Afterward, Hajoon entered the mansion with Elaine.
They descended to the basement using the main staircase. The grand golden vault in the basement still announced its presence with its brilliant shine. However, it felt even brighter than the last time Hajoon had seen it.
"What's this place..."
Unexpectedly, Elaine showed a look of unfamiliarity.
As if she was seeing this place for the first time.
"Is this your first time here?"
"Yeah... No one was allowed in."
In Elaine's memory, the iron door to the basement was always locked. Since nobody could enter or was allowed to, it became a place she naturally forgot about.
"Hmm..."
Hajoon pondered Elaine's words for a moment.
He had assumed she knew something about this place.
So, should he try to open the vault?
Hajoon approached the vault slowly.
He then took out the Sealed Ethurgia, known as a family artifact.
[Sealed Ethurgia]
Rank: ???
Trait: ???
Description: ???
It remained an unknown artifact with no rank, trait, or description. He had seen something similar in the past. That was an Easter egg he had once sought to eliminate the system's coercion.
After observing the Sealed Ethurgia for a while, Hajoon asked Philaten,
"You mentioned needing magic last time, right?"
-Yes.
An artifact that requires magic.
Of course, it would probably need a specific type of magic.
Hajoon then felt that the artifact might need the Ehrman family's magic. In other words, Hajoon wouldn't be able to open it because he didn't possess even a speck of that magic.
However...
Hajoon turned to Elaine.
"Elaine."
"Hmm?"
With those words, Hajoon handed the Sealed Ethurgia to Elaine. She received it, her eyes wide with surprise.
"The, the Sealed Ethurgia!?"
"You have magic, right?"
"Uh? Yes. Of course, I do..."
"Pour your magic into the Sealed Ethurgia and place it here in the slot."
Elaine looked at Hajoon with a puzzled expression but soon nodded. If her brother asked her to, he must have had a reason.
Following Hajoon's instructions, Elaine channeled her magic into the Sealed Ethurgia.
As she did so, the vault, including the Sealed Ethurgia, began to shine as if reacting to the magic, and changes appeared on the artifact's display.
Ding-
[Sealed Ethurgia]
Rank: Unique
Trait: {Magic Designation} {Seal}
Description: The only key that can open the Etherdon vault.
Although the only change in the status window was not an improvement in performance but a simple one, this artifact would now fulfill its purpose.
Elaine placed the Sealed Ethurgia into the vault's slot.
The subsequent phenomenon was surprising even for Hajoon.
The Etherdon vault began emitting a dazzling light.
Soon, with a grinding noise, the massive door started to open on its own. The sight inside left Hajoon speechless.
"Wow..."
Elaine exclaimed in awe as she stepped into the vault. Hajoon followed closely behind her.
The interior of the vault was vast, to say the least.
Relative to the vault's external dimensions, the inside boasted a space comparable to a school's sports field.
Everywhere you looked, countless treasures were piled up.
There were cups and plates made entirely of gold, among other numerous treasures.
"Hmm..."
However, there seemed to be more than just this.
Treasures merely stacked on either side, and at the center, there was a path leading further in.
Both Hajoon and Elaine proceeded along this path deeper into the vault.
At the end of the path, they discovered a pedestal made entirely of gold.
And atop this pedestal, something was floating gently.
At a cursory glance, it appeared to be a transparent cloak emitting a faint light.
Seeing this cloak, even Hajoon, with his 'Indomitable Will (SS)', couldn't help but be taken aback.
[Holy Guardian Cloak]
Rank: Mythic
Traits: {Phenomenal Shift} {Enhancement} {Levitation} {Absolute Protection} {Magical Amplification} {Shock Nullification} {Hardening} {Evolution} {Invisibility}
Description: A holy cloak that protects everything according to its owner's will. It guards the wearer from any kind of attack.
[Sub-Quest]
Available character for quest: Kim Hajoon (Liber Laphilton Phil Ehrman)
Description: Uncover the secrets of the Ehrman family.
Reward: 5,000 Experience Points
[Success!]
[The reward is given.]
[Your level has increased.]
"Heh, really..."
"...Brother?"
Upon seeing the artifact, a sarcastic laugh escaped Hajoon's lips.
