Jamie was taken aback by the sudden situation.
There had never been a case where the Perfect Cell activated by itself.
He held it in his hand, but the more he clenched it, the more intense the vibrations were.
“Master, what is it?”
“Perfect Cell is…!”
Venna frowned as she looked at the bracelet.
“Why is it doing that?”
“I don’t know. It just suddenly…”
Even after injecting mana into it, it wouldn’t stop vibrating.
He couldn’t understand why. And then, out of nowhere, a series of people appeared. They, consisting of five individuals, moved a large box very carefully.
As the box got closer to them, the more intense the vibration got. Jamie looked intently at the box they were holding only to be shocked.
‘Sealing magic?’
At least three or more sealing magics were stacked. Which meant the box contained something important.
So important and so great that the Perfect Cell was responding to it.
There were so many reasons it could be, except for two things which Jamie knew.
“No…”
“What is it?”
Venna asked as Jamie mumbled, but he didn’t seem to have an answer. His head was filled with unbelievable thoughts.
As Jamie kept looking at the box, one of the movers asked.
“Hey, kid. What are you looking at?”
“…”
“Get the hell out of here. What are you bastards doing here at night?”
The man tried to kick Jamie and Venna out with harsh words, but it didn’t matter to Jamie.
Rather, pretending to not care, he pointed to something.
“What is that? The men were moving it with such care…”
He asked with innocent eyes, which made the man feel bad.
“That’s for the auction which will be held the next day… eh! Why am I telling that to a kid? Enough, go home! Your parents must be worried about you.”
Saying that, the man ran to move the box again.
As the man left, Venna, who was next to Jamie, asked with a disgusted expression.
“Did you have to use that face to ask him that?”
“The innocent face of a pretty child is a strong weapon.”
A child with an innocent face was stronger than a smiling face.
Like now.
At first the man was ready to kick them out, but seeing the kid all innocent, he spoke with a gentle tone.
“Auction item…”
It did seem like that.
From the fact that such a precious thing was being carried carefully in the night, Perfect Cell resonated.
“I think there is some magic on the box.”
Even though she had no talent, Venna was still a dark magician so she could recognize that the box held some magic around it.
“Minimum of 3 and 6 more.”
“Huh!?”
“Keep your voice down. The number of sealing magic hanging on the box, I said I wasn’t sure either.”
Sealing magic was a way to lock something. If you put several of those things on, even the best magician would have a rough time.
“Why the hell did they put so many seals on?”
“Uh.”
Jamie nodded as he fiddled with the Perfect Cell.
As the box moved away the vibration almost stopped. If the Perfect Cell pierced through several sealing magic and reacted then there was only one of the two things.
‘All Might if not God Killer.’
All of them were probably the three major divine items which have been used habitually.
Strength entered the hand holding the Perfect Cell.
Jamie didn’t know which of the two, but one of the three items could be in there. It could be both too, but the odds were slim.
‘If they were both in there, the vibration wouldn’t stop.’
When the three items were gathered in one place, something special would happen.
But nothing happened now.
It wasn’t blocked by the sealing magic either. At the current level of humans, sealing magic can’t stop artefacts.
“Master?”
“I was trying to see what it was like.”
Apparently, this time it was for the auction.
The problem was money.
Count Welton provided him with extra money, but that was for food and snacks.
With such money, it was impossible to compete in the auction house.
‘If I ask Siegfried, will he listen?’
The money might be a lot. But lending it to Jamie was another matter. It was unclear if he would help Jamie or not.
Above all, if he borrowed money, he would have explain to that man about the artefacts… and Jamie didn’t like it.
“Steal?”
But then he shook his head.
A secret auction. It was enough to release one of Jamie’s artefacts, which meant the risk would be huge. Could he steal such a huge item with his current skills?
It was obvious that a skilled person would be guarding it.
As Jamie pondered for a while, Venna who was watching him yelled.
“Master!”
“Ack! Why are you screaming?”
“What is it?”
“Huh?”
“I think it is because of that box, so tell me too. Don’t just think alone!”
“Ah!”
Come to think of it, he was lost in thought and forgot Venna.
Jamie dragged Vella to a gloomy place.
Because it wasn’t a story which could be told in an open place.
Since he couldn’t be too sure about anything, Jamie put up magic to stop the sound.
“Listen well.”
“Yes. I am all ears.”
Venna put her hands behind her ears and listened.
Jamie knew she was acting out, so he hit her on the head.
“Ack! Why are you hit…”
“Listen normally.”
As Jamie spoke annoyed, Venna nodded.
“I think one of the artefacts is in that box.”
