Volume 4 Chapter 17 [Under-Ops SIDE] Already Discovered Treasures, That's Horace Quality
Now, about the rumored treasure at Sevenstar Academy...
Gaspar has ordered his subordinates to search, but it's all in vain.
Because Horace has already discovered it.
To begin with, there's no way Horace wouldn't notice the treasure rumors.
Horace is a monster who runs the capital's palace single-handedly for the world's largest nation.
Basic information gathering is a given, and he's developed and operates various means to prevent subterfuge and detect it.
Being a golem himself, he can manipulate various organs in his body, making his senses sharper than a normal human's.
Of course, he's just an old man posing as a teacher with no ties to the government now, but his sharp senses remain unchanged.
In that situation, it's actually difficult not to notice 'what's happening inside the building where Horace is.'
Russma asked, "...So, Horace found the treasure and brought it to you, Velto?"
"That's right," Velto replied.
In a certain room in the academy's basement...
Velto, Ginji, and Russma were gathered together.
Ginji asked, "So, what about the treasure?"
"There was an ingot in the treasure chest, here it is," Velto said.
The ingot that Velto took out was a deep purple.
It's so large that it could easily make a single sword, and its size is considerable.
Russma wondered, "What kind of metal is this, I wonder?"
"There's something of the same material in the storage," Ginji replied.
"Perhaps it was made by Eudynes, who lived a hundred years ago," Russma said.
Ginji asked, "What did Mr. Horace say when he saw this?"
"He said, 'I'm not sure,'" Velto replied.
Ginji muttered, "Hmmm... I see, it was 'there' after all."
Russma asked, "Do you find any of this convincing?"
Velto replied, "Yeah. Horace's body has something like a seal engraved on it. I noticed because I've seen Horace up close before, but it's probably to 'prevent the use of appraisal magic on certain types of metal.'"
Russma asked, "Appraisal magic?"
Ginji explained, "I don't know why it was sealed."
Russma pressed on, "But when was the seal placed?"
Ginji replied, "The sealing technique of Order of the Sealed Dragon often uses blood. If it's Horace, the founder's family, unlike us, it's probably inherited by 'genes.'"
Russma concluded, "In short, the founder intentionally made it so that descendants can't identify this ingot."
Velto asked, "So, what kind of power would this ingot have if we drew it out?"
Ginji speculated, "It's mainly something the regular crew would make a fuss over. Probably related to the seal... and, uh, can I just guess?"
Velto encouraged, "Mr. Ginji's guess? ...Let's hear it."
Ginji hypothesized, "Using my appraisal magic, this metal can instantly create the weapons we're making now."
Russma repeated, "Instantly..."
The gear used by the Order of the Sealed Dragon takes a very long time to craft.
It needs years for the magic within the material to stabilize, and after shaping the weapon quickly, it takes half that time again to stabilize the material.
If it's equipment made by Robert, who was in charge, it might take 30 years to stabilize the material and 15 years to stabilize the finished weapon. Totaling 45 years, a huge amount of time.
But, that effort results in much higher performance.
According to Horace, even Ramella, the chief of the Luster Report workshop, would be thrilled if he saw that weapon. That's the level.
Since humans are tiny compared to massively powerful dragons with great vitality and lifespan, they survive by inheriting high-end gear and the skills to craft it.
That's what 'Order of the Sealed Dragon' is.
But this metal here now can make those weapons usable and ready to go *immediately.*
Ginji exclaimed, "They sure call it a treasure for a reason."
Velto cautioned, "It's revolutionary, no doubt. But... we have to be careful with how we handle it."
Russma agreed, "Yeah. And... I don't really get why Mr. Horace kept others from appraising this..."
Ginji suggested, "It's not that only this metal can't be appraised. Probably, they don't see good prospects in the materials used to craft 'Order of the Sealed Dragon' gear."
Velto pondered, "Hmm..."
Ginji reflected, "Well, looking at the data my father had, I have some understanding of the equipment. It's a basic level... but what should we do about this?"
Russma warned, "If the regular team finds out it exists, things could get complicated..."
It's extremely valuable as the Order of the Sealed Dragon.
Judging by its size, it looks like only one weapon can be made.
But being able to make it right now is an incredible feat.
And in actual fights against dragons, if the target is a lower-ranked one, the regular team usually handles it.
Previously, Robert ran from Terra Disas and Ginji picked up what wasn't recovered.
In other words, Ginji ── part of the 'Under-Ops,' a tiny faction within the Order of the Sealed Dragon ── is taking action to recover the weapon because they're seriously short on gear.
It takes a lot of time to make.
It's not something you can produce multiple at once. Actually, trying to do so even caused a big disaster.
"'Within the next ten years, only one new one will be made. That's Hysteribaba's guess. If they build another, it would be a disaster in many ways.'"
Ginji quoted, "Ideally, skilled craftspeople would work on it full-time for hours. But, considering the situation, this is..."
Velto decided, "Well, for now, I'll report this to the hag."
Ginji let out a sigh as he said that.
The 'Hysteribaba,' who's probably higher in rank than him, sounds like a serious person.
No way she's just an ordinary human ── calling her Hysteribaba already says enough.
Ginji summarized, "Anyway, some dangerous metal has been found in the school's basement, and we need to decide what to do about it."
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