Chapter 695: Eleina's Return
Northern strutted towards the private forge with a somber mood. There was a lot he had to think about, most of which revolved around the sudden ability he discovered.
The strength was going to be a great boon to him. He was not sure as of now, but he suspected that the talent might be able to affect his stamina. This was actually the main reason he was interested in the talent.
Of course, subsidiarily, he yearned for the strength it had to offer. Being able to lift a boulder with one arm, shatter mountains with incessant, crushing punches-that was no slouch of a dream after all.
He loved it. He really loved the new development. What he did not love, however, and what bothered him, was how much Aster had come to ruin his plans.
If he had known the boy actually had a chance of winning, or had not stupidly forgotten that the void essence he was using ate from his own stamina, things wouldn't have been so bad.
His words and his blessings to Aster had orchestrated his win. That win had now given the Combative school an idea of what to expect.
What was he to do exactly?
His plan was to use the might of the Starchasers to crush them, to show how the people they had looked down on and never imagined themselves winning against were able to crush them completely, and there was nothing they could do about it despite being the Combative school. But now that Aster had given them a glimpse of what to expect, he felt cuffed, blocked, and restrained. He felt like his stage had been taken away from him.
Now what was he to do...
'What to do... what to do...'
Northern scratched his forehead painstakingly as he walked forward.
Suddenly, a familiar voice beat violently in his eardrums.
"You scoundrel! What are you doing walking like you own this entire place?!"
Northern immediately jerked his head up, eyes widening.
"Eleina! You are back!"
He hurried his steps, almost running towards her. On getting closer to the forge, her entire form revealed before his eyes.
His legs suddenly slowed down and came to a stop. His eyes widened even more, trembling as they traced her entire figure down to her legs.
'...incomplete?'
Her legs... were incomplete...
"What?" Northern muttered, then moved closer to her sharply and held her shoulders and looked down.
One of her pants had been rolled up; only one leg was touching the ground. Wooden crutches rested on the short wall of the forge just by her side.
Also, one of her eyes was bandaged.
"What happened?"
Northern's voice quaked.
Eleina frowned, a ferocious look glowing in her crimson eye.
"Some things... they are not for you to know. Have you been able to finish the assignment I gave you?"
She looked around the forge.
"I don't see it around..."
Northern let out a soft chuckle and scratched the middle of his head.
"Ha, ha, right, right, it's not around. I actually have just a phase or two to cross, I will be done with it. How was your voyage to the continent?"
"More or less..." She shrugged and grabbed her crutches.
She looked around the forge and stared deeply into his eyes for a few seconds.
The air was silent, with the rushing of the stream and soft chirp of wind creatures filling the background like a sound from a muffled room.
Northern, having had enough of her glare, raised a brow slowly and carefully before asking.
"Is everything okay...?"
"Tell me about yourself."
Northern squinted his eyes, utterly caught unguarded.
"Uhm? Sure, yes I guess...?"
"Your parents, to be particular. What kind of home do you hail from? Are you a noble?"
Northern paused for a couple of seconds, then scoffed.
"A noble? I wish. I'm from the countryside of Verulania. I don't have much going; my father is
a local hunter and my mom excels at bread making."
"Oh? Quite a humbling home you came from... how are your parents?"
Northern shrugged. "I don't know, here and there in the Central Plains I guess."
She re-held her crutches and stomped them slightly on the ground, moving forward.
"You should find a way to check up on them. Things have become very difficult and dangerous in the Central Plains."
Northern creased his brows a little bit.
"What do you mean? Just go straight to the point."
"The Central Plains... a war is brooding..."
Northern's frown deepened, a shadow falling over his face.
"Is that why you lost a leg and an eye?"
Eleina raised her head to meet his face.
"Don't bother yourself about it. My uncle had it worse."
"Your uncle? You have an uncle around?"
Eleina smiled. "He doesn't show his face around often. But he is the head blacksmith of the
forge."
"Oh? I guess a face comes to mind. Aside from the red hair, I don't see any resemblance."
Eleina shrugged and slowly stepped forward.
"Anyway... be good. Finish the work and send it to me. I trust you did not do shit!"
Northern slowly watched her walk away, her crutches clicking gently against the tiled ground.
After a while, she had gone from his view.
He sighed and leaned on the short wall of the forge, folding his arms with a dark frown reforming his countenance.
"What could have happened? She said she had a job to deliver, only to come back with a
missing leg and an injured eye."
He paused for a couple of seconds.
"Should I look into this...?" He thought aloud for a moment, and then suddenly the dangerous
glow in his eyes died down.
'It's none of my business.'
Bringing out the sledgehammer from the embrace of the limitless void, he entered the forge
and dropped it on the ground.
The hammer was smudged with gore of many colors, prominent with crimson.
All he had to do was clean it up and deliver it to Eleina.
'I wonder if she will still be going to the Central Plains to develop this.'
Somehow, Northern just could not avert his attention from Eleina and what might have
happened to her.