Ch 217
“Ugh!”
A scream erupted from Rocard’s mouth.
A golden-patterned pigeon landed on his shoulder, watched intently, and then pecked the back of his head with its beak.
“Master!?”
Rocard was confused by the unprecedented punishment（?） from his Master.
“What? Is this my disciple?”
However, the Master was even more confused.
The Golden Divinity!
Not to boast, but his disciple possessed a personality as ostentatious and twisted as his own.
That disciple confessed their own shortcomings in front of others.
In this case, it would naturally be determined as groundwork for deception.
Behind that weak expression of self-reproach, a sinister inner thought would be hidden.
But why?
Was humility actually present?
Carozen momentarily even thought, ‘Did my disciple die inside and only their leather was taken?’
However.
“Ugh! Ugh!”
After closely examining and pecking at it.
It was clearly his disciple, Rocard.
“Hmm.”
The pigeon perched on Rocard’s shoulder blankly stared into the void.
It was a surprising result in another sense.
The Golden Star, who almost never worried about others’ affairs, was plunged into deep confusion.
Naturally, he wasn’t the only one surprised by Rocard’s unusual behavior.
“Ro, Rocard sir…?”
The eyes of the Yellow Mages looking at the Golden Divinity trembled violently.
In a sense, they knew Rocard better than his Master.
This was because they routinely encountered his twisted, self-aggrandizing personality and behavior.
Therefore, they were shocked by Rocard’s current appearance.
‘What kind of ordeal would cause the Golden Divinity to become like that?’
It was something that even the Yellow Mages’ brilliant imaginations and reasoning couldn’t fathom.
However.
The Grey Mages seemed somewhat different.
“Hmm. So that’s how it is.”
“Yes. That’s how it seems, Master Melthas.
Master Didoa and Melthas.
They looked at Lisir and Rocard alternately, then nodded, saying they immediately understood the whole story.
“Wh-what do you mean by that…?”
Master Yerika of the Yellow Tower reflexively asked them.
“…”
Master Didoa stared at Yerika with her characteristic heterochromia iridum.
-Oh, sorry. It’s pointless to tell the Grey Tower this, they wouldn’t understand anyway.
-Seriously!? The Grey Tower is… Oh, sorry. I misspoke. Well, each tower has its own circumstances, so I understand.
-Don’t worry about it. The Grey Tower wouldn’t understand even if we told them.
Didoa unconsciously recalled her experiences with Yerika.
The natural humiliation and contempt she experienced while dealing with the Yellow Tower as the representative of the Grey Tower!
Didoa created a playfully mischievous smile with her characteristic expressionless face.
A smile reminiscent of a certain unassuming young man.
“Even if I explain, it will be difficult for you to understand.”
“…!”
The overwhelming composure emanating from the Grey Mage’s smile!
The expressions of the Yellow Mages contorted.
Yellow Mages and Grey Mages.
A subtle tension flowed between them.
This was an unprecedented phenomenon.
The Yellow Tower did not consider the Grey Tower an equal opponent.
However, things have changed.
The Yellow Tower began to be conscious of, and wary of, the Grey Tower.
It was the moment when both towers simultaneously realized this fact.
“Is that so? Then, this Yellow Tower will draw its own conclusions.”
Yerika became even more conscious and created a high-handed attitude.
Heh heh.
Master Melthas stroked his braided beard and smiled meaningfully.
“Drawing your own conclusions regarding Lisir… It’s a hasty approach, but I won’t stop you.”
Thus.
At that moment, when the two towers were engrossed in a showdown.
“Everyone, could you please look here for a moment?”
Lisir spoke.
He pointed to an item on the desk.
“Hmm?”
The attention of both towers immediately focused there.
Originally, there were two dungeon keys, used by Lisir and Rocard respectively, placed there.
But now.
There was a silver bracelet adorned with two red jewels placed side by side.
Oh.
Racheta, the leader of the White Iron Guild, her eyes shone.
A more mysterious silver bracelet created by combining two mysterious keys!
Her instincts as an adventurer were telling her.
Something was amiss.
Very amiss!
“Hoora.”
The wizard’s instincts were saying the same thing.
Carozen, having finally regained his composure, sat down at the desk and intently observed the bracelet.
Tap. Tap.
He touched the silver part of the bracelet’s body with his beak.
“This silver… it’s not ordinary silver.”
Aaaah.
Racheta beside him shivered and made a pleasant sound.
Praise for dungeon spoils from the mouth of an Archmage!
Could there be anything more exciting for an adventurer!?
“If you say it’s not ordinary silver…!”
“This material. This energy… could it be Shallado’s Silver?”
“Shallado’s Silver…?”
Racheta tilted her head.
Even she, a High-Ranking Adventurer who had encountered all sorts of treasures, had never heard of this name.
She observed the mages’ reactions, wondering if they might know something.
“Shallado…”
However, the mages’ reactions, including Master Yerika, were not much different from Racheta’s.
