Chapter 11

"――Right, the damage to the town――huh?"

Oscar was startled, but then he was speechless again as he looked around.

There was no damage to the town from the water spout he had expected. The water spout, which had shot out like a beam from the grimoire, had blown away whatever had come out of it without causing any damage to the town.

The sellers and buyers on Cobalt Street were surprised by the sudden event, but there was no damage to people, buildings, or antiques.

Looking at the water spout flying into the sky and then at me,

"Could it be... Noah, you—"

"Yeah, I did."

I extended my index finger and drew a trajectory that slanted upwards.

At six years old, I was holding a book and looking down.

Normally, a water spout would be horizontal or slanted downwards. If it were, it would have created a large hole in the front yard, probably taking dozens of lives.

So I shot it upwards from below. The water spout, shot diagonally upwards, only blew away the grimoire's spirit and flew into the sky without causing any other damage.

"You mean you shot it upwards in that instant?"

"Yep."

"What a judgment...!"

Oscar was speechless, but he quickly returned to his usual smile.

"Well, as expected of Father's son. As expected of my brother."

He praised me in high spirits.

Since we didn't explain anything and there was no damage, Cobalt Street quickly returned to normal as if nothing had happened.

However, not everyone was completely oblivious to what had just happened.

"Excuse me, may I have a moment?"

A man called out to Oscar and me from the side. He was a well-dressed, slightly chubby man with a mustache.

"Who are you?"

"I am the owner of that shop. I witnessed what just happened. There is something I would like you to see."

"What is it? A treasure?"

"Something like that."

The man bowed. Something like that, he said.

It felt a bit off.

"Alright, lead the way."

Since Oscar was enthusiastic, I decided to go along with it. We followed the man into the shop and were led to the back.

Neither Oscar nor I hesitated to follow.

For nobles, shopping is never done at the front of the store. Especially in a shop that deals with expensive antiques, it's common to be led to a VIP room in the back.

This time was no different. We were led to a room with decent furnishings.

"Please wait a moment."

The man said this and left the room, leaving us behind.

I looked around the room and muttered, "Huh."

"What is it, Noah?"

"Well, I thought it was clever. This room is intentionally one rank below the formality of a noble's mansion. It's a good way to stage the 'best hospitality a commoner can offer.'"

"What? You can tell that already?"

Oscar was surprised.

"Wow... I didn't understand that until I was twelve."

This time, Oscar was impressed. We sat on the sofa and waited for the man to return.

A few minutes later, the man returned with a jewelry box.

As soon as he entered the room, he knelt before Oscar and me.

"I apologize for the late greeting. I am Alan Bursley. I greet Your Highness, the Prince."

"Uh-huh."

Oscar nodded as if it were a matter of course. Although we hadn't introduced ourselves, it was clear that the man knew who we were from the way he had led us to this room.

In such situations, it's a noble's custom not to introduce oneself. After all, nobles are expected to act as if it's natural for others to know who they are.

Still, we didn't rush him.

I remained silent, waiting for him to speak.

Alan raised his head while kneeling and looked at us.

"I witnessed what just happened. I am deeply impressed by the great power of the Thirteenth Prince."

"It's nothing much. After all, it was something I caused. I just cleaned it up so as not to inconvenience the people."

As I answered, I saw Oscar's satisfied smile.

"Ah, what a broad-minded person you are. I'm sure you can unravel the mystery of this."

I exchanged a glance with Oscar. It seemed that I was the one invited, not Oscar.

Alan, now getting to the point, opened the jewelry box and presented it to me as if offering a gift.

"This is our shop's greatest treasure."

"A ring... right?"

"Yes."

"What kind of ring is it?"

"I don't know."

Alan said this firmly. It was the first time I had heard a merchant say "I don't know" so definitively about their own product, and it felt a bit comical.

"According to legend, when the true owner appears, this ring will reveal its true form. That's all I know."

"The true owner, huh?"

"Yes. I've shown it to various people discreetly, but it has never revealed its true form."

"Did you decide to try it after seeing what I did just now?"

"I apologize."

Alan bowed while still holding out the jewelry box.

"It's fine to try, but what I'm more curious about is why you've kept this all along. It doesn't seem to have any value to you as a product, does it? You don't know anything about it, so why keep it?"

"If I throw it away or sell it at a loss, it comes back."

"Comes back?"

"Yes, it somehow returns to the shop. Even though I don't know any details, I can sense that 'something' is there..."

"I see."

That makes sense.

"It's fine. Noah, try it on."

Oscar, who had been listening silently, enthusiastically encouraged me to try the ring.

Honestly, I hadn't been interested until just now, but hearing that it would return even if thrown away piqued my curiosity.

I took the ring and put it on my thumb as if it were natural.

I looked at the ring that fit perfectly on my thumb, wondering if anything would happen—

(Level limit check... Rarity SSS)

"What? What is this voice?"

(Acknowledged new owner... Armor activation)

After a voice like an auditory hallucination, something "erupted" from the ring. It enveloped my body and instantly turned into armor like a knight's.

"Wow!"

"Th-this is..."

Oscar was amazed, and Alan was speechless.

I looked at myself, using the window glass as a mirror.

I was wearing white armor, and it seemed to fit me perfectly.

Incidentally, there was no change in my stats. It was probably a similar existence to Leviathan.

"Alan, I'll take this."

"Yes! I'm happy to give it to you."

"I'll send the payment later."

"No, let me pay for it here."

Oscar took out ten thousand lire and handed it to Alan.

"Brother!?"

"It's a gift from me. After the magic sword, this armor? Hahaha, Noah is indeed different."

Oscar laughed happily and looked at me in my armor with a smile.

☆

The ring's armor can be summoned and dismissed at my will. If it is destroyed, as long as the ring itself is intact, it can repair itself over time.

I learned these things through the linked thoughts with Leviathan and told Oscar on the way back in the carriage.

"That's amazing. I've never heard of anything like that."

"Really?"

"But then again, this is Cobalt Street. It might not be surprising for any treasure to appear here."

That's the kind of place it is.

"Anyway, it was a great find. Let's go together and show it to His Majesty next time."

"Sure."

By the time we got to my mansion, the Thirteenth Prince's residence, I jumped out of the carriage and said goodbye to Oscar.

"Dieeeeeee!"

Suddenly, a shout of anger came from behind, and something attacked me.

"Watch out!"

Oscar's expression changed as he shouted—Clang!

Something was deflected. It was deflected by something that appeared on the back of my head. Immediately after I deflected it, the attacker was restrained by Oscar's driver.

More than that, Oscar was more concerned about—

"A shield?! Where did it come from?"

The shield that appeared on the back of my head and deflected the attack.

"I linked the ring with Leviathan."

"What?"

Oscar was even more surprised.

"Leviathan is sensitive to hostility towards me, so I thought it might work if I linked them—turns out it functioned as automatic defense."

"You're already using it so well! That's amazing..."

Oscar was once again amazed.