Chapter 248

Chapter 248

Archeas continued speaking.

"But I’m glad. Feel free to do so as much as you like. You’ll remain my official agent, now and in the future."

"In return, you’ll have to tell me everything you can. As I mentioned, you need to know what you’re up against to prepare for something."

"Yes... of course. I intended to tell you, even if you hadn’t agreed to remain as my agent."

Archeas’s smile turned bitter once more, as if it had never been happy in the first place. Ian, after gazing at its hesitant expression for a moment, tilted his head to the side.

"Shall we continue this conversation outside?"

"Outside?"

"It seems like we’ve finished discussing everything that needed to be said in private."

"... Hmm. Yes, we’ve been away for quite some time. Your friends are trustworthy, so let’s do that."

Nodding as it stood up, Archeas looked back at Ian with a strangely playful expression. "I’ll also give you the reward for your request in front of your friends. Wouldn't that be more fun?"

"You’ve already decided on that, so why ask?" Ian chuckled and stood up as well.

Archeas, as if urging him to hurry, took his hand and pulled him along.

Pretending to give in, Ian started walking and said, "So, how long do you plan on holding my hand?"

"Until your friends see it."

"...?"

"Who knows when we’ll see each other again after today? I should cherish the moment while I can. After all, you’re my one and only agent."

"That’s in a public sense. Privately, haven’t we returned to being comrades?"

Archeas looked up at him with a smile as they walked along calmly.

"That, too, one and only."

***

"Oh, you’ve returned...!"

As Ian and Archeas entered the dining room, Philip sprang to his feet as if propelled by a spring, bowing his head. The rest of the group followed suit. Though they didn’t make as much of a show of it as Philip, they all stood up to show their respect to the Platinum Dragon and his agent.

Philip had removed his robe, revealing his full plate armor underneath. The discarded robe was neatly folded and placed beside the dining table. Mev, on the other hand, still wore her robe, likely believing that it appeared more proper than being without it.

With a light wave of his hand, Archeas smiled. "Sorry for being late. We got caught up in our conversation and lost track of time."

"No need to apologize, great one. The time passed quickly," Mev replied respectfully while Charlotte covered Thesaya’s mouth as she tried to say something.

Ian, with one corner of his mouth curled up, glanced around the room and spoke. "I can see why it felt short. You all seemed to have kept yourselves quite busy."

The dining room's appearance had changed dramatically. What once looked like a place where a ghost might appear was now neatly arranged. The tables and chairs were perfectly aligned, candles flickered on the walls and tables, and the stone floor had been cleaned to a shine.

"Even so, we couldn’t possibly host such a great being in a dirty place—"

"Archeas." Cutting off Mev’s words, Archeas smiled. "Would you call me by my name, Mev?"

"...! Yes, Archeas." Mev, who had drawn a quick breath, bowed her head, as if it was an honor.

"In truth, I'm not as great as they say," Archeas added with a laugh in its voice, gesturing for the group to sit.

Even at this moment, Charlotte still had her hand over Thesaya's mouth. Thesaya, despite rolling her eyes in annoyance, did not slap the hand away as she normally might have.

"Please wait here a moment," Archeas whispered to Ian, then headed toward the side of the long dining table where the group was seated.

The table was set with pewter cups, leaving the two seats at the head of the table empty. The bottle of liquor Archeas brought sat unopened in the middle of the table. Archeas stopped. It was still smaller than the others sitting in their chairs.

"I knew you all had helped my agent with the task, but seeing it myself, you really all risked your lives and gave it your all. Though not everyone may have done so from the start..."

"Ian Hope. You are the last of my comrades in this world and my agent. You have successfully completed the heavy task I entrusted to you."

Archeas’s voice echoed as it spoke. "As a token of my gratitude, I bestow upon your left hand a barrier that will protect you from danger."

A barrier...?

Before Ian could respond, a brilliant yellow light flared up.

Whoosh...

The light soon faded, though it didn’t disappear entirely. Even after Archeas released Ian’s hand, a golden glow remained, flickering on the back of his left hand.

A hexagonal pattern traced in golden lines, with intricate Mantra symbols densely inscribed in a circle at its center. It was a Mantra circuit.

Ian’s mouth slightly parted as he stared at his hand. The other members, who had closed their eyes or covered their faces, couldn’t hide their amazement.

"Now I can finally feel a bit relieved. Go ahead. Take a look." Archeas smiled as it spoke, spreading its still-glowing hands wide.

At that moment, a golden hexagon surged from the Mantra circuit engraved on Ian's hand. It was large enough to cover nearly half of his forearm. The center of the hexagon was suspended slightly above the back of his hand, hovering in the air. As Ian moved his hand, the hexagon followed naturally, as if magnetically attached.

Unlike the platinum blessing inscribed on the purifier cloak, this was a fully opaque golden barrier. While Ian stared blankly at the information window visible only to him, Archeas continued speaking.

"It shouldn’t feel unfamiliar. You’ve used something similar when fighting alongside me before. However, this one is even better."

"Is it... a shield?" Philip asked hesitantly.

Archeas nodded. "Yes. My agent has a reckless nature, one that drives him to throw himself into danger even more when things get tough. He was like that even when fighting dragons, so you can imagine how nerve-wracking it was to watch him. And yet, he never carried a shield. It was worrisome, to say the least."

Speaking without missing a beat, Archeas placed a hand on the edge of the golden shield. "So, I had no choice but to give you one myself—something that you can never be separated from."

"No way..." Ian, who had been frozen with a rare expression of shock, finally let out a sigh.

He looked at Archeas with a bewildered expression and spoke. "Wasn’t I supposed to choose my reward...?"

"I let you choose last time. But I don’t recall promising the same this time. Were you hoping to ask for more of my true blood?" Archeas added with a sly smile.

"The Source of the Dragon is not something that increases in effect the more you drink. You already carry it within you, so it wouldn’t have had any additional effect."

"No... but still, this is..."

"Why? Don’t you like it?"

Ian blinked in disbelief as if to say, "Are you serious?"

"It’s too conspicuous. You know I’m a mage, don’t you?"

"I know very well. But my agent seems to prefer wielding blades in battle. Quite a curious thing."

Archeas’s smile deepened. "I understand why you don’t use a shield, Ian. It’s inconvenient for casting spells, isn’t it? But that won’t be an issue now. You’ll be able to cast spells with your left hand even while holding the shield."

"..."

"A bit conspicuous, yes, but there’s nothing we can do about that. Besides, it doesn’t really matter. You are still my agent, after all."

"... And if I ask you to change it to something else, would you do that?" Ian muttered, briefly closing his eyes as if feeling a bit faint.

Archeas shook its head. "Unfortunately, that’s not possible. The spell is already cast. Besides... I wouldn’t want to."

Watching Ian as he reopened his eyes, Archeas continued in a gentle voice. "Think positively, Ian. You’ve always wanted to keep your identity as a mage hidden. When people see you now, they won’t think you’re a mage, even if you cast a spell right in front of them."

"No... sigh...."

Ian, at a loss for words, finally burst into a faint laugh. He looked down once more at the hexagonal magical shield emanating from his hand.

It was clear that Archeas, after glimpsing into his memories, had acted out of concern for its agent, who seemed to come out of every battle battered and torn. However, this was a reward that differed greatly from Ian’s expectations or wishes.

He had originally planned to ask for an increase in his magic capacity or perhaps a magic staff engraved with powerful Mantra spells.

But a shield? And one this conspicuous? Is this right...?