Chapter 363: That Dark Mountain Called Dakatharit

The Asrephaths served dinner in a hall that was so large all five people seated around its long table looked like a private gathering inside a banquet chamber.

The tall windows on the milky-colored wall gave them a visual of the evening lights of Rosenblum, while gold lamps burned above dark wood and threw a warm shine over silver dishes arranged from one end of the table to the other.

The kitchen had prepared pepper-glazed duskfowl, thick cuts of roasted venison, saffron rice, buttered roots, spiced riverfish, warm bread and enough sauces to give every plate its own collection.

Corven supervised the servants moving between them, refilling cups and replacing empty dishes before anyone needed to ask.

Lancet had never seen such a buffet of meals, not even back in the Kingdom Council. He sat beside Spectra while Vaelric and Melisande occupied the opposite side.

Opaline had chosen the chair nearest Lancet without appearing to choose it, but even her parents had already noticed how often her attention left her food and went to the guest instead.

Every time Lancet looked toward her, she quickly lowered her eyes to her plate, only to start watching him again the moment he returned to the conversation.

Vaelric led most of the conversation, talking a lot about Lancet’s power. He said he heard it explained on television once that it was a Ladder Summoning System, and asked questions about how it worked, what kind of historical figures Lancet could reach and whether every Legend required a different kind of connection.

Lancet gave him the same explanation he gave everyone else: his Class allowed him to build Ladders toward exceptional people from the past and present, and the exact bond depended on whether the person had to be invoked from history or already lived in the current world.

He kept the answers broad enough to satisfy curiosity without giving the merchant anything that would raise suspicion.

"Remarkable," Vaelric said, cutting into the venison before looking back at Lancet. "I mean, we live in a time where the past is something we look back to as a fond memory that can never be reclaimed. An opportunity already spent. But your Class... it turns it into a living resource."

Melisande nodded beside him. "And His Majesty clearly recognizes that value. We have heard King Romsgard speaks very highly of you after Hebthej."

"He has been generous," Lancet replied. He knew where the conversation was going before Vaelric carefully mentioned that House Asrephath had supplied equipment to royal forces, Guilds and the Kingdom Rangers Board for years.

The family would be honored to assist the Crown with whatever greater demands the coming months required, especially if someone trusted by the King ever thought it useful to introduce their services more directly.

They were building a bridge through him.

Lancet did not blame them. The Asrephaths had reached their current position by noticing opportunities before other families did, and a visit from the Legend Summoner with Spectra Hexerra on his arm was far too large an opportunity to ignore.

He answered politely, promised nothing and still gave them enough encouragement to keep the dinner pleasant. If their resources could help him later, there was no reason to slam the door merely because he could see them reaching for the handle.

The conversation moved to Hebthej, and Vaelric asked what it felt like to enter a Demon Break with students and fight beside historical Legends.

Lancet gave him the shorter version, speaking about the confusion, the second Demon Head and the way everything had grown far beyond what the Academy originally expected from the mission. Melisande listened closely whenever King Romsgard or the KRB came into the story, while Opaline listened to everything, barely touching the fish on her plate.

She held herself back until Lancet mentioned the Inter-Class Competitions. Then whatever discipline her parents expected from her collapsed at once. "That Kallan Kallahan guy! He’s such a dishonest loser. He accused Morras of cheating in the last competition!"

Lancet looked toward her and smiled. It seemed she was keeping up with the ongoing competition that he was no longer a part of. "Well," he shrugged, "that’s Kallan for you. He’s accused almost everyone of something. He’ll blame the sunlight if he could."

"I hate him," Opaline said with conviction, causing Melisande’s fork to stop halfway to her mouth. "He’s arrogant, loud and nowhere near as powerful as he thinks he is. I was very happy when Morras defeated him."

"Opaline," her mother warned.

She lowered her voice but not her enthusiasm. "And I think you’re better than Renan. Renan is very strong, obviously, but everybody talks about him like he’s going to win the fight even before it begins. It’s not nice. But you, they like to underestimate you and you always surprise everyone."

"Opaline, stop it." Vaelric looked embarrassed now. "The Defender of Hebthej did not come here to be questioned about such frivolities."

"It’s fine," Lancet said before Opaline could retreat completely. "I’m happy to answer her questions or hear her talk."

