Chapter 238: A Clear Day

—

“This is strange! Too strange,” Will muttered to himself.

He took slow, deep breaths, trying to calm his racing heart. The pounding in his chest, which had felt like it was about to burst out of his throat, gradually subsided.

“The details of the dream… they were so vivid…”

He stared at his hand, still feeling the lingering sensation of touching Treya’s shoulder. And her smile…

Just thinking about it now sent chills down his spine.

“It even reminded me of the dream about Leah—the one I’d already forgotten…”

And the fact that a dream he’d once forgotten had resurfaced in his mind now.

“Was this dream… trying to tell me something?”

—

The rain had stopped.

The capital in autumn was like this—though it occasionally rained, the showers were brief and sporadic. The rain would suddenly clear, giving way to bright, crisp days with clear skies.

It reminded Will of his days studying in the capital, which always seemed to be spent under blue skies and white clouds.

Looking up at the sun hanging in the sky, Will even felt a bit warm.

[Quest 1001: Investigate the current state of the royal family.]

Will had initially planned to walk through the streets of the capital to gather information and complete this task as quickly as possible.

But…

As he stepped out onto the streets the next morning, he realized that the atmosphere in the capital was unusually “solemn.”

It was completely at odds with the gentle warmth brought by the shining sun overhead.

While it was true that the capital lacked the lively energy of cities with dungeons—due to its status as the center of Entark’s royal authority—this level of tension was unprecedented.

Having lived here for three years, Will had never seen the city so on edge.

For instance, discussions about royal affairs were typically common in the capital, especially in places like restaurants.

But now…

“Have you heard? About what’s happening with the royal family…”

“Yeah, it’s been causing a stir all over town. They even imposed a curfew for a while—it’s honestly terrifying.”

“And… that duel between the Sixth Prince and the Eighth Prince…”

Hmm?!

Will’s ears perked up at this critical piece of information. He leaned in slightly, trying to catch more of their conversation. But before he could hear anything further—

“Shh—don’t talk about that. Let’s change the subject.”

“Tch…”

Will sighed in frustration. As someone whose face was plastered all over missing person notices, he couldn’t get too close to eavesdrop or casually join in conversations as a passerby.

Still, from the snippets he overheard, he caught mention of “the Sixth Prince and the Eighth Prince.” That likely meant…

The duel he remembered had already taken place.

In the original timeline, that duel wasn’t supposed to happen at this point. But given those two princes’ personalities—and Treya’s earlier remarks about how duels held significant meaning within the royal family—Will couldn’t rule out the possibility that duels like this had occurred multiple times.

“Has the royal family’s situation deteriorated this much?”

“It’s worse than I expected…”

“Treya…”

“I need to move quickly.”

—

[Quest 1001: Investigate the current state of the royal family.]

Will stood outside a recommended blacksmith shop, ready to tackle Quest 1000 as well.

The blacksmith didn’t seem particularly interested in Will’s appearance. He didn’t even make eye contact with him, which allowed Will to speak more freely.

“Alright, let’s confirm everything again. These materials are for crafting a shield and a sword,” Will said.

The blacksmith frowned slightly before responding hesitantly.

“These materials…”

“What’s wrong? Are they difficult to work with? I need these items finished by the day after tomorrow at the latest. If you can do it, I’m willing to pay triple,” Will said urgently.

“It’s not that I can’t do it. The shield is straightforward—I’ve been making those for decades. But this sword…” The blacksmith scratched his head. “I can make it, but this is my first time working with materials related to ‘demons.’ It’s such high-quality stuff… Even though I consider myself the best blacksmith among commoners in the capital, I’m worried I might ruin it.”

The burly blacksmith looked troubled as he stared at the materials laid out on the table.

“It’s fine. If it doesn’t work out, just forge a basic sword from this metal and wrap some of this cloth around the hilt like bandages,” Will suggested casually.

He imagined a black sword with a hilt wrapped in something resembling bandages…

It seemed like a fitting weapon for a silver-haired half-elf princess.

But…

Hmm…

Will recalled something that had crossed his mind when he crafted the Ancient Flame Staff—

Why did its design resemble the iconic weapon from a game he remembered so vividly?

The metallic staff with its ruby centerpiece—designed more for aesthetic appeal than practicality—was nearly identical to its in-game counterpart.

And now, if this Shadow Wraith Sword were forged as he envisioned…

It would end up looking just like the black sword with bandaged hilt from that same game—a weapon specifically designed for “demonic” attributes.

It was strange.

The names he used were merely borrowed from game packaging. The materials were things he stumbled upon by chance and decided to take with him—pure coincidences.

