In the new cold morning of DreadHaven, soft winds were flowing through the empty streets, carrying the smell of dew and damp stone. Scarlett took Xao Feng and Reiza and went to find a certain shop.
The shop was a forge, and it was alive with the sounds of work. Different kinds of weapons and tools were hung on the walls like trophies, their metal surfaces gleaming in the dim light. On the other side of the room, a broad-shouldered man with green hair and human-like skin kept smashing his hammer down on a piece of heated metal with a focus and precision that was mesmerizing. His muscular build clearly helped with his work, and his eyes never left the metal, despite the intense heat rising from it.
He was Rin, Reiza's brother. Unlike Xao, Li Feng, and Reiza, who chose the path of a fighter and were quite famous in DreadHaven, Rin, despite his Greek warrior-like build, didn't have any interest in fighting at all. Instead, he opened his own armory and decided to sell weapons, and of course, his weapons were the finest in the whole of DreadHaven.
Another blow of wind passes by Scarlett, making her purple hair hover in the air for a second.
"Tch, Forgetting a key character and then randomly introducing them back after so many chapters. What a useless author," she sighs, shaking her head in annoyance.
Since Rin was too focused on his work, he didn't sense that Reiza, Scarlett, and Xao Feng were standing just a few meters away, watching him. Scarlett decides to approach instead, a small smile on her face.
Reiza and Xao follow behind her.
"Yo! Rin, how's the work going?" Scarlett calls out, her voice loud and cheerful, breaking the rhythm of his hammering.
He immediately stops hammering and turns to look, his expression turning into one of complete surprise. "Lady Scarlett, Reiza, and sister Xao, all three are here? After so long?" he says, his voice filled with genuine happiness.
"You're saying it like we're the villains here. You were too busy becoming a Master Smith yourself," Scarlett replies, her tone playful.
"My bad, I just love my work too much," Rin chuckles, scratching his head, a sheepish grin on his face.
Reiza also approaches Rin and hugs him lightly, a warm, sisterly gesture, before pulling back. Xao also does the same.
"Lady Scarlett has come for an important work. So listen carefully to what she has to say," Xao says, her voice back to its usual calm and serious tone.
"Ohh, yes... yes, wait, no. Let's get inside first," Rin says, his words a jumble of excitement and nervousness, as he quickly leads them inside.
Scarlett, Reiza, and Xao also enter behind him, the air inside cooler and less smoky.
There were even more weapons inside, hanging from every available space. A few were specially standing out, and one of them was a battle axe, its green texture and sharp circular edge catching the light. It was actually Reiza's former weapon, but later on, she stopped using it and decided to use her fists instead.
Reiza looks at it, and her fingers gently caress its smooth, cool surface. "Would I have won if I had used this axe instead?" she thinks, but no clear answer comes to her mind.
Meanwhile, Rin quickly goes and comes back with four sturdy wooden seats to let Scarlett and the others sit.
After all of them sat down, he finally exhales, "Okay, what is your important work? I'm glad to help," he says.
Scarlett directly gets to the point. "A statue. I want to make a statue of myself," she says.
"A statue? But I'm a Smith," Rin replies with confusion.
Scarlett nods, a knowing smile on her face. "I know. But I don't want a normal statue. With your unique skill, you might be able to make the one I want."
Rin pauses for a second, his brow furrowed in deep thought, the gears in his mind clearly turning. "What kind of statue?" he finally asks.
"Like I said, mine. But older... way older. Like it should've been made thousands of years ago and should bypass certain level of appraisal," Scarlett answers.
Rin has a unique skill called 'Die Hard'. Not only did it provide him with a natural talent for smithing, but weapons made by him were more powerful, well-refined, and unique. But the main work of this unique skill was that, as long as he was within a few kilometers radius, the weapons made by him wouldn't break, no matter what. Only unless someone could actually manipulate reality and the laws of nature. It id a really rare and useful skill, especially for an army.
But from Scarlett's perspective, since this unique skill's power was related to durability, then it could also deceive a metal's age as well. Not to forget, Lilith had said that unique skills are way more strong, versatile, and unique than you think. So there was really a chance.
"If only you could increase the level of decay and natural wear of the statue, it can be possible," Scarlett adds, her voice a low, persuasive whisper.
"But I never tried lowering the durability instead of increasing it," Rin hesitates, his voice a little uncertain, the idea completely new to him.
"But I'll definitely try," he adds with a wide, determined smile.
Scarlett and the others' expressions brighten immediately.
"Good. So what do you want me to do? Stay at one place?" Scarlett asks, ready to do whatever it takes.
Rin shakes his head, "Just give me measurements of how tall you want the statue to be and a drawing or photo of yours. That's all," he says, his voice confident and reassuring.
Scarlett nods, "Ok—" She was about to reply but her expression suddenly turns sour. She touches her forehead, a slight frown on her face, as if she were listening to a voice only she could hear.
"Did something happen?" Xao and Reiza asks in unison.
Scarlett shakes her head immediately, "It's just Aoto reaching me via telepathy. You guys talk, I'll be back in a few minutes," she says, her voice a little distracted.
