Whereabouts of the Calamity (2)

A strange silence hung in the air.

As I couldn’t find the words to speak, Grancesia was the first to talk to me.

「Hey.」

‘Yeah.’

「That girl’s looking at me.」

‘I think so too.’

At times, Riya displayed senses so sharp they seemed almost frightening.

But even so, there had to be a limit. Could she have felt something from the ring and scanned it with Dragon Eyes?

“Hmm…”

Riya stared intently at my ring, then gave a little smile.

“That ring is not ordinary.”

“… Is that something you can see with your eyes?”

“Hmm, how should I put it…”

She brought her index finger to her chin, tilted her head gently, and looked up at me.

“I wonder if I should call it a soul…”

“A soul?”

“No, maybe it’s more accurate to call it a corridor connected to a soul.”

It was a rather ambiguous statement.

Had Riya sensed not Grancesia herself, but something else?

“It’s certainly not something ordinary. I can sense not just magic power, but even holy energy. Is it a relic?”

“It’s similar.”

“Oh my.”

Riya covered her mouth with one hand and laughed as if impressed.

Fortunately, I didn’t sense any chill or threat from her.

“The one residing in it is a woman, correct?”

“… What?”

“I’ve wondered for some time why I sense a woman’s presence around Clay… I never imagined it was the spirit residing in your ring.”

Dragon Eyes returned to the ring, scrutinizing it again.

After staring hard at the Eye of Shimosha for a moment, Riya narrowed her eyes.

“And it just had to be the hand inscribed with the dragon’s crest…”

She stopped speaking there and let out a low sigh.

Then she dispelled Dragon Eyes and gently shook her head.

“At any rate, my curiosity is satisfied.”

“…”

That was an unexpected reaction.

I had thought she would press for more, so my mind was in turmoil, and now that she was ending it like this, I was rather caught off guard.

“Hehe, you look like you want to ask why I’m not pressing further.”

“Well… anyone would be curious about a ring that’s not ordinary, don’t you think?”

“By the way, does Maria know who resides in your ring?”

“…”

Yet another unexpected question left me unable to reply.

“So I was the only one who didn’t know.”

“… It’s just that there was never a particular opportunity to say it, not because I was trying to hide it.”

I continued somewhat defensively, but Riya looked unconcerned.

I thought she would show a stronger reaction since everyone had been sharing a secret without her.

As if reading my mind, Riya added a few words.

“Clay, I don’t expect you to tell me everything. Honestly, it doesn’t really matter to me exactly who resides in your ring. It’s just that one thing bothers me…”

Riya paused, then continued, as always, with a soft smile.

“It’s that it’s a woman, that’s all.”

At that moment, I could swear I felt the ring tremble ever so slightly—it was no illusion.

* * *

When I returned to the royal castle of Lavantara, the way people looked at me had changed.

The animosity and displeasure that had pervaded at our first meeting had clearly faded.

“Clay Vanhart, thank you for defeating the calamity.”

“I only did what was required.”

King Serbin laughed heartily and nodded at my modest reply.

“Truly, you must be the hero chosen by the sword. It makes it even more regrettable that Sylphin has fallen into the hands of the demonkin.”

Indeed, that part stung.

It was certain that Fabian had obtained the Sealblade Sylphin here.

Since I didn’t know the role Sylphin had played in the original, the fact that Fabian had acquired a sword I couldn’t get filled me with enormous anxiety.

‘Of course, I do have things Fabian never had…’

Starting with the overwhelming abilities I got from my father, the Eye of Shimosha and the Sunwheel Ascendant Heaven Sword—Fabian never possessed those either.

And I had Riya by my side as well.

In fact, there might be a possibility that I could produce even better results than Fabian’s methods.

But the problem was the demonkin.

‘What on earth is the Demon King’s goal?’

Why are they gathering the Seven Swords Under Heaven?

I needed to figure out their aim as soon as possible in order to predict the demonkin’s actions.

‘I have to keep unknown variables from increasing any further.’

The demonkin, moving independently of the original plot, could prove to be an even bigger obstacle than a calamity.

If I left them unchecked, before long the synopsis would become completely useless.

I had to prevent that situation at all costs.

Just then, as my chaotic thoughts raced through my mind, king Serbin spoke again.

“When do you plan to return? If you’re willing, I’d like to hold a banquet and treat you as an honored guest.”

“I’m sorry, but I must leave immediately. There’s no telling when a calamity will appear in Talua, either…”

This incident was not over yet.

The calamity of corrosion was never part of the plan.

My true target from the beginning had been the Calamity of Madness.

‘If Jade managed to secure the Madness Sword first, that would be fortunate…’

I’d warned Duke Gale as well, so the auction house must have been thrown into chaos already.

If things went as planned, they should have already located the Calamity of Madness, but you never know.

‘… There might be someone else who lays hands on the sword before we do.’

Count Ribina might be in the capital, but I couldn’t help being anxious.

