Ch.530Five Sacred Treasures (2)

We toured the repository with a sightseeing mindset, looking for useful sacred artifacts.

I instructed my companions to freely choose artifacts they wanted, with just two criteria: they should help in combat, and they shouldn’t select armor below winter armor quality.

I planned to provide completed winter armor to all four of them once we returned to the territory, so there was no need for defensive equipment.

As long as they followed those guidelines, I didn’t care what they chose. They weren’t children, after all, and could select appropriate sacred artifacts for themselves.

Making decisions took longer than expected.

The repository contained well over a hundred artifacts, ranging from minor items that glowed like candles to masterpieces truly worthy of being called sacred artifacts. We had to ask the managing priest about each one’s performance and origins.

—-

“What’s this?”

“That’s the Church of Menes’ Type 2 sacred artifact, the Aquamarine Dagger. When drawn in dark places, it emits light as bright as a full moon, making it usable as a torch substitute.”

After hearing the priest’s explanation, Millia turned away from the jeweled dagger on display, her interest clearly gone.

Right, with a free opportunity to obtain a sacred artifact, who would foolishly choose a dagger that’s merely a lantern substitute? Moreover, this dagger appeared to be mass-produced, with several identical pairs on display.

“What about this bracelet?”

Demian pointed to a chain bracelet emitting a reddish-gold light.

“That’s the Crystal Bracelet. It blesses the wearer’s vital energy, dramatically increasing the probability of conception. It’s frequently borrowed by those concerned about producing heirs.”

“Ah…”

Demian stepped back, nervously glancing at Millia.

Fortunately, Millia was already examining other artifacts and hadn’t heard the priest’s explanation. Even if she had, she surely wouldn’t choose something like that.

I looked for top-tier sacred artifacts I’d seen in the game—something comparable to Durandal—but unfortunately, it seemed items of that caliber weren’t kept here.

Things like “Carlos the Great’s Sacred Armor,” “Leprobus’s Sacred Naval Gun” that deflects all projectiles, or the “Golden Nail” that freezes monster movements within dozens of meters when driven into the ground.

Well, such national treasure-level items would be impossible to grant, no matter how great our contributions.

—-

After more than an hour of browsing, we managed to find some decent items.

“I’ll take this.”

Millia chose a longbow formed by intricately intertwined tree branches.

The Divine Tree Bow. Supposedly stolen from fairy treasures and modified.

It was an impressive sacred artifact with a bow made from a branch of the World Tree and bowstring woven from fairy hair and consecrated silver thread.

The bow contained the power of growth, so when an arrow hit a target, the wood forming the arrow shaft would use the enemy’s body as nutrients, spreading roots and sprouting into a small tree.

While it sounded extremely nature-friendly and pastoral at first glance, in reality, anyone hit by an arrow would be pierced and torn apart by tree roots, becoming fertilizer.

“I prefer this spear.”

Nigel drew out a spear made entirely of gold, from blade to shaft.

“What about the spear you’ve been using?”

“Wouldn’t a sacred artifact be better than a mediocre spear with some true silver mixed in? I plan to melt down my current spear and forge it into a dagger.”

That made sense.

If it were a pure true silver weapon, that would be different, but Nigel’s weapon was merely a spear with some true silver mixed in, making its true silver effects rather weak.

“The Sacred Spear of Eberond…”

The managing priest’s expression darkened slightly as we each selected premium items, and he explained the power contained in the spear.

The Sacred Spear of Eberond was a holy relic left by Eberond, a paladin of the Church of Elpinel.

True to its name as a sacred spear, it showed great power against monsters, and the spearhead contained the power of lightning, electrocuting enemies it pierced.

It even had the ability to return to its owner’s hand when thrown, making it a perfect match for Nigel, who excelled at javelin throwing.

Nigel’s face was flushed with joy, clearly feeling the same way.

Well, even I was momentarily tempted despite having Durandal, so it was only natural that Nigel, who had been making do with a spear containing some true silver, would be captivated by its performance.

—-

Demian’s chosen artifact was a necklace with a white dragon ornament embracing a rounded ruby.

To be precise, I forced him to choose it rather than letting him select on his own.

Left to his own devices, he was about to choose shoes that increased jumping ability, so I had no choice but to strongly recommend this necklace instead.

Saint George’s Necklace.

It was a fairly popular artifact in the game and exactly what Demian needed now.

Given his combat style obsessed with jumping attacks, I needed to give him this if I couldn’t provide Leprobus’s Sacred Naval Gun.

“Saint George’s Necklace… it creates a sacred barrier to protect its owner three times a day. An excellent choice.”

As the managing priest explained, the necklace had the power to deploy a spherical defensive barrier in response to its owner’s crisis. Perfect for covering the vulnerabilities in his jumping attacks.

Moreover, though the priest seemed unaware, the necklace’s usage wasn’t limited to just three times.

It had a hidden effect—in the game, each time you defeated a dragon, the barrier’s strength and number of uses increased.

“I like this earring. Would it be alright if I choose this, miss?”

Leonore showed me a small earring with a smile.

