Ch. 204
I was annoyed, but I couldn’t say he was completely wrong.
There were far too many reasons I could guess why Lox kept his distance and stayed guarded around me—one of them being the fact that I was a “saintess.”
A saintess who received everyone’s respect and admiration would ‘never’ meddle in the imperial crown prince selection for personal reasons…
Unless she were unbelievably simple-minded.
And as for me?
Well… I ‘was’ simple-minded.
“Oh, right! Do you know why the dungeon collapsed back then?”
“No idea? Maybe the dungeon master had a rotten personality and made it unstable on purpose? To kill anyone who came in.”
“Lox explained it—it’s the ‘divine punishment’ common in ancient dungeons.”
“Divine punishment?”
“The cost of greed, the weight of greed. They say a dungeon collapses when someone tries to take more than they should. It’s common enough that in treasure-vault dungeons, people won’t take more than half. Unspoken rule, apparently.”
I awkwardly turned my head to hide my guilt.
Let’s see… where’s the horizon? I pretended to be deeply fascinated by the empty plains.
Heidrike’s landscape was mostly flat anyway—hard to pretend anything here felt natural.
“That’s strange. Did we take ‘that’ much treasure? I dropped everything in the water and only grabbed two gold coins…”
“Wasn’t it because we took the main treasure—the Goblet of the Golden Star? Since that thing is supposedly legendary.”
“So… we weren’t supposed to touch anything except the Goblet of the Golden Star? That’s way too strict… But I guess the odds of it being genuine went up? Good, I guess? Ugh, thinking about it again gives me chills. If it weren’t for Miss Geenie, we would’ve died in there.”
The way their eyes turned toward me—full of respect and gratitude—suddenly felt burdensome.
I thought it was natural they should thank me. But according to Lox, if the dungeon collapsed because of greed…
Maybe…
‘it collapsed because of me.’
[…Master.]
[Shh.]
[The ring… It’s probably because we grabbed the ring—]
[Rai. Take that secret to the grave.]
[Huh? But spirits don’t get buried.]
[I’ll put you in ‘my’ grave. You know what a burial sacrifice is?]
Rai suddenly looked delighted. And this was me telling him I’d bury him alive.
[To think you value me so much! Rai is moved! Yes! I am indeed the precious spirit you want to take to your grave!]
[…Anyway. You still have the ring, right?]
[Of course! Should I spit it out?]
[Not now. First let’s move somewhere with no people.]
With no Lox around watching me like a hawk, now was the perfect time to finally examine the ring.
What kind of item had been buried beside the Goblet of the Golden Star? Why did taking it collapse the entire dungeon?
If Lox was right, then the ring and the goblet together were worth more than everything else in that dungeon combined.
[It must have some special ability. The Goblet of the Golden Star gains its ultimate healing power when paired with the Chalice of Dawn. So this must be something on that level!]
[What ability does Master want it to have?]
[Hmm… I never thought about it much… but there ‘is’ one ancient treasure I always wanted.]
[Oh? Which one?]
[The Shrouded Mirror. They say it shows the present appearance of someone you miss. No matter how far they are—if they’re alive, you can see them.]
I didn’t know if it could show someone from another world.
But I wanted it, at least once.
Because maybe—just maybe—
…that mirror could show me the face I’ve forgotten.
—
This area had nothing but abandoned houses and endless plains. Not many places to hide suspicious activity.
Needing somewhere discreet to examine the ring, I took Rai and headed for a ruined house as far away as possible from the one my group was using.
Checking to make sure no one was watching, I slipped inside. Everyone was busy preparing dinner—they wouldn’t notice I was gone.
[Master? Why are you sneaking around like this?]
“I don’t know what you’re misunderstanding, but I’m not sneaking. I’m dignified.”
[Then… why are you tip-toeing?]
“This is a modern popular walking trend. Spirits wouldn’t know.”
The place I’d chosen had been abandoned beyond saving—more than half the structure had collapsed.
Only two walls remained, barely making it count as a “house,” but it was enough to protect my privacy.
[I have a great title idea. ‘Summoned After Ten Thousand Years—Only to Find My Master Is a Scammer.’]
“…Hey, shut up and give me the ring. If you look at me with those cloudy eyes one more time, I’ll turn you into a men’s protective cup.”
