Chapter 35
Chapter 35
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 35
Chapter Title: A Brotherly Duel
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The Reinhardt family was one of deep history.
While it couldn't compare to the three great families said to have existed since the fall of the ancient empire, it possessed a long history of its own.
Thus, its treasury held so many treasures that it was hard to believe it was a family in decline.
"Wow... there's so much amazing stuff...."
Linbelle's eyes sparkled with curiosity as she examined the treasures. Seeing her for the first time in a month, she was almost unrecognizable from when they first met.
'Her ingrained mannerisms...'
They were exceptionally natural.
Before leaving for the ruins, I had entrusted her training to a handmaiden instructor and a female knight, but there should have been some lingering, unconscious habits she couldn't shake. I saw none.
'Is this the talent of someone destined to become one of the Eight Strongest?'
Unfortunately, it seemed she hadn't awakened her prana yet, but even so, this level of growth was unbelievable.
In terms of pure talent, she would surpass even the likes of Julius and me.
'I made the right choice, bringing her in as a handmaiden.'
The dark expression she had briefly worn in the carriage was now nowhere to be seen.
'She does seem to be acting a little exaggerated, though....'
But that's understandable, seeing things like these. Allen turned his head.
The treasury was filled with wondrous items not commonly seen.
A gem that shimmered with four different colors, a staff wreathed in a faint mist, and a crystal around which blue currents swirled.
As the family's legacy was magic, there were many magic-related items.
Linbelle, fascinated by them, moved closer for a better look. Inellia, worried about her, sidled up beside her.
"Linbelle, you know you're not supposed to touch anything, right? Hmm?"
"I know, I know, Mom."
Linbelle gave a dismissive nod but didn't stop wandering through the treasury.
Inellia fidgeted anxiously, repeatedly glancing back at Allen, who was walking slowly behind them.
Allen smiled faintly at Inellia's pleading gaze and turned his head to the old butler walking in step beside him.
"Is it alright for her to wander around freely like that?"
"Yes, it's quite alright. It must be fascinating for her, being in the treasury for the first time."
The old butler, Gadel, who had volunteered to guide them through the treasury, smiled benevolently and nodded.
"No, but that look of hers..."
As Gadel watched Linbelle with a puzzled expression, Allen asked.
"Why? Has my handmaiden done something wrong?"
"No, not at all. It seems Lady Linbelle... is simply happy to see you again after so long, Young Master Allen."
Gadel shook his head, dismissing the thought that had crossed his mind, and answered Allen's question.
"...Phew."
Inellia, who had been watching Linbelle intently, let out a sigh of relief at Gadel's answer.
"...However."
Gadel paused, then spoke with a mischievous smile, as if intending for Inellia to hear.
"If she touches even a single item, that's it. She won't be able to take anything else."
"...Eek!"
"And she cannot exchange it, so please be careful."
"...!"
As soon as he finished, Inellia, as if she could bear it no longer, moved toward Linbelle, who was still bustling about the treasury.
"Oh! Young Master! Young Master! What is that burning ice—ah! Mom! What are you doing?!"
"Linbelle! How can you act like this when you're the Young Master's handmaiden! Stop it this instant!"
"Ugh! What's it to you, Mom! The Young Master isn't saying anything!"
"Then do you want to be retrained by Lady Eliza?"
The moment she mentioned Eliza's name, Linbelle's body stiffened.
"Are you fine with me reporting all of this behavior to Lady Eliza?"
"...No."
"Then come here quietly."
"...Hmph, fine."
Linbelle returned to her side with a dejected face, as if she had no choice.
Watching the exchange, Allen let out a dry laugh and asked him.
"Do you enjoy teasing an innocent handmaiden?"
"Haha... as one gets older, life needs a little excitement."
Especially since chances to play a prank on that foxy little girl, whose inside doesn't match her outside, would be rare.
'...It seems the Young Master is unaware.'
Gadel made no comment on their relationship, simply smiling slyly as if he knew nothing.
"It's not about touching it once, but about taking the chosen item out, isn't it?"
"That too, in the end, is picking up an item for the first time, so it's still touching it, is it not?"
Allen shook his head and slowly looked around at the items in the treasury.
'Whatever I take will surely be useful. But...'
Items like that could be found elsewhere.
Two days had already passed since the Harvest Festival ended.
As soon as the festival cleanup was finished, Allen had used the treasury key to descend into the manor's basement.
What was surprising was that Gadel, the head butler, had personally volunteered to guide him.
