Chapter 173
Chapter 173
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 173
Chapter Title: A Useful Traitorous Subject
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'…What is this?'
As Beonald headed toward the Daina family mansion, the closer he got, the more the scenery he saw astonished him once again.
The mansion's walls seemed to be made of lime, but they were constructed so differently and neatly compared to what he remembered. The walls looked as if they had been made by mixing lime into a mold and hardening it, and what caught Beonald's eye was their surprisingly sturdy appearance. He even forgot his purpose for coming to the Daina family and started poking at the wall, checking its strength and applying pressure to gauge its feel. To anyone watching, it would have seemed like the actions of a madman.
"Ooh… Oooooh! This is amazing. How did they make this? If you just poured lime into a mold, you'd never get this kind of strength, right? Should I secretly pry a piece off later? Ugh… Oops! Look at me. I shouldn't be doing this…! Ahem!"
His eyes captivated by the novelty, he was startled to realize he was doing something conspicuous, but surprisingly, no one around was paying him any attention.
In this city where magical research was an everyday occurrence, all sorts of things happened, so a country bumpkin marveling at a mansion wall was nothing noteworthy.
'Anyway, coming here finally makes it feel a bit more… real that I've come 500 years into the future. The air and environment are… a mess, though.'
p>The architectural styles, the roads, even the Elementalist building at the Magical Tower he had visited earlier—while the natural environment was a disaster, Beonald could feel that civilization had progressed and birthed something new.
'Viewed from the outside, it seems closed-off, but from the inside, the perspective is different. While it retreated due to the chaos of war, this place, despite its laissez-faire attitude, saw all sorts of research conducted. Hmm… Anyway, I'm here.'
"Please stop for a moment, guest. To enter, please state your purpose for coming here."
As he reached the mansion entrance, a guard stationed there stepped forward to block him and inquired about his business. Beonald could tell at a glance that he was not an ordinary person but a homunculus.
His skin, the area around his eyes, and his face lacked any human-like vitality, and veins weren't visible on his wrists or the backs of his hands. There were many other differences from a human, making it easy to deduce.
"Ah, I am a merchant traveling the continent. Um… it's not for any other reason, but among the items I happened to acquire through trade, there's a grimoire presumed to belong to the Daina family here. I came to sell it."
"Matters related to the purchase and sale of artifacts and ancient texts should be directed not to this mansion but to the Daina family Trade Department building."
"Hmm, then I request guidance there."
"Follow that road, and at the intersection, you'll find a building stamped with the Daina family crest."
Guided by the homunculus, Beonald had no choice but to walk down the street to the family's Trade Department.
The Daina family Trade Department building he reached was a large structure over five stories tall, bustling with countless people coming and going.
Beonald, once again experiencing firsthand the grandeur of the 'Daina Family Trade Department' where numerous magical items and materials were bought and sold, pushed through the crowd, carefully entered, went to the counter for purchasing magical tools, and received a queue number.
'…Number 340. That's a lot. And it's really noisy.'
"We do NOT accept magic stones at the magical tools counter! Those in line, please proceed to the other side! I repeat! We do NOT accept magic stones at the magical tools counter!"
"Appraisal may take a long time, so please wait patiently!"
"In case of theft, disturbance, or causing a riot, you will be immediately subdued by the Homunculus Security Force and combat mages! If the appraisal or amount offered is unsatisfactory, please simply leave!"
"Why is this item worth only three gold coins?"
Hubbub, hubbub…….
The Trade Department was incredibly noisy, more like a market floor than anything else, and it was a place that really didn't suit Beonald's temperament.
Having to wait quietly felt like a waste of time, and on top of that, the noise was irritating, making it impossible to relax, and he was gradually getting annoyed.
Still, there was nothing he could do but wait quietly, and after about four hours, he finally managed to get to the counter.
"Welcome. This is the Daina Family Direct Trade Department purchase counter. What product have you come to sell?"
"I wish to sell an ancient text obtained from a dungeon. Here…"
"Let me see. Wow~ The condition is excellent. Was there a preservation spell cast on it? And this crest…"
"Um… it's the old-style Daina family crest. That's why I brought it here."
"I see. Let me take a look. Hmm… First, judging by the magical energy imbued within, it seems to be a book with magic cast on it. Usually, in such cases, we offer a higher price, but the problem is… it also seems to have an unbreakable sealing spell. In such cases, we cannot assess the item's value, so we cannot offer a high price."
"Then should I take it away and… try to find a way to break the seal?"
Beonald reacted as if he were hearing this for the first time, feigning panic. To anyone watching, he looked like a novice merchant. The counter clerk, thinking he'd caught an easy mark, skillfully guided the transaction.
"Judging by the magical density of the seal, there likely aren't many people in this 'City of Truth' who could break it anyway. So, if you try to break it, you might end up paying more than the purchase price you'd get for it. Therefore, I recommend selling it to our Trade Department. Ah, by the way, do you happen to have any other grimoires?"
"Ah, no. Just that one. Um… if the magical density is high, doesn't that mean it could contain important… content? Moreover, it clearly bears the Daina family crest… Couldn't it be something valuable?"
"Ah, that could be the case, but…"
Beonald showed a somewhat resistant attitude, bargaining passively for now. But here, in this Trade Department, the Daina family was unequivocally the dominant party.
The counter clerk continued to wag his tongue, trying to swindle this novice merchant into selling the ancient text cheaply.