[HIEEEEK…!]
“Chad’s groin guard was metal, wasn’t it? Wouldn’t that suit you perfectly? Hm?”
[So cruel! How can a human be this cruel?!]
“Oh, should I name ‘my’ autobiography? ‘I Walk My Own Damn Path: Do What I Say If You Want to Live.’”
Rai trembled and hurriedly spat out Anellia’s spirit stone instead.
It was about 70% restored. I’d been putting it off because I wasn’t planning to contract another spirit for a while.
After hitting my limits a few times recently, I felt it was more important to train my current spirits than to expand my power.
Depth mattered more than breadth.
Besides, except for the water spirits, every single one of them was absurdly difficult to control—felt like I was managing a class full of delinquents.
Three unruly spirits were enough. I’d contract new ones only when I had firm control over the current bunch.
“…Not this, the ring! Why would you spit out the spirit stone?”
[Hold on! Master stuffs so much inside me, everything gets mixed up!]
To avoid pickpockets, I stored most valuables in Rai’s belly.
Rubao’s compass, the Scale of Heios, spirit stones, the unnamed dungeon ring—everything.
With a walking metal vault, why wouldn’t I?
[Found it. Blegh!]
After rolling his eyes for a moment, Rai’s belly wriggled and he spit out a wooden box with the ring inside.
I saw it slide through his bright red throat.
The box looked terribly old, but fortunately not damaged.
“Good job. I’m surprised it survived.”
[Heh! Good thing you entrusted it to me, right?]
“Yeah. Security befitting a metal spirit. I’ll praise you.”
If I’d kept it, I probably would’ve dropped it in the water or cracked it somehow while escaping.
After patting Rai’s head, I opened the box.
Of course, there was no spit. Rai only ‘looked’ alive—inside, he was more like a metallic savings box.
“Rai, should I throw away this wooden box? What do you think? Hope this isn’t a treasure too…”
[It’s not metal, so I don’t know. Looks like an ordinary box though.]
“What if it’s used to seal the ring’s power…?”
Staring didn’t provide answers.
The box looked flimsy, but just in case, I shoved it back into Rai’s belly.
“And put the spirit stone back too.”
[Yes!]
I examined the ring closely.
Without Lox around, even if someone saw me wearing it, no one would understand anyway. So I slipped it onto my finger again.
It resized itself to fit my finger—again.
But I felt nothing.
“What kind of ring is this supposed to be?”
Good or evil, any enchanted item should emit some kind of presence, but this one didn’t.
As I tilted my head, Rai chimed in.
[I saw something like that before! A ring with a sealed spirit! The one trapped inside had gone totally insane though.]
“I doubt it’s that. If a spirit were sealed, I’d feel it. This… I feel nothing. Maybe it’s a type I simply can’t sense.”
I traced the transparent gemstone with my fingertip, trying to feel ‘anything’—but it was as lifeless as fake glass.
There was no presence—nothing to suggest it had any value.
“Hm… No idea. Maybe it needs some kind of special activation?”
[A spell?]
“Could be. Right now, it’s just an ugly ring until we figure out what it does.”
[What kinds of powers do dungeon rings normally have? I don’t care about things I can’t eat.]
“They’re all different. I’m not an expert… but there are famous ones. Like the ring that gives you superhuman strength. They say you can crush boulders barehanded.”
[Ooh!]
His tail wagged so hard he ran off, grabbed a dry branch the thickness of two or three fingers, and brought it back.
Surely he didn’t expect me to throw it.
[Try breaking this, Master!]
“Breaking your head would be faster.”
[You never know!]
At first I thought he was being stupid.
But then a thought crept in—
What if this ring ‘really’ had power?
The branch looked dry and brittle enough to snap even without super strength.
But a strange feeling welled up inside me.
A tingling confidence.
What was this feeling?
Was the ring calling to me?
There was no other explanation.
“…Maybe… I should try it once?”
[I’ll hold it tight!]
“Alright. Let’s try a hand-strike.”
I ‘did’ learn some taekwondo back in the day.
I quit after getting a yellow belt and insisted on switching to art class—Mom nearly tore her hair out.
I focused strength into my hand and glanced at Rai.
“Okay? I’m actually gonna do it. I feel like I can!”
[COME!!]
“Yaaap!”