As they continued to eat their food, Merial was teaching Rin about the runic alphabet that they used. The elf wrote down several markings on a piece of paper and explained the sounds they created. Meanwhile, Rin was absorbing the information at a terrifying pace and could replicate the elf’s teachings within a mere twenty minutes.
“So, you can read. Just like that?” the ranger asked incredulously.
“Yeah,” Rin shrugged.
The elf stared at the girl blankly before sighing and shaking her head.
“So many questions...” she muttered, “And I’m guessing you don’t have any answers?”
To that, the white-haired girl simply gave a slight smile prompting the elf to sigh once again.
“Alright let’s get going,” Merial said.
The elf called for the waitress to come and handed her the payment as the two left the shop with a goodbye. Merial looked around for a second as if deciding where to go before turning to the right.
While the two walked past many interesting buildings, Rin soon came to hear a faint sound that grew louder as they continued. The sound was familiar to her as memories of the dwarven forges surfaced in her mind. She knew it to be the rhythmic metallic sound of hammers crashing into clanging anvils.
“This here is the Smithy’s Association; they can make you anything armor, and weapon related.” Merial explained.
The elf admired the large building which contained the hardworking blacksmiths of the city. Black smoke rose from the top of the building as the heat emanating from the iron forges could be felt from outside.
Rin looked over the building as she pulled out the horn she had harvested from the boss, ‘Maybe I can do something with this,’
“Do you think they can make something with this?” Rin asked, holding up the glowing horn up.
“I don’t see why not, they should be able to, but you might have to ask one of the better smiths,” Merial replied.
“Hmm, okay,” she placed the item back into her inventory. “So, are we going to go in?”
Merial let out a chuckle, “Nope~ this is just on the way. You remember that offer right...?”
At the ranger’s words, Rin’s body froze as a shiver travelled down her spine.
‘Fuck...’
Merial led the white-haired girl down the street until they eventually came before a small shop.
‘Malkorn’s Cozy Closet,’ Rin read the sign above the wooden door of the shop.
The front of the shop was decorated with bright, colorful banners while a large window displayed what was inside.
‘Why does the name sound so familiar...’ Rin thought, drawing a sense of disgust from the name.
Racking her brain, she tried to find any sources related to the name but couldn’t find anything.
“Are you sure this is the right place?” Rin asked, turning to look at Merial.
“Yup!”
As they opened the door and entered the shop, a soft bell rang out above them to announce their arrival. Inside, they were met with a faint vanilla scent that lingered in their minds.
The walls of the shop were lined with shelves of socks and racks of robes. While the stands held a much larger variety of clothing.
The outfits fitted on them ranged from silky dresses, elegantly fashioned for the women of nobility. All the way to what a commoner would typically wear. While the colors of the clothing were rich and vibrant, ranging from the brightest of yellows to pitches of blacks.
Merial walked around the shop searching for outfits while Rin stared blankly at the wall.
‘What the heck,’ Rin thought.
She had never cared too much about fashion, usually choosing to wear simple clothing that wouldn’t get in the way of fighting.
The sight of the shop was... certainly overwhelming to say the least.
Deciding that getting some more clothes would benefit her, she picked up a random black shirt just as the elf came around.
However, she narrowed her eyes, seeing the large pile of clothes between the ranger’s arms.
“What’s that?” Rin eyed the pile of clothes suspiciously.
“Oh nothing, you’ll just have to wear them for me. As per the agreement,” Merial chuckled.
“All of them?” Rin asked wide-eyed, “Isn’t that too much?”
“This?” Merial flashed an evil grin, “This is only the beginning.”
Rin let out a weak sigh, “Just give me a second...”
She placed down the shirt in her hands and crossed her arms.
“Great! Which one would you like to try first?” Merial smiled.
The elf held up two outfits and placed the rest on top of a nearby table.
“Can I choose another one?”
“Nope!”
“Fine fine, hand the blue one over...”
Taking the outfit from the elf, Rin then created a box with her ice to hide her body.
