Kobold Wizard's Journal

Chapter 331 Piety and Dagger

Could this thing really be a strange artifact? Ruger wondered.

He was experienced; when a magical object is acquired, the user can know its name. At least the two magical objects he possessed were no exception. One was told to him in advance by a half-human, but after recognizing it as his master, he could still sense its name in his heart—the Demon Dice, as if it were a mark bestowed by the world. The other, although he always called it the Golden Key, was actually called Rooted Troubles. These were all determined at the moment of its birth, not named by human hands.

Of course, Ruger believed that since wizards had studied gods and demons, and even the elusive concept of fate, they would naturally not overlook so-called wonders. Perhaps in some corner of the cave, someone could create a unique man-made wonder, and then, with human intervention, it might be possible to name it.

Lost in thought, the scene before me changed again.

He is no longer Prince Haya.

Just as he was thinking this, young master Haya reappeared. Ruger rolled his eyes. The difference was that Haya was holding a book, and in this situation, he did not have the dagger in his hand.

This is very wrong.

The fact that the book could leave marks on a dagger even with empty hands suggests that the book itself is related to daggers.

Sir Waglen, that frail old fellow, was indeed still holding back.

Haya loves reading, a fact that Ruge knew from their short time together, but it was never like this before. Haya stroked the book cover, her expression a mix of melancholy and relaxation, much like Ruge's when she was spacing out and relaxing her mind. This book seemed to hold a special meaning for Haya.

Ruger raised an eyebrow.

The art of using divine objects also depends on luck; one cannot simply see what one desires. Otherwise, the bald old wizard in the Black Prison wouldn't have suffered so much, and even then, he only managed to see what he wanted by taking advantage of the Black Prison's unique terrain. Some scenes may not leave a mark on the object, and even if a mark is left, it may not be revealed to the caster.

This time, the annoying young master Haya finally didn't show up.

Ruger, however, fell into thought, wondering whether he should first ask Haya what that book was.

Suddenly, the shattered scene before my eyes shifted.

The book appeared in the hands of an indistinct figure.

Although he couldn't see it clearly, Ruger just looked at the figure standing there and instinctively thought it was a wizard's apprentice, the indistinct outline being the robe he was wearing.

Ruger laughed.

That's what's interesting, that's the real clue, that's what's valuable enough to cause him trouble.

So, is someone using this young master Haya, and the family of this Sir Waglen, to conduct some kind of experiment?

What does this have to do with the witch hunter's assessment?

The person seemed to still have some reluctance to part with the book, as if it were a rather valuable item, something that a wizard apprentice would feel valued. But then, the shattered scene broke apart, and the book ended up in a woman's hands.

It seems that she was extremely surprised and happy when she received the book, which is why she left traces.

The fragmented scenes kept flashing by.

Ruger realized that some of the scenes were disordered, rather than appearing perfectly in chronological order.

Suddenly, the spell stopped.

Ruger opened his eyes.

He deliberately interrupted the spell; he had sensed the dagger's abnormality from the moment it began.

He stopped thinking and looked over. Most of the dagger was in Da Shaheng's hand. Da Shaheng used his large hand to envelop both the dagger and Young Master Haya's hand. The constantly trembling dagger had already made Da Shaheng's palm a bloody mess, but Da Shaheng seemed not to see this or feel the pain. He remained calm and controlled Haya, using the Life Warrior's ability in conjunction with his own healing power to heal the ever-increasing wounds.

Haya did not seem to have completely lost consciousness like she had in the Divine Art.

Luger raised his hand, his spirits boiling.

Haya, who was on the verge of a daze, jolted awake, followed by terror.

"Great God of the Spirit Hair! I have actually harmed the messenger of the God of the Spirit Hair!"

Haya, who had remained relatively calm until now, looked at Da Shaheng's hand with a panicked expression. Perhaps he was genuinely afraid, or perhaps his heightened emotions amplified his excitement. "Calm down, Young Master Haya, the God of Spirit Hair will heal the wounds of his faithful followers..."

As Luger spoke, he glanced at Big Fool and snorted.

The latter understood and immediately released some of the life warrior's accumulated power. Combined with his own self-healing ability, the tattered hand healed rapidly in front of Haya at a speed visible to the naked eye, and was completely restored in the blink of an eye.

Haya's eyes widened.

dong dong!

Luger tapped the table lightly.

“You and your father, or simply you,” Ruger said in a deep voice, “have been hiding something…”

Haya snapped out of her daze, turned to look at Ruger, and looked blankly at him.

"For example, a book..."

Ruger spoke again.

In fact, Luger had a feeling from the moment he cast the spell that this young master Haya might have some talent in mental power.

He understood why the Supreme Council had confined the Faith Wizards to the Endless Sea.

It's probably not just about being afraid they'll influence other wizards. These guys, it seems, in order to maintain what they're doing and the order they've established, haven't, like other parts of the underground world, screened out those with wizarding talent from a young age and guided them onto the path of wizardry.

Of course, Ruger felt that his guess might not be entirely correct, but there was absolutely no such thing as a regular, large-scale screening by the Supreme Council. Perhaps some forces in the Endless Sea that believed in wizards would do something similar, such as screening so-called servants of God under a different name, and there would definitely be no return. They would sign some contracts, after all, this was a place where even superhuman beings such as fighters and knights did not appear. Everything was a gift from God. Those bald, god-given individuals fighting and kneeling down below might have some fighters among them, just unaware of it.

The Supreme Council clearly did not want to abandon its research on faith wizards, nor did it want this distorted thing to spread and affect other parts of the underground world.

Fortunately, the underground world is big enough, Ruger thought.

"Book?"

Haya's eyes lit up, then dimmed again.

"Is that really the case? I thought... Father took it away."

Haya was somewhat downcast.

Luger watched him quietly, without saying a word to disturb him.

“That was my mother’s keepsake. I thought my father had taken it… He didn’t like me touching it,” Haya said thoughtfully. “I think I fell asleep holding that book, and when I woke up… there was some dust on my pillow, like the remnants of burnt paper. But before I could ask my father… I found it in my hand… It was stuck firmly to my hand…”

Ruger blinked; it seemed he had wronged the old knight, yet it also seemed he hadn't.

The seemingly frail old man must have had some suspicions about this, that is, that the dagger was related to the book. Even if he didn't know it, he must have had some idea.

“Young Master Haya, do you remember what you looked like wielding the dagger after each time you lost control?” Ruger said.

Haya paused for a moment, then shook her head.

“I heard it all from the housekeeper and my father…” he said in a deep voice.

Luger nodded upon hearing this, gestured to Big Fool, and raised his hand again.

They decided to begin the second round of the Divine Artifact Technique.

Since it seems that Da Shaheng can still control the dagger, he can extend the exploration time of this divine artifact technique.

“My father once ordered the execution of someone, and that was the first time I saw him angry,” Haya suddenly said. “She was my mother’s maid. For many years after my mother’s death, my father had her clean this house and didn’t assign her any other tasks. Her relationship with my mother went beyond that of master and servant… She gave me that book when I came of age. Many of my memories of my mother come from her stories. When I received the book, she told me that my mother was very weak, and in order to give birth to me… she imitated the ascetics in the scriptures. While my father was away on a voyage, she went out alone, saying she was praying to the gods. I don’t know what she experienced, but she eventually brought back that book…”

(End of this chapter)