It took us two days to reach the city that Roswald had mentioned. Unlike my expectations, the biggest city in the kingdom of Felyndor turned out to be surprisingly normal looking. While a thick forest surrounded the area and enormous trees were scattered here and there, the city itself felt quite ordinary.

  Most of the buildings were made of brick, giving the streets a modest and practical appearance. Despite this, the houses were remarkably diverse in design, each one standing out in its own way. It felt like the houses showed the personalities of their owners. The buildings weren’t particularly tall, either, which made the city feel open and welcoming rather than overwhelming. It was a curious blend of nature and simplicity that seemed to work effortlessly.

  “It might take at least a day to find the map. What are you going to do in the meantime?”

  “I will wait here and keep the vehicle camouflaged. The wind is blowing against us and there is no real road right behind us for several kilometers, so we will be fine.”

  “You sure put a lot of thinking when it comes to not being found by others. All right then… try not to move too much from this spot since it will be hard to find this vehicle.”

  Roswald left when I nodded. While I was curious about the things that could be bought there, I knew for a fact that I would get in trouble in no time knowing my luck. Besides, it was time to make my new bow. I checked my new tools to make the best possible bow.

  Thanks to the skills of my Magic Forger class, I was able to resolve most of the issues that came with crafting the bow. The process of balancing everything was a bit long, but it was fine. It felt like every challenge that would normally require intense manual labor or trial and error could be solved with a careful application of my class skills.

  However, even with magical assistance, some tools were so specialized that they remained irreplaceable for achieving the highest level of craftsmanship. These tools, combined with my magic, made it possible to create a bow that was not just functional but optimized to its fullest potential.

  “Glacien, warn me when you see someone approaching, all right?”

  “Awoo!”

  Maybe I should wait a bit more instead of starting working with the bow…. Somewhere like the peak of a mountain would be a good idea since few people would bother me there and Glacien would be able to hunt freely.

  Alissandra would probably be fine since she is a harpy… altitude shouldn’t be a problem to her. Regardless, doing a bit of work now while she was sleeping was probably fine.

  The parts were quite big, but I decided to use the vertebrae bones of the Frost Wyvern in order to make the bow. The design was ready and with that many parts, I could focus on a single part at a time and then combine them later to check the final result.

  ‘I guess there is no hiding about the effects of this bow or its materials when it comes to its shape. Anyone with half a brain would be able to tell what it was made of.’

  This could be a good thing, making people realize what I had to kill in order to get this bow. Considering the numerous bones of the vertebrae, this bow can become insanely large. Under normal circumstances, I couldn’t use all of them to make a single now, but the good thing was that by making parts that can be connected, I can change its size to suit my needs. I couldn’t ask for a better weapon.

  Still, this made me wonder. Would it work? Making it bigger would increase its rarity rank? It certainly would make it more powerful and durable, but that wasn’t what determined the potential of the weapon.

  “... All right, I guess this is enough for now.”

  I made the bottom most and the top most part of the bow. They were identical, so it seemed that all of my tools helped when it comes to making things as perfect as they could be.

  This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  I couldn’t identify the parts yet, but that didn’t bother me. As they were, they were essentially useless, so it made sense that they couldn’t show any information with identification. I couldn’t make the bow in a way that it could be used in its smaller size as well… I had to focus on making the whole thing and then only after checking it. It was a bit worrisome since it will take a while until I can confirm whether the final product will be as perfect as it could be.

  I stretched my body and then confirmed that it was already night outside… that moron left when it was mid morning, so he was taking his sweet time. When I went to check on Alissandra, I could see her touching the whiskers on Glacien’s face… she ate before I started working, but I was still surprised that she didn’t make a fuss until now.

  I prepared dinner for Alissandra, and then made her eat. She complied without protest, but the look on her face told me she wasn’t exactly thrilled. I knew why. Fresh milk had always been her favorite, and this meal, while nourishing, simply couldn’t compare. Her subtle behavior hurt me a bit.

  ‘I am starting to become a helicopter step father.’

  The guilt settled in as I watched her eat. My own caution, born from the need to avoid risks and keep us safe, was beginning to feel like a burden on her quality of life. I couldn’t deny that my overthinking had robbed her of the simple joys she deserved. It was a bitter realization, and though I couldn’t yet see a way to balance safety with freedom.

  “Sorry, but this is only temporary. Since that clairvoyant is keeping track of me, I need to avoid meeting big shots since they would be able to pinpoint my location like that… truly a troublesome ability.”

  Alissandra couldn’t speak, and she was busy eating her food as well. I guess that I could find a place in front of a labyrinth where I could get stronger and cultivate some food as well. I should lie low and avoid this conflict at all costs, after all. I didn’t know what was beyond Felyndor, so perhaps it would be a good idea to investigate it now.

  While I was considering that, Glacien was looking at me with one eye open. I could almost tell that she was wondering why I always talk so much when I talk with them, mainly about my problems. It was a bad habit of mine, sharing my worries with a beast and a toddler.

  In any case, after a couple of hours, Alissandra was sleeping again. At this rate, considering how much she sleeps, she will grow to become ten feet tall… quite the outstanding harpy, if I do say so myself. Regardless, Roswald didn’t show up.

  ‘As expected, relying on others for this kind of thing is truly a no-go for me…’

  Maybe I should just do what I had considered before… use several layers of camouflage and then steal detailed maps in some places that would have them. Probably the places where the people that lead the nation would be. Worrying about my reputation as a vampire at this point in time was just simply stupid.

  What would people think? ‘Oh no… he is a blood-sucking vampire, and he steals maps too! He is the worst!’ That would be just a small detail to my curriculum. Still, I quickly decided against that, because of my cautious nature and because I wanted to give a good example of a proper life to Alissandra. Even if she couldn’t remember this period of her life. Once I started doing something like stealing, my actions would eventually make her think that it was fine to do that.

  While I was thinking about my moral compass, I noticed Glacien ears perking and soon I raised my guard. Still, amidst the darkness of the night, I could tell that the silhouette approaching belonged to Roswald. I also could tell that he looked troubled and thoughtful.

  “Sorry for returning late… but we have problems.”

  “No, you have problems.”

  “... I guess you can say that. The people are preparing to join the war. The dwarves requested their help.”

  After that, I found myself very confused. The situation didn’t add up, no matter how I thought about it. The dwarves, known for their stubbornness and independence, rarely ever sought help from outsiders. They prided themselves on solving their problems with their own strength and ingenuity. For them to approach the beastkin for assistance was already puzzling.

  What made even less sense was that the beastkin had agreed to help. They had a reputation for valuing their autonomy and keeping to themselves, avoiding entanglements in the affairs of other races. Their willingness to get involved in something that wasn’t their problem was completely out of character. The whole arrangement felt wrong, as if there were layers to the story that I wasn’t seeing yet.

  “At the same time, Vincent isn’t around and he’s already headed to the border… so I can’t ask anyone to find a detailed map for you.”

  “Figures. Well, I guess I will just roam around instead. Waiting for others to make my life easier or more convenient was never in my plans to begin with. Let’s not meet again while you are involved in this kind of issue.”

  “I know that this situation is getting complicated for you since you have friends on both sides of this war, so I am not going to ask you to join this conflict, but do you want me to inform you of the changes and if anything happens to anyone you are interested in?”