Chapter 339 - Episode Thirty-Nine - Pope Sateria (4)
I went with Mea to the office of Lark’s mansion.
I had secretly prepared some weapons and asked Lark to keep them for me so that I could bribe the collector at any time.
He had no eye for weapons.
Especially lately, he’s been drinking in the taverns and saying things like, “I’m not motivated because I don’t have a weapon of my level,” and “I can’t wield a cheap sword anymore,” and that he’s rotten.
I’m sure he doesn’t like me, but as long as I pay the price, he won’t shake his head.
“Lark-san, can I have my things back that you’ve been keeping for me?”
I call out to Lark.
Lark nodded with a gentle smile, took the key out of the desk drawer, and handed it to Euris, who stood beside him.
“Okay. Euris, please guide Abel and Mea to the hidden warehouse in the basement. I wish I could bring it to you, but I’m afraid I and Euris can’t carry it.”
“…… Abel-dono, um, what is the purpose of taking out a weapon like that?”
Euris narrowed her eyes and glared at me before responding to Lark’s order.
“Euris, it’s okay. You can show him around.”
Lark said to Euris with a smile on his face.
Lark is very understanding, as expected.
Sometimes they look like they’re in a lot of pain, but basically, they’ll just give you one reply and you’re good to go.
I have no complaints, although I sometimes wonder if his understanding is too good to be true.
I can’t be bothered to explain to Lark about the collector and all that, so it’s best if he just gives it back to me quietly.
Euris frowns a little, as if a little annoyed.
“But, Lark-sama …… is it something you can just hand over and say “yes” to? Isn’t that a bit irresponsible?”
Unusually, Ulysse is talking back at Lark.
“Euris, it’s okay.”
But Lark’s response remained the same.
Euris smacked the desk with her palm and brought her face close to Lark’s.
“Lark-sama! There is a lot of fage money invested in that thing! And I don’t know what you plan to do with it, but I can tell you that it’s a dangerous thing! What would happen if people in other territories found out that there was such a thing in the fage territory …… As a lord, Lark-sama should have the duty to know how Abel-dono will use it!”
Lark opened his narrowed eyes to Euris, and after a pause, he began to speak.
“Listen, Euris. That sense of justice of yours is extremely important, and I like that about you. But most of the money in the fage territory comes from, Abel-kun. You know that, don’t you?”
“But that’s not how it works! It’s not like they don’t care if you take some of it out because they contribute to ……”
“The next time a problem arises involving Abel-kun, it will definitely be beyond my control. If I may say one more thing, there are many things in this territory that should not be seen by people from other territories. If you want, even Abel-kun himself. Are you going to put him in the dungeon? And one last thing, although the Fage territory is somehow stable now, if Abel-kun were to suddenly move to another territory with the backing of another nobleman, withdrawing all of his rights, this territory would collapse on its own in the worst-case scenario. Rather than that, I wouldn’t be surprised if Peter-sama has already made an offer. He said he’d be back soon, but he hasn’t left at all. He’s not going to reveal his true identity, but I’m pretty sure he’s a member of a privileged class. You’re saying that you’re going to investigate Abel-kun and take action if necessary?”
Lark was speaking faster and faster, and at the end, he was accusing Euris.
“T-That is, um……”
Euris clammed up and looked down.
…… So Lark looks at me like that.
No, as a lord, he has a duty to protect his territory, so he has no choice but to do so.
It’s true that if Peter wanted to, he could bring up my name in front of other high-ranking nobles who are under Peter’s control, and make it difficult for them to stretch the scope of their rights and pick up the whole thing, and destroy the Fage territory.
Euris took me through the underground passage.
Euris slumped his shoulders, occasionally letting out a sigh.
Mea looked at Euris in front of her with a pitying look and asked me in a whisper.
“Abel …… you seem to be very concerned about Euris, what did you build?”
“It’s the legacy of Altamir. I miss her. I worked with her to build it.”
“She’s not dead yet …… She just collapsed from overwork.”
Euris opens the door to the hidden storage room.
Lark’s grandfather used to love it, but now it’s simple.
The majority of the space was empty.
On the floor, treasure chests and bookshelves with deliberately gaudy exteriors lay thickly covered with dust.
In the back of the room, on top of the cleaned space, a large magical ore Ortem with a sword stuck in it stood upright.
This sword, with its dark blue glow and the Ortem’s emblem engraved on the hilt, is the true phantom copper sword, the Orechalcos Sword, which was made to bribe the collector.
It was made from the phantom copper Orechalcos created by Altamir, super-compressed by warding magic using the same principle as the Abel ball, and processed by applying high heat.
Although the phantom copper Orechalcos also has the power to absorb magic power and weaken magical phenomena, but the magic weakening effect of the true phantom copper sword, Orechalcos Sword is incomparably stronger.