“If that is the reason, I understand, though it is regrettable. In that case, take this with you.”

King Serbin had the attendant next to him hand me a small box.

The box wasn’t very large—certainly not big enough to contain treasure.

“You may open it.”

At King Serbin’s words, I carefully opened the box to find a bracelet embossed with golden patterns inside.

It was obvious at a glance that this was no ordinary item.

“We failed to fulfill our given duty. Having allowed Sylphin to fall into the hands of the demonkin, one could say we have committed a grave wrong,”

Serbin said heavily, watching me examine the bracelet.

“That is a divine artifact passed down from king to king of Lavantara. It grants powerful magic resistance to its possessor. While it cannot compare to the Seven Swords Under Heaven, it will nevertheless be of great help.”

The words “magic resistance” made my eyes widen.

‘Incredible.’

For a knight, it’s more common to face swords than magic, but what is truly threatening is magic.

A sword before your eyes can be dodged or blocked somehow, but often you don’t even sense sudden spells flying at you.

In fact, since I was ignorant about magic, there was a certain fear I held for things I didn’t understand well.

So honestly, from my perspective, it was a treasure no less valuable than the Seven Swords Under Heaven.

‘Did Fabian get this too?’

The synopsis hadn’t mentioned it, but since Fabian had solved the problem here as the sword’s chosen, he probably received it as well.

“A divine artifact that protects the kings of Lavantara, passed down through generations.”

It was Riya who cleared up my doubts.

“… And at the same time, it’s a symbol proving one is king of Lavantara. By giving this to Clay, are you granting him succession to the throne?”

At Riya’s calm words, king Serbin merely stroked his beard and said nothing.

Furthermore, not one of the attendants nearby objected to this—likely, it had been discussed beforehand.

King Serbin remained silent for a moment before speaking slowly.

“We of the demi-human race are defenders of the sword. If the sword finds its master, perhaps it is our fate to follow them as well.”

King Serbin looked at me with gentle eyes.

“But that doesn’t mean I plan to irresponsibly push an unwanted role upon you. I only hope you will permit us to fight as your sword anytime, in place of the Seven Swords Under Heaven.”

With the king’s words, I realized:

Fabian had never obtained this bracelet.

If a bracelet with this much significance had gone to Fabian, surely the synopsis would have mentioned it.

This too was an outcome born of the original narrative being changed.

“… Well, that’s a relief.”

Riya stepped back with a bright smile.

She must have thought King Serbin was trying to thrust everything on me.

“I will accept this honor with deep gratitude.”

I carefully closed the box with trembling hands.

With that, I had essentially gained all the power of Lavantara.

‘All that’s left now…’

Is to stop the Calamity of Madness.

If I succeeded in that, I could once again outpace Fabian by a large margin.

* * *

“Is that really true?”

Duke Gale asked harshly, glaring at Viscount Gwynn, who knelt before him.

The fearsome expression on Duke Gale’s face was rare, and Viscount Gwynn trembled as he nodded.

“I—it’s already been handed over to Count Deoric.”

“Ha.”

Duke Gale was so exasperated by the evasive answer that he couldn’t respond right away.

‘Count Deoric actually participated in this auction?’

The Deoric family had long been a pillar supporting the kingdom of Talua.

Their head, Logan Deoric, was an individual expected to become a Swordmaster soon, and the family’s sword art, the Silver Star Sword, was one of the most renowned on the continent.

A prestigious family representing the kingdom of Talua—participating in a slave auction like this.

It was hard to believe.

“… Is the sword they handed over the one Count Vanhart mentioned?”

“It seems so. According to our information, it’s the only item among those recently brought into the kingdom of Talua whose whereabouts are unknown.”

The man with narrow eyes answered calmly.

His information network was so impressive that even Duke Gale was struck with awe.

‘Just where does Count Vanhart find people like this?’

For some reason, all sorts of talented people gathered around him.

The Timmons merchant guild, the Eintban mercenaries, and now even a mysterious intelligence group.

Part of him wanted to dig deeper, but doing so might push Clay away.

‘There was a time when he had to cling to me, but now it’s the opposite.’

Now, there wasn’t a single person in Talua who could ignore Clay.

He was already on par with the kingdom’s most prestigious families.

At this point, even Duke Gale couldn’t afford to go against Clay’s wishes carelessly.

“We’ll have to hurry. At the very least, we must resolve this disgraceful matter before the royal birthday celebration.”

“But… if Count Deoric resists, this might not be so easily handled as before.”

If Logan Deoric was detained over this, the Deoric family’s honor would be irreparably tarnished.

With nowhere left to retreat, he might throw everything into covering up the matter, or else resist desperately with nothing to lose.

If that happened, things could take a dangerous turn.

“Don’t worry about that.”

Duke Gale smiled faintly.

“We have the Crimson Lion, do we not?”

One of the continent’s Seven Heroes, ranked sixth in power.

The Crimson Lion, Aldred Ribina, was right here.

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