“Can’t we just go in directly?”
“We at least need a reason to visit, right?”
“Are we supposed to say we picked up a piece of parchment from a trash heap, and it told us to come to your family to look for someone?”
“That actually sounds reasonable,” Satahia nodded seriously.
“It’d be even better if they helped us search.”
I rolled my eyes and decided not to bother arguing with this single-track idiot.
Just then, the sound of approaching hoofbeats reached my ears.
I instinctively looked toward the distance and saw a carriage come to a stop at the manor entrance, from which a dignified middle-aged man stepped down.
The Radiant Chapter in my hand suddenly shone with a brighter light.
As if sensing something, the middle-aged man turned his gaze toward us as well.
When he saw the glowing parchment in my hand, he froze for a moment, then walked straight over.
“Adventurer, please forgive my abruptness, but may I ask — is what you’re holding the Radiant Chapter?”
“Yes.”
Seeing the excitement he failed to hide, I nodded.
“May I ask who you are?”
“I am Myceni, the current head of the Lawrence Family.”
After a brief pause, Myceni extended an invitation.
“Some matters are not suitable to discuss here. If the two of you are free, would you be willing to come inside the Lawrence estate to talk?”
“That would be fine. Please lead the way, Mr. Myceni.”
Looks like my luck wasn’t bad after all, I thought quietly.
Following behind Myceni into the estate, I quickly realized just how tight the security was.
Even from what I could see, there were already four or five patrol groups.
If we’d really charged in the way Satahia suggested, the two of us would probably be waiting out our sentence in Naldun’s prison.
Crossing the plaza and entering the grand residence, Myceni led us into a room that looked like a reception chamber.
“Please, have a seat.”
“I know you must have many questions, but before that, may I verify something?”
I sat down at the mahogany table and handed the Radiant Chapter to Myceni.
He took the parchment and gently traced the slightly warm patterns glowing from its resonance, examining it carefully for a long time before speaking.
“It is the genuine Radiant Chapter.”
“To think the Lawrence Family would once again behold Lord Enzo’s true relic — this is truly my honor.”
After confirming its authenticity, Myceni studied it once more, his tone tinged with nostalgia.
“The Radiant Chapter was a holy relic carried by Lord Enzo.”
“After his death, its whereabouts became unknown. I’ve only ever seen it in portraits left behind by my ancestors.”
“In that case, how did you recognize it as genuine, Mr. Myceni?”
“Because the Radiant Chapter has a bloodline connection to the Lawrence Family.”
“I can sense the sacred power Lord Enzo left within it.”
Myceni explained, then raised his eyes to me.
“If possible, may I ask where you discovered the Radiant Chapter?”
“From a trash—”
Before Satahia could finish, I clamped a hand over her mouth and shot her a warning glare.
Then I smiled slightly at Myceni.
“I found it inside Lobranch’s mage tower.”
Fortunately, Myceni didn’t seem to mind Satahia’s earlier words.
He nodded.
“You mean Archmage Lobranch of the Alwyn Empire, correct?”
“Lord Enzo was once acquainted with him. It wouldn’t be strange for him to entrust the Radiant Chapter to Lobranch for safekeeping.”
As he spoke, he handed the Radiant Chapter back to me.
I accepted it, feeling a bit puzzled.
“Mr. Myceni, don’t you intend to reclaim this item?”
I had originally assumed that handing the Radiant Chapter over to Myceni would conclude the quest.
I hadn’t expected him to have no such intention.
Then again, it made sense — a stage-based special quest wouldn’t end so easily.
“Lord Enzo once said that such holy relics are not meant to be possessed by those of dull talent like us.”
“Adventurer, the fact that you obtained this relic proves that you share a unique bond with it.”
Myceni shook his head, but then his tone shifted.
“However, even so, if you wish to awaken the true power of the Radiant Chapter, you must still pass the trial Lord Enzo set.”
So the final reward of the quest would be the unsealed Radiant Chapter?
Hearing this, I couldn’t help but feel surprised.
From his description, the Radiant Chapter sounded like a powerful holy relic, likely on the same level as Kashalia’s original form, the Eternal Archive.
Still, I didn’t let the excitement cloud my judgment.
“Then what exactly does this trial entail, Mr. Myceni?”
Myceni smiled faintly and looked at me with gentle eyes.
Following his gaze, I noticed that the Radiant Chapter in my hand — which previously held nothing but blurry patterns — had begun to display text.
Golden traces appeared on the aged parchment, standing out vividly.
At the same time, a quest prompt popped up before my eyes.
System: Do you wish to accept the quest [Trial of the Radiant Chapter]?
Accept.
A new quest immediately appeared in my list.
I noticed that the original stage objective had changed from finding the key to unsealing to completing the trial.
It seemed this trial was a subtask within the stage-based quest.
“Judging by the glow of the Radiant Chapter, you’ve already accepted the trial Lord Enzo set upon it.”
Myceni nodded and handed me a token engraved with the Lawrence Family’s crest.
“This is a Lawrence Family token.”
“Once you complete the trial, you may use it to enter the estate. At that time, I will personally remove the first stage of the Radiant Chapter’s seal.”
“Thank you, Mr. Myceni.”
I accepted the token and offered my sincere thanks.
Given his status, he had no obligation to help me this much.
“There’s no need to thank me.”
“I’m merely following the ancestral teachings Lord Enzo left behind.”
Myceni shook his head, his smile carrying a hint of deeper meaning.
“Whether you can complete the trial depends entirely on you.”
“If you fail to do so within the allotted time, I will reclaim this holy relic.”
“I cannot allow a sacred artifact of my family to be left to gather dust.”
I froze for a moment and reopened the quest list.
Sure enough, the trial had a ten-day time limit.
If it wasn’t completed within that period, the Lawrence Family would have the right to reclaim the Radiant Chapter.
So Myceni’s assistance wasn’t free — it was constrained by Lord Enzo’s ancestral decree.
It was essentially a wager, with the Radiant Chapter as the stake.
That made far more sense for someone in Myceni’s position as a family head.
Still, if he thought this alone would be enough to restrain me, he was underestimating things.
I closed the quest list and smiled faintly at Myceni.
“Of course. Without difficulty, how could it be called a trial?”
“I like that answer.”
Myceni nodded, an appreciative look appearing on his face.
“Then I wish you good luck, adventurer.”