Only one person.
“Shallado’s Silver…!”
Only Master Didoa reacted to the name, her characteristic heterochromia iridum shining.
“Master Didoa. Do you know anything about it?”
Melthas’ question.
Everyone’s attention focused on her.
She nodded vigorously.
“Yes. Shallado’s Pure Silver is a substance created by Shallado, an ancient alchemist—one of the greatest substances ever known.”
Uh-huh.
Racheta crossed her legs.
Ancient, whatever!
It was the modifier adventurers loved most.
An era said to have been incomparably more chaotic and yet also great compared to the present.
The treasures left behind from that era all possessed immense value.
“How much would it sell for!?”
Racheta, unable to contain her excitement, shouted.
Such a shallow approach to an ancient artifact.
The mages briefly looked at the adventurer with cold gazes.
Separately, knowing that thanks to such adventurers these artifacts came into their possession, the alchemist answered the question honestly.
“It’s meaningless to put a monetary value on this kind of item. It’s literally priceless.”
“Ah-huh…”
“Ahem. That’s enough about money—”
Leaving Racheta, now openly in a state of ecstasy—
Master Melthas asked.
“Master Didoa. So, what significance does this so-called Shallado’s Pure Silver have in the current situation? Can you explain it in a way that we outsiders can understand?”
“Alchemists describe the nature of Shallado’s Pure Silver as ‘alive’.”
“Alive?”
“Yes. Because of the active nature of its properties. Excuse me for a moment.”
Master Didoa picked up the bracelet and examined it closely.
“Apparently, Sir Lisir and Sir Rocard have met certain conditions. It seems that Shallado’s Pure Silver has begun to function.”
“That means—”
“The place you will arrive at if you use this bracelet this time. That is the reason why this item was created.”
“…”
An ancient treasure kept inside the dungeon.
A specific location reachable through that treasure.
Gulp.
Someone swallowed dryly, speaking for everyone’s state of mind.
They could guarantee it.
Surely, something incredible would be waiting for the bracelet’s user there.
“And perhaps—”
As Didoa added, the bracelet’s jewels began to emit light.
“It’s a hypothetical scenario, but this bracelet might lose its function soon. Permanently.”
“What do you mean?”
“It’s my personal opinion based on precedent. There are a few cases where Shallado’s Pure Silver only functioned at that moment and then completely lost its function afterwards.”
“Then—”
Tick-tock.
Somewhere, the sound of a clock’s second hand seemed to be heard.
“Strike while the iron is hot. How about resuming the investigation right now? Racheta, is that alright?”
Melthas asked Racheta.
The moment the adventurer was about to nod in agreement—
“Wait.”
Karzen, the Golden Star.
The Yellow Tower Lord spoke in a firm tone.
“Before exercising the decisive right to this dungeon investigation, I think we need to address the qualifications.”
“Lord Karzen, what—”
“As the Grey Tower well knows, this dungeon investigation was actually carried out by the Yellow Tower.”
“But! Didn’t the Grey Tower play a decisive role in the dungeon investigation!”
“I acknowledge that. However, based on the entire process and its proportion, the White Iron Guild, as the discoverer, which holds ownership of the dungeon, and the Yellow Tower, which was entrusted with the investigation by the White Iron Guild, are superior. Therefore—my proposal is as follows.”
The Grey Tower will be excluded from the final exploration.
However, in recognition of their contributions, they will be guaranteed certain rights in the process of distributing the final spoils.
“…”
Melthas mumbled.
For such a high-handed Yellow Tower, it was a fairly reasonable proposal.
One could sense a willingness to compromise or yield.
Of course.
It was also a kind of warning.
We have yielded this much—
If you want more than this, we will have to fight to the death, a warning.
“As Lord Karzen knows, this dungeon exploration should have originally been under the jurisdiction of the Grey Tower.”
“Things don’t always go according to the rules. Especially if the rules are weak. Above all, the location connected to this bracelet isn’t near Bondales, is it?”
Melthas’ expression contorted.
It’s a sophistry.
However, it certainly had merit.
If they clung to that point, the Grey Tower’s justification would lose its power.
Thus.
The Grey Mages’ presence subsided, and conversely, the Yellow Mages’ presence began to rise, at that moment.
“There’s one more thing we need to address.”
Rocard spoke.
“Sir Lisir and I investigated the inside of the barrier of the key, didn’t we? It’s about the contribution.”
“Ah.”
The Yellow Mages’ expressions became even brighter.
Conversely, the Grey Mages’ expressions became even darker.
For Rocard to step forward in this flow.
It was clear that the situation would become complicated.
The incarnation of twisted vanity would somehow belittle the other party’s merits and highlight his own.
Thereby taking away the Grey Tower’s rights.
“Alright, Rocard, speak.”
Carozen immediately encouraged his statement.
