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In a fairly spacious area, with fertile land filled with grass. Trees surrounded them.
The white-robed woman confronted Infori, who still hadn't given up on getting the knife, only to exchange it for a worthless piece of fake platinum.
The white-robed woman remembered the man who had given her a platinum piece to buy the knife artifact at Atziluth Artifacts.
"Could it be that that person tricked me?" the white-robed woman muttered, so quietly that Infori couldn't quite hear her.
"Huh?" Infori said, surprised, not wanting to waste any time. "Hey, just give me the knife back. I'll let you go afterward."
The white-robed woman paused, seemingly on the verge of giving it back, knowing she'd been tricked from the start.
"...Okay."
Hearing that, Infori was relieved. However, just as the woman was about to pick up the chest containing the knife, she remembered something.
"...!"
As if remembering a task he had to complete, she immediately answered—
"No…"
In that instant, Infori's relieved face turned into one filled with confusion and questions, even though the problem could have been resolved without anything that could have gotten them into legal trouble.
"...?!"
Infori's initially relieved expression was suddenly turned upside down with a single word.
"What do you mean by 'no'...?" Infori asked.
"I... Have a task I must do! So, let me have this knife for a while!" she replied loudly.
This once again left Infori utterly confused. It was unclear what task the cloaked woman was referring to, but she clearly needed the artifact to complete her task.
However, Infori had repeatedly encountered customers in his shop who had the intention of stealing, but with embellishments that clearly lacked any basis or real facts.
Therefore, Infori would show no mercy to such a person.
"Assignment? Is that assignment to steal an ancient artifact, huh?" Infori asked.
"...?!" The white-robed woman gasped.
"You know, I've encountered people like you countless times who steal under the guise of having an assignment or whatever."
"..."
Infori sighed, lowering her head.
"Haah... I should have known sooner. But I just hadn't realized it yet," Infori said, looking up, her ruby-red eyes direct and cold. The friendly smile of the shopkeeper seemed to have vanished in an instant. "After you talked about your assignment... That convinced me."
"You... You don't understand!" the white-robed woman said loudly, taking a small ball from a small pouch behind her back. Then, she threw it at Infori with great speed.
The small ball suddenly burst, making a "plop" sound and releasing a rope that aimed for Infori's feet.
"...?!"
Without time to react, Infori's feet were wrapped in a strong rope. This caused him to lose his balance and fall face down on the ground.
BUK
"...?!"
Infori saw the white-robed woman glance at him briefly, but then quickly shifted her attention to the chest containing the knife, a rare artifact.
And Infori heard the woman speak.
"Sorry... But I'll pay you later, when I'm done," she said, before finally taking the chest back.
The woman would pay him later, but Infori thought that was just wishful thinking.
Infori didn't want to let the artifact be stolen, but the rope binding his legs possessed immense power. The ropes seemed to grip his legs tightly.
Realizing this, he immediately took a ring from his trouser pocket, a ring with a crystal on it. Infori put it on the ring finger of his left hand—passively, the ring emitted a magical energy that dispelled the strength of the ropes binding his legs.
Thus, the ropes loosened and slowly vanished into thin air.
Infori, now able to move again, rose from the ground and ran toward the white-robed woman who was about to leave him.
"I won't let it!"
The white-robed woman was shocked to see Infori free herself from the ropes so quickly.
"...?!"
She didn't have time to move before Infori deliberately collided with her.
"Wah—!?"
The chest slipped from her hands and was thrown into the air. It even opened, revealing a knife or dagger.
The dagger emitted an invisible aura.
WHOOSH
Not wanting to waste the opportunity, Infori immediately grabbed the knife or dagger.
Her hand gripped the dagger's hilt, but something startled her—the energy that symmetrically flowed along the blade instantly became more powerful than before.
The dagger seemed to be connected to the world tree—Everness.
It was fleeting, but incredibly fleeting, from Infori's eyes.
He saw it for herself.
The giant sacred tree, the axis of the cosmos in Orleans, guarded the boundaries and connected the dimensions between the upper and lower worlds. Often referred to as the "Tree of Life," Everness supported all life and both worlds.
"What—?!"
Infori's touch to the dagger created a connection between this rare artifact and the world tree, with Infori's soul and information acting as the medium.
In an instant, her soul seemed to tremble. Although it wasn't directly visible, Infori felt it. It wasn't pain, but the warmth of life.
However, at the same time, the dagger released a tremendous wave of energy. It sent Infori flying backward, the shocked woman in the white robe remaining speechless.
Meanwhile, Infori's body slammed against the wall, but she wasn't injured. Her spine was still functioning normally, as the Nephilim are a race with quite strong bodies.
Because of this, Infori was able to rise and gaze at the artifact floating in the air. It seemed to defy the laws of gravity. The artifact, or dagger, continued to release immense energy; this time, it could not only be felt but also seen.
"..."
The white-robed woman didn't stop; she ran toward the dagger and tried to grab it. However, as if refusing to be touched, the released energy instead sent the robed woman flying backward.
"Waa—!"
Infori swiftly caught her body from behind. The woman looked at Infori with a look of surprise and astonishment, but she quickly averted her gaze to the dagger.