Relic Trade (1)
Relic Trade (1)
The 'Practical Class' ended, leaving endless rumors and repercussions in its wake.
First, the disappearance of Count Chaipree and his knight order—who had accompanied the students to the Seal Grounds—not only threw the Count's domain into turmoil but also stirred unrest throughout the capital.
Talk circulated that a new search party needed to be formed, while rumors spread that the Count's successors and siblings had already begun squabbling over the earldom title.
Thus, while the capital and its political circles were abuzz over the missing count and his knights, the Royal Academy was reveling in immense satisfaction over the results of the 'Practical Class'.
After all, it was the first 'Practical Class' in ten years to end safely without a single casualty.
It wasn't that fewer monsters had swarmed in, nor had the professors or knights stepped in to help. They hadn't even needed to carry out the emergency 'Retreat Across the River Operation' prepared just in case.
The participating students had overcome it entirely on their own.
Everyone rejoiced at the satisfying outcome.
The Headmaster, the professors, and the supporting knights were delighted by the students' rare, stellar performance, and the second- and third-year students were thrilled by results unlike anything seen before.
After enduring practical classes plagued by deaths and injuries last year and the year before, they were overjoyed that their friends and comrades were safe this year.
The first-year freshmen, though, much like their seniors before them, were half out of their minds after their very first real combat experience, suffering in agony for days.
Though all the participating students received praise from the professors for the great outcome, a few individuals shone particularly brightly among them.
Havier, a third-year in the Knight Faculty who was already famous, once again demonstrated outstanding combat prowess and exceptional leadership as a group leader.
The professors felt certain he possessed everything required to comfortably claim the position of the next Commander of the Royal Knights.
In addition, several second- and third-years from the Inherited Ability Faculty showed off their improved abilities, and even among the first-year freshmen, a few stood out.
In the Inherited Ability Faculty, Manuel—the second son of the Gracia Dukedom—showcased impressive wide-area attacks, while scions of similar high-ranking noble families demonstrated formidable skills of their own.
In the Knight Faculty, Bria and Iker displayed talents far exceeding what they had shown during regular classes.
On top of that, the unexpected Princess pulled her own weight.
As she was a mere ten-year-old girl guarded by two highly skilled students, no one had expected much from her.
Yet, belying her young age, she bravely stood her ground against the monsters.
While she didn't display skills vastly superior to those of the others, simply holding her own was shocking enough, considering her tender age and the fact that her awakening had occurred only a few months ago.
Yet among all the students who astonished everyone, there was one who shone even brighter than the rest.
He had been fairly famous ever since his enrollment—though mostly for the wrong reasons.
A freshman who was an 'illegitimate son' of the Gracia Dukedom, he boasted a friendly relationship with the Princess that was far out of keeping with his status.
Because of his ambiguous standing and the rumors surrounding him, he had been ostracized by the student body.
But that rejection did not last long.
As everyone expected, he failed to enter the Inherited Ability Faculty and ended up in the Knight Faculty.
Yet even there, he demonstrated skills vastly superior to those of the other students.
Gradually, students began gathering around him, and during the 'Field Trip', he played a crucial role in rescuing stranded cadets.
And in this 'Practical Class', he displayed an unbelievable level of mastery.
Wielding a massive greatsword, he carved through the swarming monsters one after another.
As his greatsword repeatedly swept away the enemy forces, there were several moments when the space directly in front of him was left completely bare despite the oncoming horde.
That wasn't all. He stepped in to save other groups in crisis and took over the posts of exhausted students.
And he accomplished all of this while simultaneously protecting the Princess.
He had single-handedly carried the workload of multiple students, proving to everyone that his prowess rivaled or even surpassed that of a full-fledged knight.
The true extent of his abilities—previously nothing more than wild rumors—had finally been revealed, far exceeding anyone's expectations.
After returning from the 'Practical Class', I noticed the students looking at me differently once again.
During the 'Field Trip', their stares had felt like reactions to intriguing rumors, but this time, their gazes held envy and admiration.
It seemed I had made much more of a splash than intended.
During the 'Practical Class', I hadn't used 'Mana Materialization', nor had I pushed my body to its absolute limits.
I had simply made full use of the unsealed 'Mana Circuit Construction Method', commonly known as the Mana Cultivation Technique.
Yet the results turned out far more impressive than expected.
My elder brother, Manuel, hovered around me, unable to bring himself to ask what had happened, and Katrin was utterly flabbergasted by my sudden leap in skill.
Others began treating me differently, little by little. Only Balea treated me the same as before.
On top of that, even the Princess acted differently toward me.
Ever since the 'Practical Class', she had completely erased the awkward distance between us.
When others were around, she at least treated me like any other student, but whenever it was just the two of us, or the three of us with Katrin, she treated me comfortably, just as she treated Katrin.
Katrin looked thoroughly surprised as well, and if not for my past memories of the ruins, I too would have found it difficult to handle her attitude.
Nothing particularly special had happened, so I could only find it baffling that we seemed so much closer than we had when we stayed together in the ruins before my death.