“In this internal investigation of the barrier, one person failed to perform their role, while the other person made contributions that more than compensated for that failure. To put it simply, there was no need for two people to participate in this internal investigation of the barrier. Therefore, I, Rocard, strongly claim on behalf of the Yellow Tower.”
Rocard looked at Lisir with his characteristic ‘humble’ attitude.
Carozen, who easily anticipated his disciple’s next words, thought.
Enough.
Even a rat will bite a cat when cornered.
Even so, there was no need to push the Grey Tower so hard.
‘Rocard knows that too—is he worried about what happened inside? Cute fellow.’
Carozen opened his beak to dissuade Rocard.
“That’s enough, Rocard. The Grey Tower also has—”
“The rights related to this final exploration should be given entirely to Sir Lisir.”
“…”
Huh?
The Golden Star made a raw sound unbefitting his position.
Huh?
Huh?
The Yellow and Grey Mages were the same.
Lisir was the only one who naturally accepted Rocard’s actions.
“Sir Rocard. There’s no need to say that—”
“No, Sir Lisir. I only stated the facts. In reality, without Sir Lisir’s help, I would have been in great difficulty.”
Ah!
Rocard made a sound as if he had remembered something.
“Come to think of it, I haven’t said this yet.”
Please.
The Yellow Mages silently pleaded inwardly.
To naturally connect that humble attitude to deception, as usual.
With the support of those Yellow Mages—
Rocard extended his hand.
“Thank you very much for your help. I am greatly indebted to Sir Lisir.”
Rocard looked at Lisir with an extremely humble expression.
His eyes, devoid of any trace of twisted hypocrisy, shone with pure respect.
✦✦✦
『Title: What the heck is Rocard, this showoff?』
Content: Went on a dungeon investigation and died, they say
Is this right??
-: Yes
That’s how the Grey Tower will participate in the dungeon investigation now
-『Author』 :But
Wasn’t Rocard, this showoff, quite high level? I think he was at the beginning of Rank 7
He died?
What kind of dungeon is it?
-: That’s a major spoiler, so I can’t say
If you go there, you can meet someone whose name is Night
-『Author』 :Crazy
-『Author』 :Isn’t that a spoiler too?
-: It’s a less major spoiler
-: Oh, it’s using the principle that even bullets hurt less if they hit softly? Okay, I understand.
-『Author』 :What do you understand, you bastard
✦✦✦
The Yellow Tower representative’s strong claim.
As a result, the decisive merit of the final dungeon exploration and the authority that came with it were given to the Grey Tower.
Thus, the three groups each gained authority in the dungeon investigation.
Who did better, so who deserves more rights—
A balance was formed to the point where it became meaningless to discuss such things.
Soon, their opinions naturally converged.
“Then, shall we all participate in the final dungeon exploration?”
“…”
Dissatisfied~
That was the Yellow Tower’s expression.
However, they ultimately had no choice but to nod in agreement.
“No objections.”
The Golden Divinity said so—
And the Golden Star was watching his disciple with interest.
“Lisir, here.”
Lisir placed the bracelet Master Didoa handed him on his hand.
The bracelet’s jewels, which had only faintly glowed at first, were now emitting an intense light.
The light grew stronger—
And eventually engulfed them all.
✦✦✦
After a while, the light subsided.
“Huh?”
Lisir looked around.
“Everyone?”
His companions were nowhere to be seen.
He was suddenly standing alone in the middle of a forest.
Lush trees covered the sky like dark clouds, creating an artificial night.
The lush grass reached up to his knees, giving a voracious feeling.
Whoosh.
Suddenly.
A wind blew from somewhere and caressed the entire forest greenery.
-My child.
Lisir looked around in confusion.
-How did you come into my forest? And so deep.
Lisir couldn’t easily answer.
It was as if the entire forest was speaking to him.
‘This is…’
Moreover, the vast energy contained in that voice.
Lisir reflexively recalled the strong people he had met so far—
But his memories of them dissipated before they could take shape.
The presence contained in that voice overwhelmed the weight he felt from all of them.
-This is my private and precious space. It’s a place where humans like you shouldn’t set foot.
Lisir suddenly felt insignificant.
Like a mouse on a cat’s paw, perhaps.
Or perhaps even more so.
She was the entire forest—
And he was in the middle of that forest.
Thus.
As Lisir was gradually being consumed by that presence.
-Oh dear, are you scared? Poor thing. Are you surprised because of me?
“…!”
Lisir shivered.
‘What, this tone?’
He felt something familiar in that unfamiliar voice.
-Or is there something bothering you?
The grass that filled the surroundings was growing at an abnormal rate.
As if trying to devour the forest intruder.
Lisir steeled his heart and spoke.
“I apologize. I had no intention of trespassing on your territory. If you don’t mind, may I ask your name?”
Whoosh.
The wind swept through the entire forest.
The sound of the forest thus created sounded like a lingering laugh.
-What meaning would my name have for you? Or do you want to hear that name?
Eventually, the voice softly uttered.
-Forest Night. That name you gave me.
✦✦✦
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