… a pretty disappointing sight.
Much of the treasure room was pretty empty with only a pile of Klador to the corner. Well, it wasn't exactly nothing as it was an amount more than any normal person would ever see in their entire life. But Haru had seen a real treasure room before. Back in his old life, he had glimpsed the vaults of Crown Almighty. There, they didn’t just have a single room filled to the ceiling with shimmering Klador; they had several. Rooms filled with gold, jewels, enchanted weapons, and priceless artifacts that defied imagination. And it wasn’t just the Crown Almighty; the other kingdoms had riches that could make a grown man weep with envy.
By comparison, the Kingdom of Cranch was like a pauper’s purse. It was exactly like the prince and king had said, they had used the majority of their funds just to keep the kingdom afloat. The artifacts they did possess were half-buried in the pile of Klador, carelessly strewn aside like trinkets meant to be sold off another day.
Haru's silence spoke volumes. Sensing his disappointment, Aldric cleared his throat, trying to mask his embarrassment. “Cael, why don’t you help me gather the fifty thousand Klador? Mr. Rex, feel free to choose any artifact you’d like.”
“Yeah, sure…” Haru replied absentmindedly. He approached the pile and activated his skill, [World Knowledge], focusing on the artifacts sticking out of the pile.
> World Knowledge Lv3
> Name: Obsidian Ward Amulet Description: A crude amulet carved from ebonstone, known for its ability to repel low-level curses. Crafted by an unknown mage of modest skill. Use: Provides minor resistance to basic curses and hexes. Ineffective against high-tier magic. Assessment: Common-Grade. Value: Minimal.
Haru sighed internally. 'Great, a trinket for warding off children’s curses.'
> Name: Rain-Singing Staff Description: A slender staff carved from a rare bluewood tree, which is said to grow only in enchanted woods. The staff is adorned with silver filigree, twisting like vines along its length, and topped with a sapphire orb that emits a soft glow when exposed to water. Use: When the staff is spun in a circular motion, it produces a melodious sound akin to raindrops falling on leaves. This sound gives a 20% chance to summon rain. Assessment: Moderate-Grade. Value: Moderate.
'What am I going to do with an portable rain maker?'
> Name: Helm of the Silent Sentinel Description: An ancient helm of tarnished steel, worn by an unknown knight. It provides limited protection against sound-based attacks. Use: Reduces the effectiveness of auditory illusions and some sound-based magic. Assessment: Moderate-Grade. Value: Moderate.
'Okay, so it’s basically earplugs,' Haru thought, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. Haru had prepared himself for the possibility that there wouldn’t be any high-quality artifacts left in Cranch’s treasure room, but he hadn’t expected the selection to be this dismal. While he wasn't expecting anything legendary, he thought there would at least be something of practical use. Instead, he found himself sifting through a pile of what could barely be called artifacts. The kingdom’s collection was underwhelming, to say the least.
'I was too optimistic.' He sighed, realizing that the kingdom must have sold off their most valuable items long ago, likely to bolster their finances and buy themselves time against the plague.
'I guess I'll just pick the highest value item here and sell it... ' He continued to rummage through the pile, his hope dwindling. He examined a few more items—a pair of fire gauntlets, a shield with enchantments that makes ones' skin like stone—but nothing stood out as particularly useful or valuable.
Just as he was about to settle for the least unimpressive artifact, a soft clink caught his attention. A small avalanche of Klador coins to his right shifted. He thought he saw something odd in his peripheral vision, but when he turned, there was nothing—just the continuous pile of Klador coins. Yet, he couldn’t shake an uncanny feeling, like something was there, hiding just out of sight.
There were many unexplained mysteries in Kladin and as you begin to travel the land, you will eventually come across unexplainable phenomenon. In such cases, you could choose to ignore it but it would mean ignoring either life and death danger or untold treasures.
He turned his head back to the left, and that strange sensation flared up again.
“What the...?”
Haru furrowed his brow and rubbed his eyes, trying to clear his vision. Then, he stared directly at the corner of the room where the two walls met. Moving as slowly as he could, he turned his gaze to the right, making sure not to blink. As his eyes shifted, he caught it again—an area that seemed to jump a few inches to the right, almost as if reality itself had shifted.
Haru's eyebrows shot up in surprise.
It wasn’t a large shift, nothing anyone else might have noticed, but because he had been so focused, he realized his eyes had been tricked into skipping over something.