While dealing with this unexpected rise in fame, I was busy tending to other matters.
The first order of business was inspecting the orb I had retrieved from the ruins.
That orb was an Ego Artifact that visualized inherited abilities—a device reminiscent of an AI from my past life.
"So, are you saying you Egos are artifacts created to manage heroes?"
Every night, inside my dormitory room, I erected a soundproofing barrier and held conversations with the orb.
[The Central Ego and we Auxiliary Egos are architectures designed to support supernatural individuals known as heroes.]
"Seeing how you sent information from the ruins to the Central Ego, what you do seems much closer to management than support."
[It is merely management for the purpose of providing better support.]
I asked the Ego inside the orb questions like that, and then asked one more:
"Then could it be that those heroes were also created by the Old Empire?"
[I possess no information on the method to become a hero. But speaking as an Ego that supports heroes, it is impossible for humans to create a hero.]
I also inquired about heroes.
"Then why did the Old Empire fall?"
[No information available.]
"Do you at least know what monsters are?"
[Yes. Monsters are...]
"What happened to the nobles of the Old Empire?"
[There is no detailed information, but becoming a noble is...]
Although the Ego unfortunately didn't know much, I was able to glean at least a little information about the Old Empire, which no longer remained in the world.
And then, I asked about the most important matters: heroes and inherited abilities.
[Information regarding the managed heroes and their abilities is currently inaccessible. To access the information, the insufficient mana must be restored, and its lifespan, which has reached its limit, must be repaired.]
"So in the end, you need to be repaired."
Even for the growth of my ability, which was listed as <Knight-type Hero Ability User>, I needed the information about heroes known by the Ego.
I needed to find out what sealed abilities I had and how to obtain them, as well as how to raise the level of my abilities.
To do that, I ultimately had to repair this orb-like artifact.
Conveniently, I also needed to get rid of the artifacts I owned. I figured I should ask around in that trade to find someone who could repair artifacts.
"I wonder if there's even anyone capable of repairing artifacts..."
Frankly, it seemed unlikely, but regardless, I went to meet an artifact trader on my day off.
Deep inside the eastern commercial district of the capital lay a black market frequented by mercenaries.
After disguising myself to look older with a fake beard, I entered a building that looked no different from any other three-story building.
Large, hulking men stood guard along the stairwell landings and corridors leading up to the third floor, but no one asked to see my identification or picked a fight with me.
I opened the door on the third floor and stepped inside.
The interior was surprisingly neat.
Beyond a compact reception lounge, several rooms lined the hallway farther inside.
In the reception lounge—or rather, the waiting room—a few people seeking appointments sat on sofas, while formidable-looking mercenaries stood off to one side.
Opposite the sofas, a neat-looking woman who resembled an office clerk sat behind a desk.
Upon seeing me open the door and enter, she gestured to the seat across from her.
I sat down in the chair in front of her. As soon as I took a seat, she asked me,
"What brings you here today?"
Hearing her words, I couldn't help but chuckle inwardly.
Though the language was different, her tone sounded just like a bank teller's from my past life.
"I intend to sell some artifacts."
When I said that, the woman scanned me up and down before tilting her head.
"Where are the artifacts?"
I opened my inner pocket just enough to give her a glimpse of the artifact pouch.
"Ah..."
The woman's eyes widened.
Quickly composing herself, she followed up with a series of questions.
"Have you visited us before? If this is your first time, you must let us know who introduced you."
Since high-value artifacts were traded here, it seemed a certain level of credibility was required.
I gave her the name of the person who had told me about this place.
"I came recommended by the Firebird Hunter."
Firebird Hunter. That was the pseudonym Katrin used when operating as a mercenary.
Among the people around me, Katrin—who had mercenary experience—was the only one likely to know of a place in the capital that traded artifacts.
So I had asked her, and Katrin, assuming I had run out of money, had tried to lend me her emergency savings.
I barely managed to decline the money Katrin offered before finding out about this place.
"Recommended by the Firebird Hunter. In that case, there shouldn't be any issue. If you are carrying any weapons, please lay them out here."
"I have none."
Although I had a dagger hidden in my pocket, no one here would be able to perceive it anyway, so I shook my head.
The female clerk didn't pay it much mind either, and said,
"You may head into Room 1, all the way at the back."
She pointed down the hallway.
I walked down the corridor, opened the door at the very end, and stepped inside.
"I hear you're selling artifacts."
Inside the small room sat an ordinary-looking man.
He lacked a muscular build and had the unremarkable appearance of an office worker.
'An ability user.'
But to my eyes, his wavering mana felt dense and pronounced.
I had simply come to trade artifacts; I hadn't expected to encounter not just a mana user, but an inherited ability user.
An inherited ability user would hold at least a single-generation nobility title. To think someone like that was doing work like this.
The capital's artifact trading post seemed to be a far more remarkable place than I had imagined.
"Would you show me what artifacts you have?"
Whether he was an inherited ability user or a noble, right now he was merely the person trading my artifacts.
I pulled out the pouch, opened it, and turned it upside down.
Clang, clang, clatter.
Artifacts poured out of the pouch.