Chapter 519 – 519. The Thousand and One Nights (2)
“Take the test of the thousand and one nights.”
After hearing Doran’s condition, Zor jumped out of his seat once again and stood up.
Bang!
The fist with the thick Dwarf’s strength slams the table, creating a threatening atmosphere and shouting at Doran in disbelief.
“Are you insane!?”
“…”
“How… How can you ask a human being to take that test!”
“You are qualified. I brought the mark of the Thousand and One Nights.”
“… Hmm.”
Zor’s high-pitched voice of indignation resonated throughout the room, but Doran didn’t move.
Gomon, who crossed his arms and let out a groan as if lost in thought, did not participate in their conversation.
Jorre blushed even more when he saw Doran whose expression did not change despite his words.
“He is human! It is an honorable position and title given to the most outstanding dwarves in our race!”
“No. In fact, Doran, there is no contradiction in what this friend said.”
Interrupting their conversation is Gomon, who has been lost in thought for a moment with his arms crossed.
Zor frowned even more when he saw Gomon, who, unlike himself, agreed with Doran’s opinion.
“… What?”
Zor shifted his gaze from Doran and looked back at Gomon.
“The title of ‘Thousand and One Nights’ is a title given to the ‘most outstanding blacksmith’ in this village.”
“So, of course, among us dwarves… !”
“Right now, in this village, there are not only us Dwarves, but that friend as well.”
“Under! What a dog sound… !”
“Among the qualifications to receive the title of Thousand and One Nights, there is no rule that the race must be a dwarf. So, that friend deserves the test too.”
Regardless of the circumstances, Eunhyeon, as the bearer of the mark, was qualified to inherit the dwarves’ honorable title, Cheonilyajang.
However, there is no way that all dwarves can understand that.
In fact, Jorre was very resentful of the fact that it was a human, not a dwarf, who took the test to inherit the title of Master of the Thousand and One Nights.
“How can you concede that to humans! Don’t you guys have any shame!?”
“Are you that insecure?”
“… What?”
Zoor’s eyebrows twitched at Gomon’s provocation against him.
Accepting the stern gaze that seemed as if he would punch him in the face at any moment, Gomon smiled contentedly as if he had avenged the fight he had earlier.
“If that friend had poor skills as a blacksmith, it would be natural for him to give up or fail the exam. Or are you worried that you will succeed?”
“…”
Jorre didn’t answer, just glared at Gomon.
“Do you think that human has better skills as a blacksmith than you?”
“Shut that mouth!”
“Joy. Anyway, I’m in favor. I’m more curious about that friend’s ability than the title of Master of the Thousand and One Nights.”
“…”
Seeing Eunhyun, who had been listening to the conversation between the three dwarves without looking at her, Gomon showed an interesting expression and expressed her approval of Doran’s proposal.
As a result, two of the three tribes agreed to give Eunhyeon the qualifications for the test.
Even if Zor objected, this decision would not change.
Now, the only thing left is Eun-hyeon’s choice.
As the chief dwarves of the two tribes looked at Eun-hyeon in silence, Zor, who had been expressing dissatisfaction so far, also glared at Eun-hyeon, closing his mouth tightly.
As his gaze focused on himself, Eunhyeon opened his mouth, which had been kept shut until now.
“… I’ll do it.”
“Hoo. Really?”
Gomon made an even more interesting expression at Eunhyun’s words as she answered with an expression without hesitation without worrying a bit.
Rumor has it that even the members of the ‘Red Furnace Tribe’ couldn’t handle Zor’s prestige and pressure, as if he was going to run to Eun-hyeon and glared at him as if he were about to slap him in the face, but the human in front of him accepted it calmly.
It must mean that he has the spirit and skills as a craftsman.
Above all, as long as Eunhyeon had to receive the help of the ‘Black Anvil Tribe’ after taking this test, there was no option to refuse Doran’s proposal.
“Sheesh! Do whatever you want!”
When Eunhyeon accepted the offer and the conversation ended, Jorre immediately left the meeting room.
“Haha! Looking forward to it! Then I’ll be on my way too!”
