Chapter 157: Count's Decision
"Tsk." Jovie's lips curled with annoyance. "They trapped this one, too." She flicked her fingers.
"Next."
Another undead stepped forward, heedless of danger, and pushed the door wide. This time, nothing stirred.
The group moved inside.
At the center stood a vault, its surface covered with intricate locks. Jovie snapped her fingers again. "Open it."
The skeleton obeyed—but as its hand brushed the lock, a scarlet beam fell from the ceiling. In an instant, the knight was obliterated, reduced to smoldering fragments.
Jovie's face darkened. "A self-defensive array."
[That's a soul-scanning array seal. Unless the owner appears, it's impossible to open.] Zera's calm voice rang in Raven's mind.
'No other way?' Raven asked grimly.
[Destroy the core. Simple—if you can find it.]
Raven tilted his head back, scanning the ceiling. A hexagonal rune glimmered faintly above.
"There," Jovie muttered, spotting the same fluctuation.
Before they could plan, one of the knights leapt, sword flashing. The blade struck the rune—
BOOOOM!
The explosion ripped through the chamber. Debris showered down like hail. Raven shielded himself, bruised by stray shards but largely unhurt. The skeleton knight, however, was reduced to fragments scattered across the floor.
"Aksh," Jovie commanded coldly. Another skeleton moved in, sweeping debris aside and carefully manipulating the vault's locks.
Click. Clack. Clunk.
The vault opened.
Inside lay mountains of glittering crystals, their hues shifting like captured rainbows. Each radiated elemental energy so dense it thickened the air.
"Elemental crystals," Jovie whispered, her eyes shining.
They carefully hauled the contents out, sorting them into neat piles.
"Three hundred and fifty Rank-2s… seventy-three Rank-3s… twenty-eight Rank-4s… and nine Rank-5s," Jovie counted swiftly. Then she turned. "How should we divide them? Raven, any suggestions?"
"I'll take the Time Crystals," Raven said. "And a few others I can use for creating artifacts. The rest don't matter."
"Nether Crystals for me," Jovie replied at once, gathering the grey-ashen shards reverently.
She claimed fifty-one Rank-2s, sixteen Rank-3s, four Rank-4s, and one Rank-5. Raven followed, selecting crystalline shards clear as frozen light—forty-one Rank-2s, ten Rank-3s, four Rank-4s, and one Rank-5.
His gaze lingered on the final seven massive crystals, each pulsing with terrifying power: Fire, Darkness, Space, Ice, Wind, Earth, and Life.
They were all Rank-5 Elemental Crystals!
After a pause, Raven claimed three—Ice, Life, and Space—along with all the Dream Crystals.
The rest, Jovie divided with quiet calculation.
'Damn it! They're taking almost half of the crystals already!' Count Alden's eyes raged as he tried to hide his displeasure.
This fortune was supposed to be his!
'If only that bastard Nash and those wizards hadn't betrayed me, I wouldn't be standing here watching my treasure looted away!'
"You can take the rest, Count," Raven said, breaking his dark thoughts.
Count Alden bowed deeply. "Your Highness, all of these are rightfully yours. That you allow us a share…" His voice dripped with flattery. "…shows your true greatness."
Raven chuckled inwardly at the man's transparent sycophancy. He didn't mind.
Once Alden had claimed the leftovers, Raven turned his attention to the other relics scattered in the vault.
Strange tomes. Ancient materials. A golden orb. A black glove etched with an unblinking eye. And a vial filled with luminous golden liquid.
Raven slipped on his monocle.
'Sacrificial Rituals… Pseudo-Legendary Dagger Arts… Bella Collins' Journal… and—' His breath caught. 'Legacy of the Clown?'
The moment his hand reached for it, the book darted away, landing in Kael's grasp.
Everyone froze.
"W-What?!" Kael stammered, staring at the tome.
"That book isn't ordinary. Hand it over," Alden snapped, greed flashing in his eyes.
Shing!
In an instant, every skeletal knight unsheathed their weapons and aimed at Alden.
Raven's gaze turned ice cold. "Don't mistake loyalty for ownership, Count. Kael is indeed a knight of your county—but his fate is not yours to decide."
Jovie nodded. "That legacy is bound by the will of a soul. Seize it, and its remnant spirit will self-destruct. It belongs to Kael alone."
Reluctantly, Alden fell silent, his fists clenched in suppressed rage.
Raven, unfazed, handed Kael the Dagger Arts tome. "This suits you. Guard it well."
The man's face lit with gratitude.
Jovie took the Rituals book. Raven claimed Bella Collins' journal.
Then their eyes turned to the relics.
"The orb reeks of divine essence," Jovie said, pocketing it without hesitation.
Raven peered at the glove.
