Chapter 187

The Paladin Riding a Giraffe (5)

It was undoubtedly a good thing that Ludwig had acquired a mithril foot, but what he needed now was rest.

What I mean is that he collapsed immediately after unleashing that magnificent attack with his mithril foot.

I did not know whether it was due to a sudden loss of strength or simple exhaustion.

For now, I carried Ludwig back into the cave and carefully laid him down.

“Stay still unless you want me to smash that leg.”

He said something in response. It probably meant that he was sorry for causing me trouble.

I gave Ludwig some honey to help him regain his strength.

I would have preferred to give him a fasting pill, but his stomach had not fully recovered yet, so I was reluctant to risk it.

I should soothe his stomach with porridge first, then give him the fasting pills afterward.

The fast sloth would probably give me an accusing look, but I should be able to placate him if I explained the circumstances properly.

****

Title: Ludwig Got a New Foot
Wild Grylls

(Photo of Ludwig with a mithril foot)

Except it’s a mithril foot.

He suddenly got dragged toward the mithril vein by himself, and then a new foot appeared.

He still limps, but it seems to work reasonably well.

└ Heavenly Demon: That is quite an attractive prosthetic. Did you carve it yourself?
└ Wild Grylls: No. It was originally attached to him as a solid lump, but it turned into that after I broke away the excess with a pickaxe.
└ Heavenly Demon: How fascinating. Many strange things happen in this world, but this is something I never could have anticipated.
└ Wild Grylls: I’m fascinated too. What the hell is it?
└ SwordMaster: It should be extremely difficult to attach a prosthetic immediately after an amputation. Did he show no signs of pain?
└ Wild Grylls: No. If anything, he collapsed after using it to kick something.
└ SwordMaster: That doesn’t sound particularly normal either....

└ Passing Dwarf: What the hell? Is that really a mithril prosthetic?
└ Wild Grylls: Yeah. You’ve never seen one either, have you? Neither have I.
└ Passing Dwarf: Mithril itself is already insanely rare, and that thing is made from one solid piece. He absolutely must never leave the forest.
└ Wild Grylls: Why?
└ Passing Dwarf: Someone might cut off his ankle and steal it.
└ Wild Grylls: Does someone that insane really exist?
└ PraiseTheSun: They do. One of my people once embedded a diamond in his forehead. He walked through the slums like that, and someone forcibly ripped it out, lmaooo.
　└ I know that incident, lol.
　└ That was legendary. Why did that dark elf go to the slums?
└ I think he went there to provide relief. From what I heard, he was extremely wealthy even without the diamond.

└ Wild Grylls: The world is full of lunatics....

└ Don’tAbandonTheHero: Ah! He has a new foot! What a relief! It will take him a long time to adjust, but I’m sure he’ll be fine!
└ Wild Grylls: We’ll have to wait and see. He still walks with a limp.
└ Don’tAbandonTheHero: He should still be stronger than you, Lord Grylls, so he’ll be fine!
└ Wild Grylls: Me? Even though he can’t use mana and is missing a foot?
└ Don’tAbandonTheHero: Yes! You’ll understand if you spar with him later!
└ Wild Grylls: I’ll think about that after he fully recovers.
└ Isn’t Ludwig an extremely powerful person?
　└ Yeah. He may not be as strong as Ash or the Hero, but he’s still incredibly powerful.
└ Honestly, Grylls would probably lose even if Ludwig had lost an arm instead of a foot, lol.

└ All-Father: An urgent matter came up, so I was merely observing, but I cannot remain silent after seeing this. What in the world happened?
└ Wild Grylls: I don’t know either. Do you have any theories?
└ All-Father: Hmm. You previously said that the mithril vein was a living creature, correct? Perhaps it was attracted by the mana leaking from the amputated limb.
└ Wild Grylls: Are you saying it literally attached itself to him like a magnet?
└ All-Father: That is only a hypothesis. I have never seen anything like this either.
└ Just accept it and move on. You’re better off giving up on trying to understand anything.
└ There’s a talking gorilla around, so why is this supposed to be strange? Lol.
　└ You’ve spent a month in the Forest of Four Seasons. How have you still not adapted?
└ It’s only been a month? It feels like half a year has passed.
└ That’s because he’s been through so much. The actual amount of time has been insanely short, lol.

