Chapter 207

Chapter 208. Bad News, Worse News (2)

The tower where the Solver’s office is located is entirely owned by Keter, and it even has three underground floors.

Reflecting Keter’s hobby of trying out various things, the tower could almost be considered a Curio Shop.

Just the research labs alone consist of five buildings. There are dozens of warehouses of all kinds. The corridors and rooms are filled with countless traps for intruders, but Keter always felt a sense of regret when he saw them.

“After all the effort I put into making and maintaining them, why doesn’t anyone come?”

“The outer walls alone are triple-layered Orichalcon, and if an intruder appears, Popo attacks. Not to mention, the Black and White Elders also guard the tower.”

“If someone wants to target my treasures, they should at least overcome such trials.”

“Is there really anything worth calling a treasure? It’s all just junk.”

“Memories can’t be measured in value.”

“You’d sell them for a thousand gold, though.”

“Of course, I’d sell them for a thousand gold.”

After passing through the long trap-filled corridor, Daat finally arrived at the real warehouse. Instead of inserting the key into a keyhole, he stuck it into a flat wall surface and turned it.

“Where did the idea of making the keyhole itself a trap even come from?”

“I got inspired after falling for it myself and thought it was brilliant.”

The treasure warehouse that opened was… desolate.

Wait, upon closer inspection, there were boxes neatly arranged in one corner. Although the quantity seemed modest compared to the massive warehouse, the corners of Keter’s mouth curled up as he read the inscriptions on the boxes.

“Maknun, you’re really a greedy one.”

“I learned it all from you, Brother! Hahaha!”

Small in volume but high in value. Things treated as trash in Ruquer but are priceless in the outside world.

The crafts made of expensive gemstones were gifts Maknun had prepared for Keter.

Maknun picked up a necklace. It was a blue-toned necklace that seemed to evoke the refreshing image of the sea.

“This is called ‘The Rush of the Sea,’ made by the Empire’s craftsman, Ludwig. It was traded for 30,000 gold in the outside world.”

“How much was it in Ruquer?”

“I exchanged it for bread, so about eight fairy coins?”

“How much did you buy it for?”

“Since I have a conscience, I paid a bit more.”

Maknun spread his palm.

“Five gold.”

“You brat, you’re definitely going to heaven when you die.”

“I expect an Archangel to come greet me.”

“Oh, what’s this? Made by an Elf?”

“You recognized it. It’s a necklace made from the guardian tree of an Elf village. In the outside world, it had the power to neutralize magic or poison due to its divine energy, but in Ruquer, it’s just a pretty leaf necklace, nothing more, nothing less.”

“If the divine energy returns, it could easily sell for hundreds of thousands of gold.”

“Even if it doesn’t, it’s worth at least 50,000 gold. It’s made from a guardian tree revered by Elves.”

“How much did you pay for this?”

“It was more expensive than ‘The Rush of the Sea.’ Twelve gold.”

“Reliable as always, Maknun!”

Just two crafts alone were worth over 100,000 gold. The boxes were filled with rings, necklaces, and other crafts, easily numbering over fifty.

And that’s not all. Maknun had also gathered Elixirs, Mana Stones, and other valuable items.

“But Brother, there’s a small yet significant problem.”

“I think I know what it is.”

“Can we carry all of this?”

“Hmm…!”

Indeed.

Even after minimizing the volume, it was far too much for a person to carry. Even a large carriage might struggle with the load.

To think of making round trips between Ruquer and Sephira to transport all of this?

‘Just imagining it is embarrassing.’

As Keter grimaced, Maknun began rummaging through one of the boxes.

“Actually, I’ve already found a solution.”

“Oh, now you’re even playing hard to get.”

“But the small problem I mentioned is this.”

Maknun pulled out a pouch. It was a gray leather pouch, about the size of a coin purse, compact yet practical.

Keter immediately sensed that it was a Magical Tool.

A pouch-type Magical Tool. It could hold more than what met the eye, maximizing the convenience of magic.

But it wasn’t omnipotent. There were clear limits to its volume expansion. And as far as Keter knew, such a small pouch had its limits, no matter how much space expansion was applied. Even fitting one box would make it a Level 3 Magical Tool.

‘Unless it’s a Level 5 Magical Tool, but this doesn’t look like a Level 5.’