Curious, he closed his eyes and cautiously moved toward the pile of coins. He reached down, feeling around blindly with his hand. The Klador coins felt cool under his touch, but then his fingers brushed against something different—something solid. Gripping it, he pulled back and opened his eyes, finding a plain wooden box in his hand. It seemed completely out of place among the glittering treasures.
Interesting... Haru thought. He decided to use [World Knowledge] to get more information.
> World Knowledge Lv3
> Name: Sealed Containment Box Description: A high-level containment box crafted from Ironwood, a rare material resistant to magic and enchantment. The box is covered in intricate runes that seem to shift when observed closely, designed to conceal and protect whatever lies inside from detection by magical or mundane means.
Curiosity now fully gripped him. Haru placed his hand on the lid, ready to open the box, when Aldric's voice cut through the silence from behind. "So, you found it."
Haru turned to see Aldric standing behind him, a somber expression on his face. "What’s inside?" Haru asked.
Aldric shook his head. "I honestly don’t know."
If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.
"You don’t know?" Haru raised an eyebrow. "Then why hide it?"
"Lysandra told me to," Aldric replied. Cael, who had been filling sacks with Klador, froze at the mention of his mother's name and moved closer, clearly interested in what his father would say next.
"We discovered it in the catacombs beneath the kingdom," Aldric continued. "This was shortly after Lysandra and I were married. At the time, her family was planning a revolt to overthrow her rule and install her uncle as the ruler. They used the underground catacombs to sneak their soldiers in. Fortunately, we managed to suppress the revolt and capture those involved. They were executed for their betrayal. To prevent anything like that from happening again, we began sealing off the entrances to the catacombs. That’s when we found a hidden room containing this item. It was tightly wrapped in runes that concealed its presence. When we unsealed it, it gave off a strange sensation, like it was being pulled in a certain direction."
Aldric paused, his gaze distant as he recalled the events. "Lysandra had a bad feeling about it. She always had a sixth sense for these things, so I didn’t question her. She had a box made to seal it away. We considered putting it back in the hidden room, but she worried that if someone tracked it down in the catacombs, we wouldn’t be able to protect it. So, we hid it here, among the other treasures. It’s protected by several runes of concealment and we never talked about it, so not even Magnus knew about it." Cael listened intently, a look of amazement crossing his face. Even his mother, who was known for her practical and tactical decisions, had chosen to hide this mysterious item she couldn’t even identify. Now, his curiosity was piqued as well.
Haru, on the other hand, was quite perplexed. There was a lot he didn’t know about the world of Kladin, but with his [World Knowledge], such gaps were usually filled. But this… this was different. Even with his extensive knowledge, he couldn’t quite place what this item might be. Suddenly, a thought suddenly crossed his mind, a possibility he hadn’t considered before.
“Could it be…?” he muttered under his breath, a spark of excitement flickering in his eyes.
He turned back to Aldric. “I want this,” Haru stated firmly.
Aldric hesitated, surprised by Haru’s sudden decisiveness. “Are you sure? You don’t even know what it is.”
“Yes!” Haru’s said with an unrelenting gaze.
Aldric regarded him for a long moment, then sighed. “Very well. It’s yours. I don’t know what you plan to do with it, but I urge you to be cautious. Even before you arrived, this was the one item I wouldn’t part with, no matter the cost. It was my last promise to Lysandra—to keep it from falling into the wrong hands. If I had to, I would have thrown it into a volcano to be rid of it.” Haru nodded. He watched as Aldric placed a hand on the box, muttering a few words under his breath. The runes on the box began to glow and then faded, the seals breaking silently.
Taking a deep breath, Haru carefully opened the lid. A golden light spilled out, flickering across the room. As his eyes adjusted, he felt a jolt of shock ripple through him. Inside was a rod-like piece, about a half-foot in length, covered in cubic formations of some sort of unrecognizable material. Just as Aldric had described, the moment the box was opened, the object began to emit a strange, pulsating energy. It almost felt alive, vibrating slightly as if being pulled by an unseen force.
Haru stared at it, his mind blanking out. He quickly activated [World Knowledge] just to make sure.
> Name: ⧫⌬ Key 1/3 Description: A partial fragment of the ⧫⌬ Key. This piece appears to be incomplete and can be completed by finding the other pieces. It emits a faint, otherworldly energy. Use: Unknown
Haru stared at the rod in the box, his eyes widening in disbelief. He knew exactly what it was, but he had never imagined he would find it here, of all places. His usual composure vanished in an instant. “HOLY SHIT, IT WAS HERE THE ENTIRE TIME?”
