Chapter 287: The closest person
Franzel Manor, top floor office.
"You’re back?"
Yuri, who was as usual working in the office, saw Reiger enter and immediately put down her work, revealing a smile that had become habitual.
"Yes, I’m back."
Reiger sat down in front of Yuri, with Liz closely following behind him. After seeing Marilyn bow to Reiger as he entered, Liz immediately did the same towards Yuri.
Yuri nodded at Liz, and then turned to Reiger.
"Judging by your expression, it seems like you had a good haul," Yuri said, tinged with curiosity, "What did you pick? Show me!"
Clearly, Yuri was also eager to know what Reiger had brought back from that authentic treasure vault.
"Here, it’s this."
Reiger didn’t refuse but directly took off the emerald pendant around his neck and placed it in front of Yuri.
To his surprise, Yuri’s expression was filled with astonishment upon seeing the emerald pendant.
"You, you actually brought this thing out?"
Initially, Yuri hadn’t recognized it as the artifact of Merlin, probably because the stone on the pendant was originally transparent and had since turned green.
Once Yuri recognized that the emerald pendant was indeed the artifact of Merlin, she showed an utterly astonished expression.
"Oh?" Reiger laughed and said, "It seems you know about this ancient secret treasure."
"...because its existence is not a secret." Yuri was silent for a long time and then gave a bitter smile, "Its overly potent effect, and the harsh requirements that even strategic-level magicians cannot fulfill the magic power fill, have made this ancient secret treasure quite famous among the upper echelons of magicians."
This is not something to be surprised about.
With the powerful effect of the artifact of Merlin, it’s no wonder countless people have coveted it over the past four hundred years.
Especially magicians, most of whom are strategic-level magicians and have had access to the kingdom’s treasure vault. You can just imagine their frustration after failing to charge the artifact of Merlin with magic power.
As long as someone within them mentioned this ancient secret treasure in their regret, given the status of a strategic-level magician, an item they could not exhaust praises about nor resolve, such news would quickly spread and become a well-known rumor over time.
"Previously when I entered the treasure vault, I also saw this ancient secret treasure and tried to fill it with magic power, but I could only complete less than seventy percent before I couldn’t proceed any further," Yuri recalled, still somewhat amazed, and asked Reiger.
"Looking at its current state, it must already be fully charged with magic power and ready for use. Did you manage that? How did you do it?"
Yuri was indeed surprised and curious.
Even she could only fill less than seventy percent of the magic power, but Reiger could fill it completely. Could it be that he has much more magic power than her?
Impossible, right?
In terms of magic power, Yuri was very confident in herself.
At least, from her birth to now, Yuri had never encountered anyone with more magic power than herself, including strategic-level magicians of the same ranking.
Yuri had encountered another strategic-level magician of the Ginas Kingdom.
And she was certain that, compared to her, his magic power was somewhat inferior, proving that her own magic power should rank among the top in the realm of strategic-level magicians.
Such a woman, even if she searched the whole continent, would hardly find someone with more magic power than herself, let alone significantly more.
Reiger’s magic power was still inferior to hers, a fact Yuri had discovered from their constant interactions.
So, how did Reiger manage to fully charge the artifact of Merlin with magic power?
Yuri couldn’t comprehend.
"Actually, it’s very simple." Seeing Yuri’s puzzled and baffled face, Reiger smiled and said, "Because I have a second source of magic power."
A second source of magic power?
What does that mean?
"You really do keep on surprising me with your secrets," Yuri said somewhat irritably, looking as if she was resigned to it.
"...Yes," Reiger didn’t deny this fact, and as he recalled the transparent Rubik’s Cube in his mind, the beast skin map, and then the artifact of Merlin, he squinted his eyes and muttered to himself.
"Even I don’t know what secrets still lie hidden within me."
Yuri naturally didn’t understand this.
But seeing Reiger’s lost look, Yuri, driven by a ghostly whim, said something.
"No matter what secrets you have, all I need to know is that you are the person closest to me. I don’t care about the rest."
These words slipped out of Yuri’s mouth.
"......"
The entire office suddenly fell silent.
When Reiger came back to his senses, his expression turned strangely peculiar as he looked at Yuri.
Marilyn also looked at Yuri with wide eyes, as if she had seen a ghost.
