"You might have already guessed but in the past few days we've been investigating your background. Honestly it is to be expected that your background would be investigated after that display. If you were just like any other rune master then so be it if we don't know your origin but you're too far from what we consider to be normal. Not much time has passed since our investigations began, so far we've found nothing about you despite the resources and capable personal. I'll be outright, where do you come from really?"

  Inquired Aleus as they went down a secret passage within the palace, one of several passages leading to the treasury. It was dark with runes set up along the way providing light better than candles and torches.

  "Take a guess."

  Replied Hiro.

  "Don't tell me it's from across the stars. So humanity isn't limited to our world."

  This thought had been persistent on prince as he thought of Hiro's origins. In fact most evidence pointed to this, Hiro commanded a power so unfamiliar to the whole continent that its origin was more likely to not be from their world. Hiro was clueless about most things even what was considered basic knowledge for both young and old. Lastly Hiro's statements showed that he had fought at least one dragon before not including the fragment which isn't even a dragon. And in this World where were dragons? Across the the worlds scattered among the stars. But there were two things that this conjecture could not overcome, first the proof that humanity wasn't limited to the planet they were on. Second the dangers of traveling. Even dragons could only do this because of all creatures they were among the closest to worlds, possessing dragon tongue, the closest language to the language of worlds. Enabling them to speak with worlds avoiding danger as they traveled the great expanse of the World.

  (Are we really far behind other civilizations of humanity, still stuck on this rock. Sigh, and we almost got extinct because of this limitation.)

  Even though many things were unclear Aleus made up his mind to finally believe in this conjecture, after all his knowledge of the World and Hiro was limited. Obviously this wasn't the case but thinking as how it wasn't far from the truth Hiro did not correct this misconception.

  "We've finally arrived, the royal treasury."

  He said standing before huge golden double door entrance at the bottom of the staircase. It turns out the treasury hall was placed right below the palace. It was heavily guarded with runes, looking across the door and its surroundings there were clear deep carvings of runes. There were no guards in this area, if there was they would have to be a master to be of use in acting against who ever breached through the protective runes. After all these runes were left behind by founder, a rune grandmaster. Someone who's at most a rune expert could not hope to dispel them. As for masters they were rare only seemingly not rare because of their long lifespans, becoming a group of people comprised of people generations apart. No rune master would act as a thief so there was no need to have one protecting this area.

  "This is the greatest protection for our wealth but it has one massive flaw."

  Said Aleus as he placed his hands on the door and after infusing it with his life force and having his identity confirmed by it, it began to operate. It drew in the life force of the world on its own activating the numerous runes on it before opening.

  "Massive flaw indeed. It uses life force beyond what rune masters can utilise doesn't it. And with how the world was, even if there was something of use within it you would be helpless to open these doors."

  Hiro assessed as they went inside and his vision was filled with bright light enough to make a normal person shut their eyes in reflex. And behind him, Aleus smiled bitterly as he said.

  "That's right whether we can open it depends on the condition of the world. That's how it was designed, a genius one only if such things as the great disaster 'dragon' don't happen, and the world remains ever lively."

  Hiro's eyes did not even need to adjust as he scanned across the hall. It was actually quite messy, at first glance it looked like a cliché treasure hall or a dragon's layer. Coins, staffs, cups, etc, etc made of gold, precious minerals and metals were littered about forming dunes piles and cone piles, some a exceeding their height, others barely reaching their knees. And the hall was large, at least three throne rooms large, there were gold and ice blue pillars connecting the ceiling and floor, on them were runes and carvings that were clearly decorations depicting beasts and animals, one of which was a sand worm.

  Looking at the ceiling, there was an exceptionally mural on it, depicting some man holding a rune, while other runes circled around him. That's right it wasn't a fixed image some parts of the painting showed motion. The moving runes formed a circle around the man.

  This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  (The founder I assume.)

  Hiro thought seeing that Aleus bore a level of resemblance to the figure, most strikingly the amber eyes. Every member of the royal family Hiro had met had such eyes and it wasn't a common trait he had observed as for whether such eyes had ties to the royal family, who can say.

  "Don't mind what's on the ground, no one cares enough about those to organise them. What has true value as you can see is what's on the walls, pillars and glass capsules."