A teardrop-shaped amethyst resembling her eyes, enhanced with intricate yet splendid gold craftsmanship. It seemed valuable as jewelry even before considering its sacred properties.

Saint Leila’s Earring, a sacred artifact that bestowed a blessing similar to mana resistance.

It protected the wearer’s mind from effects like brainwashing, hallucinations, or drugs, and could repel curses and break binding magic.

Having lived in constant fear under Isabella, and recently having experienced brainwashing in Arvil, she seemed to prioritize protecting her mind above all else.

Yes. Wearing that might even free her from the claustrophobia-like trauma stemming from her childhood experiences.

That’s good. Though she tried to appear calm, it was somewhat heartbreaking to see her always opening curtains first when entering rooms or riding carriages.

—-

And I chose a golden ring engraved with sacred characters.

I already had Durandal for a weapon, and no armor here surpassed the performance of winter armor.

Where else would I find self-regenerating armor? I’ll probably wear this armor for the rest of my life.

If I ever feel the defense is lacking, I can just reinforce the scale parts while keeping Rurik’s fur as is.

Anyway, this ring was also something I’d often seen in the game.

Ring of Returning Seal.

It was a sacred artifact that sealed spiritual beasts—creatures like familiars—allowing the owner to summon and command the sealed spiritual beast.

What mattered more than the ring itself was what was sealed inside it.

The summoned spiritual beast would follow its owner’s commands unless exceptionally violent, and even if fatally wounded, it wouldn’t die but simply return to the seal.

In the game, it was like a summon item purchased with real money, but players often complained because you couldn’t know what you’d get until you used it.

Since it wasn’t limited to sealing only spiritual beasts, with terrible luck you might get something like a kobold.

Conversely, powerful creatures like wyverns could appear too, but the probability was extremely low. Was it 0.004% chance for a wyvern?

“That’s… a Ring of Returning Seal containing an Ego Beast. It’s an excellent sacred artifact, but…”

The managing priest broke into a cold sweat when he saw my chosen artifact, trailing off. His expression resembled that of a high school girl confessing pregnancy to her parents.

“Why, is there a problem?”

“The… the characteristics of the Ego Beast sealed in that ring… I’m not sure if Baron of Median can use it.”

…What on earth did they seal in here to make him react like that? His troubled expression was so intense that his anxiety was becoming contagious.

“What’s inside it?”

“…A unicorn. A snow-white horse with a sharp horn protruding from the middle of its forehead.”

A unicorn? That sounds fine…?

A unicorn would be considered a winning draw among spiritual beasts. It meant gaining an infinitely reusable high-performance mount. Moreover, it was as strong as a knight despite being a mount.

It seemed perfect for me, so what could possibly be the problem…

Oh.

I finally understood why the priest before me wore such an incredibly troubled expression.

Right, he couldn’t bring himself to explain why he thought I wouldn’t be able to ride the unicorn. And for good reason…

“A unicorn? Did those really exist? The crazy spiritual beasts that impale and kill any woman who isn’t pure?”

Leonore burst into incredulous laughter.

The managing priest, his face slightly reddened, silently nodded. My cheeks might have reddened a bit too.

That’s right. Come to think of it, the only characters who could use unicorns as mounts in the game were heroines whose routes hadn’t been completed.

In other words, only virgins could ride them.

Moreover, even if you were the unicorn’s owner, once you went all the way with the protagonist, a message would appear saying the unicorn refused to be summoned.

If you tried three times in a row, it would reluctantly appear, quietly approaching as if to let you ride, but the moment the character tried to mount it, the unicorn would impale their face with its horn and kill them.

I’d seen more than a few posts lamenting the loss of a romance character to this crazy horse. The comments were usually just mockery.

So that’s why the priest before me wore such an awkward expression.

He couldn’t possibly ask, “Are you perhaps not a virgin?” to a woman renowned as the Empire’s strongest and a hero of the Holy State.

[What a bizarre spiritual beast. I was inwardly excited at the prospect of a rideable creature, but to think it would be such a strange horse that one would hesitate to ride.]

Even Hersella, who had been quietly listening, seemed incredulous. Even if riding itself wasn’t a problem, it was absurd that a mere spiritual beast would be fixated on virgins.

‘Well, whatever, I should be able to ride it, so there’s no problem… Wait a minute.’

A sudden thought made me unconsciously flinch below the waist. As an overlooked anxiety suddenly rushed in, I whispered to Hersella with a trembling voice.

‘You… you can ride it, right…?’

The nickname “Whore of Ka’har” wasn’t based on fact, was it?

In the original work, her first experience was definitely at the bad ending point, right?

[What blasphemous words! What do you take me for? Of course I can ride it!]

Fortunately, Hersella proved her purity by exploding with indignation.

Phew. That’s a relief. Then there’s no problem.

I breathed a sigh of relief and slipped the Ring of Returning Seal onto my right index finger.

“A spiritual beast that only carries pure virgins… I understand your concern, but there’s no problem, so don’t worry.”

“What…? No, that can’t be…?”

The managing priest looked at the ring on my finger with a puzzled expression.

…’That can’t be’? What’s that supposed to mean, you bastard?

Are you saying I don’t look like someone who could ride it?