TSWKM 19

Chapter 19

Even with all the lights on, the inside of the building was still gloomy.

It felt more like a prison than a knight order.

“Wow! It looks like there might be traps on the floor!”

“What? There’s nothing on the floor. You can check if you want.”

Amon darted across the dark hall as if it were his own house. Nordeel held out a hand to him.

“You might get lost, so be careful. If you’re too scared, should I hold your hand?”

“I’m fine. Are you scared, too, brother?”

At being called “brother” by a boy young enough to be his son, Nordeel burst out laughing.

When he nodded yes, Amon quickly grabbed his hand.

Strange. Amon usually didn’t warm up to strangers so easily.

“But, brother, why are there no windows in this hallway? It’s too dark.”

“Knight orders that handle weapons don’t make many windows.”

“To scare enemies?”

“You’re very smart, aren’t you?”

He praised Amon, even for such a silly guess.

I gave Amon a side glance, then narrowed my eyes at Nordeel’s back.

“Also, if there are too many or too big windows, thieves could break in. Our order makes weapons that ordinary people could use, so we built only one entrance and no exits.”

“For that, your security seems weak. I didn’t see any protective magic at the entrance.”

My words cut across their conversation.

In truth, for a knight order that made weapons, it was normal to have layers of traps and barriers from the gate inward.

He must have noticed my suspicion, but Nordeel kept a calm face.

“Ah. We make weapons, yes, but we don’t sell them. We only lend them out.”

“….”

“Teacher, what does that mean?”

“It means if you borrow a weapon, you also have to borrow a person to wield it.”

That was a common practice for orders making special weapons. It prevented their skills from leaking out. They could protect their craft, and at the same time earn money lending out knights.

The lack of security at the entrance was their way of showing confidence in their strength.

Still, even ten years later, the Feather Knights would remain unknown nobodies.

More interesting than I expected.

At least now I understood why I hadn’t sensed Nordeel’s presence earlier.

Once I lost interest, he walked on, explaining to Amon the names and uses of weapons hanging on the walls, until we reached the end of the hallway.

“Here we are.”

Nordeel opened a door, revealing a large room with one wall entirely made of glass.

What the—black ginkgo trees behind glass?

Truly tasteless.

Under the bright daylight, the dark leaves swayed ominously. Amon gasped in awe.

“Wow! It looks like a house built under the night sky!”

…What strange taste that boy had.

I ignored Amon, who had pressed his face to the glass, and sat on the sofa.

“Amon, this isn’t our estate. Don’t wander around.”

“It’s fine. Kids are like that. Amon, want some chocolate? It’s in the drawer.”

Nordeel had already grown close enough to hand him chocolate.

He could serve as Amon’s attendant, really.

On the table sat a pure white tea set and a small box—probably containing the magic item.

“Is this it?”

“Yes. That’s the one we recovered.”

Without asking permission, I picked up the box.

Inside was a large silver ring with a bright yellow amber stone, the preserved body of an insect visible inside.

I brushed the amber with my thumb.

It looked like fine craftsmanship, but the magic stored inside was weak.

“I heard it hasn’t been purified yet, but I can feel holy power?”

“We layered double seals around the box to prevent the magic from leaking. The hallucination effect was too strong.”

“Ah, hallucinations. What level are we talking about?”

When I asked, Nordeel shook his head.

“Sorry. Our order doesn’t have purification experts, so we’re not sure.”

“…I see.”

I had assumed they just wanted to dump the purification work on us, but his face suggested otherwise.

I let go of my suspicion.

“I want to test how strong it is. May I remove the seal for a moment?”

“Wait, Lady Carl Suilen—!”

Ignoring him, I lifted the seal. Immediately, a suffocating, fishy stench filled the room.

“Ugh.”

Amon plugged his nose tightly with his fingers, then pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to me.

“Teacher, can I use this myself?”

“…Go ahead.”

“Thank you. I think I’m going to puke.”

“If you’re going to, use the trash can beside you.”

I turned away from pale-faced Amon and met Nordeel’s eyes. His face, too, was a bit pale.

“Where did you find this?”

“In an old noble estate in Gadd.”

“You found it yourselves?”

“No, we were commissioned to retrieve it.”

The stench was foul enough to make anyone gag, but we both kept calm.

Enduring magic pressure was part of the basic priest exams, and academy students had to study it for at least two years.

A trained priest showing weakness against magic was a disgrace.

So both of us clenched our fists and bit our tongues while we spoke.

“The family was wiped out during the Holy War. When we investigated, we learned the second and third sons were high-ranking dark priests.”

“That’s strange. All dark priests’ estates should have been cleared already. Why is this only found now?”

A bitter smile crossed Nordeel’s lips.

“Treasure hunters discovered a secret vault. But they couldn’t take the item.”

“They must have paid dearly.”

It wasn’t rare. Many risked their lives searching for artifacts in forbidden areas.

“Holy spells didn’t work on it. The longer you looked, the more hallucinations you saw. They couldn’t touch it. We put several sealing spells on it, but it’s safer to close the box again. A child might be affected.”

I glanced at the earring Amon wore and shook my head.

“He’s fine. I gave him protection before we came. But…”

This wasn’t worth such fuss.

It wasn’t an ancient relic of the dark priests, nor a top-class artifact.

“The magic is so weak, I’ll have to release the seal fully to know for sure. Is that alright?”

Unlike my casual tone, Nordeel hesitated.

I could see distrust in his troubled face. He didn’t trust my skills but was worried saying no would insult me.

But I already knew the amber ring was no real threat. I stroked the band with my finger.

“If you’re that worried, I can cast a protective spell first.”

I drew lines in the air. Without even pulling out a staff, I recited a long divine chant.

Golden light circled around me, forming armor of light.

Nordeel’s eyes widened.
“Sacred Light?”

“Yes.”

Of course he would recognize it.

Hayden had created this intermediate spell at ten years old. It was difficult to learn, but it could block almost all dark magic.

“You’re very talented for your age.”

“…That’s what they say.”

I had learned this very spell from Hayden himself.

Even though I had struggled and complained endlessly, Hayden had never once scolded me for being slow.

“Well… except for saying, ‘Is this really all that fits in your head?’”

I practiced Sacred Light for a whole year because of him.

I extended the spell to cover both Amon and Nordeel.

“This will keep the magic from leaking out.”

“Yes. In that case, I trust you.”

Nordeel nodded, intrigued.

I slid the ring onto my finger and turned my hand.

A chill spread from my wrist to my fingertips.

Then an ominous wind tugged at my hair, pulling it back.

Amon, halfway through a snack, stared at the spot where the magic gathered.

“Teacher, what is that?”

“…What?”