RGRB 26

Episode 26. The Noble’s Request (1)

[Lord’s Secret Request]
Rank: A
Description: Lord Regrian Lurian of the Regrian Lurian is looking for a skilled carpenter.
Go to Regrian Lurian and meet Regrian Lurian.
Success Condition: Meet Regrian Lurian.
Reward: Experience points, Chain Quest.
Failure Penalty: Decrease in Regrian Lurian’s favor.

[Will you accept?]

After listening to Yuel’s explanation, a quest window appeared.
Arlen nodded.

“Did you say he’s looking for me?”

Yuel, blowing on her hot tea to cool it, looked up.

“Yes.”
“Why?”
“I didn’t hear the details. But he said he had a request. He looked pretty desperate.”
“Is that so?”

Arlen tilted his head.
According to what Kim Min-soo had said, noble NPCs weren’t the kind of beings you could just meet because you wanted to.

But a noble was personally asking for him?

“How did he even hear about me?”
“Oh! Remember the harp you repaired before? I think he heard about that!”
“Ah…”

Right—he remembered now.
That harp had belonged to a noble, too. This must be related.

Finally, it made sense.

Even in his father’s workshop, things like this had happened.
It was a small village, but once people saw what his father could do, word spread fast.
At first, it was just fixing local furniture—but soon even wealthy families came with their prized possessions.

“Can this really be fixed?”

People had always asked doubtfully.
His father would only lift his hammer silently in reply.

Watching that, Arlen used to think:

“Someday, I want to be someone like him.”

He thought he’d forgotten that feeling,
but it came back to him in this world.

“So, he wants something made or repaired?”
“I’m not sure. He didn’t tell me much.”

It was a bit concerning—but meeting a noble and hearing the request firsthand piqued his curiosity.

“Alright, let’s go.”

[You have accepted.]

Aren accepted the quest and immediately headed for Regrian Lurian.
Thankfully, the lord himself had sent a carriage for him,
making the trip far more comfortable than expected.

“This territory is really something,” said Alfredo, watching the scenery pass by through the carriage window.

Arlen couldn’t take his eyes off it either.

‘Amazing.’

He finally understood what Kim Min-soo had said back then:

“You’re still in Lethe Village? You’re not even playing the game yet.”
“Why? I’m enjoying it! Built my house too, and Lethe’s nice.”
“Hah… You’re such a frog in a well. Lethe’s fine, but it’s a beginner village! Nothing there.”
“It’s not that bad.”
“Go to the next territory. You’ll see what I mean.”

He had brushed it off then—but seeing Regrian now, he finally got it.

The streets were neat and orderly.
Buildings were elegant and well-kept.
The ground was paved with solid stone instead of uneven dirt,
and not a speck of dust could be seen.

Streetlamps and trees lined the roads in perfect symmetry,
adding to the noble atmosphere.

And most striking of all were the tall buildings.
Unlike Lethe’s humble cottages, here stood solid 3- and 4-story stone and brick structures.

“This is like a whole different world,” Arlen murmured in awe.
Even Alfredo, staring outside, muttered without realizing:
“It’s incredible… incomparable to our village.”

“What was that?”
“Ah—nothing! I was just thinking out loud! It’s truly magnificent!”
“It is,” Arlen admitted with a grin.

The carriage continued along the grand streets until they arrived at the lord’s mansion.
Since it was an official carriage, the guards let them through easily.

When the carriage stopped, Alfredo stepped out first, followed by Arlen.

“Whoa…”

A massive estate stood before them.
A four-story mansion—rare even in reality—crafted with such precision that even time hadn’t tilted it.

‘Beautifully built. Not a hint of sagging… Whoever made this was a real craftsman.’

As Arlen admired the structure, a butler emerged from the mansion.

“Welcome. We’ve been expecting you. You must be Arlen, the carpenter?”
“Yes, that’s me.”
“And this gentleman?”
“Oh! I’m Alfredo—Arlen’s assistant and loyal right-hand man!”
“I see. A pleasure to meet you. I am Sugarze, butler to Lord Regrian Lurian. It’s an honor.”

The butler bowed deeply—every motion exuding refinement befitting a noble’s servant.

“This way, please. The lord has been eagerly awaiting your arrival.”
“Of course.”

Arlen followed the butler into the mansion and was soon ushered into the lord’s office.
As he entered, Regrian Lurian smiled warmly.

“Welcome! I am Regrian Lurian! It’s an honor to meet you!”

Ding!

[Quest “Lord’s Secret Request” cleared.]
[You gained experience.]
[You leveled up.]

“I’ve heard about you, carpenter. The reason I called you here is simple—I have something that needs repairing.”
“Repairing?”
“Yes. You once repaired a harp for the Carpenter Guild, didn’t you? This is… similar.”

‘Similar? Then it must be another instrument?’

Arlen was confident—he’d seen and worked on enough instruments in his father’s workshop.

