Chapter 70 – You Are Mine
When I stretched out my hand to feel the feel of the greatsword, the transparent barrier between him and me melted away in an instant.
Then, it was only now that he felt his presence properly.
“Excellent.”
It’s a really good sword.
There was no such thing as the ego that dwelled in the sword suddenly talking to me, or feeling something special, such as an intense curse or an aura of resentment.
However, he was only faithful to his role as a weapon.
The sharp blade, made of well-refined, high-purity black iron, shimmered in an elegant ink color. An unusual color that cannot be seen in ordinary swords. It must have been mixed with meteoric iron.
—Tuong!
As a test, I flicked his finger once, and the hardness was incredible. At this level, he will probably be able to withstand even if he decides to smash it with a punch loaded with an aura.
Meteorite is a very difficult material to handle, but it is not enough to successfully alloy it with other metals to achieve this level of perfection.
Who the hell created this monster?
“The weight… Is heavier than how many people put together. You are such an absurd fellow.”
The problem was the guy’s weight.
Carefully grabbing the handle and lifting it, I felt an absurd weight. Not even ordinary people, even quite a few knights would not be able to dare to listen to it without the help of Mana.
A weight that feels like a bad prank, as if it wasn’t designed to be wielded by humans in the first place.
However, the center of gravity itself was very well balanced. If so, isn’t this irony conveying only one meaning?
“Wield only those who can wield them… Then, are you saying that you will select and serve the master?”
He’s picky about the subject of a sword he can’t even talk about. Thinking about it makes me laugh out loud.
—Booung, booung!
As a test, I swung it into the air a few times, and I felt a pleasant sensation. It’s a bit heavy to handle with one hand, but just right for handling with both hands.
It is a fantastic feeling of use. It feels like it was made for me from the ground up.
The thought of the moment adds to my confidence. Alright, let’s get this guy out.
“Anyway, if it’s not me, no one else can use it.”
To think that such a great sword had been dormant for an unknown number of years. Aren’t you too pitiful? So I have to show this guy the light.
The storage condition is already excellent, so if you entrust the maintenance to old man Eitri, it will be reborn as a new sword that does not even show the traces of the years.
At some point, I had already naturally thought of a future with him, so I carefully put him back in place.
“Wait a little. I’ll be back soon.”
I couldn’t go around with these things, so I had to go to the 4th floor first.
* * *
In order to access the top floor, the 4th floor, I had to go through a fairly cumbersome process.
Carefully sending magic waves toward the ceiling, I could clearly feel the presence of the upper floors, but I couldn’t see any stairs or passageways even after washing my eyes.
The fact that there were so many passages downstairs all over the place made it even more annoying.
“Damn, do I have to break the ceiling?”
Suppressing my violent impulses, I was seriously contemplating whether or not I was stepping on the wrong foot for nothing, even though this place is actually the end of the third floor.
-Sparkle!
It wasn’t until I took out the polyhedron in my bosom and looked at it, just in case, that I noticed that it served as a kind of compass.
In the end, after moving for a long time as the light led them, they found a secret passage hidden in one of the display cases and managed to reach the 4th floor.
—Goooh…
This place, which we arrived at, boasted a mysterious atmosphere different from that of the lower floors.
Also, the scale was relatively small.
Up to the third floor, the scale of each floor was so vast that it was impossible to look around even if you walked around all day, but this place seemed to be able to look around in just a few tens of minutes at most.
However, the items in this place were so enormous that it wouldn’t be strange if each one of them were designated as national treasures.
It could be said that it was a dignified place befitting a space reserved only for the royal family.
The artifacts on the third floor were no joke, but the level here was completely different.
“Could that be the heart of a dragon? Something like that is openly and nonchalantly…”
[Heart of Red Dragon Beatrias]
[Gwangryong who reigned as the tyrant of the west. Designated as an Imperial achievement, subjugated in S542 by Grand General Arien Lauriel de Alfheim]
The first thing that caught my eye was the heart of a real dragon, not a dragon.
Even if only one of the relics on the 4th floor was released, the entire empire would probably go into a frenzy.
‘Alicia. Did you mean to steal these things from me?’
All of a sudden, I realized that Alicia is the only imperial princess on this vast continent.
Her soft face was sloppy and cute, and she always perverted things in front of me, but she was definitely a woman born from the noblest lineage in the empire.
