Once out of the coliseum, Valyr and the group swiftly made their way to the Crimson Forge, with none of them talking to each other along the way. Of course, Arcenne and Wells still had the questions they wanted to ask Valyr after what had transpired back in the coliseum, but due to the fact that the group of five tagged along with them, they felt like it wasn’t the right time to ask those questions yet.
Naturally, Valyr felt the same way as those two, having multiple questions in his mind that he wanted to know the answers to. However, unlike Arcenne and Wells, whose target of questioning was Valyr himself, Valyr’s target were the five people that had, according to what they told Lucas earlier, appeared to escort Valyr to the Algerie Kingdom.
Though, with his current appearance being the exact opposite of how one should look like before engaging in a conversation, Valyr apologized to the group of five, as well as to Arcenne and Wells once they arrived at the Crimson Forge, hastily making his way to the bathroom to clean off the blood and dirt that enveloped his entire body with a long and thorough shower.
Amidst the faint clanking of metal that echoed from the living quarters of the smithy, Arcenne, Wells, and the group of five looked at each other for a bit in silence, with the first two wondering which side would take the initiative to break the awkward atmosphere that was forming between them.
Thankfully, the five decided to focus their attention on the items and equipment that Valyr had put up for sale inside the smithy, perusing the various display racks that made up the smithy’s storefront as Arcenne and Wells inwardly let out a sigh of relief.
“Do you know any of the five?” Being more or less separated from the five, Wells started a conversation with Arcenne as he asked her a question.
In response, Arcenne looked at the five for a bit before lightly shaking her head. “The Stelyra clan has a lot of connections, so some of the other members might recognize them. However, if you’re asking me, I don’t know any of them.”
“Then again, if there’s one thing I do recognize, it’s the armor that they’re wearing.”
“Does their armor have any significance?” Watching as the five’s eyes glistened with faint excitement from time to time as they continued to browse through the wares Valyr had for sale, Wells posed the question to Arcenne, to which the latter nodded.
“My father mentioned it to me a few times in the past when he taught me about the various large-scale organizations in the region.” Hearing Arcenne’s words, Wells lightly nodded. “He told me back then that members of this organization wore armor that looked simple on the outside, yet contained a lot of power when used in its entirety.”
“Assuming that they came from the Algerie Kingdom, considering how they told Lucas earlier that they were tasked to escort Valyr back to the kingdom, they could only come from that one organization in the kingdom.”
“Is it a combat organization?” Wells asked as he felt it was the most logical answer, only to be somewhat surprised when Arcenne shook her head in response.
“They come from an organization that specializes in production. Well, to be more exact, they come from the largest class guild in the region,” said Arcenne. “Specifically, the Imperial Production Guild.”
“Of course, I could be wrong in my assumptions.” As these words left Arcenne’s mouth, Braum appeared before the two, causing the two to freeze up in place.𝑶𝔳𝓵xt.𝑐𝚘𝐌
With a light smile on his face, Braum let out a chuckle. “As expected from a member of the Stelyra clan to be knowledgeable. Indeed, we come from the Imperial Production Guild.”
“Lady Arcenne, right?” Hearing the question Braum asked her, Arcenne could only nod in response, still feeling tense as she recalled the might the man before her held.
Though, that all disappeared once she heard Braum’s next words.
“It makes all the more sense for you to know about the Imperial Production Guild, then. After all, your father used to be a regular in the guild.”
“You know my father?” With her eyes slightly widened in incredulity, Arcenne instantly forgot the disparity in strength as she proceeded to ask Braum multiple questions about her father. In response to this shift in personality, Braum could only let out a light chuckle.
And with that, the awkward atmosphere surrounding the two groups gradually disappeared, with Arcenne and Braum finding a common bond through Arcenne’s father. On the other hand, Wells found the one that would break the ice through one of the four that accompanied Braum, Tyrst, who found a common bond through their shared dislike of stuck-up nobles.
However, these conversations eventually came to an end once Valyr got out of the bathroom, changing into a set of clean clothes as he placed the damaged Half Wyvern Armor at the workshop portion of the smithy, making a mental note to repair them once everything was settled.
Making his way to the seven, Valyr looked at the two sides in silence before his gaze eventually landed on Arcenne and Wells. “I’m sure you have a lot of questions to ask me.”
“How did you come to know them?” In response, Arcenne and Wells nodded in agreement before Arcenne posed the question to him, eliciting a smirk to appear on Valyr’s face as he replied.
“That’s the thing. I don’t.”
Naturally, both Arcenne and Wells had confused expressions on their faces once they heard this, looking at each other for a bit before looking back at Valyr to see if he would elaborate on his words a bit further.
“I don’t know them. However…” Of course, Valyr knew what they wanted to find out. “I know the reason why they came here.”
Hearing these words, the question that instantly popped up in the minds of the two was to ask Valyr this specific reason. However, as if already prepared for that possibility, Valyr opened his mouth before they could ask the question.
“Arcenne, please thank your father for me.” Listening to what Valyr told her, Arcenne went silent for a bit as the gears in her mind started to turn, eventually recalling a certain incident that had transpired between Valyr and her father sometime ago.
Finally gaining a faint understanding of what was going on, Arcenne lightly nodded in response, prompting the expression on Valyr’s face to turn into that of gratitude. “You could ask your father if you’re curious, though I’ll tell you about it later once we’re done here.”
“Alright.” Understanding what Valyr meant by his words, Arcenne thanked Braum for his time and his help in helping Valyr escape detainment before leaving the smithy. After that, Wells looked at Valyr, who looked back at him with a bitter smile.
“Mind helping me find a blacksmith that could help me out in the smithy for the meantime?” As Valyr asked him this question, the gears in Wells’ mind started to turn, finally getting an idea of what was going on as well. With that, he nodded in response, prompting the smile on Valyr’s face to turn genuine.
“I’ll tell you more about it as well once you come back.”
“Alright. I’ll be back before sunset.” Leaving these words for Valyr, Wells thanked Tyrst before bidding farewell to the five, leaving Valyr and the group of five alone on their own not long after.
Watching Wells’ silhouette gradually disappear from the vicinity of the smithy for a bit, Valyr eventually returned his attention to the five before him, taking in a deep breath as a light smile adorned his face.
“Before we begin our conversation, mind if you introduce yourselves first?”