Chapter 208: Von Everblack House [4]

Chapter 207

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Episode 51 - Von Everblack House [4]

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My senses spread out the instant I arrived at the new location.

I turned my head from side to side while using my senses, gathering information about the place where I had arrived.

It was exactly as I had imagined.

’An ancient European-style city in ruins, filled with countless statues, most likely of the Five Swords and other heroes, and above all...’

I raised my head and "looked" upward.

There was a dome-shaped barrier. I didn’t even know how it was still standing.

But that barrier was the only thing preserving the existence of this ancient Imperial Capital.

’So this is the first Imperial Capital, the last city left standing after the war.’

According to my master, the dome was a barrier created by an Eleven-Star Mage whose name, for some reason, I don’t know.

Aside from the Five Swords, the other heroes who reached Eleven Stars in the Mage, Elementalist, and Summoner paths are the ones I know the least about.

Very little is known about them beyond the fact that they all chose to go to the World of Abyss.

And ever since then, no one has heard from them again.

"Anyway, master, where is the Everblack House?"

At the center, as expected, stood a colossal structure, probably a palace or a castle where the imperial family had once lived.

Surrounding it were six imposing estates.

Most likely, five of them were what are now known as the Five Ducal Houses. If so, then one of them must have been the Everblack House.

〖I’m still bewildered by what you just said, so answer me.〗

"Ah..."

I let out a sigh as I rubbed the bridge of my nose.

Maybe I shouldn’t have told her that. In any case, what’s done is done.

"First, I’m going to reach Six Stars before carrying out everything I have planned for the Holy Church. You know that once I reach Six Stars, I’ll probably be able to kill a Nine-Star Awakener. On top of that, I intend to obtain Traits that will make me even stronger during these next five months."

"So don’t worry about my safety. I’ll be fine. Besides, I’ve already told you that I can see up to twenty minutes into the future. If any danger appears, I can simply change everything as long as I’m confident enough, or I can just run away."

"Besides, you’ll soon become an Ancient Spirit. You’ll possess power comparable to that of an Eight-Star Awakener, approaching that of a Nine-Star one."

I continued explaining as I walked at a slow pace.

Once my master was able to transfer her soul into the Ancient Spirit’s body, she would become a genuine Ancient Spirit.

I didn’t know whether there would be any side effects or anything like that. Either way, her power would be undeniable.

〖Ah, alright, alright, but even then, you must be careful.〗

"So, where is the Everblack House?"

After a while, I reached the center of the city.

I wandered around the area and noticed dozens of skeletons, both large and small.

After asking my master, she told me that the Everblack House was located on the southern side of the palace.

I headed there without wasting any time.

The ruins of a massive mansion stood before me, divided into several buildings, courtyards, and sections, probably meant for the noble ladies.

As I entered the enormous garden, I saw several trees that were completely dry and devoid of leaves.

There were also massive piles of rubble and, above all, weapons scattered throughout the garden and across much of the mansion’s entrance.

The mansion itself was still standing, though it was covered in cracks, deep sword slashes, and enormous holes.

After entering the mansion, I found several skeletons dressed in maid uniforms. Others were dressed as butlers, knights, and servants.

Crack! Crack!

My footsteps crunched over the debris-covered floor as I searched every corner of the mansion.

I walked down a hallway lined with several paintings.

At the very end hung an enormous one.

Since I couldn’t see, I was unable to make out the people depicted in the paintings.

"Master, there’s an especially large painting in front of me. It looks like some kind of family portrait."

If that was the case, then the other paintings were probably individual portraits of the people featured in the family portrait.

〖Yes, it’s a family portrait. It was painted when I was a child, and the other portraits should be of my brothers and sisters.〗

I gave a slight nod as I thought about it.

"Um... I should take them with me. They might be part of your memories, and..."

〖No, leave them there.〗

"Okay."

I continued walking through the hallways. Then I went up to the second floor and resumed my search.

My master said that some things might have been taken away, so just to be safe, she asked me to inspect the entire mansion thoroughly.

But so far, it didn’t seem like anything was missing.