Making sure that her ice was opaque, she looked down at the outfit in her hands and found something odd. Examining the fabric once more, Rin received a feeling that she could use an ability and immediately used her identify skill on the outfit.
[Blue Dress (Small)]
‘Whoever created this must have a lot of skill for the system to recognize it,’ she thought.
Expecting nothing much, Rin replaced her current clothing with the dress. But she soon noticed that it was quite comfortable.
The dress itself was quite pleasing to the eye. The top was made from a soft white fabric that would fit snugly around her torso. While along the shoulders and neckline of the dress, a delicate lace was elegantly woven into the fabric. As for the skirt, it was made from a light blue fabric that hung just under her knees.
It certainly displayed the masterful expertise of its creator. However, Rin didn't think much about the outfit other than how it flowed along with her every movement.
Anyone who could witness this very moment would think her akin to a beautiful flower. But when she looked into her ice, she had the exact opposite thought.
“I look silly...” she muttered.
Although the comfort of the outfit was a factor, it was just too much. Too extravagant.
Undoing her ice, she was met with a Merial with eyes Rin could swear contained hearts.
“Do you know who made this?” Rin asked.
Not receiving a reply from the dumbstruck elf. She created a tiny ball of ice and flicked it towards Merial’s forehead, eliciting a pained yelp from the ranger.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
“Ow! What was that for?!” Merial exclaimed, rubbing her forehead.
Rin let out a sigh.
“Who made this dress? The material feels nice and comfortable, and the system even has a screen for it.”
“Why? Do you like it?” Merial teased.
“It's not like that... just tell me,” Rin pressed.
Bringing a finger to her lips, Merial glanced towards the back of the store before she opened her mouth to speak. But just before she could say anything, she was interrupted by an unfamiliar, deep, and gravelly voice.
“If you’re looking for the creator, that would be me,” the voice echoed from the back of the shop.
Rin immediately turned towards the source of the voice. Her eyes darted around the shop as the temperature dropped.
‘How...?’
Her reaction was unwarranted, but she had good reason as the voice was spoken in her former language.
Hearing a set of footsteps approaching, she drew her blade and steadied herself as a man stepped out of the racks of clothing. He appeared to be in his mid-sixties and wore a white tunic around his tall and thin body.
[Tailor – lvl ???]
At first, there didn’t seem to be anything off about the man until Rin met his eyes. They were a piercing gray, reminiscent of a storm. Gazing into them, there was only one person she knew that shared the trait.
‘It can’t be...’ her eyes widened.
It now hit her; she had just realized why the name Malkorn sounded so familiar to her.
“Why are you here?” Rin threatened under her breath, replying in her old language.
She tightened her grip on her blade as she circled around the store, ready to act at any moment’s notice.
“Hey!? What’s going on?” Merial exclaimed, confusion written all over her face.
But Rin didn’t respond to the elf and instead kept her eyes trained on the man the entire time.
“Now, now... why don’t we calm down dear,” Malkorn said. “Or should I say... Valerie.”
“Shut it,” she growled, “I killed you with my own hands.”
“And yet you’re in this world too,” he took a step forward. “Alive and well it seems.”
Rin slowly began to back away from the man, her blade held high. Although any thoughts of fighting the man would be futile as his levels were far beyond what she could take on at her current level of strength.
Nearing the door, Rin reached around to grab the handle before suddenly her hand was blocked by a sheet of metal.
“Didn’t I say to calm down? Let’s just have a quick chat,” Malkorn said, “Trust me, I won’t do anything.”
Rin glared at the man, "How can I know that you’re not lying to me.”
The man’s flickered with amusement before immediately changing back to its former visage.
“You haven’t changed at all,” he said. “Just ask your friend next to you, I’ll be waiting.”
As the man walked away, Rin kept her eyes trained on his figure. She watched as he sat down at a nearby table. Pulling out a piece of fabric along with a pair of needles before starting to fiddle with them.
