The Dusty Soul Necklace
After the duel ended, Gray quietly observed Sherry. Delighted at having landed a solid hit, she enthusiastically patted my back with loud smacks. Watching her, Gray let out a shallow sigh.
Whew. I guess I really was too indifferent after all.
The power Sherry displayed in this spar had clearly surpassed what he was capable of back in his school days. No, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say it surpassed not only him but every student he'd seen until now. Her strength today was shocking enough to leave him genuinely astonished.
It's surprising that my daughter can handle black flames and three orbs, but that blind fellow Baran is quite intriguing.
He had heard the rumors about me. According to the stories, the greatest archer of all time had been born. Well, since I'd taken the top spot at Edin Academy, the claim wasn't entirely strange. Such talk usually followed anyone who achieved excellent grades there. Because of that, he'd assumed the rumors were somewhat exaggerated, but...
It wasn't exaggerated at all. If anything, they seem to have underestimated him.
What surprised him wasn't my strength. While my power was certainly impressive, what astonished him far more was my skill. On the surface, it must have looked like I'd only summoned a familiar and twisted a sub-space. But that wasn't all. For a brief moment, I had dominated the space across the entire area.
That's a domain impossible to reach with ordinary skill.
The fact that I'd accomplished it at my age meant I could be called a genius... no, even a monster, without it being an exaggeration.
I have no idea where a guy like that suddenly came from.
Thinking this, Gray walked up to Sherry. He looked at her and spoke softly.
"You've become much stronger, my daughter."
"Ah, yes, Father."
"Yes. I'm sorry for being so indifferent all this time."
With those words, he turned away. I was still wondering what to say about his behavior when he spoke again.
"I'll give you the reward as promised, so follow me."
The words I'd been waiting for finally left Gray's mouth. Hearing them, I trailed after him obediently.
Following Gray brought us to the front of the warehouse. It really showed that they were one of the four great elemental families on the Manchester Continent. Every item inside was magnificent. The place overflowed with things ordinary people could never even lay eyes on.
"Can I pick any one of them?"
"Yes. Choose whatever catches your eye."
I quietly scanned the items in the warehouse. There was something I wanted, but it never hurt to look around just in case.
Disciple. Disciple. What about that one?
Miroel pointed at one of the items. I shifted my gaze in that direction.
◈ A medicine that cures any disease or ailment.
Hmm. It was definitely a good item. I suspected Miroel recommended it because of my eyes. From her perspective, she probably believed I couldn't see due to some illness. Still, the item wasn't useful to me. My eyes were perfectly fine, and even if they weren't, I could simply buy an all-curing potion with points. So I had no intention of choosing it.
"Baran, what about this one?"
Sherry suddenly brought over an item and showed it to me. It was a shiny golden bow. She must have felt sorry that I used a bow without any visible weapon. In truth, I already had the overpowered Bow of the Beginning.
H-hey! Look at that fox! How dare she try to steal my disciple away!
No, why are you interpreting it like that? Miroel hugged me tightly from behind as if she refused to let anyone take me. I did my best to ignore the soft sensation pressing against my back and spoke.
"I can sense rather unusual mana from it as well. It appears to be a bow, Miss Sherry?"
"Uh, y-yes. You knew?"
"Yes, well. Anyway, a bow doesn't suit me."
"Huh? It doesn't suit you?"
She tilted her head, her face showing complete confusion. I answered her question.
"Since my eyesight isn't good, using a bow is somewhat difficult for me."
"Ah, so that's why you don't carry a weapon around?"
"Precisely. My weapon is this bracelet."
Instead of further explanation, I showed her the Bow of the Beginning. Sherry tilted her head again.
"Wasn't that just an ordinary bracelet?"
"It looks that way outwardly, but this bracelet is actually a bow."
As I spoke, I channeled mana into the Bow of the Beginning. A bow formed of blue mana soon appeared in my hand. Gray, watching from behind, nodded in understanding.
"So that's how it works. No wonder the bow looked so clear during the spar. It must have been the bracelet's ability."
"Yes, that's correct."
"Wow. I thought this whole time that you were using a bow without any weapon."
"Ahahaha, a lot of people seem to misunderstand that."
After that trivial exchange, I continued slowly examining the items.
Hmm. They're all about the same after all.
It was undeniable that there were many useful items here. However, none of them felt particularly necessary for me. And even if they were useful, they were all things I could simply purchase from the cash shop anyway.
In the end, I guess I'll have to go with that one.
With that thought, I looked at an item tucked away in the corner of the warehouse. It had been ignored so thoroughly that it was covered in a thick layer of dust. Just to be sure, I examined the necklace before me with Mind's Eye.
◈ Allows a soul to manifest in physical form for a short time when the necklace is worn.
◈ Can only be used once.
It was exactly as I suspected. In the game, it wasn't a particularly useful item. Frankly, there weren't many soul NPCs to begin with.
And even the ones that existed weren't all that special.
But who was standing right beside me now? None other than a hero from the beginning. Even if it could only be used once, obtaining this was like gaining an extra coin in my pocket.
Besides...
I need Risa to research it.
Miroel usually acted like it didn't bother her, but there were times she felt uncomfortable in her soul state. If Risa studied this, we might even be able to resurrect her.
And if I obtain it from the Ruins of the Beginning as well...
I would be able to receive Miroel's help.
Having organized my thoughts, I walked over to the necklace containing the soul stone. The moment I picked it up, Gray asked in a puzzled voice.
"You're choosing that?"
"Yes, I am."
"Hmm. It's awkward for me to say this as the one offering the reward, but that item isn't particularly useful. It's been gathering dust in the corner for a very long time."
"That's right, Baran. It's so neglected that dust has piled up on the necklace."
Well, since the proper usage method wasn't known, it was understandable they'd think that way. To me, however, it was practically an essential item, so I needed to take it.
"No. I'll go with this one."
"Hmm. Very well. Thank you for being considerate."
It seemed Gray had misunderstood something, judging by his words.
"Anyway, it's getting late. Shall we have dinner?"
Before we knew it, evening had arrived. Hearing his suggestion, we immediately headed toward the dining hall.
As expected of high nobility, the table was laden with an extravagant feast. The aroma alone was enough to make one's mouth water; everything had been prepared with great care.
"No need to stand on ceremony. Eat as you please."
"Yes, I understand."
With those words, we began our meal. The academy's food was decent in its own right. No, objectively speaking, it was quite good. After all, every chef there was a seasoned professional dedicated to the students' growth. Yet the Patrick family's chefs were every bit as skilled. I could confidently say that the cooks here possessed considerable experience as well.
"By the way, when do you plan to leave?"
Gray suddenly directed the question at me. Sherry's gaze shifted in my direction as well.
Hmm. The sooner the better.
I had originally planned to head straight to the Ruins of the Beginning. An unexpected interruption had delayed that, so departing tomorrow seemed ideal.
"I'm thinking of leaving tomorrow."
"What? Tomorrow?"
Sherry jumped in surprise and stared at me intently, as if asking why I had to leave so soon.
"Hmm. Is there a reason you're departing so quickly?"
"Yes. There's a place I need to visit separately."
"I see..."
He trailed off and placed a piece of meat in his mouth. What was that about? What was he trying to say? Why had he let his words hang like that? Sherry seemed to sense it too, as she stared at him. The moment all our attention focused on Gray, an utterly unexpected statement slipped from his lips.
"So, when are you two planning to have a child?"
Excuse me? A child?