Chapter 48 – Dragon Staff Ouroboros

Guided by the royal guards and the treasure room manager, I headed toward the treasure room located in the King’s Tower.

The interior was quite spacious, but as expected of a treasure room within the Royal Castle, items weren’t just haphazardly placed around. Everything was neatly organized by category, and apparently, a thorough catalog had been created for management.

“This is the shelf where the magic staffs are kept.”

“Thank you.”

Following the manager’s guidance, I arrived at the section where the magic staffs were stored. The rare magic staffs lined up on the shelves… were something you’d only see in the Royal Castle’s treasure room or in a BFO veteran player’s item box. It was truly an impressive sight.

There were plenty of staffs themselves—but when I filtered them according to my specified conditions, the number of candidates drastically decreased, which was problematic.

First, it had to be a long staff, and the decorations on the handle couldn’t be too excessive. As for the decorations at the tip—well, that wasn’t too much of an issue. Even if there were intricate decorations, as long as magical power could flow through, they wouldn’t break from strikes. If anything, the concern would be… self-destruction from being unable to withstand circulating magical power.

After looking around, only four staffs remained as candidates.

First staff: A wooden staff adorned with a bust of a goddess. It was light, so handling it wouldn’t be bad.

The next candidate was one with a skull motif, designed around bones. This one also seemed easy to use, but carrying a staff with such a design would draw unwanted attention.

Third staff—the third staff was made of a silvery material. A pale blue gem was attached to the tip. The staff featured a coiled dragon design, with the pale blue gem protruding from the dragon’s head like a horn—that was the design.

The last one was a golden staff… with a decoration resembling a flower bud at the tip.

Now, all of these were staffs I’d never seen in BFO. Truly worthy of the Royal Castle’s treasure room.

These were the only candidates left, but this was just based on preliminary conditions. Without actually channeling magical power through them to get a feel, I couldn’t say for sure.

“May I try channeling magical power through them?”

“Please.”

Having received permission, I channeled magical power through the goddess staff… and spirits manifested around me, dancing in my vicinity. So, this was a staff that could subjugate lower spirits. Safe, I suppose… well, not bad. Since I had four options, I decided to check them all.

The skull staff… when I lightly infused it with magical power, it started chattering its teeth. …Yeah. No good. There might be other gimmicks, but carrying this around just felt… off.

Now, what about the dragon staff? The feel in my hand—it was considerably heavier than the others.

When I channeled magical power through it, there was an unusual reaction. Even though I was just normally channeling magical power, it felt like a circulation state reaction… This is definitely a staff designed for circulation, right?

“…Hmm.”

I cut off the magical power once, then channeled it in a circulation state.

Immediately, with a low growling sound, I could feel the staff amplifying the magical power. The gem at the tip stored magical power, increasing its radiance. This one—might just withstand my usage.

“May I ask about its history?”

“It’s called the Dragon Staff Ouroboros. Apparently, it was brought back from a labyrinth by an adventurer long ago and offered to the Royal Castle.”

“Ouroboros, huh.”

I see. I could confirm that the coiled dragon was biting its own tail at the mouth end. They call snakes or dragons biting their own tails like this Ouroboros… Quite an interesting item.

My mind was pretty much made up, but I decided to check the last staff first.

When I channeled magical power, the flower bud opened. Up to that point, it was fine, but what came next wasn’t great. The sphere in the center opened its eyes wide.

…An Evil Eye staff, huh. Perhaps because effort was put into this gimmick, the magical amplification seemed lacking.

“I’ll pass on this one… I’ll take this.”

“Understood. I’ll report accordingly to His Majesty. Please be aware that the Royal Family may publicly announce items bestowed as rewards.”

“That’s fine.”

When the Royal Family gives out rewards, making them known demonstrates the Royal Family’s magnanimity. Clearly stating the policy of rewarding merit and punishing faults boosts the motivation of those working below and maintains standards.

“Have you decided?”

“Yeah, I’ll go with this staff.”

What I showed to Grace and Ashley, who were waiting outside the treasure room, was indeed the Dragon Staff Ouroboros.

Well, the dragon staff felt the most fitting. Its purpose, weight, and length were all impeccable.