Level 5 Magical Tools possess Artifact-level performance. Even though Ruquer has everything, it’s hard to believe Maknun just happened to find a Level 5 Magical Tool, especially a space-expanding pouch that everyone desires.

“Brother. It’s hard to believe, but this pouch can fit all those boxes and still have space left.”

“Huh?”

“Try putting your hand in.”

Even without Maknun’s suggestion, Keter stuck his hand into the pouch. Pouch-type Magical Tools don’t just have space expansion magic. What’s the point of putting things in if you can’t take them out?

Therefore, when you put your hand in, detection-type magic is also imprinted. It’s to know what’s inside and how much space is left.

“……!”

Keter’s arm slid into the small pouch. Information transmitted through his arm flowed into his mind.

“It’s real. It’s almost half the size of this warehouse.”

This level of performance was on par with a Level 5 Magical Tool. In terms of value, it would easily surpass 500 million gold.

“I’m guessing this isn’t a hopeful story of you luckily finding a Level 5 Magical Tool for cheap.”

“Ah, you know it. But even if it’s not Level 5, it’s still a Level 4 Magical Tool.”

“So it has a penalty, huh?”

“Bingo.”

Some Magical Tools have penalties added to enhance their performance.

For example, a sword that can cut through Orichalcon but has the durability of glass.

This pouch with its insane space expansion must have a corresponding penalty.

“First, it doesn’t have weight reduction. No, it couldn’t have it.”

“That alone makes it almost unusable. Anything else?”

If the pouch holds a massive amount of items but doesn’t reduce their weight, what happens? Can the person carrying the pouch withstand tons of weight?

They can’t.

They can’t even carry it in the first place.

Weight reduction is almost essential. But this pouch doesn’t have it. It’s not that they forgot to inscribe it. They imposed the ‘penalty’ of not inscribing it to grant a ‘bonus’ to space expansion.

In other words, the moment weight reduction is inscribed, the space expansion is also undone.

“Additionally, it drains the wearer’s Mana.”

“What if there’s no Mana?”

“Everything inside the pouch spills out.”

“Then you’d die, right?”

“They said eight people have already died from being crushed by this pouch.”

“What a ridiculous item.”

“Other than that, it’s perfect. The inside is a perfect vacuum, so you can store food long-term, and each item is individually isolated, making organization easy.”

“A magical pouch with no weight reduction, drains Mana in real-time, and spills everything out if Mana runs out.”

Keter couldn’t help but wonder who the previous users of this pouch were.

“Who on earth could withstand tons of weight and have infinite Mana……”

Keter’s gaze turned. There stood Six Hundred. Maknun followed Keter’s gaze but didn’t understand.

“Here he is.”

A being with infinite Mana and a sturdy body that can withstand tons of weight.

“If you wear it on your waist, the weight would be unbalanced, so it’s more stable to hang it around your neck.”

Keter hung the magical pouch around Six Hundred’s neck and checked the condition.

“Perfect.”

“Brother. I don’t quite understand. Won’t his neck break?”

“No. Six Hundred is the pinnacle of Imperial Magical Engineering. He can handle this and more.”

“That sounds more like wishful thinking……”

“Just load it up. If his neck seems like it’s going to break, we can take it off.”

With no clearer solution in sight, Keter decided to start loading the boxes into the pouch.

* * *

“Brother. It seems to be working fine?”

“Indeed. It’s much more stable than I thought.”

The pouch, now holding the equivalent of a large carriage’s load. Despite the weight being compressed into a small pouch, Six Hundred looked perfectly comfortable.

“Six Hundred, take a lap around the warehouse.”

At Keter’s command, Six Hundred walked a lap around the warehouse. His gait was as light as usual.

But while he looked fine, the deep footprints left on the ground showed just how much weight he was bearing.

“It’s almost like an Ogre’s level.”

“Wow, Brother. Try holding the pouch. The weight is insane.”

“Ohoho. Yeah, I can’t even lift it with one hand.”

“Couldn’t you crush someone’s head with this?”

“It could double as a weapon in a pinch.”

“Let me take something out to check if it’s working properly.”

Maknun stuck his hand into the pouch and fumbled around before pulling out ‘The Rush of the Sea.’

“It’s working.”

“I need to try it myself.”

Keter grabbed the pouch with both hands and lifted it, hanging it around his own neck.

It looked light, but the veins on Keter’s arms bulged just from holding it.