He finally understood why Roban was so desperate to open this vault.
The treasures surrounding them paled in comparison to the precious item before them.
A Mythic-ranked artifact.
A legendary artifact, of which only five exist in the entire world, was right in front of them.
“Brother, what is that?”
Elaine asked Hajoon with a hint of trepidation.
Judging by her question, she seemed unaware of what it contained.
And Hajoon couldn't explain, as he was equally clueless about its presence.
“What indeed? What could that be?”
“You don’t know either?”
“I can tell it’s a Mythic artifact, but I have no idea why it’s there.”
“Wait, a Mythic artifact?!”
Elaine’s eyes widened in shock at Ha-joon’s words.
Perhaps in response to her voice, the Mythic artifact placed on the Altar began to stir.
Whooosh!
The abrupt movement caught Hajoon off guard.
A transparent cloak that was gently floating above the Altar swiftly wrapped around Elaine. In that instant, Hajoon immediately raised his hammer, intending to activate Time Stop (SSS) and strike the cloak, forcing it off Elaine. However, the cloak remained unperturbed, fluttering calmly on Elaine’s back, as if the blow he dealt had simply vanished.
“Huh?”
“Tch.”
With a click of his tongue, Hajoon raised his hammer once more, ready to strike.
Given that it was a Mythic artifact, its potential backlash was unimaginable.
It could easily deal a fatal blow to a superhuman.
Just as Hajoon was about to swing again,
“Wait, brother, hold on!”
“...What?”
Elaine raised her hand to stop him.
She then calmly inspected the cloak enveloping her.
Looking at her actions with bewilderment, Hajoon asked, “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I think I’m fine.”
Well… she certainly seemed fine to him.
If anything, the cloak appeared to be joyfully fluttering around Elaine, almost as if it was pleased.
“I remember Dad mentioning this once. He said our grandfather had a cloak just like this.”
“...”
Honestly, Hajoon was dumbfounded.
A Mythic artifact wasn't something that could be used so casually.
Philaten spoke up.
-The artifact has recognized its owner.
“A Mythic artifact recognized her?”
-I sense a faint ego emanating from the cloak. It probably felt a similar energy to its past owner in her, leading it to recognize her as its master.
‘Hmm...’
So, there's no recoil?
Hajoon watched the cloak, which seemed lively as it flitted around Elaine.
Well, judging by its behavior, there didn’t seem to be much to worry about.
Following Hajoon's actions, he and Elaine promptly closed the vault and made their way back to the hospital where Darham was.
However, Hajoon had stored the vault in his inventory for safekeeping. After all, once they had verified its contents, they couldn't just leave it unattended. Incidentally, the cloak that had been hovering around Elaine had, at some point, become invisible. According to Elaine, it hadn’t completely vanished, but was still nearby, just hidden from sight.
When they entered Darham's hospital room, he greeted Hajoon warmly, "Heh heh, you've arrived, Liber."
Darham's face broke into a genuine smile upon seeing Hajoon. He clearly had many questions for him. "I never guessed you would be the Irregular," he commented.
"Uh, yes," Hajoon responded, a bit uneasy with Darham's enthusiastic welcome. While it seemed Darham recognized him—or rather, recognized "Liber"—Hajoon didn't recall Darham's face at all. Sensing Hajoon's unease, Darham turned to Elaine, saying, "Elaine, I apologize, but there's something I wish to discuss privately with Liber."
"Alright, I understand," Elaine replied. Without another word, she nodded and left the room. Darham's expression turned serious as he addressed Hajoon again. "Liber, you seem different. Don't tell me... you've lost your memory?"
Well, it wasn't something Hajoon could hide forever. He silently nodded in confirmation. Darham sighed deeply before continuing, "My goodness… don’t tell me you've forgotten about that child too?"
Hajoon didn't reply; he merely met Darham's gaze. The silence between them confirmed Darham's suspicion. Closing his eyes tightly, Darham couldn’t help but sigh internally. "I see... I had suspected something was off. It wasn't like you were using magic to disguise yourself. It seems you've lost your magic power entirely."
