Rhea had come to a realization.
To communicate with the swordsman before her, who carried an air of mystery, one needed not only courage but also a strong heart.
He didn't even know what that box was, yet this man still dared to plunge into the midst of a bloody clash among underground forces for it, which alone was something Rhea found unbelievable.
And yet, he had succeeded.
"…Kinda hard to believe you actually had the guts to just break into our battlefield like that." Rhea let out a sigh, unsure whether to be impressed or dumbfounded.
"So? What exactly is that thing?" Riezel asked indifferently.
"…Don't you already know?" Rhea replied after a brief silence. "It's something that came out of a forbidden ancient ruin."
She then began explaining to Riezel.
"Even though that ancient ruin's labeled forbidden—like, you can't even mention it in Sinielle—if there's one thing this place's got plenty of, it's lawless fugitives. Folks who messed up in Jinas or Reiburg—exiled, wanted, whatever—even after ending up here, they never really stayed quiet."
"A bunch of them eventually found out about that ruin. They blew off the City Lord's bans and tried every trick they could think of to sneak in and dig around."
"Because of that, now and then, some fugitive would haul back stuff from there."
"And that stuff is what we call forbidden items."
Rhea spoke with great seriousness.
"Forbidden items can be good or bad. Some of it's totally useless, like nobody even knows what it's for. Dragging it back to Sinielle's basically like carrying a ticking time bomb—worthless and probably just gonna get you busted by the City Hall for having it."
"But then again, some forbidden items pack immense power, enough to flip someone's whole fate."
"A couple of years back, there was a Sword Master in Sinielle who used one of those things to break into the realm of Sword Saints."
Upon hearing this, Riezel roughly understood.
"So you're saying you guys are fighting over this thing because you wanna become Sword Saints like that guy?" Riezel asked.
"Ahaha..." Rhea gave an awkward laugh. "Well, something like that?"
It was no wonder that when that short swordsman had snatched the box, he had claimed he would soon become a Sword Saint.
Unfortunately, the box actually contained an animal skin—not some miraculous elixir that could turn someone into a Sword Saint.
Riezel figured those people surely had no idea what was inside, or else they would never have gone to such lengths, slaughtering each other over it.
In fact, that was indeed the truth.
Neither the Illusionist, nor the Dragon Horn, nor any of the other major forces knew what was in the box.
Because the box was forged from quatro metal and could only be opened with special methods, no one could see what lay inside.
As a result, the major factions mistakenly believed it contained some treasure that could grant entry into the realm of Sword Saints, when in reality it was nothing more than an animal skin whose use remained unknown.
Of course, the reason for this misunderstanding was that the person who had ascended to Sword Saint years ago had also acquired a box—this same kind, made of quatro metal—through a string of coincidences.
People had then come to believe the boxes from the ancient ruins always held invaluable treasures, which led the major forces to slaughter one another, desperate for a chance to step into the realm of Sword Saints.
Incidentally, both that Sword Saint from years ago and Riezel himself had gotten their boxes from the Dragon Horn.
Dragon Horn, as one of the most infamous underground forces, dabbled in all sorts of illegal dealings—from running black markets and stealing treasures to trafficking contraband—which was why the box had first fallen into the hands of their leader, Kane.
"Well then..." Riezel shrugged. "You guys are probably gonna be disappointed, since there's nothing inside that can make someone a Sword Saint."
"Eh?" Rhea froze, then quickly asked with a tense expression. "Don't tell me you opened it?"
"Yeah, used a bit of force." Riezel replied bluntly.
Rhea suddenly had no words.
Rationally, she knew he might be right—not every box contained a treasure capable of making someone a Sword Saint—but emotionally, she suspected Riezel was lying, brushing her off, trying to trick her into giving up the box.
As Rhea thought this and looked up at Riezel, about to speak, something came flying toward her.
"Hm, this is...?"
Rhea rushed to catch it, only to freeze upon seeing the object in her hands.
It was none other than a quatro-metal box, the box everyone coveted.