It slashes through the magical phenomenon and destroys it completely.
It is also very powerful against spirit bodies that feed on magic power, so even the ridiculously sturdy Kudor would have a more painful blow than a normal cut.
However, there was a problem: it was too heavy for ordinary people to lift, and if you walked on a wooden floor, the weight of the sword would cause the floor to fall out.
The amount of the original phantom copper Orechalcos was unbelievable.
Altamir, who was so excited to help me that she said, “You can use as much as you want,” even came to stop me half in tears.
But I didn’t want to go through all that trouble and come out half-baked …… It was necessary as insurance against hostilities with Kudor, so I took it upon myself to go ahead with my original plan.
The magic killing property should be effective against Levi as well.
I don’t know if all of the four great creator gods are spirits, but at least Levi was a spirit body.
I’m sure of it, since I’ve analyzed his shredded arm.
It wouldn’t hurt to let the collectors have it.
As for whether the collector would want it or not, that’s no problem.
His beloved swords, the “Right King of Shattering, Chromieshkeid Ray”, and the “Left King of Rending, Matarglardar Ray”, were reduced to dust by a single shot from the Abel ball, but this true bronze sword, the Orechalcos Sword, was not damaged by a single explosion from the Abel ball.
I manipulated the Ortem on the base of the sword and left the Lark mansion.
I’m pretty sure I heard that he’s been at the “Dwarf’s Lair” tavern in Fage territory since daylight today.
I peeked out the window of the Dwarf’s Lair to take a look inside.
A large man with two-tone blue and white hair and a large magic circle carved around his forehead, the collector, is sitting in the back of the store.
Beside him is a blond-haired woman, Iris, smiling calmly with narrowed eyes.
It is Iris, a parasite of the gigolo collector and a former member of the business community.
“There he is, right on the mark. It turns out that the information that he still frequents the bar every day is true.”
“…… Mea was hoping that it was a rumor. Did that guy use an elixir to rejuvenate himself so he could become a pimp?”
However, the stigma of being just a ragtag gigolo and a legendary pimp ends today.
He was to become a major force in the defeat of Levi, and if necessary, a lightning rod for the resentment of the entire Riveras Kingdom as the one who will be responsible for the subjugation of Levi.
Peter said we didn’t need to worry about it because the country would be in chaos when Levi dies anyway, but he wanted to have an insurance.
“So let’s take it as soon as possible …… No, the floor of the tavern will fall out, so let’s have them go outside.”
“But Iris-san looks like to be having a great time …… Why don’t we just leave her alone and not disturb her for now? I’ll call out to her when she comes outside.”
“Hmmm …… but I don’t know what time it will be ……”
As we continued to observe, Iris suddenly clapped her hands, opened her threadbare eyes wide, and looked into the collector’s face.
“Today, I actually have a present for you, Shu-chan. Shopkeeper, please bring me that thing I handed over to you.”
Iris waved her hand and called the shopkeeper.
Apparently, she had asked the owner to keep something for a surprise present.
I just noticed that his name has changed to Shu-chan, when it used to be Shu-san.
You’re crazy about him, aren’t you, Iris-san?
He may look good, but he’s a bum and an old man inside.
“What, a gift for me? That’s a big thing you’re talking about, I don’t think you’ll be able to bring me anything that will satisfy me.”
I don’t know what he’s talking about.
I felt my face tense up when I saw what the shopkeeper brought in.
It was a sword. It was a gift that I did not expected.
But, no, weapons were a bad idea.
The collector is the kind of guy who sees any priceless weapon as trash, no matter how expensive.
You never know what kind of horrible things that big, airheaded idiot might say.
“A-Abel, isn’t that a bad idea ……?”
“B-, But we can’t just barge in and stop him, can we?”
The owner of the store put a sword on the desk and said proudly.
“This is a product of the famous blacksmith Rayzeph from the Royal Capital. The price would be roughly five million Gs.”
It was Iris who was able to present a 5 million Gs sword to a village ruffian, but the collector was a man with assets that could compete with the kingdom’s funds.
There is no way that 5 million Gs will work.
“…… Geez, shopkeeper, talking about price is boorish.”
Iris smiled annoyingly.
What do I do, just looking at the scene makes my stomach hurt.
I had only come here to bribe the collector, so why should I encounter such a shameful situation?
However, the collector’s reaction was different from what Mea and I had expected.
“A, a sword worth five million G’s, you say!?”
The collector shouted in astonishment and got up from his seat.
“I-Iris! W-When did you prepare such a pricey sword!?”
…… What?
“I’m a former merchant, after all. I still have some old connections, so I made the arrangements from there. I’m glad you’re happy with it.”
