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HELHEIM SCANS
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Chapter 97
Was it already time to stir up the issue with the Hael tribe that she had been planning?
So I thought, but the letter contained something unexpected.
[You must head to the Berner Count's territory in the Empire immediately upon receiving this letter. The Saintess has received a revelation. The choice is yours, my lord, but... it's clear that the Saintess's revelation is of great importance.]
The mention of the Saintess receiving a revelation was likely just a front; she probably couldn't reveal that she herself had received it directly.
As I was reading the letter, Luna quietly approached from behind my chair and glanced over at its contents.
“Hmm... A revelation, huh?”
“It could be a good thing or a bad thing. But if it involves Berner, then Melissa is there.”
“Whether you like it or not, you’ll have to go.”
Had Melissa not been there, it would’ve been the kind of revelation I’d just ignore.
“How accurate are the Saintess’s revelations?”
“They always happen—only the scale varies.”
Then there’s no need to hesitate.
I stood up, quickly prepared myself, and left the mansion.
There wasn’t any urgent work in the territory at the moment, so a short trip wouldn’t be an issue.
“Lord! Were you planning to sell this to kingdoms outside the Empire as well? Wait, where are you going?”
Aurora, who had come looking for me just as I was stepping out, tilted her head curiously.
“It seems I need to make a brief trip to the Empire. I’ll bring Melissa back on the way.”
“Oh my, I was planning to give you this as a gift.”
She handed me a small box.
Inside was a rather valuable item.
“Thank you. This works out perfectly since I needed something like this.”
“Earning points is the basics of a merchant.”
That spirit herb surely didn’t come for free; Melissa would be the one paying its price in value.
* * *
“Wow, this is quite a rare herb.”
The teleport gate in the Berner Count's territory activated.
It was understandable that the other side might be surprised to see an unfamiliar teleport route suddenly activated.
Still, even if something went wrong, the issue would arise on my side, not theirs, as long as they cleared the gate space.
So there was no problem.
“A spirit herb?”
“You recognize it?”
At my question, she rummaged through her pocket dimension and pulled out the same spirit herb.
“I have a few. Want one?”
“No, keep it. You never know when you might need it.”
Even Luna, with all her wealth of resources, only had a few of these.
It spoke volumes about its rarity.
The leaves were a mix of red and blue, and the roots gleamed with a green hue.
At first glance, it looked like some kind of poisonous weed or ordinary wild herb.
Yet its value reached tens of millions of sel per root—a premium ingredient.
Aurora's spirit herb wasn’t a fully matured one, so its value was lesser.
But it remained a rare and precious find.
The fact that the Planeteria Guild could afford to give away something like this meant they had gained significant profit recently.
“Welcome to the Berner County. Are you from Cascadia?”
“Yes.”
The Berner-affiliated mages didn’t seem to know the details.
They appeared to think that Cascadia had just connected a new teleport gate.
While there were countless teleport gates across the continent, not all were interconnected.
The Berner Count’s territory was, quite literally, in the middle of a festival.
It was only natural since the Count’s cherished daughter was marrying a prince tomorrow.
I’d heard the Count and Countess weren’t currently at their estate.
Still, they would surely appear on the day of the ceremony.
Given the scale of the event—the Berner family’s most significant occasion—the entire territory was bustling with festival preparations.
The Saintess Nadia’s revelation hadn’t specifically mentioned Melissa, so there was no real need to meet her.
In the end, Luna and I roamed the area alone.
“Leon, this is tasty.”
Luna had somehow obtained festival food and was munching on it with both hands.
If I hadn’t covered her with a cloak, she might have drawn a lot of attention.
“So, what’s the plan?”
“Let’s just enjoy ourselves for now.”
A revelation had been given, but there were no other clues.
For now, wandering around here might reveal something.
Until then, there wasn’t much I could do.
“Since we’re already here, we’ll grab Melissa after she’s done and head back.”
As someone who had been welcomed by the Count, I could easily come up with excuses if needed.
Having just completed the sale of the paradise artifact, a major accomplishment, my territory still had a mountain of work to deal with.
A bit of leisure was long overdue.
“Leon, over here.”
Luna suddenly tugged at my sleeve while looking at something.
“What is it?”
“There’s something fun over there.”
She led me to a place where a crowd had gathered.
“Urahhhh!!”
“Ugh!”
Thud!
There was a loud crash as a burly barbarian man defeated another man with a moderate build in an arm-wrestling match.
The difference in their physiques was evident from the start.
“Damn it! I thought I could win.”
“Phew. That was close.”
Seeing this scene, I quickly understood what was happening.
“Oh, it’s a betting game.”
“What’s that?”
“In simple terms, you arm-wrestle, and the winner gets a prize—money or goods.”
“Gah… Damn it. He’s insanely strong.”
“Hahaha! Good, good! Who’s next?”
