漫画大王

Chapter 148

Thus, the existence of an armory in the Temple was something added to the setting of the story to justify the deployment of Temple students in real combat situations during the events of the “gate incident”.

In fact, the armory at the Temple had only been conceptualized at the moment the “gate incident" happened. Before that, there was no mention or even thought of an armory existing in the Temple. After all, it was supposed to end as a slice-of-life story.

Why would a school even need an armory capable of arming every student to the teeth?

Even I found myself to be ridiculous for thinking about it.

Although the armory was a major facility of the Temple, students hardly ever needed to visit it, so the place we arrived at by tram was new to us, despite having spent a long time living in the Temple.

“I thought it would look like a warehouse.”

Ellen seemed slightly dazed, probably expecting it to look ragged but sizable like a warehouse.

The Temple’s armory looked more like a huge museum than a warehouse. Although it was a secluded place, since it was the Temple’s armory, it was protected by a fair number of Temple guards.

We showed our requisition orders to the administrator at the entrance post.

He scanned the draft orders and then slowly nodded his head. “Grade B, huh.”

‘Grade B? What’s that about?’

Was there a detail in the setting that I wasn’t aware of?

Sensing my confusion, the administrator explained, “It means you’re allowed to draw equipment up to Grade B. Access to the S- and A-grade equipment stores is restricted. However, on the flip side, you’re free to draw any equipment Grade B and below.”

“Ah, I see.”

It seemed that the Temple categorized and stored their equipment by grades. Since we were of the Royal Class, shouldn’t there have been a way for us to access at least A-grade, if not S-grade equipment?

I felt a bit disappointed, but the administrator crossed his arms.

“Grade B equipment includes items that are hard to come by in the market. Even A-grade equipment are treated as treasures by various nations. And we haven’t even mentioned S-grade equipment yet. Those pieces of equipment cannot be lent out carelessly.”

I might not be aware of the specifics regarding the grades, but it was true that the Temple’s armory was brimming with incredible artifacts.

It would be difficult to just hand out these sorts of artifacts even to students of the Royal Class, especially in a non-crisis situation.

S-grade equipment had to be something akin to the items a grade below the weapons of the hero Artorius, like Alsbringor, or Ellen’s Lament.

I wasn’t sure if Alsbringor was currently in the Temple. It was probably in the keeping of the royal family. Given the many changes in the story so far, it was uncertain whether it would end up with Ludwig as it was supposed to originally.

Ellen and I were assigned an attendant.

“Do you have anything specific in mind?” the attendant asked.

“We’ll probably need weapons and armor,” I answered.

“Ah, right. Then let’s head this way.”

The interior of the armory was so vast that I felt sure we would get lost without the attendant. Since we had Grade B requisition orders, the attendant took us to where the Grade B equipment was displayed.

Ellen stared blankly at the endless rows of weapons, armor, boots, and many other items on display.

As we walked, the attendant began to explain.

“Most of the Temple’s Grade B equipment comes enchanted. They are expensive, so make sure to return them after use.”

The quality of the equipment was one thing, but the fact that they were all enchanted added even more value. Enchantments were magical words that made expensive items even more pricey.

In the Aligar marketplace, such items would be scarce in a single store, but here, they were lined up endlessly. Moreover, trying to purchase such items in the Aligar marketplace would likely cost a fortune.

But at the Temple, the mere fact that one was a Royal Class student allowed us to draw out such equipment. No bickering, no haggling.

This was the prestige of the Temple.

“Shall we start with the weapons?”

The attendant stopped in front of display cases filled with weapons.

It was dazzling to see.

There were swords, spears, axes, bows, and maces, all organized into categories.

But not all swords were created equal. There were short swords, long swords, bastard swords, two-handed swords, and even giant claymores. Even within the same category of long swords, the shapes varied immensely.

The same variety applied to the other classes of weapons. There was an incredible array of forms on display.

‘Ah.’

Faced with all these choices, I couldn’t make up my mind.

There was just too much on offer, and I didn’t know what to pick.