So why did everything… seem to converge toward the same result?

It was just like how the “Green Wraith Stone” had appeared out of nowhere.

“Hey, are you listening? I can do it, but don’t back out and refuse to pay me later,” the blacksmith grumbled, snapping Will out of his thoughts.

“I won’t, I won’t. Money isn’t an issue… Uh, I always keep my word,” Will reassured him hastily.

As he spoke, Will took a moment to observe the shop—an old establishment called “Shield Workshop” that had been around for over a century.

In a city like the capital, weapon shops probably didn’t cater much to adventurers. After all, there weren’t many adventurers here to begin with.

Which meant…

For this shop to have survived so long, it must have supplied equipment to the military.

If that were true…

Perhaps this blacksmith knew something about what had happened with the Fourth Prince—the military leader who had recently fallen from grace.

“Most of your business must come from supplying the military, right?” Will asked casually.

“Ha! You’re sharp, young master. On paper, I make gear for adventurers. But most of my confidential work is for military supply and maintenance. If you ever inherit your family business, you’ll definitely take it far,” the blacksmith replied with a chuckle.

Hearing this struck a nerve for Will.

“Y-Yeah…” he muttered awkwardly while watching the blacksmith work.

The man meticulously sorted through forging materials and prepared them for crafting. His movements were skilled but slightly slowed by age. With calloused fingers, he carefully folded up the cursed cloth Will had provided.

“But if your work is confidential, shouldn’t you avoid talking about it?” Will probed further.

“What does it matter? The military’s in chaos right now—I don’t even know if I’ll get any more jobs from them,” the blacksmith sighed as he stared into the furnace flames.

Will realized he might be able to press for more information.

“The Fourth Prince—what’s going on with him? What’s really happening in the royal family?”

The blacksmith paused mid-motion and gave Will a guarded look.

“People outside the capital are all speculating. But from what we see here… The royal family is on the verge of collapse. Ever since they summoned back those three married princesses last month, things have been off.”

“…!”

Will recalled that event—it was something he had personally witnessed.

Back in Yavik Town, during those sweltering summer days when he hadn’t yet realized how chaotic things would become—he had encountered one of those “summoned back” princesses…

But at the time, he hadn’t understood its significance or its dire implications.

“As for the Fourth Prince… I’ve seen him from afar as a military leader. How should I put this? He didn’t seem like a good person. But for someone who’s managed shady dealings for so many years, he must’ve been very cautious.”

“You’re saying he wouldn’t…”

“He wouldn’t have exposed himself at this time. So you tell me—doesn’t it seem like someone’s setting him up? After all, his control over military power is Entark’s most valuable resource…”

“……”

Will hesitated to respond.

The original story hinted at these events but never revealed who was pulling the strings behind them.

But…

From a “who benefits most” perspective, it was clear someone was orchestrating this—and that someone was…

Carver.

Entark’s military was being misused for internal conflicts rather than external threats. This allowed Carver—who only needed “a year of rapid growth”—to seize an opportunity and overthrow royal unity.

“So… who do you think will ultimately gain control over that power?” Will asked cautiously.

“Hard to say. And honestly? I don’t care about politics,” the blacksmith replied bluntly.

“I see… One last question—what do you think of Princess Treya?”

At this question, the blacksmith froze momentarily before looking up sharply at Will. His gaze lingered on Will’s face as if trying to match it against something familiar—like those missing person notices plastered everywhere. Realizing this, Will quickly lowered his head and pulled his hat down further to obscure his features.

“She’s quite popular—at least among commoners. People seem to genuinely like her,” came his response after a pause.

Such a confident answer?

While Will knew Treya’s beauty—or rather her appearance—made her more beloved by many, he hadn’t expected such an unequivocal statement from the blacksmith.

“But… to be honest, I don’t think she stands much of a chance. Compared to others, she seems too… ‘simple.’”

“Simple?”

“Maybe ‘naive’ would be a better word—but calling royalty naive doesn’t feel right. If she were truly naive, she’d have been eliminated long ago. By ‘simple,’ I mean… compared to others who want everything, she seems… more direct?”

Oddly enough, Will found comfort in those words.

Three years ago, Treya had been described as “cold” or “aloof” whenever she appeared in public. But now? People were calling her “direct.”

“Oh, by ‘direct,’ I mean her approach. Compared to others’ convoluted schemes, hers feels straightforward—easy to understand.”

“Haha… That does sound like her.”

“And because of that… she doesn’t seem like someone who could win—right?”

“Haha… Right.”

And it was precisely because Treya was like that…

That Will wanted to help her.