“Yes. Snorra Wolf pelts are extremely high-quality, and they’re an uncommon item. If you could, we’d ask you to part with it in exchange for compensation. I think you’ll find our offer more than generous.”
“Sure, no problem. I can imagine it’d be needed more here than elsewhere anyway.” I wondered if she actually just wanted a nice fur coat, but I didn’t think too hard about it. The Snorra Wolf’s meat was apparently tough and gross, so it was no big loss to me.
“Thank you, then. If you could give us a little time to prepare your reward, I’d appreciate it. In the meantime, I believe you were promised a treasury grant.”
“Ah, yes.”
Oh, right... Part of the reward was to take an item from the royal treasury.
The queen guided Leen and I down to the basement, and we finally came to the treasury. There were a lot of items arranged orderly on shelves and in fancy cabinets. There were items that could immediately be recognized as treasures, but other items that simply made you blink in confusion.
I asked about various things, but there wasn’t really much that caught my eye. I was fairly sure that most of the stuff collecting dust in Babylon’s storehouse was more valuable than the things in here, after all.
Leen seemed a lot more engrossed than I, she was asking about all kinds of things.
She looked down at one particular item and beckoned me over.
“Take a look at this.”
“Hm...? What’s... Oh!” What Leen had shown me was some kind of ax. It was a little special, though. It was a heavy battleax with a red tint covering it entirely.
But that wasn’t what had caught her eye about it. It was the writing inscribed on the handle.
It was the exact same lettering I’d seen back in Belfast. It absolutely resembled the Arthema lettering, but was slightly different, just like the words in the ruins. There was no mistaking it, this ax must have had some relation.
“Your Highness, what is this?”
“Ah, this was a gift given to us by another clan when Elfrau was founded.”
“What clan was that?”
“If memory serves, they were the Arcana Clan. They referred to themselves as the Red Folk. In their culture, the color red was regarded as sacred.”
The Red Folk... That must be it, then. This matches up perfectly with what I could piece together earlier.
Leen prodded me with her elbow as if to tell me to connect the dots already. But I already did in my head!
“[Reading]: Hidden Letters of Arcana.” I quietly invoked my linguistic spell.
What does this say... Dusk... Judgment...? I don’t get it.
There wasn’t much writing here, so I thought I’d be able to get it. But it seemed like this language was slightly different as well. That was kind of a problem. Arthema... then Arcana... Somewhere along the line, the tribe and their language must have slightly changed, and it might have changed again before they wrote the stuff in Belfast.
“Does this weapon have a name?”
“Ah yes, I believe this one is called the Twilight Condemner. It amplifies the strength of the wielder at least tenfold.”
Twilight Condemner... So my reading wasn’t too far off, but it wasn’t fully accurate to the meaning. Damn, translation sure must be a difficult job. It looks like a handy ax, but I don’t really need it.
“Do you know if any of the Arcana Clan’s descendants exist nowadays?”
“I’m not sure... They were a nomadic tribe, you see. I wouldn’t be surprised if there were living remnants or descendants of the tribe, if they successfully found a good place to settle.” Apparently, the queen hadn’t met the Arcana representatives in person, it was only her husband who had. I tried asking about Belfast, but she had no knowledge of the country’s state a thousand years ago, either. Elfrau was pretty far from Belfast and Regulus, after all.
Hmph... Well, even if this isn’t a perfect lead, I should count myself lucky to have this much info on the Red Folk already.
“Would you perhaps like the ax?”
“Ah, no... I was just curious about its origins... Hey, what’s this thing?” I pointed toward a nearby pendant. It was a small oval, around three centimeters in diameter. It resembled a pearl more than a diamond or gem.
“Ah, this is an artifact known as the Lifeblesser. If a woman wears it during intercourse with her partner, then it massively increases the likelihood of her conceiving a child. For some reason, no matter how I wore it when my husband was... with me, it never bore any fruit. We did lend it to our household retainers, and they easily produced heirs, however... It’s possible there are certain criteria you need for it to take effect.”
Hm... Sounds like the guy might’ve been shooting blanks or something... Obviously, I didn’t say that out loud.
Still, this is kind of a perfect item in a way, isn’t it? If a couple wants a kid but hasn’t been able to have one, this would really save them. Then again, it’s not like it guarantees pregnancy, just makes it more likely. I feel like if this kind of thing was sold on the market, people would look at it suspiciously. Well, it’s clearly an artifact since it’s full of magic power at least, but I can’t tell its effectiveness at a glance.
“You know, Grand Duke... You do have many fiancees, don’t you? Perhaps you ought to think about producing an heir soon enough.” The queen offered me some advice, probably from her personal experience.
One of those fiancees is right next to me, you know... Leen sort of leaned in a bit, desperately trying to act calm, collected and indifferent. She was clearly interested.
Hmm... Don’t tell me that the reason I have a bunch of kids in the future is because of this thing... Well, no... I’ll have nine wives, so if you think about it like that then at least nine kids is kind of a given.
I glared down at the pendant in front of me. I didn’t really want my kids not to be born, and I was comfortable with having a child with each of the women in my life.
“Would you like it, then?”
Hmmm......