└ Things that happened within a single month: the truth about the Immortal King, the massive demonstrations in El Dorado, the Messiah Empire’s succession ceremony, the Blood Cult’s return, and the appearance of the Heavenly Demon. What else?
└ PrincessCheonggu: Chae-u’s four consecutive victories!
　└ Lmaooo. Do we really have to include that?
　└ It’s so absurd that it’s hilarious, lol.
└ Hey, I’ll cut off my leg too, so give me one of those.
└ Then you’d just end up crippled.
　└ But it would look cool, lol.

The gallery went wild as soon as I uploaded the post.

A few people demanded that I give them mithril feet as well, but I ignored them completely.

What bothered me the most was the administrator’s provocation—or what sounded like one.

She claimed that no matter how weakened Ludwig became, someone like me would still be no match for him.

At first, I thought that was going too far, but after considering it carefully, I could understand why she had said it.

‘He survived almost completely empty-handed, didn’t he?’

He had possessed the mythrilcon sword, but nothing else.

Even without mana, his basic combat abilities must have been exceptionally high.

“Grrr...”

Although right now, he was simply sleeping like a baby.

Perhaps because he had unleashed that powerful mana attack earlier, he was even snoring.

I wanted to wake him, but he was sleeping so soundly that I left him alone.

‘Either way, we’ll have to remain at the shelter for a while.’

Humans possessed greater endurance than most other animals.

The human body was also exceptionally suited to survival. There was a reason humans were called creatures of adaptation.

However, because the body devoted so much of itself to survival, it was essentially borrowing resources from its other functions.

In other words, Ludwig would require a long time to regain his original combat strength.

He also needed time to adapt to the prosthetic, so it would take at least a week.

‘I also need to make sure the food here agrees with him.’

I was fine because I ate it regularly, but even the fish here were far from ordinary.

Not only did they consistently contain inner cores, but their flesh itself was also rich in energy.

Had I not spent quite some time suffering after eating one for the first time?

Ludwig’s body had been thoroughly trained, so he would probably be fine, but there was no guarantee.

‘Come to think of it, how’s the giraffe doing?’

The giraffe Ludwig had ridden here had been fast asleep the last time I saw it.

It must have suffered alongside Ludwig, so I wondered what it was doing now.

‘Do I need to build another house?’

I had seen it in photographs and videos, but the giraffe’s size was even more astonishing in person.

Even while lying on the ground, its torso was considerably larger than my entire body.

And then there was its neck. No matter how many times I looked at it, that long neck seemed unreal.

‘It even sleeps in a strange way.’

It was fascinating how it coiled its neck around itself like a snake when sleeping.

The problem was deciding where to house it.

Leaving it exposed outside would put it in serious danger if something attacked.

Ludwig appeared to cherish the creature, so I should protect it as well as I could.

‘I need to build a dedicated shelter for Kkobong and the others.’

It seemed the time had come to begin a large-scale construction project.

I surveyed the surrounding area.

I needed an appropriate plot of land to construct a place where Kkobong and the giraffe could live.

I would have preferred to build it beside the path the boss gorilla had previously cleared, but that was a thoroughfare.

‘I’ll have to cut down some trees after all.’

If only because of the giraffe, I would need to build an enormous structure.

After finding a plot backed by a dense cluster of trees, I began planning the building.

It needed to be tall, but it did not necessarily need to be particularly spacious. After all, they would only use it for sleeping.

They could simply come outside and wander around freely whenever they wanted to be active.

‘Something like this....’

Using the bricks I had prepared in advance, I began laying the foundation piece by piece.

I was bound to make plenty of mistakes before completing it.

I had built an oven and a furnace before, but this was my first time constructing an actual building, so it would probably take a while.

‘Now that I think about it, I need to prepare for winter too.’

Kkobong might be fine, but this would probably be the giraffe’s first time experiencing winter.

The grasslands I knew were far removed from the brutal cold.

‘That means I’ll have to build a fireplace too.... At this point, I’m practically constructing an entire house.’

I could allow Kkobong into the cave, but not the giraffe.

Its neck was so long that its head would strike the ceiling.

People sometimes spoke of animals burdened by their long necks, and the description suited it perfectly.

‘Of all the animals in the world, why did it have to be a giraffe...?’

