Chapter 339 - Episode Thirty-Nine - Pope Sateria (4)

I went with Mea to the office of Larks mansion.

I had secretly prepared some weapons and asked Lark to keep them for me so that I could bribe the collector at any time.

He had no eye for weapons.

Especially lately, hes been drinking in the taverns and saying things like, Im not motivated because I dont have a weapon of my level, and I cant wield a cheap sword anymore, and that hes rotten.

Im sure he doesnt like me, but as long as I pay the price, he wont shake his head.

Lark-san, can I have my things back that youve been keeping for me?

I call out to Lark.

Lark nodded with a gentle smile, took the key out of the desk drawer, and handed it to Euris, who stood beside him.

Okay. Euris, please guide Abel and Mea to the hidden warehouse in the basement. I wish I could bring it to you, but Im afraid I and Euris cant carry it.

Abel-dono, um, what is the purpose of taking out a weapon like that?

Euris narrowed her eyes and glared at me before responding to Larks order.

Euris, its okay. You can show him around.

Lark said to Euris with a smile on his face.

Lark is very understanding, as expected.

Sometimes they look like theyre in a lot of pain, but basically, theyll just give you one reply and youre good to go.

I have no complaints, although I sometimes wonder if his understanding is too good to be true.

I cant be bothered to explain to Lark about the collector and all that, so its best if he just gives it back to me quietly.

Euris frowns a little, as if a little annoyed.

But, Lark-sama is it something you can just hand over and say yes to? Isnt that a bit irresponsible?

Unusually, Ulysse is talking back at Lark.

Euris, its okay.

But Larks response remained the same.

Euris smacked the desk with her palm and brought her face close to Larks.

Lark-sama! There is a lot of fage money invested in that thing! And I dont know what you plan to do with it, but I can tell you that its a dangerous thing! What would happen if people in other territories found out that there was such a thing in the fage territory As a lord, Lark-sama should have the duty to know how Abel-dono will use it!

Lark opened his narrowed eyes to Euris, and after a pause, he began to speak.

Listen, Euris. That sense of justice of yours is extremely important, and I like that about you. But most of the money in the fage territory comes from, Abel-kun. You know that, dont you?

But thats not how it works! Its not like they dont care if you take some of it out because they contribute to

The next time a problem arises involving Abel-kun, it will definitely be beyond my control. If I may say one more thing, there are many things in this territory that should not be seen by people from other territories. If you want, even Abel-kun himself. Are you going to put him in the dungeon? And one last thing, although the Fage territory is somehow stable now, if Abel-kun were to suddenly move to another territory with the backing of another nobleman, withdrawing all of his rights, this territory would collapse on its own in the worst-case scenario. Rather than that, I wouldnt be surprised if Peter-sama has already made an offer. He said hed be back soon, but he hasnt left at all. Hes not going to reveal his true identity, but Im pretty sure hes a member of a privileged class. Youre saying that youre going to investigate Abel-kun and take action if necessary?

Lark was speaking faster and faster, and at the end, he was accusing Euris.

T-That is, um

Euris clammed up and looked down.

So Lark looks at me like that.

No, as a lord, he has a duty to protect his territory, so he has no choice but to do so.

Its true that if Peter wanted to, he could bring up my name in front of other high-ranking nobles who are under Peters control, and make it difficult for them to stretch the scope of their rights and pick up the whole thing, and destroy the Fage territory.

Euris took me through the underground passage.

Euris slumped his shoulders, occasionally letting out a sigh.

Mea looked at Euris in front of her with a pitying look and asked me in a whisper.

Abel you seem to be very concerned about Euris, what did you build?

Its the legacy of Altamir. I miss her. I worked with her to build it.

Shes not dead yet She just collapsed from overwork.

Euris opens the door to the hidden storage room.

Larks grandfather used to love it, but now its simple.

The majority of the space was empty.

On the floor, treasure chests and bookshelves with deliberately gaudy exteriors lay thickly covered with dust.

In the back of the room, on top of the cleaned space, a large magical ore Ortem with a sword stuck in it stood upright.

This sword, with its dark blue glow and the Ortems emblem engraved on the hilt, is the true phantom copper sword, the Orechalcos Sword, which was made to bribe the collector.

It was made from the phantom copper Orechalcos created by Altamir, super-compressed by warding magic using the same principle as the Abel ball, and processed by applying high heat.

Although the phantom copper Orechalcos also has the power to absorb magic power and weaken magical phenomena, but the magic weakening effect of the true phantom copper sword, Orechalcos Sword is incomparably stronger.

