The Imperial Treasury (1)
"The Koshat siblings are the legitimate heirs to the Rashutku Empire."
[......]
"Therefore, what we did was not theft. It was merely a rightful inheritance."
A quiet hush fell over the room.
A brief silence ensued.
Emperor Tarosk still did not let his guard down, but he no longer interrupted me so easily.
The name Aurelius.
And the truth behind the downfall of the Rashutku Empire.
Now that I had laid it all bare, my words carried a weight that could no longer be ignored.
"And that is also exactly what Aurelius wanted."
[......!]
His brother's name, spoken once more.
At those words, Emperor Tarosk's gaze wavered for a brief moment.
I continued in a calm, measured voice.
"From the moment we set foot in these ruins, I have maintained our innocence."
[......]
"But you did not listen to me. Instead, you forced your trials upon us."
Of course, Tarosk might have felt he had his reasons.
I had never explicitly revealed the identity of the Koshat siblings. I had only trailed off at crucial moments and occasionally provoked him outright.
This attitude had stoked his anger, and in the end, an impatient Tarosk had pushed me into the trials.
'But...'
That was exactly what I had intended.
I had deliberately needled him.
All to make him force an unjust trial upon the innocent.
And from the moment he fell into that trap, Tarosk had incurred a clear 'debt' to us.
—Why are we playing along with their childish games!
—......
—Just give the word, and I'll blow this whole place to pieces with my magic!
Suddenly, the words Biolph had spat out during the Silent Ball came back to me.
At the time, I had held Biolph back.
The reason was simple.
'The ruins of Rashutku are no mere dungeon, nor are they just some run-of-the-mill trial.'
They were a record of someone's past, a place containing someone's final wish.
And...
The master of the trials always bestowed a corresponding reward upon those who knew how to respect that intent.
"Alongside the heir of your noble bloodline, my party cleared the trials you and your brother designed, fair and square."
[......]
"We saw through the bond between you brothers, understood its meaning, and as a result, we have reached this audience chamber."
Had I not said it many times before?
Lost Elder was a world where high risk meant high return.
The rewards always matched the hardships the player endured.
"I will overlook your first discourtesy for Aurelius's sake... but the second is different. I have no intention of letting it slide this time."
Not only had we taken on risks we didn't need to, but we had also conquered them flawlessly.
Which meant...
It was now time to claim our rightful compensation.
"Surely you do not intend to force innocent people through your trials and send them away empty-handed, Tarosk?"
[......]
Emperor Tarosk, who had been looking down at us in silence, sheathed his greatsword.
He let out a heavy sigh and turned his back to us.
[Follow Us.]
......?
[We must verify the bloodline. Only then can We be certain.]
Tarosk silently walked deeper into the audience chamber.
We began to follow him cautiously.
At the far end of the audience chamber stood a small altar.
Atop the altar, which appeared to be made of ancient marble, sat a transparent crystal ball about the size of a palm.
[Let a drop of your blood fall upon that crystal ball.]
Tarosk said, looking at the Koshat siblings.
[If you are truly descendants who inherit the blood of House Tarosk, the crystal ball will react.]
As if it had known this moment would come.
The crystal ball sat silently, as if it had waited a long time to fulfill its purpose.
A heavy silence fell over the room.
Natalia Koshat carefully drew a small awl from her belt.
Though she had briefly appeared as an adult upon entering the audience chamber, she had now reverted to a child due to the restriction.
Standing there with the awl in her tiny hands, she looked somewhat pitiful.
"Are you ready, Brother?"
"......Yes."
Marcus nodded.
Tension was clearly visible behind the glasses perched on the bridge of his nose.
Natalia carefully pricked the tip of her finger. A single drop of bright red blood welled up from the tiny wound.
After wiping the bloodied awl on the edge of her sleeve, she made a shallow cut on Marcus's fingertip.
"Now, then..."
The siblings shared a brief look.
Then, almost simultaneously, they took a step toward the altar.
The drops of blood fell onto the crystal ball.
......
......
Both Marcus and Natalia swallowed hard, unable to hide their nervousness.
Because even they couldn't be absolutely sure.
What if nothing happened?
Would they have to face Emperor Tarosk's wrath once again?
Such anxieties flickered across their faces.
Right then.
A brilliant golden light erupted from the crystal ball.
As if the sun itself had descended upon the altar, a radiant and intense light illuminated the entire audience chamber.
[Ah...]
Tarosk's voice trembled faintly.
The doubts he had harbored crumbled silently before the truth.
[...You truly are the descendants who carry the blood of Our lineage.]
