Chapter 16
MIRA WAS ASTOUNDED, finding herself faced with weapons used by heroes, magical tools created with ancient technology, and even a pile of elixirs said to cure any and all ailments.
“Good lord… They’re all legendary!”
Beneath the flower-covered floor was a hidden staircase. At its bottom was a dizzying treasure trove. It wasn’t just one fortune either. Not only could one’s family live in luxury for multiple generations without ever lifting a finger, but there was even enough to build a country or two.
Mira’s eyes sparkled lasciviously as she charged inside and began searching about. The Ethereal Arts known as Itemization allowed items to be Examined, and Mira used this to check each and every treasure.
One could hardly blame her. These were items that she’d never gotten to see during the height of her fame as Wise Man Danblf. They were so extraordinarily rare that it was impossible to tell when they’d last had a wielder. And because Martel had offered to let Mira take one home with her, it was impossible for her to not go crazy.
Of course, Martel was also happy to explain just what each one did.
“Ooh, a sword. Every treasure trove needs holy and demonic swords, of course!” Mira murmured, taking a sword in hand.
The sword was called Nihility’s Relapse. According to Martel, it was the ultimate anti-elemental sword that could tear through any elemental power and turn it to zero. Magic used by fiends, dragon breath, and many other kinds of magic, even natural disasters—all could be rendered powerless through its overwhelming power.
Solomon would beg for this like a baby.
Solomon loved his six elemental swords. Their opposite, Nihility’s Relapse, was simply a sword that harbored the power of the nihility element. This element was used by top-tier fiends and ancient dragons. Solomon would practically die to have a sword with that power.
Sorry, friend, not today.
She could only take one thing home, and no idiot would decide to pick a gift. Mira accepted her own selfishness as she continued searching. Martel even gave her permission to try out some of the items, prompting her to search even more fervently.
Mira took a magical tool in hand next. This was the Dragon Leyline Spirit Vessel, an item that could accumulate vast quantities of mana in a single day. The user could withdraw mana from it to restore their own at any given time. It was like an extra-large mana potion that could be used repeatedly on a long cooldown. Most mages would drool over it. As someone with an abundance of mana restoratives, however, Mira found it wanting. She put it back and reached for the next one.
There were many more where that came from—a treasured staff that greatly powered up the user’s spells, a great axe that could cleave through mountains, a spirit bow that never missed its mark, a demonic spear that could pierce the most powerful barriers, a dagger that could freely change the user’s weight, an extremely large sword that obliterated monsters. All the weapons were terribly powerful.
There was an awe-inspiring stock of armor too—a full suit of armor that dramatically increased all of the wearer’s stats, a helmet that could perceive everything in a wide radius, robes that greatly reduced mana costs for spells, a great shield that reversed the momentum of physical attacks, a gauntlet that allowed even a weak user to carry super-heavy weapons, a crown that gave the user resistance to all elements, shoes that gifted one with the power of flight, and more. All of this armor was extremely rare.
“What a variety. It’s hard to choose.” Such opportunities were hard to come by. Mira checked the stats of each item until her curiosity was fully sated.
The magical tools included a vessel with limitless restorative water, a jewel that could emit a light that instantly killed monsters once per day, a bracelet that nullified all status ailments, a necklace that allowed the wearer to breathe underwater, and many others.
While searching through the many treasures, Mira found her eye drawn to a single ring. “What could this be? It’s oddly enticing.”
As far as she could tell, it was a simple ring of dull silver with no jewel and some kind of geometric pattern on its face. It seemed out of place, making it all the more conspicuous.
Mira reached for the ring. “Its appearance isn’t giving me any clues…” The fact that it was here must have meant it contained great power. She took it in hand and cast Itemize on it, upon which she learned that it was called the Ring of Parting.
When asked what it did, Martel said, “You actually noticed that? Hmm… Maybe you really are tied to us by fate.” Then she explained exactly what this Ring of Parting was.
The Ring of Parting was a tool that temporarily distorted reality to create the perfect defense. It folded the continuity of space between the user and their assailant, allowing the user to protect themselves from even a god’s attack.
“But given its strength, it consumes an enormous amount of mana,” Martel added.