"However, throughout the 500-year history of the past, the Daina family has steadfastly protected this land through the wars of the Magic Tower and various disturbances since the collapse of the Unified Empire. And most research materials are stored in the Daina family's library. It's more likely that anything leaked outside wouldn't hold significant value. So, selling it here would be most beneficial for you."
"…Is that so?"
"Still, its condition is excellent, so among ancient texts, you should receive the highest price. Precisely… around ten gold coins."
"Hmm… If that's the amount…"
'As expected, fleecing a clumsy merchant is easy.'
The clerk smiled triumphantly, took the ancient text Beonald handed over, and gave him ten gold coins in return.
Even upon second glance, it was a grimoire stamped with the old Daina family crest in exceptionally good condition. On top of that, it was sealed—this was clearly a jackpot.
The reason he deceived Beonald was simple: reporting the acquisition of a valuable item at a low price would bring him great merit, and he could pocket the difference. So the clerk had diligently used his silver tongue to trick Beonald.
"Hehehe, I've luckily struck gold with this. If I offer this, my life will blossom. Hihihi."
Thus, delighted, he immediately left the counter and headed toward the mages upstairs.
Beonald pretended not to know and left, but he had already caught on to the clerk's reaction and smiled, pleased that things were proceeding as he had anticipated.
The clerk, having gone up the stairs, opened the door to a certain room on the top floor and entered.
"Sir Dalion! I've just struck gold!"
"Hmm?"
As the door opened, a giant middle-aged man clad in a robe, standing about two meters tall, appeared.
His hair was stiffly upright, his eyes blazing fiercely, and the muscles visible through his robe bulged intensely. He looked like someone who would emit heat just by breathing. On the desk where this middle-aged man sat was a nameplate reading '1st-Class Mage, Head of Trade Department Dalion Daina.'
Being so large, he was holding a book between two fingers when he set it down temporarily and approached to examine the grimoire the clerk had brought.
"What's this?"
"Just as I thought, right, Sir Dalion? This crest! The Daina family crest used during the era of the Unified Empire! Isn't that correct?"
"Hmm! Exactly. But the book's condition… isn't it incredibly clean? Where did you get it?"
"I purchased it from a merchant who just brought it in. He said he obtained it from some ruins… and that magic was cast on it. So I assume it was exceptionally well-preserved."
"Hmm, good work. Moreover, the style attached to this book… definitely an artifact from the Unified Empire era, and the magical energy felt from it and the sealing style are also unusual. Hahahahat! I need to examine it in detail, but you've truly struck gold! You've achieved a great success."
Dalion Daina praised the clerk cheerfully.
While doing so, he began handling the grimoire, channeling magical energy into it to check something, trying to read not only the family crest but also the magical formulas inscribed inside.
He then visualized it in his mind, his eyebrows twitching as if surprised, and immediately opened his eyes and reacted.
"This is no time for that. I need to break the seal here and get a proper appraisal, so I'll head to the main house for a moment. Ah, you, what's your name?"
"It's Callyun!"
"Callyun! I'll remember that name! Then!"
After jotting down his name, Dalion immediately placed the grimoire inside his robe, took a staff from the closet behind him, cast a spell on the spot, and disappeared, only to reappear in a certain basement.
The basement was a vast cavernous space, with dozens of huge magic stones embedded in the walls, giving the impression of a place where some grand ritual was performed.
And in the center of that space, a man clad in black robes, holding a single grimoire, was chanting an incantation and creating something.
"Ancestor! Ancestor! Are you there?"
[…What… is it… *cough-cough*… Dalion… is that you?]
Responding to Dalion's call, the identity of the black-robed man was a skeleton with blue flames flickering in its eyesockets and a voice like scraping metal—a non-human being.
He was the ancestor of this Daina family, the Mage King who had rejected death and became a Lich on his own to complete his research. It was none other than Dalken Daina.
"Please see what I've brought."
[What is it… making such a fuss… *cough-cough-cough*….]
"It's a text from the Unified Empire era. It's currently sealed, but I confirmed that the method of inscribing the sealing formula is the 'Neumel family's' engraving technique, so I brought it immediately."
[Neumel… *cough-cough*! Family… you say?]
"Yes!"
*Thud!*
Dalken Daina instantly snatched the book Dalion offered, channeled magical energy into it, and began examining it.
Indeed, just as he said, the method of inscribing the sealing formula inside was perfectly that of the Neumel family.
After all, he was a mage who had lived during the Unified Empire era 500 years ago.
[…Correct. *cough-cough*… This… is the Neumel family's method… *growl*! Moreover……! That bastard Beonald von Neumel engraved this himself! …Where did you get this?]
"I was told it was purchased from a merchant at the Trade Department today. As usual, something that was lying around somewhere probably flowed in. Besides, the seal on this is quite powerful, so they likely couldn't dispose of it in a shoddy place."
[Hmm… Indeed, if it's a formula he engraved… it's not a level… that mediocre mages… could tamper with. To my knowledge… his formula engraving… was the best… on the continent.]
"Is that so?"
[But… even so… he was a man hated by mana… so he couldn't use magic. *Cough-cough-cough*! Anyway, it bears our family crest… and if that bastard personally engraved the formula… into this book… there must be something… tremendously significant. *Cough-cough-cough*!]
Dalken Daina, making a sound like scraping metal, manipulated magical energy to release the seal on the grimoire.
After all, the formula the Neumel family used for this seal was almost entirely something he had taught them, so breaking it was as easy as picking his nose.
Thus, the seal was released, and the pages opened on their own, revealing the contents……. The blue flames in Dalken Daina's eye sockets began to flicker, unable to conceal his bewilderment.