Accumulation (6)

Rinna joined me with my exploration of the place. Rinna was finally fulfilled with her head patting. We walk side by side, as she stares intently at my face. I didn't bother to glance an eye at her. Was it really normal to walk alongside a person who was probably my stalker for years and act as if nothing happened? I guess not... But who cares, she's cute and I'll even welcome her with open warms. I do admit that I may have a few loose screws...

While strolling around, we notice an odd-looking light coming from the gaps in the door. Our curiosity led to us standing in front of the door.

"Do you want to take a look?"

"You want it to right?" Rinna answered.

"Obviously."

I slowly open the door and my eyesight was overwhelmed by the dazzling sight of gold. "Waaaah! What is this! Why is there a room filled with gold?! Where did this come from?!"

"Why are you so loud?"

Speaking of the devil, Arya was lying on top of the pile of treasures. One quick glance at her made my heart drop a beat. Arya's loose dress while drenching in sweat was too alluring to look at. Curse you, my hormones. I shake those lustful thoughts out and prioritize the more important matter.

"What is this?!" I point to the room that's filled with jewelry and gold. 'Wait a minute, isn't she back in the training ground? How come she's here?!'

"Ohhh these junks, I own them."

"From where?"

"I don't know. I like hoarding shiny things. I have more, do you want to see it?" Arya slices the air and a portal appears.

Rinna and I are taken back when we saw the portal, but moreover, Arya was pulling treasures out of it like normal. And now, the flooring that we're stepping on is now filled with fortunes that I think could buy a mountain or something.

"What's with this absurd amount of jewelry, gem, and gold... And even magic stones?! Did you conquer a kingdom?! Did you annihilate a kingdom and stole all of this?!"

"I'm not that evil to do that just yet."

"Yet?!" I yelled out an extremely concerning issue from the last part of her sentence.

"Of course. Hehehe~ Also, most of this came from my fellows back home and some came from the dungeons here. They told me that you people are fond of wealth, so they gave this to me." Arya boasted.

"Fellows, huh? Did you beat them up— What do you want to do with this? Are you using this room as storage?"

"Yes! I'll be using this for us! This room shall be my treasure room! As my father said, I shall always display my wealth to anyone to signify my authority and make everyone realize less important they are! Everyone shall bow down!"

"What a great father, I envy her," Rinna remarked.

"Okay, I'll pretend I didn't hear that. Arya, do you really think it is safe to keep all of these in here? No one guarding nor has any protection array. What if someone steals it without us knowing?" I said solemnly.

"I'll kill that person before it can even step foot in this place. Who dares to steal from me? No one! I'll make sure of that! Mark my words!"

"Talking to you goes nowhere at all. Haa..."

"This is why I entrusted you, Claude! Fret not, I shall lead you to greatness alongside everyone! You rabbit!"

"Me?" Rinna points at herself.

"Do you want to be at the top?"

"Of course!"

"Well then, follow me! We shall venture the land to mark our greatness! Our greatness shall soil the land! Afterward, we shall conquer the sky beyond the horizon!"

"I already heard that a million times..."

"Oooooh! Yeees! I agree!" Rinna claps.

"What about you Claude?"

"I'm good."

"Ho-ho! Your response is still weak, looks like we need to lecture you more! To be the greatest, you need the heart and the dedication to conquer with everything we got! Bring out your inner desire!"

"Yeah, yeah, thank you for your kind words."

As usual, my sarcasm went over to Arya's head and took it as a compliment.

Rinna tugs the hem of my uniform. "I really like her."

"Haaa... You two are great together." I crouch down, picking up a piece of it. Just by looking at it, I wanted to think that this was all fake, but this is Arya. There should be value to these items, but I don't know whether we could sell them here. Furthermore, we're not lacking in funds.

"So... This is the reason why you're able to pay those, huh? This place, the fees for the faction creation which usually was shared by a group of people, yet you paid it by yourself. However, the probing question is, how were you able to exchange it into points?"

"I exchanged them through other people."

"Other people?"

"Yep! I met some people who wanted to buy."

"Don't tell me you sold it in a black market... Do those exist in here?"

"I think what she's trying to say, she sold it to the academy itself. You can sell any pieces of jewelry or gold that you found in the dungeon in exchange for points in the academy treasury." Rinna explained it to me.

"Oh, I forgot about those. But wait, is it really okay for her to bring those insides? Ohhh... The money currency won't work in here... But items with a vast amount of value like mana stones or jewelry are exempted. I see. A loophole. Clever."

"Right? If I had only known about that at the start, I wouldn't be having a hard time inside the dungeons." Rinna said in dismay.

Because of what I heard, it left a grin on my face. "You're overreacting."

"I'm not! Who likes to be covered in blood and sweat?! They're disgusting!"

"I bet they do."

"Then don't say that I'm overreacting!"

In response, I flashed a smile without saying a word anymore. I glance back to the treasure in front of us. The fact that this wealth in front of me has values, means they're not for naught. They have values that can be used in case of emergencies. But then again, Arya's stash was not the only thing that caught my eyes.

A moment ago, Arya used magic that I have never seen anyone use before, space magic. An inventory space magic like mine. It took me by surprise. Does that mean, she's used to space magic and was the real reason why she's able to catch up to me? Because she also uses it? Questions are piling up in my head. However, there's more probing matter that I need to address...

"Arya, you should keep your stash away from here, somewhere safe where no people can see it."

"No way~!"

"What if either one of your entrusted vassals steals it?" I said gravely.

"But you wouldn't?" Arya answered without giving a thought about it.

"You're too trusting." I chuckled.

"My instinct doesn't betray me," Arya smirks at me.