He looked at her and smiled. "Thanks for the compliment. It’s natural to expect a Specialist to defeat a Summoner in combat. But of recent I’ve been known to achieve unnatural things."

Opaline’s golden eyes brightened as her lips stretched into the smile. Her parents smiled at each other too.

Using the silence as permission, Opaline asked about the moment he caught the Radiant Guillotine after throwing it, whether Kestrel Highcastle had truly taught him the Rising Dragon and how close Renan had come to escaping the final hold.

Lancet answered without turning the dinner into a full retelling of the duel, but Opaline reacted to every answer like she had been waiting months to hear the parts the broadcast could not show.

Corven moved behind her chair with a fresh drink and hid a small smile when she started insisting that the commentators had underestimated Lancet’s footwork.

Vaelric eventually steered the discussion toward the Asrephaths’ own rise. He spoke proudly about the family’s expansion from a wealthy Rosenblum merchant house into an international trade power with buyers across all five kingdoms.

Their name now moved through magical weapons, armor, relics, catalysts and rare Dungeon items because they had learned to find opportunities other families did not even know existed.

Of course they didn’t say anything about Opaline’s powers and how it was the true source of everything they had established but every family had their secrets.

Spectra had watched most of the family conversation with quiet amusement. Melisande eventually turned toward her and asked how someone born centuries earlier had found modern life so far. Spectra tasted the wine before answering, as though deciding whether the present deserved praise.

"Your buildings have improved, the clothing has become much tighter, and humanity still enjoys rewriting history whenever the truth becomes inconvenient," she said. "The food, however, is considerably better. I may forgive this age for that alone."

Melisande laughed, though she took a moment to decide whether Spectra had been joking. Vaelric asked if she intended to visit any other historical sites connected to her life, and Spectra’s fingers paused against the stem of her glass.

"In fact, I’m searching for one of my belongings from the past," she said. Her voice remained calm, but Lancet heard the weight beneath it. "Something very dear to me. Fortunately, Lancet discovered it would be at the Grand Auction, which is why we came to Rosenblum."

Vaelric and Melisande looked at one another.

The exchange lasted only a moment, but Lancet noticed it.

Melisande turned back to Spectra and did a small raise of her hand. "Then I hope the auction was successful. Were you able to acquire it?"

"Yes," Lancet said. "Kinda."

He reached beside his chair and lifted the sealed case they had carried from the Grand Auction. The locks released beneath his hand, and he placed the opened case onto the table where everyone could see the dark metal necklace resting inside.

"The Sacramenta," he said.

Opaline’s attention left Lancet for the first time since dinner began.

She stared at the necklace, recognizing almost immediately that even Corven noticed it from behind her chair. However, Vaelric spoke before she could say anything.

"An extraordinary piece. Congratulations. A possession tied so closely to your history should never have been separated from you."

Spectra gave him a cold smile. "It still is."

Vaelric’s expression changed. "What do you mean?"

Lancet lifted the necklace from its case and let the false crimson stone catch the light. "Well, there’s a big problem. This is a fake."

Melisande looked at the pendant more carefully. "Are you certain?"

"Spectra is," Lancet replied.

"I can feel Sacramenta wherever it is," Spectra said. "With this necklace, I feel absolutely nothing. It is an imitation made for collectors."

The Asrephaths exchanged another glance, and this one carried far more worry than the first.

Lancet lowered the copy into its case. "The bidding master didn’t tell us much. Since House Asrephath handles more magical relics than almost anyone in the world, we hoped you might be able to help."

Vaelric settled both hands beside his plate. "We would certainly assist if we could."

"Have you ever seen a necklace like this before?" Lancet asked. "Or sold one to the Grand Auction? With how much magical trade passes through your family, there’s a good chance it came through you."

"No," Vaelric replied too quickly. He slowed before adding, "We handle thousands of items. None that I recall matched this particular history."

Melisande nodded. "The Sacramenta would have been difficult to forget."

Opaline looked from her mother to the necklace, confusion gathering across her face. "Mother, father, have you forgotten? I found a necklace just like that one. In the outskirts of Arkhaven, in one of the buildings around that dark mountain called Dakatharit."

Spectra’s wineglass stopped halfway to her lips. Her crimson eyes widened at the name of the place she had once called home, while Vaelric and Melisande went completely still across the table.

Dakatharit.