…
[Name: Glove of Greed
Rank: Unknown
Abilities: ????? , ???????, ???????, ???????, ???????]
…
Before he could finish analyzing, Alden snatched it. His eyes gleamed with manic delight as he slid it onto his hand.
Raven opened his mouth to warn him, but Jovie stopped him with a raised hand. "Let him. That glove… suits him."
Finally, Kael presented the vial.
Raven studied it, shock flickering across his face. 'A Lightning Affinity Potion… Prodigy rank?'
He claimed it immediately.
"Let's rest, then leave," Jovie suggested.
The others nodded. Yet as they departed, Alden trailed behind, his gaze fixed obsessively on the black glove—its eye faintly glowing, as if watching him back.
…
The group rested that night within the temple's main hall. Faint candlelight flickered across the ancient stone, and skeletal knights patrolled the perimeter with mechanical discipline. Despite the treasures they had seized, none of them slept deeply.
The silence of the Hall of Infinite Riddles still lingered in Raven's mind. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw Sere's twisted smile.
At dawn, they departed.
The air outside was cool and damp, a thin mist curling through the courtyard. None spoke as they passed through the gates of the temple. Everyone had gained something of immense value, but that only deepened the weight hanging between them.
It was Raven who finally broke the silence.
"What is your plan, Count Alden?" he asked as they trekked west.
Alden glanced at him, his face unusually calm. The glove with the unblinking eye gleamed faintly on his hand.
"I'm still thinking of how to deal with the elders and branch family members, Your Highness," he admitted slowly. "Though I managed to obtain many Epic-rank techniques, if I reveal them now, I'll be stabbed in the back by my own kin. Just like Nash and the others did."
His jaw tightened, and his voice lowered with bitterness.
"All this time, I never once considered binding my knights with a magic contract. But now… I've changed my mind."
His gaze shifted toward Kael.
The knight stiffened but didn't speak.
In truth, Kael had endured more from Alden than anyone else—mockery, belittlement, and neglect. Yet he had never wavered in loyalty. He was the son of a servant, and even though he had risen to the rank of Expert Knight, Alden still viewed him as little more than a servant's son. Nash, on the other hand, had been treated as kin—trusted absolutely. But betrayal had shattered that illusion.
"Magic contracts…" Raven muttered, eyes narrowing.
Alden nodded grimly. "Every great family uses them. I thought trust alone was enough. I was a fool."
Raven turned to Kael. "What about you? What do you plan to do?"
Kael's eyes flickered with hesitation. He looked at Alden, then back to Raven.
"I-I don't know, Your Highness. I've never thought of leaving Lord Count. But now… my head is a mess."
"You don't have to leave me," Alden said quickly, almost pleading. But then he sighed, his expression tightening with conflict.
He knew the truth. Once word spread that Kael carried a legacy of the Forgotten Era, the Azurehaven family would never let him live freely. They would kill him or bind him, even if they had to use his wife and children as leverage. Alden himself had thought the same. Even his family ancestors would not hesitate.
'But if what Jovie said is true, the legacy will vanish if seized by force… The only solution is to tie him to our house. Yet who would ever agree to marry a noble daughter to a servant's son?'
Raven's voice cut through his thoughts. "Do you have family, Kael?"
Kael straightened. "Yes, my lord. A wife and two children."
"And your parents?"
"My mother works as a maid in the Azurehaven estate. My father serves as a butler."
Raven's gaze hardened. 'So if Kael returns with Alden, the family will chain him through his parents, his wife, and his children. If he runs, they'll become hostages. Alden may not strike him directly, but his family will. It's inevitable.'
He sighed softly, then looked at Kael.
"You have two choices," Raven said. His tone was even, but every word landed like a stone.
"First, you return with Count Alden. You will be forced into a contract and serve his family for life. They'll strip your legacy once you've mastered it, and even the dagger arts I gave you will be claimed as their property."
Kael swallowed hard, but didn't deny it.
"Second—you run. Hide. Grow strong enough to protect what you've gained. But know this—your family will be taken as hostages."
The knight's face twisted with conflict.
"We won't do such cruel things, Your Highness," Alden said with a forced smile.
Jovie, who had been quietly listening, suddenly interjected.
"Mr. Alden, do you know why His Highness Raven is keeping you alive?"
The Count's face stiffened.
"Your life has value," Jovie said, pausing briefly before adding, "I know you are a greedy man. But if you try to take what belongs to others, you'll meet a miserable end."
It was a warning.
And Alden understood it well.
'I nearly forgot… This young man is the one who killed the Empire's strongest Wizard! He favors Kael now that he has obtained a legacy. If I harm him, it won't end well—for me or for my family.'
"I understand your words, Miss Jovie," he said grimly, and continued walking.
…