Chapter 201: The Queen's Fragment

"It can't be *that* disgusting, can it...?" Constance frowned, displeased by the description. "It's their queen's corpse, after all. They must have prepared it somehow..."

"Don't be so naive, little girl," Mazarino said, studying the stone coffer. "Especially these types... this looks like the work of Abyssal Believers, doesn't it? If so, you can't expect anything from them."

"They can't even keep their own Divine Halls clean. In my youth, I joined an adventure to destroy a Divine Hall belonging to Bafumie, the Minotaur Lord. The place was a scene of utter carnage. Even our leader, a Mr. Zor, couldn't stomach it!"

"'I really don't see the problem... What if I can chew it open?' The goblin couldn't care less, his eyes fixed greedily on the stone coffer in the Traveling Mage's hands. He was singularly focused on finding out what it tasted like."

"Uh... Glazter's work would probably be better, wouldn't it?" Gelan chimed in. "He ought to be... more particular, right?"

"You Cultists," the Traveling Mage scoffed. "You always confuse Evil Demons with True Gods."

"And you can't even recognize the handiwork of your own former Sect Leader? This isn't Glazter's seal. This is the mark of Ocas!"

Mazarino showed them the mark on the bottom of the coffer. It was a ram's skull, significantly different from the insignia Gelan and the others had used before.

"Let me see... Hmm, this coffer must be ancient. I've only ever seen this sealing technique in books."

After confirming that the Undead Creatures couldn't follow them here, Ron and the others cleared a patch of ground nearby and made camp, giving Mazarino ample time to break the seal on the stone coffer.

Logically, returning to the trading post would have been safer. But since they still didn't know if the coffer contained what they were looking for, it was better not to go too far—if they were wrong, they could go back and continue digging.

Ron and Silvia could also finally use this time to supplement their somewhat lacking Arcane Knowledge.

"A Dragon Language Book... I'm starting to believe you really have been to a Giant Dragon's Nest," Mazarino said, glancing at the book in Ron's hand. "If I were you, I certainly wouldn't be playing Lord here. Ghost Witches, Giant Dragons, Undead Creatures... a kingdom would have its hands full with just one of those, yet you seem to have collected the whole set."

"Well, some dragons are good and some are bad," Ron said casually. "We're even planning to rebuild a town next to a Young Dragon's Nest. It's just that construction is slow, and I have no idea when it'll be finished."

"A Young Dragon, eh? Young Dragons are relatively safe," the Traveling Mage nodded. "And they're easier to influence. If you have a good relationship with that little dragon, you could ensure the safety of your domain for centuries to come."

"I once visited an empire in another world whose ancestors had performed an incredible act of kindness for an entire Scale and Claw Alliance—a faction of the Dragon Species. This led those Giant Dragons to protect the empire for generations. I had the honor of meeting the second-in-command of their Dragon Cavalry. Now that was a real Dragon Cavalry, not like in other places where they use lizards or other dragon-like creatures as substitutes."

"Just how old are you?" Constance asked, looking over curiously. "For a human, it can't be easy to become as worldly as you are, can it?"

"I was born with a bit of a talent for it—for traveling," Mazarino said with a smile, stroking his beard. "Add a little bit of luck and the favor of the Deities, and living a long life isn't too difficult."

"It's just that my goddess has been a bit displeased with me these past few decades. If I don't continue to advance my learning, I'm afraid She'll revoke Her grace. You see, this snow-white beard and hair of mine are Her warning to me."

"In our world, there are three Magic Goddesses, who preside over 'Order,' 'Creation,' and 'Knowledge,' respectively. I wonder which one you're referring to?" Victoria asked, looking up after finishing her evening prayers.

"Ah, it seems my goddess is not yet known in this world," Mazarino said after a moment's thought, shaking his head with a smile.

This was quite normal. The faiths of some Deities spread far and wide due to the distribution of their followers, like Bahamut or Lady Luck Taimola. Some Deities were limited in their sphere of influence and thus had different aspects with different names in different worlds. And others were even less known, to the point that many planes were unaware of their existence.

A Priest who had just learned to travel between planes might get into fierce theological debates with other Priests who worship Deities with the same divine portfolio, but to a Traveling Mage, such things were commonplace.

A Deity is a Deity, even if no one worships them. The fact that Their name was unheard of on this plane didn't affect the manifestation of Their Divine Power in Their followers. Mazarino's current state was the most compelling proof.

"Oh, I think I've got it open." With a crisp SNAP, a series of complex mechanical clicks and whirs began. The stone coffer in Mazarino's hands began to transform, and with it came an unbearable, overpowering stench.

"Looks like the demon held quite a grudge against this queen, COUGH, COUGH..." Mazarino forced a smile and tossed the coffer to the unsuspecting Ron, then ran to the side, coughing and dry-heaving.

"You take it... GAG," Ron grunted, pinching his nose. The stench was so bad he couldn't even open his eyes. He had no choice but to shove it at Silvia, who was standing nearby. "You look..."

"Benefactor, you can't do this to me..." Silvia sighed deeply. "Delaford, you take it!"

"No, no, no, give it to Aive!" "I'm going to relieve myself, don't look at me!"

With the coffer open, the campsite became utterly uninhabitable. There was no curse or poisonous gas inside the coffer, but precisely because of that, the smell was all the more unbearable. It wasn't until Ron used his Wind Creation Skill to blow the odor toward an open field that everyone gathered around again, circling up to peer inside.

"An entire human leg. A left one. Judging by its shape and structure, the owner was clearly a woman," Ron said, examining the body part that had been sealed for centuries, wrapped in layers of swirling, dark purple mist. "The coffer was guarded by a Death Knight, there were Magic Seals on the outside and on the leg itself, and even the coffer is a small dimensional storage device—"

"My conclusion is, this is the component we've been looking for."

"Then there's just one problem," Aive said, hastily leaping back several steps as that stench—more terrifying than any Death Knight—began to waft out again. "Mr. Mazarino, can you please figure out a way to seal this thing back up, and quickly?!"