It seems that there’s a mechanism on one side of the floor. Where the floor had been, there was now a staircase of somewhat unusual design, leading directly down to an underground passage.
Cosworth took the lead, followed closely by Panamera and me, with Macan and Dee bringing up the rear. The passage was narrow, barely wide enough for two people to walk side by side, so inevitably, Panamera and I ended up walking in line behind Cosworth.
We must have walked about twenty meters down the passage. Soon, we reached a dead end, where a black metal door appeared before us. Cosworth pulled out what seemed to be a key from his chest and unlocked the door.
“This is the royal hidden treasury,” Cosworth said as he opened the door.
As the door creaked open, light poured into the passage, even though we were underground, causing me to squint. The light was so bright it felt like we had stepped outside into daylight. When I raised my eyes to see what was causing the light, I was astonished to see several massive magic crystals embedded in the walls. Normally, magic crystals would be about the size of a fist, with several of them arranged to provide lighting. But the ones in this treasury were on an entirely different scale. Just one of them was enough to light up the room, and with six of them in sight, it was brighter than a clear day.
But what stood out the most was the treasure in the center of the room. Gold, silver, mithril weapons, platinum coins, large gold coins, and jewels were piled high. And at the very center, there was a magnificent sword, unsheathed and placed carefully on display.
“…An orichalcum longsword, huh. They’ve certainly used this material extravagantly. It’s a sword that’s not easily seen. The performance of the sword itself is top-notch, but its value as a piece of art is undoubtedly high as well,” Panamera said.
As she spoke, Cosworth silently walked deeper into the room and picked up the orichalcum longsword.
“...Step back,” Dee spoke in a low voice and stepped in front of me. From behind Dee’s large back, only his face peeked out like a mushroom, and he looked at Cosworth.
“…Dee is stronger than a dragon, you know?”
I gave him a heartfelt piece of advice, feeling a bit sorry for him. Cosworth, however, merely smiled faintly and walked over to us.
“I never had any intention of fighting. I simply wanted to hand it to the victor with my own hands,” he murmured, then extended the sword toward me.
Cosworth held the sword horizontally with both hands, looking directly at me. Panamera accepted it with a single hand.
“Hm, how noble,” Panamera remarked, raising the sword in front of her face to carefully observe it.
It must have been a few seconds before she finally smiled softly.
“…So, is this everything? All the hidden treasures, is it?” she asked.
“…What do you mean?” Cosworth asked.
“The investigation team from the Scuderia Kingdom will be coming soon for a re-investigation. If there are any other treasures hidden, well…”
Panamera’s smile deepened as she spoke in a way that could be interpreted as a threat. Cosworth, however, didn’t flinch and answered without even raising an eyebrow.
“This is all of it.”
Panamera stared into his eyes for a moment, before letting out a deep sigh.
“…You’re not lying, it seems,” she murmured softly, lowering the sword. After glancing at it, Cosworth turned to look at me.
“…There’s no need for such childish threats. I’ve fought with this person with everything I had, and still failed to win. I have no intention of making a fool of myself with them any further. Besides, I don’t want to sustain any more injuries.”
After saying this, Cosworth lifted his arm to his face, revealing that his hand was completely wrapped in bandages, leaving no skin exposed. It seemed like the injuries were too severe for even healing magic to completely heal.
He gazed at his bandaged hand and spoke again.
“Why did my country lose? What was the difference between the pre-battle assumptions and the reality? I’ve analyzed everything—Marquis Fertio’s domain, Count Ferdinant’s domain, and all the key battles... We lost every crucial fight. The reason for our failure? It was the appearance of the new noble, Van Nei Fertio.”
“Eh? Me? No, no, that was only possible because everyone worked together and united their strength. Ha-ha-ha,” I tried to deflect the conversation with a lighthearted remark, but Cosworth stared back at me without expression.
“…The cause of our defeat was the appearance of Van Nei Fertio, a mere boy, after over two years of investigation. If we had just one more year, if we hadn’t engaged in battle but had focused on gathering intel instead…”
“…Ha-ha, you’re overestimating me, really.”
I chuckled awkwardly, but Cosworth’s serious expression remained as he lowered his chin.
“In the future, we may fight together. If that happens, I’d like to learn more about your tactics up close,” he said.
Hearing this, Panamera, who had been listening nearby, made a sound of disbelief.
“I should remind you, I’ll be there too, you know?”
When Panamera spoke, Cosworth gave a subtle nod in response, looking slightly uncomfortable.
“…I’ll also observe how Panamera fights up close,” he said.
“Hey, I’m sensing some favoritism here,” Panamera muttered, clearly annoyed.
"Your Majesty, we’ve safely discovered the royal treasures," Panamera reported when we returned to the royal castle. Erhart quietly looked at Cosworth, who had guided us.
Cosworth nodded silently, and Erhart sighed deeply.
“…I see. Then you’ll return to inform King Scuderia, correct?”
“Indeed. I’ll tell him that Your Majesty was actively cooperative. That should prevent things from going badly,” Panamera answered with a smile.
Erhart nodded shallowly. “I’ll leave it to you.”
Panamera then quickly decided it was time to head back, and we swiftly left the capital, making our way toward Ceat Village.
During our journey, I decided to ask Panamera something that had been bothering me.
“Before we left the capital, I saw King Yelenetta and Cosworth exchange a glance and nod. Was that some kind of signal?”
I asked, feeling a bit uneasy, and Panamera, while riding her horse, laughed.
“Most likely, they were leaving the decision to Cosworth whether to kill us or not. In the end, Cosworth chose to walk with us. That’s what happened.”
“Eh? So, we could have been killed back there?” I asked, surprised, looking up at her.
Panamera looked at me as though I were stating the obvious.
“Of course. If Cosworth had intended to rebel against the Scuderia Kingdom, those treasures would have been a lifeline. Depending on how Cosworth, the future King, judged things, we could have been killed right then and there.”
Hearing this, I recalled the exchange in the royal capital.
“…I knew we shouldn’t have come.”
I shivered, muttering under my breath, and Panamera shook her shoulders and laughed before giving me a pat on the back.
“Don’t worry, kid. I, Panamera Carrera Cayyenne, am here with you, right? I’ll protect you with my life.”
“Really? You swear? Because I’ll run and escape if it comes to that, you know?”
“Ha-ha-ha! I’d never lie! I’m your only ally, after all! Just relax and leave it to me!”
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