There were individuals in this world with distinct hair colors resulting from the influence of their magical abilities. For instance, Haruna Ruel's blue hair and Yoo Seolah's white hair were due to the effects of their magic. The magic they possessed often caused changes in their eye and hair colors. Although Hajoon's situation didn't appear to be due to this reason, he simply nodded in response, not having a particular explanation to provide.
Darham continued, "I’m not certain of the cause, but it seems like a side effect of some power."
"A side effect?" Hajoon asked.
"You may have acquired strength at the expense of your magic, and memory loss appears to be a side effect of that. But judging by your current state, you don’t even remember that, do you?"
This old man... had come up with an explanation on his own without Hajoon even having to say a word. Hajoon simply nodded again, finding no need to deny it. In fact, he felt a bit grateful for Darham's assumptions.
"It's truly unfortunate," Darham lamented. "You had the potential to become a great mage. But please, keep this a secret from Elaine."
"Sigh... it won't be easy. It’s likely she’ll find out soon anyway."
"Still, isn't it better if she doesn’t know for now?"
"Yes... I suppose so."
Darham's expression grew somber.
Hearing that the child had lost his memory, Darham was consumed with guilt.
He regretted letting that child go alone back then.
"So, what are you planning to do next, Liber? About the family lineage..."
"There's no real need to restore it."
"Well, that's up to you. But what about taking Elaine with you?"
Hajoon felt a bit concerned at that suggestion.
Going by Darham's words was the right thing to do, but given all that had transpired in Korea, he was on the radar of the Villain Alliance.
Still, outright refusal wasn't easy either.
Even if they were separated due to a series of incidents, the seven years would have been unbearably long for Elaine.
"Um... I'll ask Elaine first."
"Fair enough. You haven’t heard Elaine's side of things yet. Take your time and think it over."
At that, Hajoon nodded and left to see Elaine.
However, Elaine was crouched by the door of her room, sobbing uncontrollably.
From her demeanor, Hajoon could tell.
"Uh, um..."
She must have heard everything.
Meanwhile, Hajoon calmed Elaine for a moment, left her with Darham, and headed back to the hotel where he had been staying.
The reason being, Anna had urgently contacted him over the phone, asking him to come to the hotel immediately.
After hailing a taxi and arriving at the hotel, Anna was waiting for him at the hotel's main entrance.
"Ah, Mr. Hajoon!"
Upon spotting Hajoon, Anna immediately ran toward him.
Hajoon looked at her and asked, "What happened?"
"Well, um... could you please follow me? I think it would be better if you meet the person yourself rather than me explaining."
Anna replied with a hint of difficulty in her expression.
This left Hajoon looking at Anna with a puzzled look. Meet who exactly?
Nevertheless, he nodded in agreement and followed Anna.
Shortly after, they arrived in front of a room on the hotel's top floor.
Anna carefully knocked on the door, and soon after, a woman's voice came from inside.
-You may come in.
From Anna's reaction, Hajoon started to have an inkling of who might be inside. As the door opened, there sat a woman on the room's sofa.
A woman concealed under a brown leather cloak with a hood.
Upon seeing Hajoon, she slowly took off her hood, revealing her face.
She was a middle-aged woman with light golden hair and pumpkin-colored eyes.
Hajoon recognized her name.
Helen Belhar.
The renowned hero who left England to wander the world.
She looked at Hajoon with a calm smile.
"So, you're the Irregular."
In the heavy silence of the room, Hajoon, Anna, and Helen Belhar sat on the sofa, facing one another.
From the corner of his narrowed eyes, Hajoon stole a glance at Anna, who sat beside him. Seemingly struck by conscience, Anna merely hung her head in what looked like remorse.
It was then that Helen turned to Hajoon and spoke. “Don’t be too harsh on her. It’s my fault, really. I asked for her help without the association’s knowledge.”
Considering the uproar her return to England would cause within the British Heroes Association, her quiet return suggested she came back secretly. And it seemed like she had discreetly contacted Anna to meet him.
However, that aside, he wasn’t exactly pleased to see her.
With a curt tone, Hajoon addressed her, "Did you come here to avenge your grandson?"
At his words, Anna looked horrified, and the atmosphere in the room instantly turned icy.
