—————————————————————–
Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Yuziro
—————————————————————–
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
The wall, responsive to Miant’s mana, parted.
It literally opened like a door, revealing Miant’s private chamber.
With practiced ease, she manipulated objects with telekinesis.
A table materialized in the center of the room, a teapot and cups appeared atop it.
A fragrant tea, clearly of high quality, was poured.
A soothing aroma, designed to put one at ease, gently permeated the room.
“Have some tea.”
Despite the bandage wrapped around one arm, Miant sipped her tea with elegant grace.
Even in her slightly disheveled state, every gesture reaffirmed her status as Head of the Association.
“Shall we get straight to the point?” she asked softly.
There wasn’t much to discuss beyond the main topic, so I nodded.
Miant set down her cup, her gaze shifting briefly to Demeri.
A silent dismissal.
Fortunately, Demeri wasn’t oblivious and quickly excused herself.
“Hmm.”
Now alone with Miant in the private chamber, she cleared her throat softly.
Not out of nervousness, but rather to emphasize the importance of the upcoming conversation.
She began in a suitably solemn tone.
“I never imagined something like this would happen at Luigh Kiran. As Head of the Association, I’m both grateful and apologetic to have received assistance from another mage.”
“It wasn’t anything special. I was merely fortunate. If you had been present, you would have resolved it yourself.”
Fortunately, I understood her personality.
She strived to be approachable, yet she still valued authority.
Flattery, I knew, would be well-received.
Miant cleared her throat again, twice.
“I appreciate you saying so. Regardless, we received your help, and we can’t let that go unrewarded.”
With a snap of her fingers, several formulas deactivated, revealing a hidden vault.
She opened it with telekinesis.
From within emerged a profound darkness.
It could only be described as darkness.
It possessed such a deep shade of black that it resembled a void in the fabric of the world.
And I knew what it was.
“…Ermetellen?”
“Indeed. Ermetellen.”
Miant nodded.
Ermetellen.
Considered the hardest material in this world.
Extremely rare, and even if obtained, incredibly difficult to process, often left untouched.
Even when I played this game in the outside world, it was one of the most difficult materials to acquire.
“The purpose of this Luigh Kiran gathering was Ermetellen. High-ranking mages gathered to combine their efforts to ‘handle Ermetellen.’”
“But an unfortunate incident occurred.”
“Precisely. This gathering has been canceled, so we have no choice but to postpone it until the next one.”
Thump.
The Ermetellen was placed on the table.
“Luigh Kiran possesses three pieces of Ermetellen in total, and this is one of them. We haven’t yet mastered the techniques to process it, but… isn’t this a decent reward?”
“I’m satisfied. More than satisfied.”
“Take it.”
I accepted it without a word.
It was too enticing a reward to refuse.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Demeri jumped in surprise.
“So… you obtained Ermetellen?”
“Shh.”
I placed a finger to my lips, lest anyone overhear.
Demeri mirrored the gesture.
Fortunately, no one else was present besides myself, Demeri, Ruin, and Regita.
No magical detection devices were present either.
Demeri lowered her voice and continued.
“But… you’re going to use that Ermetellen to make a weapon for Regita? Isn’t that too much of an investment…? What if she betrays you after receiving it?!”
Was Demeri always this talkative?
The appearance of Ermetellen had clearly shocked her.
I understood her concerns, but I shook my head.
“If I create a weapon worthy of a Radiant Dragon, she will never betray me. That’s the nature of Dragonkin. Isn’t that right, Regita?”
Regita nodded silently.
“Yes. Dragonkin repay kindness with kindness, and revenge with revenge. Always. Probably…?”
The “probably” clearly bothered Demeri, who furrowed her brow.
“Fine. But even if you’re willing to use Ermetellen for Regita, it won’t be easy. We need the right environment to process it.”
“Um…”
Ruin rummaged through her belongings and pulled something out.
The Magic Workshop admission ticket she had shown us earlier.
“We could use the Magic Workshop…”
“If it were possible to process Ermetellen in the Magic Workshop, they would have done so already. Why do you think they have kept it stored away? Even the Magic Workshop doesn’t possess the technology to process Ermetellen yet.”
“Oh, oh… right.”
I spoke calmly, suppressing any outward display of excitement.
Panic wouldn’t help in this situation.
“Even Ermetellen is just a material. And materials exist to be processed.”
“But it’s not just any material! Unless… wait.”
Demeri’s face paled again.
“How are you going to process Ermetellen…? Don’t tell me I have to research that too? Even I can’t research the impossible! Jekkiel?!”
Ruin quietly raised her hand.
“Um…”
Demeri and I turned our attention to her.
“The benefactor who raised me lives in the demon realm, and he’s quite skilled at processing various materials. Perhaps we could go there?”
“What is she talking about?”
A vein throbbed in Demeri’s temple.
“We’re saying there’s nowhere to process it, even considering the demon realm. And she’s suggesting we go to some random place? Be quiet while the adults are talking.”
“My benefactor is quite renowned.”
“Who is it?”
“Sariel. It’s not his real name, but all the demons know him by that name.”
“Sariel?!”
Demeri’s eyes widened.
Mine did as well.
I hadn’t expected that name to come up here.
“…Sariel. The Sariel I know?”
“Oh, right, you use Thanatos, don’t you, Jekkiel? The Sins usually use weapons crafted by Sariel. It’s that Sariel.”
“Good heavens.”
I murmured involuntarily.
To hear that name here…
Sariel was undeniably the most skilled weaponsmith in the demon realm.
Of course, like all those at the pinnacle of their craft, he was known for his incredibly demanding personality.
“…I hear he has a very difficult temperament. I doubt he’ll agree to process Ermetellen.”
“I think it’s more likely he’ll agree because it’s Ermetellen. He’s been suffering from boredom and lethargy lately, and Ermetellen might pique his interest. Challenges are always exciting. Besides…”
Ruin touched her chest near her heart.
“You saved me. My benefactor will surely be grateful. He always pitied me.”
If that was the case, I had no choice.
This wasn’t the time to worry about propriety.
“Um…”
Regita was still staring blankly into space.
Keeping her by my side as a mere “somewhat dim-witted maid” was a tremendous waste of potential.
The “Radiant Dragon” still slumbered within her.
And what fascinated a Radiant Dragon most was, naturally, a weapon capable of channeling her immense power.
There would be no greater treasure for her.
A stronger weapon would be equivalent to an increase in her own power.
If I could gift her such a treasure, Regita would truly become my strength.
As she said, Radiant Dragons always repaid their debts.
“I assume none of you have any further business at Luigh Kiran?”
Both Ruin and Demeri nodded.
Demeri, however, glanced at Ruin and asked me,
“By the way… what are you going to do with her? Are you going to keep bringing her along?”
“Well, I should at least take her back where she belongs. And we can process the Ermetellen while we’re there.”
Our next destination was decided.
We set off for the demon realm.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
[Bro got bedrock]
System Notification 