Chapter 18 - Damn Reincarnation

Treasury

He had felt the same way when he first saw the Holy Sword three hundred years ago: it was excessively beautiful. He could scarcely think of it as a weapon, a sword meant to cut something.

He did not even know what metal it was made from. The Holy Sword was a blade bestowed by God, its existence dating back to the Holy Empire’s myths.

‘It’s surprising the Holy Empire hasn’t reclaimed it.’

Eugene circled the Holy Sword. A beautiful scabbard. A long hilt comfortable to grip with both hands. The blade was hidden, but he remembered the dazzling, beautiful light it had given off when drawn.

Honestly, he wanted it. That desire was impossible to resist. A sword bestowed by God in person. Sealed within the Central Temple for countless years, the Holy Sword had acknowledged only Vermouth as its master and accompanied him on their journey through the demon realm of Helmuth.

Vermouth himself had seldom used it, but that did nothing to diminish its symbolism or worth. That excessively beautiful sword had slain countless monsters and pierced the heart of the first of Helmuth’s five Demon Kings.

‘... After that, though, he mostly used it as a torch.’

They had all been inexperienced when they defeated the first Demon King. Recalling those days, Eugene reached for the Holy Sword. He had not decided that he absolutely had to take it with him, but he wanted to hold it, at least.

His right hand closed around the hilt. The grip itself felt excellent. Though it looked like a ceremonial sword utterly unsuited to actual combat, its craftsmanship was superb.

“... Hmm.”

The Holy Sword’s scabbard was embedded deep in the Treasury’s floor. He tried pulling the sword out with force, but the scabbard refused to release the blade. Eugene gripped the hilt with both hands and pulled again.

“It won’t budge.”

The Holy Sword remained immovable. No matter how hard he pulled, it would not come out.

Just in case, Eugene bit his fingertip until it bled. He dripped blood onto the hilt and scabbard, but the blood immediately dispersed and vanished. He tried drawing it again. It still would not come out.

‘He said I’d understand if I held it myself.’

Had he meant that Eugene would be unable to draw it? Eugene stopped pulling and let go of his lingering desire. After all, Gilead had said he could not have it even if he managed to draw it.

He looked around the Treasury again. It certainly held all sorts of treasures. Alongside weapons and armor were plenty of jewels and accessories. Eyes gleaming, Eugene wandered through the Treasury.

‘This is... Asphel.’

Several weapons were familiar. An oddly shaped sword with a blade as jagged as an animal’s teeth hung on the wall. Asphel, the Devouring Sword. It devoured whatever it cut and made that power its own. That description alone might not explain much, but Eugene knew just how absurdly powerful it was.

A sword that cut through magic. A sword that devoured mana. No matter how powerful a spell might be, it was useless against Asphel.

‘Vermouth was the reason that sword worked so well.’

Asphel had been able to cleave spells in a single stroke because Vermouth himself was an outstanding mage. Eugene was more reluctant to part with it than with the Holy Sword, but he set Asphel down for now.

There were several other familiar weapons.

‘Carbos, the Dragon Spear.’

It took a little time to heat up, but if one could tolerate that, a single thrust unleashed power rivaling a dragon’s breath.

‘Wynnyd, the Storm Sword.’

A sword imbued with the blessing of the Wind Spirit King.

‘Pernoa, the Lightning Bow.’

A bow that brought lightning crashing down regardless of distance.

‘Javel, the Flying Sword.’

A sword that split into hundreds of blades and extended when infused with magical power.

‘Even Gedon’s Shield is here.’

A ridiculously powerful shield that diverted attacks touching it into a void.

Any one of them could turn the world upside down. Eugene shook his head in amazement. The Lionheart family’s prestige was tremendous not only because they were Vermouth’s descendants, but because they possessed treasures like these. Even dragons, who went wild over treasure, probably did not own as much as this place held.

‘... Is this all?’

But Eugene was puzzled. These were not all the weapons of Vermouth’s that he knew. That dreadful Moonlight Sword was nowhere to be seen, nor was the demonic spear he had secretly coveted.

‘Even generously speaking, these are only about half his weapons.’

It was not strange. Three hundred years had passed, after all. Quite a few weapons must have left the Treasury in that time.

‘Bastards. They knew the good stuff when they saw it and picked out all the ridiculously powerful ones.’

Eugene clicked his tongue and shook his head. The weapons remaining in the Treasury were excellent, but he regretted the absence of the others.

That left him with no choice but to deliberate at length.

‘None of these would be a choice I’d regret, given what they can do.’

