[LSB] Chapter 131: The Liberator of Dodona

"The monsters… they're leaving."

“True. Without their immediate heat source, these animals are leaving now.”

MEGAN had once again come out of Julian’s chest, drifting beside Juliet as they both watched the beasts and monsters fan out across the slowly thawing fields of Dodona. Their shrinking forms moved through the mist, almost as fractured as the ice crunching beneath their claws and hoofs.

"The real question now," MEGAN muttered, narrowing her eyes at two groups of creatures starting to square off in the distance, growling and threatening to attack each other’s group, "Is how we’re getting back. These things are about to go feral, and I, for one, would like to avoid being collateral damage. We should wait a few hours—let them spread out first."

“Hmm.” Julian soon joined them, having just created something to wear using the materials from the vulkrids.

Juliet’s eyes narrowed as she noticed the difference between her armor and Julian’s clothes. “Hey… why does yours look so much better than mine?”

Julian gave her armor a quick glance—hewn from the same material, yet looking far less flattering. 

“Mine isn’t for protection,” he said. “Also, you still look very beautiful.”

“That—”

"Ack! Can you not throw that word around!?" MEGAN flew up and smacked her foot against Julian’s forehead. “This is why women keep thinking you’re flirting with them! Have you seen the compilations? The ones of you talking to Juliet—or even those random female reporters!?”

“Comp… lations?” Juliet blinked.

“It’s… it’s nothing,” MEGAN stammered, her flames sputtering as she quickly cleared her throat. “A-Anyway! Julian—Juliet’s right. You’ve gotten way stronger. Have you even checked Guidance yet!? You were already, like, level 46 something before we entered the volcano, weren’t you!?”

“I… wasn’t aware,” Julian replied calmly.

“What do you mean you weren’t aware!?” MEGAN’s flames flared wildly. “Do you have any idea how many complaints we’ve gotten because you're not updating people with your stats!? Writers trying to cover your adventures in Artemia are begging us—because their readers keep asking about it, and they’re already receiving death threats! Your book’s failing!”

“…I have a book?”

“Yes! A very popular one! People love seeing the numbers go up! What’s chat even saying right now? I haven’t checked it in a while.”

“I don’t have my stream on.”

“What!?” MEGAN’s flames erupted so wildly that Juliet took a step back in alarm. MEGAN then suddenly froze in the air, her expression becoming blank as she quickly accessed the network. Then she snapped back to life, pointing a fiery finger at Julian’s face.

“You’re really not streaming!? What about money!?”

“I don’t think we need more.”

“What do you mean ‘we don’t need more’!? You can never have enough! Ellie just put down a deposit for a house in Topside, New York, and we bought back your parents' old apartment! Wait—hold on, let me check our finances.”

With a burst of flame, MEGAN zipped into Julian’s chest to concentrate. Juliet, meanwhile, stood there blinking, completely lost in the chaos of the conversation.

After a beat, she looked at Julian, eyes wide with dawning realization.

“…Wait.” She blinked again. “Your avatar contracts… they can follow you into your world?”

“Yes,” Julian said without hesitation. “Please don’t mention it to Cyrus.”

Juliet stared at him a moment longer, then slowly nodded. “…Of course, Boss.”

After a few moments of silence, waiting for the monsters to fully disperse, the Avatar of Exhalia spoke softly in Julian’s mind.

[Shadow Blacksmith, this little Deviant of yours is truly intriguing,] she murmured. [She can receive information from your original world and transmit it to ours so seamlessly? What kind of entity is she?]

Julian was about to respond, but the Avatar of Searadyn cut in.

[She is an entity known as an Artificial Intelligence, Avatar of Exhalia.]

[Artificial?] The Avatar of Exhalia’s voice trailed off into a thoughtful hum. [Fascinating. For something that claims not to be real, her emotions feel more genuine than yours, Shadow Blacksmith. And please, do not call me an Avatar, I alone exist and no other avatars do—so therefore, feel free to address me as only Exhalia.]

[Do not disrespect Master like that,] the Avatar of Searadyn replied sharply.

[Oh, not at all. Believe me, I meant no disrespect,] Exhalia chuckled. [I'm not calling his emotions fake. They are—yet they are so carefully refined that they seem real enough. And perhaps that’s a good thing. Emotions can interfere with duty. Erin… was a victim of that.]

