Chapter 19

Chapter 19. The First Hero (13)

Clank. Clank.

Haiman, the King of the Terk Kingdom, looked down at his clanking legs.

Both of his legs were fitted with Leg Machines made of metal.

“Is there no way to reduce the noise?”

Haiman disliked the sound of friction that came every time he walked.

The unpleasant clanking constantly reminded him that he no longer had legs.

“When the next crisis comes, I need to make sure something like this doesn’t happen again.”

Haiman sat down on the chair beside the experiment table.

As he sat, he looked down at the Leg Machines.

Seeing Leg Machines where his healthy legs should have been made anger boil inside him.

But the anger quickly faded.

Haiman preferred to remain calm rather than give in to rage.

“Next time, I could lose an arm.”

Haiman’s legs had been severed by the sword of Lord Bantart.

Lord Bantart, who had led the Demon King’s army, had already withdrawn.

No one knew when he might invade again.

“I need to prepare. So when that moment comes, I can escape and protect myself.”

Several Leg Machines were piled on top of the experiment table.

They were all Leg Machines Haiman had experimented with.

Haiman picked up one of them and positioned it so he could easily see the sole.

Then he picked up a Mana Circuit Extractor.

The Mana Circuit Extractor looked similar to a pencil, although it was much larger.

A processed mana stone was attached to its tip.

“I need to create an Ejection Circuit. Something that will let me dodge instantly in an emergency.”

Only magic engineers who had studied magic engineering could use a Mana Circuit Extractor.

Magic engineers used delicate mana control while understanding the different types and properties of mana that existed throughout the world.

They used that knowledge to create magic tools that made life more convenient.

Magic engineering was also a field where an unusually large number of students were either wealthy, high-ranking, or highly intelligent.

I’ll finish it today.

Light began flowing from the mana stone attached to the Mana Circuit Extractor in Haiman’s hand.

At the same time, concentrated mana began flowing toward its sharp tip.

Swish. Swish.

Haiman’s hand moved without hesitation.

One mana circuit after another began to appear.

If he moved slightly slower, the mana circuit became thicker.

If he moved faster, the circuit became thinner.

A magic tool could only work properly if its mana circuits remained consistent.

Keeping the circuits even also reduced the amount of mana required to operate the tool.

Because of that, the ability to create perfectly consistent mana circuits was important enough to be considered one of the main standards for judging a magic engineer’s skill.

Ssssss. Ssssss.

The newly drawn mana circuits glowed with light.

Haiman focused completely on them, carefully moving the Mana Circuit Extractor with all his concentration.

A thin layer of mana covered his eyes, helping him inspect whether the mana circuits were being formed correctly.

It was the Mana Circuit Auxiliary Eye (A) skill, something every magic engineer possessed.

While moving the Mana Circuit Extractor with his hand, he also had to control the mana gathered in his eyes.

The delicate work continued.

Ssssss.

Haiman’s lips tightened with concentration.

Without the slightest distortion, the mana circuits continued forming exactly as he intended.

The light from the mana stone attached to the Mana Circuit Extractor began to flicker.

But Haiman was so focused on the mana circuits that he failed to notice it.

Hooong.

Haiman exhaled through his nose, trying to calm his excitement.

It was still too early to celebrate.

All I need to do is finish the mana circuit that determines the strength of the ejection.

This was the most perfect set of mana circuits he had ever created.

He had maintained their consistency from beginning to end.

When he first started making these circuits, their unfamiliar structure had caused him to repeatedly fail.

Even when he finally managed to complete the circuits properly, the ejection strength could not be controlled because the circuits had not been consistent.

Sssss...

The power drawing the mana circuit suddenly weakened.

Then it completely stopped.

Crack.

A crack appeared in the mana stone attached to the Mana Circuit Extractor.

The device stopped working.

Haiman froze while still holding the Mana Circuit Extractor in position.

Hoooo... Haaaa...

