Chapter 98
Chapter 98
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 98
Chapter Title: The Whereabouts of the Disaster (2)
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A strange silence flowed between us.
As I struggled to open my mouth, Gransesia spoke first.
“Hey.”
‘Yeah.’
“He’s staring at me.”
‘Same here.’
Riya occasionally displayed an uncanny intuition.
But even that had its limits. Could she have sensed something from the ring and scanned it with her Dragon Eye?
“Indeed…….”
Riya stared fixedly at my ring before breaking into a grin.
“That ring isn’t ordinary, is it?”
“……Can you see that?”
“Hmm, how should I put this.”
She placed a finger to her chin, tilting her head slightly as she looked up at me.
“Should I call it a soul…….”
“A soul?”
“No, more precisely, a passage connected to a soul…… That might be the right term.”
It was quite an ambiguous statement.
Had Riya not sensed Gransesia’s presence, but something else entirely?
“It’s no ordinary item. I can feel not just mana, but divine power as well. Is it a holy relic?”
“Something like that.”
“Oh my.”
Riya covered her mouth with one hand, laughing as if impressed.
Fortunately, there was no chill in her demeanor.
“What’s dwelling within is a woman, right?”
“……What?”
“I’d always sensed a feminine presence around you, Clay…… I never imagined it was a spirit inhabiting your ring.”
Her Dragon Eye gaze shifted back to the ring.
After staring intently at the Eye of Simosa for a moment, Riya narrowed her eyes.
“Of all places, on the hand bearing the mark of the dragon…….”
She trailed off there, letting out a soft sigh.
Then she deactivated her Dragon Eye and gently shook her head.
“Anyway, that clears up my curiosity.”
“…….”
It was an unexpected reaction.
I’d braced myself for more prying questions, my mind tangled in anticipation, but this abrupt end left me flustered instead.
“Hehe, that’s the face of someone wondering why I’m not asking more.”
“Well…… It’s not just any ring, so it’s natural to be curious, right?”
“But does Maria know who’s inhabiting that ring?”
“…….”
Another unforeseen jab left me speechless once more.
“So, I’m the only one out of the loop.”
“……It just never came up naturally. I wasn’t deliberately hiding it.”
I offered the excuse, but Riya seemed unperturbed.
I’d expected a stronger reaction to learning she was the only one not in on the secret.
As if reading my thoughts, Riya added,
“Clay, I don’t expect you to tell me everything. Honestly, who’s in that ring isn’t particularly important to me. The only thing that bothers me is…….”
She paused there before continuing belatedly.
With her usual faint smile.
“That it’s a woman.”
In that instant, I felt the ring tremble faintly—or so it seemed, and I doubted it was my imagination.
* * *
Upon returning to Lavanteira’s royal castle, the gazes directed at me had changed.
The hostility and discomfort from our first encounter had clearly softened.
“Clay Banheart, we thank you for slaying the disaster.”
“It was simply my duty.”
Serbin King chuckled heartily at my humble reply, nodding in approval.
“Truly, a hero chosen by the sword. Which makes the loss of Sealpin to the demons all the more regrettable.”
That point did sting.
Fabian had undoubtedly claimed the sealed sword Sealpin here.
Without knowing its role in the original story, the fact that I couldn’t obtain the sword Fabian had wielded filled me with immense unease.
‘Of course, I possess things Fabian never had…….’
Starting with the cheat ability from my father, the Eye of Simosa and Ilryun Jicheon Sword were mine alone.
And Riya was by my side.
There was even a chance I could achieve better results than Fabian’s path.
The problem lay with the demons.
‘What exactly is the Demon King’s goal?’
Why were they gathering the Seven Heavenly Swords?
I needed to uncover that purpose quickly to predict their moves.
‘I must prevent any more unknown variables from arising.’
Demons operating outside the original plot could become obstacles greater than the disasters.
Leaving them unchecked would eventually render the synopsis utterly useless.
I had to stop that at all costs.
As these complicated thoughts swirled in my mind, Serbin King continued.
“When do you plan to depart? If it suits you, we’d like to hold a banquet in your honor.”
“I’m afraid I must return immediately. With disasters potentially striking Talua at any moment…….”
This incident wasn’t fully resolved yet.
The Corrosion Disaster had been unplanned from the start.
My true target was the Madness Disaster.
‘If Jade secured the Light Sword first, that’d be ideal…….’
