Chapter 78
Chapter 78
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 78
Chapter Title: Remnant Sweep: Priella Atria (2)
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Warehouse 11 of the Leoblant Brotherhood.
In the dark warehouse filled with a musty stench, Priella rummaged through it while holding a lantern in her hand.
After dealing with the Brotherhood members guarding the warehouse, she had begun searching its interior now that the watchers were gone.
Rustle, rustle.
As Priella's hands tore through the warehouse.
On her right shoulder, a spirit in the form of a crow let out a cheerful caw.
—Caw, caw!
Priella checked the warehouse items one by one while listening to the crow's cries.
Swish.
The first thing caught in Priella's hand was a stone emitting a faint golden glow.
But visually, it seemed somewhat distant from actual gold.
"Hmm—."
At the bottom of where the stone had been placed, the words 'Spirit Stone' were written.
She had no idea what a spirit stone was, but it was clearly not the item Priella was looking for.
Whoosh!
Priella tossed the item in her hand backward.
The crow spirit snatched it mid-air and shoved it into its mouth.
Munch, munch.
Gulp.
Priella nodded as if realizing something upon seeing the spirit swallow the stone.
"Blackie eats more than just food, huh."
—Caw!
"From now on, just throw away the trash."
—?
Leaving the tilting crow behind, Priella's hands continued checking the warehouse items.
The item that Secret Society member Priella was searching for in the Brotherhood's warehouse.
It was a magic catalyst called 'Fairy Dust.'
Apparently, it was exceptionally effective at suppressing external interference, but Priella, a complete novice in magic, had no way of verifying its authenticity.
Whoosh, flick.
Priella was simply following the doctor's request, searching for the catalyst named 'Fairy Dust.'
"Hmm… what’s this one for…?"
As Priella rummaged through the warehouse, her hand found another item.
A red liquid contained in a transparent jar.
The label on the bottle read 'Dragon's Tear 114 Years.'
No matter how she looked at it, it didn't resemble tears.
Whoosh.
Priella tossed the item in her hand backward again.
—Caw!
The crow spirit behind her snatched the thrown item once more.
Crunch. Glug, glug, glug.
It punched a hole in the jar and began pouring the red liquid into its mouth.
The liquid was sucked into the crow spirit's throat at an astonishing speed.
Buuuurp!
A satisfied burp escaped the crow's mouth.
—Caw, caaaw!
Having emptied the entire bottle, the crow spirit immediately began to dance.
Thump, thump.
The sight of the crow spirit dancing with its wings folded reflected in Priella's eyes.
"……."
—….
Priella watched the crow for only a moment.
Hmm.
In the end, she left the crow alone and resumed searching the warehouse.
It meant she would no longer pay attention to the crow spirit's antics.
After that, Priella's warehouse search continued.
She tossed away unidentified blue fruits.
—Caw! Caaaw!
She took a bite of what looked like dried meat and threw it away.
—Caw! Caaaw!
She tossed away stones that looked utterly inedible.
—Kyaack! Ptooey, ptooey!
She flung blue slime into an empty spot.
—Caw! Caaaw!
Thus, Priella and Blackie's warehouse exploration continued for quite some time.
By the time Priella's footsteps reached the deep interior of the warehouse.
Creak.
Her gaze, upon stepping on a creaking plank, spotted a single pouch in the corner of the warehouse.
"……."
A translucent glass box positioned deep in the warehouse.
She had found a pouch shimmering with light emanating from it.
Swish.
Priella's hand, having discovered the pouch, immediately flung open the glass box in front of her with all her might.
A pouch scattering a faint sparkle.
Priella examined its contents as if drawn to it.
"Ah…!"
A short exclamation burst from Priella's lips as she opened the pouch.
Inside the pouch held in Priella's hand.
It was filled with a shimmering powder possessing exquisite beauty.
A magical powder that seemed like it would melt just from touching her hand.
The moment Priella faced it, she understood its identity as 'Fairy Dust.'
"Blackie, looks like we really found it this time."
Priella, having found the Fairy Dust, immediately called out to the crow spirit.
Flap, flap.
The spirit waiting behind her quickly flapped its wings and landed on her shoulder.
—Caw?
Was it intrigued by the newly discovered treasure?
The crow spirit perched on her shoulder gazed at the Fairy Dust with eyes full of curiosity.
"Looks way tastier than the stuff you ate earlier?"
—Caw, caw!
"Still not giving you any this time."
—Caw.
Watching the shadow spirit—self-proclaimed 'Blackie'—show interest, Priella tightly tied the pouch containing the Fairy Dust.
She then knotted it and hung it from her waist.
She had secured the pouch to prevent losing the Fairy Dust.
Having gathered the material requested by the doctor, it was now time to leave the warehouse.
She had lent a hand, however small, to Johan's descent, so her contribution should have risen somewhat from this mission.
With the task complete, Priella's footsteps turned toward the outside of the warehouse.
"Once I get back to the library, I should grab some chicken skewers today."
—Caw.
"Why always skewers?"
—Caw, caaaw!
"Don't nitpick."
Priella's footsteps, chatting with Blackie, smoothly headed toward the warehouse entrance.
Just as she traversed the long warehouse and reached the entrance.
Creak.
