The Tears of Truth
I looked down at the ring once more.
You really were… no, you were an absolutely incredible treasure, weren’t you?
It felt far too precious to waste on something like spying on whether Chad liked Akia.
How pitiful. Of all people, it had to end up in my hands. This ring must have terrible luck.
"Welcome. First time with a pervert owner, huh?"
⟨ Rai ⟩
“Yeah, welcome… Hey! That’s not it! I’m not a pervert, I just have a hobby of teasing people a little. I’m not the only one who expresses affection through torment, you know?”
"And the most terrifying one at that! A proud pervert!"
⟨ Rai ⟩
Ugh, seriously. Forget the Tears of Truth—I’d rather have a treasure that could turn Rai into a living being so I could beat the crap out of him. I doubt something like that exists, though.
"Master! Are you seriously disrespecting the legacy of Wüsdevald right now?"
⟨ Rai ⟩
“What does some dead guy’s relic have to do with me? Once it’s in my hands, I use it my way!”
"The ring is crying. It’s weeping."
⟨ Rai ⟩
“Rings don’t have feelings!”
"I can feel it! I can feel it! The ring’s heartbreaking sorrow!"
⟨ Rai ⟩
His tone sounded exactly like a shady fortune teller. If I shoved a crystal ball in his mouth, it would be perfect.
“What? Don’t try to scam me! You crazy… Wait… Are you actually serious? When I wear this ring and grope Ash, can you really sense the emotions of metal too? Is that it?”
At first I thought it was just Rai’s usual nonsense. But then it occurred to me—who else but a metal spirit like Rai could possibly feel the emotions of metal?
It was a power he hadn’t had before, but since he grows stronger as I do, maybe he’d awakened a new ability?
"Huh? Does that even make sense?"
⟨ Rai ⟩
Damn it, he really did awaken something.
The way that snake face stared at me was downright rude. Those narrowed eyes that seemed to ask if I’d lost my mind made me grind my teeth.
“You said you could feel the me-tal’s fee-lings…”
"Master, are you okay? Where would metal have emotions? It’s an inanimate object… There’s no such thing. None. Please get a grip?"
⟨ Rai ⟩
“You said the ring was sad!”
"I said that’s what I would do! There’s no way I could actually feel it! Master, you really are so naive. Puhahaha!"
⟨ Rai ⟩
I was being serious.
A treasure that could turn spirits into living beings was far more urgent than the Tears of Truth. No one but me would need it, so who would even make such a thing?
I swear I’m going to shorten this brat’s lifespan one day.
“…You fraudulent spirit bastard. You made me get all serious for nothing.”
"Like master, like spirit! I learned it from you, Master! You always say that the one who gets fooled is the fool… Ah, but that doesn’t mean I’m calling you stupid, okay?"
⟨ Rai ⟩
“When a metal spirit says it, it sounds way too convincing. I should change your attribute to ‘cheeky’ spirit.”
I grumbled irritably and kept reading.
It must have been quite an important treasure; the description was longer than the others, and it took up several pages.
Tears of Truth
One of the five sacred relics said to have been gifted by the gods to humanity when the continent was first formed.
The origin of the title “Dra,” held by the first person to unify the continent and rule over it. The only human whom even dragons feared.
The lost relic of the historically strongest emperor, the ancient sovereign Dra Wüsdevald.
As I expected, the ring wasn’t omnipotent. It only worked on living beings, and depending on the opponent, its power might not work at all.
For example, it probably couldn’t read the inner thoughts of a proper dragon like Magi’s mother, Adelaide. But what about Magi? He was a bit lacking, so maybe it would work on him. I didn’t think my intellectual level was lower than his.
It is considered one of the three greatest relics of Wüsdevald, hailed as the treasure of treasures whether judged by its pure intrinsic value or its historical significance.
It takes the form of the ring depicted in the illustration. Aside from the speculation that it is a divine creation, nothing is known about its exact material. (For information on the other relics, refer to the Ancient Treasure Compendium: Weapons Volume and Regalia Volume.)
The Tears of Truth possesses a special power that allows the wearer to read the emotions and thoughts of living creatures.
The higher the wearer’s mental strength, the greater the power it displays. It does not work on opponents with mental strength superior to the wearer’s.
It operates strictly based on the wearer’s own mental state.
In the ninth year of Emperor Wüsdevald’s reign, after obtaining the Tears of Truth, he beheaded three of the eight close aides who had helped him ascend the throne and permanently dismissed two others.
It is not clearly known what he saw with the ring, but the outcome makes it evident that they had lost his trust.
The Tears of Truth was used for a long time to root out wicked factions and contributed greatly to the peace of the continent. No one dared deceive Wüsdevald.
However, even Wüsdevald was human. As he grew frail and death approached, he entrusted the Tears of Truth to one of his closest aides, the grand spirit master ‘Pel,’ just before his death.
He commanded that it be sealed for generations in the hands of the most pure-hearted and selfless individual.
Whether true or not, Wüsdevald was one of the legendary ancients said to have lived for over three hundred years.
In fact, he was a mythical figure so far beyond the bounds of humanity that there were endless speculations and suspicions that he might actually have been a dragon.
This was the very ring that legend had used.
The grand spirit master Pel devoted his entire life to protecting the Tears of Truth and, according to Wüsdevald’s will, is said to have never worn it himself.
Forty-two years after Wüsdevald’s death, on the verge of his own passing, Pel entrusted the ring to his disciple with instructions to hide it deep away. That disciple was Calip, a spirit master of water and earth and one of the heirs of the Spirit Council.
At that time, spirit masters were going through an extremely harsh period. Pel’s death, as one of the pillars of the Spirit Council, accelerated the misfortune.
When the Spirit Council collapsed due to internal division, Calip, the heir, completely vanished.
