Chapter 430

430 – Treasure Warehouse #2

Following the address, I found Zepeto’s cottage.

The Deer Forest in winter, where all the leaves had fallen.

The snow-covered trees and the footprint-less cottage exuded such charm that I thought it would make a good painting.

Creak-.

Of course, the interior I entered after opening the door had been practically ransacked by investigators and those seeking secrets from Zepeto’s hidden safe.

“Hmph, look at all this dust.”

Still, from the hammer, anvil, and makeshift forge here, I could strongly sense the life of a man.

Looking at the size of items scattered around, the man, despite being called grandfather, surely had a sturdy and robust build.

And then suddenly, something caught my eye.

In this old, abandoned cottage, which had long been dug up and had lost all its secrets, there were delicate items that didn’t seem like they could belong to a burly man.

For instance, the tiny hammer on the shelf over there was ridiculously small for any man to handle.

The little brush beside it also stood out. And there was a worn-out stuffed doll and hand mirror that young girls would adore.

Since these items didn’t look like they were crafted as merchandise but seemed used instead, I naturally pictured another shadow beside the old blacksmith.

Was this the place where Metelior and Zepeto spent their time together, creating memories?

I ran my hand across various surfaces here and there. Yet, with numerous investigators and treasure hunters having thoroughly scoured this place already, I didn’t expect to uncover anything new.

“There’s nothing special here.”

After carefully observing the cottage for a while, I picked up a dusty doll from the corner and returned to my shrine.

“Alright! Uncles! We’re almost done!”

At the entrance to the shrine, Marda was seen giving instructions to the workers.

Whenever Paranoi wasn’t around, Marda, as the second disciple, took up the role of leader among the priests, directing operations — a regular occurrence.

Despite initially appearing a bit clumsy, the priests had now fully settled into their roles. They performed their duties well without the need for me constantly issuing instructions.

They certainly are a well-trained bunch.

“Ah, Hassan-sama!”

Then Marda noticed me and waved.

“Following your instructions, the communal house for the nymphs is progressing well. To report: we hired ten workers from the Rock Dwarf Union at two silver coins per day.”

Flip.

As Marda prepared to launch into a detailed explanation while flipping through her chart, I waved my hand to cut her off. I anticipated a long, complicated story.

“That’s fine. I can tell by just looking that things are going well. So, when it’s completed, the members of the Nymph Choir will live here, right?”

I glanced over at the construction site.

You bastards! Over there, not here! Fix the alignment! Are you building a house for nymphs or have you lost your strength like them?

What is this idiot doing? Swing that hammer properly!

Bang, bang, crash, pop.

The construction of the cabins was noisy and chaotic. It seemed they were building a cluster of ten interconnected rooms. If more nymphs joined in the future, the size could be expanded as needed.

Although the homes were being constructed roughly using wood and bricks, it would be vastly better than the cramped inn rooms where the nymphs were currently crowded together.

Several rooms were already completed, with some nymphs already moved in.

Take Metelior, for instance.

Nymphs who received a ‘Good Nymph Score’ from Luna gained the right to be first to move in.

Incidentally, with these ‘Good Nymph Scores,’ it was possible to buy everything from candy or health potions to free passes for outings. It was like a custom currency used in the lesser fae’s community.

In short, Metelior scored 100 points and was among the first to take residence in the finished rooms.

Metelior’s House

Standing before the doorway on the ground floor, I knocked softly. Inside, various rustling sounds could be heard.

“Who’s there…?”

“It’s me, Hassan. I’ve got something to give you.”

With a groan, the door cracked open. Through the gap, I could see the winter-born nymph’s distinctive blue hair and eyes.

Hm?

The suspicious glance told me plainly, “Why are you here?”

Taking the small repaired doll from behind my back, I handed it to her.

Having washed and mended the tattered and soiled parts, it gleamed cleanly, like new, shaped like a nymph.

“Th-this is…”

Metelior’s gaze and tone changed upon seeing the doll. She must have realized what it was.

“It was in the old workshop where you lived with your grandfather. I brought it here.”

Squeak.

The door opened wider.

The widening gap symbolized the narrowing distance between Metelior and myself. Handing over the doll felt like the right thing to do.

“I am Metelior, the nymph of molten metal. I can identify the texture and impurities in metals I touch. I helped grandpa a lot that way.”

Sitting calmly on her bed with the doll in her arms, Metelior didn’t fidget or tremble as she used to. Was it the comfort of holding her cherished doll?

I pulled up a chair and sat facing her. I then retrieved the Skeleton Key from my pocket.

“Luna told me you’ve seen this before?”

Sluggishly, Metelior tilted her head down and glanced at the Skeleton Key.

“Yes, I’ve seen it. Mold. Skeleton-shaped. It was distinctive enough I remembered. Grandpa said he made it a long time ago. It contained a special device.”

“Is that true?”

“I know about that device. I’ve seen many of grandpa’s secret tools. Since you found my doll, I’ll help you. Grandpa always said we must repay our debts.”

A feeling of triumph bubbled inside me.

All the time spent combing through libraries or dusting around the winter forest workshop today finally paid off.

Then Metelior added more.

“The important part isn’t the key itself. It’s the materials that compose the key. A flame intense enough to melt iron will be necessary. A forge would be good too. The stronger the flame, the better, since we’ll be melting titanium steel.”

