Chapter 95 – The Ark's Proposal
"When I first heard the news, I was truly shocked. That the Marquis Gardran's house would commit such crimes and be ruined in a single day. And that one of the people who uncovered it was you, Sir Asher. All because of the request I arranged for you.... Honestly, I even thought I might have to leave the principality."
But looking at how things were flowing, it wasn't all that bad.
Since Marquis Ravishrun himself had stepped forward and presented evidence, the royal castle of the principality had closed the case. The worst possible scenario he had imagined would not come to pass.
Of course, it would still take a long time to forget that heart-dropping feeling.
And more importantly, that wasn't the real issue.
Pale looked at Verden.
"Sir Asher, may I ask you one question?"
"Go ahead."
"When you stormed the marquisate alone... were you truly confident?"
Subjugating the Soul Tree and saving Lorian—well, that was understandable somehow.
But storming the marquisate alone and killing Rupel. One of the top ten knights in the entire principality. And Marquis Gardran himself was a warrior of equal might.
To that question, Verden answered.
"But of course."
Well, to speak the truth, Verden had not fought the marquisate, but the Fang of Gluttony.
And if he had only used elemental magic, Verden would have been at a disadvantage. That insane regeneration was near to immortality.
But with holy magic, it was different. As long as he went all out, Verden was certain he could win.
Though Pale did not know that inside story, he did not press further and soon accepted it.
His opponent was a mage beyond common sense. For an ordinary mind to force understanding would be folly. At once, Pale changed the subject.
"I see. Ah, then, what business brings you to me today?"
***
Verden's reason for seeking Pale was simple.
Either to purchase information, or to take on a request, or both.
This time, it was both.
"I need information on artisans who craft magical items."
Verden had come into possession of a new staff called Oculus.
But that didn't mean he intended to postpone using orbs. No matter how high-grade the runes were, they could not be compared to orbs in performance.
He had saved up some money, and considering future income, it was better to start searching now.
"An artisan... you don't mean an ordinary one, do you?"
"At least someone like Lito Varslan, in that field."
"Mm, that sets the bar quite high."
Pale took out some documents and flipped through them.
After reading through several files for a while, Pale shook his head.
"It seems there are no artisans in the principality who would satisfy you, Sir Asher. If I had to name the closest, it would be the one in the resort city of Briente..."
"I've already been there."
The drunkard Mort. He knew his skills were good and the value was decent.
But Mort was not at the level Verden wanted. He needed at least someone who could call themselves the best without hesitation.
After some thought, Pale gave his conclusion.
"In that case, there are none in the principality. Not unless you go abroad."
"Abroad, then?"
"Of course. The principality has only existed for less than thirty years. Its security has been stable like other nations for barely fifteen. Far too little time for skilled artisans to settle down."
Artisans required proper equipment suited to their craft.
Since such things couldn't simply be moved, it was common sense to find a place and remain there.
"So which country abroad are we talking about?"
"The Republic of Beldirn is better than the principality, but... I have heard that in the Kingdom of Estiria, there is a famous artisan known as 'Oesu'."
Oesu?
A one-armed man?
"He forges magical items with a single hand?"
"So the rumor goes. They say he uses his mouth, his feet, his hands, his whole body to create. But the finished products are nothing short of art."
"Where in the kingdom is he?"
"I don't know the location, only that he hasn't left the kingdom. For all I know, he may be dead. It would be faster to ask an information broker in the kingdom."
"They have brokers there too?"
"Of course. Gray itself was born in the kingdom. If you wish, I can connect you to a broker I know."
The kingdom, huh.
He hadn't planned on going abroad just yet...
'It would be better to earn more money first.'
At least enough to fully cover the production cost.
Verden then brought up the matter of a request. But for the first time, Pale refused.
"Uh... at present, the principality is in great turmoil. You know the reason well, Sir Asher.... Anyway, because of that, there are no high-grade requests at all. Nobles, merchants, even private individuals, they're all being extremely cautious. I estimate it'll take at least a few months before things return to normal."
Verden stroked his chin.
He had been so focused on the bothersome Gluttony that he had overlooked this part.
No requests to take on.
Then where was he supposed to earn money?
