Ossan Saikyō Chapter 12 Part 17
The next day, when I arrived at the castle, Mr. Raylott guided me to the usual waiting room.
After a short while, Shizuna entered the room accompanied by a maid.
It had not been long enough since we last met for her appearance to have changed, and Shizuna looked just as she had before.
She had neatly trimmed black hair and a single horn protruding from her forehead. I had only recently learned that the Oni people were called the Demonkin, and apparently they were a race common in the Orz Kingdom.
She was once again dressed in clothes reminiscent of a shrine maiden, giving her an overall distinctly Japanese atmosphere.
There was no sign of fatigue on her face, and her complexion was healthy. It seemed she had been receiving perfectly adequate treatment as an honored guest.
“Oh, Soushi-dono, and all of you as well. I am sorry to have made you come all this way for my sake.”
With that, Shizuna smiled happily.
“From what we were told, it seems you specifically requested us. We are interested in the Orz Kingdom as well, so we would be happy to serve as your guards, Shizuna-san.”
“I am glad to hear you say that. I did feel a little guilty about imposing on you, but I simply could not forget how comfortable that journey was. Besides, I already knew that I could trust the character of you and your companions, so I could not imagine asking any other adventurers.”
“We are glad to hear you say that. It will be a long journey, I imagine, but we look forward to traveling with you.”
“The feeling is mutual. We are to depart tomorrow morning, but I have already prepared everything except for food. Would it be all right to leave the meals to you?”
“Of course. We will take care of them.”
“Then I shall rely upon you.”
Afterward, Shizuna spoke with Freynil and the others as well, exchanged introductions with Mariane, and then left the room.
The next person to enter was none other than Princess Margalotte. The suspicious look she had previously given me was gone, replaced by an expression that seemed somewhat apologetic.
“Soushi-sama, thank you for coming again today. Thank you very much for saving my mother yesterday.”
As she greeted me, the Princess gave a bow that was the very picture of a proper lady.
“If the item we offered was of use, then we are very happy as well.”
“Thanks to you, Mother has recovered to the point that she looks like an entirely different person.
…
However, she is not yet well enough to leave her bedroom, so she asked me to convey her deepest gratitude to you, Soushi-sama, and everyone in〈Saul's Guidance〉in her place.”
“Please tell her that I am grateful for her concern, and that she should take good care of herself.”
“I certainly will. There is one more thing. I would like to apologize for the extremely rude things I said to you the other day. I am ashamed that I was unable to understand your feelings and behaved so thoughtlessly.”
The Princess then bowed deeply.
Being addressed with the honorific “-sama” by a Princess was intimidating enough, but having her bow to me as well was almost unbearably uncomfortable.
“Regarding that matter, I understand that Your Highness was deeply concerned about Freynil, and I did not take offense at all. Please, raise your head.”
Only then did the Princess finally lift her head. Her expression seemed somewhat more relaxed, so it appeared that this matter would finally be put to rest.
“Freynil seems to place her complete trust in you, Soushi-sama. Please continue to take good care of her.”
“Of course. She is an indispensable member of〈Saul's Guidance〉, so I will make sure she is well taken care of.”
As I answered, Freynil quietly muttered behind me,
“Soushi-sama will take good care of me...”
Hearing those words, the Princess once again gave me a meaningful look.
No, there was no deeper meaning to what I said, so please don't misunderstand.
As I struggled with the awkward atmosphere, Mr. Raylott came to my rescue from the side.
“Princess, would this be a good time? His Majesty wishes to speak with Soushi-dono.”
“Oh, is that so? Then I will continue talking with Freynil and the others. Soushi-sama, if possible, I would like the cards from yesterday...”
Apparently, it was true that the Princess had become hooked on playing cards. After obtaining permission, I took a deck of playing cards from my【Item Box】and handed it to her before heading to the Conference/Meeting Room with Mr. Raylott.
“I have made you come here several days in a row. Yesterday, we were unable to speak because of the matter concerning the《Elixir》, but I would like to hear a little about what happened in the Royal Keystone.
…
Hershville and Meldorza gave me a rather interesting report, so I would like to confirm a few things.”
As expected, the Conference Room was occupied by His Majesty the King, Chancellor Julios, and his two guards, Hershville and Meldorza.
I would have liked to say that it was remarkable for such important figures of the kingdom to spend this much time on an ordinary adventurer like me... but because of the Twilight Kin, I was painfully aware that I was no longer an ordinary adventurer.
“First, regarding your abilities. According to Hershville and the others, the monsters up to the 5th floor were no match for you. Was that also your own assessment?”