She points at her eyes. "Keep in mind, Claude, my prescient eyes were the best among the best. A lot of my kin envy's these eyes of mine."

"What does that supposed to mean?"

"Oh, wait! I need to get going!"

"To where?"

"To get Lily! Bye, bye! Also, don't forget to bring everyone tomorrow! Bye~ Bye~" Arya vanishes in a blink of an eye, leaving Rinna and me in the mess she created.

"Hey, wait, you! Arya... That woman... Is giving me a headache every time she shows up." I sighed.

"She's lovely, though? What are you talking about? She's greater than I expected."

"Because you two are alike, personality-wise," I muttered.

"What did you say?"

"Nothing. I have said nothing. Help me shove this inside."

Rinna narrows her eyes. "Fine."

We began sweeping all the valuable items back to the room. The jewelry that I'm holding right now is not ordinary because most of them are embedded with mana. Rinna was also surprised by it but continued putting them in the room. Deep inside her, she's getting tempted to at least get one because it's not every day you can get your hands on it. These so-called junks of Arya are sought-after treasures that any person will salivate upon catching sight of it.

Arya's childish personality is hardest to understand because every action she does is too unpredictable. She does anything that she wants like she owns the world. For now, it's not a bad thing, but in the future, that's where the problem lies. Her unpredictability will surely bring us a catastrophe in the near future. After cleaning the mess-up, I'm planning to put a temporary protection array.

"Do you have a chalk, Rinna?"

"Yeah, why? Here." Rinna handed me small chalk.

"Wait, you really have one?"

"Of course, for my summoning... Don't question it!"

"All right, all right. Thank you." I pat her head as a way to show my gratification.

I began drawing three hexagrams adjacent to each other, writing runic characters around each hexagram, as each triangle within the hexagram represents a different meaning signifying the invocation of the spell. I place my palm at the center. "Bestow protection, abide my calling."

Soon after, the massive door glows in purple, translucent chains linked together began appearing slowly through the corners. Next, a sigil emerges at the center of the door, indicating the spell was placed successfully. Rinna stared at me dumbfoundedly. "A short chant?"

"Yeah."

"How?"

"I'm special." I shrug my shoulder.

"Stinky Claude. Fine! Don't tell me!"

The spell that I cast is a temporary one. However, it should be enough to secure the valuable items behind the door. To make sure, I'll also ask Lily to add the final layer to it with her ice magic. It's overkill, but considering the mountain of treasure, it should be right to do so. Looking at the window, the light is dimming.

"Rinna."

"Yes?"

"Can you tell them to meet here tomorrow for a meeting? We need a thorough discussion regarding the newly-founded faction. And lastly, tell Rosalyn to also come here since I'm also planning for her to join us."

"Okay!"

"Ugh, why are you acting like this? Too cute." I caress Rinna's head.

"Hehehe~ But are you sure about letting that crazy woman... To join us?"

"It's inevitable. She's the person you don't want to retaliate against us. What a pain in the ass, to be honest. In addition, her powers can be beneficial to us. Rather than turning a blind eye on her and causing problems in the future, isn't it better for her to join us? It's not like she had ill-will against us."

"Okay. But if she ever kills me, avenge me okay?"

"You won't die from her."

"I'm just saying." Rinna shrugs her shoulder.

"Just don't annoy her. Send her the message and leave her alone."

"That's a good suggestion." Rinna gave me a thumbs up.

A while later, we approach the entrance of the palace to go back to our dorms then as we're walking, I mentioned a topic that's related to earlier events. "You already saw what happened to me earlier, right?"

"Of course! But I don't know the reason because the headmaster's room is protected, so I don't know the reason."

"Then how did you manage to enter Master Irene's residential...?"

"Who said that I did? I don't recall mentioning that." Rinna flashes a smile.

Now, I'm convinced that Rinna can do her job outstandingly considering stealth is top-notch. I won't have a hard time worrying about her being caught unless something goes wrong. Rinna can even catch up to me, despite using [Shifting Point] which means she has the capabilities to track me and the speed to pair with.

"You're full of surprises today, bunny. And, I'm pretty sure you know what you're doing. I have a request for you."

"What is it?"

"It's about the guy earlier, can you get a thing or two about him? Like his family, kingdom, or any general information about him. I'd like you to gather information, is that okay? If you're up to the task..."

"Okay then." Rinna shows her palm to me, asking something from me.

"Do you want points?"

"No? Do you have hair or items that are related to him, something that he had touched recently?"

"Does my hand count?"

"Non-living object that he touched, or just hair. Well, essentially, not only hair, but I prefer hair since others are disgusting. So, do you have one?"

"I don't... Hold on, don't tell me that you're going to kill yourself again like last time?"

"It's easier to read his recent memories and start from there. So, give me."

The fact she's acting casually about it is mind-boggling. It took me a while to respond to her. "I don't have one..."

"Then it will cost you."

"Well, I'm willing to pay. How much?"

"I haven't given a thought about it. I'll tell you afterward. How does that sound?"

"Yeah, I don't have any problems."

"Then we have a deal!" Rinna grins as she reaches her hand forward.

"Deal." I shook her hand.

"I forgot about that... Is that how are you able to track me? I thought you have a heightened keenness of smell or sight like Lily or Arya."

"You're so stupid Claude." Rinna giggled.

It contradicts my decision earlier, but the earlier events kept bothering my mind. What I need is closure, so I could lift the heavy feeling in my chest. Rinna and I walked together until we parted ways to go back to our dorm. As for Arya's whereabouts, I have no clue where she is, or why she wanted to see Lily. Moreover, it looks like tomorrow will be chaotic.