“Then I will personally guide you to the exit......”
“No need to see me off. I will be going now.”
Karayan tried to guide me outside the Underworld Arena, but I declined her goodwill and turned away.
So pretending to be strong in front of someone was this exhausting.
‘......It has been a while since I had to act. I can barely breathe.’
Now that I had finished my business, I wanted to leave Karayan’s sight as soon as possible.
‘Huh.’
But before I had gone very far, I began to regret my choice.
‘......Where was the exit again?’
This was driving me crazy.
I had clearly memorized the entire map of the Underworld Arena......
But now that the graphics from the monitor had become real, it was considerably confusing.
***
“Phew.”
Left alone, Karayan let out a deep sigh.
Her benefactor had left the Ruins Merchant Company.
Just as their meeting had been sudden, their parting had come without warning as well.
‘I should have seen him off......’
Karayan clicked her tongue and swallowed her regret.
She had intended to accompany her benefactor to the main gate of the Underworld Arena, but she could not bring herself to disobey his command not to follow him.
In the end, after handing her benefactor the pouch of money, Karayan had returned to the highest floor.
“......”
Lowering her gaze, she took in the view of the Underworld Arena below at a glance.
Dried bloodstains clung to the empty dirt floor, as though proving the brutality of the match that had taken place there only moments ago.
Right.
In that very spot, her benefactor had killed Human Butcher Barba with a single blow.
Just as he had done when he killed the monstrous creature that had tried to kill her in the Uncharted Lands.
Thump, thump—.
Lea de Karayan’s heart trembled.
Who could have imagined that she would meet her benefactor so suddenly, in the midst of her endlessly tedious days?
The swordsman who had saved her when she was about to be killed by a monster in the Uncharted Lands.
To Karayan, he was no different from a prince on a white horse.
The memory of that day was the only moment that had ever shone brilliantly in Karayan’s barren, gray life.
His appearance and voice had both continued to fade, so she was overwhelmed that she had been able to meet him again like this.
‘Of course, not a single question has been answered.’
She had finally achieved the reunion she had longed for.
Yet her benefactor’s identity still remained concealed behind a veil.
She did not know his true identity, nor did she even know his name.
Nothing had changed from before she met her benefactor.
“......”
A bitter smile escaped her lips as she recalled that fact.
But that was all right.
Her benefactor had promised that he would visit the Ruins Merchant Company again someday.
‘Part of it was to repay the debt I incurred when I was young, but......’
All of this was a calculated action.
Her benefactor was an overwhelming powerhouse. Even Loren, her bodyguard knight, had been unable to react to his movements.
If she could gain the goodwill of such a person with a mere 100 million Shillings and the Feather Sword.
It could never be called a losing deal.
“......Haah.”
Well, at least Karayan wanted to rationalize her actions that way.
This was the first time she had ever given so much to someone.
Knock, knock—.
Several hours passed like that.
Someone knocked on the door outside the VIP Room.
Hearing it, Karayan’s brow twitched slightly as she spoke.
“Who is it?”
Then Loren, the bodyguard knight beside her, cautiously answered.
“It is the item appraiser, Master.”
“......The appraiser?”
“Yes. Meister Gove, whom you asked to reappraise Frost Sunset.”
“Ah.”
Karayan gave a short nod.
At her benefactor’s request, she had commissioned a reappraisal of Frost Sunset. It appeared that the work had already been completed in the meantime.
‘Wait.’
Could a detailed appraisal really be finished this quickly?
Sensing that something was amiss, Karayan’s expression stiffened.
“Open the door.”
“Yes.”
Slip—.
The moment Karayan issued the command, a shadow crept toward the door.
Not long afterward, the tightly shut door slowly opened.
Then the white-haired old man waiting outside bowed his head and explained why he had come.
“Excuse me, Master. The reason I have come is......”
The appraiser trailed off.
His wrinkled eyes, visible through his monocle, were shaking violently.
Karayan frowned slightly at the sight.
“Why are you hesitating, Meister Gove? Do not tell me Frost Sunset was damaged?”
“No. I heard Frost Sunset had fallen to the floor, so I examined its condition closely. Yet there was not even a scratch on the sword, much less a speck of dust. However......”
Gulp.
The appraiser swallowed dryly, his face tense.
And the words that followed were shocking enough to turn Karayan’s mind completely blank.
“It appears that Frost Sunset is not genuine.”
“......What?”
***
Step, step—.
Lea de Karayan hurried down to the Secret Collection Vault.
Soon, she stood before Frost Sunset’s display case and narrowed her eyes.
A sword whose quality was far too high to call it counterfeit.
More than anything, Lea de Karayan’s “ability” was proving that this weapon was genuine.
“......”
Lea de Karayan furrowed her brow and focused her attention on Frost Sunset.
Soon, along with a sharp headache, a translucent window shimmered into view.
━━━━━━━━━━━━
【??】
Creator : ■■□ ■■■■□ ■■
Equipment Grade : ??
[Equipment Description]
A weapon crafted by a master artisan belonging to the Pantheon , who represents those that harmonize the balance of the world.
Perhaps, in order to obtain this fearsome sword, a greedy bloodstorm may sweep through humanity□ □ay □ot□□......
[Equipment Effect]
??
━━━━━━━━━━━━
A skill.
It was a rare supernatural ability that manifested in individuals only at very low probabilities.
And the skill Karayan had been born with was as follows.
【Gold-Seeking Eyes 】
Gold-Seeking Eyes.
As its name implied, it referred to eyes that sought gold—things worth money.
That was right.
Whenever Karayan focused all her attention on an object, she could obtain limited information about it.
Through this skill, she had uncovered many pearls buried in mud. Using the profits, she had quickly grown into a merchant who ruled the underworld.