Only Haiman’s breathing could be heard inside the silent laboratory.

After taking several deep breaths, Haiman finally spoke.

“It’s ruined.”

Because the power creating the mana circuit had weakened, some parts of the circuit had become thin while others had become thick.

“Ah...”

Haiman lowered the Mana Circuit Extractor from his hand.

“If I’d known, I would’ve used a new one.”

If he had used a new Mana Circuit Extractor, he would have been able to make the circuits consistently.

Haiman blankly stared at the light hanging from the laboratory ceiling.

“Has it been three months?”

That was how long he had spent drawing these mana circuits.

After countless failures and repeated trial and error, he had failed right before the finish line because of something so ridiculous.

He had never imagined that the mana stone in the extractor would run out of power.

“I should’ve used a new mana stone.”

He had been so focused on creating the mana circuits that he failed to notice the warning signs indicating that the mana stone was running low on power.

Haiman looked at the mana stones scattered across the experiment table.

They were replacement stones.

He only needed to replace the mana stone and start drawing the circuits again with a fresh mindset.

But his hands would not move.

“I can’t do it anymore.”

Haiman rose from his chair and opened the laboratory door.

A familiar face was standing outside.

“Did the experiment go well?”

“Serina, what brings you here?”

It was rare for Serina to visit his laboratory.

Has she ever come here on her own, other than when I invited her after completing the ejection mana circuit?

After struggling for an entire year, Haiman had finally created the Leg Machine.

He had explained it to Serina and revealed it to her for the first time.

The flames ejecting from the soles had been far stronger than expected, so he had been unable to control his body.

In the end, he lost his balance and fell.

She had not visited after that.

This was the first time since then that she had come on her own.

I should have stopped experimenting after that first attempt.

At the time, Haiman had thought he only fell because the power of the flames had caught him by surprise.

He gathered himself and tried a second time.

He fell again.

It felt like he only needed a little more work.

So he refused to accept failure and kept trying.

Three times, four times, five times...

He continued without rest.

He still clearly remembered Serina silently leaving while he kept trying.

Haiman was remembering that embarrassing past when Serina’s voice pulled him back to reality.

“I came to ask you to take a walk with me. When your experiments don’t go well, you stop moving around completely.”

“How did you know...”

“Whenever you started training, you wouldn’t sleep or eat. You would focus only on your sword and your body. So I don’t need to see you to know. I was born into a knight family, but I still know a little about magic engineering.”

Serina’s unexpected visit and caring words made the frustration from today’s failed experiment disappear.

“A walk sounds good. Let’s go.”

It had already been a long time since he had seen sunlight.

Clank. Clank.

The unpleasant sound bothered him.

What did Serina think while walking beside him?

He had always wondered.

Serina had come here herself and tried to understand him.

But he was afraid that if he brought up his legs, she might respond with irritation or resentment.

He could already imagine her frowning face.

That fear had kept him silent.

“The sunlight feels nice.”

After reaching the garden, Serina stood beneath the sunlight and formed a beautiful smile.

Seeing how beautiful she looked, Haiman put aside the question he had been planning to ask and brought up something else.

“How long have we been married?”

“I think it’s been four years.”

Serina had suffered greatly after losing their child in a miscarriage.

Ah, that wasn’t what I meant to bring up.

Haiman had tried to change the subject, but instead, he had touched one of Serina’s painful memories.

And naturally, memories from before he lost his legs came back to him.

When Serina began avoiding sleeping together, Haiman thought the only thing he could do for her was give her time to accept her grief.

So he waited.

And while he was waiting, he lost his legs.

Four years had passed like that.

Today.

Even though he tried changing the subject, the conversation still somehow led back to his legs.

It almost felt as though the situation itself was telling him that he needed to speak about it today.

Gulp.

He had originally wanted to change the subject.

Now that he was about to talk about his legs, he became nervous.

