Chapter 288: The Second Key Material (1)
“What?”
This was the southern tip of the Rorasia continent, a frigid land located beyond the remote Antarctic Sea, deep within the central part of Antarctica.
From his icy cavern, the ice dragon Tyrannus opened his narrowed eyes.
“What was that?”
He could feel it—the Heart of Winter was gone. Though it happened far away and it had been quite some time since he had gifted it, he felt it distinctly.
“Absorbed by a human? But how is that possible?”
Tyrannus was puzzled. He remembered the time he had gifted the Heart of Winter to humans.
It was centuries ago. Michael Magentano, a human he had befriended who later became a hero and started a new dynasty.
It’s common courtesy to celebrate a friend’s new venture—be it a store or a company. At the very least, sending a wreath is considered polite.
So, he had gifted them a powerful artifact.
He created a bead encapsulating an entire season’s cold.
“I might have been too enthusiastic. The artifact turned out stronger than I intended, even possessing a faint semblance of consciousness.”
As a result, Tyrannus had been ill for a year, and since then, he had retained a spiritual connection to the artifact, the Heart of Winter.
Thanks to that connection, he had just heard a whisper carried by the wind days ago.
“The Heart… wishes for freedom…”
With that, it was absorbed by a human.
It was absurd.
“Of all the races, it merges with a human’s mana heart? Was that even possible?”
He became curious. Part of him wanted to fly there immediately, driven by a surge of curiosity.
However, Tyrannus shook his head.
“No. I can’t waste my precious rest time like that.”
The ice dragon assessed his cold reality. His wife and daughter-in-law had gone on a trip to the world above, leaving him to relish his freedom (?) for the first time in centuries.
An unexpected event had arisen, and while he was slightly curious, he didn’t want to ruin his precious vacation.
“Tch. I don’t know. It shouldn’t have absorbed it. It’ll probably end up with a stomachache. Well, they must have had their reasons for absorbing it. If it doesn’t work out, they’ll just have to deal with it, dead or alive.”
With a low snore, Tyrannus’s massive head fell back to the icy floor, filling the glacier cave with the sound of his breathing.
Meanwhile, in the capital of Magentano, astonishment filled Lloyd’s eyes.
“Wow.”
Mixed with incredulity and satisfaction, Lloyd was like someone who had received a surprise gift of instant noodles during a hungry midnight. He quickly scanned the message that appeared before him.
“It’s been a while since I got an achievement notification. And the reward is 2,000 RP? That’s insane!”
At first, he couldn’t believe it.
He thought he might have miscounted the zeros.
But even after rubbing his eyes and checking again, it was indeed 2,000 RP, bringing his total RP to 4,655.
“Heh. Wow.”
His lips curled up involuntarily.
He immediately realized what the reward meant for him.
“Now I can use the Time Freeze skill right away.”
He could stop time everywhere except in a specified area. Within that designated area, he wouldn’t age, and he could operate for one year.
Just one year.
Enough time to complete a substantial project.
“And that’s not all. The achievement message just told me that excavating the Jewel of Truth materials is a rare feat, significant enough to be recorded in history books for a long time.”
That’s why he had received a whopping 2,000 RP all at once.
The implication was clear.
“For every core material of the Jewel I find in the future, I can expect to receive a similar amount of RP.”
2,000 RP for each core material found. 3,000 RP needed to activate the Time Freeze skill.
“So, I use 3,000 RP to activate Time Freeze. While time is stopped, I excavate another core material and get 2,000 RP back? It’s like getting a cashback.”
Of course, there was a significant gap of 1,000 RP between the cost of using the Time Freeze skill and the RP gained by finding a core material.
“But that’s okay. I can manage to make up 1,000 RP somehow.”
It was a heavy load but not insurmountable.
This realization bolstered his confidence in his future plans.
“Each time I find a core material, I’ll use the Time Freeze skill to save time. That will make it easier to prevent the phenomena of fate restoration.”
As he calculated and made estimates in his head, he couldn’t help but hum with satisfaction.
