Chapter 84

“…”
Ming Hu stared blankly at the old man who had offered to shake his hand, the Sith, the fourth in command of the Imperial Magic Corps.
“…why on earth would you…
The position of head of the imperial magical corps is not a lowly one; they take orders from no one but the emperor himself. Their position is so high that even the Grand Dukes and Dukes, who are directly under the Emperor, cannot boss them around.
Furthermore, the position of Master is not easily attained. To become a Master, you must first master the 7th Circle of magic in the Empire. Currently, the number of mages in the Empire who have mastered the 7th Circle is 10, and only those 10 are eligible to become a Master.
“So why would they…
Ming Hu didn’t understand why great men would come to him, shake his hand, and be flattered and honored.
“Huh huh.”
The Sith smirked and pulled his hand back when Ming Hu didn’t return his handshake. Ming Hu looked at the Sith and said.
“I have a real question.”
I was really curious.
“Why are you doing this to me? I’m just a blacksmith.”
From their point of view, they really wondered why he was doing this to them, just a blacksmith.
“Heh, heh, yes. Myung Hu is a blacksmith.”
But Ming Hu frowned at the Sith’s next response.
“So… Why is it an honor to meet me, a blacksmith?”
Ming Hu asked straightforwardly, and the Sith looked a little taken aback, then opened his mouth to speak.
“I’m sorry. I made a mistake.”
“…?”
“I’ll leave you to it, but I’ll tell the others.”
The Sith’s reaction and words that followed left Ming Hu bewildered. What did he do wrong and why was he apologizing? Moreover, it was clear that the other men Sith was referring to were the leaders. What would he tell them?
“Still, it was an honor to meet you.”
The Sith bowed slightly as he spoke, then tapped the floor with his staff.
Jumbled
He turned and began to walk away from the forge. As Ming Hu watched the Sith’s back, he saw another old man enter the forge.
‘…’
As expected, the old man was also dressed in the robes reserved for imperial mages.
‘It must be the director.
But when Ming Hu saw the Sith dragging the old man who had just entered, he turned away and walked to his workbench.
“…Why did this happen?
As he walked to his workbench, Ming Hu pondered how he had gotten into this situation.
‘That’s definitely where it started…’
I remembered Crime, the first leader of the Imperial Palace Mages, when he came to the forge to talk to me.
“I’m sure… we were talking and then he suddenly changed his tone.
When asked about his identity, Crime suddenly smiled. From then on, he spoke and acted differently, as if he were dealing with someone else.
‘You can’t be… Did you mistake me for someone else?’
I thought about it, and it made sense. If that’s the case, then it makes sense that the directors are coming to visit now.
“But… who did I get confused with?
Who did he mistake himself for? No ordinary person. If he were an ordinary person, the captains wouldn’t have come looking for him.
‘I’m so honored to be visited by a 7th Circle master… No way.”
Ming Hu’s eyes widened slightly at the sudden realization.
“Dragon?
If they had mistaken him for a dragon, it was entirely possible. Seventh-circle masters, nearly the best in magic, are proud beyond measure, and even knights of their own rank are considered beneath them, and the only creature they can think of that would be so honored is a dragon.
“No.
But Ming Hu soon shook his head.
“If I thought I was a dragon, I wouldn’t be able to do this.
This dragon is said to destroy entire empires if it is even slightly disturbed. If he thought of himself as a dragon, he wouldn’t be so sneering.
“…Who the hell is that.
Ming Hu thought about it for a moment, but soon dismissed the idea.
“They’re not going to believe me anyway.
Even if you find out who you’ve been mistaken for and tell them it’s not you, they won’t believe you. You could tell by the way they didn’t believe you when you kept saying you were a blacksmith. For some reason, they were convinced.
“It might be helpful later.
They’re 7th Circle Masters, and although they’re mistaken, they’re actually trying to make friends with themselves. I thought that if I make friends with them, I might be able to use them one day.
‘Well. It’s not like it’s in the way.’
All they do is come up to you, shake your hand, say it’s an honor, and try to make a connection. It’s annoying and embarrassing, but it’s not intrusive.
“Let’s make it!”
