

 

“Is there a spot open for me to demonstrate?” Belmare asked, but no one replied. It seems everyone is too occupied.

 

“I’m almost done, Sir!” One of the biggest amongst Enchanters said. He had a body similar to a hardcore bodybuilder, a nice mustache, with a bald head brighter than your future. His clothes are too tight-fitting for his size, and a number thirty-five is embroidered near his chest pocket. It is evident that he also knows how to sew. He readied his arm and opened his palm widely.

 

“Oväs!” The mustache Enchanter let a warcry. He slammed his palm on the shield in front of him. 

 

 Mystical energies exploded, released gusts of winds enough for the other workers to fly away, and ripped his clothing in the process. 

 

“Bah! I did it again,” The mustache Enchanted said in disappointment. It’s not because he did a lousy job, but rather, it’s his 36th clothing destroyed in the week. Good thing as the one who primarily handles Platinum and Palladium plates’ requests; his salary is beneficial to live lavishly. However, half of it goes to buying clothes.

 

“It’s all yours, Sir,” The half-naked mustache Enchanter said as he casually picked the shield with his two fingers and proceeded to the lift.

 

Belmare and his guests went to the Enchanter’s table. It is filled with formulas and specific Enchanter’s notes. At the far right of the table, there’s a tray filled with pearls. There’s a chest filled with elemental stones and sorted based on their type on the opposite side. In the middle, there’s a commission spindle with a horizontal pipe that connects to the gyroscope looking with a mechanical clock. This is where Enchanters keep track of requests and finish it on time. Also placed in the middle, there is a sink with a valve in it.

The gyroscope clock spun around the spindle before it ringed. The mustache Enchanter finished his job earlier than expected.

 

“I want the effects to be a surprise,” Belmare said as he opened the chest. “Feel free to pick one pearl and one elemental stone you find appealing the most… Ah! Of course, please pick the smaller ones. The bigger ones are rare, and you need to pay a hefty fine,” he reminded Gevanni.

 

“It’s weird how I can recognize these items so well. It’s just like in the game, Herscheim. If this world shares some similarities to the game, then my obvious pick is these,” Gevanni murmured.

 

“Attack pearl and wind elemental stone... “ Gevanni thought.

 

Gevanni closed his hand before Belmare managed to get hold of it. It was pretty rude for Gevanni to show his passive-aggressiveness towards Belmare unless he was unaware of it due to the residue of headache from earlier.

 

“Where can I obtain these pearls and elemental stones?” Gevanni asked.

 

“I’ve seen this coming,” Belmare pulled a chair and sat in reverse. “To get the pearls, you need to look around the Lone Tree Of Reathflis. It’s pretty far from here. You need to pass the jungle in an active volcano,  Sgardskelli, after the Mana Essenther Mountains.”

 

“How would it take to reach that place on horses?”

 

Before Belmare explains, he rocked the chair. “About two months. But if you have the luxury, you can pay the Skydancers or known as Harpies, to get there in just a few weeks. The bigger they are and the longer wingspan they have, the faster you travel.”

 

“It’s amazing how magic and fantasy races we imagined are integrated into this world. It’s as if someone’s making sure everything is functional. No, some of the nobles actually are competent and do their jobs properly,” Gevanni thought.

 

“As for the Elemental Stones, you need to bring a team of Platinum Plate for safety measures to mine in Colossal Somas. Depending on what kind they are, they can tolerate you mining the stones since it feels like a free back massage for them or devours your whole team with ease,” Belmare casually explained as if it’s common for mercenaries to die this way.

 

“If you’re gonna waste an entire team of Platinum Plate, why would you bring them instead of mercenaries better than them?”

 

Belmare laughs. “That’s absurd. I don’t imagine the Great Heroes would work for money or anything you would offer to help you get those.”

 

“So Platinum Plates are the 2nd in rank being the strongest and the Great Heroes topping the first place. If their limit is to take down a Colossal Soma, that means Nightmare Somas are God-like creatures,” Gevanni imagined.

 

“You revere those puny insects as God-like creatures due to their size?  That’s adorable, Master,” Lu insulted.

 

“You’re saying as if our job is to stop those Nightmare Somas as well.”

 

“Precisely… As counter guardians…”

 

“That was understandable, Belmare,” Gevanni replied with the understanding that people need specific criteria to pass before they cooperate.

 

One of the Enchanters approached Belmare. He had a slimmer build and a silver-layered bob hair that falls into his shoulders. Something is captivating about him, perhaps it's a feeling of comfort, or it's simply his goodwill.

 

“Noble Sir, you shouldn't be working like that for every new customer you’ve met,” the silver-haired Enchanter said worryingly.

 

Belmare tapped the Enchanter’s shoulder. “It’s fine.”

 

The Enchanter let out a sigh and delivered the item to his worktable. 

 

Finally, Gevanni opened his hands and handed the materials to Belmare.

 

Belmare pushed the chair for Izuna to sit. He realized that Izuna seems a bit weaker compared to before. Maybe, she’s tired. 

 

Belmare lifted his shirt sleeves to his elbow as soon as Izuna accepted his offer and sat.

 

“That was nice of you,” Izuna commented.

 

Belmare placed the Earring, Pearl, and Elemental Stone on the table. They all had various sizes, and it piqued Gevanni’s interest in how the enchantment process was done.

 

Belmare charged his finger with magic and lightly touched the elemental stone. Its center melted. He used some sort of tweezers to pull away from the core of the Elemental Stone carefully. Just after he got the Elemental Core, he dropped it to the earring. It fell like a water droplet. 

 

The elemental stone turned into a fine powder, followed its core’s trails, and embedded itself into the earring. 

