"Thank you, Ria... I still don't understand why she's acting this way."
"Let me go! It's not enough, I must make him pay! How dare he use me, who possesses the ancestral dragon lineage, in that way? Not once, but twice! Not even a thousand deaths would be enough!"
They were in the room at the end of the stairs, and the reason for his gratitude toward Valeriane was that, as they were climbing the stairs and had already reached a certain height, a resentful Celestine—who was being carried by Yefeng—suddenly jumped toward him and pushed him down the stairs, causing him to fall from a great height.
Although he was relatively unharmed, when he returned upstairs, he found Valeriane handcuffing a very angry Celestine.
She was shouting the reasons herself as she struggled to break free. It seems that pushing him was not enough, but luckily the handcuffs Valeriane created were able to restrain her now that she was not in her best state.
"..."
Valeriane really did not know who was right or wrong in this matter, but as a leader, she felt she had to resolve the conflict before continuing.
"Hey, Celes, what's the problem? Shouldn't you be thanking me instead?"
Cassian honestly didn't understand Celestine's problem, since he had made sure to throw her with just enough force to reach the woman.
He also didn't understand why Ellys—not far away—was also handcuffed, even though she had remained calm unlike Celestine.
"Let me go, or I'll kill him! Even if I perish in the process! I'll take him with me! I'll show him why you don't mess with an ancient dragon!"
"Sir Cassian, I don't think you should provoke her any more than she already is."
"I'm not provoking her. Think about it: not only did she kill one of the large golden spiders, she also dealt a heavy blow to what appeared to be a higher-level type. Maybe she was already dead even before I threw the spear at her, so... in the next rewards, she should be the one who gets the most, right?"
"..."
Cassian thought about this. Obviously, Celestine, who did most of the work, should claim the best things.
Cassian didn't really care much about the reward at this point; he was still satisfied with the promise he had made to that MILF.
Besides, if it prevented her from continuing to bite him, or something like being pushed from a great height from happening again, it was worth continuing to talk, even if he had to pay a price.
"After all, she proved her lineage in the truest sense, passing a test that seemed difficult as if it were nothing. She is more than worthy of someone who carries the ancestral draconic blood and rules over the dragons within her. Cough! Although, to begin with, you didn't have to prove the obvious."
"..."
Ugh, I'm taking mental damage... but I think this will calm her down.
Cassian, although he didn't quite understand her anger—if everything went perfectly—knew how to calm her down.
Interestingly, although she did seem to be what she said she was, at least from his perspective she had certain similarities with the chuunis of his world, and something he knew from experience was that praising them and playing along with them was the best way to cheer them up.
And in fact, at Cassian's words, Celestine stopped struggling to free herself and swearing to kill him and just stared at him thoughtfully with her golden, reptilian eyes.
She was thinking about what Cassian had just said. And if she thought about it, he was right: she was the one who made the biggest contribution.
Internally, she still felt that there was something wrong with her previous rewards, and it bothered her that she hadn't gotten anything relatively good. Now, as Cassian said, there was no room for doubt about her contribution.
Furthermore, Cassian's recognition and praise of her lineage—though, as he said, it was obvious—made her realize that someone of her bloodline should not stoop to such vulgar and meaningless struggles.
She thought that if he already acknowledged her greatness, it was a sign he had gained some awareness, and there was no need to continue with this.
"Hahaha!... Good, good! I see you understand. After all, you are my subordinate. You overstepped your bounds earlier, but this lady will forgive you. Someone who carries this ancient draconic lineage is magnanimous and tolerant. Well, I forgive you for all your disrespect and transgressions, since you did a good job of helping me make the obvious even clearer."
"Uff... yes. Well, Ria, what's going on in this room now? Because Plouthys is there watching us without doing anything..."
In fact, something Cassian noticed when he entered this room was that, in addition to the group, Plouthys was projected on a screen in the center of the room, saying nothing. Which was strange, but dealing with Celestine was a priority.
"Huh? Plouthys? Ah! How long has he been there?"
"I didn't notice him either. Why did he appear silently?"
"hmmm, maybe my skill doesn't work with..hmmm."
