Chapter 309 Broken Artifacts

When Lucius heard Count Gabriel's words, he looked at the two weapons with excitement. This was something that the man wanted to give him?

This was an appropriate gift to give, and Lucius wondered how he would be able to make use of these.

'I have the Wind Scar sword, but it wouldn't hurt to have another artifact or two. Depending on how useful they are, there's also the chance that I might lend it to someone who'll be able to make good use of it.' Lucius thought to himself.

Kiana didn't need weapons, her Sting Sniper gift was perfect for both ranged and melee since her gift was fast but also quite effective.

Lucius didn't know how good she was with a sword or axe either.

'Then again, these are the Inanis clan heirlooms, and I doubt that the Count will be pleased to have it be in the hands of other people. Nor will I willingly give it to someone who does not have a mark of obedience or loyalty.' Lucius thought again.

Artifacts were quite impressive in this world, so handing them out was no doubt a rare thing.

Either way, Lucius was interested to know what abilities these two weapons had.

Lucius activated his Nexus on the two weapons, but then nothing came up on his vision.

He blinked in shock, since these were supposedly heirloom from the Inanis clan but then hid his expression at once.

These were not artifacts.

They might have been Inanis clan heirlooms but they were not artifacts whatsoever. Lucius was disappointed, but it was too early to be disgruntled. There had to be a reason why they were heirlooms in the first place.

Count Gabriel was unaware of all these thoughts in Asher's head, and instead went to pick up the sword first and smiled bittersweetly.

"This sword originally belonged to me, but has been a part of the clan for a long time. It is an artifact, but I've used it too much in the past during my countless battles and the rune crystal is now degraded. You can see it for yourself." Count Gabriel gestured to the part of the sword where it was inlaid.

Lucius inspected it and saw that the rune crystal in the sword had dimmed down, looking like a dull glassy marble which was quite different from the one on his Wind Scar sword.

'I've already surmised that artifacts have a particular lifespan, some lasting longer than others but this is the first time that I've encountered one with my own eyes. Fascinating.' Lucius said.

"Now as for the axe," Count Gabriel placed the sword down and picked up the second weapon. "This belonged to my great grandfather, your ancestor and it is the first artifact that the Inanis clan ever had and is our most prized possession. This was also the weapon that my father used before his passing."

"And how is it used, father?" Lucius asked, wishing to know what had happened for it to change.

"The rune crystal on the axe was forcibly shattered and rendered it giftless. It was broken during one of the battles that your grandfather had fought in and where he sustained great injuries as a result." Count Gabriel held the weapon a bit tighter in his hands. "Those injuries of his weakened father greatly and thus how he allowed me to take over as the next count in our family."

"I see." Lucius said.

"And now I pass these weapons to you, Asher. While you may be disappointed that they no longer have gifts and cannot be considered as artifacts now, they are still fine weapons." The Count said. "If anything, I'm sure that you'll be able to appreciate them. Not everything needs to have a gift to be useful or remarkable."

Lucius wondered if that was the Count's own attempt at comforting or encouraging his 'gift-less' son, but either way, he nodded and thanked the man anyway.

"Thank you, father. I will make good use of them." Lucius said.

"Good. You'll bear the Inanis heirloom weapons well." Count Gabriel said. "Although, if I'm not mistaken, I recall that you only studied sword with Liutenant John? Let me know if you wish to study the axe or would like to learn it on your own. I've wielded that axe myself, and although it's not my most preferred weapon, I can give you some tips on how to use it if you're interested."

"Your gift works perfectly with a sword, so I can understand why, father." Lucius said, then finally took the chance to pick up and observe the sword. "As for the lessons, I appreciate the offer and will try to inquire you about it if the two of us have the time. I'm quite sure that you're preoccupied with a lot of duties as Count and I do not wish to take more time than necessary."

"Nonsense. I'll always make time for you, Asher. You only need to ask for it." Count Gabriel said.

"Thank you, father." Lucius said. He guessed that the reason why the Count was like this at the moment was truly because of the attempted assassination.

It had truly opened scars for the man.

Either way, Lucius had handled a great number of weapons as a member of the Great Barrom Clan, and though he stuck more with magic and hell energy, he was certain that he could use the axe if he wanted to.

Lucius chose to refocus back on the weapon in his hand.

The sword was rather plain looking and it was clear that it was meant for utility than show. It was about the same size as the Wind Scar sword and was equally, if not a little better when held in Lucius's hands.

It was well-crafted indeed.

As for the axe, Lucius turned to look at it and picked it up with his other hand.

It was an overbearing weapon and had several motifs carved on it, along with the crest of the Inanis clan, the three tailed dragon.

'This will give me a chance to look into the unique state of an artifact that has no rune crystal in them.' Lucius thought to himself satisfied. But that did leave him with one last question.