Chapter 530

We wandered around the storage area, looking for useful holy relics while also enjoying the sightseeing.

I instructed my companions to freely choose the relics they wanted, but with two conditions: the relic should be helpful in combat, and they shouldn’t pick any armor weaker than the Winter Armor.

Once we returned to the capital, the Winter Armor for all four of us would be completed, so I planned to rely on that for defense.

As long as they followed those rules, I didn’t care what they chose. They weren’t children, after all, and would know what relics they needed.

It took longer than expected to make a decision.

The relics stored here ranged from small, candle-like glowing objects to high-quality items worthy of the name “holy relic,” numbering over a hundred. To check their performance and origins, we had to ask the managing priest about each one.

—

“What’s this?”

“It’s a 2nd-class holy relic of the Menes Church Order, the Blue-Glowing Dagger. When drawn in the dark, it emits a bright light like a full moon, so it can be used as a torch substitute.”

After hearing the priest’s explanation, Milia lost interest and turned her gaze away from the jeweled dagger on display.

Yeah, getting a free holy relic is a big deal. Who would waste it on a glorified lantern? Especially since there were multiple copies of that dagger lying around.

“What about this bracelet?”

Damien pointed to a chain bracelet glowing with a faint golden light.

“That’s the Crystal Bracelet. It grants the wearer a blessing that drastically increases the chance of conception. It’s often borrowed by those struggling to produce an heir.”

“Ah…”

Damien took a step back and glanced at Milia.

Fortunately, Milia was already looking at other relics and didn’t seem to hear the priest’s explanation. Even if she had, she wouldn’t have chosen something like that.

I looked around for top-tier relics comparable to Durandal, but unfortunately, nothing of that caliber seemed to be stored here.

Relics like the Holy Armor of Carolus, the Holy Cloak of Leprobos that deflects all projectiles, or the Golden Nail that immobilizes monsters within a radius when driven into the ground.

But then again, those are practically national treasures. No matter how much we’ve contributed, it’s impossible for them to just hand those over.

—

After over an hour of browsing, we finally found some decent relics.

“I’ll take this one.”

Milia chose a longbow with a complexly intertwined wooden frame.

The Bow of the Divine Tree. It’s said to have been improved after plundering fairy treasures.

The bow was made from a branch of the World Tree, with a bowstring woven from fairy hair and blessed silver threads.

The bow itself contained the power of growth, so when an arrow hit its target, the wooden shaft would take root in the enemy’s body, sprouting and growing into a small tree.

At first glance, it seemed like a nature-friendly, idyllic item, but in reality, it meant that anyone hit by the arrow would be torn apart and turned into fertilizer by the roots.

“I like this spear.”

Nigel picked up a spear entirely made of gold, from the blade to the shaft.

“What about the spear you’ve been using?”

“Wouldn’t a holy relic be better than a spear with just a bit of silver mixed in? I plan to melt down my old spear and forge it into a dagger.”

That made sense.

Nigel’s current spear only had a small amount of silver, so its unique effects were weak.

“That’s Eberond’s Holy Spear…”

The managing priest, looking a bit pale as we kept picking the best items, explained the spear’s power.

Eberond’s Holy Spear is a relic left by Eberond, a paladin of the Elpinel Church Order.

True to its name, it’s highly effective against monsters, and the blade contains the power of lightning, electrocuting those it pierces.

It even has the ability to return to its owner’s hand when thrown, making it a perfect fit for Nigel, who excels at throwing spears.

Nigel’s face lit up with joy.

Well, even I was tempted by its performance, and I have Durandal. It’s no wonder Nigel, who’s been using a spear with only a bit of silver, was captivated.

—

Damien chose a necklace with a white dragon design embracing a round ruby.

To be precise, I chose it for him.

If I’d left him alone, he would’ve picked something like boots that increase jumping power, so I had to insist on this necklace.

The Necklace of Saint George.

It’s a relic I often used in the game and was exactly what Damien needed right now.

Given Damien’s obsession with jump attacks, I felt more at ease knowing he had this, especially since we didn’t have the Holy Cloak of Leprobos.

“The Necklace of Saint George… It creates a holy barrier three times a day to protect its owner. An excellent choice.”

As the priest explained, the necklace could create a spherical defensive barrier in response to its owner’s peril, perfect for covering the gaps in Damien’s jump attacks.

What the priest didn’t seem to know was that the necklace’s uses weren’t limited to three times a day.

In the game, its strength and number of uses increased every time you defeated a dragon.

“I like this earring. Is it okay if I choose this, miss?”

Leonor showed me a small earring with a smile.

