Chapter 46: Dragon Staff Ouroboros
Accompanied by a royal knight and the curator of the treasure vault, we headed towards the treasure vault in the King's Tower.
The interior was quite spacious, but as expected of the royal castle's treasure vault, it was well organized, with items neatly arranged by category and meticulously cataloged and managed.
"This is the shelf where the magic staffs are placed."
"Thank you."
Following the curator's guidance, we arrived at a corner where the magic staffs were displayed. The collection of rare magic staffs lined up on the shelves would be a sight that one could only find in the King's treasure vault or the inventory of a high-level player in BFO. It was undeniably an impressive sight.
Though there were plenty of staffs, narrowing down the candidates based on my specified conditions proved to be quite challenging.
First, it had to be a long staff, and I preferred not to have excessive decorations on the handle. The decorations on the tip, on the other hand, were not a major concern, as long as they didn't interfere with the staff's durability when using it for strikes. The only potential issue would be if it couldn't withstand the circulation of magic and ended up self-destructing.
After looking around, I ended up with only four candidates.
The first one was a wooden staff adorned with a statue of a goddess's bust. It was light and easy to handle.
The next candidate had a design featuring a skull motif, crafted to resemble bones. It seemed practical to use, but I wondered if it might draw too much attention with its unique design.
The third one was a staff made of silver material with a blue-white gem attached to its tip. The staff had a winding dragon design, and the blue-white gem protruded like a horn from the dragon's head.
The last one was a golden staff with a decoration resembling a budding flower at the tip.
All four staffs were unique and not something I had seen in BFO before. Truly befitting of the King's treasure vault.
However, even with the candidates narrowed down based on the initial criteria, I couldn't make a final decision without sensing their magical properties.
"Shall I infuse them with magic?"
"Please."
With permission granted, I infused magic into the staff of the goddess... and spirits appeared around me, dancing in the air. This staff could enslave lower-level spirits. Not bad... it seemed like a safe choice. Nevertheless, since there were four staffs available, I decided to check them all.
The skull staff... when I lightly infused it with magic, its teeth began to chatter. Not a good sign. There might be other gimmicks, but carrying this around felt a bit... uncomfortable.
What about the dragon staff? When I held it in my hand, it felt considerably heavier than the others. Upon infusing it with magic, there was an unusual reaction. Although I had passed magic through it normally, it seemed to exhibit a circular flow. It was undoubtedly a staff designed with circulation in mind.
"Hmm..."
I cut off the magic flow once and infused it again, this time focusing on maintaining the circular flow.
Immediately, the staff emitted a low growl-like sound, and its magical power amplified. The blue-white gem at the tip accumulated magic, shining brighter. With this, it might be able to withstand my usage.
"What's the history of this one?"
"It's called the Dragon Staff Ouroboros. It was brought back from a labyrinth by adventurers a long time ago and presented to the King's castle as a gift."
"Ouroboros, huh..."
I see. It featured an entwined dragon biting its own tail. Quite an interesting piece.
Although I had almost made up my mind, I decided to check the last staff as well.
When I infused it with magic, the bud of the flower opened. Up until that point, it seemed fine, but then something unexpected happened. The central sphere opened its eye.
...A Magic Eye Staff, huh? It seemed to focus more on this gimmick, and its magical amplification wasn't as good.
"I'll go with this one."
"Understood. I will report your choice to His Majesty. There might be some publicity about the reward given by the royal family, so please be prepared."
"That's fine."
By detailing the reward from the royal family, it would demonstrate their magnanimity and clarify their policy of reward for merit and punishment for misdeeds. Furthermore, if we continued night watch with Caduceus and had Sheila investigate the appearance of suspicious individuals caught in the security net, we could identify most of them.
...
Upon our return, Sheila welcomed us at the front of the house.
"Welcome back. I'm glad you're safe."
It seemed she had been waiting for us.
"You've been waiting here the whole time?"
"I couldn't be sure if the knights' underlings would come while we were away. So, until I heard the details, I remained vigilant."
"Well... come inside and have some tea."
"Thank you."
I invited Sheila inside the house and, while sipping tea, I recounted today's events. Ashlay seemed somewhat tense during our time at the castle, but after taking a sip of tea and exhaling, she seemed visibly relieved.
"So, if the Greg faction continues to lurk around, we'll take further action."
By having Caduceus continue the nighttime surveillance and letting Sheila investigate the appearance of those caught in the security net, we could pinpoint their identities in most cases.
"I understand. Can I continue to assist Theodōru as I have been?"
"That's fine."
As Sheila, it acts as insurance to stay by my side. Ilumihiruto's position remains uncertain, and as a member of the Thieves' Guild, it is still difficult to protect Ilumihiruto from the authorities.
"But even if it's for a friend, you're quite enthusiastic," Grace inquired, and Sheila smiled wryly.
"We grew up together, helping each other like sisters. When she decided to become an adventurer to survive, I joined the Thieves' Guild to protect her."
"Why is that?"
"With information, I can quickly detect dangers and help her escape and hide. I can also acquire skills for survival. Killing two birds with one stone."
Ilumihiruto is a Lamia, I see. Well, I can understand doing it for someone dear. Grace seemed to have her own thoughts and nodded slightly.
Ilumihiruto didn't have the strength to venture into the labyrinth yet, so she had been working as an adventurer outside the city until recently. However, she got caught up with a snakebite and other things when she finally entered the labyrinth.
For Sheila, there was some relief in knowing that Ilumihiruto wasn't going into the labyrinth yet, as she could focus on improving her skills. The Thieves' Guild's system involved teaching members skills in exchange for a portion of the profits they gained from using those skills, whether it be theft, pickpocketing, or making use of skills like lockpicking to excel as adventurers.
"By the way, what kind of abilities does Ilumihiruto-san have?"
"That girl is skilled with the bow and arrow. Even though she doesn't have a keen sense of smell or hearing like me, she can accurately determine the positions of animals in the thickets. She has other abilities as a Lamia, but since she usually takes on a human form, I haven't seen much of them."
Hunting without relying on sight, of course, involves hearing and smell. ...So it's something like pit organs or the ability to sense heat?
"If - when Ilumihiruto becomes free, would it be possible for her to venture into the labyrinth together with us?"
"Are you saying you want to help her find her hometown, Sheila-san?"
Asked about it, Sheila closed her eyes.
"I know she doesn't have the strength to go down to the lower levels, so I don't think she'd ask for something reckless. I'm not planning to ask her for that either."
Even so, if she could gain strength, there might be a chance someday.
"That depends on seeing Ilumihiruto-san's abilities. At this point, I can't make any promises."
"Yeah, just the fact that you're considering it is enough. So, what are your plans from tomorrow onward?"
"I'm planning to venture into the labyrinth as usual."
There's also the trial run of Uroboros, but for now, the goal for tomorrow is to reach the shrine, a branching point that leads to the Yoiyami Forest, on the 20th floor underground.
On the 20th floor underground, there is a floor with various sections, each with a shrine. Regardless of the labyrinth's changing structure, the shrines and the paths connected to them remain fixed.
"Well, leaving that aside. If Ilumihiruto-san is eventually released... how about celebrating with a trip to the sea together?"
"The sea?"
"Maybe fishing and clam digging? Grilled clams are delicious, you know?"
How about a trip to the beach? Grace grew up inland, and Ashley probably doesn't know how to swim. Hearing about going to the sea, Sheila didn't seem very interested.
Well, getting used to water isn't entirely useless for labyrinth exploration... training in underwater breathing and water walking magic could be useful. It's a play under the pretext of training, though.