The number of priests who emerged from the treasure chest easily exceeded ten. Even Ritz couldn't help but widen her eyes as the priests kept being pulled out, one after another.
The reactions of those pulled out were varied. Some looked dazed, as if they were dreaming, while others burst into tears, overwhelmed with emotion. Ritz and the others had been freed quickly enough, but if you'd been sealed inside a box for years, you'd probably want to cry too. Even after just a few minutes, Eva had been teary-eyed.
"Th-thank you so much! You really, really saved us!"
"Mm-hmm, I'm glad, I'm glad."
All's well that ends well.
From what I gathered, these people had apparently been accidentally swallowed up while cleaning the warehouse and removing the key. I didn't know how you'd accidentally remove a treasure chest's key, but... in other words, these weren't exactly the most diligent priests out there. It didn't seem like their disappearance had caused much of a fuss, either...
But still, if a locked treasure chest was found with its lock open, surely someone would have raised an eyebrow...
I frowned and looked toward the treasure chest, just in time to see it picking up the keyhole and locking itself. So it had... an auto-lock function. It grew arms and everything, but... did it really need that feature?
"Hmm. Did you people build that city?"
"N-no... the city was already there. Besides, inside that box, we never got hungry or thirsty—"
That was... pretty incredible. In some Treasure Halls, there were places with rules entirely different from this world, and maybe this was something like that.
This could be quite useful. For example... draining all the water from the ocean...
...Wait. Could it be a feature that kept ingredients fresh?
Either way, it was a terrifying Treasure Weapon. If its abilities were discovered, the government would probably confiscate it.
If I thought too hard about it, I'd end up in a rabbit hole. I clapped my hands together and spoke to the priests who had finally emerged into the open.
"For now, just tell everyone you were spirited away or something, and go see your families. As for this box... we'll handle it here. Please keep it between us."
The priests left the Clan House, thanking me profusely. I wasn't sure how much information to give the head priest, but... well, if he asked for it back, I'd return it obediently.
This ridiculously overpowered box was honestly beyond my ability to handle. It wasn't like I had any use for it... I could store my Treasure Weapon collection inside to save room space, but then I wouldn't be able to admire my collection whenever I wanted. And the fact that you couldn't escape from the inside was a dealbreaker.
But who would've thought I'd end up saving people... It had been a truly bizarre experience. I'd been dragged into all sorts of strange situations, but if people were helped, maybe there was meaning in it after all.
As I was wrapping things up, Ritz spoke with an unusually serious expression: "Klye, those people... they're probably not from the same era as us, right? Their clothes are different."
"...Huh?"
"I think their sense of time got messed up because there's no sunlight in there. Maybe—inside that box—they don't age?"
"..."
A chill ran down my spine. Tino, who had apparently sensed something, clamped both hands over her ears. I felt the same way.
Please stop feeding me these disturbing revelations. They really might have been spirited away. Playing with the carpet would have to stay on hold for now—it seemed like too much to deal with.
I took a deep breath and decided to let it all go.
Sure, this treasure chest was a bit sketchy, but as long as I didn't use it, I'd be fine. Luckily, it looked magnificent, so it could serve as decoration in my private room.
Holding out my hand and gazing at the ring Tino had just given me, I said: "Well, anyway, it was nice to see how much Ritz and Tino have grown."
"!?"
"Ehh, where exactly did we grow?"
Tino's eyes went wide, and Ritz pursed her lips.
Where they'd grown... I suppose it was that Ritz had prioritized getting Tino out before herself. On the other hand, Tino had become a full-fledged Hunter who prioritized Treasure Weapons over escape routes.
I didn't want to get tangled up in any more troublesome matters. I'd have Marchis appraise the ring later.
Humming a tune, I went to remove the ring. As I tried to take it off—I realized something.
"Mastaa, so... how was that ring?"
"It feels like Tino kinda one-upped me there. Well, if Klye says it's fine, then I guess..."
Tino beamed with a bashful smile, happy she'd been useful, while Ritz looked more or less satisfied.
I gave a small cough and slipped my hand into my pocket.
"It's, uh, not bad at all, actually! Let's go have Marchis appraise it right away!"
This ring... won't come off. Could this ring be... cursed? Wh-what do I do?
§ A cursed ring. Being unable to remove it was actually a fairly common drawback for Treasure Weapons.
The magic sword Luke had taken couldn't be released from one's hand while in use either, but there were Treasure Weapons that physically couldn't be removed, or that returned on their own even if thrown away. We Hunters called Treasure Weapons with such drawbacks "cursed."
And while some of these effects existed as an anti-loss precaution, most Treasure Weapons bearing this type of drawback were troublesome items that imposed some kind of penalty when equipped.
