He began to chant. It was the incantation to summon the magical treasury Increasia.
Sssssss.
When the spell was complete, a rift of distorted space revealed itself. It was the magical treasury—
Increasia. Damon pointed at Increasia with a confident expression.
“I will give you your first mission. The first thing you must do is serve as warehouse keepers.”
“J-just w-warehouse k-keepers?”
At Damon’s words, the Death Knights answered as though deflated.
“That’s right. Let me formally introduce it. This is Increasia, the dragons’ magical treasury. Inside are treasures they spent their entire lives gathering. I killed one of the dragons and took it for myself.”
“I-is th-that t-true?”
The Death Knights reacted as though they simply could not believe it. Of course, a master of the 9th Circle could never be called weak. A grand mage of that level was so powerful that even the four of them, in life, could not have rashly guaranteed victory against him.
But facing a dragon was another matter. Had it not always been said that the chance of a human mage defeating a dragon in battle was zero? Yet Damon had nonchalantly confessed that he had slain one, so their reaction was only natural.
“Fools… Its corpse is inside, so you can go in and confirm it for yourselves, can’t you?”
“A-amazing.”
Looking at the Death Knights, who could not close their mouths, Damon continued speaking once more. This time, it was a procedure meant to instill courage and fighting spirit in them.
“There is one more thing I must tell you. You are still incomplete beings—in other words, unfinished Death Knights. That is why I did not create ghostly warhorses for you.”
As expected, the Death Knights did not understand Damon’s meaning. Damon stretched out his hand and pointed at the magical treasury Increasia.
“Inside this is the sealing sphere in which the Great Demon King Neidelhark is sealed. That is precisely why I stole the magical treasury.”
The moment his words fell, the Death Knights’ faces brightened.
“Th-then y-you…”
Damon silently nodded.
“I intend to turn you into truly powerful master-class Death Knights. Ones who would not lose even if they fought ten Sword Masters… That is exactly why I chose you.”
“……”
“The stronger a Death Knight was in life, and the more dark mana is infused into it, the stronger it becomes. Therefore, I intend to absorb mana from the sealing sphere of the Great Demon King Neidelhark and infuse most of it into you. Up to the very limit you can withstand.”
“Is th-that r-really true?”
Damon nodded as if to say it was.
“To be honest, with the mana in the sealing sphere, I could probably create a hundred master-class Death Knights. But I will not do that. What I need is not a multitude of inferior ones, but a truly powerful few. Think about it. If you receive an unlimited infusion of the Great Demon King Neidelhark’s mana, just how strong will you become…?”
After maintaining silence for a while, the Death Knights replied in excited voices.
“P-perhaps the s-strongest m-master-class D-Death Knights in h-history w-will be born. Ones t-that could easily be c-called m-monsters…”
“The four of you and a master of the 9th Circle. With that much, wouldn’t we be able to hunt dragons?”
“M-more than enough. Of c-course it’s possible.”
A strange sense of anticipation seeped into the gleam in the Death Knights’ eyes. It stemmed from the fact that they could see the possibility of taking revenge on the dragons. Damon smiled broadly.
“It’s not time to rejoice yet. The sealing sphere is inside this, but I don’t know where. That’s why I need you.”
The impatient Reindelf stepped forward.
“Wh-what should w-we do?”
“Didn’t I already tell you? Warehouse keepers… As far as I know, the inside of the magical treasury Increasia is maintained as an extreme environment where living beings cannot survive. But that should not matter to you Death Knights. First, enter it. Then find the items within and clearly memorize their coordinates.”
“Is the i-inside of the m-magical treasury th-that vast?”
Damon glared at Reindelf.
“You fool! How would I know that? That is why I am sending you inside.”
“U-understood. Even if it t-takes hundreds of y-years, w-we will search every c-corner of the treasury as y-you commanded.”
“See that you do. Only then might we obtain unexpected gains as well…”
“U-unexpected gains?”
An ambiguous light surfaced on Damon’s face. It was the pride of knowing he could do as he pleased with the treasures the dragons had gathered.
“Inside Increasia are the most precious treasures among those possessed by the dragons. Of course, there are bound to be excellent armaments and magical weapons, aren’t there? Before long, you will be able to use dark mana. In other words, as long as they are not imbued with holy magic, you should be able to use any magical armament, correct?”
“Y-you mean we are to c-choose our own armor and w-weapons?”