“Can I hold a sword?” Ellen asked.

“Go ahead.”

The attendant unlocked the display case in which the swords were kept.

It seemed Ellen was considering not using Lament for now.

She held the sword, apparently judging its balance and heft.

“Hmm, that sword probably has a hardening spell on it. And an enchantment that temporarily increases its weight, allowing it to be used as a bludgeon as well...

“Ah, that’s also good. That one has a flame enchantment, so it can be used as a torch. It’s very useful when you need fire. But the mana stone...

“Good choice, but I wonder if you have the strength to handle a two-handed sword... Whoa, you’re stronger than you look, huh?”

.

.

.

Ellen scrutinized dozens of swords, one by one, and the attendant kept spouting off the enchantments imbuing each weapon she picked up.

How in the world did this person memorize what enchantments all these weapons had?

And why was it taking Ellen so long to choose when it looked like she would make a quick decision?

I was stupefied as I watched Ellen, who usually took weapons seriously, seemingly getting addicted to shopping, and the attendant, who didn’t seem to tire of explaining everything in the same tone.

After much deliberation, Ellen selected a simple longsword equipped with a self-repair function.

“There are many other good weapons too.”

“This will do. You should get the same thing, Reinhart.”

Ellen recommended her sword to me as well, saying I should pick the same one.

“What about something with a lightning enchantment? Wouldn’t that be cool?”

If we had the chance to draw magic weapons, picking one with just a self-repair function seemed too basic, right? As I looked around, I could see many weapons with fascinating features.

At my words, Ellen shook her head.

“I’ve heard it’s more convenient to have one that takes care of itself.”

“... Oh. Is that so...?”

She wasn’t saying that it was convenient, but that she’d heard that it was. It must have been something she’d heard from her brother.

Whenever she mentioned anything about her brother, it was like her having a cheat code, since I couldn’t find the words to argue back.

Later, it was explained that regardless of whether a weapon was enchanted or not, failing to clean the blood and grime off a blade and sharpen it after use would quickly ruin it. A blade’s edge would also dull with repeated use, and in prolonged combat, this could lead to the weapon losing its functionality.

A weapon with a self-repair feature was enchanted to maintain peak condition during combat situations. Apparently, it didn’t require any maintenance afterward either.

Ellen had, in the end, chosen the best weapon for actual combat.

Ellen seemed to contemplate taking a bow as well, but eventually decided against it. We weren’t heading to war, but on an adventure, so there was no need for unnecessarily large amounts of equipment.

Afterward, Ellen and I selected our armor, made of leather. There were other options such as chainmail or plate armor enchanted to feel lighter, but they were uncomfortable to move in.

The armor set we chose consisted of a few separate pieces. It wasn’t a full-body set; Ellen and I only equipped ourselves with breastplates, arm guards, and greaves.

“Do you think this will do?”

Our necks, upper arms, and thighs were exposed, making it feel somewhat inadequate.

“... It’s summer now.”

She had a point. Wearing more in this weather would just be begging to come down with heat stroke. Wearing this much already felt a bit stuffy. Of course, the magical lightweight enchantment on the armor made its weight almost imperceptible.

The attendant added that the armor, which was enchanted with lightness, fire resistance, acid resistance, and hardening, provided ample protection.

We also requisitioned boots that were appropriate for long-distance travel and backpacks that reduced the weight of the contents, after which we finally felt ready to set out. Having equipped ourselves with armor and weapons, the reality that we were willingly walking into a dangerous area, despite all the safety precautions, began to sink in.

After drawing all our equipment, Ellen and I packed all the gear into our backpacks.

“Do we need something like a horse?” I asked.

“... I don’t know how to ride one.”

I had taken riding lessons, so while I wasn’t an expert, I could just about ride a horse. It seemed Ellen hadn’t learned to ride yet, although she could probably pick it up quickly if she tried.

“Besides, we won’t have the time to care for a horse.”

Given the nature of our destination, I had to agree with Ellen’s point. Managing a horse would present many challenges.

Our departure was set for Friday, following our last class on Thursday.