It slashes through the magical phenomenon and destroys it completely.

It is also very powerful against spirit bodies that feed on magic power, so even the ridiculously sturdy Kudor would have a more painful blow than a normal cut.

However, there was a problem: it was too heavy for ordinary people to lift, and if you walked on a wooden floor, the weight of the sword would cause the floor to fall out.

The amount of the original phantom copper Orechalcos was unbelievable.

Altamir, who was so excited to help me that she said, You can use as much as you want, even came to stop me half in tears.

But I didnt want to go through all that trouble and come out half-baked It was necessary as insurance against hostilities with Kudor, so I took it upon myself to go ahead with my original plan.

The magic killing property should be effective against Levi as well.

I dont know if all of the four great creator gods are spirits, but at least Levi was a spirit body.

Im sure of it, since Ive analyzed his shredded arm.

It wouldnt hurt to let the collectors have it.

As for whether the collector would want it or not, thats no problem.

His beloved swords, the Right King of Shattering, Chromieshkeid Ray, and the Left King of Rending, Matarglardar Ray, were reduced to dust by a single shot from the Abel ball, but this true bronze sword, the Orechalcos Sword, was not damaged by a single explosion from the Abel ball.

I manipulated the Ortem on the base of the sword and left the Lark mansion.

Im pretty sure I heard that hes been at the Dwarfs Lair tavern in Fage territory since daylight today.

I peeked out the window of the Dwarfs Lair to take a look inside.

A large man with two-tone blue and white hair and a large magic circle carved around his forehead, the collector, is sitting in the back of the store.

Beside him is a blond-haired woman, Iris, smiling calmly with narrowed eyes.

It is Iris, a parasite of the gigolo collector and a former member of the business community.

There he is, right on the mark. It turns out that the information that he still frequents the bar every day is true.

Mea was hoping that it was a rumor. Did that guy use an elixir to rejuvenate himself so he could become a pimp?

However, the stigma of being just a ragtag gigolo and a legendary pimp ends today.

He was to become a major force in the defeat of Levi, and if necessary, a lightning rod for the resentment of the entire Riveras Kingdom as the one who will be responsible for the subjugation of Levi.

Peter said we didnt need to worry about it because the country would be in chaos when Levi dies anyway, but he wanted to have an insurance.

So lets take it as soon as possible No, the floor of the tavern will fall out, so lets have them go outside.

But Iris-san looks like to be having a great time Why dont we just leave her alone and not disturb her for now? Ill call out to her when she comes outside.

Hmmm but I dont know what time it will be

As we continued to observe, Iris suddenly clapped her hands, opened her threadbare eyes wide, and looked into the collectors face.

Today, I actually have a present for you, Shu-chan. Shopkeeper, please bring me that thing I handed over to you.

Iris waved her hand and called the shopkeeper.

Apparently, she had asked the owner to keep something for a surprise present.

I just noticed that his name has changed to Shu-chan, when it used to be Shu-san.

Youre crazy about him, arent you, Iris-san?

He may look good, but hes a bum and an old man inside.

What, a gift for me? Thats a big thing youre talking about, I dont think youll be able to bring me anything that will satisfy me.

I dont know what hes talking about.

I felt my face tense up when I saw what the shopkeeper brought in.

It was a sword. It was a gift that I did not expected.

But, no, weapons were a bad idea.

The collector is the kind of guy who sees any priceless weapon as trash, no matter how expensive.

You never know what kind of horrible things that big, airheaded idiot might say.

A-Abel, isnt that a bad idea ?

B-, But we cant just barge in and stop him, can we?

The owner of the store put a sword on the desk and said proudly.

This is a product of the famous blacksmith Rayzeph from the Royal Capital. The price would be roughly five million Gs.

It was Iris who was able to present a 5 million Gs sword to a village ruffian, but the collector was a man with assets that could compete with the kingdoms funds.

There is no way that 5 million Gs will work.

Geez, shopkeeper, talking about price is boorish.

Iris smiled annoyingly.

What do I do, just looking at the scene makes my stomach hurt.

I had only come here to bribe the collector, so why should I encounter such a shameful situation?

However, the collectors reaction was different from what Mea and I had expected.

A, a sword worth five million Gs, you say!?

The collector shouted in astonishment and got up from his seat.

I-Iris! W-When did you prepare such a pricey sword!?

What?

Im a former merchant, after all. I still have some old connections, so I made the arrangements from there. Im glad youre happy with it.