Behind his helmet, a wave of indescribable emotions flooded his eyes.
Longing, relief, guilt, and joy.
All of it mingled together, shaking Tarosk to his core.
[We were foolish. You were correct.]
Tarosk slowly bowed his massive frame, lowering his head deeply.
He looked less like an emperor now and more like an older brother who had suffered under the weight of guilt for eons.
[We have committed a grave discourtesy against the legitimate descendants of Rashutku, and We must apologize.]
......
[Follow Us. We shall lead you to the treasures of the imperial palace.]
His voice now carried a calm, solemn resonance, completely different from before.
[There, We shall bestow your rightful reward.]
Tarosk began to walk once more.
Following behind him, the Koshat siblings still looked utterly dazed.
It seemed they still couldn't fully process the fact that they were indeed descendants of the imperial family.
Just then, Pye-an approached my side and asked in a hushed tone.
"May I ask how you knew?"
"......"
"Emperor Aurelius, and the truth of the Rashutku Empire's downfall... I can understand how you would know such things. You are an ancient being, after all."
Pye-an paused for a moment before continuing.
"But how did you discern that those siblings were their descendants?"
Overhearing our conversation, Strawberry Latte cast a sidelong glance in our direction.
Her face was expressionless as usual, but her eyes gave her away. They were filled with a trace of anxiety.
Her expression seemed to ask exactly that.
But I did nothing and simply kept my mouth shut.
I only stared back at Pye-an in silence.
I had realized long ago that in certain situations, silence was the most effective answer.
'Besides...'
This guy, Pye-an.
I'd noticed this since the Easter egg incident, but he really had a wild imagination.
He attached grand meaning to my every little action.
So, if I just stayed quiet like last time...
"As I thought, you utilized Super Sensory."
There it was.
He was misunderstanding on his own again.
"Incredible. A remnant is nothing more than a clone, so it shouldn't have been able to sense the energy of a bloodline."
Pye-an looked at me and continued.
"To still remember the energy of someone you met in the ancient era and detect it in those siblings... That is truly insight worthy of you."
"......?"
"Even during the trial of the split paths, you used Super Sensory to overcome the restrictions, didn't you? I felt my authority resonating with you at times."
No.
Hold on a second.
"You are truly amazing, Gaon."
Pye-an continued to marvel in pure admiration.
"It took me hundreds of years just to master Super Sensory. Naturally, I thought you would need some time as well. But... to handle it so flawlessly in such a short period, I never could have imagined."
This was getting a bit out of hand.
I had been misunderstood in a bizarre way yet again. This time, as some monstrous genius who had mastered Super Sensory in no time.
Of course...
'I still can't use that properly, my friend.'
Super Sensory was still uncharted territory for me.
I recalled using that ability during the trial earlier.
My head had felt like it was on fire, and my brain had nearly overloaded from the flood of information.
Right after the trial, I had even gotten a nosebleed, so that said it all.
'And yet Pye-an thinks I've already adapted to it...'
Seriously, where did he learn to jump to such spectacular conclusions?
You're doing a great job of writing my backstory for me, Pye-an.
An alert chimed in my ear.
"......?"
It was at that moment.
I wondered what it was, only to see that Strawberry Latte had sent a reaction emoticon.
'What is this?'
A face with a big nose.
Is that Pinocchio?
Is she... calling me a liar right now?
Hey.
I didn't lie this time, okay?
He just misunderstood on his own.
As soon as I sent the message, Strawberry Latte replied.
'What the...'
I have no idea why that kind of reaction emoticon even exists.
There were way too many varieties.
At this rate, we could probably communicate entirely through emoticons without even needing text.
[We have arrived.]
While I was lost in thought, Emperor Tarosk's low voice echoed.
Looking up, I saw a massive door looming before us.
The door glowed with a golden light, boasting an overwhelming majesty far greater than any door we had passed through so far.
[This is the Rashutku Imperial Treasury.]
Emperor Tarosk stood before the door and turned to look at us.
[The treasures you have encountered thus far are but fragments of the legacy Rashutku left behind. The true essence begins now. Are you prepared?]
With his words, the door slowly began to open.
The intense light spilling from within bathed the entire corridor.
Natalia let out a soft gasp. Marcus also adjusted his glasses in awe, his scholarly curiosity burning brightly in his eyes.
I felt my own heart skip a beat.
Although I had seen this treasury many times over my two hundred playthroughs, seeing it in reality was bound to be different.
'Finally.'
It was time to face the true rewards of the Rashutku ruins.
The moment to shatter my greatest limitation had arrived.