[Avatar of Exhalia,] Searadyn's tone grew cold. [Master has told you repeatedly—he does not wish to know about the duties of the Shadow Blacksmith.]

[Ah. Forgive me, Shadow Blacksmith.]

Julian didn’t respond. He merely tilted his head slightly, letting their voices drift through his thoughts. He couldn’t help but imagine what chaos would unfold once he returned to Earth and Femty, the AI of his Gigantes suit, joined them in his head. If there was any solace, it was that Femty couldn’t communicate with the others unless they were outside of him.

Juliet, watching his expression shift subtly, looked confused. She was just about to ask what was going on when MEGAN shot out from his chest—her flames unusually still.

“Uh…” she breathed out slowly. “Where did all that money come from, Julian? It took me a while to track it because it just… kept going up. Are we… stupidly rich now?”

“We’ve had this conversation before,” Julian replied calmly.

“Yes, but it wasn’t that much back then. And that was only like what, a week ago? It was already a lot, sure—but now? This has to be because of the merchandise Cyrus was talking about, right?”

“I don’t know anything about merchandise.”

“He said he was selling mini Searadyn’s Veil accessories. You really should craft more Artemia weapons, Julian. We could turn them into merchandise. We—” MEGAN paused, narrowing her eyes at him. “What weapons can you make with the new guy?”

[Are you referring to me, Deviant?] Exhalia replied without being called. [Most flame spirits can be forged into weapons, but that is not my nature. Neither Draug nor Erin of Karinthos ever turned my breath into a weapon, but I am a weapon already. I was summoned for battle, not forging. Still… I imagine Julian Winters could come up with something.]

Julian hummed in thought, his gaze shifting to the distant silhouettes of monsters retreating over the horizon.

“We should start walking back to the village. Maldan promised to teach me how to forge a golem,” he said. “And we’ve still got a long way ahead of us.”

“Ugh…” Juliet exhaled deeply, the breath visible but no longer the fierce vapor it had been before they entered the volcano. 

“Another day of endless walking,” she muttered. “At least the road back should be easier… I can’t wait to just hold a hammer and forge again, Boss.”

“Hmm. Me too,” Julian said, letting out a quiet sigh. “Me too.”

Just as Juliet had hoped, the road back was easier. The fields of Dodona still shimmered with delicate fractals of ice, but the treacherous, jagged sheets were gone. Now, snow fell softly from the sky, replacing the brittle, bone-dry cold with something gentler—almost… tender in comparison.

At night, the sky came alive. Curtains of color rippled across Artemia’s heavens, casting shifting hues over the white land. Juliet often found herself gazing upward, wondering if the lights might lose their grip on the sky and tumble down on them. But more often than not, her eyes strayed to Julian instead.

He wasn’t fully hyum anymore. Of course, he never had been, but now it was clear—Julian was something else entirely. Something… greater. And she would be by his side through whatever came next.

And now, even more than before, she asked herself if she was worthy.

Their journey stretched on for days. Beasts and monsters crossed their path, but most avoided them instinctively—whether because of the Avatar of Exhalia residing within Julian… or the enormous winged shadow circling over their heads.

“The dravokill…” Juliet murmured, watching the massive silhouette pass over them. “It’s been following us for days. I thought it would eat us, but it’s just… flying there. Menacingly. Waiting for something?” She paused, then shrugged to herself. “Though if it wanted to eat us, it’s had plenty of chances during the night.”

She kept questioning, then answering herself, while Julian only responded with his usual quiet hum.

They weren’t entirely safe—some monsters still attacked. But Julian dispatched them easily. His strength had nearly doubled since they began this journey. Strangely, some creatures approached them not to fight, but to submit—perhaps recognizing the flame within Julian, remembering the warmth once granted to them in Dodona’s bitter cold.

Eventually, a day or two later, the dravokill vanished without warning.

Then, one night, under the veil of starlight and snow, the outline of Maldan’s village appeared on the horizon. But something was wrong.

It was too bright. And then they heard it—the screams.

“Julian!?” Juliet shouted, dropping her pack and gripping her axe.

