The Eternium Vault

After a long and refreshing bath, Ranav sat on his bed, ready to discuss the matter of Kuldeep Krushna with Jessica. The memory of that encounter was still vivid in his mind. Through their bond, he allowed Jessica to watch it as well, letting her relive every moment he had experienced inside the cave.

Jessica pondered for a while before finally speaking.

"I have a few thoughts regarding this situation. Honestly, it's sheer luck that you stumbled into that cave and found the remnant soul. But maybe it wasn't just luck… maybe it was fate. It seems like Kuldeep Krushna was destined to pass on his legacy to you. I'll explain my thoughts, and if you disagree with any point, just let me know."

"Alright," Ranav nodded.

Jessica continued; her tone thoughtful yet serious.

"Firstly, Camilla never told us her surname. Based on what Kuldeep said, she probably had no idea who her birth parents were. If she's the same Camilla from our current story, then that means her adoptive father was Mahendra Rathore, the City Lord of Kosala. We can confirm this simply by asking her. Once you return home, we should have our answer."

She paused for a moment before moving on to the next point.

"Secondly, we are taking Kuldeep's words as the truth. A dead man has no reason to lie about his family. If everything he said was correct, then Camilla could be in real danger if those who killed Kuldeep ever found her. I also believe that the beast horde attack on Kosala was orchestrated specifically to eliminate Mahendra Rathore and his family. The mastermind behind the attack must have discovered that Kuldeep had visited Kosala before his death. Maybe he feared that Kuldeep had shared sensitive information or passed on some secret token that could threaten him. So, he decided to eliminate any possible loose ends. A beast horde was a perfect cover to kill a city lord of a border city. We need to investigate that attack in the future… maybe we'll find answers about what truly happened to the city lord."

Ranav listened carefully, his mind processing every detail. Jessica was approaching the situation like a strategist, breaking it down logically.

"Third," she continued, "Camilla never awakened magic, yet her mana core is cyan. That's an anomaly. At first, I thought she must have inherited it from her parents. But if she really is the girl Kuldeep spoke about, then it all makes sense. Her supposed father… Mahendra Rathore… didn't try to make her a mage. I suspect the city lord might have deliberately chosen to let her live an ordinary life, keeping her away from those who killed her parents. Given his dire circumstances, it was probably the best decision he could make to protect her. I also think her supposed grandfather might not have known the full truth. If he did, he would have told her on his deathbed."

Jessica took a long pause before delivering her final point.

"Fourth, the current king cannot have children. His only sister is dead. That means there will be no successor from this branch of the Agnisham bloodline. Whoever is behind all this might just be waiting for the king to die before making their move. But if our assumptions are correct, they will be in for a nasty surprise. When the time comes, we will have a queen to present to them."

Ranav remained silent for a while, digesting all the information. Finally, he spoke.

"But we don't even know what it takes to be a king or queen. And more importantly, should we even tell Camilla about her past? Or should we let her remain happy and carefree as she is now? It's her life… we shouldn't impose our expectations on her."

Jessica fell silent at his words. After a long pause, she finally replied, "You're right. I guess I've been a politician before. These ideas just naturally came to me."

Ranav shook his head.

"I'm not blaming you. It's natural to think that way. I also thought the same at first. I do believe we should prepare Camilla for the throne, but we shouldn't tell her just yet. We don't want to burden her unnecessarily."

Jessica nodded in agreement.

"You're right. If she isn't strong enough, then she won't be able to protect herself, even with her current identity as a Limbekai. If she really is the rightful heir, then the items you promised to give her will still be useful. But you should tell her that she can't use them yet… you'll explain everything when the time is right. Oh, and we have six years to figure this out."

Ranav exhaled deeply.

"Alright, then we have nothing more to do about this matter for now. Let's check our treasury."

Jessica smirked. "Good idea. With the count and countess away, there are no powerful mages around the estate. It's a perfect time to examine our magical artifacts."

Ranav took out the Eternium Vault from his storage space and placed it on the floor. He summoned several dark tendrils to clear away the dust and dirt covering it. Once it was clean, he carefully opened the vault.

Jessica immediately frowned. "Store all the mana crystals first. They're interfering with my mana sense."

Ranav obliged, transferring the mana crystals into his ring. Then, one by one, he took out the large artifacts and placed them beside the vault.

Jessica counted. "One axe, one spear, two swords, one shield, one body armor, one helmet… Why are they all black? There's also a pair of black gauntlets in there."

Ranav shrugged. "They must have belonged to Kuldeep Krushna. Maybe he liked black artifacts. But where are the items he asked me to give to his daughter?"

Jessica pointed. "There are several rings inside the vault. The items might be stored in one of them. None of these artifacts are imprinted, so you should be able to use them freely."

Ranav stored the weapons and armor in his ring, then picked up one of the rings. He sent his consciousness inside and gasped.

The space was massive… about 50 by 50 feet… and filled with bookshelves, each one packed with books.

"Now this is a real treasure!" he exclaimed.

Jessica nodded in agreement. "Check the next one."

Ranav took the second ring and found it contained bookshelves filled with forgemastering manuals, a large forge table, and various hammers. There were also boxes filled with minerals, most of which he didn't recognize.

Jessica let out a low whistle. "This must be the lifetime collection of a Royal Forgemaster. With this, you could become a forgemaster yourself."

Ranav grinned and moved on to the third ring. This time, he found a colorful sword, a matching set of armor, a colorful stone ring, and a plain black ring.

"These must be the items meant for Kuldeep's daughter," Jessica guessed.

Ranav nodded and picked up the next ring. The moment his consciousness entered, his jaw dropped.

"Holy—"

Jessica looked inside and gasped. The entire space was packed with gold coins.

Jessica whistled. "We're rich. Millions of gold coins. We don't have to worry about money anymore… at least not for several years."

Ranav smirked. "And what if someone asks where all this money came from?"

Jessica hesitated. "Uh… this…"

Ranav chuckled. "Don't worry, I'll handle it. I'm the bad guy here… I'll just make up a story whenever we need to use it."