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Chapter 471

Collectors are usually quite sharp if they are true experts.

But Count Basilid had originally been an antique collector who had only recently changed his hobby.

So while he was fairly knowledgeable about antiques, his insight into swords was lacking.

“Lord of the house. You seem satisfied.”

“Heh heh, does it look that way to you as well? Look at this. This splendid form. Even though it’s not some uselessly ornate blade but a practical one, it still looks this extraordinary.”

He was quite satisfied.

It was a bastard sword personally crafted and left behind by Leon, the heir of the former Count of Cascadia, with whom he had ties, in exchange for obtaining the Celestial Sphere of Sacred Engraving.

The Celestial Sphere of Sacred Engraving.

It was an antique he had bought long ago from an explorer.

It didn’t have much historical value, nor did it seem to contain any special power, so it had simply been something he kept stored away for a long time.

He couldn’t fully recognize Leon’s skill, but that didn’t mean he had no eye at all.

In the past, he had valued the Celestial Sphere of Sacred Engraving quite highly.

But now, its importance had diminished.

For him, whose hobby was collecting itself, this wasn’t a bad outcome.

Smiling contentedly as he turned the bastard sword Leon had made this way and that, he suddenly became curious about just how sharp and sturdy this sword might be.

So he extended the sword to one of the knights guarding the count’s household.

“My lord?”

“There’s going to be a large-scale monster subjugation this time, right? Try swinging it as a test. Of course, my eye isn’t refined enough to properly gauge this sword’s true performance. Use it only when the situation allows.”

To be honest, he wouldn’t have minded even if the sword turned out to be slightly defective.

It was quite beautiful aesthetically, and he already knew it had at least basic durability.

Even if the sword turned out to be poor, if it was the son of the Count of Cascadia, then giving something like the Celestial Sphere of Sacred Engraving as a gift was no big deal.

He had seen the man’s daughter and son when they were very young, so he merely thought that those once-little children were now living diligently after losing their parents.

Of course, separate from such thoughts, hearing rumors about Melissa and Leon—both famous as Sword Masters—was somewhat intriguing.

The knight who took the sword and left returned eight hours later.

“My… my lord. Just what kind of sword did you obtain?”

“What is it? What happened!”

Had something gone wrong?

That’s why he had told him to test it only when it was safe.

Just as he thought that—

The knight’s report completely shattered his assumptions.

“W-when I swung the sword, nearly a hundred monsters were completely blown apart by the shockwave! I’ve never seen such an absurd magic sword, not even among magic swords!!”

Huh?

‘What is that supposed to mean? I only said it was sturdy and sharp?’

Unable to hide his confusion, he demanded a detailed report.

At that moment, a stern-looking nobleman walked in behind the knight.

“Y-Your Excellency, the Imperial Supply Officer?!”

“A pleasure. It is an honor to meet you like this.”

Though of the same rank of count, the Imperial Supply Officer was a figure who possessed powerful authority over the movement of imperial goods.

He walked in with steady steps and spoke.

“Where on earth did you obtain that sword?”

“Where, you ask? It’s simply something I acquired through an exchange as part of my collection. It’s made by a young man, so it’s not something to make such a fuss over—”

“Not something to fuss over?! That sword could easily shatter national-treasure-grade magic swords recorded in imperial reports! Even the swords bestowed upon Sword Masters of His Majesty the Emperor’s Imperial Knights would be like fireflies before the sun compared to that!”

Huh?

Count Basilid let out a short groan, covering his mouth with one hand.

“Uh… hmm… this is…”

What should he say?

He had personally seen Leon make this sword.

It had been crafted so quickly, so effortlessly, that he assumed it was nothing special… but that wasn’t the case?

The Celestial Sphere of Sacred Engraving wasn’t even that valuable an antique.

And he made a sword like this just to obtain it?

His thoughts refused to organize themselves.

“Th-then… could I see the sword?”

At his words, the knight handed it over.

The sword’s form had changed slightly from before.

