Kael considered the offer for only a moment. He had already been contemplating whether it was okay to sell off the statue in order to raise funds for the shipyard, and this mission presented the perfect opportunity. With a recent breakthrough to Tier-9, the idea of confronting such powerful enemies no longer intimidated him.
He stood up, a determined look on his face as he spoke. "Consider it done, Your Majesty. I’ll take the mission."
The Queen gave him a nod of approval, but her expression remained unreadable. "I trust you’ll handle it with the same efficiency you’ve demonstrated in the past, my shadow."
Kael left her chambers, determined to make this mission successful. He was confident about taking out Rowena either way, but his main goal was the King Clown.
As Kael returned to his room, he was surprised to find Adam waiting for him, looking flustered and comically distressed.
"Kael!" Adam cried out dramatically, his hands clutching his chest. "I’m doomed!"
Kael raised an eyebrow, unsure of what was going on. "What’s the matter with you now?"
"I’ve got a sparring match with Princess Artemis in thirty minutes!" Adam exclaimed, clearly feeling the pressure. "I don’t want to do this! Help out your dear brother-in-law. I feel like I have bragged too much while trying to impress her. You have to help me."
Kael laughed lightly at his brother-in-law’s desperation. "What do you want me to do? It’s not like I’m a swordmaster or anything, to fight her in your place."
Adam’s eyes widened as he quickly responded, "I know that! But I need you to think of a way to postpone the sparring session without making me look like a coward! Please, Kael, I’m begging you!"
Kael chuckled again, shaking his head in amusement. "You want me to come up with a way for you to get out of a swordfight with Princess Artemis, without looking bad in front of her? This should be interesting."
Adam nodded intensely, his face full of earnestness. "Yes, please! Think of something! I don’t want to embarrass myself. If I lose badly against a 16-year-old, my mother won’t let me off easily either. She will throw me into a dungeon to improve my skills."
"Hmm… that’s possible." Kael leaned back with a smirk, already considering the best way to approach this situation.
It seemed like he would have to get creative if he wanted to help Adam out of his self-inflicted mess.
Kael paused for a moment as something popped up in his head, thinking of turning this situation to his advantage. A mischievous glint appeared in his eyes as he finally came up with a plan.
"I’ve got an idea," Kael said with a grin. "Come with me."
Without wasting any more time, Kael stood up and began heading out of the room. Adam followed him, looking unsure but hopeful. As they walked through the hallways, Kael casually passed a message to a servant.
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"Please deliver this to Princess Artemis," he instructed the servant. "Tell her that Prince Consort Kael Moonstone and Prince Adam had to leave urgently to assist a friend. The friend was imprisoned by a debtor, and he called for Adam’s help through a communication scroll. Apologize on our behalf, and mention that we’ll make it up to her later."
The servant nodded and quickly set off toward Princess Artemis.
At the same time, Kael sent a message to his wives. It was similar in tone but without the apology, simply informing them that he and Adam were stepping out on a personal matter.
"Now, let’s see how this plays out," Kael said with a quiet chuckle as they made their way toward their true destination.
They had both put on disguises, ensuring no one would recognize them, and their destination was a smithy, located more than ten kilometers away. This was a place Kael had visited a couple of times, but today, the purpose of the visit was to meet with an acquaintance of Adam’s—a master blacksmith by the name of Orren. Originally, he was supposed to ask Adam for a favor, but luckily, the situation favored him instead.
Upon arriving at the smithy, the heavy door creaked open, and the smell of molten metal and the sound of hammering greeted them.
The master blacksmith, Orren, was a legendary realm warrior in his own right, known for his craft and strength. He looked up from his work as Kael and Adam entered.
"Ah, Your Highness! It’s been a while!" Orren said, his voice warm with recognition. He wiped his hands on a cloth before offering a hearty handshake to both Kael and Adam. "You haven’t been coming for the repair lately. Changed the smithy?"
Adam gave a sheepish grin and shrugged. "I’ve been busy with books, actually. No sword training lately. I’ve been trying to learn how to incorporate magic into my sword techniques."
Orren raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "You wish to become a magic swordsman, huh? That’s a fine pursuit. Though, I can’t imagine that’s an easy road."