When Komondo got up from his seat and left the conference room, only Eunhyeon, Lily, and Doran were left in the room.
“…”
“…”
Eunhyeon and Doran didn’t say anything to each other and just stared at each other, creating an awkward atmosphere in the room.
It was Doran who broke the silence and spoke first.
“Did you find a place to stay during your stay in town?”
“No. I was directed to this place by the security right away, so I couldn’t find a place to stay separately.”
“Stay at our tribal dwelling for a while.”
“… All right.”
“Hmm. I will guide you.”
Eunhyeon accepted Doran’s favor and nodded.
After finishing the story, the three of them left the conference room and, guided by Doran, moved Eunhyeon and Lily to the residence of the Black Anvil tribe.
“I apologize for earlier.”
“What do you mean?”
“A rude remark from the chieftain of the Red Furnace tribe. He is… He has a bit of a fiery temper and feels a lot of dissatisfaction about this incident.”
I couldn’t see Doran’s expression as he was walking in the lead, but his words and actions were very polite and polite.
There was a great sense of disparity because it was the polar opposite of the dwarf named Jorre, who was very dissatisfied with his appearance.
Why does Doran show such a polite attitude towards himself, whom he has never met?
Eunhyun didn’t understand.
There were many questions that popped into my head, but Eunhyeon, who said that it was necessary to understand the current situation in the dwarf village, asked Doran after thinking about it.
“Is my visit to this village going to be a big problem?”
“The problem… There isn’t any no. If the problem is that you came too late, then it could be a problem.”
“I came late…”
It was too late to come.
It sounded as if the dwarves were waiting for Eunhyun.
– He… Could it be that he was expecting something from his master?
For a moment, remembering what Lily had said to her earlier, Eunhyeon secretly moved her gaze to Lily.
“Whoops.”
Recognizing Eun-hyeon’s thoughts, Lily tilted her head slightly to the side and smiled at her.
Looking at Lily, who was expressing the words ‘I was right?’ With her face, Eunhyeon couldn’t help but nod her head with a bitter smile.
‘Oran is… You’ve been waiting for me to come back.’
Even though he didn’t know when he would return, and even though he didn’t know if he would die and never come back, Eun-hyeon had no choice but to admit that he had been preparing for the time he would return, even entrusting him with the sign of the Cheonil Night Market.
‘Why?’
What did you expect from yourself?
What did you want me to do?
Unable to know anything, a frustrated heart filled Eunhyeon’s heart.
When Eunhyeon learned metallurgy from Oran, he could only count on one hand the number of times he had a special conversation.
The only conversation between the two was about iron and hammer as blacksmiths, and nothing else was asked of each other.
It wasn’t even taboo, but as if there was no need for anything other than that, I was only immersed in polishing my skills.
The communication method itself was very different from Joo Hyeon-seong who taught him how to fight, Siete who taught him swordsmanship, and the witches who taught him various magic.
So now that I think about it, I realized that Eun-hyeon didn’t know anything about Oran.
What he thought, what he wished for himself, why he taught metallurgy to himself as a human being, even though it was about himself, he didn’t know anything.
Eunhyeon kept asking Doran to relieve this frustration.
“The ‘Mark of the Thousand and One Nights’ is… What is?”
Doran, who continued to walk forward, stopped for the first time.
He turned around and raised his head to look at Eun-hyeon, tilting his head and opening his mouth.
“… Do you know nothing?”
“I do not know. I am… I haven’t heard anything from Oran. So I don’t know why my late visit caused the dwarves to complain.”
“Right. My grandfather… You really must have been an irresponsible chieftain.”
Doran’s bitterly muttered face expressed a very complex thought.
Eventually, she opened her mouth to Eun-hyeon and answered his question.
“The ‘Mark of the Cheonil Night Market’ is literally a symbol of honor inherited from the Cheonil Night Market to the next generation. And it is also a token awarded to a single challenger to claim the title of Master of the Thousand and One Nights.”
“Then this mark was on me…”
After hearing the explanation, Eunhyeon frowned at the worst imaginings that popped into her head.
