Chapter 47: The Armory

"Sire Elias," Mekah called out to him.

Elias, who had already risen halfway from his chair, paused and turned back toward the old priest. "Yes?"

Mekah studied him for several seconds, and the warmth that had been present in his expression earlier faded into something more serious. "It seems you have already made a bitter enemy."

Elias’s expression darkened as he glanced toward the closed door through which Berlic had departed, and then he let out a quiet breath before saying, "I did not do anything to become his enemy. I was simply born as one."

"So it appears," Mekah said with a faint smile.

The old priest leaned back in his chair, his blue eyes remaining fixed on Elias as though he were trying to see something hidden beneath the young man’s calm expression. "You should prepare yourself for the tribulations to come, Sire. Berlic would do everything in his power to teach you a lesson."

Elias nodded. "I will."

Mekah leaned forward on the table, resting his forearms against the wooden surface as he watched Elias carefully. However, before the priest could say anything else, Elias gave him a polite nod.

"Have a great day, Your Greatness," Elias said as he rose from his seat and walked toward the door.

Mekah simply watched him leave, and once the door closed behind him, the old priest’s smile slowly disappeared.

For several seconds, he remained completely silent.

Then his gaze shifted toward the empty chair where Elias had been sitting.

"Do you really believe so?" Mekah asked quietly.

A strange silence followed.

"Hmm..." Mekah narrowed his eyes slightly, and his fingers tapped against the desk. "How can that be possible?"

He listened to something that Elias could not hear, and then his brows furrowed even further.

"Yes, yes," he said with a slightly exasperated sigh. "But he is Aegon’s son. Would that not cause too much trouble in the future?"

Another pause followed, and Mekah’s expression gradually softened.

"Okay, okay. Calm down."

He leaned back in his chair, and after several seconds, a smile slowly returned to his wrinkled face.

"Hoho..." he chuckled softly. "What an interesting lad."

Outside, Elias walked through the corridors of the church while Benjamin followed several steps behind him.

The atmosphere inside the building remained unusually quiet despite the commotion outside.

His expression remained thoughtful.

The conversation with Mekah had left him with more questions than answers, especially because the old priest had spoken as though he already understood something about Elias that Elias himself did not.

However, he decided not to dwell on it for now.

There were more immediate problems to deal with.

The Grade Two spatial rift was waiting outside the city, Berlic clearly wanted him dead, and he had been assigned to a ranger team that would be entering the rift before the main force.

’At least the system gave me some useful rewards,’ Elias thought as he walked.

His mind briefly returned to the Mythical White Hellbreaker Sword and the Mythical Black Hellcaller Sword.

Before he could think any further, they reached the entrance.

Elias stepped outside, and the sunlight immediately fell across his face.

He narrowed his eyes slightly while adjusting to the brightness, but before he could say anything, he noticed someone standing nearby.

Belthon.

The slender swordsman had been waiting near the church entrance, his arms folded across his chest while his amber eyes remained fixed on Elias.

Once Elias approached, Belthon pushed himself away from the wall and walked toward him.

"Let’s go," Belthon said.

Elias frowned. "What?"

Belthon turned around and began walking without waiting for him.

"The ranger team leaves today, so I have to take you to the city’s armory for armor and weapons," he explained, his voice carrying a matter-of-fact tone.

He glanced over his shoulder.

"Of course, if you have your own, then you do not need to."

Elias narrowed his eyes slightly.

’So Berlic is already making his moves.’

The city lord had wasted no time. Elias had only just left the church, yet preparations for the ranger team were already underway, which meant Berlic had likely arranged everything before the meeting with Mekah had even ended.

Elias gritted his teeth and nodded reluctantly.

"Fine."

He turned toward Benjamin.

"You should return to the manor. Let Stella and Natasha know about my lack of presence."

Benjamin immediately bowed.

"As you wish, my lord."

Elias gave him a brief nod before looking toward Belthon.

"Let’s go. No need to delay this any longer," Belthon said, and the two men left together.

Benjamin watched his master disappear into the distance with a somber expression, and after several seconds, he too began walking toward the manor.

---

Belthon and Elias walked through the streets of Kilmir together, with the city growing increasingly restless around them.

People stood outside their homes discussing the situation, merchants hurriedly secured their goods, and groups of city guards moved through the streets while carrying weapons and equipment.

Elias occasionally glanced toward them, but he remained mostly silent.

Belthon, however, seemed entirely unconcerned by the growing panic.

"You have fought before?" Belthon asked suddenly.

Elias shook his head.

"No."

"Not even monsters?"

"Yes, I have not."

Belthon nodded but didn’t ask anything further.

Elias glanced at the man’s bastard sword.

"And you?"

Belthon smiled faintly.

"I have fought enough monsters to stop counting them."

That answer didn’t tell Elias much, but the way Belthon spoke made it clear that he wasn’t an inexperienced swordsman.

After several minutes, they finally reached the city’s armory, which stood beside the quarters of the city knights and the watch.

The building was large and practical, with thick stone walls and several reinforced doors designed to withstand the weight of heavy weapons and armor. Racks of swords, spears, shields, and other equipment could be seen through the open entrance, while the sounds of metal striking metal occasionally echoed from deeper inside.

Belthon entered without hesitation.

Elias followed him.

They passed several racks of equipment before Belthon began searching for someone.

After looking around for a moment, he finally spotted the master of the armory.

The man was lying beneath the sunlight on a mattress that had been placed directly beside the wall.

Belthon’s expression twitched.

"Lord Erick," he called out.

Erick slowly opened his eyes.

Erick was a chubby man with an imperial beard and dark brown hair pulled back behind his head, and he wore a red arming doublet that appeared slightly too comfortable for someone who was supposed to oversee an entire armory.

Beside his mattress rested a long sword that was nearly half the height of an adult man.

Elias stared at him.

’What kind of man sleeps like this?’

The sight immediately implanted an image of Erick in his mind as lazy, unkempt, and completely uninterested in whatever responsibilities had been entrusted to him.

Belthon, however, didn’t seem particularly surprised by the man’s behavior.

Erick opened his eyes and looked at Belthon before he grumbled, "What are you doing here, you stupid fuck?"