She stared at him, examining every movement; every little twitch of his muscle. Making sure that he wasn’t going to do anything sudden. And as nearly a minute passed with the man continuing without a care in the world, she turned to the elf.
“Merial, what do you know about that man?” Rin switched back to Aphenian, releasing her hold on the magic for the shivering ranger.
“I’m not too sure,” Merial said. “He usually has his assistants working for him, but this store has been around for as long as I can remember. And anyone I've heard talk about him only said good things about his wares.”
Unable to accept the elf’s answer, Rin gritted her teeth. She remembered the man’s sins and what he had done to her. Looking over at the man, she stared at him. Examining every detail before releasing a heavy sigh.
‘Just what is he up to...’
Walking over to the man, she sheathed her blade but kept her guard up.
“Made your decision?” His fingers paused as he gazed up at the girl.
Rin narrowed her eyes but didn’t make another comment.
“I’ll take that as a yes,” he chuckled before looking over to the elf. “Miss, would you leave us alone for a couple minutes. I’d like to talk to your friend here.”
“Sure,” Merial agreed, “But uh-”
“Right,” Malkorn said, waving his hand and relinquishing the metal blocking the door.
And once the elf stepped outside the shop, he raised his hand once more as a sheet of metal again covered the window.
“Care for a seat?” he asked, conjuring a metal chair in front of him.
But he didn’t elicit any response from the girl as she continued to glare at him.
“Guess not,” he said and dismissed the chair.
While Rin frowned, noticing that the action hadn’t disturbed the fluctuation of the ambient mana.
“Get on with the point,” she crossed her arms.
“Always in a rush...” he sighed, “Can’t I be happy to see an old friend. After all... our farewells hadn’t exactly ended on a good—”
“No, I think we ended off quite well,” she spat, a sneer growing on her lips. “Now tell me why you’re doing this.”
Unmoving, the man remained silent.
Rin didn’t know why, but his silence filled her with rage. She wished for anything... anything other than this cold denial.
“Answer me...” her voice started with a quiet quiver; gradually growing in strength. “Is it because you hate me? Is this for your own selfish goals? To find your revenge?! Or—”
Her words fell to a faltering whisper.
“To kill me.”
Malkorn finally stirred, and his gaze slowly fell down to his hands. Yet, that was all. There was nothing more than the single movement.
“Say something!” she demanded, clenching her jaw as a blade of ice appeared in her hand.
Rin pointed the weapon at the man, but he remained unfazed; not even a flinch.
“Damnnit...”
Her ice shattered within her hand as she turned around to leave. However, just as she took the first step towards the door, she heard a slight movement behind her.
“...Would you even listen if I told you my truth?”
"What...?"
Her head whipped right back at the man, her gaze locking with his.
"Will you accept my truth?" he echoed.
“Liar!” she yelled, “You have no truth!”
His eyes flashed with remorse.
“...Would you believe anything I say. Valerie?”
Hearing her former name, her eyes ignited with cold fury.
“You took what was mine!” she snarled, the entire shop instantly freezing over with ice. “Fifty. Fifty! Fucking years... gone. All for your selfish goals!”
Malkorn opened his mouth to speak, attempting to form words but not a whisper escaped.
“Coward,” Rin scoffed, the sound echoing through the air.
But just as her eyes were about to leave the man, he rose to his feet.
“It was the only way,” his voice was soft.
“Only way?” she narrowed her eyes in confusion.
“You didn’t know this... but it was slowly killing you,” he said, reaching into his pocket and retrieving a pipe.
“What do you mean?” she asked once more.
“The blood... there was an impurity.”
“An... impurity?”
Her tone was steady, but she didn’t realize that her eyes were trembling.
“Sorry, give me a second,” he paused for a moment, lighting the pipe as a puff of smoke rose into the air.
Rin’s gaze flickered to the pipe, wondering why it was shaking.
“You see,” he began, “When we started the experiments—”
“Experiment?” she interrupted, her eyes desperately searching for an answer in the man’s visage.