 

Belmare opened a drawer from the table, picked a beaker, and opened a packet. He twisted the valve of the sink and filled the glassware with water. At the same time, he put the packet and the pearl components into the water and mixed them with the tweezers. The water turned purple. 

 

Belmare opened another drawer and collected a Pasteur pipette. He used it to suck the liquid from the beaker and dropped it into the earring. He waited for the fluids to evaporate before dropping another one.

 

It took a while before Belmare finished it due to careful process. If he dropped the fluids too early or too late, it will break the earring.  

 

“Here is your Enchanted Earrings of Misdirection. The effect of the Defense Pearl strengthened it to protect your ear from being sliced off. Meanwhile, the Psychic Elemental Stone applied helps you detect a movement from far away… This accessory is suitable for Mages who can also fight as well in close-quarters. Just like Izuna,” Belmare explained.

 

“Fufufu~ I’m finally being recognized. Is this my screen time already!? Gosh, I’m not sure what to do. This is embarrassing.”

 

“Yes~ Izuna out!” Gevanni pushed Izuna in a comedic way.

 

Belmare waited for them to act correctly and offered the earrings.

 

The moment Gevanni got close, Belmare closed his hand. “Gevanni, what do you feel every time you kill a creature?”

 

“I won’t feel any remorse… But I’d like to use the best of my abilities to make sure every part of the corpse is resourceful. I feel it’s the least courtesy I can give to the dead,” Gevanni replied without thinking correctly. Perhaps, he intended to do it this way as a test on how Belmare reacts.

 

“I imagine differently. Your mindset scares me.”

 

“Why? I gave you my honest opinion,” Gevanni continued his acting upon realizing his careless mistake.

 

“I’ve asked this question many times to my new customers. Only a handful had the same answer as you but with different variations... Those people are easily killed,” Belmare said as he rested both of his hands on the table.

 

“Don’t lump me with them. They are idiots who don’t think ahead,” Gevanni debated despite what he thinks is the opposite. He believes he deserved to be lumped together with the intelligent and possibly challenge them.

 

“That thought helped me shape how I should see you, Gevanni.” Belmare reasoned, and there are no hints of it being advantageous or not to Gevanni, even though he sounded as if he’s sarcastic. But the confrontation was real—Gevanni is still a naive kid after all. Little did Belmare know, he was playing into the hands of what he deemed "naive kid". 

 

Gevanni couldn’t think of anything as he waited for Belmare to open his hand. It feels like he wasted an opportunity. This act seemed real enough for Izuna not intervening. Gevanni calculated this to happen so that Belmare recognized a flaw in him and was more humane and capable of understanding. When that happens, if Gevanni does something out of goodwill, it has more impact. Especially if completing the deed requires him to challenge his ideas and change some aspect of his perception towards life.

 

Conversation in that room stopped for a good while. Belmare and his guests heard only the sounds from the enchanting process.

 

“Whenever we kill something, do we see ourselves as Judges or Defenders? Are we merely protecting ourselves for survival? None of those thoughts matters, for we are true to our nature; Our desire to kill stems from supplying our needs. All it takes for an event to be against my interests is that it makes my life as a whole worse than it would have been had the event not occurred… Attention is the last act of humane emotions we can give to those who deserved to be treated as objects. Your answer may not be the best, but what will be left if nothing remains? That’s why I think there’s no need to find a justifiable cause or reason for it to happen. You just love to see it for yourself.” Belmare condemned. All the things he produced are not only meant for killing monsters; they are also used for murder. 

 

No matter if the person who died served a life full of good deeds or tampered with the lives of the many, Belmare sees them as nothing but objects as alternative resources for crafting.

 

As soon as those words pierced the hard-headed Gevanni, he actualized the undeniable reality where anything has consequences, and everyone shares the same gruesome fate. No one is truly right or wrong at the hands of death.

 

The acting served extensively in this experiment. Gevanni tried to understand a glimpse of Belmare’s motives by splitting his ideas, philosophies, and speech patterns into categories. 

 

“Belmare is something else... Is it because he is the famed Merchant of Death or suffered so much he had to seek something through countless deaths to make it complete? If I want him to work for me, I need to dig deeper by understanding his motives and how did it come to that.” Gevanni thought.

 

Gevanni slowly understood it as he looked down in silence.

 

Izuna was about to tugged Gevanni’s sleeves, but she stopped midway after Belmare said his first few words.

 

“If you continue being the person I expected to be, then I still have high hopes for you,” Belmare said as he lifted Gevanni’s hands and handed him the earrings.

 

“Don’t be hard on yourself, Gevanni! It’s not like it’s the end of the world” Izuna tried to cheer.

 

“Thanks... Just because I made a mistake doesn't mean it’s enough to make my successes be in vain,” Gevanni replied in a depressing tone.

 

“That’s not enough, idiot!” Izuna yelled as she tried to reach Gevanni, but she couldn’t due to the height difference.

 

Unaware of what Izuna wanted to do, Gevanni played along by kneeling.

 

“Like this!” Izuna put her fingers at the end of Gevanni’s mouth. “S-M-I-L-E!!!”

 

“I’m trying...”

 

“Geez. Why can’t you smile well? Maybe we need to do something with your eyebrows.”

“You’re the last person I’ll let you mess with my body.”

 

“L-lewd…”

 

“D-Don’t imagine that kind of thing! As if I’d let you!” Gevanni didn’t hesitate to pinch Izuna’s cheeks so hard.

 

“Stop it!... That hurts!” Izuna whimpered.

 

“Hurry... We’re still not done. You have yet to receive your request, Gevanni. As well as to see our practice range,” Belmare broke the scene.