Chapter 117: Imperial Treasury and Critical Reward

Deep within the imperial palace.

As soon as I arrived in the capital, I had to go pay my respects to the Emperor.

It was extremely important information, so I needed to report it as quickly as possible.

“So, you’re saying the Sordin Order was driven to the brink of destruction?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. Support should be the priority.”

“That might be for the best. We can use this opportunity to change everything from the ground up.”

Reform always required some pain.

But the Sordin Order didn’t need that.

They had already endured a history painful enough to be called annihilation.

Now, they could rebuild with the Empire’s power and create a new system.

Just like Delriat, which was on the verge of destruction and is now reviving.

Of course, it’ll be remade to the Emperor’s taste.

For instance, allowing the government to conscript priests whenever they wanted.

I agreed with that to some extent, though.

It’s not right to profiteer off divine power when a plague is raging, is it?

“You also prevented the destruction of Nordenark by recovering the Sordin Order’s sacred relic?”

“It was a coincidence. I caught the culprit completely by chance.”

“Still, good work is good work. I’ll reward you separately for saving Nordenark.”

“I’m eternally grateful.”

“First, let’s settle the Sordin Order matter. Follow me. I’ll guide you to the imperial treasure vault.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

I showed the utmost courtesy to the Emperor before carefully retreating.

Why was I suddenly being more respectful?

The one who gives is like a creator.

If he’s giving something expensive, it’s only polite to bow first.

Soon, I moved to an even deeper part of the imperial palace.

This was truly a place only the chosen could enter.

At some point, even Chief Chamberlain Viscount Adit stopped following.

The Emperor stopped walking and flicked his right hand.

Amazingly, a massive stone door opened on its own.

Shrrrrk.

Logically, such a heavy movement should have been accompanied by a loud noise.

But even as that huge stone moved, there wasn’t a single scraping sound.

It must have some magical treatment.

Even a sliding door with rollers isn’t that quiet.

I looked around the vault with interest.

As befitting a place storing the imperial treasures, everything was impeccably displayed.

In fantasy novels or movies, treasures are usually piled haphazardly in a gloomy cave.

But this felt like a dust-free museum.

“Choose.”

“Pardon? Yes.”

At the Emperor’s curt word, I carefully examined the items.

But I had no idea what was good.

My system only provided information about people.

It would be nice if I could see item effects.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t gain such an ability right now, so I’d have to go with my gut.

I hadn’t come in completely unprepared, though.

If I had no clue, I planned to pick a greatsword at least.

It’d be good for activating passive skills.

For when the communication rod wasn’t enough to handle an opponent.

The problem was that there weren’t just one or two greatswords.

There were hundreds of weapons alone—how was I supposed to choose the best one?

As I stared, my vision started to blur.

“This is driving me crazy.”

—Want some help?

“Hm?”

While I was deep in thought, Shugl’s voice echoed in my mind.

Honestly, I didn’t trust this guy much.

He’d been holed up in the mountains and hadn’t been in human society for long.

Would he even know how to judge weapons?

But what he said next sounded plausible.

—I’m a mountain demon. I can tell which minerals are harder and have fewer impurities.

“Really?”

—If you pick the one with the best material, at least you won’t fail.

“Not bad. So, which one?”

—That one.

I looked at the item Shugl pointed out.

Surprisingly, what he chose was a somewhat small warhammer.

Slightly larger than the communication rod I carried?

It was fine as a weapon, but it didn’t really appeal to me.

“Is this really it?”

—Yes, it is.

Shugl’s confident reply swayed me a bit.

Looking at it again, it seemed decent.

Subtle glowing patterns were engraved on the hammerhead and handle.

It must have been magically treated.

Yeah. A weapon doesn’t have to be flashy to perform well.

This wasn’t some game world, after all.

Even a plain design could be a great item.

I moved in front of the warhammer Shugl had indicated.

“I’ll take this one, Your Majesty.”

“Oh? You have quite an eye.”

“Haha! You’re too kind.”

From the Emperor’s reaction, it seemed I’d made a good choice.

Soon, I had a impressive weapon in hand.

With business concluded, it was time to leave the treasure vault.

But suddenly, a holographic message popped up in front of me.

「Evaluating the comprehensive score of recent activities.」

「You have caused major changes across imperial society.」

「A reward is granted.」

「Item Information Window is activated.」

I stopped in my tracks, standing there blankly.

Even as the distance from the Emperor grew.

The content was that shocking.

Why unlock it now, of all times!

Thinking about it, it was only natural.

When had this damn system ever been kind?

Just telling me something had unlocked was something to be grateful for.

In the past, it didn’t even inform me about rewards.

“Sigh! What can I do? I’ll just have to accept it.”

I let out a short sigh and gazed down at the warhammer from the Emperor.