“Yes... That very one. The one that changed your entire life.”
‘We? Experiment? Impurity?’
The thoughts surged in her mind as she stared at the man’s face. But she didn’t feel anger, only confliction. Sure, the experiments might’ve uprooted her entire life. But what else did she have? Her parents; slain. She herself? Dead in a week.
Perhaps the experimentation was a mercy. But still, what she didn’t understand was what it had to do with the man standing in front of her.
“Project V-642,” he said, drawing yet another puff of smoke. “An observation on the effects of a blood transfusion between the corpses of a pure-blooded vampire, and an unknown race. Conducted on human organisms.”
Rin understood that much, but the exact details on the blood compound — she had never seen any mention of it before. Even going back to the lab many years later didn’t bear any new information.
“The compound. I knew there was a problem with the equation, an unknown variable within the balance. But we were running out of time, and I pressured the team to speed it up.”
“It was you...?”
Her head ached as her memories jerked back to that hazy dream that she had within the ice dungeon. A girl, writhing in pain atop a stone slab. Injected with an unknown serum.
She didn’t know what to think.
“Yes, it was my fatal mistake,” the hand holding the pipe fell. “I couldn’t... I didn’t want to oversee the operations. Because I knew it would fail.”
The pipe slipped out of his grasp.
“But when I came back, the only thing left was you.” he said. “And if you were alive... then the experiment must’ve succeeded.”
Releasing a drawn-out sigh, he sat back down on the chair with his hands clenched tight.
“I don’t know how you got out of the lab, but I found your unconscious body outside. I remember that day... It was cold.”
She remained silent.
He looked up into her eyes, “No human should’ve survived. Yet somehow... you did.”
The embers of the fallen pipe’s flame fizzled out. While Rin’s fury; it dissipated completely. She stared down at the ground, the ice covering the store slowly melting away.
“What happened next?” she asked, her voice a quiet whisper.
“I brought your body into the lab and ran your vitals. And to my shock, your body restrained the impurity,” he explained. “But I knew that it would take over. Eventually it would corrupt your mana itself, transforming you into a mindless machine. Until death... your body would be a prison for your mind.”
Rin couldn’t understand why, but the words the man were saying only left her confused. How had she never known, and why did he never tell her about this. And even if there was an impurity, why couldn’t he just remove it if he knew what it was.
It just didn’t make any sense.
“Why didn’t you just take the impurity out. Why did you take it away from me after so long.”
The man’s expression hardened.
“The procedure for th—” he shook his head. “You see, your body was too fragile. The effects would’ve been worse than what the impurity would’ve done.”
“Is that why you took me in?” she asked.
The pieces were starting to come together. Malkorn, her former companion, and mentor. The one who had taught her everything. The one that subjected to her to such torture. The one that had betrayed her. And the one that had saved her...
She looked at the man, his old figure almost aligning with the Malkorn in the deepest depths of her memories.
“Why... Why did you take me as your own? Did you only teach me how to fight, how to get stronger just to get rid of the impurity?”
“...Yes, the only reason I took you in was to eliminate the impurity,” he repeated her words.
“But why burden yourself with me. I was just a test subject. And why did you consume—”
Her words halted mid-sentence.
“Why didn’t you just kill me.”
“...I couldn’t.”
His voice wavered yet Rin continued to speak.
“You were going to die regardless,” she said, her eyes lighting up with realization. “It wouldn’t have mattered even if I didn’t kill you.”
“...”
Seeing, the man at a loss for words sent a rush of indescribable emotions through her head. She was torn. One side of her, held all the love, the warmth, the thanks she had for the man. While the other harbored only disgust and thoughts of betrayal.
Rin was conflicted.
“So, what’s with the clothes?” Malkorn said suddenly.
“What?” she responded, breaking out of her thoughts.
“You were never one to care about clothes,” he said. “Your head didn’t get messed up by on the way here, right?”
“Clothes...?”