  Indeed this was the case and Hiro had already thought as much, on the ground was nothing more than riches, anyone who held just a cupful of it would have great wealth, but that was it just wealth. It could buy a lot of things but the same was true of what it could not buy, for instance lifespan. And what was on the walls, priceless objects that a nation would need to dry up its funds to obtain. They were of such great value simply because including the founder of Akarn, there had been generation after generation of Rune kings contributing to this treasury. Masters were quite capable people, their prestige across the continent wasn't for show. There was reason they were treated like royalty everywhere they went despite their origin and status, they could lengthen their lifespan but this wasn't their limit, they could do the same for others. But there was a great cost to it because a body could handle a limited number of runes thus needing to be refined. But let's not get lost on lifespan which is not even among these treasures but comparable to them.

  "As a result of a normal body not being able to withstand more than one rune not to mention quality of the rune. Artifact engraving is the most practical approach to using runes, as you've seen with rune tablets the lowest in the category, only holding one rune. Though they are just rocks in the end. As for these the material is not ordinarily, made from special kinds of fauna of flora, aquatic and terrestrial. Their bodies are extraordinary a person cannot compare to them without runes, Akarn's sand worms for instance. Using their skin and flesh crafting robes that can withstand a thousand runes is possible. But as you can imagine facing such beasts is not easy especially the elder ones."

  As he said this Aleus moved to one side of the wall holding several robes. From the looks it there were five kinds, the majority of which were pale caramel, as for the least they were bluish green. While the rest were gray, orange brown and yellow respectively. At present they were all blank only after they were selected would the question of what runes to engrave on them be answered. Of all the present items they had the most potential.

  "I like the idea of these robes, count at least one among my gifts."

  Said Hiro as they moved onto another segment of the wall. Here there were at least a dozen weapons ranging from swords, gauntlet, shields, spears... One thing that was clear to Hiro was that they two were made from the hard parts of beasts, the bones, teeth, claws, shells. They two were blank but at most they could be engraved with about half the number of what a robe was engraved with. Lastly there was the smallest and yet the most valuable of the artifacts, placed on the pillars. They came in many forms, rings, crowns, necklaces and gloves. Their quality was several times that of the previous ones personally crafted by the founder, as result they already had runes on them.

  "To be honest what gave us the confidence in the treasury is this. What you are wearing already is at least on the level of the previous ones. But what truly gave us a scare is that sword. Estimating its value I couldn't help but think that what we have here is child's play."

  He said bitterly, actually this past few days he had been evaluating Epsilon for several reasons. First despite what Hiro had said the holy sword had displayed life force utilisation if put nicely but put bluntly it was nothing more than opening a tap and letting water flow as such not the manipulation of water. A feat that just a sword could not do nonetheless, more over it was on a scale that brought their dying world back to peak condition. How does one begin putting value on such a thing and if Hiro had these two who's to say he didn't have more. Not to mention his treatment of these items was so casual when in fact to Aleus and everyone else they were nothing less than national treasures.

  "You praise what I have too much. Despite its capabilities there are many things it cannot do, for instance controlling the elements. But your runes can do that, ignoring the scale each operates on what I have isn't much. I see the value in what you have here. If it wasn't for the fact that where I come from Jack of all trades are bottom tier I would take as much as you can give. Who doesn't want a wide range of arsenals, with such means encountering circumstances where you are lacking in solutions would be rare."

  Aleus sighed internally, relief washed over him.

  (We've been having headaches over what to give but it seems we were troubling ourselves over nothing. Despite what he has, he doesn't act like how most would in the same position. As royalty I know how hard it is to gift someone who has the initiative and greater wealth. If he said he wanted everything in here how could we refuse. It is also because of this that coming here was delayed the court had to be convinced we wouldn't be robbed.)

  Though he did not think Hiro was such a person he couldn't let the idea he had influence his judgment not when Hiro was still a complete mystery. Along with the fact that, there's nothing more frightening than someone doing something for free especially when those on the receiving end weren't minor characters.

  "I must say, I've never met someone like you before. Now where was I?"

  He said as he moved closer to a ring on the gold pillar before them, then continued.

  "The purple gem on this ring is made from millennium tree sap. Harder than diamond, it has the rune of vitality. With it there is no disease, poison that cannot be overcome. No injury across the body except the head and heart will be fatal, unless there isn't much of body left to begin with. Though it doesn't influence lifespan with the ring regardless of age the wearer will never have to worry about lacking energy or having a fragile aged body, as lively in their elderly years as they were their youth."

  Hiro nodded while thinking.

  (To think that what some of us go through training achieve others merely have to put on ring.)

  It was quite a fascinating thing even magic from his world could not do this according to his knowledge and Soltia had never mentioned such a thing.