Of course, since they were Treasure Weapons, the inability-to-remove effect would vanish once the charge ran out. But most such Treasure Weapons had charges that rarely depleted, and some even had a function that automatically drained magic power from the wielder.
These Treasure Weapons were probably reproductions of ancient cursed objects made using Mana Material.
As proof of that, the most effective method for removing such a Treasure Weapon was, just as with curses, purification by a priest.
I headed straight to Marchis's shop with Tino and Ritz. Between the Martial Emperor Festival and the attack scare, things had been hectic, so it had been a while.
After quickly checking the merchandise, and using Tino's charm to put Marchis in a good mood, I showed her the ring that had refused to come off despite being easy to put on.
Upon hearing what had happened, Marchis's cheek twitched, and she said in a trembling voice: "Klye, you damn fool... Don't tell me you just put this on without thinking?!"
"N-no, no, that's not what—"
"You idiot! How many years have you been handling Treasure Weapons?! Are you a complete novice?!"
Many Treasure Weapons were unknown quantities, and a great number of them were dangerous. That was why the profession of Treasure Weapon appraiser existed in this world.
Marchis's outburst had turned the face of Tino, who'd given me the ring, pale. But Ritz said casually: "Huh? Mastaa, are you looking down on a Level 8? There's no way Klye would just put something on without thinking, right?"
"Nnh..."
Marchis stared at my face. Ritz's support had apparently relieved Tino, who let out a quiet sigh.
Yes... I'll take the credit for that.
I crossed my arms and flashed a hardboiled grin. Hardboiled expressions came in handy at times like these.
"Just hurry up and appraise it. I want to confirm whether my theory was right."
"Answer-checking, is it...? Hold on. This looks familiar."
Sure enough, Marchis was reliable. I was glad I kept her in my good graces.
Marchis disappeared behind the counter and returned with a thick, handbound compendium of Treasure Weapons.
It was a secret reference guide she'd created over decades of appraising Treasure Weapons. She thumped it down on the counter, flipped through the pages with a rustling sound, and stopped at one.
"This one... hm. It's wooden because it's a ring created by the Spiritfolk. Hmph, imagine actually equipping something this troublesome. Where did you find it?"
She showed me the book. There, I saw a photograph of a ring that looked almost identical to the one on my finger, along with its name.
No mistake. This was it.
"The 'Mandate's Curse Tree Ring'...? A ring for training?"
"This is information provided by the Spiritfolk. Only some Treasure Weapon appraisers know about it—they apparently can't stand the idea of Spiritfolk-origin items being circulated. They've given us information in hopes we'll recover them."
I see... Oh, for crying out loud. My image of the Spiritfolk was completely warped thanks to Chris and Elisa.
Come to think of it, Elisa had mentioned she was searching for something, hadn't she?
Marchis explained in a serious voice. She'd shown me all sorts of dangerous Treasure Weapons over the years, but this was the first time she'd been this serious in a while. If I showed her that treasure chest, it might stop her heart.
"It was apparently created by a priestess of the high-ranking Spiritfolk—those of particularly strong blood and power among the ancient Spiritfolk—in order to obtain power from a higher dimension. Really, it wasn't just humans who had unsavory civilizations."
Wait, was I going to gain power from a higher dimension too? This was... problematic. Would I be able to keep going on adventures together from now on?
Feeling just a little excited, I asked Marchis: "So, what's the effect?"
Marchis took a deep breath, held it for a moment, then said gravely: "Klye, listen carefully. This ring... attracts curses."
Attracts... curses!?
"It's a ring worn by a priestess of the high-ranking Spiritfolk—essentially a Hexer—who would absorb more powerful curse energy to enhance her power. There's a similar ritual called Gu poisoning—this is an evolved form of that. The attraction power was so intense, and so many high-ranking Spiritfolk who attempted this training ended up dead, that the practice quickly fell out of favor. But because stories of it were passed down through the ages, it occasionally manifests as a Treasure Weapon. Living a long life isn't always a blessing. Klye, this thing is far more dangerous than you realize. Only a powerful Spiritfolk Hexer could remove it. Even at Level 8, it's impossible."
It felt like my head had been smashed by a massive hammer. I stared down at the wooden ring. Tino was looking at me with worry.
The little wooden ring sure didn't look like anything special... but I supposed even things like this existed.
I stared at the ring for a while, then held out both hands and asked Marchis: "...Hey, Marchis. Sorry to ask this, but—just out of curiosity, are there any other Treasure Weapons I'm wearing that attract curses?"
"...What... did you say...?"
Curses had already been closing in on me before I even put this on! It's too late for this! I can't even imagine what it'd be like if more curses were attracted on top of that!
There was no room left—they'd have to take a number! Two negatives making a positive, probably. Thank goodness it wasn't anything impressive.