Tomb Raiders (1)

It had already been three days since I started treating Mersius. Today, as usual, I worked on drawing out the excess mana, and the crystals that had been growing just beneath her skin had dwindled so much they were barely visible anymore.

The more the crystals vanished, the more her already radiant beauty grew dazzling. According to Gergius, the growth that had been suppressed by the mana was finally beginning, and she was changing because of it.

She looks like a doll.

Because of the pain that came with the mana extraction, Mersius always kept her eyes tightly shut. Even with her brow faintly furrowed, she looked like a statue carved to be breathtakingly beautiful.

“You’ve worked hard again today, Albrecht.”

“Ah, is this far enough?”

At Gergius’s words I finished the last bit I had been removing and stopped. Just two more days and we would be done.

“Yes. Aren’t you tired? Until yesterday you were looking fairly worn out by this point.”

“Huh… You’re right. It does feel a little less exhausting.”

“You’ve grown, then.”

“Pardon?”

“Exactly what I said. Doing the same work and finding it less taxing means you’ve grown that much. Familiarity plays a part, of course, but still.”

Hearing Gergius, I checked my status.

My mana stat had jumped a full ten points. All the extreme mana expenditure from the war and this treatment must have done it.

“More importantly, Albrecht—is there anything you want?”

“Pardon? Something I want?”

“Once this business is finished, I thought I might give you a gift.”

Gergius continued.

“Even though you saved my daughter because of the promise between me and Caesius, how could that alone repay the debt of gratitude?”

“Gratitude… that’s—”

“It is gratitude. What parent would not call it a debt of gratitude when someone saves their child’s life?”

I couldn’t argue with that. A little embarrassed, I smiled and answered.

“Even if you suddenly ask me what I want, nothing really comes to mind…”

“Then would you like to pick something from the vault?”

“What!?”

I nearly jumped. Pick something from a dragon’s lair vault?

A dragon’s vault was said to be stuffed with every kind of treasure. It made sense—most dragons had a hobby of hoarding wealth and stored it in their lairs. There were even groups that specialized in raiding dragon lairs just for those treasures.

Caesius’s lair had been newly made, so aside from materials from the lair itself there hadn’t been much, but an Elder Dragon like Gergius was a different story entirely.

“Are you serious?”

“I am. Shall we go take a look while we’re on the subject?”

“Is that really all right?”

“Of course.”

Gergius turned to Letisia and Caesius as well.

“Would you two like to come? You may each choose one thing too.”

“I have no need, Gergius. Taking another dragon’s treasure is something one does only after defeating them and seizing their lair.”

“Haha, fair enough. Then stay with Mersius. Letisia, what about you?”

At Gergius’s question Letisia glanced at me once before answering.

“I don’t feel I’ve been of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠much help… so I’m fine as well.”

“You’ve already helped. Didn’t the two of you defeat the Oblivion Legion Commander? If you hadn’t, this situation would never have come about in the first place.”

“Come on, Letisia. Let’s go together.”

When I said that, Letisia hesitated a moment, then quietly nodded.

“…If you put it that way, I’ll gratefully accept.”

“Good. Both of you, follow me.”

I went with Letisia after Gergius into the deeper parts of the lair. I had never been this far inside before; the interior was far more complex than I expected.

“This way. Keep close. It’s quite a maze—easy to lose your way.”

“Ah, yes.”

Following Gergius a little farther, we came upon a massive rock face and a door set into it. The rock looked thick enough that nothing could ever break it, and the steel door embedded in it felt strangely out of place yet every bit as solid.

“Is this the vault? It’s enormous.”

“I’ve lived a very long time, you see. I kept collecting little by little until space ran short, so I simply made it large all at once.”

Gergius laid a hand on the door. When he poured mana into it, the steel door that had looked immovable began to rise slowly.

“This is the first time I’ve ever let human guests into my vault.”

With a heavy kuguung the vault door opened, and both Letisia and I went wide-eyed.

The moment the door lifted, countless gold and silver treasures glittered with their own light. I wondered where ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the reflections were coming from until I saw an artifact fixed to the ceiling, casting illumination over everything.

“…Rich.”

“…You’re rich.”

“Haha. For the years I’ve lived, this is a modest collection. Among dragons who have lived as long as I have, few keep so little in their vaults.”

…So that’s why there are people who risk their lives just to raid dragon lairs. One successful haul would bring staggering profit.

“Well then, each of you pick one thing you want from here. Anything is fine.”

“Yes.”

I slowly walked the vault. A dragon’s lair was bound to hold every sort of treasure, and among them would be items on par with hidden pieces—or better.

I checked them one by one. Item information appeared for me, after all. Glancing sideways, I saw Letisia also deliberating with great care over what to choose.

Letisia can’t see the information, though.

That would make choosing harder for her.

I started looking for something that would suit her. To handle a Spirit King she needed a great deal of mana, so an item that raised her mana stat significantly would be ideal.

I still remembered how, in the last battle, Spirit King Elysia had been gasping after only two or three attacks once her mana ran dry. Something that boosted mana as much as possible…

While searching for useful pieces, something caught my eye.

Hm?

A small wooden box lay half-buried among a pile of gold coins. I carefully shifted the coins—too valuable to just shove aside—and pulled the box free. The ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠moment I opened it and checked the information, I froze.

[Mana Conversion]…!?

I knew the trait well. One of the support characters in Dungeon in Evil had it, and even though every other stat of theirs was mediocre, that single trait alone made them a high-priority pick.

The effect was simple and broken: pay a price and convert it into mana. The only price that could be paid was “life force,” but since the trait was meant for when mana ran short… and you could even use someone else’s life force.

The condition was as easy as holding hands. You could convert the abundant stamina of others into mana for yourself.

And that wasn’t all. The item itself raised the mana stat by a full two hundred.

“Will you take that one?”

“Ah…”

I hesitated. I had been about to tell Letisia to choose it.

A quick glance showed she was already looking at something else. She had picked up a robe.

Come to think of it, Letisia had always been interested in robes. She had once poured her entire personal operating funds into buying a new one.

She already had the one she was wearing, so she hadn’t bought another, but this time it was free for the taking…

I checked the robe’s stats.

An outstanding item. Not just one stat, but every single stat raised evenly by a hundred.

Letisia clearly had a good eye. Telling her to give that up would be a poor choice. She seemed to want it, too.

In that case…

“…Yes. I’ll take this.”

“Very well. Letisia, will you take that robe?”

Letisia gave a small nod.

“Yes. I think this would be good.”

“Good. If you’ve both chosen, then…”

Lingering too long in someone else’s vault was rude. Just as we started to follow Gergius out, a commotion rose from outside.

“What’s that noise?”

“Perhaps Mersius and Caesius are talking.”

It was far too loud for a conversation. Feeling something ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was off, we stepped outside—and that was when it happened.

“Father! Benefactor!”

“Albrecht, don’t come this way…!”

I barely had time to wonder what they meant before a dagger came flying straight at my face.

“…!?”

“Albrecht!”

Clang!

My hand rose belatedly, a beat too slow—but fortunately Gergius blocked it. His voice turned cold and dangerous.

“…Are you all right?”

“Ah, yes.”

The anger wasn’t directed at me. It was aimed at whoever had thrown the dagger. And for good reason.

“Those look like humans. Why were they inside a dragon’s lair?”

“Who knows. Either way…”

Mersius and Caesius were being held by a group of strangers.

“You seem like a fairly strong dragon, but if you value your daughter, you’d best stay right where you are.”