“But the money is ……”
“It’s okay, I just want to see Shu-chan work hard, so that much money …… That’s right, when Shu-chan becomes a famous adventurer, then I’ll ask you to pay me for your success.”
I tilted my head out the window as I watched.
It’s funny, is that really a collector?
“…… Are you paying attention to Iris-san?”
Mea also says curiously.
“I don’t think he was the kind of guy who would do that ……”
In addition to our doubts, the collector picked up his sword and fussed over it.
“Is, Is it okay!? Well then, I’ll immediately …… Oh, ohhhhhh ……! It feels fit in my hand! As expected! It’s not like the shoddy stuff the arms dealer’s daughter gave me for free instead of throwing it away!”
The collector looks at his reflection in the blade and laughs, his mouth opening into a wide crescent shape.
“No, It’s just that he’s lost all his money and his sensibilities became as bad as most people’s.”
“…… In any case, I’m glad Iris-san didn’t get hurt.”
“Yes, it’s a great relief for Mea to know that it all worked out. I really hope the collector will take good care of that sword…! Ah!”
Mea’s expression froze when she saw the Orechalcos Sword, a true phantom copper sword, still stuck in its Ortem-shaped base.
“A-Aaaa, Abel …… What do we do with this sword?”
“Ah ……”
If I take this sword with me, I may attract the attention of the collector, but I will surely hurt Iris.
N-No, now that I think about it, the collector is dangerous person.
It would be unwise to take him along and have him betray us on the way.
Yes, that’s right. That’s the way it has to be. He was inappropriate from the very beginning as a force to be reckoned with.
After giving it a lot of thought, I decided to leave the Collectors out of the mission to defeat Levi.
-After that, the only one I could rely on was Zolomonia.
After all, Zolomonia has a high spec.
I’ve gotten advice from Zolomonia several times in analysis work involving ancient spirit languages.
The title of “Great Demon of Wisdom and Ruin” is no mean feat.
She was also of great help to me in the battle against Kudor.
It will be an important asset when we take on Levi.
I went to another warehouse in Lark’s mansion that was currently sealed off.
Zolomonia was locked inside, and a number of wards had been placed to prevent her from escaping.
Some people in the alchemist division are saying that this treatment is too much, but don’t be fooled by her adorable appearance.
Zolomonia is Zolomonia, a species of evil that has used its wisdom to destroy many times as she wants.
If I’m not careful, even I could be outsmarted. I have to be careful.
This is the best distance between humans and demons.
Inside the open warehouse, the walls and floor were covered with a large number of thick books.
Most of them were forbidden books on ancient magic, spirit bodies, the four great creator gods, and artificial spirits, which had been scavenged using the assets of the Fage territory.
I had ordered Zolomonia to look through them as part of the analysis of Levi’s spear.
From inside the warehouse, Zolomonia, a child with a blue body surface, jumped out.
She was a little girl with a blue body surface.
“Oh, Ohhhhh! Isn’t it Abel! You’ve finally decided to free this mistress from this hell of books! Mmm, mmm! Because when this mistress faced the God of Law at that time, this mistress was truly Abel’s best partner! Really, I knew that you would need this mistress’ help again soon! Ah! That’s right, the analysis of the spear is of course well underway! It’s still at the stage of possibility, but that power of twisting fates to hit with the spear could be turned into defense or sublimated as a powerful means of attack, depending on its application. I’m That’s all I can say for now.”
Zolomonia desperately appealed to me about her usefulness.
I folded my arms and gave a small nod.
“I guess I’ll leave Zolomonia behind.”
I close the door gently.
As the door closed behind me, I saw Zolomonia flying towards the door with a devilish expression on her face.
I put up a magic circle behind the closed door and reestablished the wards. Finally, I moved the large Ortem to stand in front of the door and completely sealed it off.
There is a thumping sound on the door from the other side.
“…… Are you sure about that, Abel?”
“Yeah, well, Zolomonia’s not a fighter in the first place. I’m also interested in what Zolomonia had to say about Levi’s use of the spear. I think it would be wrong to interrupt her research. I think I’ll just leave her alone for now.”
“I think Abel just wants information on the spear ……”
“Be-, because that spear is a weapon that can be used as a trump card against Kudor and Count Julem…”
-Three days later, on the appointed day to ride into the Riveras Kingdom.
I met with Peter in the garden of the Lark mansion.
“Abel, I know that the wooden dragon has been postponed and Altamir has fallen, but what about the …… collector and Zolomonia?”
“I’m sorry, but it didn’t work out this time. We’ll ride to the holy city of Riveras Kingdom with Me, Mea, and Peter-san.”
I made a big gut pose and called out to Peter.
“…… Should I also just stay here after all?”