New Dimension Quest (3)

“It’s been a while, Anvil.” One of the soldiers recognized Kang Shin-hyuk, so the process was expedited. He was guided directly to the queen without the need to explain his existence.

“Who are you?”

“It’s Milia.” Kang Shin-hyuk faced a woman who called him by his Hero Universe ID and made a confused expression. She replied with a sigh as if she found his response ridiculous.

“No way, are you really Milia…?”

“Yes.” Her face was slightly wrinkled, but it was impossible for him not to recognize her. She had been wearing a helmet during the quest previously, but she had removed the helmet at the head to reveal she was a woman. But what about now? She was still wearing a similar set of armor, but she had become a bit taller, and the mood around her had matured much like the rest of her. Brilliant blonde hair cascaded down over her shoulders, and two deep blue eyes stared at him. He had thought she was pretty before, but now an aristocratic atmosphere had added itself to her, making her presence even more overwhelming.

“You definitely look like Milia…”

“Seven years have passed.” Queen Milia casually tossed that out. She was staring at him with her chin atop her hand. She looked almost like a painting.

“After you sowed the seeds of hope in us and disappeared, that was the time it took for us to barely sprout. Isn’t it unreasonable to think we won’t change?”

“There seems to be some room for misunderstanding with that expression!” At the same time, it sounded like she was expressing gratitude; it also sounded like she was blaming him. There also was some room in there for some strange interpretations! The soldiers who had guided him in were staring at him too. She finally broke her stony expression and smiled at Kang Shin-hyuk’s displeasure.

“It’s a joke. I just wanted to be a little grumpy with you, who showed up as we were suffering.”

“You’ve improved your speaking skills after becoming a queen.”

“Seven years have passed. That’s enough time for an unassuming girl to become a shameless queen.” It had only been a little over half a year for him, but the time ratio was 1:15. The soldiers he had met before did seem a little older, so it didn’t take long for Shin-hyuk to be convinced seven years had passed. They had aged well, all things considered.

“How long has passed in your world?”

“About half a year.”

“Half a year? I thought it would be more than that.” Milia laughed and beckoned for the soldiers to retire. When only the two of them were left, she seemed a bit more comfortable.

“Did you know the situation? Are you here to help us once more? There shouldn’t be any more items for you here.”

“I didn’t come for anything. It’s true I’m here to help you, though, so ask me for anything you can. I can’t directly join the battle, however.”

“I see… but still.” Milia stood up from the throne and descended the steps to be on the same level as Kang Shin-hyuk.

“I heard you were a great help to my soldiers.”

“I just temporarily strengthened them.” Of course, it was only a temporary buff. If they wanted to survive in this land, they shouldn’t be satisfied with such passive help.

“The battle is getting fierce. Had the soldiers collapsed there, they might have abandoned the palace.”

“This castle is part of the Ord kingdom…” He had felt it the moment he entered. It wasn’t something that could be built within a few years. Besides, had it been new, it wouldn’t be collapsing in places.

“Is there any reason to insist on this place? The wall seems to have been collapsing.”

“The power of the water orb is stronger here in Ord.” Ah, there was such a thing. Kang Shin-hyuk nodded, recalling why Milia had led the soldiers under the name of Milan against the survival alliance half a year ago.

“…I’ll show you.” Milia seemed hesitant but quickly made up her mind and began to lead him. She opened the door behind the room into a long corridor. Surprisingly, Kang Shin-hyuk was able to detect dark magic running through it.

“Only the royal family can enter. Or their companions.”

“What a great barrier.” Kang Shin-hyuk felt that he could interpret and neutralize the core of this barrier with his spiritual power, but he was smart enough not to say so out loud. Milia was proudly spreading her shoulders as she spoke.

“The first barriers were established by my ancestors, and descendants have strengthened them over the generations. Thanks to that, this corridor was able to survive.”

“It would’ve been better if it was over the planet.”