In terms of performance, the goddess staff would be the runner-up… but for me to carry it, the design and weight left something to be desired. The skeleton and flower designs seemed cursed in some way, so I passed.

“Then, we’ll escort you to the carriage.”

Seeing off by the smiling royal guards, we boarded the carriage and left the Royal Castle.

“Welcome back. I’m glad you’re safe.”

When we returned to the front of the house, Sheila came out to greet us. It seemed she had been waiting for our return.

“Were you waiting here the whole time?”

“There’s no telling when the Knight Order might show up while you’re away. I’m staying cautious until I hear how things turned out.”

“Well… please come inside and have some tea.”

“Thank you.”

I invited Sheila inside, and over tea, I recounted today’s events. Ashley, who had been somewhat tense at the Royal Castle, let out a relieved sigh after drinking her tea, showing a relaxed expression.

“—So, if Greg’s group starts lurking around again, we’ll deal with it then, I suppose.”

By having Caduceus continue night watch and showing the appearances of anyone caught in the surveillance net to Sheila for investigation, we should be able to identify most targets.

“Understood. May I continue assisting Theodore as I am?”

“That’s fine with me.”

For Sheila, staying by my side acts as insurance. Irmhild’s situation remains unresolved, and as a member of the Thieves Guild, Sheila still can’t easily protect Irmhild from public authority.

“But even for a friend’s sake, you’re quite devoted.”

When Grace asked, Sheila gave a wry smile.

“We grew up together, helping each other like sisters. When she decided to become an adventurer to survive, I sought refuge in the Thieves Guild.”

“…Why is that?”

“With information, I can detect dangers early and help her escape or hide. I can also acquire survival skills. Two birds with one stone.”

Because Irmhild is a Lamia, huh. Well… I can understand wanting to protect someone you care about. Grace seemed to have her own thoughts, nodding slightly.

Irmhild apparently didn’t have the strength to delve into labyrinths until recently, so she’d been making a living as an adventurer by hunting outside the city. Just when she gained confidence and went into a labyrinth, she got caught by Snake Bite and others.

For Sheila, she could focus on learning skills with peace of mind, thinking Irmhild wouldn’t head to a labyrinth yet.

The Thieves Guild system teaches skills to its members in exchange for collecting a portion of the profits gained using those skills as tribute. Whether it’s theft, pickpocketing, or using skills like lockpicking to thrive as an adventurer—it’s the same.

“By the way, what is Irmhild-san capable of?”

“She’s skilled with bows and arrows. Even though she doesn’t have sharp senses like me, she can accurately detect animals’ positions in thickets. She also has Lamia abilities, but since she usually takes human form, I haven’t seen much of them.”

Hunting without relying on vision, of course, nor hearing or smell, huh.

…Pit organs, perhaps? Can she sense heat?

“If—if Irmhild gains her freedom, could she delve into labyrinths with us?”

“Are you saying you want to help her find her homeland?”

When I asked, Sheila closed her eyes.

“…I know she lacks the strength to go to the lower levels, so I don’t think she’d ask for such recklessness. I don’t intend to ask that either.”

Still, if she can gain strength, there might be an opportunity someday, huh.

“That would depend on Irmhild-san’s capabilities. I can’t make any promises at this point.”

“Mmm, just considering it is enough. What are your plans from tomorrow?”

“I plan to delve into the labyrinth as usual.”

While there’s also the trial run of Ouroboros, the immediate goal for tomorrow is reaching the shrine on the 20th floor—the branching point leading to the Dusk Forest.

The 20th floor has a shrine that branches into various sections. Even if the labyrinth’s structure changes, the shrine and the paths connected to it remain fixed.

“Well, putting that aside. When Irmhild-san is eventually released… shall we go to the sea to celebrate?”

“The sea?”

“Fishing and clam digging, I suppose. Grilled shellfish on the beach is delicious, you know?”

As for swimming… what about it?

Grace grew up inland, and Ashley probably doesn’t know how to swim. Sheila didn’t seem too excited about the idea of going to the sea.

Well, getting used to water isn’t useless for labyrinth exploration either… Training using magic like water breathing or water walking could work. Though it’s just playing under the guise of training.