“… artefacts? Like that one?”
Venna looked at Perfect Cell.
“Yes, like this one.”
“Oh my! How? You said that getting that one was a coincidence right?”
“Right.”
The tomb of Canon, the dark magician, who was within the Mayatrey Mountains.
If the blue dragon didn’t acknowledge Jamie, he wouldn’t have even known about Perfect Cell.
“Then we need to take it! What are we still doing here?”
“… idiot! You think they will let us take it?”
Those who were moving the box weren’t important, but there surely had to be an escort somewhere protecting the box.
Without knowing what that person’s level was, Jamie didn’t want to create a mess.
‘Now my skills are too low.’
If he was at the stage of a Great Magician, he would have done what Venna said, but it was unreasonable for a 6th class to do.
“Well, they are going to put it in the secret auction the next day.”
“Oh.”
“But we have a problem.”
“Money! It is money, right?”
Jamie nodded.
And Venna continued.
“If it is an item being kept in a secret auction, the amount needed would be huge, and such a huge amount cannot be gathered. There was no way that anyone would let that item pass onto us, it will end up costing a lot, seriously a lot, right?”
“Exactly.”
“But… we have no solution for that.”
Apart from the explanation, even Venna didn’t seem to have an answer.
Because Jamie didn’t have the money to fight off the rich people attending the auction.
“Siegfried will lend us?”
“I wonder if he has such a huge amount of money, even if he does, I will have to explain about those items to him. And that is a no.”
“Or secretly taking it away?”
“Won’t be much different. But it will be difficult for us.”
“Ask your family?”
“… that won’t do either. They will need a reason for it.”
Count Welton might even come here directly.
Only one thing was left.
“Or…”
Venna continued to ponder with a careful face at the constant rejection and said,
“That grandmother?”
“Grandmother?”
“The owner of Ars Magna!”
Jamie’s eyes widened because he didn’t expect that name to come out of Venna’s mouth.
“Right! Kiriel!”
Siegfried said that she was the greatest alchemist, the 8th class great magician too, and a business woman.
And thinking back to the conversation which happened that day, she didn’t seem to have a shortage of money.
If it was her, she would have enough money to spend in auctions.
If there is a problem…
“How do I ask her?”
Will the stingy old woman do what Jamie wants?
“Well, let’s just ask for a favor! After all, we need to head down there right?”
“… right. You are right.”
Jamie didn’t know why, but he agreed with Venna.
“Let’s go.”
His plan to ask her once.
Was decided.
Kiriel was resting in the subspace she made herself. Looking at something with sad eyes, with her obsolete glasses draped on the nose.
It is a small frame with a picture of a child.
“Finn.”
The child in the photo was Finn.
She rubbed her finger over the frame. There were a lot of stains on it as if time had passed. Perhaps the person in the frame had passed away too.
“I miss you even more today.”
She put that frame down.
Even after a long time had passed, she still remembered that child running.
And when it was time to sleep, the voice whispering in her arms drifted in her ears.
“But don’t worry. This mother of yours is coming to you soon.”
Finn was Kiriel’s only son.
Not a child she gave birth to, but one she raised with love. However, Finn fell ill.
She did everything to cure him. Spent money and asked even a bishop level priest to heal him, but it failed.
She searched the entire continent but failed.
Even the most talented healers failed.
Although she never told anyone, Kiriel tried to get the help of a Dark Magician too. However, that bastard tried to devour the kid so she destroyed that dark magician.
Finn was weakening rapidly and the last day was approaching. She still remembered clearly what her son had said at that time.
-Mom… I don’t want to die.
Kiriel closed her eyes.
The memories of that day.
“But it’s fine now.”
Siegfrid came today.
And she asked him to bring the heart of Shadow Sheep for the upcoming auction.
She was spending money, so she was sure he would bring it.
‘I just need that thing, all the other ingredients are ready.’
A material which can open the door at the will to the shadow world.
Since ancient times, it has been said that the shadow world is connected with the afterlife.
Kiriel recognized for herself that there was a chance that it could be true.
It was enough to just have that possibility.
And she began to collect the materials for a long time.
“Finn. My sweetheart. Wait. This mother will bring you back.”
For that very purpose, she began to invest heavily in alchemy and businesses all over the world.
At some point, she was called the greatest alchemist, but alchemy was just a tool for her to know about the Shadow World.
As long as she can meet Finn, it doesn’t matter what happened next.
It was then.
“Who is it?”
Someone was in the branch of Saint-Dermain.
When she picked up the magic ball to check, she saw a familiar emerald colored hair.
Jamie Welton.
