The Divine Artifact (3)
“Then I shall personally escort you to the exit…”
“No need for an escort. I shall take my leave.”
Lea de Karayan offered to guide me out of the Underworld Arena, but I declined her hospitality and turned around.
Man, acting tough in front of someone is exhausting.
It's been so long since I had to act like this. I could barely breathe.
Now that my business was done, I wanted to get out of her sight as quickly as possible.
Wait.
But before I could walk very far, I immediately regretted my decision.
...Where exactly is the exit again?
This is driving me crazy.
I had definitely memorized the entire map of the Underworld Arena...
But now that the 2D graphics on the monitor had become reality, it was incredibly confusing.
“Phew.”
Left alone, Lea de Karayan let out a deep sigh.
Her savior had left the Ruins Merchant Group.
Just like their sudden encounter, their parting had been abrupt.
I should have escorted him out...
Karayan smacked her lips, swallowing her regret.
She had wanted to walk her savior to the main gate of the Underworld Arena, but she couldn't bring herself to disobey his command not to follow.
In the end, after handing him the pouch of coins, Karayan had returned to the top floor.
“……”
She cast her gaze downward.
Looking down, she could see the entire Underworld Arena at a glance.
Dried, crusty bloodstains clung to the empty dirt floor, as if testifying to the brutality of the match that had taken place just moments ago.
Yes.
Right there, her savior had slain Barba, the Human Butcher, with a single strike.
Just like the time he had slain the monster that tried to kill her in the Uncharted Lands.
Thump, thump.
Lea de Karayan's heart fluttered.
Who could have guessed that she would run into her savior so suddenly in the midst of her tedious days?
The swordsman who had saved her from the brink of death in the Uncharted Lands.
To Karayan, he was nothing short of a prince on a white horse.
The memory of that day was the only moment that shone brilliantly in her otherwise bleak, gray life.
Even as his face and voice had begun to fade from her mind, they had reunited like this. She was deeply moved.
Of course, not a single question has been answered.
She had achieved the reunion she so desperately desired.
Yet, her savior's identity remained shrouded in mystery.
She didn't know his true identity, nor did she even know his name.
Nothing had changed from before they met.
“……”
A bitter smile escaped her lips.
Recalling that fact brought a wry chuckle to her throat.
But it was fine.
Her savior had promised to visit the Ruins Merchant Group again someday.
Though it was partly to repay a childhood debt...
All of this was also a calculated move.
Her savior was incredibly powerful. Even her guard knight, Loren, hadn't been able to react to his movements.
So, if she could win his favor with a mere 100 million Shillings and the Feather Sword...
It was by no means a losing deal.
“……Sigh.”
Well, at least that was how Karayan wanted to rationalize her actions.
It was the first time she had ever given away so much to someone.
Knock, knock.
How many hours had passed?
A knock echoed from outside the VIP room.
Hearing this, Karayan's brow furrowed slightly as she spoke.
“Who is it?”
Loren, the guard knight standing beside her, answered respectfully.
“It is the item appraiser, Master.”
“……The appraiser?”
“Yes. Meister Gob, whom you asked to re-appraise Frost Sunset.”
“Ah.”
Karayan gave a brief nod.
She had ordered the re-appraisal of Frost Sunset just as her savior had advised, and it seemed the work was already finished.
Wait.
But could a detailed appraisal really be completed this quickly?
Sensing something unusual, Karayan's expression stiffened.
“Open the door.”
“Yes, Master.”
As soon as Karayan's command fell, the shadow crept toward the door.
Before long, the firmly shut door slowly creaked open.
A white-haired old man standing outside bowed his head and stated his business.
“Excuse me, Master. I am here because...”
The appraiser trailed off.
Behind his monocle, his wrinkled eyes were trembling violently.
Seeing this, Karayan frowned slightly.
“Why the hesitation, Meister Gob? Did something happen to Frost Sunset? Is it damaged?”
“No, Master. I examined its condition thoroughly after hearing it had dropped to the floor, but there isn't a single scratch on the blade, let alone dust. However...”
Gulp.
The appraiser swallowed hard, looking extremely tense.
His next words were shocking enough to make Karayan's mind go completely blank.
“It seems... Frost Sunset is not the genuine article.”
“……What?”
Tap, tap.
Lea de Karayan hurried down to the secret vault.
Standing before the display stand of Frost Sunset, she narrowed her eyes.
The quality of the sword was far too exceptional for it to be a fake.
Above all, the 'ability' Lea de Karayan possessed proved that this weapon was genuine.
“……”
Lea de Karayan squinted, focusing her gaze on Frost Sunset.
Soon, along with a sharp headache, a translucent window began to flicker in her vision.
Creator: ■■□ ■■■■□ ■■
Equipment Grade: ??
[Description]
A weapon crafted by a master artisan belonging to the Pantheon, representing the one who tunes the balance of the world.
Perhaps a greedy bloodbath might sw□ep th□ough humanity to ac□quire this formid□ble sw□rd...
[Effects]
??
Skills.
They were rare, supernatural abilities that manifested in individuals with an extremely low probability.
And the skill Karayan was born with was as follows:
Gold-Seeking Eyes.
Literally, it meant eyes that seek gold—in other words, an ability to find things that make money.
Indeed.
Karayan could obtain limited information about an object if she focused all her attention on it.
Through this skill, she had unearthed many pearls buried in the mud. The profit margins from those discoveries had allowed her to rapidly grow into a merchant who dominated the underworld.
