[LSB] Chapter 106: The Champion

Antagonists.

Some people in life are simply unavoidable—persistent figures who, for whatever reason, seem determined to bring you down. People so out of touch with themselves that their only purpose becomes dragging others into their misery.

For Juliet, that person was Keena.

She wasn’t relevant to Juliet and Julian’s adventures, and yet, somehow, she always found a way to reappear. And now, here she was again, standing in the lobby of the Tower of Forge.

Juliet sat with Julian and Cyrus, waiting for Julian’s license. The guild had offered them a private room, but in the Tower of Forge, all the private rooms were smithies. Julian had refused, knowing that if he stepped inside, he’d be tempted to craft something—and he couldn’t afford to lose track of time. The sun had set, and he needed to return to Earth. Ellie was visiting Ceres-9, and he had promised to be there.

It was weird, it was almost as if Humanity Engineering became Julian’s second home. Well, since he didn’t actually have a home now, it would be more proper to say it actually became his home… and so casually at that.

But not as casual as Keena blatantly making life harder for Juliet.

“I don’t know how you did it, but those people from the Order of Artemia were with you!” Keena was standing next to their table. Julian did not seem to care about her at all as he was busy drinking water. The opposite could be said to Cyrus, who was fully invested with what was happening. He was worried people would start leaving the stream since today’s event was done, and they were only waiting for Julian’s license, but to think another scenario opened up for them.

Truly, never a dull day when adventuring with Julian… it also helped that they had more than a million live viewers right now even when nothing was happening, which was an insane feat.

Julian could say the brand of any product one time, and he could potentially earn a million credits just with a single word.

And now, the viewer count was getting higher again due to Keena.

“Woman, can you please stop it?” Juliet was also getting tired of Keena’s charade. She wanted to just wave her off, but Keena was sticking to her like glue, “You’re the one who called for those people, remember?”

“That’s why I said I don’t know how you did it!” Keena pointed at Juliet’s face before running off again while shouting, “Just wait here, you leech! I’ll expose you!”

Keena’s voice faded into the distance as she ascended the Tower of Forge, her footsteps pounding like a drum with each step.

Juliet, meanwhile, had her hands over her face, utterly mortified that this was unfolding in front of so many people. She stayed like that for a few moments, silently wishing the ground would swallow her whole, before finally letting out a heavy sigh and glancing at Cyrus.

“You said… people are watching through your eyes, right?” She asked.

“Indeed, they are,” Cyrus smirked in amusement.

“Ugh, this is the worst. They’re probably mocking me right now.”

“Not at all, they’re pretty invested with what’s happening and they’re having fun watching that woman’s face get slapped.”

“But no one was slapping her?”

“That’s… a saying in our world.”

“Huh…” Juliet glanced at Julian, and then at the bracelet on her wrist and whispered, “...I wonder if I’ll ever get the chance to visit your world.”

“Maybe not in our lifetime, but anything’s possible. Anyway, head’s up—antagonist coming back.”

“Huh?” Juliet looked to where Cyrus was pointing, only to see Keena marching back toward them with someone in tow, someone she recognized.

“Tybalt?” She said, almost dropping her chair when she stood up. From the way her hands were shaking and her brows frowned, even Julian noticed that she didn’t welcome the man’s presence at all, “You… have the gall to stay in this city?”

“Cousin.” The man, Tybalt, was taller and even more muscular than Julian. His arms were almost bigger than even Juliet’s thighs, and he wasn’t afraid to show it too as he wore a sleeveless shirt that made his chest pop out even more. He stared at Juliet, narrowing his eyes at her before placing his attention on Julian, and Cyrus, who just waved his hand at him with a smile on his face. Tybalt sighed, shaking his head before standing in front of Juliet and saying,

“I can say the same words about you, cousin. Do you think you have any right to stay in this city after you have humiliated our family?”

Cyrus stood up when Tybalt said that, and Tybalt slightly put up his guard when he did so. But Cyrus didn’t approach him and instead took several steps back, causing Tybalt to scoff at him before focusing his attention back on his cousin.