Despite the rosy outlook for the future, he was not neglecting the present.
“Everyone, stay focused! The process from here on is even more dangerous, so hold tight! Push! On three!”
“Poddong!”
“Argh!”
With a powerful command, Lloyd’s voice filled the tunnel, and under his lead, Poddong and the workers exerted their strength.
They pushed and pulled the freshly extracted (?) Tauranga out of the mine shaft.
When lifting the Tauranga to the surface from the vertical shaft, Bibeng used his strength.
“Okay! Lift!”
“Bibeng!”
Though the Tauranga was a massive rock, measuring 5 by 6 meters, it was merely a pebble before Bibeng.
Thus, the twelve pieces of Tauranga were gently raised to the surface, basking in the sunlight for the first time in centuries.
Lloyd’s work continued even after that.
“Of course. I’ve drilled and blasted under the castle. Now it’s time to fill in the holes.”
It was a major operation, having tunneled beneath the foundation of the castle.
It was a perilous construction.
If they left the tunnel as it was?
“Over time, the tunnel could collapse, and the ground itself would settle.”
And if that ground settled, the castle built upon it would also crumble.
To prevent such a disaster, Lloyd meticulously filled in the tunnel and the entire coolant supply duct.
He packed it tightly with rock and concrete.
After spending an additional ten days to complete the process thoroughly, all tasks were finally completed.
He was now ready to leave the capital.
“So, you’ve come to bid me farewell before you leave? Is that correct?”
“Exactly, Your Majesty.”
Lloyd bowed deeply.
A bittersweet smile tugged at Queen Alisha’s lips.
“Have you completed all that you intended to do here?”
“Indeed, Your Majesty.”
“Today, aren’t you grateful?”
“I was just about to express my gratitude, Your Majesty.”
“Gratitude is easy to express in words. Now, it’s time for you to say you’re sorry, isn’t it?”
“…Have I been caught?”
“Of course. And you’ve been caught for more than just that.”
“Is there another matter for which I should apologize?”
“Obviously.”
“What might that be…?”
“…”
Lloyd found himself at a loss for words.
Suddenly cornered so ambiguously, he couldn’t immediately recall any wrongdoing towards the queen.
As he stared up at her, mute as a bee longing for honey, it was probably his gaze that did it.
Queen Alisha clicked her tongue.
“Tch tch. Such a creature you are. So self-centered and treating promises like old rags. What a lamentable thing.”
“A promise?”
“What promise?”
Lloyd cocked his head.
The queen’s bittersweet smile deepened.
“It seems you have already forgotten the bold promises you made before starting the tunnel excavation under the castle. You came to me to borrow the Heart of Winter, and we had a conversation. Don’t you remember what I asked and what you answered?”
“…Ah. Aaah.”
“At that time, I asked if you could assure that using the Heart of Winter to extract Tauranga from beneath the castle would not harm me or the royal family. What did you say?”
“Um, certainly, Your Majesty…”
“Good. At least you haven’t forgotten that.”
“…”
“At the time, I trusted your answer completely. I gladly accepted your request because you promised me, and I chose to trust that promise. What else was needed? But now, what about the outcome of that promise?”
“…”
“Hmm, how should I collect the value of the sacred relic that was damaged after being lent out? From such a shameless person like you.”
“Um, truly sorry…”
“You’re not just trying to get away with words, are you?”
“Um, uh, how should I…”
“You’re not thinking you can just get away with saying you’re sorry, are you?”
“That, er, what would Your Majesty like me to…”
“You’re not trying to dismiss this with a question about what I want, are you?”
“…”
“Save me, sister.”
Or rather, just do whatever you want—cook me, spice me up, kill me.
Lloyd looked up at the queen with a dismal expression.
Her smile deepened, satisfied.
“Done. I’ve already declared in court that I won’t hold you accountable, so what can I say now that I’ve come to scold you anew?”
“Still…”
“Still?”
“I will definitely repay this favor at least once.”