I’d informed Duke Gail as well, so the auction house was likely in chaos by now. We should have located the Madness Disaster by plan, but one could never be too sure.
‘……Someone else might get to the sword before we do.’
Ribina Countess was in the capital, but anxiety lingered.
“Under those circumstances, we understand, though it’s regrettable. Take this with you, then.”
Serbin King gestured to an attendant, who presented me with a small box.
It wasn’t particularly large—no fit for treasures or riches.
“You may open it.”
At his words, I carefully lifted the lid to reveal a gold-embossed bracelet inside.
It was unmistakably no ordinary item.
“We failed in our sacred duty. Handing Sealpin to the demons was a grave sin on our part.”
Serbin spoke gravely as I examined the bracelet.
“This relic, passed down to Lavanteira’s kings, grants its bearer powerful magic resistance. It pales next to the Seven Heavenly Swords, of course, but it will prove immensely helpful.”
Magic resistance—the words made my eyes widen.
‘Insane.’
Knights faced swords more often than spells, but spells were the true threat.
One could dodge or block a visible blade, but sudden magic often went undetected.
I myself, ignorant of magic, harbored a certain fear of unknown spells.
From my perspective, this was no less valuable than a Heavenly Sword.
‘Did Fabian get this too?’
The synopsis didn’t mention it, but as the sword’s chosen one resolving the crisis, he likely had.
“A relic that has guarded Lavanteira’s kings for generations.”
Riya voiced the answer to my question.
“……And one that proves their legitimacy as king. By bestowing it, does this mean granting Clay succession rights to the throne?”
Serbin King merely stroked his chin beard in silence at Riya’s calm inquiry.
No one present raised any objections—likely pre-arranged.
After a moment of quiet, Serbin King spoke slowly.
“Our Ain tribe are guardians of the sword. If the sword has found its master, it may be our fate to follow that master as well.”
He regarded me with kind eyes.
“But we have no intention of irresponsibly thrusting an unwanted throne upon you. We simply ask your permission to fight as your sword whenever needed. In place of the Seven Heavenly Swords.”
His explanation made it clear.
Fabian hadn’t obtained this bracelet.
An item laden with such significance would’ve been noted in the synopsis if he had.
This was another divergence born from the altered plot.
“……Then I’m relieved.”
Riya smiled faintly and stepped back.
She’d apparently feared Serbin King meant to dump everything on me.
“I humbly accept this immense honor.”
With trembling hands, I carefully closed the box containing the bracelet.
With this, Lavanteira’s full power was effectively mine.
‘Now, what remains is…….’
Stopping the Madness Disaster.
Succeed there, and I’d pull far ahead of Fabian once more.
* * *
“Is that truly the case?”
Duke Gail glared fiercely at Viscount Gwyn kneeling before him.
Viscount Gwyn trembled violently at the duke’s rare menacing aura, nodding frantically.
“I-it’s already been sold to Count Deolic.”
“Hah.”
Duke Gail was momentarily speechless at the vague report.
‘Count Deolic participating in such an auction?’
House Deolic was one of Talua Kingdom’s longstanding pillars.
Patriarch Logan Deolic was poised to become a Sword Master, and their Silver Star Sword was among the continent’s finest styles.
For such a prestigious house to join a slave auction was unbelievable.
“……Is the sword they handed over the one Count Banheart mentioned?”
“That seems to be the case. Per our intel, it’s the only recent import to Talua with an unclear provenance.”
A narrow-eyed man replied calmly.
His information network was astonishing, even leaving Duke Gail impressed.
‘Where on earth did Count Banheart find these people?’
Exceptional talents flocked to him.
The Timons Merchant Group, Aintban’s mercenaries.
And now this shadowy intel outfit.
He itched to probe them, but doing so risked alienating Clay.
‘Before, he clung to me. Now it’s reversed.’
No one in Talua could ignore Clay anymore. He was practically a representative house.
Even Duke Gail couldn’t rashly upset him now.
“We must hurry. We need to resolve this unsavory matter before the Founding Festival.”
“But…… If Count Deolic resists, unlike before, we may not subdue him easily.”
If Logan Deolic were imprisoned over this, House Deolic’s honor would plummet irreparably.
Cornered, he might go all-out to bury it or fight desperately.
That could turn dangerous.
“Worry not.”
Duke Gail grinned.
“Don’t we have the Red Lion?”
The Continental Seven Heroes, ranked sixth.
The Red Lion, Aldred Ribina, was right here.