Liz covered her mouth with her hand, as if witnessing an inconceivable spectacle.
Yuri then realized what she had just said.
Her face suddenly turned bright red, a strong sense of embarrassment surging within her for the first time.
"No, it’s not..."
Under the condition of embarrassment, Yuri unusually stuttered.
Seeing the typically dashing Lady Franzel blushing like a love-struck maiden, Reiger couldn’t help but laugh.
"You are also the closest person to me in this world."
Reiger spoke with a calm smile.
"Is that so?"
Yuri felt her face burning and her heartbeat quickly accelerating, and she seemed entirely unlike herself.
Subconsciously, Yuri hurriedly fanned her face to cool down and swiftly changed the subject.
"That’s right, about the matter you asked me to investigate earlier, I have found some clues."
Yuri’s words made Reiger’s smile fade.
He knew what Yuri was referring to.
"The Hidden Land?"
Previously, Reiger had asked Yuri to investigate this place.
"Ah?"
Liz, who was beside them, was startled when Reiger mentioned the Hidden Land.
At that moment, Reiger remembered that he hadn’t mentioned this to Liz yet.
Thus, Reiger turned to Liz.
"Sorry, I mentioned the Hidden Land to Yuri and asked her to investigate it."
Reiger explained the situation to Liz.
"I see."
Liz nodded in understanding, feeling curious about why Reiger wanted to investigate the Hidden Land, but she realized the topic was not irrelevant to her.
Liz, too, was somewhat curious about what exactly the so-called Hidden Land was.
This made the little princess look towards Yuri with a nervous and uneasy expression.
Regrettably...
"Don’t look at me like that, you might be disappointed."
Yuri’s face was finally not so red, her embarrassment also gradually alleviated by the shifted topic, making her sound as though she had breathed a sigh of relief.
"I sent people to check many documents, verified a lot of intelligence, even used my position as the Chief Court Magician to borrow the royal library, searched through many maps and ancient texts, but I still found nothing related to the term ’Hidden Land’."
"So, I don’t know where this Hidden Land you speak of is."
"The name has never even appeared, I’m starting to doubt if it even exists at all."
The unexpected statement left both Reiger and Liz taken aback.
"You couldn’t find the name at all?"
Reiger frowned, Liz also began to doubt herself, questioning the very existence of the so-called Hidden Land.
It was a place Liz had once heard about from her grandmother and that too many years ago, she was naturally unsure about its very existence.
If it weren’t for the last time Reiger asked Liz to reminisce, she herself wouldn’t have remembered this matter.
Perhaps, it really was a non-existent place?
Maybe Grandma Mia just casually mentioned it, and there actually is no such place?
Liz harbored such doubts.
Only Reiger, after frowning, asked Yuri again.
"So what exactly are the clues you just mentioned you had found?"
The answer Yuri provided was as follows.
"Wasn’t it you who asked me to investigate Liz’s Moslo Sword as well?" Yuri said, "I couldn’t find anything on the Hidden Land, but I did find something about that Moslo Sword."
Saying this, Yuri handed a piece of parchment to Reiger.
The parchment had no text, only a drawing.
The drawing and the beast skin map Reiger had seen were very alike, primarily in the humanoid lines which clearly showed a distinct style.
The content of the drawing was somewhat intriguing.
It depicted a standoff on a battlefield between humans and beasts.
The humans, drawn in humanoid lines, were all heavily armed, each holding a weapon, facing off against a densely packed group of creatures drawn as beasts.
The humans looked ready to charge in groups.
The beasts were roaring and bellowing at the human formation.
One could tell at a glance that both sides were ready to engage in battle.
The intriguing part was that behind the beast forces, there was a huge mysterious dark shadow, unclear what it was, while behind the human forces stood a queen, holding a glittering golden sword in her hand.
"This is the Moslo!"
Liz couldn’t help but lean forward upon seeing the sword held by the queen in the drawing and made an immediate confirmation.
Reiger also nodded his head.
Like the beast skin map he had, this drawing also featured a queen leading the people, with a glittering golden sword in her hand.
The sword, both in contour and form, was exactly like Liz’s Moslo Sword.
"Where did this come from?"
Reiger raised his eyes, looking towards Yuri.
Yuri said so.
"This is a rubbing of a mural found in an ancient relic."