"Then, how about going to the kingdom? In truth, if it's just about work, the kingdom is far larger in scale than the principality. Their laws are also very loose. Of course, the country itself is more dangerous than the principality, but for you, Sir Asher, that should not be an issue. My old junior is active as an information broker there, so it would not be too hard for you to get settled."
"Junior? And how skilled is he?"
"Very. In some areas, better than me. Like me, he also takes commissions in Gray, so he'll definitely be of help. Staying there until the principality stabilizes would not be a bad idea. And since things have quieted down here, I plan to expand my range of operations to northern Gray anyway."
Verden's thoughts grew deeper.
He weighed the gains and losses of shifting his area of activity to the kingdom.
Then suddenly he recalled the auction mentioned by the Grand Duke. Yes, the one where he said he had obtained the artifact, the 'Center of the Three Primary Colors.'
"Come to think of it, I heard there's an auction house in the kingdom."
"Ah, you mean the one run by the underworld. Yes, there is. It's illegal, but it's also one of the kingdom's famed attractions."
When Verden hinted he was willing to buy information, Pale immediately explained.
"In the Kingdom of Estiria, there is a city of pleasure. A city so large it rivals several others combined, and beneath it, there is an underground city of similar size."
"An underground city?"
"The underworld's very heart, Roafra. The kingdom's deepest darkness. There, once a year, in the spring as winter ends, an auction is held. Swords, armor, spears, staffs, rare magical items—everything goes up for bidding. And sometimes artifacts, or things on par with them. Of course, the prices are astronomical."
"How do you enter such an auction?"
"Anyone can set foot in Roafra, but to participate in the auction, you need an invitation. Every year, aside from the VIP seats and reserved sections, eighty invitations are released, and you can get them from the kingdom's Gray. But you need luck. At the highest, one invitation sold for three hundred million Elk."
That much for just one invitation?
He could pay it, but it was excessive.
"And other ways?"
"Connections are the surest. In the underworld, power, money, and connections are everything."
Connections.
Verden had none. He had never even stepped into the kingdom before.
Then Pale said,
"But you already have a connection, Sir Asher."
"...Me? Who?"
"Baron Pythe."
Baron Pythe.
He was the first noble Verden had encountered in the principality.
***
After paying for the information, Verden returned to the inn and sank into thought.
'What should I do?'
At present, there was almost nothing Verden could do in the principality.
With all of Gray under emergency, there were no requests to take. At best, by Pale's standard, it would be fourth or fifth-rank requests.
In the current situation, such rewards did not satisfy him. He would be better off spending the time on personal training.
'In that sense, going to the kingdom does have merit....'
In truth, his mind had already leaned that way.
If he did not move, he could not advance.
That was the foundation of growth Verden believed in. To shun the new and be drawn to the familiar was nothing but an obstacle in the path forward.
If he shut himself away in a cave and trained for at least half a year, he might reach the Fifth Tier.
But that would not be enough.
Varied experiences, tangible rewards, and practical strength.
He had to seize all three at once, just as he had up until now.
That was the most efficient and the most certain way. Verden's time in the principality had proven that. It was far too early to grow complacent. He was still a long way from achieving his purpose.
At that moment, he sensed a presence outside the door.
Knock, knock.
A soft knock.
With Telekinesis, he opened the door, and a familiar presence stepped inside.
"Greetings, Sir Asher."
The Listener.
He had come to Verden in the same form as when they had first met in Briente.
***
Verden drew a magic circle and wrapped the entire room in magic power.
After confirming that no sound would escape, he and the Listener began their talk.
"After the loss of the Fang, which was their rallying point, the Ark thoroughly hunted down and destroyed the remaining Gluttony. A very few survivors may have fled overseas, but what is certain is that within the principality, Gluttony no longer exists."
The subjugation of the Doctor and the Fang.
Though Gluttony's forces still remained, it was an immense achievement.
"And as for Theon, for the time being we have brought him into the Ark. Since he once served as an assassin within Gluttony, Elder Ren Balhagne himself is overseeing his re-education."
"I thought you would have executed him."
"Haha, we are not so merciless. Theon was kidnapped as a child and forced into Gluttony, and since he did not bear a shard of Gluttony within him, we judged there was room for rehabilitation. Of course, if not, then we would have done as you said, Sir Asher."
I see.
Well, they would do as they saw fit.
"By the way, since we are speaking of Gluttony, may I ask a question?"