Julian didn’t hesitate. He summoned his crystalons, launching forward with terrifying speed. The frozen ground cracked beneath his steps as he disappeared into the distance.

Juliet gasped, then sprinted after him—but she couldn’t keep up. Now she understood where Julian had invested most of the stat points given by Artemis.

As she neared the village, the screaming grew louder.

But now that she was in front of the village, Juliet could finally make sense of the noise—and it wasn’t what she expected. The screams weren’t of anguish or fear. They were high-pitched and hurried, yes, but they were cheers.

Juliet slowed her steps as she reached Julian, who stood just outside the humble village’s perimeter.

Although calling it humble now felt inaccurate.

The place had doubled in size, sprawling with tents scattered along the outskirts. Lanterns swung from ropes strung high above the paths, bathing everything in warm, flickering light.

And most of all, the people were laughing. Dancing. Their torches swayed with them, casting lively shadows as their teeth flashed beneath the glow of colorful firelight.

Maldan’s village had never been somber—but it had never been like this. Not bursting with joy. Not humming with music and motion. Now, everywhere she looked, people were smiling. Truly smiling.

Juliet, however, wasn’t. Her eyes reflected a large sigil.

“Boss,” she whispered, nodding toward a flag fluttering above one of the larger tents. The sigil of the Order of Artemia was stitched boldly across it. “That’s the Order’s banner. Do you think… Cyrus is alright?”

“He is,” Julian said, tilting his head slightly. He tapped the ground with his foot, eyes unfocused as if listening to the ripples of the land itself. His perception had grown so precise that even without metal beneath his feet, he could track movements through the vibrations.

“But,” he added, “I sense someone else. Someone familiar.”

“Boss!?” Juliet gasped as Julian plunged his weapons back into the shadows and stepped into the village. Of course, she didn’t hesitate to follow, even though she knew there might be danger. But soon, the sounds of the celebration nearly drowned her thoughts.

Most of the villagers were too deep in their drink to notice their arrival.

Soon, they reached the heart of the village—and there was Cyrus, laughing with his arms around two soldiers as they staggered in rhythm to a wild, drunken dance.

Juliet was about to call out to him, but her attention was pulled toward Julian’s gaze.

There, across the square, stood a figure encased in gleaming plate armor, a massive shield strapped to her back.

“That’s… the Shield Saint!?” Juliet breathed, eyes wide. “What is she doing here? Boss, we need to—”

Before she could grab Julian’s arm to leave, a voice called out for him.

“Ah! Julian!”

A woman ran toward them, her face catching the light like porcelain—delicate and perfect. And perhaps, the most beautiful woman Juliet had ever seen.

Juliet blinked. “Do you know her? That’s not… Ellie, is it?”

“She’s Kitty,” Julian replied.

“Kitty?” Juliet’s brow furrowed. “I’ve heard Cyrus mention that name. She’s… from your world?”

Julian responded with a hum just as Kitty reached them, the scent of ale on her breath.

“What are you wearing?” she asked immediately, eyeing both their vulkrid-hide outfits. “No—never mind. We’ve been waiting for you. The village prepared—”

No one seemed to be able to finish their conversations due to the party, and Kitty’s words were interrupted by a loud female gnarfolk’s voice thundering across the village.

It was Nuru, her tail pounding the ground like a drum.

“Everyone! Julian Winters has returned!” she cried, her tail lifting as she pointed directly at him.

The music stopped. Voices died out. All eyes turned to Julian. A hush fell over the village—but only for a heartbeat.

“Julian Winters!” Nuru shouted again, her voice echoing to the furthest reaches of the village.

“The Liberator of Dodona!”

Cheers erupted like a wave. The people screamed louder than before, chanting Julian’s new title. Even the soldiers of Artemia and the Shield Saint thumped their chests in salute, eyes gleaming with respect.

Julian, however, only sighed and lowered his head. Once again, he was at the center of everything—and Exhalia was quick to remind him of this.

[As I told you, Shadow Blacksmith,] she whispered within him, [Your path will never be a quiet one. Your fate is tied to Artemia itself.]

***

[LAST CHAPTER] <-----> [NEXT CHAPTER]

If this was a Japanese novel, it would be titled "The Legendary Shadow Blacksmith Can't Live a Normal Life."

Julian should probably just stay at home at this point. lol