Chapter 229: Beyond the Hidden Door

The hidden passage Ruby discovered extended underground. It was narrow in width, but fortunately tall enough that even Eiji, our huge companion, could join us. But as expected, Karl couldn’t fit in and had to stay behind. He seemed tired from the earlier battle and was sleeping alongside Sei’s familiars. So he probably wouldn’t feel lonely.

The hidden passage was longer than anticipated and it took us deep underground. Although I had the [Night Vision] skill, I equipped a lantern at my waist just in case. I admit, it might have been overly cautious, but preparing for the worst is crucial.

“Is this the door? Ruby, can you manage?”

At the end of the corridor was a plain metal door, without any decoration, but with a large keyhole. It seemed impossible to enter without unlocking it.

And when it comes to lockpicking, it was Ruby’s time to shine. Even though her job was more combat-oriented as an assassin, she was skilled at picking locks. The reason being…

“Hmm… Ah! Got it! It was pretty fragile to begin with, so it was a piece of cake!”

By inserting the body of a viscous slime into the keyhole and reshaping it, Ruby was able to craft a perfect key. Even with a low level of skill or job adjustment, anyone could open the lock if they had the key.

There’s a scene in period dramas where thieves pour wax into keyholes to make a mold, and it was Genjuro who mentioned this technique, saying that Ruby should try it out. It turned out to be successful. Experimentation is key after all. Besides, Ruby was good at infiltrating through narrow gaps and underwater, so it was nearly impossible to escape her grasp if she seriously intended to assassinate someone.

“Shall we get to it then?”

“Let’s go! On the count of three!”

Once the key was turned, the next challenge was to open the door. The rusty, heavy metal door was a formidable barrier that required all of our strength enhanced by [Enchantment] to finally budge.

――――――――――

Isam has discovered the hidden area known as the “The Secret Treasure Room of the Capital”.

30 SP is allocated as a reward for this discovery.

――――――――――

“Whoaaa~!”

“This is… amazing!”

As the door creaked open with the unpleasant sound of rust grinding, we were greeted by the sight of gold and treasure piled like a mountain. The sight of such a bounty, which did not disappoint our expectations, caused us to spontaneously cheer in joy. The discovery bonus was indeed generous, but the treasures before our eyes were more important!

In the game, gold bars were traded as precious items, and numerous exquisite works of art lay before us. Even [Appraisal] revealed that while they might not be practical items, their value as works of art was immeasurable. If they were sold to some connoisseurs, we could earn a fortune.

In addition, there were powerful items that made us grin with delight, such as potions that Shiitake looked at intently and a treasure sword that Genjuro swung casually. Considering the time it took to navigate the fog-shrouded “Ashfall Hills” the effort seemed to have paid off. It’s always nice to be rewarded for your hard work.

“Hmm, where to start… Oh? What’s this box?”

When I decided to look around, the sheer abundance of items caused my eyes to dart from one to another; I was unsure of where to begin. Then my attention was caught by a wooden box among the shelves filled with treasures of various sizes.

The treasures lined up on the shelves were displayed at angles that made each one look beautiful. The arrangement resembled that of a museum or a jewelry store, but there was an inconspicuous item subtly placed among them. It was only by chance that I noticed it, and I would have missed it had I been completely absorbed in the other treasures.

At first glance, the box appeared plain, but the carvings on it were incredibly detailed and beautiful. A relief of birds in flight, as if blessing the emblem in the center of the lid, surrounded by small flowering vines carved on the sides. It wasn’t flashy, but it seemed likely that something precious was inside. I decided to open it.

“A jade seal… Could it be, an imperial seal!? To think it actually exists…”

The contents of the box were indeed an imperial seal. It was a fist-sized seal made of jade, and its semi-transparent deep green color was strikingly beautiful. The handle was shaped like a bird about to take flight and bore the same emblem as the lid.

I hadn’t really believed it existed, so to be honest, I was very impressed. Even though it was in a game, my fingers trembled slightly as they touched an object that could be read about in history books. With a mixture of awe and curiosity, I carefully picked up the Imperial Seal and decided to use [Appraisal].

――――――――――

• Imperial Seal of a Fallen Nation – Quality: God, Rarity: G (God)

This was one of the legitimate symbols of a king, passed down in a nation that no longer exists.

An imperial seal is crafted by the gods and hence becomes a symbol of authority.

Without possessing it, one cannot claim to be king, and the seal always seeks its rightful king.

What meaning is there in an imperial seal without its master?

――――――――――

It was really an imperial seal. The prefix “of a fallen nation” revealed that the country that once possessed this seal had been wiped out. It was probably the seal of the Septen Duchy. The quality and rarity were the highest, but as the description said, it was an item created by the gods which made sense.

Whether this artifact was of any use to us players was a separate matter, but there was no doubt that it was a very rare item. It might prove useful in some way, so I decided to preserve it carefully…

――――――――――

You have obtained the title “Bearer of the King’s Mantle”.

――――――――――

“Huh?”

“Ah?”

“Eh?”

“Hmm?”

“Oh?”

After I acquired a new title, everyone else momentarily froze in their place. They must have received titles as well. Before confusion could grow further, it seemed necessary to explain the situation.

“Ah, everyone! First, I want to hear what happened.”

“It’s not so much what happened, but all of a sudden, the title “Companion of the Qualified’ popped up.”

“Me too!”

“It seems everyone’s the same. And the ‘Qualified’ must refer to you, Isam, doesn’t it?”

“Could it be anyone else?”