The Tears of Truth disappeared along with Calip and remains missing even after eight thousand years. No one knows its whereabouts. A massive bounty currently hangs on it.
For example, in the year 984 of the Elan Imperial Calendar, the King of Veilarn promised the title of Count—regardless of social status—to anyone who brought him the Tears of Truth.
The founding millennium celebration of the Elan Empire had been held only recently. That meant the King of Veilarn had placed a bounty of a Count’s title on this ring less than twenty years ago.
The fact that they were still seriously searching for it after eight thousand years showed just how much of a dream treasure it was to those in power.
Offering a Count’s title for a single ring was enormous. Normally, that was a rank one might reluctantly bestow upon the eldest son of a viscount family that had led a major war to victory.
Only the following words remain from when Wüsdevald entrusted the ring to Pel as a relic:
Truth is sharper and more painful than lies.
Do not touch a truth you cannot bear.
There is a demon within human ugliness, so do not look upon the demon.
Only one who can stare into the abyss without going mad shall the ring follow.
Only one who has crossed the loneliness of death shall bear the ring.
Only one who knows no fear shall rule the ring.
Only one who can endure the pain of others’ hearts shall obtain the ring.
It seemed Wüsdevald had feared the indelible pain that came from looking into others’ hearts.
Unlike wounds on the body, wounds on the heart never truly disappear. That must be why he ordered it sealed and hoped it would not be used if possible.
Come to think of it, I had never read any hearts so ugly that it caused me pain through this ring.
The reason the ring’s power had only been fun and interesting was because I had mostly read the heart of a man who loved me.
A man’s heart filled with love for me was simply tender, fluffy, and as pleasant as a sweet snack. Even when it got a little stimulating, I didn’t mind it.
Ash always made me feel good…
Tap. Tap tap!
“…”
“Ahem! Hmm-hmm.”
While I had been standing there reading for quite some time, the clerk began blatantly dusting the area above my head with a large feather duster.
It was clearly a signal to leave.
"How dare they! Shall I bite them?"
⟨ Rai ⟩
“No.”
"Why not! Then shall I bury them?"
⟨ Rai ⟩
“Since that won’t help, can you just stay quiet? It makes it seem like my inner thoughts are that dirty. Don’t forget that what you do is essentially what I do.”
"Of course I know that. A subordinate’s mistake is the superior’s responsibility! I always trust in Master and— I mean, I always carry out my tasks!"
⟨ Rai ⟩
“Let’s just stop talking.”
I had been standing here too long and they were giving me the hint. Since it was for sale, buying it was the proper thing to do.
Who did they take me for, a beggar?
I could just buy it! I was going to buy this one, the Regalia volume, and the Weapons volume too!
It was hurting my pride, so maybe I should just buy the entire bookstore. Was I the spirit of overconsumption?
“Customer, what do you need?”
“Where is the bookstore owner?”
“What do you need them for? They’re not here right now.”
My mind, which had briefly run away, snapped back the moment the smell of book dust hit my nose. Come to think of it, I don’t even like books.
Damn it. Habits really are scary.
Maybe it was because I was from the Academy, but whenever I was curious about something, I unconsciously looked for it in books. Buying this bookstore would mean I’d feel obligated to read all these books, so I’d better drop that idea.
Above all, I already had a mountain of books I’d bought and never read back at the dormitory.
“No. I’ll just buy this book. And I’ll take the Regalia volume and the Weapons volume too. Where are they?”
“Thank you, dear customer!”
It was a shame to leave a bookstore with such an excellent clerk who changed attitude so quickly.
“The Ancient Treasure Compendium has four volumes for Weapons and two for Regalia. Shall I give you all of them? The Accessories volume you’re holding also has separate volumes for earrings and crowns.”
“…If I take everything, it’ll be pretty thick, right?”
“Of course. All together, it would be about this much.”
The clerk spread both hands wide. It already went well past both shoulders, yet he kept spreading them wider.
I immediately changed my stance.
“Does delivery work?”
“If it’s not too far, yes. It’s a paid service, so the base fee is two silver.”
“Then could you deliver it to the inn over there? Third floor, room number…”
I suddenly became very polite. I hated carrying heavy things.
“Also, do you have any books about ancient spirit masters? I’m looking for information on figures named Pel and Calip. Preferably something detailed if possible.”
I knew nothing about Calip, who was presumed to be the master of the dungeon, but I did know a little about the grand spirit master Pel.
It would be more accurate to say that any spirit master knew of him. As the representative genius spirit master who had summoned a Spirit King in his twenties, he was such a mythical figure that it was questionable whether one should even believe it given today’s standards.
And I had a feeling there would be more information about him in Heidricke than in Dmitry.
This was the land of spirit masters, after all.
The only high-ranking spirit master—and grand spirit master, if we put ‘revealed’ in parentheses—currently existing on the continent, Tiatrazen, was a noble of this country. And the place where he was raising spirit masters was none other than this land.
The beautiful island nation of Heidricke’s unusually favorable view of spirit masters was largely thanks to Tiatrazen’s existence.
Well, these days people called you a grand spirit master just for contracting a high-ranking spirit, so it was easy to see how much the average level had dropped compared to the ancient times when Pel lived.
“Hmm, I’m not sure. You might want to ask the store manager. He’s very interested in spirit masters… But right now he’s gone with the owner to buy Tombdra tickets, so there’s been no word. I don’t know when he’ll be back…”
“You don’t know when he’ll return?”
“Yes. Didn’t you know? Ticket sales are first-come, first-served, so people have been lining up since two days ago.”
I hadn’t known. I had only trusted the letter of introduction Lox had given me. That idiot Chad… he had better bring it back properly.
I was starting to worry because I had given the task to the dumbest guy in the party.