“Alright. May I take a look at it?”
“Follow me.”

The lord led them to a room—inside stood a damaged wardrobe.

“Can you fix this?”

Ding!

[Chain Quest “The Lord’s Secret Favor” has been created.]

[The Lord’s Secret Favor]
Type: Chain
Description: Lord Regrian Lurian accidentally damaged his wife’s beloved wardrobe—a gift from her mother.
He wants it repaired in secret before she finds out.
Success Condition: Repair the wardrobe. (Repair Progress: 0.00%)
Reward: EXP, Title, Increased Favor, ???
Failure Penalty: Decrease in Regrian Lurian’s favor.

A new quest appeared.
Arlen frowned slightly.

“You said this was similar to what I fixed before? But that was a harp. How is this similar?”
“It’s both made of wood, isn’t it?”
“…”

Not even close.
He’d heard this kind of logic before—people assuming a carpenter could fix anything wooden.

‘Furniture and instruments are completely different things… sigh…’

“Alright, so I just have to fix this?”
“Yes. Can you do it?”
“Hmm… Let me take a closer look.”

Arlen crouched and examined the damage.
The corners were deeply gouged, as if struck with an axe.
Jagged splinters jutted out like spikes.
When he pressed lightly, the whole frame creaked ominously.
The hinges were useless; the doors hung precariously.

He shook his head.
“This is badly damaged.”

“Before you start, may I ask—what’s your level?”
“My level?”
“Yes.”

“26.”
“26?”
“Yes.”
“Ha…”
“Ah…”

Both the lord and butler sighed in disappointment.
The previous “outsider” who had come to repair it had been level 60—and even he failed.

‘Another wasted effort…’

“So, you won’t be able to fix it either, I suppose.”
“What do you mean?”

The butler explained:
“We once invited another outsider. He claimed to be level 60. But even he couldn’t repair it.”
“I see…”

He understood what they meant—‘If someone that skilled couldn’t fix it, how could you?’

[To repair this wardrobe, the skill “Furniture Repair” is required.]
[Required Skill Level: Furniture Repair LV.15]
[Skill not found.]

The wardrobe required at least Furniture Repair level 15—a high requirement indeed.

‘Most people would give up right here.’

But Arlen was different.

“I can fix it.”

“Hm…? What was that?”
“I said—I can fix it.”
“Really? But your abilities—”
“That would be true for others.”

Arlen’s confident smile wasn’t arrogance—it was certainty born of experience.

“I can repair it… even without using abilities.”

“What?”

The lord was at a loss for words.

“Without abilities? Is that even possible?”
“It’s rare. But I’m… a bit of an exception. I repaired the harp the same way.”
“…How intriguing.”

After a pause, Regrian Lurian spoke gravely.

“You aren’t lying, are you? If you deceive me… you’ll bear the consequences.”
“Don’t worry. I never lie. I can fix it.”

The lord stared into Arlen’s eyes—steady, sincere, unwavering.

‘Eyes like that don’t lie.’

“Very well. I’ll trust you. I leave it in your hands.”
“Yes, my lord.”

[You have accepted.]

Aren approached the wardrobe and began inspecting it carefully.

‘The hinges need to be replaced… and this damaged section should be reinforced…?’

“This might be faster to just rebuild. Can’t I make a new one instead?”
“No! My wife cherishes this wardrobe! If she finds out it’s broken…”

The lord’s body trembled.
His eyes filled with pure terror.

“She’ll kill me…! She’ll definitely kill me! Ah—she’s coming! Death itself is coming!!”
“L-Lord, please! The lady isn’t back yet! Calm yourself!”

The butler quickly patted his trembling master’s back, trying to soothe him.
Then, turning to the confused Arlen and Alfredo, he explained calmly:

“There are… circumstances. Please repair it discreetly.”
“Understood.”

It was a client’s request—and the damage, though serious, was still repairable.
Arlen resumed his inspection.

The most important thing was the material.
To repair it properly, he needed wood identical to the original.

‘Now, what kind of wood is this…?’

[You used the skill “Star’s Appraisal.”]
[Hardwood]
[Advantages: Extremely durable and strong.]
[Disadvantages: Very heavy; grows only in specific regions.]

A type of wood he’d never seen before.
Not even in his father’s workshop.

‘So this is a material unique to Illusion… not from the real world.’

“This wood…”

Ding!

[Quest “Special Wood Logging” has been created.]

A new quest appeared, and Arlen immediately checked it.

[Special Wood Logging]
Rank: C
Description: You’ve discovered a wardrobe made from a rare type of wood.
As a Star Carpenter, you can’t ignore the call of new materials.
Chop down Hardwood and use it to repair the wardrobe.
Success Condition: Chop Hardwood and repair the wardrobe.
Reward: EXP, Blueprint: Lumber Mill Construction.
Failure Penalty: EXP loss; related skill level -1.

[Will you accept?]