Armaros and Fanah spent time in the same spot and didn't make any movements to leave, lest they gain the suspicion of the Sentinels. Even if the possibility of such a thing is low, he doesn't want to take the chance, getting the attention of any large parties will only be for his detriment. That is something that Fanah herself knows, as the two were sitting under the shade of a tree and just relaxing after the events of yesterday and the Sentinels.
"How long do you intend to keep it hidden Master?" Fanah asked him in a whisper.
"As long as I can." Armaros said with a sigh.
"It will come out eventually. The presence of a Divine Weapon will stir the Church and they will try to find out who owns it, it's just that valuable." Fanah said to him seriously.
"I know." Armaros said as he knew what she was talking about intimately.
After all, he had seen the Divine weapons of the clan, and they were nothing short of national treasures, with how powerful they are. So of course the Church would try to get their hands on them to use for themselves. Divine Weapon are the only things that can help the organisation stand against the powers of the Hero Clans, and give them some power as well, aside from the political power they wield and the divine blessings that they gained from their God.
The Divine Weapons were the equivalent of Nukes from Earth, as they each have power to level entire areas easily, which is a prerequisite for any weapon crafted by divine hands. And so is very much sought after by mortal hands.
This also acts as a deterrent for fighting between the kingdoms and races, and also groups. And that is not counting the power of the hero clans as well, combined with the weapons they wield from their progenitors, they are a force to be reckoned with and avoided should one want to not be annihilated.
So unless the Church finds the weapon, or the one who now owns it, which is himself, then they will keep on looking. And if they were to use more artifacts to find it, he doesn't know if he will be able to handle them if they came to collect it from them.
He would have two outcomes if such a thing happens as of now. They would take the divine weapon from him by force, whether he is alive after that probably won't be something they would worry about. The other would be that they would try to recruit him into the Church and make him one of them, an option which meant that he would be alive, but under the thumb of the Church.
Neither of those tempted him in the slightest. One resulted in his death, the other under the control of the Church. But these two options were the only things that he can think of at such a moment, and he doesn't like that.
'I need to create a third option. One where I'm not dead, but also not under the thumb of the Church.' Armaros thought to himself as he clenched his fists.
"I need to get stronger, and fast." Armaros said as he leaned on the tree.
"That is easier said than done, Master." Fanah said as she looked at her master and then at her own stump.
"Yeah, I know. If it were so easy, many would've become stronger." Armaros said as he sighed.
'Even if my mana has increased, it would mean nothing if I don't know exactly how to use it. And I know for a fact that I am weaker than the Church.' Armaros thought to himself as he tried to think of a way to get stronger faster.
Fanah looked at her master and the contemplative look on his face as she looked down and thought back to her time in the knight order and tried to remember any details that might help him in his current predicament. After all, she doesn't want to die at the hands of the Church and if she knows something that might help him, it would be good for them as a whole.
'Hmm, that could work. But it is a bit dangerous.' Fanah thought to herself as she remembered something that she had heard while in the order.
"Master, there might be something that could help." Fanah said to him after a few seconds to recollect the information.
"What is it?" Armaros asked her intrigued.
"While I was in the order, I had heard of a legend about a treasure in a mountain, apparently it houses an artifact from a dragon and the person will have to complete the trial set by the dragon to obtain it." Fanah said which caught his attention.
"Really? Why isn't such a legend more well known." Armaros asked as he wondered why it wasn't known by others.
"That might be because that legend has existed for a few hundred years, and people had gone to the mountain in search of the treasure, only to come back empty handed. Over time, the legend faded into obscurity since no one was able to find the treasure." Fanah said to him with a contemplative look.
"And you believe that there really is a treasure?" Armaros asked the woman as he didn't feel confident about it.
"I do not know. However, it is a safer approach as far as I am concerned. Even if we try to go there, people won't think much of it since many have tried before us, and even if they know that we are doing this for the treasure they will dismiss us. That way we won't grab any sort of attention while trying to find any artifacts that might help us." Fanah said to him as he thought it over.
'Honestly not a bad idea. And it would also be like a sort of break from all of this as well and won't grab the attention of others.' Armaros thought to himself as he liked the idea.
"Alright, that does sound like a viable plan. But we won't be moving there just yet. We will stay for two days after this and get some more money, before we leave here." Armaros said to her as she nodded.
"As you wish Master." Fanah said with a nod.
Armaros reclined on the tree and closed his eyes as he felt the place around him and wondered about what the future would be like. Things are getting more problematic and complicated, and the need for him to have power is ever increasing.
'What a joke. Even in another world I can't have peace.' Armaros thought to himself as he felt the divine and demonic weapons inside of him.
He lamented his current situation, but also knew that complaining about it will not help him in the slightest. If he wanted something done then he has to do it himself, and that is what he will be doing. And whether this quest for treasure will help him or not is not guaranteed, but he would like to at least give it a try before he thinks of other options while training to become stronger.
'Not to mention, Fanah is the only one I have with me. But if I am to fight stronger enemies in the future, she might not be enough.' Armaros thought to himself as he looked at his slave.
Fanah herself was leaning on the tree and basking in the tranquility of the forest for the time being, wanting to get some rest and peace of mind, she looked serene and he felt calmed by the sight. He couldn't help but crack a small smile before he closed his eyes again.
'Either I recruit a new member from the guild when I get to the area, or I buy a new slave for myself. The latter is the safer option, but...' Armaros thought to himself as he contemplated his options.
There was nothing wrong with having a slave in your own party, but it might also cause people to stay away from him, which might damage his ability to form connections and finding allies. While he doesn't trust people very much, he isn't that naive to believe that he can do everything alone and so would need allies.
There were people like Phia who he trusted so getting allies for himself is not a bad idea, but at the same time he can't fully trust them with his safety as well. Reputation also had its uses, and if he is known as a guy who has slaves and only slaves, then it might impact his ability to recruit others for help. After all, he would have to provide and train his slaves to become stronger, while free people were stronger than them most of the time and he wouldn't have to spend his resources on them.
'For the time being, it's better to just do this without outside help. Until I am strong enough to full protect myself.' Armaros thought to himself as he nodded at his current plan and decided to rest.