Chapter 226 – The Imperial Underground Vault

The Imperial vault, the treasure repository of the royal palace, was located deep underground in the innermost part of the palace.  

The princess guided us to the deepest section of the palace, where the emperor and the royal family’s chambers were situated. We descended a seemingly endless staircase, over a thousand steps, until a massive iron gate barred our path.  

As we stood before it, the gate slowly began to open with a heavy groan.  

Creaaak.  

I couldn’t help but click my tongue at the sight.  

“No wonder it’s called a treasure vault—the security is no joke.”  

“Is that so?”  

The princess tilted her head in confusion at my words. To her, my remark might have seemed odd. After all, we hadn’t seen a single guard on our way down.  

But my heightened senses and mana perception told a different story.  

“There are plenty of knights hiding in ambush, and the magic I’m sensing is anything but ordinary.”  

Behind the walls of the staircase, numerous knights lay in wait, each possessing skills comparable to those of the Imperial Knights. Moreover, the walls, floor, and ceiling radiated dangerous mana, indicating the presence of countless invisible magic circles.  

“Most of these spells are beyond me,” Elena muttered, scratching her head. “I might be able to disable a few spatial magic arrays that teleport intruders out, but…”  

Zahina nodded in agreement. “I can’t identify all of them either. There are too many, and they’re too varied. It’d be easier to just collapse or flood the entire place.”  

While the two mages debated, Irin’s eyes sparkled with curiosity, but Yerim pouted.  

“Why are you all looking for ways to smash through? This is the Imperial treasure vault! Aren’t you curious about what’s inside?”  

Her scolding made me sigh inwardly in relief.  

After Hoffman’s death, Yerim had been visibly depressed. I’d been worried about how to console her, but it seemed she had found her own way to cope.  

As I mused, the princess listened to our conversation with a calm expression before nodding.  

“I’ve heard it’s difficult even for master swordsmen to break in. Though I wouldn’t know myself.”  

Her tone was sharp and detached, as if emphasizing that this had nothing to do with her—the princess of the empire. Clearly, she was still carrying the weight of parting with the former hero.  

Still, she didn’t forget her duty.  

Thud.  

Once the massive gate fully opened, she stepped inside and began explaining.  

“This vault has been used by the Imperial family since the days of the old empire.”  

Beyond the gate stretched a long hallway lined with doors on both sides. At the far end stood an elderly man who appeared to be a clerk, standing beside a desk. Had the princess not been with us, he would have been the one to guide us.  

As we walked down the hallway, the princess pointed to the doors.  

“Behind these doors lie relics from the first emperor of the New Empire—equipment used by heroes, treasures collected over centuries, and even the weapons of the last hero.”  

The doors were adorned with symbols indicating their contents: swords, armor, robes, staves, and more, all tightly sealed.  

“This one holds armor, this one weapons, this one mage equipment… The last room contains miscellaneous artifacts.”  

Her explanation complete, Yerim eagerly reached for the nearest door. But before she could open it, the princess added,  

“One more thing—I apologize, but all relics taken from the Imperial vault are considered loans.”  

“Huh?”  

Yerim froze, turning back with a puzzled expression. The rest of us were equally confused.  

Loans? Not gifts?  

And how would that even work? Time-limited loans were impractical, and if we defeated the Demon King, would we have to return the equipment to the empire?  

These weren’t books—this made no sense.  

“Artifacts taken from the vault will be reclaimed by the Imperial family after the borrower’s death.”  

“So it’s fine as long as we’re alive?”  

“Yes.”  

Well, that wasn’t so bad. A “loan” that lasted until death was practically the same as ownership.  

The mages seemed satisfied, but Yerim pressed further.  

“What if the borrower’s family refuses to return it after their death?”  

“It will be forcibly reclaimed. The empire has never failed to recover an artifact in hundreds of years.”  

The mages exchanged glances.  

“Is there some kind of tracking magic on them?” Elena asked.  

The princess shook her head. “No tracking magic. The emperor simply possesses an artifact that allows him to reclaim anything from this vault.”  

The mages’ eyes widened.  

“Such an artifact still exists?”  

“Yes. It’s a relic from the ancient empire. Most were lost after the New Empire’s founding, but the Imperial family still holds a few.”  

While the mages marveled at the mention of ancient relics, Yerim remained skeptical.  

“So, the empire can take them back anytime?”  

“No. The artifact cannot reclaim items from their rightful owners—only from those who took them without permission.”  

There were more questions—like whether this worked across dimensions—but further interrogation was cut short as Yerim finally pushed open the door.  

“So this is the Imperial vault! …Huh?”  

Her excited voice instantly deflated upon seeing the interior.  

It was… underwhelming.  

The room, marked with a sword symbol, contained dozens of blades mounted on walls or displayed on stands. But they looked utterly plain—no gleaming edges, no dazzling gemstones. Just ordinary swords.  

No wonder Yerim was disappointed.  

“Good grief…”  

But my jaw nearly dropped.  

To my mana senses, the room was anything but ordinary. Every sword here surpassed the one I currently carried.  

Noticing my reaction, the princess gave me a faintly sad look before explaining to Yerim and the others,  

“The enchanted swords are in another room. Knights usually prefer simpler blades.”  

“Oh? Should we head there, then?” Yerim glanced at me for input.  

Too engrossed in the swords, I waved them off without looking.  

“Pick what you need and meet me back in the hallway.”  

I began examining the blades. Despite their plain appearances, each was extraordinary. Some conducted mana flawlessly, others were feather-light, and one impossibly heavy greatsword even adjusted its weight based on mana infusion.  

These were treasures accumulated over centuries by the Imperial family.  

After careful consideration, I chose one—a sword that seemed even plainer than the rest.  

It was perfectly balanced, responsive to mana, and, most importantly, indestructible.  

When I channeled sword aura into it and struck another blade, my test sword chipped—but the vault’s sword remained unscathed.  

(Quickly, I hid the damaged sword behind a display.)  

“This should hold up.”  

A sword that could withstand the Demon King’s power was exactly what I needed.  

The same logic applied to armor.  

I picked a set that looked equally unremarkable but had a unique property: it could self-repair. Infusing it with divine energy caused damaged sections to regenerate, almost like living tissue.  

It reminded me of that one movie with the armored hero…  

“…Was that why you chose it?” Yerim teased.  

“…No.”  

(Maybe a little.)  

By the time I finished selecting my gear, the rest of the party had also upgraded.  

Compared to my plain sword and armor, the mages and saint now looked every bit the part of a hero’s party, adorned in ornate robes and staves.  

“Are you sure I can take this?” Irin fidgeted in her new attire, but Elena reassured her with a wave.  

Despite her youth, Irin was part of our team. Besides, these artifacts couldn’t be transferred—better they be used than left to gather dust.  

Finally, I grabbed one last item: a spatial expansion pouch, the largest and sturdiest in the vault. It could hold all the gold we’d stored in Elena’s pocket dimension and more.  

As I admired it, the princess cleared her throat.  

“If you’ve finished selecting your relics, we should proceed to the temple.”  

We blinked in unison.  

“The Imperial temple? Which archbishop requested this?”  

How had the temple already learned of our arrival? Their intelligence network was impressive.  

But the princess’s answer stunned us.  

“No. The gods themselves sent a revelation. They commanded that the hero Eger be brought to the temple.”  

In the depths of the Imperial vault, the saint of Ea had just delivered a divine message to the otherworldly hero.