…I wonder how everyone sees me now? It’s a bit unsettling, but since it’s the truth, I can’t argue. For now, I’ll share what I know.

“Basically, you’re right. Inside this box is the imperial seal, and the moment I took it, I received the title ‘Bearer of the King’s Mantle’.”

“‘Bearer of the King’s Mantle’? Does that mean becoming a king?”

“Who knows? Maybe it’s possible if one wishes to become a king. I don’t know the first thing about running a country, though…”

Being called a king is one thing, but I have no idea what I should actually do. Even as we speak, as a regular person, I’m more overwhelmed than anything. What exactly should I be doing?

To begin with, the very idea of declaring himself king in a group of barely more than twenty people, including familiars, was nothing short of a joke. With no citizens to speak of and no recognized leader, one would be seen by oneself and others as nothing more than a weirdo.

“Titles are an important matter, but still, should we log out for today? I’m pretty tired.”

“I’m with you there… huh? Wait, what’s going on here?!”

Just when the conversation turned to logging out, Seventh Armor unexpectedly raised his voice in surprise. Seeing him fiddling with the menu screen, I decided to check mine as well. To my astonishment, our current location was somehow listed as “Inside Base”!

What? How did this happen? When did this palace become ours? Is it a bug? No, stay calm. Let’s check the log. There must have been a moment when we gained ownership… Ah, here it is!

“It seems to be a special reward for defeating the boss. This ‘Secret City of the Mist Weeping Princess’ has become the property of the Night Walkers guild”

“I’ve confirmed it on my end as well. What a generous reward!”

“We’re landlords now! How cool is that!”

“Not landlords~kings~!”

“Oh, right!”

Shishu and Wool had a heartwarming conversation, but it was a moment that left me wondering whether to rejoice or worry. On one hand, the idea of having complete control over a city sounded great, but the reality was that this city was not functioning as it should. There was also the possibility of hostile creatures lurking within the castle.

Still, it felt like a stroke of luck to acquire a piece of land where we didn’t have to explain ourselves to anyone. The area was barren, and before we could use it as a base, a thorough cleanup of any monsters and an extensive exploration of uncharted areas were important. In a way, this meant that we had the freedom to plan everything from scratch. We should make changes.

“Let’s decide what to do next some other time. For today, let’s disband. I need to sort through my thoughts given everything that’s happened.”

“Let’s go with that.”

And so the conquest of the “Secret City of the Mist Weeping Princess” and the surprise looting came to an end. There was a plethora of tasks ahead, from summoning Shiratsuki, reporting to Lady Muno, to surveying the city.

I was also interested in fostering relations with other races… although I’m beginning to doubt that I’ll be able to go to the event. Well, let’s go with the attitude of attending if possible.

◆◇◆◇◆◇

(Yifa’s POV)

“Wow~, they actually won!”

“My my, that’s amazing.”

“Ama~zing!”

“It turned out just as Yifa said.”

The Goddess Management AIs who had been overseeing the battle of Sir Isam and the others with me, the “Goddess of Death and Chaos”, were quite taken aback by their victory. We had been responsible for adjusting the specs of the boss monster, and the difficulty of the “Secret City of the Mist Weeping Princess” had been set fairly high.

If it was just one party, you’d want a full team of level 100 members to win against the Boss. But for Sir Isam and the others, they’d need to be at least level 85 each. Even then, you would normally expect half of them to die. That was the level of difficulty they were dealing with.

“I told you, didn’t I? That they would pull it off.”

Given the difficulty of the field and their low level, they were expected to be completely wiped out. However, I was confident that this group had the strength to defy those expectations.

“Still, being lucky was also part of it. Normally, Claude would be taken down first.”

A knight who whittled down his own body to protect the princess. It’s a beautiful story, but in a battle where life and death hang in the balance, it’s nothing more than putting a burden on yourself. By abandoning concern for himself and fiercely protecting Catherine against Sir Isam, who had resistance to status ailment, it became surprisingly easy for Claude to lose his health.

In this case, however, the second half of the battle turned into a nightmare. Catherine, who appeared during the battle between Sir Isam and the others and held Claude from behind, was the manifestation of the [Death Cannot Do Us Apart] skill. It was a unique skill reserved for the two of them, where the one who died first would become an invincible ghost and help the one left behind.

After losing Claude, Catherine would be driven mad and use the [Undead Queen’s Cursed Domain] on the entire battlefield. This would make you face both her and Claude, who swung his sword and halberd to protect her without any hit detection. If you were unaware of this mechanic, you could easily face total annihilation.

Well, since the durability of the core was weak compared to Claude’s body, there was a chance of victory if one could withstand the status ailments and dodge his fierce attacks. However, whether one could do so against a level 100 Royal Guard Commander in a frenzied state of invincibility was another matter altogether.

“It seems he managed to obtain the Imperial Seal.”

“So, the first player to become a king is born. Was that all part of your calculations?”

“No, not to that extent. The right to build a kingdom was earned through the efforts of Sir Isam and the others.”

The condition to become a king is to collect at least three different royal insignias, but duplicates are not accepted. To do this, you must complete several adventures. While there are other players who have managed to secure two, it appears that Sir Isam and the others are the first to collect all three types.

Players forming their own nations, welcoming NPCs and other players as citizens, and striving for prosperity and military strength could lead to conflict with existing nations, and perhaps even war, depending on the circumstances. But that conflict was exactly the chaos I always wanted. I’m looking forward to it, Nightwalkers.