Chapter 58
The radiance that had engulfed the area gradually dissipated.
"Wow, this thing—"
Cain slowly opened his eyes, which he had closed earlier to avoid being blinded. The sight in front of his eyes left him slack-jawed.
"Th-this is the Orbis family heirloom that we were just talking about?" Cain muttered blankly as he stared at the item floating in the air.
The Orbis family heirloom used to just like a normal ring with a lovely rosy tint. Now that the seal was completely broken, its original appearance was revealed in full. Even at a single glance, one could see that it was extraordinary.
Ancient rune language was embossed on the leaf-like smooth, rust-colored surface.
It bore the appearance of a conventional woman's ring, and despite its slender thickness, the runes etched in detail on it gave the ring a mysterious feeling.
'Is it possible to engrave runes in such detail with the current human technology?'?Cain stared blankly at the ring with his mouth open.
Joshua couldn't help but remark,?"You're going to swallow a fly if you stay like that."
"Ah—" Cain regained his composure and shifted his attention to Joshua.
His eyes then widened once more.
"Young Master! Are you all right?" Cain yelled and dashed over to Joshua.
As if nothing had happened, Joshua continued to stare at Cain with a look of silent interest. His entire body was saturated with sweat, and he looked just like a kitten seeking shelter from the pouring rain.
It was the unavoidable outcome. Even using ordinary runes demanded incredible focus, and Joshua had even gone to the extent of using an ancient rune language…
"Doctor, now! No, I'll just summon the priest!"
"Don't be so noisy. I'm all right."
"But... Young Master..."
Cain, who was attempting to advise Joshua yet again, decided to keep quiet.
Joshua was proudly stretching his shoulders, having already taken a perfect posture.
"It's all right."
"I… I understand."
Cain took a few steps back in response. If his lord said that he was fine, then fine he was. A knight simply had to trust and follow his lord.
Turning his gaze to the object floating in the air, Joshua asked, "Do you perhaps know the name of this thing?"
"That… I do not know."
"Elf's Tears."
"Elf's… Tears?"
Joshua nodded.
"Elves are a pure race by absolute nature. They are one of the few species with the same intelligence as humans, but they are fundamentally distinct from humans, who have a plethora of desires."
"..."
"A race incapable of telling even a single falsehood. This 'Elf's Tears' came about from the tears shed by elves, particularly a high elf known as the King of Elves, out of genuine sadness for someone. As for the runes themselves, they were engraved by the dwarves... yes, those dwarves known as divine blacksmiths."
"Oh my God—"
Joshua's explanation had Cain gaping in astonishment once again. Dwarves and elves... Both races were hostile to humans and extremely reclusive to boot. Regular people would never see one in their entire life.
The dwarves for example, were renowned blacksmiths, unrivaled in their ability to create. Even the most simple longswords they crafted had incredible value. On the other hand, elves had incredibly high magic affinity. And to think that a relic bearing the magic of an elf was engraved with dwarven runes…
Cain had no idea as to the extent of the ring's power or the price tag that could be placed on it, if it could be even evaluated in terms of money to begin with.
Stammering, he asked, "I'm not sure… if I'm allowed to ask what kind of power this object has… I'm actually really curious."
"I heard that in the event of any emergency, a Class 7 magic barrier would be instantly activated to protect the user. Also, it enhances the user's affinity with spirits. That's all I know."
"Young Master!" Instantly, Cain was on his knees.
"...?" Joshua was perplexed by Cain's sudden actions.
Noticing that, Cain bowed his head and asked, "Can you…give it to me?"
"..."
"No, I mean… since my lord is already dubbed as a monster, I guess you don't need such an artifact."
Joshua didn't know if he should laugh or cry as he watched Cain intently muttering away.
"Ahem… ahem…" Cain let out a dry cough as if to change the atmosphere.
Joshua felt a little bad for him and spoke, "Unfortunately, you can't use this artifact."
A look of disappointment appeared on Cain's face.
Joshua continued to speak with a bored expression.
"It seems like you are misunderstanding… it's not that I can't or don't want to give it to you, but rather that you cannot use it. If someone like you puts it on, it's nothing more than just a pretty ring."
"What do you mean?"
"The High Elf created this ring for the children of Jerath dek Orbis. Although they couldn't restrict its usage to one single person, they did?add a restriction to it."
"What kind?"
"Jerath dek Orbis had only one child, and it was a daughter. Ergo, no man can ever use this ring"
"Ah!"
Cain, who had picked up on Joshua's meaning, let out a short exclamation.
Joshua erupted in laughter.
"I had no idea that you would be so brazen about it."
"It's not being brazen, I'm just being honest about what's on my mind!"
"..."
"Hey, look at the bright side. A person with a straightforward personality like mine can never stab someone in the back."
Joshua let out a chuckle at Cain's proclamation.
Sigh.?Cain grumbled and pushed himself out of his seat.