“The weight distribution is better than I thought?”

Keter felt a strange addiction to the pressure that felt like his neck would snap if he let his guard down for even a moment.

Like Maknun, Keter took something out and put it back in, then smiled with satisfaction.

“The conditions are harsh, but the performance is solid. Good job, Maknun.”

“I just trusted you and went for it, Brother. Who else would use this if not you?”

Keter hung the pouch back around Six Hundred’s neck and rubbed the back of his own neck.

“Let’s go, to Sephira.”

“Huh, right now?”

“What, should we sleep over and go tomorrow?”

“Brother. I think you forgot to tell me why I’m going to Sephira and what the purpose is.”

“Oh, right. You’ve been following along so well, I thought you already knew.”

“Well… I can guess. If someone as talented as me joins House Sephira, it’s obviously beneficial, and your goal is to revive the house and become a powerhouse, right?”

“My goal is to kill Queen Lilian.”

“……?”

“Let’s go up.”

“Wait, Brother. Hold on. Kill who? Is there no oxygen down here? I must be hearing things.”

Daat wanted to believe he misheard or that Keter was joking.

Returning to the office via the elevator, Keter checked the Teleportation Magic Circle and repeated.

“Everything I’ve done so far, and everything I’ll do from now on, is all to kill Queen Lilian.”

“…You’re not joking?”

“Maknun, look at my eyes. Do they look like I’m joking?”

“No.”

“Then that’s that.”

“Uh……”

Why on earth does Keter want to kill the Queen? From Daat’s perspective, it was impossible to guess.

The Queen hasn’t done anything to Keter, and did they even have any connection to begin with?

From Daat’s perspective, Keter had only left Ruquer less than half a year ago. He had briefly returned to Ruquer during that time.

But in that process, did something happen where Queen Lilian earned Keter’s hatred, leading him to say, ‘You’re targeting me? You’re dead’?

Unless Keter reveals what happened in his past life and his regression, Maknun couldn’t rationally understand Keter’s goal.

But-

“Brother, honestly, I don’t understand… but you must have a good reason.”

“……”

Keter remained silent.

He hadn’t decided yet. Whether to tell Maknun about his past life and regression.

Even Keter, who makes decisions easily, couldn’t decide this one quickly.

Maknun didn’t mind Keter’s silence. He didn’t feel upset that Keter was keeping something from him. He believed there must be a good reason.

Maknun, realizing how absurd it all sounded, let out a hollow laugh and shook his head.

“To borrow your words, Brother, let’s just give it a shot.”

“Your legs are shaking, unlike your words.”

“Please overlook that.”

“If you don’t want to, you can back out. I’ll respect your freedom.”

“I know you’ll retaliate. No thanks.”

“That’s why quick-witted kids like you are the best.”

After finishing the maintenance of the Teleportation Magic Circle, Keter stretched.

“Popo, let’s move to the new house.”

“What about the Black and White Elders?”

“According to the contract, they’ll stay and guard the tower. It’s a mutual benefit. They have a sturdy home, and I have a manager.”

“Aren’t you worried? What if nothing’s left when you return?”

“Worrying won’t change anything. If I could have it all, I would, but if I have to choose, I’ll choose quickly.”

“It’s bittersweet. But I’m ready.”

“That’s our Maknun.”

From the ceiling, the slime Popo descended. Originally large enough to fill the tower, Popo had compressed itself to the size of a human head.

Bzzzzzzzt!

As the Teleportation Magic Circle activated, the entire tower shook violently.

Keter already felt immense fatigue just from bringing Six Hundred. But now, with the addition of massive treasures, Daat, and Popo, the strain was even greater.

Crackle!

The magic circle trembled as if it might break. It was unsettling, but Keter muttered expressionlessly.

“How ironic.”

Keter realized.

Returning to Sephira was possible. But in exchange, this magic circle would be destroyed. He would never be able to return to Ruquer via teleportation again.

The land route wasn’t gone, but the convenient means of returning to Ruquer would be lost. Keter couldn’t help but feel this wasn’t a coincidence.

It felt as if Ruquer itself was warning him, ‘Don’t come back.’

‘Well… it was fun while it lasted, Ruquer.’

The place where he was born and raised.

Countless events and connections flashed through his mind.

‘See you next time.’

Crackle! Boom!

The office exploded in a blue flash, leaving nothing behind.