It was a teardrop-shaped amethyst resembling her eyes, adorned with delicate and ornate goldwork. It was a valuable piece even as jewelry, let alone a holy relic.

The Earring of Saint Laila.

It granted a blessing similar to demon resistance, protecting the wearer’s mind from brainwashing, illusions, and drugs, while also repelling curses and breaking restraint magic.

Having suffered under Isabella’s control and recently falling victim to brainwashing in Arvil, Leonor seemed to prioritize protecting her mind above all else.

Good. Wearing that might help her overcome the claustrophobia-like trauma from her childhood experiences.

It’s a good thing. She tries to act composed, but it’s painful to see her always drawing the curtains first whenever she enters a room or a carriage.

—

Finally, I chose a golden ring engraved with divine script.

I already had Durandal for a weapon, and there was no armor that could surpass the Winter Armor.

Where else would I find self-regenerating armor? I might just wear this for the rest of my life.

If I ever felt the defense was lacking, I could just reinforce the scales without touching Ryu-rik’s fur.

Anyway, this ring was also something I often saw in the game.

The Sealing Ring.

It was a relic that sealed spirit beasts, allowing the summoner to call forth and control the sealed creature.

The ring itself wasn’t as important as what was sealed inside.

The summoned spirit beast would generally obey its master unless it was particularly unruly, and even if it suffered fatal damage, it would simply return to the seal instead of dying.

In the game, it was a paid DLC summoning item, but players never knew what they’d get until they used it, which led to some complaints.

Since it could seal more than just spirit beasts, some players ended up summoning kobolds instead.

On the other hand, there was a chance to summon powerful creatures like dragons, but the odds were extremely low. Like, a 0.004% chance for a dragon.

“That’s… the Sealing Ring containing Ego Beast. It’s a fine relic, but…”

The managing priest broke into a cold sweat and hesitated, looking like a high school girl about to confess her pregnancy to her parents.

“Why? Is there a problem?”

“Well… the nature of the Ego Beast sealed in that ring… I’m not sure if Sir Median can use it.”

…What on earth did they seal in there to make him act like this? His anxious expression was starting to make me nervous.

“What’s inside?”

“……A unicorn. A pure white horse with a sharp horn on its forehead.”

A unicorn? That sounds fine…

A unicorn is a pretty good summon. It’s like getting a high-performance, reusable mount. Plus, it’s as strong as a knight.

It seems perfect for me, so what’s the problem?

Ah.

I finally understood why the priest was making such an awkward face.

Right, he couldn’t just say in front of me that I might not be able to ride the unicorn. Because…

“A unicorn? Those really exist? That crazy spirit beast that stabs impure women to death?”

Leonor let out a disbelieving laugh.

The priest, his face slightly red, nodded silently. My cheeks probably turned red too.

Right. Thinking about it, the only characters who could ride unicorns in the game were heroines whose routes hadn’t been completed yet.

In other words, only virgins could ride them.

Even if you were the owner, if you ended up with the protagonist, the unicorn would refuse to be summoned.

If you tried three times, it would reluctantly appear but then stab you in the face with its horn when you tried to mount it.

I’ve seen more than a few posts lamenting the loss of a beloved character to that crazy horse. The comments were usually just mocking, though.

That’s why the priest was making such an awkward face.

He couldn’t just ask the Empire’s strongest warrior and the Holy Kingdom’s hero, “Are you a virgin?” in front of everyone.

[What a bizarre spirit beast. I was secretly hoping for a mount, but who knew it would be such a strange creature.]

Even Hersela, who had been quietly listening, seemed baffled. Riding it wasn’t the issue, but the fact that a spirit beast had such a preference was absurd.

‘Well, it’s fine. I can ride it, so there’s no problem… Wait, hold on.’

A sudden thought made me pause and unconsciously twitch my lower body.

A wave of anxiety hit me, and I whispered to Hersela with a trembling voice.

‘You… you can ride it, right…?’

The nickname “Ka`har’s prostitute” wasn’t based on fact, right?

In the original story, her first time was during the bad ending, right?

[Such blasphemous words! What do you take me for? Of course, I can ride it!]

Fortunately, Hersela’s outburst proved her purity.

Phew. That’s a relief. Then there’s no problem.

I let out a sigh of relief and slipped the Sealing Ring onto my right index finger.

“A spirit beast that only allows pure maidens to ride it… I understand your concern, but there’s no need to worry.”

“Eh? No, that can’t be…?”

The priest looked at the ring on my finger with a face full of doubt.

…What do you mean, “that can’t be”?

Do I look like someone who can’t ride it?