Chapter 163
A new notification window had appeared at some point.
That notification window had clearly told him to complete the legendary armaments to thwart the Demon God’s plans.
The staff obtained after helping the World Tree was one of them, and the sealed holy relics he was currently gathering were others.
Even with the steady gathering of the armaments, there was one unresolved question.
The existence of the [???] at the very end.
He needed to at least know its name to even try investigating it, but since it was only written as question marks, there was nothing he could do.
So what else could he do? He just stood by, thinking that things would somehow work out as time passed.
But the hologram window that appeared before his eyes at that moment was speaking.
“Acquisition of ??? has been confirmed.”
This ring was what shrouded the question marks in mystery.
“Are you really okay with that? Even though I am the one giving it, my mind is not entirely at ease.”
The king worried about Franz.
He had opened the treasure vault to reward him for saving the nation, but of all things, the item chosen was a cursed one.
“Yes, I will go with this.”
More accurately, he should say it had to be this.
Now that he knew the ring’s identity, Franz had no choice.
His trust in the notification window was still at a subtle level, but at least he had never suffered a loss from doing what it told him to do.
It was better to just follow it for now rather than wander aimlessly.
“If you say so, I will not go out of my way to stop you. But please be careful just in case. I do not wish to see the benefactor who saved our nation suffer a terrible fate.”
“Yes, I will keep that in mind.”
In the end, Franz decided to take the ring despite the king’s dissuasion.
“Then should I go see what the other girls picked…”
Thinking that, he looked around, but every one of them was wandering about with furrowed brows.
It seemed they couldn’t easily decide since there were so many items.
It was then.
“Magic Tower lord, could you perhaps help me a little?”
Arian suddenly asked for a favor.
“What is it? Tell me.”
Not immediately saying he would help but instead trying to hear what it was first, was a truly Mage-like answer.
“Is there perhaps an item that would help improve my magic skills?”
“Improving your magic skills…”
It was a problem that seemed simple yet difficult.
Increasing the tier of magic one could use was impossible with an item, and if the goal was in the direction of amplifying magic power, there were some choices he could pick from.
Among them, the easiest thing to consider was a staff, but the staff she used was an item made by one of the top artisans on the continent.
If he looked, there might be an item better than that, but there probably wouldn’t be a big difference.
It would be a waste to blow this kind of opportunity for such a marginal difference.
“Should I look for something that strengthens a specific attribute instead?”
That was a bit more efficient than simply amplifying magic power.
They boasted a considerable level of difficulty just to craft, so it was rare for them to circulate in the market, but in the treasure vault, he might be able to find a good item.
“Wait a moment.”
Franz immediately spread his magic power to the surroundings.
Among the many, many items, he picked out the ones that reacted to magic power, and from there, he selected the one with the greatest water attribute amplification.
An ordinary Mage would have to go through the process of grabbing the items one by one and flowing magic power into them, but Franz accomplished it in just a few seconds.
“Is this the best one…”
Franz picked up an earring that was nearby.
With a snow crystal-shaped ornament attached to it, it seemed to suit Arian quite well.
“Is that the best one?”
“For now, yes, but…”
Franz didn’t quite like the earring.
In terms of appearance, it suited Arian very well, but in terms of performance, it felt a bit ambiguous.
However, such a problem could easily be solved.
It would be a bit annoying, but if he just tweaked the magic power arrangement engraved inside a little, he could make it sufficiently usable.
Of course, this was only possible because the earring’s base condition was on the better side.
“Arian, go with this for now. I’ll tweak the performance later.”
“Really…? Are you going to do it yourself, Magic Tower lord?”
“Yeah, I’ll do it myself.”
“Hmm-, I see. The Magic Tower lord is going to personally do my earring…”
Arian, who took the earring from Franz, let out a strange nasal sound and wriggled her body this way and that.
Watching that gave him a feeling that was hard to describe.