Magical tools could be roughly divided into those that used a built-in pool of mana, and those that used the user’s mana. There were also some that absorbed and used mana from the world around them, but those were almost all legendary tier.
Just how much mana did the Ring of Parting use? When Martel offered to let Mira try it, she readily accepted and put it on her finger. Its usage was simple; she just had to put mana into it. Mira had done this many times by now, so this was the method she was most accustomed to.
“Goodness… This is unbelievable!”
When she activated the Ring of Parting, Mira was shocked to find that nearly half of her maximum mana had been consumed. Martel was right; that was a serious cost. Once Mira’s mana had been drained from her, a thin membrane surrounded her. It looked like a rather unreliable barrier, but she quickly realized just how powerful it was. On the outside of the barrier, Martel began thrusting at her with a spear that could pierce even the strongest of barriers. Finding it funny, the Spirit King took a nearby sword and struck the barrier with it.
“I’m impressed, Mira. You use it perfectly!”
“This is really something. Even when I strike with all my power, I feel nothing.”
According to Martel, the Ring of Parting chose its wielder. The mana required to use it was the cost—but more important was the compatibility.
“I don’t understand it one bit, but I am impressed,” Mira mused.
The Spirit King and Martel attacked pretty fiercely, but the barrier held. When Mira moved, it moved with her. Such items often came with limitations, but it seemed this ring was an exception. If one ignored the mana consumption, it offered flawless self-defense.
Apparently finished with testing it, Martel put down the spear and touched the barrier in admiration. “I thought you might be compatible since you noticed it without me saying anything, but this is a surprise.”
Due to the distortion of space-time, it was normally impossible for people to perceive the ring unless they looked very carefully. Those who were compatible with it had an easier time, and the level of compatibility led to a serious difference in its effectiveness.
Also finished with his own testing, or perhaps just tired of swinging, the Spirit King put down his sword and smiled. “I’d expect no less of Mira. She and my kin are linked by fate.” What did this have to do with her relationship with spirits? Curious, Mira decided to ask outright. With a tinge of sadness, he replied, “That ring has the power of the progenitor spirit who governs space-time.”
“It is also one of his lingering regrets,” Martel added.
The progenitor spirit of space-time was named Rieslein. He had once fallen in love with a human woman. She was a shrine maiden who served the Trinity, which meant that she was forbidden from love. As such, Rieslein was forced to content himself with just showing up once in a while to chat with her about trivial things.
On one such simple but happy day, however, Rieslein was stopped from visiting her by the knight who guarded her. The knight said that she didn’t want him to visit anymore. Why? When asked, the knight answered that the maiden was in love with Rieslein.
Rieslein was happy, but love was forbidden for shrine maidens. Everybody knew that. But that was only a human rule; as a spirit, Rieslein didn’t think it an obstacle. Unfortunately, the spirit world also had a rule against interfering in human customs. As a result, their love ended the moment it became mutual.
In the following years, Rieslein put distance between them in an attempt to let his feelings go. It was then that someone who called himself the Monster-Ruling God appeared. This led to a great war, long before Forsetia’s time. Human settlements devolved into chaos, and the aftermath of the conflict affected the spirits as well.
The monsters of that time were much like those found today, but when led by the Monster-Ruling God, they were far more powerful and looked very different. Martel said it was as if new species of monsters had appeared out of nowhere, like they’d been brought from somewhere else entirely.
Given the dire situation, humanity and spiritkind banded together to face the Monster-Ruling God. Spirits’ powers were seen as especially vital in protecting the world, so they were spread evenly through all countries. This left the spirit world understaffed, so the progenitor spirits, with their absolute power, took over to protect it. Naturally, Rieslein and Martel were part of the war.
Martel explained that Rieslein had worried about the town where his beloved lived. He’d tried to keep his distance in order to let his feelings fade, but the heartbreak was still vivid and painful. Just one look at him told Martel the depth of his love and grief.
Tragedy struck. Unprecedented natural disasters occurred all over the world, caused by the Monster-Ruling God’s special power. They were too great for the spirits to fully fend off.
The war ended with humanity and spiritkind barely eking out a victory. However, Rieslein was informed that the shrine maiden’s town had been devastated by a natural disaster. As humanity tried to clean up the damage, he ran to the temple. There, he found her corpse, along with that of the knight who’d protected her to the very end.
