Chapter 69 - Treasure Hunt

After completing the necessary entry procedures, I entered a dark passage.

As I entered, the air became thicker and thicker. The scent of the past that was difficult to describe brushed my nose.

—Tingle!

Immediately afterwards, my intuition began to ring an alarm bell without stopping.

The presence of countless barriers, each of which overlapped in an unknown number of types. If an unauthorized person were to attempt to enter, they would be crushed to the bone.

It was a security system bordering on paranoia, typical of the palace's main facilities.

Of course, considering the importance of this place, it was understandable, but apart from that, I felt a strong sense of discomfort. The sticky magic field seemed to be trying to dig into my existence.

'No matter what, it's like that. I clearly had permission to enter. Isn't this a bit excessive?'

Leaving behind the unmistakable discomfort, I walked a little further along the passage, and soon the mysterious scenery inside the relic storage room unfolded before my eyes.

Oh my, what a magnificent sight. The discontent I had just had disappeared.

Its scale was so great that it made me doubt whether it was created by human hands. The neat interior, reminiscent of a library or museum, was kept clean without a speck of dust.

"Amazing…"

Also, although I don't know what era it was from, the structure of this space itself felt very aesthetically beautiful. It was so beautiful that I couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.

When I visited last time, it felt like a messy shopping street. How on earth did it change so much in just a few months?

I can't believe I've visited here before.

I heard that the axis of space-time is constantly distorted due to the mystery applied here... Since I don't know much about magic, I couldn't understand the exact principle.

"Oh, this… I don't know the proper value of any of this. They all look precious to me."

"Is there a magician or scholar who possesses historical knowledge of the Great Rift period? I will definitely give you a reward. No, I will formally hire you here."

Meanwhile, as I slowly looked around, I could hear the guests who had arrived earlier talking about various things.

I was currently on the 3rd floor.

[Level 1 Restricted Area]

As you can see from the warning, you need Level 1 access to enter this place.

Unlike the upper floors where there were quite a few people walking around, the atmosphere on the lower floors, the 1st and 2nd floors, was quite noisy.

"We are looking for the holy relics left behind by the canonized blessed ones! Brothers and sisters! If you have found an object imbued with the grace of the heavens, please report it!"

"The grimoires and research materials written by the Magistos School's leaders…"

"I think I saw that. What would you pay in return for sharing the location?"

They were often seen sharing information about where and what they saw.

"Haa… damn it. You'll get your money's worth even if you just take whatever you want. I'll just take this."

"You're running out of time? Good luck."

After desperately moving around for time, some people ended up giving up and leaving alone, grabbing whatever precious metals they saw nearby.

The behavior of that unknown man somehow felt like someone else's business, so I couldn't help but smile bitterly. Isn't it exactly the same as my behavior the last time I came in here?

The reason the visitors on the lower floor were so impatient was simple.

It's not for nothing that there are different levels of access. The length of stay and the scope of access inside the relic storage facility differ greatly depending on the merits.

—Tick, tick…

I took out the pocket watch-shaped artifact that I had been given just before entering here and looked at it.

'Is there a little over 6 hours left?'

Those with Level 1 access rights are given ample time to take it easy, but those with lower levels of authority are given very little time.

It would be impossible to properly explore this mysterious and vast space for just one or two hours.

With the time limit and the structure changing every time, it might seem a bit stingy for His Majesty the Emperor's grace to his subjects…

Everyone knows that the only place to access the relics of the past that have disappeared over time is here.

That's why there was not a single fool who dared to complain.

"Oh, this is..."

For example, the weapon of my rival that appeared before my eyes after many years.

[Frosttooth Tribe Leader, Astrid's Sawblade]

What kind of harmony is it that the things I destroyed with my own hands are neatly displayed here? Even things that defy common sense are now pleasant.

'He was definitely quite strong. What would happen if we fought again now?'

Aside from that, this place was full of weapons and relics that you would only see in history books.