As if mocking me, a holographic window appeared.

<Item Info>

Name: Hector Punisher

Grade: S

<Item Functions>

Summon: The weapon can be called to the owner’s hand from anywhere.

Thousand-Pound Fall: Strikes the opponent with five times the weight.

Noble One: Those who are not righteous cannot wield the weapon.

Fatal Hammerhead: Low chance to apply critical hit.

“Whoa! Insane!”

It was a jackpot among jackpots.

Four special functions attached.

And three of them were passives, so no need to worry about them.

What I liked most was the summon function.

It could return like Mjolnir.

But somewhere, I heard a stealthy rustling sound.

Rustle!

—Ah! C-caught!

When I looked up, Shugl was trying to sneak away.

“Oh, right. You recommended this.”

He couldn’t see the item info at all.

He must have misunderstood from my intense reaction.

I immediately reached out toward Shugl.

But he was already quite far.

If he jumped out the window, I couldn’t catch him.

So, I swung the Hector Punisher wildly.

Using the pickaxe-like part to snag him.

“Hey, I’m not trying to punish you?”

Whoosh! Crack!

—Aaaargh!

I must have misjudged the distance, because it hooked right onto Shugl’s head.

And he started screaming his lungs out.

This guy only looked like a squirrel; he was a capable half-demon.

He shouldn’t react like that to a mere chunk of metal.

Plus, I hadn’t swung with intent to hit—I was just trying to hook and pull.

But suddenly, flashy effects flashed before my eyes, along with text.

「Critical Hit! 4.8 times attack power added.」

“???”

Coincidentally, the Fatal Hammerhead function triggered perfectly.

—Aaaah! Crazy! This hurts too much. It’s insane!

Of course it would.

It strikes with five times the weight.

And if a critical hit lands on top?

It’d deal an absurd amount of damage.

“I ended up with something way better than expected?”

Of course, I had no way of knowing the critical hit probability.

Just my guess, but it probably wasn’t high.

If it triggered often, it’d be an outright cheat item.

Anyway, it was definitely a good weapon.

I got a jackpot, but I ended up punishing him instead.

I wore an awkward expression as I rubbed Shugl’s head.

Good thing his body was tough, or I might have killed the guy who did well.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to hit you.”

—Kueee! I definitely picked the one with the best material.

“Yeah. Good job. As a reward, I’ll help you gather more spirit energy. I was planning to make the rounds today anyway.”

—Oh! Nice.

It had been a while since I returned to the mansion.

I intended to check how the Dapan Group was running.

I was curious about the progress of Vargas’s soap research, too.

With Shugl and Feltron on my shoulders, I left the study.

But why bring this white bat guy?

I need to show him how I gather spirit energy, right?

That would inevitably increase his loyalty.

He could easily obtain high-purity spirit energy.

As long as he submitted to me.

Where to start?

The other businesses were probably proceeding as planned.

What I was most curious about was Vargas’s soap research.

With Lady Eustia involved, there should be some results by now.

I headed to the research lab on the outskirts of the duchy.

But near Adam and Theo’s workshop, there was a building I hadn’t seen before.

As if drawn, I went there and saw employees carrying large boxes.

“Ah, Your Grace! You’ve finally returned.”

“Good to see you. Hendrick, right?”

“Oh my! To remember the name of someone as lowly as me.”

“Don’t say that. You’re all working with me—I need to know everyone.”

“Whoa! I was joking, but that response is too touching, isn’t it?”

“Haha! That’s why I said it. Anyway, what’s that?”

“Ah, right, Your Grace wouldn’t know yet.”

The employee named Hendrick smiled broadly as he unsealed the box.

I didn’t actually remember every name.

It was thanks to the employee management window that I knew instantly.

But saying it like this makes the listener feel good, doesn’t it?

Click!

When the box opened, light green lumps wrapped in white paper came into view.

Sleek shapes with the Dapan Group’s logo.

Even the container felt luxurious.

Whoever did it had good taste.

The new business is running well even without my involvement now.

Of course, I’d set a lot in advance regarding the soap.

How to produce and distribute the product.

But to add color and fragrance?

That was something I hadn’t mentioned because it might not work.

“How is it?”

“Not bad.”

“It’s all thanks to Research Director Vargas. The scent is so refreshing—much better than liquid soap.”

I nodded with a satisfied expression.

The quality was high enough to launch immediately.

I was about to tell Hendrick to close the box when noisy voices came from somewhere.

“Lady! Just hear me out. This is a huge opportunity. At this rate—no, it’s guaranteed success!”

Vargas was following Lady Eustia around, rapid-firing words.

The moment I saw that scene, I could guess the situation.

He’s got his eyes on the lady’s skill, too.

But would such a proposal work on Eustia?

I didn’t think so.