The New Gate (LN)

The destroyed weapons were successfully repaired.

Five days after reporting this to Jayf, Shin and the others were walking down the street talking.

The content of their conversation was about what had happened behind the scenes of the recent commotion.

Due to the nature of the content, he used a skill to block out their voices.

“Even so, it wasn’t just the king, but even important people were killed as well. They must be able to do whatever they want. It was fortunate that the item I gave to you removed the curse this time, but Schnee, has this happened before?”

From the conversation between the people who seemed to be the royal guard knights, Shin knew that someone of a fairly high rank – probably the king – had been cursed and taken hostage. So he thought that a PK player like FunkyFunky could do whatever he wanted, but it was later revealed that the mental skills had been used on many other important people as well.

“It’s hard to say that it didn’t happen. As far as I know, there are quite a few people who have used skills that affect the minds of others to commit evil deeds, just like this time.”

Schnee’s expression clouded as she answered Shin’s question. Jayf told him that there was an item that had once controlled the Saintess and Knights of the Church, and that it had become similar to that.

As it was a national scandal, it was not something that could be spoken of lightly, but Shin and the others were informed of the details of the incident because they contributed to preventing human and material damage.

Of course, that was just the official reason. The real reason was simply that Shin was “someone recognized by Schnee Raizar”. Besides, since they were in the same party, they would naturally have thought that information would be shared between Schnee and Shin.

Schnee said that there were quite a few people who had come into direct contact with her, but very few who worked with her in the long term outside of requests like escorts.

So it wouldn’t be strange for Jayf and the others to think that they wanted to provide Shin with as much information as possible to help with the future. Since they hadn’t actually confirmed it, it was just a guess, but Shin thought that this prediction was probably not far off the mark.

“It’s difficult to use mental skills for good or righteous things.”

In the first place, there were few people who have mental skills. In most cases, the person being manipulated was not even aware that they were being manipulated, so it seemed that it was difficult for it to become a public incident.

There were cases where some of the Chosen Ones did not fully understand their own skills; they used the mental skills unintentionally and were discovered.

However, cases like this one where it caused major damage were rare.

Schnee and the others had experience fighting PK players before reuniting with Shin, but it seemed that there was no one strong enough to manipulate the upper echelons of a country and cause an incident. There seem to be quite a few of them who didn’t go through such roundabout methods and attack directly, or act as assassins, though.

“If anything, that’s what the Miasma Demons do, especially the higher-ranking ones.”

It was Milt who spoke with a resentful look. Having been manipulated herself, she had become quite wary of mental skills.

Shin also put a lot of effort into countering mental skills.

He had also given Milt and Tiera the 『Age of Gods Earrings』, which have the effect of nullifying abnormal conditions that have been individually adjusted. At the very least, they should not be able to be controlled by existing skills or items.

Shin and the others soon set foot inside the walls surrounding the royal castle. This time, they were officially invited, so they were not hiding their appearance.

“(From here on, it would be better to speak ‘this way’)”

“(I agree.)”

When Shin switched to 【Mind Chat】 and spoke, Milt, who was walking on his right, responded.

To his left was Schnee, behind him were Tiera and Sety, followed by Filma and Shibaid.

When walking through the city, it was becoming a standard style for Yuzuha to sit on Shin’s shoulder, and for Kagerou to hide in Tiera’s shadow.

Shin had switched the way he spoke because he had entered an area with a high level of security. There were not many people, and there were no more crowds where their conversation could be mixed in.

The place where Shin and the others arrived was a square in one corner of the royal castle. Apparently it was also used for knight training, and a joint funeral hosted by the country was taking place there.

Among the attendees were the country’s upper echelons, representatives from each district, adventurers who had played an active role, and martial artists.

With mourning attire in mind, Shin was wearing equipment that was similar to a suit. Schnee and the others were also all dressed in black.