◇ ◇ ◇
“And that’s how I got this thing, Duke Ortlinde.”
“Ohoho!” I was at the Ortlinde estate, sliding the Lifeblesser across the table toward the good duke.
In the end, I chose the pendant, said my goodbyes to Elfrau, split with Leen, and headed straight for his estate.
Leen went back to the castle, and I was fairly certain all my wives-to-be would know about the Lifeblesser before the day was up.
Well, I had no plans on using it yet at any rate.
“So you want to give this to me, lad?”
“Tentatively, yes. The queen gave me it, so it’s mine to do with as I see fit. Before I even think about using it, I’d like you and your wife to test it out.”
“Ahaha... Then we’re your experimental subjects, hm?” He wasn’t exactly wrong, honestly. Though apparently, it had worked for dozens of people in the past without any negative effects, I was still curious to see it with my own eyes.
When Sue joined Brunhild as my bride-to-be, Ortlinde was left with no heirs. In a way, I felt like I owed him, so I thought I’d help him make another one.
“You have those uh... vigor pills I gave you the other day, right?”
“Ohoho, yes I do. I gave a few out to some gentlemen I know, and they were quite shocked by the results.”
Well duh, anyone would be. They could make even the most wrinkly old fogy sexually active and virile again. And it’s even worse if you give it to a young guy, since apparently they can go to town on a girl for three days and three nights non-stop with them.
“Would you perhaps be interested in selling those pills to the general public?”
“Not right now, no.” I didn’t really want Brunhild being associated with big dick energy. We were just a fledgling nation, so it’d be bad for our image. I didn’t want people calling me Pervy Duke, either.
“Anyway, I’m lending this to you for now. It’ll work if your wife wears it during the, uh... act. There shoul
dn’t be any weird side-effects either, so I’ll let you have it for a year and see what happens.”
“Is it fine for us to borrow one of Brunhild’s national treasures? If it’s just testing, then we needn’t keep it for the whole year, right?”
“Mm... Honestly, I still have my personal doubts about its effectiveness, so I wanna see. It’s not really a proper treasure of Brunhild, either. We haven’t used it. I’ll register it as a national treasure once Sue’s little brother or sister gets born, right? Plus, it’ll help out the Ortlinde household, so it’s the least I can do.” To be honest, it would be impossible to prove whether or not any pregnancy was caused by the item. I had my reservations about it, or maybe I just wanted it to be fake... Hmph.
It’s gonna be a serious hassle proving whether or not this thing actually works. Is it even worth it? I sighed slightly, mulling over such thoughts as I looked over at the smiling duke.
◇ ◇ ◇
I headed back to the castle, only to be greeted by Kougyoku flapping her wings around the corner. I extended my left arm and let her perch there. She was in her small parrot-like form, so the weight wasn’t that bad.
“A message has come from one of my subordinates I sent to the island. But there’s something you need to know...”
“Hm? What is it?”
“Well, to be blunt. The island is swarming with Behemoths.”
“I’m sorry, what?!”
Behemoths? S-Swarming? What? I expected some evolutionary differences, but an island full of giant beasts is a little much...
“Are there any people there?”
“Yes. There are several locations on the island with erected barriers not even the Behemoths can breach. Within these barriers are towns with living people inside. There are four in total, one in each cardinal direction. In the center of the island, there’s a large structure that resembles a temple, connecting them all.”
Whoa, there are really people there? I bet the Sage of Hours is behind this, given that it must have taken serious magic to put up barriers like that.
“What does the barrier do? Negate magic?”
“Not quite. It disperses magic. And there’s an effect applied to the sea that causes vehicles and people to lose their routes.”
I see... So the barrier cuts off magic at the source, interferes with artifacts, and even leads ships astray? Guess that explains why stuff would crash or lose their way in the area.
It meant that [Gate] was probably possible for me, since having my magic disrupted a little wasn’t too big of a problem for my deep reserves.
I had a better understanding of the mysterious island thanks to that intel. I was amazed people were living there, but now I had to figure out what to actually do.
Kougyoku said it was swarming with Behemoths, so it was totally this world’s Galapagos.
I was super interested, as the mystery of the place wasn’t lost on me. But on the other hand, I was conflicted about actually interfering with them.
They might not have known anything about the outside world, after all. I didn’t want to create an incident by intruding on their territory.
“Hm... What to do.” If I were a tyrant, I’d simply invade it under the banner of expanding my territory. Or I could go in with attempts to open up trade, like Commodore Perry and his black ships.
Come to think of it, 1853 was the year that all went down, right? There was a mnemonic way to remember it, but I can’t quite recall...
Even if I go in there and tell them I’m a ruler from a foreign land, they might not entertain me. If I don’t handle the situation right, they might even try to kill me. Unless I leave an impact that has them thinking I’m someone amazing or someone worth talking to, they probably won’t give me the time of day.
There was always the option of going in with about a hundred Frame Gears...
But I wasn’t so fond of that, since I’d just be doing what Commodore Perry did. I didn’t want to threaten them, but I almost felt like I might not have a choice.