What if he’d told her his feelings without worrying over silly rules? What if he’d convinced her to run away with him? What if they’d become a couple, or even married? If only he could be by her side, then he wouldn’t have had to be so sad. Love had turned into tragedy, a wound in his heart that could never fully heal.
Not long after, he drifted off into an eternal sleep. A single ring was left behind. Made from special stones found in the spirit world, it was the crystallization of his regrets and sorrows—the lingering questions of what might have been if he’d only told her the truth. The ring, home to all of Rieslein’s sorrow, could protect its user from any and all kinds of calamity with its ultimate defense, as if trying to grant his wish.
“Ever since that day, he has remained asleep. I don’t know if they’re related, but sometimes, that ring’s presence becomes so tenuous that even I can’t find it. But you did. Isn’t it strange?” With that, Martel gently touched Mira’s hand as she held the ring. Her smile was soft and filled with emotion.
“I say you should pick that one,” the Spirit King earnestly urged her. “The power in that ring is so great that it could be called the incarnation of Rieslein. You’re compatible with it, too; I’m sure you can bring out its power to the fullest. Go on.”
“I think that would be lovely. What say you, Mira?” Martel smiled at Mira with expectant eyes.
“Goodness, aren’t you two getting pushy?”
For some reason, the Spirit King and Martel were set on Mira taking the ring. Mira didn’t know what their true intent was, but now that she knew the story behind it, she felt bad accepting it. She took it off.
Martel and the Spirit King seemed flustered.
“Oh? Do you not like it?”
“The mana consumption is an issue, but if you use it well, it means that you can escape death simply by spending mana. I think you’d be happy to keep it by your side.”
Really, what were they after?
“That may be, but doesn’t it hold Rieslein’s sorrow?” Mira protested. “I would feel far too guilty using something like this, especially when I never knew the man.”
This ring had been meant for the shrine maiden Rieslein had loved. Was it right for someone else to use it? Mira thought not. However, the Spirit King and Martel disagreed.
“This ring symbolizes his wish to protect what he cared about. Nothing will ever be protected at all if the ring stays here forever.”
“Your compatibility with the ring means that you share his wish. I think that he would want to protect whatever it is that you want to protect. Please, let him help you.”
Rieslein was heartbroken after his failure to protect the person he loved. Even after all that pain, the true power of the ring was the desire to never let such tragedies happen again, and the need to keep others safe. While the Ring of Parting was the manifestation of sorrow born from loss, it was also a symbol of determination to never lose anyone else.
The two great spirits pleaded their case.
“To be frank, we also hope that if you use the ring, Rieslein might eventually wake up. Could you give it a try for us?”
“He’s right. It might just work. Please, Mira? Consider it saving him, okay?”
“Yes, yes, fine,” Mira replied. “If that’s what you’re after, then I suppose I will take the ring off your hands.”
It would be a grand favor to the Spirit King and Martel. Knowing that it was for Rieslein’s sake, Mira accepted and put the Ring of Parting back on. This ring was as good as, or even better than, all of the other legendary items here. And if Mira was compatible with it, then its only real drawback was its mana consumption. Given Mira’s training, however, she had a large enough pool and enough mana-recovery speed to keep that from being a fatal flaw. As long as she used it carefully, it was a very practical means of defending herself. There were plenty of good reasons for her to take it.
That wasn’t all, though. Martel was so happy that Mira had accepted the ring that she customized a new breed of plant and made a necklace for her.
“Thank you, Mira. Here’s a token of my gratitude.”
With a smile, Martel clasped a beautiful, green necklace around Mira’s neck. Made of woven vines, it used a small amount of heat to absorb mana from the atmosphere. It could be powered by one’s body heat, and the mana it absorbed would travel through Mira’s skin and into her body, accelerating her mana recovery even more.
“This should make it easier to use the ring,” Martel explained. “When the time is right, don’t hesitate to do so.”
“Ooh, now this is useful!”
A mana-recovery boost—even putting the ring aside, this was always a welcome boon to mages. Mira rejoiced at the unexpected gift, and Martel smiled at the ray of hope that had come to her.
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