“Yes. As far as I was concerned, I did not find the monsters up to the 5th floor particularly difficult. However, I am strong against monsters that I can overwhelm with sheer power, while I am not particularly good against monsters that I cannot.
…
I believe the monsters up to the 5th floor simply happened to be a very good match for me.”
“I see. I hear that even the final Boss was a rare variant, yet you defeated it in virtually a single blow. Was that also because it was a good match for you?”
“Yes. Monsters that approach me and attack me directly are what I am best suited to fight.”
When I answered that, His Majesty turned toward Hershville and the others. The young knight gave a slight shake of his head and seemed to answer something.
“Even so, defeating an A-Rank rare variant in a single blow is hardly ordinary. By the way, how much of an opponent was the Twilight Kin to you?”
“In my previous battle against the Twilight Kin, I was simply on the receiving end of its attacks from beginning to end. The only reason I was able to win was because one of my skills happened to activate at the very end. Without it, I would have lost.”
“What sort of skill was it?”
“I do not know the details, but it seems to activate when I am cornered or in a similar situation, and it greatly increases my physical abilities.”
“I see... In other words, even you, who can defeat an A-Rank rare variant in a single blow, would have been unable to defeat the Twilight Kin without that skill?”
“There was probably some compatibility involved with that particular Twilight Kin as well, and I was also fighting bare-handed at the time. I would ask that you take those factors into consideration.”
Furthermore, I should be several levels stronger now than I was back then. If I fought that Zaikal now, I might not even need the【Fury】skill. Of course, I would not know that without actually fighting him, and with Zaikal already gone, there was no way to find out.
“Understood. Thanks to your assistance, we have obtained extremely important information. I thank you. By the way, I hear that you obtained an unusual piece of equipment in the Royal Keystone. I would like to see that as well.
…
Any equipment bearing a Name that emerges from the Royal Keystone must be recorded.”
“Certainly. Please permit me to take it out of my【Item Box】.”
I rose from my seat and took out the enormous shield said to be made entirely of orichalcum.
Looking at it again, it was simply a massive chunk of metal measuring 2.5 meters tall, 1.5 meters wide, and seemingly more than 20 centimeters thick.
It had a large, sturdy handle, which barely allowed it to be identified as a shield. It was equipment that looked as though it could only have been born from madness.
Incidentally, it probably weighed several tons. Naturally, without the assistance of my skills, the floor would collapse just from me standing there while holding it.
To an ordinary person, it was a dangerous object simply by virtue of being there.
“This luster is certainly orichalcum... But this... Is it really a shield?”
His Majesty the King opened his eyes wide and stood up. Even the usually calm and composed Chancellor reacted in much the same way, so it must truly have been something extraordinary.
“It seems to be called the《Indomitable Bastion》. Its auxiliary effects are【Steadfast】『+5』,【Fortress】『+5』,【Steel Body】『+5』, and【Steel Core】『+5』. They are quite magnificent.”
His Majesty swallowed at Meldorza's words. Meanwhile, the Chancellor opened a ledger and began recording the details.
“Would this not rank among the highest-grade pieces of equipment ever obtained from the Royal Keystone? Julios, what do you think?”
“Without a doubt. However, this... Soushi-dono is holding it as though it were nothing, but I doubt an ordinary adventurer could even lift it.”
“I would not say this too loudly, but even Gandrover would probably struggle just to hold it.”
Harsivil was the one who added that. Apparently, Gandrover was the 2nd-ranked Royal Guard Knight and was renowned for his physical strength. I was not entirely sure why he had said it could not be spoken too loudly, though.
Still, being considered one of the highest-grade pieces of equipment could become a problem. Is it really all right for me to keep it?
“If it is truly worth that much, then perhaps I should offer it to His Majesty after all...”
“That will not do. The Royal Family does not break its promises. That shield belongs to you. No, if you are the only one capable of using it, then you are the one who should use it.
…
Weapons and armor are neither decorations nor weights for a treasury, after all.”
His Majesty said this with a stern expression.
He certainly seemed to possess a strong sense of pride, or perhaps a firm conviction, when it came to such matters.
“However, you must know the true value of that shield. Julios, how much would this shield be worth if it is made entirely of orichalcum?”
“Let me see... The material alone would probably be worth 10 billion Rom. However, with multiple high-level auxiliary effects, its price could easily be several dozen times higher.”
Hearing those words, I nearly dropped the shield.
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E/N:
Does the Royal Keystone have only 5 floors? Full conquer when?
Stay tuned!
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