Chapter 620: Visitor
620 Visitor
Upon the airship's arrival and subsequent docking in a field near the small town, Vale, Chad, and Magnus disembarked to attend to their respective tasks.
Specifically, Chad and Magnus set out to finalize a transaction within the small town, while Vale took the opportunity to explore the area.
Apparently, it was Vale who had detected a disturbance in the small town, prompting him to dispatch Lisa to address the situation.
Although he was capable of handling it himself, Vale opted to have Lisa take charge, in order to leave a favorable impression.
After all, it was her responsibility to sell their products to the public. It means that she would have more interactions with them than Vale.
"Vale, we're heading ahead... We should be done in about an hour..." Chad informed Vale as he observed him gazing at the town square.
After being together with the dragons for a week, Chad felt that he no longer had anything to fear, so he felt comfortable going to unfamiliar places, like this small town.
"Alright... I'll take a look around the town. Just wait for me in the airship..." Vale replied as he waved his hand to Chad.
With his Presence Shift Spell, he possessed the ability to move effortlessly within his Magic Zone, ensuring that he wouldn't be lost or left behind by his companions.
As Vale roamed the small town, he made a startling discovery - an abundance of cursed items were being circulated in the area!
'What's going on here?' Vale mused.
He also keenly observed the conspicuous absence of Arcanists in the vicinity, a fact that struck him as highly unusual considering the magical nature of their surroundings.
'I felt a huge amount of Arcane Energy a while ago... But there are only a few Combat Arcanists around when I arrived... Did it all come from the evil spirits?'
This absence of magical practitioners raised further concerns about the town's predicament and the potential impact of the cursed items.
He also couldn't help but feel puzzled by the origin of these items and their sinister nature. There was no way these items were gathered here by coincidence.
Vale could tell that they were not ordinary cursed artifacts, considering how difficult it was to notice the curses inside.
It was only thanks to his advanced detection spells that he was able to discern the hidden curses within the numerous items being peddled in the market.
While he couldn't definitively identify the nature of the curses imbued in each of them, they all bore signs associated with malevolent spirits. There was no way he would make a mistake on this.
Vale sighed as he realized that the issue at hand was more significant than he had initially perceived.
'There must be someone deliberately orchestrating this...' Vale mused as he started asking around the two to find the source of these artifacts.
He couldn't let these artifacts remain here.
He already envisioned a scenario where once these cursed items accumulated sufficient dark energy, they would promptly possess anyone in close proximity, ultimately transforming the land into a realm of malevolence.
'I can't let that happen...' Vale mused as he believed that he should destroy these items!
Soon, Vale made the decision to gather the townspeople who possessed the mysterious artifacts.
During this time, he discovered that these items were being sold as protection artifacts, a fact that had been confirmed by several previous Arcanists who had visited the town.
According to these Arcanists, the artifacts had the ability to absorb malevolent energy, effectively safeguarding their owners from harm.
However, this seemingly positive attribute was also the source of the problem. While the artifacts indeed provided protection by absorbing evil energy, they were inadvertently nurturing the curses embedded within them.
'What a sinister move... I didn't expect that someone would use such a method to bring harm to people...' Vale thought.
"Alright! If you hand over these Artifacts to me... We will be able to sell you our Protection Amulets for half the price!" Vale proposed while also relaying the plan to Lisa and the others through telepathy.
Fortunately, the townspeople embraced the idea and cooperated with Vale's proposal.
Everything proceeded smoothly, thanks to the reputation of their merchant airship among the public. Subsequently, Vale enlisted Yvaine's assistance to store all the artifacts in his shadow.
Everything seemed peaceful as Lisa finalized their transaction with the small town.
Regrettably, this tranquil interlude didn't last for long as an unexpected visitor arrived in the city.
'Mhmm? When did he get here?' Vale thought as he activated his Arcane Armor. It was a practiced reaction since Arcane Armor could defend almost against any form of attack.
Vale then squinted his eyes as he triggered his detection spells on the figure that has arrived.
The newcomer was a man adorned with two black horns protruding from his head and fiery red hair.
He wasn't emitting any form of energy as he arrived at the town square without being noticed by Vale's Magic Zone until he had appeared near him!
He had a strikingly pale complexion, a handsome countenance, and discernible fangs. Clad in a robe exuding an otherworldly aura, he had undoubtedly made a mysterious entrance...
"Mhmmm... No wonder my items disappeared here... Did you destroy them, incomplete immortal?" The visitor spoke in a deep voice as he looked at Vale with an emotionless eye.
Vale found himself at a loss regarding the identity of the enigmatic man, but a realization dawned upon him as he took note of the distinctive horns and the manner in which he was addressed.
'Demon Saint?!' Vale couldn't help but draw a deep breath as the pieces of the puzzle fell into place.
While he had anticipated an encounter with them, he had not expected it to unfold at this particular moment, especially when he had only intended to explore the nearby towns and cities around their castle.
His plans to treat Lisa and the others to an extravagant meal after completing their tasks now seemed like a distant luxury.