But the money is

Its okay, I just want to see Shu-chan work hard, so that much money Thats right, when Shu-chan becomes a famous adventurer, then Ill ask you to pay me for your success.

I tilted my head out the window as I watched.

Its funny, is that really a collector?

Are you paying attention to Iris-san?

Mea also says curiously.

I dont think he was the kind of guy who would do that

In addition to our doubts, the collector picked up his sword and fussed over it.

Is, Is it okay!? Well then, Ill immediately Oh, ohhhhhh ! It feels fit in my hand! As expected! Its not like the shoddy stuff the arms dealers daughter gave me for free instead of throwing it away!

The collector looks at his reflection in the blade and laughs, his mouth opening into a wide crescent shape.

No, Its just that hes lost all his money and his sensibilities became as bad as most peoples.

In any case, Im glad Iris-san didnt get hurt.

Yes, its a great relief for Mea to know that it all worked out. I really hope the collector will take good care of that sword! Ah!

Meas expression froze when she saw the Orechalcos Sword, a true phantom copper sword, still stuck in its Ortem-shaped base.

A-Aaaa, Abel What do we do with this sword?

Ah

If I take this sword with me, I may attract the attention of the collector, but I will surely hurt Iris.

N-No, now that I think about it, the collector is dangerous person.

It would be unwise to take him along and have him betray us on the way.

Yes, thats right. Thats the way it has to be. He was inappropriate from the very beginning as a force to be reckoned with.

After giving it a lot of thought, I decided to leave the Collectors out of the mission to defeat Levi.

-After that, the only one I could rely on was Zolomonia.

After all, Zolomonia has a high spec.

Ive gotten advice from Zolomonia several times in analysis work involving ancient spirit languages.

The title of Great Demon of Wisdom and Ruin is no mean feat.

She was also of great help to me in the battle against Kudor.

It will be an important asset when we take on Levi.

I went to another warehouse in Larks mansion that was currently sealed off.

Zolomonia was locked inside, and a number of wards had been placed to prevent her from escaping.

Some people in the alchemist division are saying that this treatment is too much, but dont be fooled by her adorable appearance.

Zolomonia is Zolomonia, a species of evil that has used its wisdom to destroy many times as she wants.

If Im not careful, even I could be outsmarted. I have to be careful.

This is the best distance between humans and demons.

Inside the open warehouse, the walls and floor were covered with a large number of thick books.

Most of them were forbidden books on ancient magic, spirit bodies, the four great creator gods, and artificial spirits, which had been scavenged using the assets of the Fage territory.

I had ordered Zolomonia to look through them as part of the analysis of Levis spear.

From inside the warehouse, Zolomonia, a child with a blue body surface, jumped out.

She was a little girl with a blue body surface.

Oh, Ohhhhh! Isnt it Abel! Youve finally decided to free this mistress from this hell of books! Mmm, mmm! Because when this mistress faced the God of Law at that time, this mistress was truly Abels best partner! Really, I knew that you would need this mistress help again soon! Ah! Thats right, the analysis of the spear is of course well underway! Its still at the stage of possibility, but that power of twisting fates to hit with the spear could be turned into defense or sublimated as a powerful means of attack, depending on its application. Im Thats all I can say for now.

Zolomonia desperately appealed to me about her usefulness.

I folded my arms and gave a small nod.

I guess Ill leave Zolomonia behind.

I close the door gently.

As the door closed behind me, I saw Zolomonia flying towards the door with a devilish expression on her face.

I put up a magic circle behind the closed door and reestablished the wards. Finally, I moved the large Ortem to stand in front of the door and completely sealed it off.

There is a thumping sound on the door from the other side.

Are you sure about that, Abel?

Yeah, well, Zolomonias not a fighter in the first place. Im also interested in what Zolomonia had to say about Levis use of the spear. I think it would be wrong to interrupt her research. I think Ill just leave her alone for now.

I think Abel just wants information on the spear

Be-, because that spear is a weapon that can be used as a trump card against Kudor and Count Julem

-Three days later, on the appointed day to ride into the Riveras Kingdom.

I met with Peter in the garden of the Lark mansion.

Abel, I know that the wooden dragon has been postponed and Altamir has fallen, but what about the collector and Zolomonia?

Im sorry, but it didnt work out this time. Well ride to the holy city of Riveras Kingdom with Me, Mea, and Peter-san.

I made a big gut pose and called out to Peter.

Should I also just stay here after all?