"What is it?"
"The war, twenty-six years ago. Was Gluttony involved with the Kingdom of Estiria?"
The Grand Duke had said so.
That mages who had used the people as sacrifices, and the newly appointed Chancellor who had brought them, had suddenly disappeared or died. The moment Verden heard that, he had thought of Gluttony.
That guess had been correct.
"Yes. Gluttony used the war to infiltrate the kingdom. With the royal family's permission, they conducted human experimentation on numbers in the tens of thousands. In the end, the Captain of the Ark himself assassinated the Chancellor and destroyed Gluttony's mages and their test subjects. As a result, the Gluttony within the Kingdom of Estiria was annihilated."
"So the declaration of independence by Duke Riviant at that time was deliberate?"
The Listener shook his head.
"No. We only intervene in matters concerning Gluttony, not in erasing the traces of their influence. Had we done so, we would have had to erase the kingdom itself. The principality's independence was a natural outcome. But since Gluttony might have hidden within, it was necessary to place watchers there."
"You mean the Second Prince and the Marquis Ravishrun's house?"
"Indeed. But that was not the only reason they were accepted. Despite their noble lineage, they were detached from power and possessed human decency, so they were welcomed. Even had Gluttony not existed, the Ark would have taken them in, only at a different time."
The Listener then asked Verden,
"Now, allow me to ask. Have you come to a decision on the answer?"
"..."
The Second Prince's proposal.
After much deliberation, Verden had reached a conclusion.
Just as he was about to open his mouth to answer, the Listener raised his hand.
"Before I hear your reply, Sir Asher, the Ark wishes to officially present you with a new proposal."
"A new proposal?"
"Yes. Considering your achievements thus far and your potential, the Captains of the Ark, the three Elders, and the Master of the Ark convened. The result was that a majority approved, and so I, as their delegate, bring the Ark's proposal to you."
The Listener's voice grew grave.
"Have you heard of the Demon King of Magic?"
The Demon King of Magic, Oldarc Ruin Arkenad.
No mage could be ignorant of that name.
A great Magus who lived about five hundred years ago, and the first in history to reach the Ninth Tier of magic, a transcendent. To most mages, a figure of reverence, and to some extreme mages, a being worshipped as a god.
"Why bring up the Demon King of Magic all of a sudden...."
"We know the location believed to be his tomb."
At that, Verden stepped closer.
The Demon King's tomb? History recorded that he had simply vanished one day, but a tomb?
Whether he had died or not was not what mattered.
What mattered was what the strongest mage in history might have left within his own tomb.
"The Ark has designated it a place of 'Ancient Trial.' Several times, candidates of the Ark have set out to challenge it... but not one has returned alive."
"...Where is it?"
"That is the Ark's proposal."
The Listener spoke.
"If you overcome this Ancient Trial, even should you not enter the Ark, we will exceptionally grant you the trial, and its rewards."
That favored Verden.
Of course, it would not come without conditions.
"And the conditions?"
"In that case, you may not use the Ark's intelligence network or its members. Other than the trial itself, nothing. In exchange, you will be free of the Ark's duties. Except for two."
"What are they?"
"One, you must attend one meeting of the Ark. And the other, if humanity faces a crisis of extinction, you must save them."
Perhaps Verden might become an unprecedented sovereign of magic.
To lose such a one, bound by regulations, one who might lead or save humanity, was unthinkable. Such was the Ark's judgment.
Verden sank into thought.
Then he looked at the Listener and said,
"I accept."
He had no intention of rejecting this.
To refuse, when they were so eager to offer, would have been nothing but foolish.
"So, the location?"
The Listener took out a gemstone the size of a palm.
An oval blue sapphire, its center encircled by a ring of brass-colored metal.
"The location is somewhere within the Kingdom of Estiria. If you decipher this relic, the path will be revealed. That is all the information we can provide. And the time limit is one year and sixty-three days, until the next meeting of the Ark."
As the Listener turned toward the door, he spoke in a whisper to Verden.
"Then I shall see you again then. May you overcome the trial unscathed."
Bowing in farewell, the Listener stepped outside.
Verden, standing still in place, let out a small laugh.
'I do not know why the Demon King's tomb lies in the Kingdom of Estiria, but....'
It seemed he now had one more reason to go to the kingdom.