"You see, we're both at a disadvantage. That's why we can work together to—" Infori suggested, but just before he could finish his sentence, the Seraphim woman named Lilith interrupted firmly.
"Sorry," Lilith said, making Infori pause for a moment. He just stared at her in confusion. "I can't involve the Nephilim with me; that's against the rules of the Seraphim race."
"Breaking the rules...?" Infori whispered.
"Seraphim who are on duty to maintain the balance of the sacred tree must not involve other races in their mission. Otherwise, they will be punished for negligence in carrying out their duties," she replied briefly, but her voice was still filled with worry.
Hearing that, Infori lost her current idea. That one answer alone made the idea in her mind disappear into nothingness.
"I see."
"Therefore, I will definitely get the Blades of Mirage before anything bad happens," she said firmly.
"What will happen if the Blades of Mirage fall into the wrong hands?" Infori asked, just to reassure her.
Without hesitation, Lilith answered honestly, without hiding anything.
"Someone is said to be trying to enter the underworld by destroying Everness using the Blades of Mirage, which can cut even the sacred tree. That's all I can tell you."
Then, after feeling she had given Infori enough information to convince him, Lilith turned around. She walked forward.
However, she suddenly stopped. Then she turned back to look at Infori.
"I'll pay you after this is all over."
After speaking, she continued on her way, leaving Infori alone. She also left Infori feeling both confused and relieved at the same time.
⟨⟩ ⟨⟩ ⟨⟩
Atziluth Artifacts
Infori had now returned to his shop, Atziluth Artifacts, but unlike when he was there dusting off the floor this afternoon, Infori was now at a loss for what to do next.
He simply stared at every shelf in the room, filled with artifacts displayed for sale to customers.
"…"
This shop had witnessed numerous incidents, including those who misused artifacts.
However, Infori did not tolerate such behavior. In fact, he had even threatened to serve such customers.
This time, however.
He felt different, as something had been bothering him all along. This incident was very different from the previous ones; this time, his customer had no intention of doing so, but rather, he had acted incorrectly.
The white-robed woman, also known as Lilith, was simply acting erroneously. She was simply fulfilling her duty as a Seraphim, maintaining the balance of the world tree, Everness.
Infori then ascended to the second floor of the shop, where he had own private room to rest for a moment before returning to her activities. And this was the perfect moment.
He opened the entrance door, revealing the room, which was comfortable enough for one person.
A spacious room with a single bed, a table and chairs suitable for various activities, such as artifact research or whatever. The bathroom and toilet were on the first floor, so it was safe.
Infori entered, closed the door behind him, and walked towards the bed. Upon arriving, she immediately sat down on the soft mattress, her thoughts still troubled.
"..."
After a moment, he got up and walked back out of her room and down the stairs. Finally, she arrived at the most crucial part of the shop.
Infori stared at the artifacts on each shelf, feeling the aura they radiated. The afternoon sunlight streamed into the shop through the glass windows, illuminating the cool wooden floor.
"…"
For some reason, he couldn't help but recall how this all happened. From his encounter with the white-robed woman, a Seraphim—and then her purchase of a rare artifact with a single piece of platinum—which turned out to be a fake—Infori began pursuing her, and finally, the events of this afternoon occurred.
Something stirred in his heart, his soul, still feeling the warmth of Everness, seemed to whisper to Infori to move forward and not remain silent until this matter was resolved.
The problem wouldn't be solved until someone did.
"..."
Infori had now found it.
His goal now was to secure and recover the rare artifacts called the Blades of Mirage, no matter what. After all, this incident could potentially lead to legal action.
"I will...!" he said.
He then stepped back into his room and walked over to a large chest—he stood in front of it and opened it with all his strength, as it was quite heavy.
Then Infori lifted a sword, its blade still sheathed in its usual sheath. It was just an ordinary sword. In fact, it could be said to be a sword similar to those often used by the most common royal knights.
Infori stared at the sword, his gaze filled with a certain conviction.
"..."
He smiled faintly, but confidently.
The next day, the Atziluth Artifacts shop, which should have been open since morning, was now closed. The sign that should have read "Open" in the window had now changed to "Closed."
Inside, Infori fastened a belt with about six small pockets. Two in the front, one on the left and right, and two in the back. So, there were six in total, so he could store anything there—except large items, as they wouldn't fit.
There was even a holder for his sword on the left side of the belt.
He then stood in front of the mirror, now wearing his usual attire: a blue shirt with a gray belt around his waist, long gray pants, and leather shoes with laces.
However, this time, he only added a belt with pockets and carried a sword with him. Infori also had a sheath on each hand.
He then stepped out of his room, locking it with a key. Walking to the door, Infori opened the closed shop door and walked out. After he left, the door closed by itself, with a chime.
He was already outside his shop, gazing at the still-standing building.
Infori's gaze seemed unwilling to leave this shop filled with memories, but he had to, out of obligation. At that moment, Infori put a ring on the ring finger of his right hand.
Then, he touched his palm to the cold wooden door. Finally, the ring unleashed its power. Because Infori had said—
"Key Rings, Lock On."
A magic circle with abstract motifs appeared before Infori, and immediately created a blue barrier that enveloped the entire shop.
Then, the barrier seemed to dim and disappear, but its effect remained. It just became transparent and invisible.
Infori lowered his hand again.
"Good."
Then, he removed the ring from his ring finger and put it back in the pocket on his right.
"Hey, Infori!" a voice suddenly called out to Infori, startling him slightly at the suddenness of the voice. Quickly, he looked to her left—no one was there—and to he right, he saw a blond man approaching him.
"Oh, so it's Fay," Infori said, before her friend finally came and stopped near her.
"Yo."
"You startled me, Fay."
"Hehe, sorry. You closed the shop so suddenly; it's usually open 24 hours. What's wrong? Why did you close the shop so early?" Fay asked.
Infori let out a sigh of concern for no one in particular.
"Haah... You know, this shop has been a silent witness to various people buying artifacts with counterfeit money and the pretense of important tasks."
"Oh, so basically one of your artifacts was stolen, and you want to get it back, is that it?" Fay asked, confirming Infori's words.
"Yeah, more or less."
Fay finally understood, even though she was also a witness to everything that happened in this shop.
"Oh, okay then," Fay said, extending her hand for a shake. "Then, I hope everything goes smoothly."
Infori returned Fay's handshake, smiling faintly.
"Yes."