At least we had finished preparing our basic equipment.

“Let’s drop off our stuff and head out.”

“Okay.”

Now, it was time to seriously plan our schedule.

***

We were going to the Dark Land.

Calling it “going to the Dark Land” was an overly vague expression. It was as absurd as saying that we were heading to the northern hemisphere of the earth, since “the Dark Land” referred to the eastern half of this vast continent.

Therefore, we needed to decide the point at which we would enter the Dark Land, and the route we would take.

Initially, Ellen had simply planned to register as an adventurer, go into the Dark Land, and then wander around, but things changed after I joined up.

As Charlotte said, wandering around the Dark Land without knowing how dangerous each area could be was akin to a suicide mission.

“There are three main forward bases established in the Dark Land,” Loyar said as she spread a gigantic map in front of us.

Ellen and I had left the Temple and were in the newly established headquarters of the Rotary Club.

I had given Loyar instructions a while ago.

—I’m going to the Dark Land with Ellen.

—Excuse me?

—Get some information from the thieves’ Guild about the Dark Land, especially the information known to humans.

—Excuse me?

—And you should have some memories of your own. Think about where we can safely roam around.

—Excuse meee?

—What do you mean, “excuse me”? Just do it.

—Yes, Your Highness.

All this trouble would have been unnecessary if we possessed a map of the Dark Land made by someone from the Demon Realm, but such a map was far beyond our reach. That was why I’d instructed Loyar to obtain a map of the Dark Land through the Thieves’ Guild.

“This area, Egxian Forward Base, is currently the most active zone for adventurers.”

The Egxian Forward Base was a forward base established by the human faction during the Great War. The base housed a colossal warp gate, serving both as the point of entry for the allied forces during the war and the point from which they returned.

There were other bases and warp gates established ahead of it for the movement of supplies and various other reasons, but they had all been withdrawn during the retreat.

The humans had judged it too difficult to maintain bases deep within the Dark Land. Therefore, as things stood, excluding the abandoned bases, the Egxian Forward Base was the front line. Consequently, after the end of the Great War, this forward base had been transformed into the main hub for adventurers heading in to explore the Dark Land.

“Adventurers have secured safe zones around this area and continue to establish and expand their bases. The area to the east, which was the route that the allied forces took, has seen much development, while the north and south are relatively less explored.”

The eastern route, which had already been swept through by the allied forces, was relatively safe and well-developed. However, it was uncertain what dangers lurked to the north and south of the base.

“Recently, there’s been an effort to explore the northern region, but rumors are that it’s not going well. While there are tales of fortune, it seems that many who go don’t return.”

The fact that many groups of adventurers that headed north did not return indicated the presence of significant dangers.

“A vast forest lies to the south. It’s not a wild jungle, and not many dangers have been discovered, but it appears that there’s nothing much of value to be found, so it’s often avoided.”

Loyar stopped her explanation there and looked back and forth between Ellen and me.

“So, the safe route would be to head east from the Egxian Forward Base towards this area, Saints Point, which acts as the deadline. Exploring the safe zones in these areas would be advisable. I’ve heard that just filling in the map can yield considerable rewards.”

Information on the geography alone was sufficient to earn payment from the Adventurers’ Guild. One didn’t necessarily have to focus on monster hunting to earn money. Those who were a little greedier either struck it big or lost their lives.

Loyar seemed quite pessimistic about Ellen and I going to the Dark Land. However, she appeared somewhat relieved to learn that Eleris would join us midway.

For starters, it was unclear what lay to the north and south of the Egxian Forward Base.

Therefore, Loyar advocated that sticking to the safe eastern route was the best course of action.

“Thank you.” Ellen expressed her gratitude to Loyar for the information she had provided. “Ajumma.”

Of course, Ellen had a tendency to provoke Loyar by saying things that weren’t exactly necessary.

The veins on Loyar’s forehead bulged at being called “ajumma”.

“... Come. Let’s have a talk outside. Time for a little sparring today.”

Of course, this was also because it was the only way Ellen could get Loyar to spar with her.