Frost Sunset, currently before Karayan’s eyes, was also one of the pearls she had discovered.
‘What is this......?’
Karayan narrowed her eyes slightly.
‘......There is no way this can be a counterfeit.’
Karayan read through the description displayed by her 【Gold-Seeking Eyes】.
Because this ability had brought her so much profit until now, she trusted it without the slightest doubt.
According to the skill’s description, this sword had undoubtedly been crafted by the 「Lord of Flames and Blacksmiths」.
The number of characters in the creator’s name, the weapon’s affiliation with the Pantheon, the master artisan who represented the gods, and so on......
Though much information was restricted, the facts that had been revealed so far made it easy to understand the truth.
‘More importantly, its appearance is exactly the same as Frost Sunset.’
A sword that began with a blue blade and gradually took on the color of red metal.
It had been covered in rust when they first acquired it, but after restoration, its appearance was identical to the Frost Sunset described in legend.
After examining the weapon closely for some time, Karayan finally opened her mouth.
“This is a counterfeit?”
“......In truth, calling it a counterfeit is somewhat ambiguous.”
“What?”
At the appraiser’s vague answer, Karayan sharply furrowed her brow.
The appraiser hurriedly waved his hands and added an explanation.
“Of course, the creator is undoubtedly the great 「Lord of Flames and Blacksmiths」. However......”
“However?”
“......This weapon itself is not Frost Sunset.”
Flinch—.
Chilly silence once again settled over the Secret Collection Vault.
The creator was the Lord of Flames and Blacksmiths, yet the weapon itself was not Frost Sunset?
What kind of nonsense was that?
Perhaps reading that thought from Lea de Karayan’s expression, the appraiser continued explaining.
“Normally, Divine Artifacts crafted by the great Lord of Flames and Blacksmiths have a number engraved upon them. Of course, this weapon also bears traces of an engraving.”
“......”
“However, because you ordered us to investigate it under the assumption that it was a counterfeit, Master, I examined the sword closely and found something strange......”
“Just give me the conclusion.”
“......My apologies.”
At Karayan’s irritated voice, the appraiser who had been rambling paused for a moment.
Soon, he calmly gave his analysis of Frost Sunset.
“It appears that this sword is a practice work made by the great Lord of Flames and Blacksmiths before they began crafting Frost Sunset in earnest.”
And upon hearing those words, Karayan could not help but let out an exclamation.
“......A practice work?”
A practice work.
A practice work made before crafting Frost Sunset?
Right. That explained the contradictory description the appraiser had given earlier.
It also fit everything shown by her 【Gold-Seeking Eyes】.
‘It is shocking, but it is not an absurd hypothesis.’
That old man was the most skilled appraiser employed by the Ruins Merchant Company.
As such, the chances of his appraisal being wrong were slim.
Of course, further cross-verification was essential, but Karayan decided to accept the appraiser’s words as the truth for the moment.
“Then this sword is a replica of Frost Sunset?”
“Rather than a replica, Prototype would be a more accurate expression...... A sample product, in other words.”
Lea de Karayan let out a complicated sigh.
“Phew, in any case, that means if we had put this Frost Sunset up for auction while claiming it was genuine, the Ruins Merchant Company’s reputation would have taken a major hit.”
“......It is my failing. I sincerely apologize.”
The appraiser bowed deeply.
He appeared to feel responsible for failing to identify Frost Sunset as a Prototype during the first appraisal.
But Lea de Karayan had no intention of blaming him.
A sample product personally made by the Lord of Flames and Blacksmiths.
When they did not even have the genuine Frost Sunset for comparison, how could anyone distinguish it after only the first appraisal?
They should simply be grateful that they had learned Frost Sunset was not genuine before the auction began.
‘No, but......’
At that very moment.
One question crossed Karayan’s mind.
‘......How did my benefactor realize that this was not genuine?’
Her benefactor had not spent hours examining the weapon like the appraiser.
He had merely cast it a brief glance and seen through Frost Sunset’s true nature.
Having reached that thought, Karayan immediately asked the appraiser a question.
“Meister Gove.”
“......Yes.”
“If someone recognized that Frost Sunset was a Prototype at a glance, would you believe it?”
“At a glance......?”
“I mean, if they merely looked it over for a few seconds.”
At that, the appraiser’s eyes widened as he waved his hands.
“T-that would be absolutely impossible. It is irreverent to say this, but even the great 「Lord of Flames and Blacksmiths」 would not be able to distinguish the genuine article from this Prototype in mere seconds.”
“......”
“This Prototype is that finely made. If you had not suspected that it was counterfeit and ordered us to approach the appraisal critically, I would have judged it to be genuine without question as well.”
Even the creator would not be able to distinguish the genuine article from the Prototype at a glance.
That meant it was impossible to recognize that Frost Sunset was not genuine in such a short time.
Well, at least by the standard of the most skilled appraiser in the Ruins Merchant Company.
‘......Then what exactly is my benefactor?’
Her benefactor had instantly recognized that Frost Sunset was not genuine.
And rather than making a show of that fact, he had remained indifferent.
Was that all? Despite possessing such exceptional discernment, the only weapon her benefactor had taken from the Secret Collection Vault was the Feather Sword.
Right. That piece of junk which was a Divine Artifact in name alone.
“Phew.”
She did not know.
In the end, this time as well, she had only received help from her benefactor without offering anything in return.
That fact only made Karayan’s heart feel heavier.
***
〔Hidden Message : You have completed the tutorial perfectly for the first time.〕
〔Hidden Message : You have avoided an inevitable death.〕
〔Hidden Message : Causality twists.〕
......
〔Hidden Message : An unprecedented achievement that astonished the Pantheon. The Forgotten Harmonizers watch your progress.〕