The Spear King's Assignment (2)
He had received the assignment from the Spear King and boarded a wyvern to head for the request site. It was the very wyvern that had appeared during his performance test of the Dragon Killer's capabilities in the capital.
Evan had figured he would spend hours jolting along in a carriage, but the wyvern cut through the wind at a speed far surpassing that of a bird. In an instant, they reached the Stell Territory.
“I was waiting for Your arrival. Sword Master.”
“Uh… so you’re the count?”
“Yes. I am Grace Stell of the Stell Territory.”
The ruler of the Stell Territory turned out to be a woman. Even more surprisingly, her stature was so petite that Evan wondered if she might be even younger than himself.
Grace read Evan’s thought and cautiously brought up the subject of her height.
“Though I look this way, I am an adult.”
“An older sister…”
“I will push from the blood of flight. Come inside.”
Evan followed Grace into the castle and found the lord’s residence surprisingly modest. He tilted his head in confusion.
Other castles he had seen—the Bland Territory, the capital’s guild headquarters, or the Nine Lives residence of the beastman race—had been built to boast of their power, excessively grand and vast.
Even the headquarters of a single organization was that enormous, yet the castle of an important territory entrusted directly by the Spear King was this plain?
“You must think it’s an unremarkable castle.”
“Um… I did think it was a bit plain.”
“The Stell Territory is a perfectly ordinary domain with nothing special to be proud of. I decided it was better not to build an overly large castle.”
“Really? That’s allowed?”
“Of course. The ruler’s authority does not come from the size of the castle but from the greatness of His Majesty the Spear King beneath us.”
Grace knew the kingdom’s founding and its continued existence were all thanks to the Spear King’s magnificent power. That was why the lords had no need to flaunt their strength unnecessarily.
Whether the lord’s castle soared into the sky or was as modest as an ordinary house—under the Spear King, all were equal.
“I also don’t like extravagance.”
“Ah…”
“Then shall we move on to the assignment? Did you hear who the requester is?”
“No. Since it was urgent, I came here to hear the details.”
“I see. Then I will explain. A meteorite fell in our territory.”
Evan’s eyes widened with genuine excitement. It had seemed so urgent that they had even lent him a wyvern.
“A gigantic extraterrestrial meteorite brimming with rare foreign minerals. The territory’s mages estimate that it contains tens of thousands of kilograms of that precious Meteornium alone.”
“Meteornium… what is that?”
“An ultra-rare mineral that fell from space. It carries special power in itself and is traded at one hundred thousand Elso per gram.”
“Whoa, so that’s—”
As Evan listened, he began to doubt he had heard correctly and stared at her.
Grace tilted her head in confusion at Evan’s reaction.
“Uh… how much per gram?”
“One hundred thousand Elso per gram. If we assume at least ten thousand kilograms, that’s roughly one hundred million Elso in current value.”
“A, one hundred million…”
Evan recalled his remaining debt. He still owed over a million Elso. Repaying that alone would keep him struggling for nearly a year.
But how much? A million? Ten million? No, one hundred million?
In theory, he would have to labor until the day he died just to earn that sum. Indeed, there had to be a reason the Spear King had even sent him this assignment.
“Why, why is it so expensive?!”
“Because there isn’t enough mineral compared to demand… Perhaps the Meteornium that appeared this time is more abundant than all the previous finds combined. Once it’s released, the price may drop somewhat.”
Still, it was an astronomical price—a veritable mountain of gold fallen from the sky.
And as expected, if gold started raining down from a clear sky, people would inevitably rush to claim it.
“Your task is simple. Simply protect the meteorite.”
“Easy if easy, hard if hard. There will be plenty of people eager for it.”
“If it is difficult, I could assign the task to someone else, but…”
“No. I will take it.”
A meteorite worth a fortune that even Transcendent beings would turn their eyes for. Anyone after it would naturally possess formidable power or abilities beyond imagination.
Evan felt a strong interest in the thieves who would try to steal it. Exactly how would they do it? Which groups would attack—
And most of all, what he liked most about the job was—
“How much is the reward?”