He realized why some dwarves were looking at him with hostile eyes, and why the dwarf Zorra was so resentful.
“Right. Since Oran, my grandfather, the current honorable position of ‘Thousand and One Nights’ has not been inherited, and that situation has continued to this day.”
It is over 300 years old.
In order to qualify for the position of Cheonil’s Nightmaster, a mark is required, and Oran, who was the Cheonil’s Nightmaster at the time, handed over the mark to Eunhyeon. Being full is unavoidable.
The fact that a human, not a dwarf, had the qualifications for a test that he was not even qualified for was also dissatisfied.
“… Sorry.”
Perhaps Doran, the descendant of Oran, who created this situation, must have heard many complaints from many dwarves, including members of his tribe.
Eun-hyeon, whose head hurt so badly, somehow felt apologetic in his heart, and bowed his head to apologize politely.
“No. It’s not your fault. It’s all what my grandfather did. If you had no idea what the sign meant, you’d understand why you’re here so late. We are… I knew that human lifespan was very short, so after my grandfather passed away, after 100 years, I gave up halfway.”
He didn’t show much interest in why Eunhyeon, a human, could live longer than his own race, the Dwarves.
However, Doran seemed to be at least relieved that Eunhyeon had come to the dwarf village.
“There is an empty house in the tribe for the night, so we will stay there. When can we take the test?”
“I’ll see you right away tomorrow.”
“Okay.”
◆ ◆ ◆
Next day.
Eun-hyeon came to the black anvil tribe’s forge with Lily following him.
Stopping at the entrance of Oran’s smithy, which has been preserved for 300 years, to take the test of the Thousand and One Nights, Doran talks to Eunhyeon.
“Only you can go inside. We do not know this test, which you alone have to take. With no one’s help, no one’s hindrance, companionship…”
“I will wait here. Until the master comes out.”
Lily immediately nodded her head and announced her intention to wait at the entrance.
When Doran nodded slightly and said with a look that he had nothing more to explain, Eunhyeon bowed briefly and entered Oran’s forge.
As Eunhyeon entered the forge, the thick iron door was closed again by the dwarves.
Doran’s explanation that this door would never open until he said he would give up the exam was engraved on his heart again.
“… It hasn’t changed at all.”
The position of the anvil on which he sat and pounded his hammer restlessly.
Toolbox lying around.
Lots of firewood piled up to start a fire in the brazier.
The smithy of Oran, which I hadn’t seen in a long time, was very unfamiliar and evoked nostalgia.
In the meantime, it was maintained as it was in the past as it had been neatly managed by the members of the Black Anvil tribe.
“… Hmm?”
Looking inside, Eunhyeon eventually found a strange box that didn’t seem to have existed before.
It is a box that does not exist in Eunhyeon’s memory, who remembered this place 300 years ago.
After pulling the box forward and checking the lock on the front, Eunhyeon smiled bitterly and murmured.
“… Indeed. Does this mean that no one has challenged you for 300 years?”
There was a groove in the locking device where the mark of the Cheonilyajang fits perfectly, and the same pattern as the one engraved on the mark was engraved next to it.
The reason the pattern of the mark from 300 years ago still remains in the minds of the Dwarves is because Oran engraved it on the lock.
“What are we going to do now? You should give it to anyone. It causes damage to the surrounding dwarves… Why did you hand this over to me?”
He put the mark into the slot while expressing his dissatisfaction to Oran, who couldn’t hear him anymore.
Presumably, this box contained something related to the test task, and opened the box. After checking the contents, Eun-hyeon hardened his face.
“This… Me?”
What was in the box were two sword blades that glowed with silver light.
The two blades, which were just flying without handles, exuded a strong presence that seemed like they could be sucked in just by looking at them.
Looking at the inside of this box, which seemed to contain someone’s passion, effort, and sweat, Eun-hyeon put on a blank expression.
Eventually, he found an iron plate with two blades in it, and carefully reached out and took out the iron plate.
Recognizing the writing on the plate, Eunhyeon immediately realized that it was Oran’s will.
“I couldn’t finish it. So you complete it.”