The axe of the great warrior 'Raging Bull' from the south who boasted overwhelming strength and raged before being subjugated to the empire's territory.

The measuring instrument and wand used by Leonardo, a great wizard and comprehensive artist ahead of his time.

And the vertebrae of the fallen Cardinal Pedros... Why are they displaying that?

"There are definitely more interesting items than the last time I came."

There are so many great weapons that it's quite interesting to walk around, but there doesn't seem to be anything that really stands out.

Well, I personally think that weapons and armor are just consumables.

Even if they're relics left behind by historical figures, most of them are just items that the user was great at, and the quality of the weapons themselves isn't particularly special.

So, rather than looking for something, I just wandered around here and there, and I ended up encountering some rather unexpected faces.

The 3rd floor is said to have fewer people walking around compared to its size, but it's not like there aren't any.

"... You're Lord Wolfgang. I didn't expect to see you here."

Lord Riddell, the commander of the Frost Knights, the last opponent in the Knights' War.

Unlike that time, I almost didn't recognize him because I met him unarmed.

From head to toe, including the uniform she wore, she was completely covered in pure white, and she looked more like a snow spirit than a human.

"Nice to meet you, Sir Liddell."

I wanted to just ignore her and pass by, but she greeted me first, so I had no choice but to return the greeting.

She is quite an awkward opponent to me. Why does she insist on pretending to know me when we are both busy?

The last time, Agnes was half-dead in her hands, so I remember her threatening me quite viciously, using abusive language.

Back then, we were rivals, so I could have freely shown my hostility, but meeting her in this situation was so awkward that I couldn't stand it.

"How is Sir Agnes doing?"

"Yes. She is in good health, to the point of being a little too much."

"I see. Then that's fine."

I wondered what on earth he was going to say, but Sir Liddell, who had checked Agnes's well-being out of the blue, immediately turned his back on me with his characteristically expressionless face.

'… What is that?'

She looked truly unbelievable. I felt like I understood why she was famous for being eccentric.

"Oh, right. Over there, in the fourth display case from the end, there's something that's just right for you, as big and strong as an ogre. I've given you some good information, so please take good care of your junior."

Even more, as she leisurely disappeared, adding a word as if she had forgotten, I felt even more embarrassed.

Comparing someone to an ogre in front of me. Putting aside the unpleasantness of the remark, which was half praise and half ridicule, what on earth did she want to do?

And if you're my junior, could you possibly be referring to Agnes? You didn't even touch it up properly, you just mercilessly pushed me until my mana core broke, and now you're asking me to take care of you?

'Crazy girl.'

It was full of things I couldn't understand. It's been a long time since I've had such an awkward expression in my head.

They say that the higher the level of the manifestation masters, the more bizarre their personalities become. Could it be that Agnes will become like that later?

Feeling dizzy at an alarming rate, I shook my head to shake off the useless thoughts and walked toward the place that Lord Riddell had told me about.

She was a bit eccentric, but her skills were real. I couldn't ignore her intuition.

—Sparkle!

Meanwhile, the polyhedron I kept in my arms was shining as if telling me not to forget her.

A gift from Alicia. I had already decided how to use it.

Rather than being greedy for the artifacts located in areas that were not allowed to me in the first place, I plan to just pick out artifacts that Alicia can use.

The deepest part of the relic storage that opened this time is probably the 4th floor. If there is nothing special in the location that Lord Riddell told me, it would be better to just finish looking around the 3rd floor and go up here.

Thinking that way, I reached the display case without much expectation, half-deceived.

"Oh..."

The sword I encountered there suddenly stimulated my heart.

It was too big and thick to be called a sword, and it was a huge lump of iron that did not look like something a normal human could wield.

Who on earth used it?

Unlike the other items, it did not even have a proper name, but that made the man's heart burn even more.

The more I looked at this, the more it became my taste.

I approached the greatsword as if possessed.

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