And the next second, she disappears into thin air, teleporting away in a swirl of energy.
For the next few minutes, those three have a nice chat between themselves, their voices filled with warmth and laughter, bringing back some of their past memories, feeling nostalgic.
"I met Brother Li Feng several times. He hasn't changed a bit. But Sister Xao, you sure have changed a lot," Rin says, his eyes soft with affection.
"What kind of change?" Xao asks, a little curious.
"Despite being the eldest, you used to be more of a drama queen before, just like Brother Li Feng. Especially irritated by long conversations and explaining things, complaining about not wanting to be the next leader. But now you have matured a lot, like a real big sister," Rin explains with a chuckle, his eyes crinkling at the corners.
"Was I? It seems after all the things that happened in our Village and here at DreadHaven, I changed a lot without realizing it," Xao sighs, her voice growing softer, a little sad, but also proud of the person she had become.
"Not in a bad way, though," Rin adds quickly, his voice gentle and reassuring.
Meanwhile, Reiza's head turned between Xao and Rin, her cheeks puffing up in a playful pout.
"W-what about your own sister? Well, it's not like I care about your opinion at all," she says, looking away, a faint blush on her cheeks.
"You're still the same as before, hahaha..." Rin laughs out loud.
At that moment, with a soft wooshh! in the air, Scarlett comes back on her seat like she never left.
She immediately stands up, "Okay, Xao, you got any drawings of mine?"
"Yes, I'll send it to Rin later," Xao nods, her voice calm and efficient.
"Good," Scarlett replies, turning to Rin. "The statue should be the same height as me and made of gold, of course. And as for the measurements..." She looks at her chest and waist, a thoughtful expression on her face.
"I checked it a few months back. 106... 108... How much was it?" she murmurs to herself, thinking about going back to her other Japanese wooden house and finding those notes.
But at that moment, Reiza interrupts, "Don't worry, I got the measurements."
Scarlett immediately gives her a weird look, "Why does she have my measurements?" she thinks, a flicker of suspicion in her mind.
And as if Reiza read Scarlett's face, she adds, "Irish gave it to me."
"And why does Irish have my measurements?" Scarlett's lips twitch, but she decides to not dwell on it. Whether it was Irish, Lunatic, or Reiza, not a single one of them was right in their head, and she had learned to just let some things go.
She exhales, "So, how much time do you need?"
"By tomorrow evening, whether I'll fail or get it done, you'll find out," Rin replies, not giving false hope.
Scarlett nods, "Deal. I should go and do some other things by then," she says.
*****
In Gwarga, inside the royal palace. A huge magic circle, intricately drawn with glowing silver lines, covered most of the floor. Magic crystals, big and small, were piled up in stacks around the circle, pulsing with a soft, inner light. They were there to feed the circle, to make it work without needing anyone's own mana.
A woman with beautiful blonde hair and creamy white skin, wearing a simple but elegant nun costume, was kneeling on the ground right in the center of the circle. Her eyes were closed, her lips moving silently in prayer, her whole being focused on the task at hand.
While King Leonidas stood there as a bystander, watching over the whole process alone. He was rubbing his palms together in a greedy way, a nervous habit he couldn't seem to break.
"Let this summoning be successful... please" he murmurs to himself.
Scarlett had warned him, very clearly, to not summon any more heroes from another world. But now that the situation had escalated too much, with war on the horizon, he needed some kind of back-up.
"I have to make sure Lady Scarlett doesn't find out about this," he thinks to himself, sweat forming on his forehead.
But at that moment, his doom comes as a voice speaks directly in his ea.
"You wanna die?"
It was without a doubt Scarlett's voice.
He immediately turns around, his body moving on pure instinct, and sees Scarlett standing right behind him, her arms crossed, her expression unreadable but terrifying.
All the color was immediately drained from his face, turning him a sickly pale.
He almost jumps back in fear"M-Miss Scarlett! No, Your Highness... What made you come here?" he asks, his whole body trembling, his voice a high-pitched squeak of fear.
"Don't fuck with me. I warned you to not summon any more heroes," she says.
But before she could say anything else, Leonidas immediately turns around, his movements clumsy and panicked. "Yes... Yes, I made a grave mistake," he immediately says.
He turns to the nun woman, who was still sitting on her knees, still focused on her prayer, completely unaware of the new arrival.
He shakes the nun a little, his grip tight and desperate. "Saintess Clara, there's no need for a summon. You can go back," he says in a high-pitched voice, trying to sound calm but failing miserably.
The Saintess opens her eyes, still confused by the sudden interruption. "Huh? But why my lord?" she asks, standing up in confusion, her blonde hair falling over her shoulders.
"Don't ask questions, just go," he says, dragging her forcefully in desperation.
At that moment, Clara's gaze lands on Scarlett, and her eyes widen in awe. "Whoa..." she was immediately mesmerized by her beauty, despite being a Saintess.
Her body refused to move an inch, she just couldn't look away, as if she were seeing a goddess in the flesh.
"Just go already!" he puts more effort into it and finally throws her out of the throne room.
Scarlett nods to herself proudly, a small, smug smile on her face. "Only Truck-kun have the right to isekai," she mutters under her breath.