“A favor?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Lloyd bowed deeply again, this time sincerely.
‘Queen sister, you’ve really looked out for me up until now.’
It was true.
The queen had been crucial in supporting him at decisive moments.
Especially now, she had helped him in a way that couldn’t be quantified in monetary terms.
Moreover, somehow, he had even ended up absorbing the royal family’s sacred relic.
‘Any ordinary ruler would have thrown a fit by now. Or, from the moment I gained more power and influence than the royal family, they would have been plotting my assassination or removal.’
But Queen Alisha hadn’t done that.
Instead, she had made him a political ally.
She had included him generously and boldly.
She was even supporting his potential future as a leisurely landlord, pouring support without reservation.
And she had coolly moved past even the loss of the Heart of Winter.
Such magnanimity was unparalleled.
“Therefore, I assert this: if ever Your Majesty faces difficulty, I will stand by your side at least once to share those troubles.”
He spoke with genuine sentiment.
‘Remember gratitude occasionally, engrave grudges into the bones’—his usual motto.
This time, he set aside that motto and made a promise.
But perhaps that promise wasn’t reassuring.
Queen Alisha chuckled.
“Hmm, just once?”
“Yes?”
“Never mind. Just once, then. What’s that compared to someone like you who only comes around when in need?”
“…”
“Given your track record, even keeping that promise would be more than enough.”
“…”
“Let’s just take that sentiment for now. You may leave.”
“Your Majesty’s grace is profound.”
“Again with that grace only when you’re at a loss for words.”
“Um, then, instead of grace, what should I seek?”
“Instead of grace, how about sincerity?”
“Sincerity, Your Majesty?”
“That’s right.”
“Then how should I demonstrate sincerity…”
“That’s for you to think about and figure out. But did you not hear my command to leave?”
“Ah, no, Your Majesty. Then I will take my leave.”
“Tch. Only pretending to listen now.”
“…Yes?”
“Don’t worry about my muttering. Now, go.”
“Understood, Your Majesty. Please take care of yourself.”
…Finally, freedom!
Lloyd inwardly celebrated as he sped out of the royal chamber at the speed of light.
With steps as swift as the wind, he exited the castle.
He climbed onto the waiting back of Bond Dragon Yongyongi.
With Javier, and Poddong and Bonguli, Commie was also with them.
“So, Bibeng? You go back to Frontera territory. Say goodbye to Bonguli.”
“Bibeng! Bibeng!”
“Bonguli! Bye-bong!”
Sadly, Bibeng was too large to always accompany them.
Moreover, the restoration of the Termina Royal Garden had concluded, so there was no reason to stay in the capital.
Thus, Bibeng was to return to Frontera territory.
Bonguli climbed onto Yongyongi’s back with Lloyd.
The two mythical creatures shared a touching goodbye.
Then, Yongyongi took to the skies.
With twelve pieces of Tauranga tightly grasped in his hands.
Whoosh! Boom!
Yongyongi soared high above the capital, turning north.
With ferocious wingbeats, it created shockwaves.
Flying at near-sonic speeds.
Northward.
Continuing north for hours until they reached the Arctic Sea.
There, Lloyd commanded.
“Drop them!”
Creak, splash!
From 3,000 meters above, Yongyongi dropped the Tauranga.
The twelve pieces of Tauranga bubbled as they sank into the sea.
And Lloyd waited.
Until the Tauranga sank to the deep sea.
Until they reached the vicinity of the foundation of the Jewel of Truth on the ocean floor.
Shortly after, a welcome message appeared.
Ding-dong.
[The twelve pieces of Tauranga you dropped have safely reached near the foundation of the Jewel of Truth.]
[With this, you have gained access to information about the second key material, Taupo.]
[Would you like to view information about the second key material Taupo now?]
[YES / NO]
“Obviously, yes.”
Lloyd nodded without hesitation.
At that moment.
Whoosh!
As if invading his sight and coloring it anew, a fresh vision began to unfold before his eyes.