“That’s right. That is why I had you wear only thin chain armor. As far as I know, all manner of divine arms and peerless weapons that have existed in Truvenia until now are stored inside. From magical armor to famed swords. Artifacts whose value cannot even be measured. All of it is mine to do with as I please.”
“……”
“They now all belong to you. Go and find them. Any divine arm or peerless weapon that suits your taste will be permitted, up to the limit each of you can personally carry. So long as it makes you stronger.”
“Even if it is the Rihert Saber?”
“That goes without saying. Of course, before that, you will have to discuss among yourselves who will possess it…”
Primberg shook his head as though amazed.
“Th-this is truly an honor. To think we c-can choose weapons we have never even been able to l-lay eyes on until now…”
“Be careful not to make the foolish mistake of choosing a weapon imbued with holy magic. You probably still do not have the ability to use such divine weapons. So for now, simply memorize the coordinates where the weapons you choose are stored. Later, once I have granted you power, I will hand them over to you without leaving a single one behind.”
“Th-thank you.”
A strange passion flickered in the Death Knights’ eyes. With arrangements of this scale, they could fight against the dragons of the entire continent. Confidence was steadily seeping from their gazes.
“Then enter now. I will cross over to Arcadia by this route and devise a method to extract mana from Neidelhark’s sealing sphere.”
Helbertron stepped forward first. After gazing at Increasia for a moment, Helbertron abruptly extended his hand toward Damon. A strange light appeared in Damon’s eyes.
“What does this mean?”
“I s-sincerely thank you. For giving m-me the chance and the power to take r-revenge.”
Damon grinned and clasped Helbertron’s hand.
“If possible, try to fix that stuttering way of speaking. It is extremely unpleasant to listen to.”
“I w-will try.”
After Helbertron disappeared into Increasia, Reindelf stepped forward. He, too, extended his hand to Damon. Between their clasped hands, something like a bond between men passed. Next was Primberg, and after him, Saramis. In this way, the four Death Knights vanished into Increasia. Then Damon hid Increasia once more within the spatial rift.
“It’s over now. Next is crossing over to Arcadia, is it?”
Since he had secured his most important allies, a relieved look had appeared on his face.
“I am quite curious to see how the humans of the New Continent live.”
Damon shouldered the pack he had set down and silently moved his feet. This time, his destination lay to the west, across the sea, where Arcadia was located.
********************************************************************
Feiryute. This was a city-state possessing the largest harbor on the New Continent of Arcadia.
Five hundred years ago, when the migration of humans to Arcadia began, it was the place where nearly all ships had anchored and dropped their moorings. Moreover, since the terrain itself formed a massive bay, it was a place blessed with unparalleled natural conditions.
Thanks to the bay curving roundly into the interior, the rough waves of the open sea could hardly intrude within, and so the waters inside the bay always remained calm. Because of this, Feiryute was able to firmly establish itself as Arcadia’s foremost port city.
Curiously, maritime trade had not developed much in Arcadia. The fierce currents that always surrounded the continent were one reason, but the storms that blew in at all times played an even greater role. Some claimed that this was due to the curse of the Silver Dragon that began five hundred years ago, but the seas around the continent of Arcadia had been renowned for violent winds and waves even before that.
The reason such a massive continent had been discovered so late was also due entirely to that. The fact that there had been almost no exchange with Truvenia was precisely for the same reason. Naturally, sea-trading vessels fully loaded with cargo were the type of ships most helpless before storms. Therefore, most trade activity conducted in Arcadia took place through the inland routes, and the ships that filled Feiryute’s harbor were almost entirely fishing boats.
However, the ships anchored in the harbor were so large that they could hardly be considered fishing boats. Most had cabins with double-deck structures, and now and then, even huge ships with as many as three masts could be seen. It was a sight that might make one wonder whether vessels of such size were necessary for catching fish. But anyone who recalled Feiryute’s history would have no choice but to nod. That was because Feiryute was the cradle of whaling, where Arcadia’s whaling ships gathered in full.
Whales. On land, they were animals whose enormous bodies could never be supported. Whales, capable of surviving only in the sea that could bear their weight, were creatures as useful as they were massive.
The tremendous amount of meat obtained from a single whale was one thing, but there were also whale bones, highly valued as ornaments, and fat that was used in all sorts of fields. In addition, the ambergris stored within their heads had long since become a beloved luxury item among high-ranking nobles. Because of that, the seafarers of Feiryute were all obsessed with catching whales.