Ch.234Chapter 234 – What Does the Key Sword Seal?

All prestigious families with deep histories share one common trait.

That is, they all possess a precious item known as a “family treasure.”

The criteria for what constitutes a family treasure vary greatly, but generally, they are extremely rare items that cannot be easily obtained.

For reference, the Gelebrio Empire had as many noble families as its vast territory, and their histories were incredibly long.

Therefore, most respectable families had their own family treasures, and among them, the most famous was the Ekatos family’s treasure.

It was the divine sword “Storm Guide.”

This weapon, which appears as Serin Ekatos’s exclusive equipment in the Erasto Chronicle, is the Ekatos family’s treasure.

However, the Storm Guide is currently not being shown to the public.

The reason is that the Storm Guide has been broken in half.

But once you understand what kind of sword the Storm Guide is, you can somewhat understand why it broke in half.

Ironbeard, the King of Blacksmiths, referred to the Storm Guide as the key sword.

The reason this sword is called the key sword is because it is the only key that can unlock the seal of an extremely wicked being.

However, the identity of this wicked being has never been revealed.

Even Ironbeard, despite calling the Storm Guide a key sword, tried to repair it.

Of course, the attempt to repair it was a test from Valkena, the god of blacksmiths, and as a consequence of failing that test, the heart of extreme flames gradually cooled down.

So the reason I’m now going to repair the Storm Guide is…

[Could you repair our family’s divine sword, the “Storm Guide”?]

Because the Ekatos family asked me to repair the Storm Guide.

The Ekatos family must know the story behind the Storm Guide, so why are they asking for it to be repaired?

I was curious about the reason.

The Storm Guide split itself in half to prevent the seal from being broken, so why is the Ekatos family asking for it to be repaired?

So I went directly to the Ekatos family.

I was curious about their true intentions in asking for the repair of the Storm Guide, which serves as a key sword.

“So, is this where that sword, the Storm Guide or whatever, is kept?”

“Yes. Since the Storm Guide broke in half, they’re keeping it directly in the Ekatos family’s territory.”

I arrived at the Ekatos family estate with the help of Cheonhyeryeong, who had become my personal mode of transportation(?).

Naturally, since I came without prior notice, I now had to find a guard and explain the purpose of my visit.

“Halt! Please identify yourself.”

“I am Count Patos Severio. Is Count Ekatos available?”

“Ah, Count Severio. Please wait a moment. I will bring the captain of the guard.”

The guard, seemingly aware that verification was beyond his authority, went to call the captain.

While waiting for the guard to return with the captain, I was exchanging jokes with Cheonhyeryeong when the guard returned with a middle-aged man.

“Captain, this person claims to be Count Severio.”

“Hmm, I am the captain of the guard for this territory. Do you have any means to prove your identity?”

“Here, I have this ring.”

I presented the ring I received when I became a count to the captain.

The captain took out an artifact and held it against the ring, which then glowed green.

Seeing this, the captain showed a slightly surprised expression.

“Your identity has been confirmed. Welcome, Count Severio.”

The artifact that the captain produced must have been a tool to verify the ring I possessed.

“I’ve come to see Count Ekatos. Is he currently in the territory?”

“Yes. He is at the mansion for a family meeting. If you wait a moment, I will send word to the mansion.”

“Please do so.”

I watched the captain go to contact the mansion and then turned to look at Cheonhyeryeong.

“Why dost thou gaze upon me so?”

“Don’t celestial horses use weapons?”

“Weapons, thou sayest? Among the martial arts I have learned, there are indeed many that utilize weapons.”

With that, Cheonhyeryeong began to recite unfamiliar martial arts techniques like the Celestial Horse Emperor Sword, the Celestial Horse Great Mountain Technique, and more.

“There are many more weapon techniques besides these.”

“Stop. That’s enough.”

Just how many martial arts does she know? The ones Cheonhyeryeong mentioned alone would be enough to train an entire army.