Perhaps Serina noticed his tension.

Her beautiful smile disappeared, and she looked at him as though preparing herself to hear what he was about to say.

“Lord Bantart cut off my legs.”

Serina’s expression changed in surprise.

Neither of them ever spoke about Lord Bantart.

It was painful for both of them.

It only became a burden for both of them.

And it was something neither of them could solve.

When Haiman suddenly brought up such a painful subject, Serina carefully chose her words.

“If it hadn’t been for Cha Hyunwoo, Guild Master of the Fist Rice Ball Guild, things could’ve ended terribly. Whenever I think that you might not even be standing here today, I feel truly grateful.”

If Cha Hyunwoo had not been there, Haiman would not be standing before her now.

Serina would never have been able to see Haiman’s clear white skin, his soft silver hair, or the blue eyes visible beneath it.

“That’s right. I survived because of him.”

Haiman remembered the past.

And as he did, he finally understood Serina’s feelings.

There’s no irritation. No resentment. She’s smiling just because I’m still alive.

Haiman looked at Serina.

Her golden eyes looked up at him beneath her long blonde hair.

Her red lips held a bright smile.

And he liked knowing that this smile was meant only for him.

For a short moment, neither of them spoke.

Only the chirping of birds could be heard.

Their eyes met.

Both of them took a step toward each other.

But then the unpleasant clanking sound prevented Haiman from completely losing himself in Serina’s gaze.

“Doesn’t it bother you?”

“What bothers me?”

“The sound from the Leg Machines. Don’t you hate it?”

“I was born into a knight family. Do you know what they say to soldiers who hate that sound after getting a Leg Machine?”

Serina’s face was close to his.

It had been a long time since Haiman had seen Serina’s face from this close.

After thinking for a moment, Haiman answered.

“We thank you for your sacrifice. With your new legs, open a new path! There is no one in this world who can stop you!”

“Pfft.”

Haiman had spoken quite seriously.

But when Serina could no longer hold back her laughter, curiosity rose inside him instead of irritation.

“Was that wrong?”

“Yes, completely wrong.”

Swish.

A pleasant fragrance reached his nose.

Serina’s hand gently moved across his back.

Her slender hand carried a soft and comforting warmth.

“You worked hard.”

At those simple words, tears gathered in Haiman’s eyes.

He had accomplished nothing.

There had been no result.

Yet Serina seemed to know exactly what he needed to hear.

It felt as though she was accepting even the process of failure as a result in itself.

Why had he worried so much?

With just those few comforting words, one huge burden seemed to disappear from his heart.

“Are you crying?”

“I was only moved for a moment.”

“I didn’t expect us to have a conversation like this.”

“About what?”

“Something. Why do you think I came looking for you?”

Come to think of it, Haiman had only received comfort.

He still had not asked why Serina had come here.

She must want to talk about those three.

Sir Tern would properly train the knights.

Count Tornzer and Park Seokdu, Guild Master of the Fist Rice Ball Guild, would be responsible for preparing against another demon invasion.

Haiman had decided to leave those matters to the three of them and focus on completing the Leg Machine.

That was why he had buried himself in research.

But Haiman’s guess was wrong.

“Should we have steak? It’s been a while.”

“Come to think of it, I haven’t had much of an appetite, so I haven’t been eating properly. So that’s why you came.”

When Serina first entered the laboratory, she had already said that he probably had not been eating properly.

Why had he failed to notice immediately?

“Focus. You’re out of the laboratory now, so focus on me while we talk. Don’t keep thinking about the past and trying to figure things out from it.”

“Ah, is it written on my face?”

“Yes. Very clearly.”

Serina answered with a smile.

If he eats something delicious, his head will clear up and his experiments will probably go better too. I wonder when Oppa will come back.

Serina happily imagined it as she linked her arm with Haiman’s and walked beside him.

Then she thought about Kosdal, and her mood became slightly gloomy.