Thanks to him, Inellia and Linbelle were able to enter the treasury as well, but I couldn't understand why a man with whom I wasn't particularly close would offer such a kindness.
'I spread my senses just in case, but...'
He was nothing more than an old man with no power.
There was no pattern to his footsteps, and nothing unusual about his breathing or expression.
Allen set aside his questions about him and quickly scanned the items. He had to choose something before Julius—before that bastard—arrived.
He recalled what he had read in the book a few days ago.
『──Julius stepped into the treasury. There, treasures collected by the family over generations radiated their presence.』
『──He had to choose carefully, as he didn't know when he'd have another chance to enter the treasury. As he was examining the items, Julius discovered 'it'.』
'It said he found a special item here.'
『──The display case at the far right of the treasury.』
He started walking.
The others followed behind him with puzzled expressions as he moved without hesitation.
『──Moving five steps to the left from that display case....』
Weapons, grimoires, jewels, elixirs, ancient artifacts.
As Allen moved without giving any of them a second glance, the expressions of the others grew stranger.
"Um, Young Master. Perhaps you should look at the other items as well..."
"No. I have something in mind."
Inellia tentatively spoke up, but Allen firmly refused.
'Besides, items similar to what's here are plentiful.'
There was no need to choose something he could get outside.
『──A pile of items that didn't fit in with the other treasures in the treasury was stacked in one corner. On top of it....』
Tap-
Allen's steps came to a halt.
『──'It' lay there unassumingly, belying its true value.』
Reaching the spot where he had stopped, Inellia looked at him with a bewildered expression.
And for good reason.
"...Isn't this just junk, Young Master?"
The place where he had stopped was a pile of items with unknown purposes.
Items excavated from ruins or bought at auction for a high price, but whose uses were unknown, left to gather dust in the treasury.
Just as she said, it wouldn't be wrong to call it junk.
'To think he came all the way here and found it.'
With so many neatly displayed items in the treasury, why would he come all the way to this dusty corner to check?
'Just because he was 'choosing carefully'?'
The guy who meticulously searched for it was one thing, but the fact that there was actually something of value here was even more absurd.
Allen shook his head and picked up a single gray orb from the pile of items.
"I'll take this."
"Pardon?"
Linbelle looked up at him as if she had misheard, but his decision was firm.
"Are you certain you want that one? As you said earlier, Young Master, it's not about touching it once, you have to take it with you..."
"I know."
"...But are you truly saying you will choose that?"
"Yes."
Gadel, with a reluctant face at Allen's reply, asked several more times, but Allen's answer remained the same.
"I will take this orb."
Gadel sighed at him repeating the same words like a parrot, but Allen paid him no mind.
Because.
『──The original name of this orb was [Heavenly Eye].』
"Now that I've chosen an item, let's go back."
"...Yes. If the Young Master is satisfied, then I suppose it's fine."
『──It was one of the five divine artifacts said to have been used by the first hero.』
* * *
Incarnation of Light. Slayer of Evil Dragons. Sword God.
Many titles were attached to him, who was said to be under the care of the gods, but the most representative among them was this.
Hero.
The first hero, who slew the Demon Lord that had invaded the ancient empire.
He gathered eight companions to stand against the world-destroying Demon Lord and ultimately succeeded in slaying him.
'It seems even a hero like that couldn't escape the fall of the ancient empire, though....'
But what did that matter?
Even after his death, his influence on the world was immense.
The Eight Strongest, representing the continent's most powerful individuals, was derived from the hero's eight companions, and even the site where Galshdin Academy was built was where the hero's final traces remained.
The feat of slaying the Demon Lord as a mere human was just that monumental.
'To think I would obtain one of the five divine artifacts used by such a hero in this way....'
Though it was clearly something to be happy about, he couldn't hide his bewilderment.
'The Holy Sword is at the academy, the ring is in the Great Elven Forest, and the helm is with one of the three great families.'
Of the remaining two, the armor was destroyed, and the orb was said to be missing.
Who would have ever guessed that the orb was in the family's treasury?
At this almost contrived coincidence, Allen felt an irrational and irresistible current.
'If I hadn't known about it through the black book....'
It would have ended up in Julius's hands as planned.
"Brother."
Was this also related to that bastard's strange ability, or his luck?
"Brother Allen?"
Even if it was a coincidence, finding an orb in a corner of the treasury was....
Tap-
"Ah."
Julius's face came into view.
Turning his head, he saw the scenery of the outdoor terrace.
