Chapter 363 - Tersau
The capital of the Republic, Friton.
Because it was heavily influenced by the central region of the central continent, colorful high-rise buildings could be seen scattered everywhere.
Among them, the most striking was the Assembly Hall, where most of the state affairs were discussed.
"From this moment, as a Supreme Councilor, I declare the opening of the emergency integrated assembly regarding the tragedy that befell the Republic of Beldirn."
The interior space faintly resembled a miniature colosseum.
At the very center stood Brillen, Supreme Councilor, his amplified voice resounding and filling the chamber.
This emergency integrated assembly, convened only in the case of a national-scale subjugation crisis… Those urgently in attendance numbered seventeen, including Brillen.
There were two Supreme Councilors, Angrang and Brillen, twelve ordinary councilors, and the remaining three were guild masters.
Of course, this was not the entirety of the Republic's upper echelon.
If this had been a full integrated assembly, every councilor and guild master across the nation would have filled the seats without exception.
Due to the emergency nature, only those in the capital or nearby could be summoned at once.
"You have already heard the news of Sacrid's invasion, I believe. Along with the obituary of a Supreme Councilor, and Dumbred's betrayal. Therefore, I shall skip the preamble and move directly to the main points."
Many gazes turned toward him from all directions, yet Brillen remained unshaken, laying out four agendas.
"First, the withdrawal of the wanted order."
The false bounty transmitted from Kailiens against Count Asher, Count Asher's knight, and Leira must be rescinded.
"Second, the restoration of adventurer rights for the Bloodied Sword, Leira."
The reason Leira disobeyed the guild's summons in Kailiens and departed, was to pursue the terrorists who had caused havoc in Sacrid.
This was a fact certified in writing by the Seven Archbishops of the Church of Luas.
"Third, through the authority restored to Leira by the previous agenda, the granting of permission for the above three individuals to use the intercontinental spatial teleportation array."
Normally this was an agenda formally deliberated in the integrated assembly.
Though not quite fitting for today's session, Brillen exercised his discretion to raise it.
"And lastly, fourth, as due compensation for Count Asher, his knight, and Leira, who together with the Church of Luas and DarkWarton saved Sacrid, I request the opening of the national treasury, Tersau."
Artifacts, or items of equivalent value, would be given as reward to honor their tremendous contribution.
Straightening his back, Brillen expressed his will with vigor and dignity.
In the silence that followed, murmurs spread among the attendees.
"We have heard news from Sacrid, but still, this is…"
"Hm, the others I understand, but why raise the third agenda, which is hardly urgent?"
"No, is that the point here? To grant Tersau, the Republic's treasured hoard, to outsiders as compensation? Unthinkable!"
The commotion grew louder.
Some openly shouted, casting dissatisfied looks as if the matter wasn't even worth debating.
They had only heard of what transpired in Sacrid, not witnessed the devastation with their own eyes.
And so they could posture with such false reason and feigned decorum.
'The moment they stood before me, they wouldn't dare squeak.'
Utterly pathetic.
In any case, the decisions on the agendas would be made through a vote of the attendees.
Just as Brillen was about to take a breath to calm and persuade the councilors—
"Brillen, Supreme Councilor! You've utterly lost your mind since last we met!"
Slamming his seat, Angrang, the other Supreme Councilor, strode down the steps.
Unable to contain his agitation, his nose twitched repeatedly, making his mustache dance with it.
"I too have ears, and a head for thought. That Bone-Relic Dragon or whatever, I know full well it was the miracle of the Saintess of the Church of Luas that dealt the fatal blow. The rest merely cleaned up afterward."
Angrang stroked his jaw roughly.
"Of course, I do not deny the efforts of the others. The withdrawal of the wanted order, the restoration of adventurer rights—those I can grant. And… well, yes, permission for the intercontinental teleportation array, I agree as well. After all, it will let me drive out those insolent Kingdom dogs who dared strike my jaw!"
"..."
"But! Tersau, the artifacts, are absolutely—forbidden! To hand the Republic of Beldirn's precious wealth to outsiders, especially those Kingdom dogs, is nothing less than treason! Do you understand!?"
At Angrang's fury, the councilors aligned with him nodded their heads.
The rest of the councilors and guild masters held their tongues, watching.
Pressing his brow, Brillen let out a long sigh.
"Then what, exactly, shall we give as reward? Surely you are not saying to send them away empty-handed. Were we to do so, the entire continent would mock us. Moreover, the Church of Luas and DarkWarton may send their disapproval."
At that, Angrang flinched.
For he had intended to maneuver matters toward granting nothing at all.
"Ahem, paying in coin would be the most reasonable."
"Yet with the reconstruction of Sacrid, and the deaths of Supreme Councilors, the treasury is hardly flush."
"Ah, what I meant was…"
"Frankly, Angrang, you have no solution either. To compensate for saving tens of thousands of lives and aiding the Republic, there is no option but to open Tersau. What will it take for you to assent?"
It was logical.
Difficult to refute.
And yet Angrang refused to budge in the slightest.
His hatred for the Kingdom of Estiria, his pride that would not endure humiliation, his need to preserve dignity—all emerged in his posture.
"In any case, I oppose! If you so crave treason, adjourn this emergency integrated assembly, raise the motion in the full assembly, and secure consensus by vote! Until then, so long as I draw breath, I shall never permit the opening of Tersau!"
By now, it was near obstinacy.
But not wholly baseless. Angrang, as a seasoned politician, was expressing his opposition strictly within his rights.
No matter what was said, persuasion would not work.
Having reached his judgment, Brillen resorted at last to his final measure.
"Very well, so be it."
"Hmph, if only you had said that from the—ugh!"
A fist drove straight into Angrang's jaw.
Though a Supreme Councilor, Brillen had cultivated his body through refinement and discipline.