Yet nothing immediately caught his fancy. His body was still young, so lacking proficiency was not a problem. Whatever he chose, a few years spent working with it would let him wield it to his own satisfaction.

‘Wynnyd would be the easiest...’

The Spirit King had personally blessed the sword. Simply holding it allowed its wielder to command wind spirits and, of course, use spirit magic. It would be beyond him for quite some time, but once he accumulated enough mana, he could even summon the Wind Spirit King himself.

The advantage was that, unlike ordinary magic, spirit magic consumed little of the wielder’s own mana. Once summoned, the spirit took care of the necessary mana itself.

‘And natural aptitude wouldn’t matter much, either.’

Spirit magic was difficult to get started with. Without an innate affinity for spirits, even an outstanding mage might be unable to command a single low-ranking spirit. Holding Wynnyd, however, would eliminate that concern.

‘Javel is difficult to handle. Asphel might be useful once I’ve learned magic, but right now I’d struggle to make the most of it. Pernoa... As I recall, that thing swallowed an enormous amount of mana with every shot.’

Carbos, the Dragon Spear, was not to Eugene’s taste. What about Gedon’s Shield? Its abilities were equally ridiculous, but like Pernoa, the Lightning Bow, it consumed tremendous amounts of mana.

‘Wynnyd really is the easiest option.’

Even so, he did not choose it immediately. Eugene trudged around the Treasury. It held all sorts of treasures besides the weapons Vermouth had used.

‘Magic staffs... I have no idea what they can do.’

There were a great many staffs, too. Since his body was still young, he did intend to try learning magic, but that did not mean he wanted to choose a staff he knew nothing about.

‘... Huh?’

Eugene stopped in the midst of his wandering. His eyes widened in surprise as he stared at the corner of a shelf. He had not been mistaken. He hurried over and reached into the corner.

It was a small necklace.

‘... Why is this here?’

Holding the necklace, Eugene blinked blankly. There was nothing special about it. It carried no incredible enchantment, nor did it have any great symbolic significance.

It was simply a necklace holding ordinary memories. The necklace Hamel had worn in his previous life. A keepsake of his parents, who had been eaten by monsters a very... very long time ago. Now that he had even reincarnated, he no longer felt the grief of his previous life. He had traded that grief for hatred long ago. He had taken revenge with his own hands, too.

Even so, he had worn it around his neck until his death. Wearing a single necklace was no great inconvenience, and he had had no particular reason to take it off.

That should have been the case. Eugene stood holding the necklace for quite some time, unable to understand why it was here.

‘... Did Vermouth recover my body?’

None of the weapons Hamel had wielded remained in this Treasury. This worn-out necklace was the only thing connected to him. Eugene let out a hollow laugh and clasped it in his hand.

‘... Looks like they didn’t simply abandon me after all.’

A bitter taste filled his mouth. Let’s kill all five Demon Kings. At some point, they had all made that promise together. And yet... Vermouth, Moron, Senya, and Anise. The four of them had made a “promise” with a Demon King. Three hundred years later, Helmuth and its two Demon Kings were still going strong.

‘... What the hell did you promise? When you brought my keepsake here, what were you all... Vermouth, what were you... thinking?’

Eugene did not put the necklace down.

He had reincarnated. He did not want to be bound by his previous life. Even so, faint traces of those feelings remained. This necklace awakened a host of emotions he did not want to acknowledge.

This did not belong here.

That was what he thought.

Eugene did not want to hate Vermouth and his companions. There must have been some reason they had been unable to kill the Demon Kings.

Anise, the devout.

In his memories, she was so slippery and obnoxious that it was hard to believe she was a saint, but her faith had been genuine. If even Anise had agreed to retreat, there must have been some unavoidable reason they could not kill the Demon Kings.

‘... Maybe they weren’t strong enough after I died.’

The two Demon Kings had been horrifyingly powerful.

It was embarrassing to think that about himself, but he could not dismiss the possibility.

“I wish I hadn’t found this.”

Grumbling, Eugene turned around. He wanted the other weapons, too. But this necklace—Hamel’s keepsake—was not something he wanted to leave in the Lionheart Treasury.

That was all.

“... What is that?”

Gilead looked surprised as he opened the Treasury door. He had entertained all sorts of possibilities for Eugene’s choice, but the item Eugene actually brought out was entirely unexpected.

“... I liked this one.”

With an awkward smile, Eugene held up the necklace. Gilead blinked in surprise, looking back and forth between Eugene and the necklace.