“And you even brought people with you. For what? To humiliate our family even further with these clowns?”

Juliet stared at him for a few seconds before sighing and shaking her head. Her mouth opened slightly, but she chose not to say anything and sat back down.

“You dare ignore me!?” Tybalt, of course, did not appreciate that at all as he slammed his palm on the table causing the mugs to bounce wildly. Not a single drop of liquid spilled, however, as Julian managed to catch and keep everything stabilized. Tybalt looked at Julian to see if he was going to do anything, but he just calmly drank his water and completely ignored his fit.

“Is this the man you’re saying? The one scamming the entire blacksmith guild?” Tybalt said as he glanced at Keena, who immediately nodded back at him. Tybalt narrowed his eyes as he stared at Julian, scoffing as he looked at the tattoo on the back of his hand,

“The Mark of Searadyn. As expected of my cousin’s friends, to fake having a spirit is something I’ve already expected them to do. You better wipe that mark away, or I swear upon you that I will have the guild cut off your—Kh!”

Juliet did not let Tybalt finish his words at all as she slapped him in the face. And if they didn’t have everyone’s attention, they did now. Tybalt was going to retaliate, but before he could do so, a thunderous voice echoed through the entire lobby.

“What disturbance is this!?”

“Master!” A smile immediately crept on Tybalt’s face as he turned to meet the owner of the voice, “These people are creating chaos in the Tower of Forge! You need to kick them out and bar them from entering the city forever!”

The old man quickly marched toward them, his head leaning to the side to look at Julian. And before anyone could say anything else, he smacked Tybalt right on the cheek with a closed fist—and with a blacksmith as old as him, his fist might as well be as hard as an ingot. Julian and the others didn’t know who the old man was, but they recognized him as one of Guildmaster Nega’s apprentices.

“You dare disrespect the guild’s champion blacksmith!?” The old man roared, causing Tybalt to whimper not only from the pain on his cheek but also from how angry the old man was.

“If the master found out about this, I will offer your life to appease his anger! Kneel now!”

“But… champion blacksmith?” Tybalt stammered as he held his cheek. He looked at Julian again before glaring at Keena, who flinched as she hopefully finally realized her mistake. Tybalt didn’t say anything to her, but the look in his eyes was enough for Keena to know that she was in grave trouble after this.

Tybalt closed his eyes and winced. He no longer said anything as he slowly lowered himself to the floor. But before his knees could meet the stone, Julian stood up and said,

“I’m not the one that was troubled.” He pointed at Juliet, “They should apologize to her instead.”

The old man glared at his apprentice, gesturing him to kneel in front of Juliet. But Juliet waved her hands and shook her head.

“It’s… fine,” she said, sighing in disappointment as she walked to Julian and stood by his side, “It’s just an old family matter, there’s no need to involve anyone else. And I don’t really want to sour the mood even more before Boss and I continue our travels in the morrow. Just… I apologize.”

“No…” The old man also sighed while shaking his head, “I am the one who should apologize. I’ve taught the child the skills to thrive, but not the manners to live through it.”

The old man then glared at Tybalt, subtly gesturing to him to scram, and scram he did. Tybalt dragged Keena with him, the two disappearing on the stairs of the Tower of Forge.

Juliet stared at their shadows, and from what she saw, Keena wasn’t just going to get an earful from Tybalt.

“That’s hopefully the last time we would see the cu—her.” She said, clearing her throat at the end to stop herself from cursing. With the two finally gone, Julian hummed in relief.

“Thank you for getting rid of them,” he said to the old man.

“No, and I apologize once again—we have yet to inform the rest of the guild of your status. But as of this moment, you are officially the Blacksmith Guild’s champion, a title traditionally held by the guild master. He has chosen to relinquish it to you. His only regret is that he could not pass it on to you in person, given his age… I hope you understand, Master Julian.”

“It’s alright. Then, I suppose you’re also going to give me my license?”

“Of course,” the old man smiled as he presented a card to Julian. He took it without a second glance, somewhat uninterested.