Ming Hu opened the crafting window, selected the Iron Greatsword, and pressed Craft to begin crafting the Iron Greatsword.
* * * * *
‘The new guy… No, he’s not…
Nerfai glanced at Ming Hu and thought.
“So you’re a nobleman after all?
At first I thought he was a nobleman, but when he said he wasn’t, I believed him. But then I realized it wasn’t.
‘No, even if you’re a nobleman, you’re not.’
The leaders of the imperial magical troupe are helpless, even if they are grand dukes and dukes. Even if they were noblemen, their reactions were incomprehensible.
“What the hell…
But what was clear was that he didn’t have an ordinary identity.
‘Grrr…’
But just because Nerfai, an ordinary blacksmith, thought about it didn’t mean anything. That’s when it happened.
“That Nerfai.”
“…”
Nerpai suddenly saw Ming Hu standing before him, calling out to him. Of course, he said nothing.
“How do I say it?
I wasn’t sure if I should raise or lower the horse. Based on the situation so far, I felt like I should raise the horse, but somehow I didn’t want to raise it again.
“You’re here for a reason… you’re hiding your identity.
I don’t know who he is, but he’s here for a reason. Nerfai opened his mouth to speak.
“Why did you call me?”
“Oh, there’s something I was wondering, can I ask you a question?”
* * * * *
Alkan Helioca was currently being debriefed in his office.
“I see. Go.”
The Red Knights’ leader, Forren, who had been waiting for him to finish his report, bowed his head in acknowledgment of Alkan’s words and left the chamber.
“What next?”
“It’s Wizardmaster Crime’s turn to report.”
“Hmmm. Is Mr. Crime here? I’ll get him right away.”
Profit
At Alkan’s words, the door to the office opened and Crime walked in.
“I see His Imperial Majesty the Emperor.”
Crime dipped his head slightly in acknowledgment, then lifted his head to look at Alkan.
“Imperial Palace Mages, I’d like to report that the ongoing construction of the magic circle at the walls of Levera is currently 70% complete and should be finished in the next five days, and ….. Lastly, three members of the First Mage Corps have been killed.”
“The members?”
Alkan asked, and Crime replied with a bitter smile.
“Yes, and the reason I’m here in person today is because I have something else to tell you about this.”
“More?”
Alkan’s words were echoed by Crime.
“Do you remember Karot?”
“Ah, the lesson about stealing that golden book and running away. I remember.”
“The creature has learned the Forbidden Book. The three dead members went to stop him when he returned and died.”
“Hmmm, what happened to him?”
“…”
Crime was silent for a moment at Alkan’s question. When Crime didn’t say anything, Alkan looked slightly surprised.
“You didn’t catch it?”
Crime was silent for a moment at Alkan’s words, gathering his thoughts once more. Then he opened his mouth to speak.
“Yes, sir. Karot, the guy killed three of our members and disappeared, untraceable as he was that day, but-”
Alkan shook his head at Crime’s stuttering speech. Crime smiled at Alkan’s confusion. Then he continued.
“In the process… I found what I believe to be Secret Knight.”
“…!”
Alkan’s eyes widened as he looked at Crime.
“Incognito…you mean Knights?”
“I certainly don’t have proof that he’s the Secret Knight, but I’m pretty sure he is, and-”
Crime trailed off again, then continued.
“He is currently working as a blacksmith in the forge.”
“…A blacksmith?”
“Yes, the forge is currently using the name Ming Hu.”
“I see… how many people know about this?”
“It’s just me and the directors.”
“Hmmm.”
At Crime’s words, Alkan let out a short breath before opening his mouth to speak.
“I use the name Ming Hu for my forge and… wait. Did you say Ming Hu?”
“…?”
Crime looked puzzled for a moment at Alkan’s reaction, then nodded and said, “I’m sure you’re right.
“Yes, I’m using the name Ming Hu.”
At Crime’s words, Alkan glanced to the side.
“Reville, I think I heard the name Ming Hu in the debriefing earlier.”
At Alkan’s words, Revil, who was beside him, opened his mouth to speak.
“Yes, Ming Hu was the name of the man who made great contributions to the empire by making armor.”