The Frost Sunset currently before her eyes was also one of the pearls she had discovered.
What is this...?
Karayan knit her brows slightly.
...There's no way this is a fake.
Karayan read down the description shown by her Gold-Seeking Eyes.
Since it was an ability that had brought her countless profits, she trusted the skill without a shadow of a doubt.
According to the skill's description, this weapon was undoubtedly a sword crafted by the "Lord of Fire and Smithing."
The character count of the creator's name, the affiliation with the Pantheon, the master artisan representing the gods, and so on...
Although much of the information was restricted, it wasn't difficult to grasp the truth with the facts revealed so far.
Above all, its appearance is identical to Frost Sunset.
A sword that started with a blue blade and gradually blended into a reddish metal.
Although it had been covered in rust when she first acquired it, the restored sword looked exactly like the Frost Sunset described in legends.
After staring intently at the weapon for a while, Karayan spoke.
“You're saying this is a fake?”
“……Actually, calling it a fake is a bit ambiguous.”
“What?”
Karayan frowned deeply at the appraiser's vague answer.
The appraiser hurriedly waved his hands and added an explanation.
“Of course, the creator is undoubtedly the great Lord of Fire and Smithing. However...”
“However?”
“……This weapon itself is not Frost Sunset.”
She froze.
A cold silence fell over the secret vault once more.
The creator was indeed the Lord of Fire and Smithing, but the weapon itself was not Frost Sunset.
What on earth was this nonsense?
As if reading Lea de Karayan's thoughts from her expression, the appraiser continued his explanation.
“Originally, the divine artifacts crafted by the great Lord of Fire and Smithing are engraved with a serial number. Of course, traces of that engraving remain on this weapon as well.”
“……”
“However, since you ordered me to investigate under the assumption that it might be a fake, I examined the sword closely and found something strange...”
“Just give me the conclusion. Only the conclusion.”
“……My apologies.”
At Karayan's irritated tone, the rambling appraiser paused.
Soon, the appraiser calmly delivered his analysis of Frost Sunset.
“It seems this sword is a prototype—a practice piece made by the great Lord of Fire and Smithing before he began crafting the actual Frost Sunset.”
Hearing those words, Karayan couldn't help but gasp.
“……A prototype?”
A prototype.
A practice piece made before crafting the actual Frost Sunset.
Yes. If that were the case, the contradictory explanation the appraiser had given earlier made sense.
The description provided by her Gold-Seeking Eyes also aligned perfectly with this.
It's shocking, but it's not an absurd hypothesis.
That old man was the most skilled appraiser employed by the Ruins Merchant Group.
As such, the probability of his appraisal being incorrect was slim.
Of course, additional cross-verification was essential, but for now, Karayan decided to accept the appraiser's words as truth.
“So this sword is a replica of Frost Sunset?”
“Rather than a replica, a prototype... yes, a trial product would be a more accurate term.”
Lea de Karayan let out a sigh filled with complex emotions.
“Sigh. In any case, if we had put this Frost Sunset up for auction claiming it was the genuine article, it would have dealt a massive blow to the reputation of the Ruins Merchant Group.”
“……It is my failing. I am truly sorry.”
The appraiser bowed deeply.
He seemed to feel responsible for failing to identify that Frost Sunset was a prototype during the initial appraisal.
However, Lea de Karayan had no intention of blaming him.
A prototype made by the Lord of Fire and Smithing himself.
Without the actual Frost Sunset to compare it to, how could anyone distinguish it on the very first appraisal?
She should simply be grateful that they had discovered the truth before the auction began.
Wait, but...
At that exact moment.
A single question flashed through Karayan's mind.
...How did my savior know this wasn't the genuine article?
Her savior hadn't spent hours examining the weapon like the appraiser.
He had pierced through the true nature of Frost Sunset with just a single glance.
Having reached this conclusion, Karayan immediately questioned the appraiser.
“Meister Gob.”
“……Yes.”
“If someone were to tell you they recognized that Frost Sunset was a prototype at a single glance, would you believe them?”
“At a single glance...?”
“I mean just glancing at it for a few seconds.”
At those words, the appraiser's eyes widened, and he frantically waved his hands.
“T-That is absolutely impossible. Though it may sound blasphemous, even the great Lord of Fire and Smithing himself wouldn't be able to distinguish the genuine article from the prototype in just a few seconds.”
“……”
“The prototype is just that well-made. If you hadn't ordered me to suspect it was a fake and approach the appraisal critically, Master, I would have undoubtedly judged it to be the genuine article as well.”
To think that even the creator wouldn't have been able to tell them apart at a glance.
It meant that identifying Frost Sunset as a fake in such a short time was practically impossible.
Well, at least by the standards of the most skilled appraiser in the Ruins Merchant Group.
...Then who on earth is my savior?
Her savior had realized Frost Sunset was a fake in an instant.
Instead of using that knowledge to show off, he had remained completely nonchalant.
And that wasn't all. Despite possessing such incredible discernment, the only weapon her savior had taken from the secret vault was the Feather Sword.
Yes. That piece of junk that was a divine artifact in name only.
“Sigh.”
She couldn't wrap her head around it.
In the end, she had once again received help from her savior without giving anything in return.
That realization only weighed heavier on Karayan's heart.
[Hidden Message: You have perfectly cleared the tutorial for the first time.]
[Hidden Message: You have evaded inevitable death.]
[Hidden Message: Causality is warping.]
...
[Hidden Message: An unprecedented achievement that has astonished the Pantheon. The forgotten tuners are watching your path.]