"..."
"Hmph! I did notice him!"
Apparently, no one in the group had noticed Plouthys. Well, everyone was looking in his direction, and Plouthys was further back, in the center of the room.
But now the question was: why did he stay quiet? He always came in loudly and talked nonstop.
[Haahh... boy, your name is Cassian, isn't it?]
When everyone started looking at him, Plouthys came out of his inactive state and started talking, this time in a more subdued tone than usual.
He spoke only to Cassian, which was surprising: it was the first time he had focused on a single person.
"Yes... I'm Cassian. Why?"
[Do you even know what... No, never mind. I can't blame you, but... I really don't know who's the problem here—or who's in trouble. Is it you, me... or her?]
"…?"
Cassian didn't understand what Plouthys meant. But he did catch something important...
"Oh1 God Plouthys—do you know that beautiful lady? Do you know her name, her age, her tastes? Where is she now?"
[... I see you were being serious. No... this is not the time for that. I'll take care of her later. The important thing is now... Ahem!
Congratulations to everyone for passing the test! This has proven that you are very capable and stand out among your peers.
It's time for rewards—but this is no ordinary reward. This one is truly important: the chance to know yourselves better. Out of my generosity, I will grant you a privilege that would be hard to find, even if you searched all of Varnorr.]
Plouthys suddenly changed the subject and also his subdued appearance. He began to speak as usual, snapping his fingers.
The hole with the stairs in the floor began to close, and right in front of it began to emerge what looked like a slightly elevated podium, which had a shelf on it with a golden glass sphere the size of a ping-pong ball.
Although Cassian was a little disappointed that his question had been ignored, what Plouthys said about 'knowing oneself' caught his attention, and he looked at what was now happening.
[What you see before your eyes is a drop of pure, crystallized sap from Varnorr, something you have no idea how difficult it is to obtain, even for a god like me. And what does it do, you may ask? Well, as I said, it helps you get to know yourself better. Remember the splinters from Varnorr? This works in a similar way, only with you.]
Oh, so it's something that shows you your status? Do we have one? Do I have stats?
Cassian, as always, was quickly associating things with what he knew and what he understood from Plouthys, but unfortunately for him, this time he wasn't entirely correct.
[I mentioned unique skills before, didn't I? This will help you know what they're called and what they specifically do. Oh, and it will show you your affinity with the creatures of Varnorr. Don't you think knowing what you're really capable of is a great reward? I'm really generous, don't you think?]
"..."
There was no response, but no one could deny that he was right. Even Cassian, although he couldn't see something convenient like a status and stats, was really curious to know what it was that prevented Truck-kun from doing his job.
[Well, this is simple: just put your hands on the sap and show what really makes you unique, the reason I brought you here, and what you are capable of.]
"…"
Silence once again ruled the room. And Plouthys, who usually left after giving the explanation, this time just stood silently, watching them. He seemed to be encouraging them with his gaze.
Cassian was thinking about what to do. He really wanted to know and was curious about what his skill was, but there was also that: he wouldn't know what to think if it was something that had "monster" or something like that in the name. But he still didn't want to drag this out, so he was going to volunteer as usual, but—
"Wait a moment, Sir Cassian. This time I'll go first. As your leader, it's what I must do."
Valeriane stepped forward when she saw Cassian's intention. She couldn't keep falling behind. Hesitation is a mistake a leader must not make, so with a firm step, she moved ahead of the group.
She climbed the small stairs to the podium and, when she was in front of the concentrated sap:
"Huaa, okay..."
She quickly prepared herself and placed her hand on the sap—as she had done with the splinter. A screen large enough for everyone to see appeared:
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Affinity: Metal, Soul/None
Lord of the Arsenal
[Skill / Unique / Spiritual, Ar■a■■]
A gift that allows one to manifest, summon, and manipulate weapons that one has witnessed, understood, or marked with one's will. It is possible to #!&%$*~^=the wills of weapons and ▬▬▬a one's arsenal.▬▬⩿¡⧃⊡⩶⫷▶▶
Critical Point
[Skill / White / Spiritual]
Identifies the target's vulnerable points.
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