Then, there was the matter of whether or not it was right for me to take this action alone. From a trade perspective, Hannock, Elfrau, and Palouf probably wouldn’t be interested in trading with them. Xenoahs was a no, as well.
Honestly, I wasn’t even sure if there’d be merit in opening up trade with them to begin with. Well... ultimately, I decided it was too soon to tell.
“Nothing we can do right now. Just keep up the scouting through your subordinates for the time being. Collect info on their culture, and what kind of society they have. Remember to be safe, though.”
“As you wish.”
It would be nice if the Sage of Hours left behind something of magical importance...
He could’ve left a secret behind on that island.
I still didn’t know what to do with the island, but if there was any possibility of something like that, then I’d have to confront them someday. Even if there was nothing there, I’d have to investigate.
When it came to saving the world, there was no such thing as a wasted venture.
I affirmed my resolve there and walked down the hall.
Chapter III: The Gathering Gods
“Alright, this is the newest product.”
“Ohoho... Just what is this thing...? There’s something inside?”
I was talking to Olba Strand in his company’s Brunhild branch building.
The upper part of the device I was showcasing was clear, filled with goods. Below there was a slot for money and a handle you could rotate. Below that, there was a hole where something could come out.
In short, I had invented the capsule toy dispenser. Though the capsules inside weren’t exactly spherical.
“I guess you could call it an automated lottery machine. How about you give it a try?” Olba put a small bronze coin into the gap and turned the handle. A small noise came from the machine as it moved around. In response, the machine released a small, cylindrical capsule through the prize hole.
“What’s this?”
“Open it up and see.” Olba unraveled the string tied around the leather-wrapped capsule, and out popped a miniature Frame Gear. The figurine he’d gotten was a tiny Chevalier. I’d crafted it from a rubber-like substance created by breaking down animal horns. I made sure to include all the details of the real thing.
“Oho! This is certainly well-made... But can’t we just sell these the regular way? Why the machine?”
“The little capsules don’t just have Chevaliers inside, it’s down to random chance which one you get. Here’s the full list.” Olba looked over the list I’d written, and he went wide-eyed upon realizing just how many varieties there were. He still didn’t seem to quite understand, though.
“Ah, well... I’m still a little confused about the little boxes... Can’t we just sell the items in stores? Why the extra fanfare?”
“Well, let’s say you want a Knight Baron figurine, right? You’d be able to just buy it from a store for one bronze penny if we sold it regularly. But if we put it in one of these machines, then...”
“Oh! Ohhh! I see now! You aren’t likely to get it in one try! You’d need to keep on trying until you get the ones you want! Maximum profit potential, you’re a genius!” In short, we were playing on the impulses of the masses. It was still cheap enough not to ruin anyone, and it’d ensure we saw a steady stream of cash. What’s more, we’d encourage people to trade in ten of them for a copper coin. That’d allow us to refill the machines more regularly.
I took out another of the capsule dispensers from [Storage].
“This one has higher quality goods than the older one. One try costs one copper. It costs ten times more than the previous machine. But the prizes in this one are made out of metal.” It was like comparing a child’s machine with an adult’s machine. Though it wasn’t like it’d be an issue if a child used the copper one, or if an adult used the bronze one.
Olba turned the handle on the more expensive one. The prize he got this time
was a Blue Moon Frame Gear, the Blue Knight. That was the specially modified Knight Baron that Vice-Commander Norn used.
This one was slightly bigger than the rubber one, and despite its weight, it would look good as a decorative or collector’s piece.
The full list of potential prizes was:
Gerhilde (Elze’s Frame Gear)
Schwertleite (Yae’s Frame Gear)
Siegrune (Hilde’s Frame Gear)
Ortlinde (Sue’s Frame Gear)
Helmwige (Linze’s Frame Gear)
Grimgerde (Leen’s Frame Gear)
The Shining Count (Commander’s Frame Gear)
The Knight Baron (Vice-Commander’s Frame Gear)
The Blue Moon (Vice-Commander’s Frame Gear)
The Chevalier (Standard Frame Gear)
Dragoon (Ende’s Frame Gear)
Various Miniature Weapons
On top of that, there were prizes that weren’t based on Frame Gears, too.
Black Dragon
Wyvern
Snorra Wolf
Mithril Golem
Scorpinas
Demon Lord
Bloody Crab
Wood Golem
King Ape
Various Tiny Magical Beasts
So we had a monster collection and a mecha collection.
I added in the monster collection because I wanted there to be some decent variety to start with. I didn’t want people being like “Aw man, it’s just a Chevalier again...”
Either way, there was still a chance that someone out there might constantly get Chevaliers... That was simply a matter of chance.
For the third time, I took a capsule machine out of my [Storage]. It was the real deal, this time. The main piece. Bigger than the last two, and much fancier.
“This one doesn’t require money to turn the handle. I was thinking that when someone spends enough money in your store, they get one turn of this as a freebie. The items inside this one are a far higher quality than the last two; they’re crafted out of dragon bone. They’re also properly colored and their limbs are fully articulated.” They were action figures, fully articulated to the point where certain models, like Linze’s Frame Gear, could even do a full transformation sequence.
In Another World With My Smartphone: Volume 11 Premium Page 9