abcnovels
Chapter 117
Chapter 117
Chapter 117
[Translator – Kie]
[Proofreader – Kawaii]
Chapter 117: Church’s Treasury (1)
***
Malta led Damien to the tower located in the center of the workshop.
“This place is only for the craftsmen of the workshop. Even paladins can’t easily enter this place. You’re probably the first outsider to come in.”
Cheongyeum explained to Damien, pointing to the tower. Malta turned around and grumbled.
“Why are you following me again?”
“Her Holiness asked me to watch you so you don’t do anything reckless.”
Malta muttered something unintelligible at Cheongyeum’s words.
Malta led the two of them to the basement of the tower.
The tower was high above ground, but it was also incredibly deep underground. They had to go through three floors before reaching the bottom floor.
There, a large door blocked their way.
Malta knocked on the door here and there with a hammer. Then the door slowly rose up.
As soon as they looked inside, Damien exclaimed without realizing it.
The inside of the building was filled with weapons.
Swords, spears, axes, gauntlets, etc. Various kinds of weapons were hung all over the walls.
“This is amazing.”
Damien said sincerely.
None of them were made carelessly. You could tell right away that they were weapons made by the best craftsmen with all their might.
“You don’t have to give me such obvious compliments. I already received a lot of them.”
Malta’s reaction was blunt, even though he had been praised.
“From now on, you go inside and let the weapon choose you.”
The words were a bit strange. Damien looked at Malta and asked back.
“I have to be chosen?”
“You knights don’t seem to understand, but it’s not just people who choose weapons. Weapons also choose people.”
Malta folded his arms as if he was unhappy with that fact.
“Especially legendary holy swords are more prone to that. If you’re not chosen, you won’t be able to fully draw out its power. You won’t be able to grow the holy sword either.”
It sounded like he was already assuming that Damien wouldn’t be chosen.
“How do you know if you’ve been chosen by the holy sword?”
“You’ll feel it once you go inside and start walking. The holy sword will speak to you first.”
It was a very vague and ridiculous method.
“If you don’t feel it, it’s useless to take the sword by force. I know everything, you see.”
“What happens if I’m not chosen?”
“You can’t take a sword out of here. That’s why there are so many knights who have passed the Iron Trial but haven’t obtained a legendary holy sword.”
Damien glanced at Cheongyeum. Judging from the fact that he wasn’t stopping him, it seemed like he wasn’t lying.
“I see.”
Damien went inside and looked at the weapons hanging on the walls one by one.
The materials of the weapons were diverse. The colors were also different.
‘Of course, they’re not all the same.’
A legendary holy sword grows as you fight.
However, that didn’t mean that the starting and finishing points of all legendary holy swords were the same.
The performance depended on the metal used and the skill of the craftsman. It was like how a snake’s cub and a dragon’s cub couldn’t be the same.
Suddenly, Damien’s steps stopped.
The holy sword hanging in the center of the wall caught Damien’s eye. It was an artistic sword with a smoothly extended emerald green blade.
Damien picked up the holy sword just to try it out. The handle fit perfectly in his hand. The balance was also perfect.
‘This is… a sword made of True Silver.’
Thanks to the realm of the Weapon Master, ‘All Weapons Beloved’, he could recognize it right away.
True Silver or Mithril.
It was a material that ranked at the top of the numerous rare metals that existed in this world.
A sacred metal that would cause impurities to disappear just by touching them, and even a small amount of it could turn a weapon into a legendary sword.
A legendary holy sword made of True Silver would definitely be the best.
Woosh.
The sword also seemed to be satisfied with being held in Damien’s hand, as it hummed.
‘This is it.’
Damien held the sword and tried to leave, feeling strongly convinced.
At that moment, a holy sword hanging in a corner caught Damien’s eye.
Its appearance was quite unsightly. The surface of the blade was rough and bumpy. The handle was just a piece of wood that had been stuck on.
It was a sword that made one wonder how it could have been made so carelessly.
However, Damien couldn’t take his eyes off this sword.
Unconsciously, Damien reached out and stroked the blade. The blade trembled slightly.
Jiiing!!
A clear sound rang out. Damien was instantly immersed in the sound of the sword.
It was the first time he had heard a sword emit such a clear sound. It was only for a moment, but Damien was completely captivated by this sword.
Damien picked up the sword. The sword’s resonance became a little stronger.
Damien walked over to Malta with the sword.
“Why didn’t you bring the holy sword you chose first?”
“That sword was good too, but I was more drawn to this one.”
“You’re foolish. The sword you chose first was made of True Silver. It was the most outstanding one here.”
As Damien had seen, the emerald green holy sword was indeed made of True Silver. However, he didn’t feel any regret.
Jiiing!!
The sound of the sword resonated in his heart. He couldn’t think of any other sword.
“I still want this sword.”
“Are you sure? Are you sure you want to make such a foolish choice?”
Damien nodded. Malta closed his eyes tightly.
“Damn it… the one who sees the true value of this child is an outsider.”
Malta said, taking the sword that Damien was holding with both hands.
“This sword’s name is… Dawn. It was given this name because it was made from a meteorite that fell just before sunrise.”
Meteoric Iron.
It was iron that could only be obtained from a meteorite that fell from the sky.
Even True Silver or Orichalcum, the rarest of rare metals, were nothing compared to Meteoric Iron.
“Not all meteoric irons are superior metals. That’s because their composition and properties are all different. That’s why there are some meteorites that are even worse than scrap metal.”
Malta stroked the blade of Dawn. Unlike with Damien, there was no resonance.
“But the meteoric iron used to make Dawn was different. I’ve never seen such a superior metal before. Its hardness, its mana conductivity… everything was top-notch.”