“Ten percent of the Meteornium extracted from the meteorite.”
It was a reward high enough to clear his entire debt and still leave plenty.
The stars in the sky moved, revealing constellations, while the beings on the ground read those movements and uncovered heavenly secrets.
Heavenly secrets were the flow of the world, fate itself. There were also those who truly believed in and followed them.
Those who appeared human but were actually closer to monsters.
“Our father’s gift has arrived.”
“Oh, oh, great father…!”
“Where?!”
“In the kingdom. Its southern region.”
His body was covered in tiny tentacles that trembled faintly. His eyes glowed as he looked at his brothers.
“Before the gift from father reaches the hands of others and gets tainted, we will bring it.”
One of the Eight Great Families that inherited the transcendent bloodline.
Kra-tos began to move.
“What? A prophecy that treasure will fall in the south?”
“Hahaha! I smell money! Kids, let’s go!”
“—Go! One step at a time.”
Reports of the meteorite falling in the kingdom had reached numerous organizations, families, and castles—and they were eager to cross the border and head for the Stell Territory.
During the journey, they clashed with the kingdom’s army, but the bloodshed was acceptable given the treasure’s value.
More than ten thousand kilograms of Meteornium. Just in terms of money, it was not even the kingdom’s several years of taxes. A treasure worth that much had simply fallen from the sky. Any organization would have wanted a piece of the pie.
“Mmm… It tastes surprisingly good.”
“Yes? The local cooks here have honed their skills to the extreme without special ingredients.”
While enemies with bared teeth pressed in from all directions, Evan and Grace ate peacefully together.
After devouring the Stell Territory’s specialty—potato soup like a drink—followed by potato butter stew and potato steaks, Evan finally began to move slowly.
“Ugh… I’m stuffed.”
“I’m glad you enjoyed it.”
“Then shall we head toward the meteorite? Where is it?”
“I will provide a guide.”
Evan followed the knight sent by Grace to a location where the meteorite was visible at a glance. The cliff overlooking the crater formed by the meteorite that had crashed down with a thunderous impact.
Protectors of the meteorite—mages detecting its danger, miners digging through it, and knights guarding the miners—moved busily around.
“Do I have to stay here only?”
“You can get closer. But this spot where it’s visible is best for now…”
“Then this is good. Thank you.”
“It is an honor. Sword Master.”
The knight gave a quick salute and headed back to the castle. Left alone, Evan swayed his feet back and forth while staring blankly at the meteorite.
With a casual flick of his fingers, he placed a hand on the sword hilt and wondered if he could slice it. He had not actually tested it because even a wrong cut could send away the hundred-million-Elso mineral.
I wonder… I’d like to try cutting something I’ve never seen before, but I’m also afraid of losing a hundred million Elso.
The two thoughts clashed, each seeking the advantage, and then Evan spotted something approaching from afar and rose to his feet.
An army of armed warriors. Their sightless charge on horses with spears could not possibly be allies.
Evan immediately activated the communication device on his ear.
“This is Count Stell.”
“Ah, Count. It’s Evan.”
“Sword Master? Wait, there’s no communication equipment there, so how…?”
“There are ways. More importantly—do you hear about an army approaching?”
“Army? Yes. No particular details.”
“Then shall I cut?”
“Huh?”
Before the bewildered Count could finish, Evan assumed a stance on the cliff.
The moment he swung the Dragon Killer and unleashed a sword aura, the blade shot out like a spear. It transformed into a dragon.
The dragon’s will housed in the sword forged from dragon bones turned the aura he had spewed into a living dragon.
Kraaaah—!
“Okay, done.”
Evan sheathed his sword casually after hearing the distant screams of the approaching army and sat back down in his seat.
There might still be survivors among the soldiers, but the knights down below would handle the few remaining forces on their own.
“Interesting.”
He had not been in the territory for even an hour before enemies already began arriving one after another, drawn to the meteorite.
How many people would come after that meteorite? Evan’s heart raced with anticipation.