In the game, there were NPCs at funeral events who wore clothing similar to real-life mourning attire, but in Kurikara, that culture was stronger. It seemed that there were more adventurers wearing black-based clothing than those wearing their normal gear.

Shin couldn’t decide whether five days was a short or long period of time to assess the damage and prepare for the funeral. Because Shin had requested it, the funeral would also serve as a memorial for the victims found at FunkyFunky’s research lab.

Before Shin and the others, a priest from the church stepped forward in front of the line of kings and important figures.

For important ceremonies, the church would send someone. Schnee told him that this was common in many countries.

The branch of the church in Kurikara seemed to be one of the largest even on the whole continent, and a priest was always on-site.

“(Now that I think of it, are you really going to repair the weapons?)”

“(That’s what I was planning to do from the beginning. I can’t repair all of them, though.)”

In the solemn atmosphere, it was Milt who sent out a 【Mind Chat】 message. Only Shin and his party could hear the 【Mind Chat】 message, so it didn’t disturb the atmosphere.

Shin continued the conversation without paying attention, thinking that Milt was continuing the conversation because he had something on his mind.

Many of the soldiers and adventurers who participated in this turmoil were skilled, but few of them had the time to save the weapons.

Life took priority over weapons. It was inevitable that so many of the weapons were destroyed. However, Shin wanted to repair what he could.

There was no choice but to give up on weapons whose cores or essences had been destroyed, but with the method Shin had learned this time, many items could be repaired.

“(Shin, you’re not going to hide your true identity anymore, are you?)”

“(I’m sure those who notice will notice. But as a blacksmith, I can’t just leave this terrible situation unattended.)”

Although he thought Milt had a point, Shin had no intention of changing his opinion.

Shin had become somewhat famous among the guild staff not long after registering as an adventurer, when he single-handedly defeated Skullface, a monster classified as a formidable enemy in this world.

Furthermore, when he had been transported to a place before, he contributed to the suppression of a mass outbreak of monsters – the “Great Flood”, and his name spread all at once.

Up to this point, even if it had become a topic of conversation, it would have been difficult to guess Shin’s true identity.

However, this incident had revealed that he had mastered the lost art of blacksmithing. Furthermore, the information that he was working with Schnee Raizar has been added, which no one in this world could afford to ignore.

High combat ability, blacksmithing skills, and a relationship with Schnee. If all of this were to be summed up in the reputation of one man, the story would change a little.

Some players would probably think of Shin just from that.

Even for some former NPCs, there’s a chance they would be associated with Shin from the game era.

Shin’s name as a blacksmith was well known to players, and some people knew that he had boasted about Schnee – mainly about her appearance, since the game era.

Although there was a lot of speculation about Schnee, it was also true that there was a certain degree of reliability in the information that related to Shin.

There was no conclusive information circulating that linked to Shin’s true identity. However, if such information were to be summed up, it would not have been surprising if someone had guessed.

“(But you have been given permission. The weapons are like national treasures, right? What did you say when you went to the royal castle?)”

“(I just told the king as politely as possible that I wanted to repair the weapons, and that Schnee would vouch for me, so I asked him to trust me. And he just asked me if I could do it.)”

Shin answered Milt’s question while looking back at his memories.

The news of the weapons’ repairs was conveyed to the king and higher-ups of Kurikara through Schnee. There was also the question of who would carry it out.

Naturally, the meeting of the higher-ups of Kurikara became contentious.

Many voices opposed the idea of ​​allowing someone who did not belong to any country to touch the weapons of past winners, even if they were broken, and others who doubted whether such a thing could really be done.

However, when those who were reluctantly in favor asked, “So are you just going to leave it like that?”, the opponents could only groan.

As important figures of the country that hosted the tournament known throughout the world, none of them could help but feel regret at the sight of the weapons that had been so mercilessly destroyed.

At the root of both was a sense of respect for those who had created them.

