Hero's Coffin Chapter 92

Chapter 92

Suddenly Jade tilted his head as if puzzled.

"Huh, somehow your face seems different from when I first saw you...?"

Why did he remember such details? Even though he had never seen his face properly since he wore his robe's hood pulled down deep then too, Jade's sharp eyes caught it.

Though he hadn't bothered changing his voice since few people knew it anyway, his face was under disguise magic. When he had checked in the mirror, his hair had changed to ash gray and his eyes to light pink, but since those colors seemed to show the mage's intention, he insisted on covering them with his hood.

Otherwise, only his gaunt and haggard look had decreased, but even that seemed to have changed his impression considerably. They had only disguised a little since changing too much with magic would make inconsistencies stand out, but he had noticed even this.

As he was making a rather contradictory excuse that his face was just puffy from not sleeping properly, Serena whispered beside him.

"Maybe his face changes in the process of sealing his power. Or perhaps he periodically changes his appearance to hide from the evil forces pursuing him!"

At this rate, shouldn't Serena become a novelist rather than a mercenary? He looked at her with eyes of respect. With such a novelist as a companion, why couldn't Jade get close to his brother? Were companions and siblings different? Rather, Serena and Sile would probably get along best...

Jade just nodded while giving a good-natured "Ahaha" laugh. Wondering if that was a gesture of letting it slide, he brought up yesterday's story.

"By the way, yesterday's subjugation was really amazing. For bright light to suddenly burst forth in the pitch-dark forest! Though I think the Death Knight's evil spirits pulled me out of the swamp before that..."

"Ahem."

"I'll never forget that light. Like the hero had come, no, would it be like that if the legendary Arux rose?"

Jade had strangely good intuition. Though that light was fake sunlight created by Beatrice's magic, it was meant to hide the holy sword Haren had drawn. As it happened, that hero also possessed Arux, the small sun holy relic. They said it was famous as a holy relic sought in times of chaos, perhaps the mercenaries in danger yesterday had desperately wished for that miracle too.

However, Serena firmly denied Jade's incredible intuition.

"No, it was more like Isolatedies than Arux."

"...Isola-what?"

"Isolatedies!"

What was that unnecessarily fancy name? When he reacted dryly, Serena's eyes lit up. As soon as she realized he didn't know, she seemed very excited to tell him about it.

She lowered her voice and whispered to him.

"It's one of the lesser-known holy relics said to be sleeping on the sky island, it's the spear used by Solnium. The spear thrust down to bring light to the land stained with darkness in the beginning! The first ray of light! Containing God's will to balance the world, unholy things can't even stand against it and perish! Its power is far stronger than Arux!"

He half-tuned out from the moment talk of primordial darkness started. Though he thought the novelist's disposition had activated again, the final added words especially came across as boasting.

Stronger than Arux? Could such a thing exist in the world? Having seen Arux's power directly before his eyes, it sounded even more preposterous.

And above all...

"If it's that strong, why isn't it well-known? All the adventurers searching the sky island only want Arux."

When they had visited the sky island, his companions' goal was only Arux. If there was something better than Arux, his companions would have searched for that too, but they hadn't at all, and neither Haren nor Noi had even mentioned the Isola-whatever holy relic.

If Noi, famous as a genius aide, hadn't mentioned it, there was a high chance that holy relic didn't exist at all. Maybe it was just a holy relic from fantasy? Like some kind of Excalibur.

At his indifferent attitude, Serena shook her head repeatedly.

"No. It's just not well-known because it can't spread light over a wide area like Arux, but anything hit by Isolatedies definitely dies! Only after the spear like a single ray of light was thrust down did the small sun shine on the world, so the spear is a better holy relic than Arux!"

Hmm, though he could agree that a guaranteed kill was better than an area-of-effect amplification buff skill, it lacked credibility. And even now, the hero's grace combined with the small sun's sacred realm was producing effects close to 100% kills.

"Is there any historical record of someone using it?"

"W-well, there isn't..."

A dry laugh escaped. Then how could she guarantee a definite kill? Well, the story itself did have an interesting legendary form...

Usually when humans hear there's a strongest holy relic, they tend to imagine something even stronger. Like how S-rank is followed by SS-rank, SSS-rank, and EX-rank. Perhaps following this characteristic, someone had started saying 'Though people seek Arux in times of chaos, there's actually an even more amazing holy relic!'

As he nodded indifferently, having deduced even the background of how the story spread, Serena burst out. Seeming to sense from his reaction that he didn't believe it at all, she exclaimed.

"I heard this from 'Lara Workshop'! That makes it credible, right?!"

"...?"

"You don't know Nadael's Lara Workshop? The workshop owner is a famous alchemist!"

It would be faster to count what he knew than what he didn't know. It wouldn't even amount to much. How could he know about Lara Workshop when he had only learned this city's name a few days ago?

However, even Jade was surprised at his reaction.

"You really don't know? It's a name every mercenary has heard at least once."

"...I-I think I might remember. Someone skilled in crafting..."

"Right! Though healing potions are exclusively sold by the temple and hard to get elsewhere in the market, Lara makes something almost identical! And not just potions, she even crafts magical tools comparable to holy relics so many people come from far away. She also repairs various weapons."

Since the workshop owner was an alchemist, she would be skilled at crafting, so he had vaguely played along and fortunately it worked. While inwardly breathing a sigh of relief, he listened attentively to Jade's story.

She had quite some nerve doing business the temple would dislike in the Holy Empire where the temple's power was so high. It seemed her customers blocked the temple's pressure because she was so popular among mercenaries. Even the head of the Mercenary Association was a regular customer.

Noticing his interest, Jade suggested,

"It's nearby, want to go together? The workshop is spacious and there's lots to see!"

Whoosh, his gaze turned to the table. Though they were just a bit apart within the banquet hall now, they probably wouldn't look kindly on completely leaving the annex. Since it would be individual action.

Still, the magical tools said to be comparable to holy relics drew his interest. Every time they entered an Encroachment Zone, Haren had given him holy relics for protection, but he had broken them all and hesitated to ask for more. Though there had been unavoidable circumstances each time, for now he wanted to avoid even speaking to him.

...Afraid of receiving that uncomfortable gaze again.

"Not for long, just briefly."

Since he was wearing the collar, wouldn't it be fine to leave briefly? And now it seemed the companions trusted him a little too... Though it wasn't favorable trust but just the kind thinking he wouldn't do anything rash with necromancy, but that was better than nothing.

He impulsively followed Jade and Serena. Though he felt slightly uneasy while walking, his mind changed as soon as they left the annex.

–Meow.

He met the black cat, En. His eyes widened as they immediately encountered each other as if it had been waiting outside the annex. Regardless of Jade saying "Oh, isn't that your cat?" beside him, he immediately ran to En and grabbed its body.

"You...!"

Perhaps if the NPC had been there then, could he have avoided the incubus's curse? Though anger welled up, he couldn't question past events now, and moreover, not wanting to even mention that incident, he poured out other questions first.

"When can you break the soul connection you set up? Shouldn't it be resolved soon now? I want to break it quickly."

Words burst out urgently. Previously the status window had informed that the Dium's curse could be resolved within a month. It was information given after forcing the connection first. Though the curse had progressed slowly then because Haren had been badly injured in the Encroachment Zone, it was said the speed would naturally increase once he recovered.

Since Haren had barely been injured additionally after that, it should be time for the curse to resolve soon. He wanted to somehow break the soul connection before entering the next Encroachment Zone. Moreover, in this state he couldn't even stay too far from him.