The following day,

“Hmm? What do you want me to do?”

I brought the somewhat disinterested Elpride along.

Elpride’s flames are powerful enough to burn through the bones of most monsters. Being the fiery witch mentioned by Metelior, there was no better choice.

A forge wasn’t easily prepared, but

“It’s fine.”

Metelior reassured everyone. In front of the gathered crowd, Metelior built a small bonfire at the corner of the graveyard.

“Here, I, Ononoi, brought blessed charcoal from the goddess Vesta! I was once a follower of the goddess Vesta!”

“Charcoal. Good condition.”

After checking the blessed charcoal and nodding approvingly, Metelior added it to the bonfire. She then requested Elpride to chant her spell.

“Hmph.”

Although reluctant to help the nymph’s cause, Elpride reluctantly muttered, “Ifrith!” causing the flames to rise grandly.

The pan-like object on the fire immediately began to sizzle, emitting enough intense heat that the gathered priests and nymphs had to step back.

Even Hippolyte, watching this from a distance, frowned and remarked, “It’s scorching.”

“Key.”

Impervious to the heat, Metelior extended her hand toward me. I handed over the three Skeleton Keys concealed in my possession.

Taking them, Metelior unhesitatingly placed them directly onto the hot plate.

Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle.

And just like that, the keys I had worked so hard to gather melted into molten metal under the blazing sun.

At everyone’s moment of bewilderment, Metelior spoke further.

“The materials of each key: titanium, adamant, and tin from the Sodomora Mines. When these three are combined, the resulting plutite metal has a unique and special quality.”

Luna inquired,

“Do you mean all three keys were made of different metals?”

“Yes.”

“What the…! I had no idea!”

Neither did I.

When the three keys melted completely and merged, they began to glow a strange red light, bubbling like boiling bl**d or magma—quite eerie.

However, when all impurities finally evaporated away as slag and smoke,

the red glow gave way to a brilliant golden hue.

“Now, it’s time to take it out.”

Using a long rod she had on hand, Metelior picked up the searing-hot pan.

She poured its bubbling contents into a small metal mold prepared in advance and quickly sealed it.

Ssssschh.

After spraying water over it to cool it down quickly, she opened the mold to reveal the solidified metal within, shaped exactly like the engraved form inside.

“Spear?”

It was a gleaming golden spear tip.

“Grandpa would have followed a more complicated process. But I, Metelior, didn’t learn everything. This will suffice. This is the real key.”

I grasped the dull spear tip. A strange vibration, charged with mysterious power, ran through it.

Sensing the strange emanation of power, I removed the adventurer’s medal around my neck and tied the spear tip with the same string, holding it aloft.

It was drawn toward a specific direction, like iron to a magnet.

“The plutite metal attracts similar substances. Following this will lead us to what we’re seeking.”

“Your help has been invaluable.”

I patted Metelior’s head. In response, she looked at me with an unexpectedly sorrowful expression. Perhaps it reminded her of her grandfather, who must’ve patted her head the same way.

“Antiope, are you around?”

I called out to Antiope, who was quietly observing from a distance. From the shadows beneath the graveyard, she gracefully emerged.

“Such an honor that our esteemed Hassan-sama seeks me. What is it?”

I whispered softly into her ear, audible only to her.

“You, having nothing to do anyway, why don’t you look into Shafiro Zepeto’s disappearance from five years ago? There might be newspaper articles at the library.”

“Are you planning to help this nymph find her friend too? I thought Hassan here didn’t do free charity.”

“Not exactly. I’m personally curious about this ‘eye monster’ you mentioned.”

I wondered if there were any unsolved plots in the disappearance of Shafiro Zepeto, who crafted the key for the storeroom of the Plutus priests.

No harm in having it investigated, right?

“Alright, sounds good to me. With the situation of the shrine knights since the prince’s incident, working under Hassan might not be a bad plan.”

While retreating back into the crowd, Antiope said, “I’ll show you how useful I can be, wait and see.”

Hippolyte had mentioned that Antiope’s true talent lay in tracking and reasoning.

Indeed, she had previously tracked Luna and myself, accusing us as cultists and placing us in danger.

So, there was a strange sense of reassurance knowing Antiope would take care of the investigation.

It’s good having subordinates, isn’t it?

This might be why Paranoi yearns for power, right?

With that, my gaze returned to the spear tip, now swinging in different directions in the string. As I watched it intently, Hippolyte smiled and remarked,

“Treasure hunting, is it? Sounds fun. Since the festival’s delayed and there’s nothing better to do, I’ll join the search.”

To this, Luna gleefully added,

“Ah! Me too, I’m going!”

Except Elpride, who lazily yawned, seemingly uninterested.

“I’ll stay behind. I’m tired already.”

Her refusal, of course, was declined.

There could be traps around the treasure warehouse, so we needed at least one skilled mage, according to Hippolyte’s suggestion.

Thus, my group—me, Luna, Hippolyte, Elpride, and inventory-master Paranoi, followed the spear’s direction to the indicated destination.

It pointed beyond the city of Sodomora, more specifically, the majestic mountain range beyond it. As we ventured further, we discovered an old and crumbling mine.

The mine, dark and foreboding, loomed ahead like a giant’s throat.

---