Priella's face stiffened rigidly upon opening the thick wooden door and spotting something outside the warehouse.
"Huh…."
A hulking giant with an iron chain wrapped around one hand and a massive greatsword slung over his shoulder.
A burly man with a clear knife scar above his eye stood at the warehouse entrance, looking down at Priella.
Clank.
Behind such a man stood an elf, bound by the iron chain, wearing a pained expression.
—Elf slave.
One of the elves captured by the Brotherhood from the Great Forest had a collar gripped in the giant's hand.
"I was wondering why all the guys supposed to guard the warehouse were gone, and here an uninvited guest was inside."
The man's gaze, with its impressive bulging arm muscles, turned toward Priella.
Swish.
Priella's black muffler reflected in the man's eyes.
"Black muffler… a mercenary from the Eight Swords Guild."
"……."
Priella's hand, facing the man, immediately moved toward the demon sword at her waist.
Crack, crack.
As the burly man moved his thick neck, a dull sound emanated outward.
"I've heard that all the swordmasters of the Eight Swords Guild are no slouches, but in my mercenary life, I've never actually crossed paths with them."
"…You're a mercenary too?"
"Yeah. I'm doing cleanup work for the Brotherhood for decent pay. Name's Brutal Sword Burke. Ever heard of me?"
—Brutal Sword Burke.
A faint memory flashed through Priella's mind upon hearing the mercenary's name.
A mercenary rumored to handle any job as long as the money was right.
Priella had heard of Burke's infamous reputation in the mercenary world a few times.
He was also evaluated as possessing swordsmanship skill matching his notoriety.
"Brutal Sword… Burke—."
"That reaction means you've heard of me. Then you must know exactly what it means to break into a warehouse I'm guarding."
Ching.
As Burke pulled the iron chain in his hand, the elf slave he held was dragged forward.
"Kyaa…!"
Priella's eyes narrowed as she watched the scene.
"No need for long talks between people in the same line of work. We've come too far to worry about honor."
"……."
"Winner takes all. The victor claims everything—that's the rule of our world, isn't it?"
Thud!
Burke dropped his massive greatsword to the ground, his gaze glaring at Priella.
Priella, facing such a Burke, stared back at his ferocious face with an impassive expression.
Shing.
Priella drew the demon sword hanging from her waist.
'A good opponent to test the demon sword's performance.'
Just then, Priella needed a stage to test her demon sword's capabilities.
With an opponent like Burke appearing in such a situation, it wasn't a bad encounter for her either.
Ha.
Burke, looking at Priella who had finished drawing her sword, eyed the demon sword Regulus with a greedy gaze.
"Nice sword you've got. What's your name?"
"Priella."
"Right, Priella. If you die, I'll take that sword."
Their gazes met.
Tension stretched taut as they measured the distance between them.
Grip.
Priella's eyes gleamed as she gripped the demon sword.
"—[Demon Sword] activation."
Wooooong!
The moment the transcendent masterpiece crafted by the great archmage revealed its majesty for the first time.
* * * * * *
The Phantasm Library Celestia occasionally granted moments of solitude.
The library at night when all Secret Society members were away.
There, I immersed myself in contemplation every day.
Except for the past few weeks Austin Lineart had stayed, the library's nights were always my personal time.
"Mobile Citadel Laplazia… was that the name?"
Today, as always, a long period of contemplation arrived.
—Mobile Citadel Laplazia.
One of the Seven Pillars, the aerial fortress ruled by Corios Barclay.
It was contemplation about the mage who had intercepted the observation satellite during the flight test with Lua Polaris.
"A mage interfering with the ground through magic puppets. The entire fortress is likely functioning as a workshop."
I had already gathered some information on the citadel's lord through Craton.
A floating fortress housing an enormous number of magic puppets.
Apparently, the lord himself was an exceptional magic engineer.
A mage handling numerous magic puppets through precise calculations.
His magical aptitude was certainly praiseworthy.
To the point where I thought having a conversation with him from Celestia wouldn't be bad if the opportunity arose.
"He's obsessively fixated on air superiority. Is there some meaning to dominating the skies?"
However, the problem was that the Secret Society and Corios could never coexist.
Corios, who moved the Mobile Citadel, showed an excessive obsession with the skies.
In particular, he displayed a strong aversion to anything magical floating in the air.
The Secret Society's experiments had already been disrupted by the Mobile Citadel twice.
"Just a simple obsession, or does it hold some special meaning…?"
Corios Barclay did not want 'something else' flying in his skies.
Not just passing near the Mobile Citadel's domain, but even floating in a specific space displeased him.
We had already witnessed it twice with our own eyes.
The next magic tool launched would likely meet a similar fate.
It wouldn't be strange if attacks from the Mobile Citadel continued indefinitely.
And such a situation conflicted with my plan to keep major continental locations in my sights.
"……."
Some method was needed.
A way to place magic tools in the skies without interference from the Mobile Citadel.
A way to ensure the safety of ground-monitoring magic tools.
Hmm.
In brief contemplation, my gaze turned to the magic book before me.
"In the end, do I have to remove the Mobile Citadel from the skies—."
In most situations, there was one optimal solution.
Eliminate the source of the problem.
It seemed my conclusion this time wouldn't differ much.