"What are you planning to do with the artifact?"
"I'm going to give this to my mother."
"With the best knights and the most powerful artifact protecting her, no one can harm Lady Lucia now."
"..."
Cain bowed deeply, with a sneaky smile, as Joshua closed his mouth with a dejected expression.
"So, my lord—"
"...?"
Joshua was perplexed by Cain's sudden behavior.
"Leave Lady Lucia's safety in my hands, and please continue to grow even stronger."
"..."
"I guarantee you that I will give my all to protect Lady Lucia, even if it means that I have to give up my life for her."
Staring at Cain, Joshua's expression started to change.
Finally, the corners of his lips curled up into a perfect smile as he gave a short reply.
"I believe you."
* * *
An unknown dark cave somewhere.
It was wide enough that it could fit a whole courtyard. However, it remained empty except for the sole mana crystal ball on a pedestal in the center of the room, the kind of crystal ball that was made for long-distance communication.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
The sound of footsteps resonated in the room, breaking the motionless silence. The figure of a man appeared.
It was Zero, the man who had greeted Joshua and introduced himself as the branch manager of the Moon Gate branch in Arcadia.
"..."
Zero approached the mana crystal ball and laid his palm on it quietly.
Wooooong!
Zero infused mana into the crystal ball. It sparkled brilliantly and vibrated, making the air in the cave resonate. Moments later, it became clear why the Moon Gate had installed the crystal ball in such a large cavity.
A massive communication magic circle appeared and centered around the mana crystal ball. As the mana crystal ball was activated, the communication magical circle expanded across the entire floor, carpeting the area. The circle blocked all interference from the outside.
Given that an exorbitant amount of money was needed to create even the most modest magic circle, the magic circle installed here fully demonstrated Moon Gate's financial strength.
The resonance finally reached its pinnacle, and a figure appeared within the crystal ball.
"I greet you, Master." Zero showed his respect by bowing in an incredibly polite posture, despite the fact that only a silhouette could be seen in the crystal ball.
"The reason for your sudden contact... is it that child?" A voice resounded from within the crystal ball. In spite of the booming voice, it was difficult to guess the gender of the speaker.
Zero responded without hesitation, "Yes… there was one little incident that happened… and I think Joshua von Agnus is hiding more secrets than he appears to."
"I had a feeling he was one of a kind."
"He's not just one-of-a-kind—" Just as Zero wanted to reply, he was interrupted.
"The tower is already making its move," the figure in the crystal ball spoke.
"Are you talking about the Magic Tower?"
Zero's eyes widened.
"There's a report that one of the Seven Mages is about to make a move personally. Apparently, they wish to verify the rumor that Enslot's progeny has appeared. After all, the tower has been seeking him for a long time.."
"Enslot's descendant!"
Zero's face was flushed with surprise.
"Of course, that's only a surface explanation for the ruckus that the tower is making… The Primordial Stones are more than likely the genuine reason."
"..."
"I'm saying this because, rare as they are, there's still a much higher probability for a Primordial Stone to have appeared than for that rumor to be true."
"The rumor… As in the rumored descendant of Enslot?" Zero asked with a look of disbelief.
His reaction was natural. A magic swordsman who was completely unknown to the world... After he had mysteriously vanished from the continent at some point, a rumored descendent had suddenly appeared.
After a brief moment, Zero's ears were pierced by yet another incredible piece of news coming from the crystal ball.
"Joshua von Agnus."
"...!"
"The child is the rumored descendent."
"Oh my God..."
Even after Zero expressed his shock, the figure still continued in a plain tone.
"It doesn't even matter if the rumors are true or not. What's undeniable is that massive forces are converging on that child."
"..."
"The Avalon Empire's imperial family, the person behind Joker, and the Magic Tower."
"..."
"Until I find the red coin—No, no… at this moment, a tremendous pull of fate will surely pull the kid to the center of the ruckus."
Zero was startled, but the crystal ball figure continued.
"I really want to go back to Arcadia personally, but—"
"You want to come back personally?" Zero quickly regained his composure.
"The conflict within the organization is still ongoing, so going back right now would be unrealistic. But it would be a different story if that child could truly find the red coin."
"Yes, I will definitely find it and bring it to you," Zero responded with a hard expression on his face.
He had told Joshua that the internal conflict within the organization was over, but this was not the case. He had simply covered this fact because there was no need to expose all of his cards immediately.
"Perhaps he is the only card that could put an end to the organization's awful and long war in one fell swoop. I will trust you on this."
Zero quickly knelt down as the light of the mana crystal ball began to dim.
"Loyalty to the master!"
When the light faded completely, Zero silently rose from his seat. A glint flashed across his eyes.
In the vast hollow, his voice resonated.
"No matter what…"
Visit freewe𝑏(n)ovel.co(m) for the b𝘦st novel reading experience