Chapter 240 - Episode Thirty-Seven - The Collector (8)
“…………”
The collector shifts his bloodshot eyes to me and the dragon made of rubble.
The bandages on his face twisted, and he made a fist and shook it in frustration.
He then raises his arm, but lets it drop then sighs.
He seemed to have stopped from taking something out of the “toolbag of the ravenous dragon”.
The collector gave a small shake of his head and sagged.
“…… I’ll stop. You’ve won this game. I’ve said this once and can’t change my mind so many times. I’m not happy about it, but …… I misjudged you, and it’s my fault. I don’t know how I could have misjudged the depths of humanity after all this time… As promised, you can take whatever you like.”
Eh, Se-, seriously, is this the end?
I was seriously thinking that I would need to use of sorcery for this, but it was too much to look over my shoulder.
No, well, let’s just say it’s good that everything went off without a hitch. ……
“……You, you really are outrageous.”
Altamir called out to me from behind.
“…… Somehow, It’s kind of easier than I thought it would be.”
Mea said in a low voice.
The collector’s shoulders twitched.
“I’ve been told many times that the collector’s main business is the “ravenous dragon’s tool bag” and the magic tools that come out of it. It seems that he was obsessed with the sword and tried not to use magic, so he hasn’t demonstrated one’s part. You must have been careless.”
Altamir, perhaps observing the collector’s mood, added the following.
“It’s not the …… himself, it’s the weapon that’s amazing……”
But, Mea not noticing, steps on more land mines.
As expected, it shows on Altamir’s face that she noticed it, she was so flustered that she broke off her speech, she was shaking her head.
The collector looked covetously at the Lapides Sword, then let out a sigh and shook his head again.
“A promise is a promise. I’ll let you choose, just wait a bit. ……”
“Oh! I’d like to have the “ravenous dragon’s tool bag”. ……”
“Huh~?”
The collector tilted his head as if he didn’t understand what I was saying and made a dumb sound.
Altamir’s face turned pale.
“Y-You, what are you talking about!?”
“No, no, but, he said I can have any one thing …… you know, the promise ……”
“Are you dumb! I’m telling you, it’s assimilated into my chest! You want me to rip it off!? You want me to cut it off!?”
“How often do you break your promises! For the collector to do that! Give it to me! Because I won! You said you’d give me anything! You said you wouldn’t break your promise!”
“If you take it, what am I supposed to do with all of my treasures inside! You’re a fool!”
Well, that’s how it will be……
I don’t know how much there is in the collector’s treasure trove, but it would practically be more than one thing.
“I’d be happy to just tear off the edges. ……”
“I can’t and won’t tear it! You’ve got to be kidding me. ……”
The collector looked me in the eye as he said that much, and then backed away as if he was distracted.
“You …… Don’t tell me you’re serious about what you’re saying? Are you out of your mind?”
Y-You don’t have to say that much,……
However, it would have been impossible to extract the “ravenous dragon’s tool bag” from the collector with this argument.
In the past, the “ravenous dragon’s tool bag” was like the collector’s life itself.
It is a collection box of treasures that he has spent his entire life collecting.
Unfortunately, it’s unlikely that I can convince him to give it to me.
“Oh, then …… give me that book before…… Then you won’t have any complaints, will you?”
“Tha-, that book ……? D-Don’t tell me …… Great God’s Treasure Book!? That book you say, you can’t just …… Ho-, However, that …… that is …… It is true that I said anything, but ……”
I couldn’t read most of what was written in the Great God’s Treasure Book, but I could understand what it said a little.
It would be a shame to let it go here.
I hadn’t been able to read it thoroughly earlier, partly because the collector hadn’t lent it to me directly, but now that I will have it, I could take it home and decipher it carefully.
It is a book that the Kudorists are desperate to find.
It might contain information about the truth of the world, or hints that could lead to great magic.
As a sorcerer, I want to have it.
The collector grunted, holding his head and seemed to be wondering what to do, but finally, he took out the Great God’s Treasure Book and carefully handed it to me with both trembling hands.
He must have been regretting it a lot.
The first time he showed it to me, he didn’t even want anyone else to have it.
It seems that the loss of a treasure of this caliber would be painful even for the collector.
“Heavy. ……”
When I leaned over, the collector rushed to support my body.
“Tha-Thank you very much”
“You! You’ll never get away with it if you do anything stupid! That, that is …… do you know how valuable that thing is! Even if you don’t know what’s in it, depending on how you use it, you can control tens of millions of Kudorists at will, you can cause strife between countries, you can be a god or an evil god, it’s no different ……”
The collector stared at the Great God’s Treasure Book with resentment.
I bowed my head lightly and moved away from the collector, tapping the cover lightly with my hand.
The collector’s gaze became even more intense.
It’s not that it’s dirty,……, but it’s just a habit,……
Altamir transformed into a sphere of light, moved around, and reverted to her human form near me.
She spun around in the air, crossed her legs, lowered her head slightly, and whispers to me.
“…… Don’t you think you should give that back? It’s been quiet this time, but …… the way he’s been acting, you never know when he might explode. As I said before, it’s a good thing that it’s the “Earth-Shattering Sword”, but if he uses any other weapon without any restrictions, it’ll really be a disaster. If the alternative is to be spotted by that thing, no amount of treasure is worth it. It’s better not to leave any unnecessary fate behind. You don’t know how many enemies the book will make, not only the Kudorists, but also other nations’ leaders, if they find out where it is ……”
Even if you say so, I’m not going to bother giving it up myself.
I’ve compromised and put up with this, so why should I ever give it up?
It’s just that …… the thick and heavy part is a bit of a bottleneck.
“Mea …… keep this for me.”
“Me, Mea will!?”
Mea pointed at herself and screamed as if she were going to scream.
She approached me cautiously, wary of the collector, and took the Great God’s Treasure Book from my hand.
The collector was staring at the end of the Great God’s Treasure Book with horribly grim eyes.
The collector then looked at the Lapides Sword in the distance, glared at me, moved his eyes to the Great God’s Treasure Book in Mea’s hand, wrinkled his brow, and held his head as if he were grabbing it with his right hand.
As I observed him, my eyes met the collector’s.
Suddenly, the collector’s eyes relax, and he slowly approaches me with a faint smile on his face.
“…… Abel, It was a brilliant piece of sorcery. You are truly the best magician in the world, I can tell you that. Really, I’m sorry I underestimated you. I am grateful to …… for the chance to meet you in this tower.”
After saying that, he gave me a short, white applause.
It was a different kind of praise. I felt a chill run down my spine.
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