“If it was, the kingdom would’ve fallen before the world was destroyed.” Milia laughed and proceeded down the hall. They walked for about three minutes when the space around them suddenly expanded. They were in a room with a clean magic circle drawn on the floor, and not a single exit could be found.

“Fountain?”

“Yes.” A small fountain was prepared above the magic circle. Clean water sprung up and fell back down from it as the fountain maintained the same amount of water, but it wasn’t just circulating it. A clear blue marble floated in the center of the fountain, water springing from it. There was probably a water pipe under the fountain that the generated water was flowing through.

“Is the water produced here supplied to the entire kingdom?”

“The entire kingdom would be a bit of an exaggeration. Survivors have been gathering here for seven years, but we are only about 50,000 in number. The amount of water that can be produced by the orb is far more limited.”

“It’s still ridiculous, isn’t it?”

“Right.” Milia looked at the orb of water with faint pride.

“When the first kingdom collapsed, I didn’t even dare think of enduring in this royal city. We ran with the forces he had. The amount of water that can be produced with the help of the magic circle is only enough for about 3,000 people. When we ran away, we had less than 2,000, so I thought that would be enough…”

“But, it’s not?”

“Yes, Anvil.” Milia responded firmly and turned to look straight at Kang Shin-hyuk.

“I need your help. We can’t withdraw from the castle now. You must defend this place. I’ll do anything to help, and give you whatever I can.” Kang Shin-hyuk was interested in the water orb, but there was no meaning in protecting the castle if he took it. Besides, his purpose wasn’t to steal rewards from them, so in the end, he just nodded. However, Milia bit her lip, seeing his expression.

“If you want, even my body…”

“No, that’s fine.”

“That immediate answer bothers me! Thank you for the answer itself, but I really don’t like the speed of that reaction!” Kang Shin-hyuk could feel the irrationally of the world as Milia stared at him.

“I’m not going to make up any nonsense about telling you to cherish your body, but before taking the last resort, think about whether there is a suggestion more tailored to the needs of the customer.”

“I am not a woman who would show off to anyone. What if I need your help so much, but there are no treasures left in this kingdom?” It seemed like she just said her own body was a treasure. Of course, a beauty like her couldn’t be argued with.

“It doesn’t matter if it’s not a treasure, so think about it. Do you have something like Brenite?” Brenite was the magic metal produced in Kieron. Magical metals were precious resources, no matter how simple their properties. It often had a high price point, even on the Hero Universe.

‘Moreover, it’s at least a middle-ranked metal too. My skills were poor last time, but now…’ At that time, he had made a javelin with the Brenite he had obtained from them with his low metallurgy. It was a valuable experience, but now he would be able to produce even better results.

“Brenite?” Milia responded blankly, then clapped her hands after remaining in silence for several long seconds.

“Yes, that was it!”

“It looks like you really just remembered. Didn’t you say it was a specialty of the kingdom?”

“Of course it was. However, it has been too long since it has been possible to mine.”

“Why?”

“It became impossible to distinguish between ore and monster. Everyone who went to mine was slaughtered.” That had put a damper on things.

“There are enough minerals left to be mined. Would you like to go in?” Kang Shin-hyuk paused briefly to ask the administrator.

‘What would happen in that case?’

-You would be caught. It would be better to get help from the soldiers rather than fight in person.

Only

In this situation where you didn’t know when the next battle would be, taking out the troops to the mines was an idea only a demon could use.

“Okay, we’ll get the Brenite later. First of all, I have to start fixing this place.”

“Fix it? I wish you could make our soldiers armor.”

“I’ll do that too, but before that…” Kang Shin-hyuk smiled bitterly, recalling the barrier that was too weak to stop the monsters’ attack.

“I’m thinking of building a wall first.”

“The walls of the giant shield?”

“No.” Kang Shin-hyuk shook his head firmly. The Heroic Shield was already gone. What he would build was a huge steel wall.

He was going to turn it into an artifact.