He dropped the box, his hands trembling as he carefully lifted the key fragment, holding it as gently as if it were a newborn child. He proceeded to spin around as he lifted it in the air as if he was playing with it. His eyes were wide with awe, his breath coming in quick, shallow bursts.
Aldric and Cael exchanged awkward glances. They had never seen Haru so uncomposed, acting so strangely. Seeing him like this was unsettling. Unsure of how to react, they chose to remain silent.
After a few moments, Haru seemed to regain his senses. He gently placed the fragment back into the wooden box, closing it with care. He then slipped it into his bag of holding, his hands still trembling slightly. When he finally turned back to face Aldric and Cael, a smile with full teeth spread across his face. “Thank you. You have no idea how much this has accelerated my plans.” “I—I see,” Aldric stammered, still trying to recover from the shock of Haru’s outburst. “In that case, you’re welcome.”
Haru had no intention of revealing the significance of the item. There was no benefit in sharing that knowledge with Aldric or Cael, and the two men seemed to understand that. They didn’t press him for more information, trusting that if it concerned them, Haru would have told them. A silent agreement passed between them—some things were better left unsaid.
“Ahem, I’ve finished collecting the coins as well,” Cael interjected, breaking the silence. He lifted a small storage box in his hand, carrying the same properties as a bag of holding. Inside were the fifty thousand Klador, packed neatly and light enough to lift. Haru nodded, taking the box and slipping it into his bag. “Now then, there’s just one last thing,” Haru said, reaching into his bag of holding one last time and pulling out a piece of parchment.
“Is that…?” Cael’s voice trembled slightly.
“Yep, it’s the recipe for my cure,” Haru confirmed with a grin. “Let’s see if your alchemists are skilled enough to reproduce it!”
…
Elsewhere, at the Same Moment...
In a distant magical academy, far removed from the events unfolding in Cranch, a beautiful woman floated on her wooden staff before a group of eager students. She was a vision of beauty, with fair, flawless skin and a voluptuous figure that drew the eyes of many. Her long, wavy cerulean blue hair cascaded down her back like a waterfall, framing a face of striking elegance and charm. Atop her head sat an elongated white hat, adorned with intricate silver embroidery that glimmered under the sun.
She was finishing up her speech.
“Magic is not just about power,” she was explaining to the wide-eyed students. “It is about understanding the very fabric of reality, the threads that bind our world together. Only by mastering this understanding can we hope to bend it to our will. It will be a tough road ahead but one I guarantee it will be a worthwhile endeavor for those who persist. ”
The crowd clapped and gave the woman a grand applause. One of the faculty members, a woman with glasses and tied back brown hair thanked the woman with fervor, "Lady Primus, we are so thankful you could come out and address the new students. They will never forget this day."
The blue hair woman laughed lightly. "You're very welcome. I had a bit of time out of my day so I thought it would be good to get some fresh air and introduce myself to the new students."
The brown hair woman, as if looking at her idol, nodded fervently.
As she spoke, she sensed a faint ripple in the distance—a subtle disturbance that only someone of her caliber could detect. Her blue eyes narrowed slightly, focusing on the sensation.
"Excuse me," she said, as she dismounted her staff and opened a rift. She stepped through the rift and appeared in a room where a large magical contraption dominated 80% of the space. Rotating rings moved along the axis as a map was displayed at the center.
A blinking dot appeared at one area of the map, and she focused in. "The Universal Key… it's in Cranch?" She said in an incredulous tone. "But why is it only appearing now, and why didn't Magnus tell me before?"
She covered her right eye, and suddenly, a magical rune appeared within the main city of Cranch. It transformed into an eye which couldn't be seen by the local populace but which allowed her to see everything in the main city.
She immediately noticed the destruction of the main city and the crowds of people around it. The castle walls had a hole in them, and people were discussing what had happened.
"Magnus died… The king was injured… Demons appeared?" A vein bulged on the woman's forehead. "That idiot! What did you do?!" She thought for a moment before calming down. "It's fine. Cranch is already on its last legs. It won't be long now."
She waved her hand, and from the center of the contraption, a different piece of the universal key floated towards her. It was red in color, different from the golden color Haru had. In her hand, it moved slightly towards the location of Cranch.
"Is it you, King Aldric, or has someone else gotten their hands on the key?" The key suddenly stopped vibrating, as if the connection was lost, though she showed no further emotion. "No matter, now that It's been revealed, it's only a matter of time."