Juliet, however, leaned in to get a better look. Her eyes widened to their limits as she stared at the card in disbelief.

“It’s… gold?” she gasped, pulling up her own brass license and comparing the two side by side. The stark difference between them made her brows furrow in disbelief.

The old man chuckled at her reaction before explaining, “Master Julian’s license is special. That is the champion’s license, Master Julian. It represents that you represent the best of us when it comes to the forge and creating equipment.”

“Huh…” Julian examined the golden card, staring at his name on it, “...But I only made a bracelet.”

“A Legendary-grade bracelet made from scraps using an aged forge and a rusted, bent hammer,” the old man’s chuckles became louder, “I am almost ashamed to call myself a blacksmith in front of you, Master Julian. The title isn’t the only reason why the guild master granted you this license—he said you were going to Gnarfolk territory?”

“Hmm.”

“Then the license would be of great use to you and your travels. The gnarfolk value strength above all else. They are completely different from us, but as fellow people of Artemis, one of the things they and people like us share is our passion and utmost respect for the forge—and they will recognize your license as a badge of honor.”

The old man took a deep breath, his gaze lingering on the golden card in Julian’s hand with quiet reverence. After a few moments, he exhaled softly, a smile forming on his lips as he took a quiet breath, allowing Julian a moment to take in the significance of what he now held. The golden card gleamed under the dim light, its surface polished to perfection.

After a few seconds, the old man smiled and took a step back, his voice filled with quiet respect.

"That license is proof of your status, Master Julian. It is not just a mark of recognition but a symbol of the trust the Blacksmith Guild has placed in you. I pray you and your party safe travels when the morning comes, Master Julian. After you are done with your adventures, I hope you return here to teach us.”

"Hmm. I can do that." Julian hummed as he slipped the license into his pocket. Surprisingly, the Shadow Vault registered it as a material, allowing him to store it safely within. He glanced at the old man, offering a brief nod of farewell.

Suffice it to say, the entire lobby fell into silence as they all stared at the new champion of the Blacksmith Guild. Some wanted to approach him, but the way he carried himself—calm, distant—made them hesitate. The only thing they could really do was watch as he and his party stepped out of the tower.

"So... you're literally the big boss now, Boss," Juliet laughed awkwardly, scratching her chin as she glanced at Julian while they walked. "I guess I really lucked out meeting you, huh?"

"If anything, I'm the one who got lucky," Julian responded without missing a beat. "Where will we be sleeping, by the way?"

"Right, it's getting late." Juliet glanced at the streets, where the glow of countless forges bathed the city in flickering firelight. "I guess we should stay at the tavern from earlier?"

"No!" Cyrus suddenly strode ahead, turning to walk backward with a broad grin. "I have a couple of properties here, remember? One just happens to be vacant. Let's stay there for tonight."

"...Just how rich are you?"

Juliet and Julian exchanged glances before following Cyrus through the streets of Piathus. And from the way he moved—greeting people left and right, completely at ease—it almost made Juliet question whether she was the local one or if he was.

After about fifteen minutes, they arrived at their destination.

An estate. A massive one.

The mansion before them was grand, its sheer size enough to make Juliet gawk. Several servants were already waiting at the entrance, some even handing them warm towels—a gesture practically unheard of in Artemia.

"Let's eat first before we rest," Cyrus announced, pointing at Julian and Juliet before stepping inside. "The two of you just relax. There's a pool over there if you want to cool down after all that mess. But please, take a bath first. I'll join you both soon. Alfred, take me to the chef!"

"Of course, Master."

Juliet and Julian stood in front of the grand entrance, blank expressions on their faces as they watched Cyrus clap his hands, his entourage of servants following in perfect sync. Julian was about to step inside the luxurious mansion when Juliet suddenly grabbed his hand.

"Boss... Julian, can we talk?" Her grip was firm, her voice quieter than usual. "We can talk after we eat. Just... I need to tell you something."

[LAST CHAPTER] <-----> [NEXT CHAPTER]

AUTHOR NOTES

Julian's now a champion blacksmith, but not yet quite... Legendary! Do holler!