Malta’s voice was slightly excited as he described the meteoric iron. That alone showed how amazing it was.
“It was also that difficult to refine. Even pouring all the fuel in the workshop couldn’t melt it. That’s why we could only make it this way.”
It seemed like that was why Dawn’s appearance was so unsightly.
It wasn’t melted and poured into a mold, but rather it was forcibly heated in a fire and then hammered into shape.
“No one has ever chosen this child until now. Even the so-called great paladins couldn’t see the true value of this child.”
Malta muttered with a regretful face.
“Who would have thought that the owner of a sword made of meteoric iron would be an outsider? Is this what you call fate?”
Malta held out Dawn to Damien and said.
“Please take good care of Dawn.”
***
“I will use it carefully.”
Damien tried to take Dawn again. But suddenly, Malta took Dawn back.
And he hugged Dawn tightly and started to cry.
“Kuh-huh-huh! I can’t believe I’m sending our cute Dawn away like this!”
Jiiiing!!
Malta cried and snotted. As if sympathizing with Malta’s sadness, Dawn let out a long cry.
“I remember when I first made you! I can’t tell you how happy I was when I finally managed to create you!”
Jiiiing!
Malta took out a greasy handkerchief from his pocket. He wiped his tears and nose with it.
“Outsider! You have to take responsibility if you take our Dawn!”
Jiing! Jiing!
“You have to oil it every morning, noon, and night! And Dawn loves watching the sunrise, so you have to wake up early in the morning!”
Jiing! Jiing!
Dawn echoed Malta’s words. Damien looked at the two of them with an incredulous expression.
“Oh, and you can never flirt with other weapons! Got it? You have to use Dawn only!”
At Malta’s words, Damien said firmly.
“That’s not going to happen.”
“What?”
Jiing?
Malta looked at Damien with a shocked face. Dawn also trembled slightly.
“I don’t plan on using only one weapon… and I already have another sword that I use.”
“W-what are you talking about? Are you going to use another weapon instead of our Dawn? Y-you scoundrel!”
Jiiiiiiing!
Malta and Dawn protested vehemently.
“I can’t give Dawn to a scoundrel like you! I’m taking it back!”
Jiiiing…….
“What? Do you still like this guy? Y-you brat! I knew raising a child was useless! You’re just like that guy!”
Damien looked at the two of them with a tired face.
“I’m starting to get annoyed, so hurry up and give it to me.”
***
Damien received Dawn from Malta and came out of the building with Cheongyeum.
Jiiiing!
Dawn let out a satisfied cry as it was held in Damien’s hand.
Damien looked at Dawn with a somewhat disgusted expression.
‘Should I go treasury now?’
It was a serious consideration, even if only for a moment. Cheongyeum spoke to Damien.
“The sun is already setting.”
Cheongyeum said, looking at the sky where the sunset was taking place.
“Oh, I haven’t shown you your accommodation yet. Follow me.”
The accommodation that Damien arrived at following Cheongyeum was nearby.
“This is the accommodation that we give to visiting people from outside. We don’t have separate guest rooms, so this is all we can offer.”
The main headquarters of the Church was a place where outsiders were prohibited from entering. So it seemed that the only place available was the one used by the outsiders.
“It’s late today, so get some rest. I’ll take you to the Treasury tomorrow.”
Damien’s eyes lit up at the word Treasury.
He hadn’t decided what to get yet, but it didn’t matter. Whatever he chose would be the best treasure.
“But are you going to take me there yourself?”
“Yes. The Treasury is a very important place, so it’s a rule that you must be accompanied by a high-ranking paladin. Otherwise, the golems guarding it will attack.”
As renowned as the Church was for its craftsmanship, the golems they produced were also known for their formidable power.
“I’ll come back again around lunchtime tomorrow.”
Leaving those words behind, Cheongyeum left.
Damien went to the guest room, unpacked his things, and went to bed.
And the next day.
“Good morning. Did you sleep well last night?”
Damien was facing not Cheongyeum, but Radiant Light.
***
The Radiant Light he met again was still beautiful.
There was something about her that was beyond mere beauty that captivated the eye.
The paladins passing by couldn’t take their eyes off of Radiant Light. Even though they must have seen her often since she was at the headquarters.
However, Damien just looked at Radiant Light with an annoyed expression.
“Why are you here?”
“I volunteered to be the one to guide Sir Damien to the Treasury.”
“I thought Elder Cheongyeum was going to take care of that.”
“Something urgent came up for Elder Cheongyeum, so I’m taking his place.”
Since Cheongyeum was one of the Five Great Elders, it wasn’t unusual for him to suddenly have urgent business.
However, the other person was Radiant Light.
Radiant Light was the head of ‘Blinding Pain’.
And Damien had once thwarted ‘Blinding Pain’s’ plans in the Corpseplay’s dungeon.
In other words, Radiant Light was an enemy to Damien.
“Why did you do that?”
Radiant Light asked, tilting her head. She looked very innocent.
However, Damien knew Radiant Light’s true nature, so he could easily ignore her.
“It’s nothing. Please hurry up and guide me to the Treasury.”
Radiant Light’s eyes widened slightly at the unexpected words.
‘Avoiding me here would be a blow to my pride.’
Even Radiant Light wouldn’t be able to touch Damien inside the headquarters.
After all, Damien was under the protection of both Cheongyeum and the Holy Empress.
‘Radiant Light probably doesn’t have any intention of harming me either.’
Even so, there must have been a reason for her to approach him like this.
The only way to find out her intentions was to go along with her for now.
“You’re a brave one. Then please come this way.”
Radiant Light said, leading the way.
***
[Translator – Kie]
[Proofreader – Kawaii]