'Right, we were having tea.'
Allen naturally brushed off Julius's hand from his shoulder and smiled apologetically.
"My apologies, Julius. Now, where were we?"
"Brother, are you alright? Perhaps you should rest..."
Allen didn't show the discomfort he felt from the lingering warmth on his shoulder as he replied.
"My recent magical research has been going so well that I've been staying up all night. There's no need to worry."
"Ah, you mentioned you made progress in your training, didn't you?"
"Yes."
At that, Julius smiled, as happy as if it were his own achievement.
"Congratulations. Oh, right, I said I'd give you a gift when I returned from the ruins... do you remember?"
Julius smiled boastfully and took a small box from his coat.
"...This is."
"As I boasted, I succeeded in excavating the ruins this time. This is one of the fruits of that labor."
The box looked ordinary at first glance.
However, Allen could smell a faint, refreshing scent wafting from the cracks in the box.
"Since you said you've made progress in your training, Brother, I'll give this to you as a gift."
"...No, I don't deserve this."
As he made a troubled face, as if he couldn't accept it, Julius smiled as if to say it was fine and pushed the box toward him.
"A promise is a promise, so please take it. We're brothers, after all."
"...Julius."
As Allen looked at him with a grateful yet burdened expression, Julius, seeming a bit embarrassed by his gaze, changed the subject.
"You said you had some achievements this time, so how much stronger have you become?"
Allen pondered Julius's question.
'How much should I reveal....'
First, revealing that I've obtained the Giant's Body or the Dragon's Heart is out of the question.
Revealing too much power could arouse unnecessary suspicion. He must already know from the evidence in the sewers that I fought the bandits with a sword, not magic.
'In that case....'
Allen hummed as if deep in thought for a moment before cautiously replying.
"...Hmm, I'm not quite sure."
"Didn't you say you defeated the bandits who attacked through the sewers?"
"I've certainly gotten stronger, but..."
As Allen answered evasively, Julius asked with a hint of frustration.
"Then did you not gain another circle?"
"That's... no. The magic I trained in is of a different system, not the circle system."
"...A different system, you say?"
"Yes. I felt that circles alone weren't enough, so I learned it as a supplement."
His expression turned peculiar.
Allen knew why he was making such a face.
As mentioned before, the circle magic system is the most efficient system used by most mages in the current era.
The magic systems of old were mostly inferior to modern ones, with very few exceptions.
Of course, it wasn't impossible to learn several magic systems at once, but it wasn't recommended because it was less effective than focusing on one.
'It's better to make this excuse.'
I can't hide the fact that I'll be using a sword.
Claiming I learned a magic system related to the physical body will make it easier to explain my swordsmanship in the future.
"So it's difficult for me to gauge just how much stronger I've become."
"Ah..."
At his answer, Julius looked at Allen with a thoughtful expression, as if trying to read him.
'The matter with the orb confirmed it. That bastard is riding some irrational current, as if he's being protected by the world itself.'
Quests? A system?
It wasn't something so fundamental.
'Something that assists his actions, leading to favorable outcomes....'
Through the black book, I learned that not all of his actions are related to quests. Yet, luck always seems to be on his side.
'Yes, if I had to name it, 'the world's blessing'. That seems fitting.'
Wasn't the purpose of having tea with Julius this time to probe the limits of that bastard's strange blessing and his actual skill?
"The bandits were no match for me. But I can't very well ask a busy knight for a match at a time like this."
To get a chance to gauge his power.
"Ah, right. You also fought and won against a mercenary, didn't you?"
Subtly provoking Julius's competitive spirit.
"How were they? Were they strong? I heard you put on quite a show."
Allen coaxed a response from him with an innocent face.
"I wish I could have been there... it's a shame."
When he finished speaking, Julius's eyes lit up as if he had made a decision.
"Then... would you like to have a duel with me?"
'He took the bait.' Allen hid the deep smile forming on his lips and asked with feigned surprise.
"With you, you mean?"
"Yes. How about a duel for the first time in a while, as a way for you to test your strength, Brother...."
As Julius spoke cautiously, Allen paused for a moment before replying.
"Would I be a suitable opponent?"
"Yes. As it happens, I feel I've grown quite a bit recently as well."
"In that case... alright."
Allen beamed, as if he were more than happy to grant his younger brother's request.
"Anytime."
It was all going according to plan.
"I look forward to it."
"Yes, I look forward to it as well."
Allen and Julius faced each other and smiled brightly.