"If you really want it that badly, then take it." Riezel said flatly, his expression indifferent. "But let me warn you first—I already took an animal skin out of it and didn't find anything else inside. If you can somehow reuse it or uncover more, then that'll be your ability."
Leaving these words behind, Riezel turned and walked off toward Lizbeth.
"Wait..."
Rhea almost called out, but even if she stopped him, she had no idea what she would say next.
In the end, she closed her mouth, staring blankly at the box in her arms, her thoughts drifting.
Such a treasure... had it really just fallen into her hands so easily?
Rhea found it unbelievable.
Even though Riezel had said the contents were already taken, leaving the box empty, who could say for sure that this box didn't have hidden compartments?
Perhaps the real treasure that could make one a Sword Saint was hidden in such a place?
As this thought flashed through her mind, Rhea hugged the box tightly, excitement bubbling in her chest.
"Hm?"
Just then, Rhea noticed several faint gazes directed at her from nearby alleys, corners, and the crowd.
"Dammit..."
Rhea's expression shifted as she realized that news of the box falling into her hands had definitely reached certain watchful eyes.
In the next second, Rhea quickly stashed the box away and bolted, fleeing under the eyes of many onlookers.
Not long after, shadows emerged one after another, chasing in the direction Rhea had fled.
===
On the other side, Riezel, of course, had no idea that handing the box to Rhea had shifted the target of those hiding in the shadows onto her.
Naturally, it was not hard to guess, but still, this no longer concerned him.
He had already warned Rhea that he had taken the content inside, so if she were wise, she would discard the empty box and avoid danger—or else she would only be courting ruin.
Riezel soon pushed the matter from his mind and continued strolling with Lizbeth.
In the end, after about two hours, they finally finished gathering the supplies they needed.
To avoid unnecessary trouble, Riezel immediately took Lizbeth out of Sinielle and, following the map, flew toward the location of the ancient ruin.
According to the records and route, the ancient ruin lay only a few dozen kilometers away from Sinielle.
At Riezel's speed, covering that distance should not have taken long, but because they ran into a sandstorm and were attacked by some flying monsters, the two were delayed and did not arrive at the spot marked with a red 'X' until nearly noon.
"Well, this should be the place, right?" Riezel hovered in midair, gazing down as he muttered.
"Here?" Lizbeth, with flight granted by his magic, floated at his side, staring below in confusion. "Umm... there's nothing here, right?"
Indeed, nothing lay below.
It was only an endless desert with not a single brick or tile, let alone a building.
"It's the right place." Riezel sounded certain. "It's not that there's nothing here, only that it's been hidden."
He then raised a finger and pointed downward.
*Buzz—!*
With a tremor of magical energy, crimson waves gathered at Riezel's fingertip and blasted toward the ground.
*PENG!*
Once the crimson waves struck a certain height, a faint barrier appeared, only to shatter like glass under the force of Decomposition Magic.
As the fragments dissolved, a grand structure that looked like a temple shimmered into view, like a mirage swaying in the desert, slowly revealing itself.
Weathered by countless years of wind and storm, the hidden ancient ruin finally emerged, radiating a heavy, oppressive presence that stirred awe.
"I-It appeared!"
Lizbeth's eyes widened in astonishment.
"Finally…"
Riezel could not help but smile, then quickly unleashed more crimson waves at the ruin's corners, unraveling the magical mechanisms hidden there.
As the records had warned, the ancient ruin was layered with defenses and traps, not just the single barrier concealing it.
Remembering this, Riezel activated the Transparent World, observing the flow of magical energy around the ancient ruin, then decomposed each abnormal spot, tearing apart the protections and traps Sigmund had placed here.
Once finished, Riezel turned to Lizbeth.
"You ready? We're going down now."
Hearing Riezel's question, Lizbeth instinctively pressed her chest, steadying her nerves.
"Let's go, Master..." Lizbeth whispered with determination.
"Alright."
Riezel nodded lightly, then immediately carried Lizbeth downward, flying toward the ancient ruin.
===
[A bonus chapter for every 500 Power Stones.]
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