Considering that Cheonhyeryeong is a celestial horse and has mastered all the martial arts she mentioned… it’s honestly a bit frightening.

Then again, it’s more surprising that none of the people I know aren’t scary in some way.

“Count Patos Severio. Thank you for visiting the Ekatos family territory.”

At that moment, an elderly gentleman dressed as a butler approached and greeted us.

“Who might you be?”

“I am Ben, the head butler serving the Ekatos family.”

“Pleased to meet you, Ben.”

I extended my hand to Ben, and he took it for a light handshake.

“The family head and the elders are waiting for you, Count Severio. I will guide you.”

Ben, the head butler of the Ekatos family, led the way, and Cheonhyeryeong and I followed him slowly across the Ekatos family territory.

Surprisingly, the Ekatos family mansion was not far from the entrance of the territory.

Usually, mansions are built in the center or prime location of a territory, but this was a bit unusual.

After walking a short distance following Ben, we arrived in front of the Ekatos family mansion, where a man dressed in elaborate clothing was standing as if waiting for someone.

“Master, I have brought the guests.”

“Well done. Serin often spoke of you. I am Ledeo Ekatos, head of the Ekatos family and once a professor at the Glesius Academy.”

“I am Patos Severio. Pleased to meet you, Count Ekatos.”

Count Ekatos spoke with a more old-fashioned manner than I expected.

“I sent the letter a week ago and was waiting for a reply… I didn’t expect you to visit in person.”

“Well, there were some points of concern.”

“This doesn’t seem like a conversation for outdoors, so shall we go inside?”

“Let’s do that.”

Following Count Ekatos’s guidance, I moved to the reception room of the mansion.

Refreshments were already prepared in the reception room, and Count Ekatos offered me a seat first.

As I sat down, Count Ekatos took a seat across from me.

Cheonhyeryeong made an excuse about looking around the surroundings for a while and disappeared somewhere… but I know.

I know she’s hiding from everyone’s sight, concealing her presence to the extreme, watching over me.

“Well… Count Severio. Since you’ve met Ironbeard, the ruler of the Grendillet Mountains, I’ll ask you directly.”

Count Ekatos began to speak about the main topic from the start.

“Can you repair the Storm Guide?”

“What can you offer me in return?”

To his question about whether I could repair the Storm Guide, I asked what he could give me in return.

Needless to say… I have no obligation to repair the Storm Guide.

Therefore, I intended to extract something substantial from the Ekatos family in exchange for using my abilities.

I can’t repair a family treasure for free, can I?

If I repair the Ekatos family’s treasure for free, I would have to do the same for other families’ treasures.

If I don’t, I would be embroiled in fairness controversies, and a peaceful life would be out of the question.

“In return…”

Count Ekatos seemed quite troubled when I mentioned compensation.

“I could repair your family treasure for free. However… I have no reason to do so, do I?”

“That’s true…”

“Well, I’m not asking for anything grand as compensation. If… you could satisfy one of my curiosities, I would be willing to repair your treasure at a modest cost…”

I made Count Ekatos an offer he couldn’t refuse.

If he satisfied one of my curiosities, I would repair the family treasure at a low cost.

I wonder how Count Ekatos would react?

“Hmm… what are you curious about?”

Nice! Count Ekatos took the bait I offered.

“It’s nothing difficult. Ironbeard said that another name for the Storm Guide is the key sword.”

I leaned forward and looked at Count Ekatos as I spoke.

“I heard there is a seal that can only be opened using the Storm Guide. What exactly is the being that is being prevented from escaping through that seal?”

“…Sigh. I suppose it’s alright to tell you. Come closer, let me whisper it.”

I brought my ear closer as Count Ekatos instructed…

“It is… the ‘Beast of the Abyss,’ the most cherished subordinate of the Demon God. We need to repair the key sword to strengthen the sealing formation that imprisons the Beast of the Abyss once more.”

At last, I understood what the Storm Guide was sealing.