"It’s not," Adam replied, sounding a bit sheepish. "That’s why I’m here. I was hoping you could take a look at my sword. I need it to be in top shape if I want to continue my studies with magic."
Orren nodded. "No problem. I’ll take a look at it. I’m an expert on swords and their enchantments." He motioned for them to follow him deeper into the smithy.
Kael stood off to the side for a moment, observing the blacksmith’s workspace. Orren was known for crafting some of the finest weapons in the kingdom, and he had the reputation to back it up. The smithy was a testament to that, with various weapons hanging on the walls, each one more impressive than the last.
"While you’re here, Master Orren," Kael said, stepping forward, "I have a request for you. There’s something I need your help with."
"Hmm?"
As Orren momentarily shifted his gaze from Adam’s sword to Kael, the latter took a moment to pull the cat idol from his storage ring. He placed it on the workbench in front of the master blacksmith, Orren, who immediately examined it with a sharp eye. Nothing happened to the workbench because of the weight reduction spell Kael put on it, not intending to let history repeat again.
"I need this reforged," Kael said casually, his tone calm yet purposeful.
Orren glanced at the idol for a moment, then looked at Kael with a raised brow. "That’s adamantium alloy, at least three-fifths of it," he noted, his tone appreciative of the material. He picked up the idol and ran his fingers over its surface. "Strange, though. There’s something binding this thing. But the spirit inside—it’s not present anymore."
"Yeah, it’s because of this..." Kael raised his hand and summoned the black cat, which landed on his shoulder with a soft hiss.
The presence of the cat immediately seemed to affect the atmosphere in the room. Orren recoiled slightly, his face pale with unease. "Dismiss it, now," he said in a strained voice, a shiver running down his spine. "That thing... Whatever spirit you’re bound to has an overwhelming killing intent. I’ve felt a presence like that before... It’s dangerous."
Kael, unfazed by Orren’s reaction, nodded and sent the black cat back to its realm with a flick of his wrist. He watched as Orren composed himself, visibly relieved. "You should consider visiting the church, purifying its aura." Orren said, still shaken, "It’s not something that should linger around. How a Tier-1 like you is still fine is quite mysterious to me, too."
Kael considered the suggestion for a moment and replied immediately. "Maybe it is because I’m too weak that it didn’t care to influence me."
"Could be." Orren shrugged. He then examined the idol again, rubbing his thumb over the smooth surface. "Severing the connection with the beast, though," he said, "that’s no issue. Once I melt this statue down into its raw material, the link will sever itself."
Kael shook his head slightly. "Melting down adamantium is no simple task. It requires special flames. I trust you know how to handle that?"
Orren smirked with a glint of pride in his eyes. With a flick of his wrist, green flames—unlike anything Kael had seen before—appeared in his palms. The flames danced and crackled, emitting an almost eerie light. "Don’t worry about that," Orren said confidently. "Leave it to the experts. I’ve worked with adamantium before."
Adam nudged Kael with his elbow. "You never told me that your family has treasured this precious."
Kael shrugged. "Well, let’s just say I’m lucky." He then shifted his gaze to the master blacksmith, who looked a bit fascinated while closely examining the idol. "Master Orren, once it’s melted and its connection is severed with the spirit, I want it reforged into a new shape—a dragon. But make it with five claws, and paint it gold, the same as my house’s crest."
Orren took the idol from Kael’s hands and turned it over on his own. "A dragon, five claws, gold paint... I can do that. You can come back tomorrow."
Kael leaned back, watching Orren prepare the idol for the reforging process. "What do you charge for something like this?" he asked, curious. After spending away 50,000 to the information guild to look for the fellow that Duchess Leona wants and also his sister, he roughy had about 115,000 gold coins as Assassin K’s secret savings. If this blacksmith says he needs more, he will have to depend on his ongoing assassination mission. In the worst case, he would have to take a debt from Adam and give back the amount after selling the statue.
However, little did he expect Orren to wave off the question with a casual hand. "You’re working with adamantium," he said with a grin. "I rarely get to work with something this precious. I’ll do it for free."
"Wha…"