The once-pretty design now seemed imbued with light, as though alive—like a divine sword that had completed its awakening.

“Ha…”

“I tested it to see if it was a one-time effect, but this sword absorbs natural mana and draws out even greater power. So I must ask—where exactly did you obtain this sword?”

“I… I simply commissioned it.”

That was all he could say.

“Th-the Duchy of Cascadia in the Kingdom of Bata. Leon Cascadia. I happened to have a connection with that child.”

“Hoh. The Duchy of Cascadia, you say. Just what kind of place is that?”

Those nobles who knew, knew.

Once you visited the Duchy of Cascadia, it felt like an entirely different world.

Recently, among nobles within the empire, there had even been a trend of trying to imitate Cascadia in decorating their own territories.

Well, such beauty—like having arrived in the future—was indeed rare to behold.

The Supply Officer and Count Basilid fell into deep thought.

“Keeping something like this… won’t it bring trouble?”

No, he had wanted a fine sword, yes—but not something this absurd…!

A hobby should be enjoyed in moderation.

Considering the level of treasures he had collected so far, this far exceeded that category.

At Count Basilid’s words, the Imperial Supply Officer chuckled.

“Indeed.”

* * *

I secured the Celestial Sphere of Sacred Engraving that Lucifer had mentioned.

And, as an additional item, I succeeded in obtaining a beautiful crafted piece called the Crystal of Vatix.

The Crystal of Vatix wasn’t particularly rare.

Because of that, it was something you could easily obtain at an auction house or any well-known jewelry shop.

After being guided by Lucifer, the place we arrived at was a hidden ruin deep within a jungle untouched by human footsteps.

Though it was a place unspoiled by human hands, if rumors about nectar had already spread—

it wouldn’t be strange if someone attempted grave robbery before long.

I stepped inside the ruins.

To be honest, nothing particularly remarkable was visible.

But Lucifer was different.

–You’ll see an altar deeper inside the ruins. Place the Celestial Sphere of Sacred Engraving there.

Following Lucifer’s words, I placed the sphere on the altar.

Then, as instructed, I gave a brief show of respect and spoke.

“May peace rest in your repose. I offer reverence to your benevolence.”

Then, astonishingly, light flowed out from the altar, wrapped around the sphere, swallowed it, and began to transform.

A new path revealed itself beneath the altar, in addition to the original path leading inward.

–Simply put, it’s a back door. A way to enter without defiling his temple.

“Why would something like this even be made?”

–It was his hobby.

Ah.

Then I’ve got nothing to say.

After descending the stairs for quite a while—

a massive underground space, incomparable to the small shrine above, revealed itself.

And then.

“Is that… a monster?”

–Divine soldiers. However, now that a long time has passed since Xeros Valor’s death, they shouldn’t be able to move.

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As Lucifer said, they shouldn’t have been moving.

But—

Creeeak… creak-creeak!!

Those grotesque dolls holding a sword in one hand and scales in the other turned their heads toward us the moment I leapt down from the broken cliff.

“Hey. You said they wouldn’t move.”

–Something… is wrong.

There was a faint trace of anger in Lucifer’s low voice.

–Eliminate them all. We’re changing the plan.

“What?”

Lucifer didn’t answer.

But it was obvious those monsters would move eventually, so I slowly drew my demonic sword.

My internal condition was a mess due to the limit-breaking training with Archangel Michael.

But even so, they weren’t a threat to me.

At most, Expert level.

For explorers, it would be a hellish situation, but for me, it wasn’t particularly dangerous.

Slaaash!!

In an instant, red lines flashed across the dark cavern and disappeared.

At the same time, the monsters collapsed all at once.

However, that wasn’t all of them—more were appearing from somewhere.

“Where do I go?”

–Do you see that massive door deeper inside?

“Yeah.”

–Originally, Xeros Valor’s divine body rests within.

There.

There was no need to wrestle with the monsters.

I headed straight for the door.

They tried to block me, but I ignored them and pushed forward, forcing the door open.

Creeeak… grrrrkkk!!

