The Herb King

143 The Story of the Blacksmith

Aethelwolf stood up and faced Janrose. “Practice what you have learned just now and familiarize yourself with it. Take the carriage and go back to the mansion, but don’t leave just yet. You are still covered in sweat and I don’t want your mother to misunderstand us again.” He cracked a joke to lighten the atmosphere. He then patted her shoulder before he left his office.

Janrose wanted to say something, but she ended up looking at his figure silently as he went out of the office. His back looked straight and tall as if there was nothing wrong with him. Only she knew that her teacher wasn’t in a good situation. “I promise that I’ll win the competition tomorrow!” She muttered as she wiped the last traces of tears on her face.

Aethelwolf jumped from the balcony. He didn’t want his employees to see him right now.

“Sir Aethelwolf, are we returning to the mansion?” Albert asked as he furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. He noticed that Aethelwolf’s face was pale and there were also visible traces of sweat on his face. Others might not be able to notice it, but he knew that something was wrong. However, he didn’t dare ask anything.

Aethelwolf shook his head. “You will stay here with Rendell. Wait for Janrose and take her to the mansion with you guys. Also, let Rendell have a spar with her.” He said in a calm voice. He then searched for Hyacinth and found her sleeping inside the carriage.

Aethelwolf didn’t want to disturb her, but he needed someone to take care of him at this moment. He poked her cheeks and she immediately woke up from her slumber. “Eh? Sir Aethelwolf!”

“Follow me back to the mansion. We will return first. I want to rest.” Aethelwolf activated his skill [Virtual Map] to check the surroundings and he heaved a sigh of relief after seeing that there were no red dots.

“Aethelwolf, you look weak. I can sense it. What happened to you?” Olivia tilted her head as she looked at Aethelwolf with a perplexed look. Her huge pair of eyes showed traces of confusion the more she stared at him.

.....

“I’m fine. Take us back to the mansion. We are leaving first.” Aethelwolf grabbed Hyacinth’s waist before he jumped onto the giant bird’s back.

Olivia became more curious, but she knew that it wasn’t the best time to ask. She flapped her wings and flew into the skies.

Albert stared at the disappearing figure of the large bird with a frown. “What happened to Sir Aethelwolf?” He muttered to himself.

In the skies, Aethelwolf suddenly said. “Use your world essence to protect us from the air pressure.”

Olivia did as she was told, but she could no longer resist asking. “What happened to you?”

“A backlash from performing a certain skill. That is all I can tell you. I will be fine after three days of rest. Be patient during the next three days and once I recover, I will think of a solution on how you can follow me anywhere with no restrictions.” Aethelwolf was talking in beast language so Hyacinth didn’t understand anything he said. It was at this moment that she knew that Aethelwolf could truly communicate with magical beasts!

“Is that even possible? How can I follow you around with no restrictions? You humans are so troublesome and there are a lot of rules that need to be followed. Even a simple walk to the city is a difficult thing to do...” She muttered with a tinge of anger as she recalled the damnable little bastards that threw stones at her.

“I know it sounds impossible, but what if I can help you turn into a human?” This was the only possible solution he could think of. He knew that Olivia, Kerren, and Alba would suffer a lot in the future if they remain cooped up in the mansion. Magical beasts didn’t like to be confined in one place and it was more so for wild magical beasts like them. It would be different if he could help them turn into a human, but that was impossible. However, he had read a children’s story in their old home in Barden City. It was about a Blacksmith who fell in love with a Spirit Fox. The Blacksmith created a unique necklace for the Spirit Fox and gifted it to her. The moment the necklace was tied to the Spirit Fox’s neck, the Spirit Fox transformed into a human and they ended up becoming a happy couple.

Aethelwolf didn’t take the story seriously back then, but he found out that it must have happened a long time ago. A simple necklace couldn’t turn a magical beast into a human, but Aethelwolf knew what kind of necklace the Blacksmith in the story made for the Spirit Fox. It was a Divine-Rated item that only Level 5 Blacksmiths could make! The only issue is that Aethelwolf is not a Level 5 Blacksmith yet. He was only at Level 4 at this moment and he was not confident that he could create a Divine-Rated item.

“Turn into a human...” Olivia muttered to herself. She didn’t hate the idea of turning into a human. She was sick of the chaos in the wilderness and perhaps being human might be a great change of pace for her. However, was that even possible?

“Can you do it?” She asked in a low voice.

Aethelwolf was silent for a moment. He couldn’t make a Divine-Rated item with his current talent in smithing. ‘What if I input a Level 4 Transformation Rune and a Spirit Concealing Rune in a Unique-Rated item? Wouldn’t that make the same necklace that the Blacksmith made for the Spirit Fox?’ He thought excitedly. It was possible. The only problem is that he couldn’t make an item with inexhaustible energy so the final product might have some limitations.

After a moment of silence, Aethelwolf answered confidently. “I can do it. I promise you that I can make it happen, but you have to be my little sister when that time comes.” He chuckled jokingly.

“If you can really make it happen, I don’t mind...” An almost undetectable voice entered his ears.

“What did you say?”

“Nothing.”