It wasn’t… unpleasant, but if one were asked if it was good, it wasn’t that either…
Anyway, when he looked at her expression, it was a relief that she didn’t seem to hate it.
Having picked out Arian’s item, Franz headed over to Yuna.
“Yuna, did you pick?”
“No, I’m still thinking. I asked the king earlier, and he said these two have health-related spells in them, didn’t he? Something like that…”
In front of Yuna lay a bizarre-looking doll and a glass bottle containing a single yellow flower.
He didn’t know much about spells, but an unwithering flower definitely gave off a mystical feeling.
'If it’s related to health, she must be worried about her family.'
Having gone through such an ordeal, she had an understandable desire to take care of her family.
If he had known about spells, he could have helped her even a little…
It was when Franz was mulling over his regrets.
“The yellow flower has a slightly stronger spell energy.”
Hera, who had appeared at some point, offered her advice.
Come to think of it, hadn’t Hera said she felt traces of a spell at the villa.
If she was saying it, it would be worth believing.
“Then I’ll go with this one.”
Yuna picked up the glass bottle containing the flower.
With Yuna having picked her item following Arian, the only ones left now were Hera and Yusti-ah.
Franz, who had been looking at Yuna, shifted his gaze to Hera.
“Hera, what did you pick?”
“I picked this.”
Hera showed Franz what she was holding in her hand.
“…”
What she had chosen was none other than a choker.
When one looked at the design, it didn’t seem to be made for animals, but for some reason, it felt like a leash.
She had been quiet lately so he thought she had come to her senses, but was she just suppressing it?
“Nah, surely not.”
Franz prayed that wasn’t the case and moved his steps toward Yusti-ah.
“Yusti…”
“Hiek?!”
Yusti-ah jumped in surprise and hastily hid what she was holding in her hand.
At her appearance, which was like that of a culprit caught stealing, Franz let out a short sigh.
“Yusti-ah, he said, “One each.””
“I-It’s not like that!”
“Of course it’s a joke. Did you pick an item?”
“What kind of joke is that… I already picked an item.”
Franz was curious about what kind of item Yusti-ah had chosen, but he didn’t particularly pry.
It was her item anyway, so it only mattered that she liked it.
Having chosen their items, everyone exited the treasure vault with the king.
When the king inserted the key into the hole, a Magic formula activated and the door was locked once again.
The king, tucking the key into his robes, looked at Franz and his party and spoke.
“As the king of Ganiphus, I promise you. If any problem arises for you, I will help you by any means necessary. Of course, the best thing would be for no such need for help to arise.”
“Those are undeserved words. The treasures we received today are already enough of a reward.”
“It is just in case, is it not? You do not need to mind it too much.”
The king showed a benevolent smile.
His character was indeed flawless without a doubt. If all nobles were like him, things like secret feuds wouldn’t even happen.
Their conversation ended with that.
Afterward, Franz, having finished his greetings with the king, snapped his fingers.
It felt a bit like he was moving hastily, but they weren’t exactly close enough to sit down and chat, so doing this was better for everyone.
Since they had finished giving and receiving what they needed to anyway, there wasn’t any particular problem.
“Magic Tower lord, when are we going back?”
Right after returning to the villa, Arian asked.
“Well, I think we’ll probably stay for another day or two.”
They had come to Ganiphus with the intention of “getting away from our busy daily lives and going on a vacation!”, but they had just been moving around busily since the first day.
Of course, it was enjoyable to have new experiences every moment, but the only thing that could be called a vacation was the memory of drinking at night.
So he thought it wouldn’t be a bad idea to truly relax and rest a little now.
Since they had come all the way to the sea, it would be nice to swim a bit and build some sandcastles.
Looking at Franz, who was brimming with such anticipation, the four women swallowed their saliva with a gulp.
A day or two. A vacation without work. Time to fully focus on their surroundings.
It was a perfect moment to fully show off their charms, so it might just become a pathway to advance their relationships beyond what they were then.
Of course, Franz was completely unaware of that fact.