Even these unimaginable treasures of hers are to her nothing more than items in a warehouse she can get her hands on whenever she puts her mind to it.
“As expected, I did well not to be greedy in the first place.”
Leaving behind the bizarre feeling of something unrealistic, I decided to focus entirely on finding Alicia a useful artifact for her.
[Holy Sword Durandal]
[The sword used by Saint Virgil, the saint of the Celestial Church, to defeat the great devil Barbatos]
While looking at this and that, I unintentionally realized that the event that I thought was just a myth was a true story because it was even included in the scriptures.
[Codex Justitia]
[The First Code of the Empire. A symbol of justice written directly by His Majesty the first emperor, and the foundation of the current imperial statutes]
It is also natural to know that not only relics with material value, but also relics with great historical value are kept here.
“This, I think it’s better to just leave quietly…”
No matter how much she was looking for things for Alicia, most of them were treasures she couldn’t even touch.
Looking around more, it wasn’t that there wasn’t anything worth taking with me.
[The true blood of the true ancestor, Elizabeth]
The legacy of the different races located in a corner rather than the center could be said to be less valuable relics on the 4th floor.
Of course, from the point of view of each race, it would be something they wanted to regain even if they had to sacrifice everything.
It’s been a long time since the glory of their own kingdom declined yesterday and evening, and everyone kneels at the feet of the empire.
Some races that chose harmony with humans are still properly prosperous, but other races hide in the shadows or unexplored areas and barely manage to survive.
[Necklace of Fairy Queen Titania]
[The blessing of mana eliminates danger to the wearer, and is endowed with the mystery of being able to change into any shape depending on the use]
Meanwhile, I finally found something suitable for Alicia.
At this level, it didn’t seem like there would be a fuss even if it was carried out, and wouldn’t anyone nod their heads if it was said that the princess of the empire, not someone else, was using it?
—Paat!
When I brought the polyhedron close to the display case, the multi-layered security barrier was released in an instant, and a gorgeous necklace that seemed to suit Alicia fit comfortably into my hand.
Now, the business here is over.
“I have to leave soon.”
As we saw before, it was full of valuable artifacts, but I didn’t want to be greedy.
It was because I had the feeling that if I coveted something here for nothing, I would not be able to die properly in my name.
It was the first time he had visited the deepest part of the relic storage, but even if he brought the heir of the duchy with him, wouldn’t he turn into a mediocre citizen here?
Besides, according to Master’s words, you can survive for a long time only if you can distinguish when to be greedy and when not to be greedy.
After coming down that way from the 4th floor, I quickly picked up the greatsword I left on the 3rd floor in case anyone noticed.
“I had about two hours left, but it doesn’t matter too much.”
Then, without hesitation, he moved toward the exit.
* * *
When I finished the exit procedures and moved outside, to my surprise, Alicia was waiting for me with her attendants.
The entrance time was around 10:00 am, so it was still in the middle of the afternoon.
‘… It’s the same as before, and now I can’t show it openly, so I’m anxious?’
Besides, since I left early without much thought, there were not only two eyes that skillfully overlapped the time of those who entered first and my exit time.
— Boom boom…
Naturally, all eyes were on Alicia, and as she approached me with a broad smile, the whisper around her intensified.
“As expected, are the rumors that the two have a sponsorship relationship or something more true?”
“Then, the princess who has been quiet for a while is also in the race for succession…”
“Hey, refrain from speculation. Do you want to be dragged into the counterintelligence department and drink stew through your nose?”
The conversation was so casual that her eyes closed, but Alicia didn’t seem to want to stop her.
If so, it means that she is halfway deliberately neglecting…
As I had to meet His Majesty in a little while, I just felt like I was out of breath.
Why are you doing this? Have I been very sad all this time without even realizing it?
Or else, do you dare to leave the imperial princess alone and pay for the sin of staring at another woman?
“You’ve returned safely, Sir Wolfgang. Have you found what you’re looking for?”
“Yes, thanks…”
“I see. In that case, please come here for a while.”
Fortunately, as if she had no intention of allowing others to even have a personal conversation, Alicia led me and started heading somewhere.
Of course, the more I did, the more the voices of doubt that came from around me only grew louder, but there was nothing I could do about it.
I had to walk beside her, feeling devastated like a cow being led to a slaughterhouse.