“... Are you serious?”

“Yes.”

“There must have been plenty of other splendid treasures...”

“I’m not good enough yet. I wasn’t confident I could handle them.”

Eugene recited the excuse he had prepared. Even to his own ears, however, it sounded utterly feeble.

Gilead understood it even less. Of course, a child could not fully grasp the value of the treasures inside. But so many of the weapons were extraordinary at a glance. Why pass over those treasures for a necklace?

‘... What is that?’

What bewildered Gilead even more was that he did not recognize the necklace Eugene had brought out. Had there been a necklace like that in the Treasury? Of course, there were plenty of expensive accessories inside worth enough to buy an entire castle.

If Eugene had chosen one of those, Gilead could have understood. If nothing appealed to him at the moment, choosing something rare and expensive would at least give him something he could put to use later.

“... May I examine it for a moment?”

“Yes.”

Eugene nodded and handed over the necklace. Gilead immediately took it and inspected it from every angle. A crude, old... necklace. It contained no jewels, and its craftsmanship was unremarkable. Even when he sent mana through it, there was no response.

It was an ordinary, cheap necklace.

‘... Why was a necklace like this in the Treasury?’

The more he examined it, the less Gilead understood. After a moment’s hesitation, he looked at Eugene.

“Wait a moment, please.”

“Yes.”

Eugene answered with an unconcerned expression. He understood Gilead’s bewilderment. Even he thought choosing that necklace was an extraordinarily foolish decision.

But what else could he do? He simply could not bear to leave it inside, so he had to bring it out.

“... Hmm...”

With a groan, Gilead held the necklace up to the Treasury door. The Lionheart main family’s Treasury. Three hundred years of accumulated glory. Every item inside was managed by the Treasury’s magic.

“... Well... This is baffling.”

Holding the necklace against the lion on the door handle, Gilead shook his head.

“This necklace isn’t registered with the Treasury.”

“... What does that mean?”

“Exactly what I said. This isn’t a Lionheart treasure. It’s something that shouldn’t be in there.”

“... But it was in there.”

“That’s what makes it baffling. I... didn’t put this necklace inside. Where did you find it?”

“In the corner of a shelf.”

“Could the previous family head have left it there...? If so, it should have been registered with the Treasury’s magic...”

“Maybe he forgot.”

“Haha.”

Gilead laughed despite himself.

“The previous family head—my father—was not so careless. Nor was he the sort to play a strange prank like this...”

Couldn’t you just ask him? Eugene almost asked, then stopped himself. Gilead’s father, the previous family head, had passed away long ago.

“... Do you want this necklace no matter what?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“There’s no particular reason. I just... liked it.”

“This necklace has no value at all. It isn’t enchanted, either. Selling it wouldn’t even buy you a cheap longsword.”

Of course it wouldn’t. Thinking that, Eugene nodded.

“But I want it.”

“... You’re a very peculiar child.”

“My father has told me that a lot since I was little.”

“If you’re determined to have this necklace... then so be it. But I can’t give it to you immediately. Since its origins are unknown, I’ll have to ask Master Lovellian to appraise it.”

“Appraise it?”

“Yes. I did examine it myself, but I have little talent for magic. It might be enchanted after all, so I think we should make sure.”

“Can I have it once it’s been appraised?”

“... Yes. I promise.”

Gilead nodded, then fell silent for a moment.

“... This necklace might be enchanted, or it might be an ordinary necklace with nothing mysterious about it. But what is certain is that it isn’t registered with the Treasury, which means it doesn’t belong inside.”

“... Yes.”

“I never imagined this would happen... but, Eugene, strictly speaking, what you brought out is not a Lionheart treasure.”

Was it all right to do this?

‘There’s no reason it shouldn’t be.’

With a wry smile, Gilead patted Eugene’s shoulder.

“So go inside and bring out another treasure.”

“... Really?”

Eugene barely swallowed the exclamation that almost escaped him involuntarily.

“Yes. That was our promise from the start, wasn’t it? You could take one treasure of your choice from the Treasury. You haven’t brought out a treasure, Eugene, so go and bring out one you like.”

“Thank you!”

‘I can’t believe he’s Vermouth’s descendant.’

Eugene bowed deeply to Gilead, suppressing a laugh. He had never imagined Gilead would be flexible enough to let him take a treasure like this.

‘I’ve decided on you.’

Back in the Treasury, Eugene took hold of Wynnyd without hesitation.

‘You’re mine.’

The silver-blue blade shone as though it had read his mind.