I had no idea whether the Emperor or any high-ranking figure in the present day even knew that the ancient Imperial Capital was still intact.

So I figured it would also be a good idea to inspect the place.

A short while later, I arrived at a large room.

It looked like the room of someone with high status, perhaps an heir or the patriarch himself, since it gave the impression that it had belonged to a man.

’Normally, rooms like this have small hidden compartments.’

I used my senses, but it seemed I was mistaken. There was nothing out of place, so I left.

The same thing happened with the other rooms.

They appeared to be the bedrooms of the most important people in the entire mansion, yet there were no secret chambers or anything of the sort.

Finally, only one door remained.

At the end of the hallway stood a door that, for some reason, looked more expensive, more extravagant, and, of course, more luxurious.

"....."

"Liora, can you tell me what color that door is?"

As always, Liora, who was sleeping on top of my head, woke up.

A moment later, I heard her sleepy voice.

"Piggy-colored door."

"So it’s a pink door. Master, do you know who used to live there?"

At my question, silence followed, doing nothing but confirming my suspicion.

Without hesitation, I stepped inside. The door creaked softly, revealing the room beyond.

And it was exactly as I had imagined.

An extravagant room, with a bed covered in stuffed animals and a thick yet cozy comforter.

Everything else was exactly what you would expect from the room of a little girl who constantly begged her parents for anything she wanted.

To make matters worse, when I noticed a couple of pieces of clothing on the floor, I realized they were all adult-sized, so this wasn’t a room that had been abandoned since childhood.

"Tsk, how childish."

〖Shut your mouth and get out of my room.〗

"Hahaha, how old were you, Master? Thirty? Forty? When you left this place?"

I laughed as I walked out of my master’s room.

〖I’ll only say this once. Once I have a body, I’ll leave you half dead.〗

I waved my hand dismissively. I had already finished searching the entire surface level of the mansion.

So it was time to find the vault, or wherever the Everblack Family kept everything from its wealth to its Relics.

With my master’s guidance, finding it wasn’t difficult.

Inside the library stood a statue, probably of the first patriarch of the Everblack Family.

The statue contained a magical formation, like a puzzle—a sort of password meant to conceal the entrance to this place’s treasury.

For me, solving it wasn’t difficult thanks to Mana Sense at Maximum Mastery.

A moment later, the ground beneath my feet trembled. Then the floor shifted aside, revealing a staircase.

I descended until I reached a massive door at least ten meters tall.

It was a stone door, or at least it appeared to be. Using my strength, I pushed it open.

Creeeak!

The heavy stone door groaned, and eventually I managed to move it far enough. Then I slipped through the opening.

I raised my head and "looked" ahead.

"...."

Enormous pillars supported the ceiling. Between them stood small altars displaying glass cases.

The walls were lined with every kind of Relic, magical item, armor, swords, spears, staffs, wands, Spiritual Stones, and countless other items useful for every Specialty.

Ironically, there wasn’t a single coin in sight. The space before me was filled exclusively with weapons and various treasures.

There were also all kinds of potions and, most likely, elixirs.

〖Take everything in this room. Leave nothing behind.〗

"Mhm..."

For some reason, my master’s voice sounded slightly different than usual.

"That’s strange. You usually scold me for stealing everything from villains, saying it’s dirty money and all that."

I mean, to me, it’s just money.

Besides, it comes from villains. What’s wrong with taking everything from them, right?

〖That’s not the point. Everything in this place rightfully belongs to me, and I’m giving it to you. Besides, who exactly is supposed to use all of this? The air?〗

"Well, I guess you have a point."

I nodded slightly. Then, over the next few minutes, I stored everything inside my Inventory.

In truth, from the moment I stepped into this room, I had already planned to take everything.

There were alchemical materials, blacksmithing materials, and many other extremely useful resources. Some of them might not even exist anymore.

At last, I reached the end of the room, where there was a display case unlike any of the others.

Inside it rested a small, elegant vial sealed with intricate high-ranking magic circles.

Beside the vial was something that looked like a fruit.

And I instantly knew what it was.

"So, the Essence of Divinity is inside this vial, but this fruit..."