The Royal Treasury - V
While Aventine was marveling at the wondrous mountains of gold, the members of Heaven's Grasp wore grim expressions.
At least, only what remained of them.
Lila, Ella, and Quill all stood around a fading runic mark.
The others had been left behind, bound by the <Archmagus >, and most likely doomed.
—Crack!
Lila snapped the bone on her finger, making Ella and Quill quiver in fear. A deep, seething rage churned within Lila's gaze. The pain of losing those she loved was engraved upon her expression.
However, she bore through the madness in silence.
There was no saving them. Whoever appeared just as they finished fighting was aware of their presence since the beginning. Moreover, the <Archmagus > was far beyond their capabilities.
There was no hope.
Biting her lip, Lila swore to herself.
She would have revenge.
***
"So you're saying that we can get any single treasure from the Royal Treasury, even if we don't take your test?" Opheus' hulking stature allowed him to stand three heads taller than Daimyuon. However, nothing but subservience could be seen in his demeanor.
"Yes," Daimyuon replied with a gentle smile, "You probably came here wanting something, correct? Everything in the treasury isn't useful to me, so they have accumulated over the years."
"Is it alright, Sir?" Opheus confirmed once more. "What happens if we take the test? Will we lose our chance?"
"Only if you fail," Daimyuon replied.
Opheus' expression dropped.
"I have to discuss this with the others." Opheus turned to Feura and Laurence. "What do you guys think? Should we take the risk for a chance to gain more, or should we be satisfied with being able to keep our lives and take a single treasure?"
Feura had her eyes closed, deep in thought.
When she heard Opheus address her, she let the world know of her ferocious gaze again. Her glare was directed at the <Archmagus > himself.
"I say we take a gamble."
Laurence blinked, stealing a glance at Daimyuon. It seemed like he was on the same wavelength as Feura.
((Let's do what she says.))
Opheus nodded albeit hesitantly, turning to face Daimyuon once more. The deceptively young man had conjured a book out of nothingness, sitting gracefully in midair. His long white hair spread out like the rays of the sun, its color was the only sign of his age.
Compared to his friends, he wasn't willing to undergo another test. They already had a guarantee. Why waste it?
Nonetheless, it was the majority vote.
"We'll take the test, Sir," Opheus said, reflecting the relentless gazes that Feura and Laurence long bore.
***
Sitting at a tea shop, Aventine admired the distant royal castle from afar. His gaze pierced through the many walls between himself and the <Archmagus > Daimyuon, watching as three members of Heaven's Grasp struggled through one final trial.
He had long taken what he needed, swimming deep into the mountains of treasures and seas of gold.
As a matter of fact, Aventine took more than what he needed. That damn kleptomaniac...
He stole way more than planned.
"Half of the kingdom's royal treasury is now inside this ring..."
Aventine fiddled with the item on his finger. Indeed, the most comfortable artifact to take would be related to expanded space.
Having to carry the backpack he brought from Earth and all his other belongings had grown tiring. Aventine long had enough of such a tedious endeavor.
So, with the theme already pre-established by the spatial pebbles he had been crushing, he took as many space-related devices as he could. All of them were stored within one all-encompassing ring.
<Sub-Dimensional Ruby Ring>
It wasn't simply a storage ring, no. It was a ring that had an entire sub-dimension locked within. Therefore, it wasn't difficult to store other spatial devices inside it. Aventine could even hide inside.
It was the pinnacle of comfort.
***
After watching Laurence, Feura, and Opheus for several minutes, Daimyuon went to visit the Royal Treasury. None of the alarms he had set beforehand had been triggered, both inside and outside the treasury.
However, he felt a sense of immense unease.
"..."
Staring at the clearly-depleted room of treasures, Daimyuon froze. He went through the entire room again. All of his alarms, his traps, and his sensors were as he had left them.
What kind of monster..?
Suddenly, Daimyuon felt a gaze. It was a familiar one. The same one that had gazed into the very truth of his being, sending a chill down his spine.
"Show yourself!"
Daimyuon's voice shook the very mana of the world itself.
However, there was no response. Wholly unaffected by any of Daimyuon's attempts at hiding himself, and everything around him, the gaze still lingered.
In mockery and disdain.
This time, Daimyuon sent his mana through space, searching for a certain mark. However, the response came quickly.
The mark he had thrown was nowhere to be found.
Daimyuon's eyelids twitched. He didn't value the contents of the Royal Treasury that much. However, the sour taste of having been robbed without his knowledge refused to leave his mouth.
***
Slipping out of my invisibility, I let out a chuckle.
"Why so serious? I thought you didn't care about these worthless things. Putting these things in my hands would be a million times more beneficial, don't you think?"
That Daimyuon was truly powerful. His senses were just as. Though not as good as mine, he could scan the entire capital. Luckily, being this far away and free from the spiritual mark, the <Power of Death> allowed me to avoid such an ability.
"Hahahahaha,"
Giggling, I could feel a bunch of people leaning away from me again. However, why would I care?
I was filthy rich.
Half a kingdom's treasury was at my fingertips.
Moreover, I had a whole arsenal of weapons and artifacts, ready for me to study and use.
For example,
"The <Mark of the Oasis>..."
An artifact that allowed me to visit a mana-rich island floating in the void. This was a place that the <Archmagus > Daimyuon used when he was much younger than he was now. A sacred location for any aspiring mage.
"There's also this..."
Peering into the <Sub-Dimensional Ruby Ring>, I pulled out a small silver knife. It was about as large as a typical breadknife, however, it could cut through space itself. To call it a vorpal blade would be an understatement.
It was <Astraeu's Letter Openner>.
Although it could not be said to be at the pinnacle of sharpness, the ability to 'separate' all things at a spatial level blurred the line between its sharpness and sheer absurdity.
It was a good match for me.
An absolute cutting edge for an absolutely aware being.
"How fun~" I hummed.
When I finished my tea, I stood up and settled the bill. Afterward, I headed towards a discreet area of the city.
From my <Sub-Dimensional Ruby Ring>, I pulled out another artifact.
<Talisman of Timely Returns>
With it, I could visit the <Grand City of Laquer> without sacrificing much of my time. Melia and Lady Archisse were likely to appreciate a few gifts from outside the kingdom.
Moreover, that blacksmith, Gron, had a certain latent potential I was eager to unlock.
"Indeed, there's always worth in all things we do, no matter how small."
Muttering these words, I took out a bottle of <Mana Potion> and chugged it. Feeling my body brimming with mana, moments from spontaneous combustion, I grinned maniacally.
[Absolute Awareness].
My gaze moved past rivers, forests, mountain ranges, and vast plains. I looked over cities, battlefields, and hidden dungeons. The distance traveled by my consciousness could be said to be continental.
Eventually, as my mana ran out, I arrived above a sprawling metropolis built entirely out of obsidian-black stones. Thousands of snow-capped buildings, looking like mountains on their own, brought about an unfathomable feeling of immensity. Furthermore, the people of this city were no longer composed primarily of humans.
I saw elves, dwarves, lizardmen, orcs, and other fantastical races. Lumbering giants walked between the buildings and dragons flew overhead. Hydras lay asleep atop some kind of monstrous hotel.
"Ah," I gasped in legitimate awe. "The Walvaskaz Empire,"
My next destination.