Chapter 149

Roar!

The colossal crystal cave of Isgangar.

The cave’s owner, enraged by the intruders, let out a fearsome roar.

As its massive jaws opened, light emanated from within its throat. Countless crystals shimmered not just on the surface but deep inside as well.

A monstrous anomaly swallowed by the glacier containing treasures.

The monstrous hand possessing the second treasure – the Crystal Serpent.

A two-headed serpent with an enormous body. The ruler of this domain.

In the game, it’s a boss monster.

It possesses an absurd passive ability – one head nullifies magic while the other nullifies physical damage. You need a well-balanced deck combining magic and physical damage dealers to defeat it.

But Asies is half-magic, half-physical.

A mage-swordsman who can handle both magic and physical attacks.

In other words, even Asies alone is more than sufficient.

The Crystal Serpent is actually a welcoming monster designed to maximize Asies’ abilities as a mage-swordsman.

“The blue-eyed snake is immune to magic, and the red-eyed one only susceptible to magic. Let’s go fighting.”

“Big sister, do your best!”

“…”

Sitting cozy inside the ice bunker created by Asies, Carami and Perka were peeling steaming potatoes. Asies silently stared at them.

Asies cannot think deeply. Nor can she feel vivid emotions.

But recently, Asies has started to perceive fleeting fragments of emotions. What she’s feeling now is irritation.

If this was Karami’s plan to awaken Asies’ emotions, it would be a great success. The problem is that it wasn’t part of the plan.

Asies’s inability to feel emotions is because of the dragon’s curse. Her irritation froze and disappeared from her consciousness in an instant.

Asies closed her eyes. She felt at ease.

In this moment, she was grateful for the curse.

Regaining her calm, Asies drew her sword.

Not an ice sword made of magic, but an iron sword.

In the game, ice swords were classified as physical attacks, but here it may not be the same. This was a precaution prepared by Karami.

Asies lightly lunged at the Crystal Serpent with her sword in hand.

***

Puuk.

Roar…

Asies drove her sword into the serpent’s forehead.

The skin of the creature, which has no resistance to physical attacks, was easily pierced even by an ordinary iron sword. The head resistant to physical attacks has been frozen solid since the start of the battle.

The struggling serpent stopped all movement. The crystals losing their life could no longer maintain their form and crumbled.

The crystals, losing their luster, had become no different from mere rocks. A faint glimmer seeped from within the pile.

It was undoubtedly the kingdom’s treasure swallowed by the Crystal Serpent.

Asies cleared away the rubble and picked up the treasure. It was a music box with blue, white, and gold colors harmoniously blended together.

Upon seeing the music box, she felt it was very familiar, just like with the tiara, evoking a sense of déjà vu.

Once the battle ended, the two people who had been hiding in a safe place approached the scene.

“You’ve done well, Miss Asies. It was a clean fight.”

“Watching you fight, Big Sister, is absolutely beautiful no matter how many times I see it~ Even the jewelry Father makes can’t compare to your sword.”

Asies’ combat style is almost artistic.

Not just her appearance, but her graceful movements, the colors and use of magic come together beautifully, mesmerizing the onlookers.

Perka was already thoroughly captivated.

“Rammi… what is this…?”

“Ah, it’s a music box. It must be the treasure the chief mentioned, likely found in the serpent’s stomach.”

“Music box…?”

“If you activate it, a certain melody will play. Would you like to try?”

Asies nodded, wound up the music box, and released it.

…

But there was no beautiful melody. Only the unpleasant dissonance of metal was heard.

“Hmm, it seems to be broken. May I take a look at it for a moment?”

Asies handed the music box to Perka.

Perka exuded a serious atmosphere unlike his usual self, reminiscent of a blacksmith. He carefully examined the music box while fiddling with it.

“There seems to be a problem with the internal parts. Well, if this is truly an object from hundreds of years ago, it would be strange for it to be in perfect condition. It was inside a monster’s stomach after all, without any maintenance.”

“Then… can’t we… make it work..?”

“Hmm, hard to say. It’s surprisingly intricately made. The more delicate the item, the harder it is to repair. It’s difficult to give a definite answer.”

“…”

Asies’ head slightly dropped.

The song of the music box.

She had hoped that listening to it might bring something to mind.

The atmosphere slightly dampened.

