Chapter 724: Golden Road Challenge

Passing through the gate, we advanced down the corridor. After walking a few dozen meters, I thought about it again. As expected, this isn't a mansion or a castle, but rather something along the lines of a temple.

"How should I say this, there's a whole row of murals with a very strong message."

"Don't you think we could sell this to Library?"

"It's an abstract mural, but... well, yeah, it's obviously about that."

Egypt... no, that's not it, there's a slight Asian flair to the murals depicting an extremely simple "story."

・People and beasts fleeing in terror.

・A mighty enemy.

・Warriors rising to face it.

・Mountains of corpses piling up, indiscriminate of human or beast, with a few humans falling to their knees.

・A light bursting forth from a crack in the earth.

・A sword, a spear, a bow, a staff, and a hammer appearing before the few who hadn't fallen.

・Five... yes, exactly five "Heroes" striking down the enemy.

"Well, in short, this is basically the birth process of the Hero Weapons."

"Exactly, O Wielder of the Great Spear."

...Mu.

Turning my head, a rather diminutive young man was standing right there. He's probably an Ore-FolkDwarf, but while both men and women generally have an abundant amount of hair—whether it be beards, head hair, or eyebrows—this young man had a completely shaven beard, thin eyebrows, and a completely shaved bald head. To the point where it would be more convincing to call him a bald Hobbit.

However, the crown resting upon his smooth, hairless head, and the golden arms emitting the exact same brilliance as the crown, led to a single answer regarding his character design.

"Are you the... of the Ore-Folk?"

"Indeed, I am the 'Midas' of the current generation. Or rather, perhaps I should say Midas the 28th... My apologies, this is the first time in my generation welcoming other races."

"Midas... exactly as is, huh."

"What do you mean?"

"Look it up later."

Behind me, Cashew Nut and Imron were discussing something, but wasn't Midas that one king who turned everything he touched into gold? I forgot which mythology it was from, though.

"And the two of you over there... judging by that brilliance, I perceive them to be none other than the Holy Hammer Mjolnir and the Holy Staff Asclepius."

"Yeah."

"Yes."

A brief silence. The bald king, who had tightly pursed his lips as if enduring something, finally swallowed down the emotion that had been threatening to burst out of him after a moment, and opened his mouth to speak with a gentle yet resounding voice.

"We, the guardians, shall rightfully deliver the gold kept hidden from the Red Dragon to the heroes, in the name of Midas the 28th. O heroes who may yet become Saviors of the StarSavior Star, I bid you, challenge the trials."

"Oh."

"Wa,"

"What happened?"

"It's a Unique Scenario."

"The Hero-exclusive Unique Scenario 'Trial of the Brave' just progressed〜"

"Overcome the scorching heat alongside the armored vessel... huh."

""............""

Hmm, Rei-shi and I are completely outside the mosquito net here. Unlike me, who at least barely got a comment regarding Areadbhair, Rei-shi is completely outside the mosquito net.

Since Ladder-shi had long since headed into the tunnel leading to the Red-lineage Dragonewts, a genuinely "out of place" atmosphere began to drift around us.

"What do you want to do, Rei-shi? I do have some business in the same place as them, but..."

"About that... just a moment,"

"Hm? Ah, Lord Midas."

"What is it?"

"Mind if we look at the murals a bit more?"

"I do not mind, especially if it is you, the chosen one of none other than Areadbhair. In fact, I would like you to look at the mural over there as well."

Areadbhair really is too much of a silver bullet against the demi-humans of the New Continent. Not in terms of damage, but in terms of acting like a golden seal of authority. That said, since this was actually just an excuse for a secret discussion, I felt slightly apologetic as Rei-shi and I started a hushed conversation a short distance away.

"...So, what happened?"

"Um... it's probably, but. I think it would be better if I wasn't here."

Why is that? I had already unequipped the "Migratory Bird" so as not to frighten Galatena unnecessarily. As a result, the puzzled expression on my bare (female) face was fully visible to Rei-shi.

"...After entering this place, a window popped up."

"A window? You mean a notification of some sort?"

"Yes... it's related to the Sword of Taiji."

"Ah............ that's,"

Whether it was good or bad, it was probably in the 'not very good' category.

When considering all the information together, the Hero Weapons are weapons to be wielded as symbols of humanity's side in the upcoming scenarios... in other words, they are content meant for a future role.

In contrast, Rei-shi's weapon is something that delves into the past to uncover the truth, a weapon meant to reach the truth of Genesis in an era even older than the Divine Age.

To be blunt, in terms of compatibility, it's close to the relationship between good and evil. As long as a player wields it, they probably aren't outright enemies, but it's hard to imagine getting a good result from bringing it close to the spawn point of a scenario related to the Hero Weapons.

"By the way, do you mind if I ask what it said?"

"...Immerse it in the white scar, it said."

Why the hell is ShanFro's scenario guidance always so damn poetic? Should I try asking Germ Piercing about it? No, that's no good, that guy only has an aptitude for lovely and emotional poetry. Although the fact that he seems to be making a living off that is amazing in itself.

"So, I was thinking of... looking for clues outside the volcano."

"Not inside?"

"...Because it's related to Genesis. I figured... it would probably be far away from human settlements."

I see, I did hear that the place where the Sword of Taiji... or rather, the Sword of Gods and Demons was found wasn't a place humans would typically approach. In that case, she judged that it wouldn't be in a location accessible from a human stronghold like Horvalkin.

"I see... Then, I'll help out once I'm done with my business here too."

"Is that, okay?"

"Totally fine. Besides, I've been a bit curious about the Genesis stuff myself."

For now, Rei-shi and I will split up; I'll focus on fulfilling my initial objective on my end as well.

The Golden King Midas? Golden Magma? Hero-exclusive? Who gives a crap; if you're telling me I can't pass unless I'm shining gold, then I've got the Imperial Gold Bucket right here.

"Even if I can't savesukueru a star, I can sure scoop upsukueru some magma."

Author's Afterword

Q. Why is Midas bald?

A. Because hair burns. Also, he's just shaving it, so it can still grow back fine.