At such close range, felling one plump middle-aged man into unconsciousness was no difficult feat.
Thud. Angrang collapsed.
His jaw steadily reddened, his once fierce eyes closing on their own.
"Now, at last, it is quiet."
Silence descended over the chamber.
All were aghast at Brillen's unusually violent, excessive action.
He had anticipated this very development.
And indeed, today's conduct would bring political repercussions later… Angrang would surely become a nuisance.
'But there was no choice.'
Brillen had no desire to make an enemy of Asher, who commanded vast influence with the world religion and the magic tower, and possessed immense personal strength.
He wished, as much as possible, to maintain a positive relationship.
It was a judgment made purely for the Republic's sake.
"Then, as there are no further agendas, we shall proceed directly to the vote."
His commanding voice carried with it an unspoken warning, urging them to act with caution.
The vote was soon completed.
The result, unanimous save for one invalid ballot.
***
A flying airship gliding high in the distant sky tilted slightly.
As its altitude lowered, the plains beneath the white clouds began to appear.
Tersau.
The Republic's secret national treasury, a name that meant both a territory and a place.
At the center of the plains stood an antique structure, with four watchtowers forming a square around it.
It resembled the recreation of some ancient temple.
Verden gazed down carefully from the deck.
'Nearly airtight.'
Countless invisible security magic circles were spread across the entire plain.
The instant one stepped wrongly, death would come, or immediate pursuit.
The magical pulses emanating in real time from the watchtowers resonated with each other, guarding against intrusions on a wide scale.
The guards stationed at each post stood without the slightest movement, and when he gauged the levels of some, there were mages of considerable skill among them.
Since artifacts and other treasures were being stored, the strictness was fitting.
Choosing an empty plain itself as the vault rather than somewhere within the city, showed how confident they were in their security.
Surely astronomical sums had been spent to establish all this.
Leira spoke in a slightly excited voice.
"This will be my first time entering a national confidential treasury, I can't help but feel expectant."
She wore lighter clothes than usual, a rough helmet covering her head, its front fully closed.
Her old armor and helmet had been heavily damaged, and there had been no proper time for repairs, so she had no choice.
Verden asked.
"That thing, can you even see through it?"
"I can't, so I perceive objects by sense. If I wore something transparent, curses would trigger havoc. Breathing is uncomfortable too, but I'll endure it. But is it really that strange?"
"It doesn't suit you."
"…You're honest. That's why, if there's any armor-type equipment, I'll choose it as my reward."
She seemed to value practicality over sheer price.
That was the same for Verden and Adrian.
They intended to choose not rare or expensive things, but what could be useful going forward.
Besides, Verden had already accumulated more wealth than he would ever need.
───Kuuung.
The airship finally docked.
As they disembarked following the captain's guidance, a familiar face greeted them.
The once-wanted man accused of assassinating Supreme Councilor Nellonian,the scarred warrior Jack, who had been captured by Romer at Southern Pit.
"It's the first time seeing you since the Principality of Riviant's delegation, Asher. Though, of course, not really you."
"It seems you recovered well from your injuries."
"Thanks to that, I avoided death. I'll repay this great debt within a few days. And I'd prefer if you treated me casually. I'm not shameless enough to receive respect from nobles."
Verden nodded.
"Very well. More importantly, why are you here?"
"This time I was assigned to transport the properties of the deceased Supreme Councilors into Tersau. The Supreme Councilor Nellonian whom I served had no relatives at all, so by law his estate was decided to be reclaimed by the treasury. And the traitor, Dumbred, of course confiscated."
Jack turned his back.
"Since time in Tersau is limited, I'll guide you directly to Supreme Councilor Brillen."
***
Somewhere beneath the structure, in its underground.
Brillen, looking exhausted around the eyes, placed a government document upon the table.
"As promised, the wanted orders on the three of you have been rescinded. They will soon be corrected in Kailiens as well. And at Lady Leira's request, with her restored authority, the use of the intercontinental spatial teleportation array has been granted. Here is the permit."
"Thank you, Supreme Councilor Brillen."
Leira lifted her helmet slightly to check the contents, then rolled the document and stored it in her spatial bag.
"And the agenda to grant an artifact as reward was also passed successfully."
"Hm, quick handling. With no king or emperor, you must have had to obtain the other councilors' consensus."
At Adrian's remark, Brillen gave an awkward smile.
"Haha, everyone already placed high value on your achievements… hmhm, in any case. Before granting the reward, there is something essential to inform you."
He raised one finger.
"Each of you may choose one artifact. But if you prefer something other than artifacts, you may choose up to two items from within Tersau."
One of the highest grade, or two of decent grade.
Placing a restriction on number was natural.
It simply broadened the choices, nothing unreasonable.
Verden asked.
"No other conditions?"
"None, aside from this. From this moment, the time remaining to enter Tersau is 11 hours, 37 minutes, and 14 seconds. Once inside, the limit is about 30 minutes."
So this was what Jack meant when he said there wasn't much time.
Likely it was the treasury's own security measure.
There was no reason to linger leisurely anyway.
Representing the group, Verden spoke quietly,
"We will enter immediately."
"It seems you've already decided what you want. Whether it will fit exactly, I cannot say… but you'll have time to consider once inside. Very well."
Brillen rose to his feet.
From his breast he drew a strangely shaped key, and stood before the wall.
"In truth, the real Tersau lies deeper within. The building outside… is itself one great entrance and passage."
He inserted the key into one of the countless gaps between bricks.
Kugugugugu…!
The entire structure shook.
The clamor of countless metallic sounds echoed through the space.
The wall rearranged itself, forming a dark, cavernous entrance.
Brillen lifted a magic stone lamp that shone brightly.
"Now then, follow me."
Tersau had been opened.
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