There must have been some mechanism to open it properly, but I didn’t have time for that.

I activated immense aura in both hands, drawing out explosive strength, and forcibly pushed open the several-meter-tall stone door.

Grrrkkk…

The first thing I felt was shallow water pooled beneath my feet.

Then I saw it—

a massive temple, far greater in scale and intricacy than what I had seen above.

“Lucifer. That thing… don’t tell me…”

–Xeros Valor… why has your rest been disturbed?

At the end of the temple stood a tall figure clad in armor, holding a massive axe, head slightly bowed as it waited for us.

At a glance, it looked like an unremarkable knight.

But the power emanating from it… was undeniably something on par with an ancient god.

I had never seen that in the Labyrinth.

Which meant, even through countless regressions, I had never encountered it before.

As if to eliminate those who disturbed its rest, it slowly dragged its axe toward us.

At that moment—

–The crystal. Use the crystal.

At Lucifer’s voice, the crystal I had obtained alongside the sphere began to shine.

And then—

when the light faded—

an unexpected being appeared beside me, like an illusion.

The appearance of a young girl.

Yet despite her pure white attire, the aura emanating from her resembled that of an archangel.

Still, considering the power I knew Lucifer possessed, this was only a fraction of it.

“You could undo your seal?”

–Does this place look like reality to you?

“What?”

–This is Xeros Valor’s mental domain. Here, through the crystal’s power, I can move—albeit in a limited capacity.

A massive greatsword made of light resonated mournfully in her hand.

And—

four pairs of flickering wings revealed her overwhelming presence.

–Xeros Valor. Why have you left eternal rest and become a fleeting wraith?

The hollow figure called Xeros Valor did not answer.

Lucifer stepped forward and continued.

–I will fulfill my promise to you. I will grant you peaceful rest once more.

Saying that, he—no, she—lifted the massive greatsword as if it were a toy and advanced toward the knight.

–Leon Cascadia.

Without even turning back, she spoke to me.

“Speak.”

–Xeros’s body can only be harmed by mistletoe.

At her words, I looked around and spotted a wooden sword embedded on the altar.

“That’s mistletoe? I could just handle it myself, you know?”

–In your current condition, we don’t know what side effects Xeros’s attacks may cause. I will hold him off. In that gap, pull out the mistletoe. Drive it into his heart.

Lucifer’s form flickered as if it might disappear at any moment.

With those words, the forgotten god Xeros Valor and Lucifer charged at each other at tremendous speed, their weapons colliding.

An ancient forgotten god—and a primordial archangel whose full power would require gathering all present archangels to even stand a chance—clashed head-on.

However, the fallen god and the archangel emitting only a fraction of her power were not as overwhelming as I had expected.

I watched their clash, then suppressed my presence and walked toward the altar.

And there, I fixed my gaze on the mistletoe.

At that moment, I noticed a small bottle placed at the side of the altar.

[Liquid presumed to be nectar. Confirmed.]

So it was here.

First, I quickly secured the nectar, then grasped the handle of the mistletoe.

It looked so fragile it might break at any moment—could I really stab something with this?

Still, I didn’t doubt it.

If it didn’t work, I already had the nectar, so I could just run.

I slowly applied force to pull it out—

but…

“What the hell. Why won’t this come out?”

The mistletoe refused to budge, as if saying, You dare try to take me?

For a rotten piece of wood, it sure was irritating.

I gripped the handle and poured all my aura into it.

Like a heavy mass crashing from ceiling to floor, the aura surged through the mistletoe and spread across the entire altar.

Let’s see you resist this.

At the same time, the mistletoe and the altar it was embedded in began to tremble violently, as if screaming.

And then—

Crack!!

The mistletoe in my hand snapped cleanly.

“Uh…? This isn’t supposed to break, is it?”

–You insane bastard?! Why would you break that?!

At Lucifer’s horrified voice, I replied awkwardly.

“No, I mean… that rotten piece of wood was pissing me off.”

I need to get the nectar quickly and feed it to Elpiria.

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