Still, what could I do?

That giraffe appeared to have played a major role in Ludwig’s survival.

I could hardly drive it away now.

Moreover, considering its combat power, it might become a considerable asset to us.

“Kyaeng?”

I was steadily laying bricks for the foundation when Father Raccoon appeared.

Perhaps he had heard the commotion, or perhaps he had simply decided to visit.

Father Raccoon looked at the sleeping giraffe, which had its neck coiled around itself, then turned toward me.

His expression clearly asked, What the hell is that thing?

I chuckled when I saw his face.

“Say hello. This giraffe will be living with us from now on.”

“Kyaeng?”

“I don’t know either. I’m building it a house for now. Anyway, did you bring me something?”

Father Raccoon handed me the object he was holding.

It looked like an ordinary yellow flower, somewhat resembling a four-leaf clover.

Assuming it was probably another useful medicinal herb, I accepted it gratefully.

I then gave him one of the fasting pills from my pouch. He beamed and scampered away.

He was probably taking it to one of his kits.

I watched him leave with a warm smile, then resumed construction.

‘I’m only measuring the dimensions, so I don’t need to be too precise.’

Normally, I would have applied cement between the bricks as I went.

However, evening would soon arrive, and I also needed to prepare dinner.

I had gained not one but two additional mouths to feed, so my role had become even more important.

‘I’m going to get every last bit of value out of them.’

If they possessed any conscience, they would repay me for everything I was doing for them.

After roughly surveying the site and completing the preliminary layout, I returned to the cave.

About an hour had passed. Ludwig, who had been sleeping soundly the entire time, was now awake.

After asking whether he had slept well, I decided this was the perfect opportunity and picked up my sword and shield.

“Hey. You’re an instructor for paladins, right? That’s what the administrator and the others told me.”

“#$%%M?”

Hmm. As expected, he did not understand me.

Still, he seemed to have a rough idea of what I wanted.

I normally practiced swordsmanship inside the cave, so I could simply proceed as usual.

“Here. I’ll show you what I can do.”

“.....”

Ludwig did not reply.

His expression seemed to say, Go on, then. Show me your little trick.

In terms of martial skill alone, he was several levels above me.

Feeling intensely nervous, I began demonstrating my usual training routine.

‘I’ve practiced consistently all this time. I should be fine, right?’

It was a terribly naive thought.

***

Ludwig was both an instructor and a teacher who had trained countless paladins.

His discernment was also second to none. After all, his greatest pupil had become the Hero.

That was why he immediately understood what Grylls wanted while watching his little performance.

Grylls intended to demonstrate the martial arts he had practiced and ask Ludwig for advice.

But Ludwig had no intention of stopping at mere advice. He was willing to devote himself wholeheartedly to passing on everything he had learned throughout his life.

Grylls had not only saved his life but had even given him a new foot. How could Ludwig fail to understand his intentions?

‘Wow....’

Ludwig found himself genuinely astonished.

Grylls’s little performance was far beyond the level of a mere trick.

His textbook movements were not bad.

But that was as far as the praise could go.

‘How did he survive? Was it thanks to his shield?’

To Ludwig’s eyes, Grylls’s technique was almost unbelievably idiotic.

He was undoubtedly performing the movements correctly, yet there was something bizarrely powerful about them.

In martial arts, what mattered was maintaining a balanced hexagonal skill set.

Only by developing every attribute evenly could one respond appropriately to any situation.

Grylls, however, was different.

Only his attack and defense had been filled to their absolute limits.

His footwork was not exactly bad either, but it was simply...

Strange.

Shwaaaaaaa!

To make matters worse, the sheer size of his aura could only be described as abnormal.

Faced with this, Ludwig no longer gave a damn about balanced skill sets or hexagons. He was utterly bewildered.

‘Does living in the Forest of Four Seasons cause people to develop abnormally?’

Ludwig arrived at a profound realization.

At the same time, he understood something else.

‘So this is where the three-eyed man was.’

He finally understood how a two-eyed person would feel after falling into a world of three-eyed people.

At least the Hero, Asella, had possessed two eyes. Her eyesight had merely been absurdly good.

Grylls was different.

It was as though he not only had three eyes, but an extra arm and leg as well.

‘How am I supposed to teach him?’

Ludwig found himself at a complete loss.