“Blacksmiths, how can you answer like that? Can’t you see Miss Asies is sad?”

“Uh…! Hmm! No, I can fix it! I’ll definitely fix it! However, there’s not enough equipment here. We’ll have to return to Duneheim.”

“You heard that? If it can be fixed, don’t be too disheartened. Trust Miss Perka, won’t you?”

“…Yeah. Perka is an excellent blacksmith…”

“Thank you for trusting me, but please don’t feel burdened…”

Though broken, there’s no doubt it’s a treasure.

After returning to the village with the music box and handing it over as usual to Darika, Darika tried to activate the music box but only the unpleasant grinding sound was heard instead of a melody.

“Tsk. It’s such a pity! If only it wasn’t broken, it would have been a wonderful thing! At least the original form is preserved, so that’s fortunate!”

“Surely you know the origin of this music box, don’t you?”

“Of course I do! This music box… wait, why can’t I remember?”

The confident Darika, who was about to tell a story, instead rubbed his chin. Perhaps due to his age, no matter how much he wracked his brain, the memory wouldn’t come.

A faint shadow of disappointment crossed Asies’ face.

“What! The important thing is that the music box has returned to its rightful place. Good job! I will take care of this music box.”

“Ah, excuse me. May I take the music box with me?”

“What?”

“I know an exceptionally talented blacksmith. If I ask him, he could probably fix the music box.”

Darika turned his body and hid the music box in his bosom.

“No way! This is the duty entrusted to me by our ancestors. I must manage it!”

“But didn’t you forget what this music box is? Once it’s repaired and we listen to its song, it might jog your memory, Chief.”

“Impossible! I can’t hand it over to anyone! Go away, thief!”

Elderly people, especially those with dementia, often develop a habit of hiding things. Afraid that thieves might break in and steal them.

This habit became intertwined with Darika’s duty as chief. Regardless of who asked, he wouldn’t part with his prized possession.

“Hmm, what a dilemma.”

Karami, muttering in thought, soon smiled as if an idea had struck her.

“What if we do this? I’ll bring Baschal here.”

“Baschal…?”

“Yes. My friend and the Chief’s son, Baschal. I’ll bring him here if you’ll entrust the music box to us in the meantime.”

“Hmm…”

“Don’t you want to see Baschal?”

Darika bellowed.

“What? That useless brat who didn’t even listen to his mother? Who would want to see him? I don’t need him!”

“Is that so? You might never see him again, you know. Will you not regret it?”

“That…”

While Darika was contemplating, Karami stood up.

“You should be mindful that we don’t have much time left. Both you and me. I’ll wait for you to make the right choice.”

***

After handing over the music box to Darika and leaving the tent, Jorn approached Karami with a sinister look, grabbing her arm.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

“What do you mean?”

“Bringing back Baschal. Baschal is already dead. The shock of it sent the Chief into a mental breakdown. And now you dare to not only lie but also try to bargain with the Chief. Are you deliberately asking for death?”

Chhjik.

Ice rose from beneath Jorn’s feet and enveloped them. Jorn hastily stepped back. Asies was extending her arm towards him.

Though expressionless, it was a threatening magical gesture warning him not to mess with Karami. If Asies had been serious, Jorn would have turned into an ice statue before he could react.

Karami began straightening out the wrinkles in her clothes.

“And why are you suddenly saying this now when you’ve known about me all along?”

“What?”

“I’m a slave trader. If there’s profit to be made, I trade even with the dead.”

“You…”

“I don’t know what you expected from me, but my slaves come first. Since my slave wants the music box, I have no choice but to get it for her.”

With her clothes straightened, Karami left with Asies towards their tent.

“I’ll bring the last treasure soon. Please ensure Chief’s well-being until I return.”

Jorn could only watch them leave.

Returning to the tent they had just vacated, Jorn noticed strange noises coming from within.

“This… I cannot give this to anyone. This is mine.”

As if possessed by a demon.

Darika clutched the music box in his arms, muttering to himself like chanting a spell.

Darika’s dementia symptoms were worsening day by day.

His health was deteriorating as well.

The harsh continent of Isgangar shows no mercy to the weak. Darika, an elderly sick person, already looked like a man on his deathbed.

The Death God brought death to Lake Fortress.

And it should have been clear by now that letting Karami in was a mistake.

But it was too late to regret.

***

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