In the end, the important figures were unable to reach a decision, and the decision was left to the king. Shin thought that he had been called in to make the final decision.

The moment the king asked if it was possible, he exuded an intimidating aura like a raid boss, making it hard to believe that he had been infected by a curse until recently.

The king was not a Chosen One, nor was he of a high level. Even so, he was able to exert such pressure because he cared more about the destroyed weapons than anyone else in the country.

It may also be related to the fact that the king’s job, blacksmith, was seen in 【Analyze】.

It seemed that the king was making eye contact with Jayf, so it’s safe to assume that he had heard the information Shin had given him.

“(You said you were going to show them the blacksmithing work, but was that okay?)”

“(There are only a very limited number of people, including the king, and even though I was introduced by Schnee, I can’t just say ‘I can’t show you anything about the work’.)”

This time, the work was different from repairs to restore durability. It was repair work on weapons that were destroyed to the point that they would be lost in a game. Shin asserted that he could do it, even though it would normally be impossible.

It was only natural that the king would want to see it with his own eyes. At the same time, it was easy to understand Schnee’s concerns.

However, even with Schnee’s assurances, it was not possible to even shut the king out, and once they’ve completed the project, there was no denying the possibility that it could turn into a big deal.

The two people observing the work to check were the king and the minister in charge of weapons management from Kurikara. There was also Jayf, the Cave King, and Kluck, the blacksmith from the Black Faction.

The reason why outsiders like Jayf and Kluck were observing was at the request of the king of Kurikara. Jayf, the head of the Dwarven Association, was a blacksmith with knowledge and skill that was on par with previous winners. Kluck, while not on Jayf’s level, was also skilled, and has knowledge unique to the Black Faction. The king said that there was no one more suitable to be in charge of quality checks.

Shin thought that Kluck was also being appointed to replace Tekkosai, who was the head of the blacksmithing department and the cause of the current commotion. 

“(Perhaps it is also to prevent the neighboring countries from suspecting that only Kurikara has obtained special technology. If the people who were with them were the Cave King and a member of the Black Faction, it makes you think that it might be beneficial for us in the future.)”

“(I see, I guess that’s one way of looking at it)”

Many people saw that weapons were the core of this incident.

Even if they didn’t know what it was, if someone gathered information, they would be able to get a rough idea. If that happened, how would they feel if the weapons that were supposed to be destroyed were still there as if nothing had happened?

There would naturally be people who investigate, and some would arrive at the truth. Spies from other countries were hiding in places where military forces were gathered. Information would leak from somewhere.

And if Shin and his friends’ existence became known, it’s hard not to have doubts like the one Schnee spoke of.

Strengthening weapons directly led to strengthening military power. With just one upgrade in the equipment of a trained soldier, it was possible to fight a higher-ranking opponent depending on the situation. Also, in this world, it was common for the Chosen Ones to not be able to use their full strength because they were not fully equipped.

The technology to create higher performance weapons was one of the important subjects of research in every country.

Naturally, if one country has outstanding technology, it will inevitably make the surrounding countries wary.

Weapons were not limited to monsters.

That’s why, while Kurikara held tournaments with the aim of advancing and improving technology, it did not monopolize the weapons that were created. Depending on the situation, it also took the stance of providing the technology.

“(Well… I’m going to go out for a bit and replenish my supplies of materials.)”

As the joint funeral ended and they were on their way to the inn, Shin told his party members.

There were a lot of destroyed weapons, and to repair them all, a considerable amount of materials would be needed. Kurikara would provide as many materials as possible, but some weapons use rare materials that were hard to obtain.

Shin had no intention of being lavish here. However, if there was only a small shortage, he was thinking of repairing them with what he had on hand. Of course, he wouldn’t use anything too valuable. He had decided only to use items that were somewhat valuable according to the standards of this world. If he checked with Berett of the Golden Company, who was knowledgeable about item distribution, he wouldn’t go wrong.

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