“Anyone else brave enough to challenge? Our dear Vance may look tired after so many matches, but…”
They were clearly trying to lure challengers by claiming Vance was tired.
But it was obvious he wasn’t.
If he didn’t pretend to be fatigued, no one would dare to step up.
“There’s only one rule: no aura or magic—just pure physical strength! The winner gets this!”
The announcer displayed a rather expensive-looking piece of jewelry.
“You could sell it or give it as a gift to a wife waiting at home. It’s Dwarven craftsmanship!”
The jewelry’s value was probably substantial, but it made sense to put up such a prize to attract participants.
Vance, the burly man, feigned fatigue, likely to bait more challengers.
If he appeared perfectly fine, no one would risk competing.
"You have to at least pretend to be tired to be challenged. If you keep looking fine, who would dare to step up?"
It was Vance.
From the outside, he looked like a mercenary.
His physique was well-trained, with a strong, rugged build.
And with the rule that neither aura nor magic could be used, it would be a pure battle of strength.
There were no visible tricks.
The entire setup was based on trust in this man called Vance.
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HELHEIM SCANS
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Of course, someone could still use aura or mana...
But the artifact held by the man next to Vance appeared to detect the use of both.
That artifact alone must have been expensive.
Having such high-value items didn’t seem typical for simple peddlers.
Were they big-time swindlers?
Whatever the case, it was none of my concern.
Then it happened.
Luna pushed her way through the crowd and sat down abruptly.
“I’ll do it too.”
“Huh?”
Her appearance, small and petite despite a slight growth spurt, drew curious glances from the crowd.
The surroundings fell silent for a moment.
With all the jewels she had in her subspace, why was she interested in something like this?
“Hey, miss. Are you serious about this?”
“If I say I’ll do it, I’ll do it.”
“Wait… Are you a mage? Sorry, but this is a pure strength competition without mana or aura...”
“Not using it. Aura and mana are just shields for the weak in strength battles.”
She flexed her small, white hand lightly and placed it on the table.
The size difference was staggering—his hand completely swallowed hers.
The previous challengers had all been fairly robust.
“Ha... We don’t go easy just because you’re a young lady, you know.”
Luna’s eyes twitched slightly.
“No aura, no mana, just pure strength. Why is your tongue so long? Water muscles?”
At her taunt, veins bulged on Vance’ forehead.
“Alright. Let’s do this, then.”
People chuckled at the sight of this new type of challenger.
“Still, I have my pride. I’ll only use two fingers against you. If you can win like that, be my guest.”
Vance extended two fingers.
Luna sighed and tapped the table.
“I hate listening to nonsense after losing.”
Veins bulged again on Vance’ forehead.
Then a whisper came from the crowd to Vance.
“Hey, Vance, just let it go. She looks like a noble girl visiting the festival, so don’t go too hard.”
“Tsk.”
His pride hurt, Vance opened all his fingers.
The two locked hands.
If Luna hadn’t covered herself with her robe, her appearance would have stood out more.
But now, she wore a festival mask and a full robe.
“When I count to three, we start. If you hurt yourself, we can’t offer any compensation, so be warned.”
Luna nodded, and the announcer started counting.
3, 2, 1.
“Start!”
The starting signal rang, but neither arm moved.
“Hey, miss. Are you even trying?”
Vance grinned as he teased her, but Luna quietly responded.
“Really water muscles?”
Crack!
The sound of gritting teeth echoed, and veins bulged on his arm.
Yet, the arm remained still.
“Huh?”
Vance was startled as he applied more strength but saw no movement.
His expression grew more anxious.
“I’ve seen enough of your level.”
Luna gripped his hand more firmly.
“So boring I want to die.”
Bang!
It was over in an instant.
Vance’ arm slammed down onto the table so hard it shattered.
Her raw strength was immense.
Aura?
Mana?
Her small frame housed unfathomable physical power.
Even with my enhanced body through aura, I’d be hesitant to challenge her in a battle of strength.
And that wasn’t even her full strength.
Are all angels that strong?
No way.
That couldn’t be it.
“Urgh?!”
He collapsed, stunned by her overwhelming strength.
Everyone else was equally stunned, staring in disbelief.
“What… What is this?”
“Whoa! That’s insane!”
“What the heck just happened?”
“The big guy went down in one hit.”
The crowd cheered at the unbelievable sight, while the announcer and Vance stood frozen with blank faces.
The cheers didn’t last long.
“This... This doesn’t make any sense! There was no aura or mana detected!”
It defied logic that a slender girl, barely 150 cm tall, could crush a giant barbarian purely with strength.
They couldn’t help but suspect foul play.
But no aura or mana had been detected.
“Hey, this can’t be…”
“Is this mine now?”
“W-Wait! This doesn’t make any sense!”
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HELHEIM SCANS
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