A few days later, at Anne's family home.
In the reception room, I sat facing Anne, who was dressed in mourning clothes.
Facing me across the table, having just lost her father and endured a turbulent few days, she looked even more haggard than when we first met, her eyes swollen from crying.
"Thank you very much."
Anne bowed her head to me the moment she opened her mouth.
"Thanks to you, Lord Noah, I was able to be by my father's side at the end."
"I see."
"Truly, I cannot thank you enough."
"Once I got involved, I merely did what any decent person should do."
"Even so... thank you."
Anne stood up from the sofa and bowed deeply to me from the waist.
After accepting her gratitude, I asked her once more.
"Do you know the location of your father's inheritance?"
"Yes, I heard it from Gramps. It's inside a mausoleum on the outskirts of Larak."
"A mausoleum? Meaning an imperial one?"
"It was built by the previous Emperor, but was ultimately never used."
"Ah."
I see, I nodded inwardly.
It was a common enough story.
Almost every Emperor begins construction on his own tomb—his mausoleum—the moment he ascends the throne.
Because an Emperor's mausoleum is such a massive undertaking, taking several years to construct is not unusual.
If one wanted to build something truly grand, it could easily take well over a decade.
That is why an Emperor starts building upon ascension, often constructing several simultaneously, choosing the "best one" from among them, and ultimately being interred there after death.
My late father was naturally no exception; he had built one here on the outskirts of Larak that was ultimately left unused.
"So it's there."
"Yes."
"Understood. I will mobilize soldiers. I'll accompany you as well."
"Are you sure?"
"It is a promise made in my own name. I will see it through to the end."
"Thank you very much."
Anne bowed deeply once more.
When she raised her head, she looked at me with a bewildered expression.
"Why... would you go so far for me? Ah! That is, why go so far as to stake your name on it, I mean."
"Hmm."
"I heard everything from Gramps. You are His Majesty the Emperor, and even now serving as Governor-General, you're swamped with disaster reconstruction. For a mere commoner girl like me, why..."
"...I, too, recently inherited my father's estate."
After a brief pause, I answered Anne's question.
"Are you referring to the 'villa'?"
"Oh?"
I couldn't help but murmur.
I was surprised to hear the word "villa" come from Anne's mouth.
"Did you hear that from the old man?"
"Yes. Or rather—"
Anne looked straight at me.
Dressed in mourning clothes, she looked dignified, and her haggardness gave her a certain formidable aura.
"I have decided to take over my father's business."
"The information brokerage?"
"Yes."
"Wouldn't your father have wished against that?"
"Yes, but through the information brokerage, I can feel closer to him."
"I see."
She had chosen it for a clear reason, and I could understand her logic.
If that was the case, I had nothing more to say.
"Indeed. I sold that villa and turned it into money. Since the timing of inheriting our fathers' estates coincided, it felt personal to me."
"Is that so?"
"If it's a nuisance, I can stop, you know."
"Eh?"
"I'm not saying it to be spiteful."
I looked straight at Anne.
"The way you are now, you don't need half-hearted help."
I meant it.
I thought that if Jibu saw her now, he would surely be relieved.
That was how strong she was—how strong she appeared.
That was why I asked.
And her response to that was just as resolute.
"No, please, I would be most grateful."
"Oh?"
"It is my father's final wish. I want to grant whatever I can."
"...Heh."
"What is the matter?"
"Ignoring your father's wish for you to live in peace, yet using me for the sake of his other wish, are you?"
"...Yes."
Anne gasped for a moment.
She caught the nuance of using the Emperor for her own selfish desires, but she pushed through regardless.
A chance encounter, drawn together by circumstance.
Even so, I truly thought she was an intriguing woman.
☆
Believing there was no time like the present, I departed alongside Anne.
Taking every possible precaution, I had John, who had been involved in the matter, lead an escort of 500 soldiers, and together we headed for the mausoleum in question.
The mausoleum was located in the suburbs, about half a day's journey from Larak.
Though grand in scale, it had never been used and was never given its finishing touches, leaving the place steeped in a desolate atmosphere.
Standing at the entrance with Anne, I asked:
"Well then, have you heard the details?"
"Yes, from Gramps."
"Hmm."
"There is a throne for 'His Majesty' in the deepest chamber."
"Right."
"I was told there is a hidden staircase behind that throne."
"I see."
Nodding, I brought Anne inside.
The soldiers were left outside for the time being.
It was a vast mausoleum.
Being an imperial tomb, its scale and breadth rivaled that of an entire palace.
Just as the information stated, we reached the deepest room modeled after a throne chamber and inspected behind the throne.
Looking closely at the flagstone floor, there was a noticeable seam.
Opening it revealed a staircase leading downward.
"Stay close to me."
"Y-Yes."
With that, Anne clung close by.
I summoned the Magic Sword of Water, Leviathan, ensuring I could handle whatever might happen.
Imperial mausoleums were often rigged with traps to deter tomb raiders.
Remaining vigilant, I led Anne down the stairs.
There were no traps, and we smoothly reached the bottom where a hidden room lay.
Stepping inside—
"Th-This is..."
"Gold, indeed."
Anne was left speechless by the sight before her.
Inside the hidden room lay an immense quantity of gold ingots.
"At a conservative estimate... there are at least 1,000,000 Rien here."
"Father..."
Faced with such an astronomical sum, Anne's way of addressing him briefly slipped back from her independent tone to her old, childish habit.
Leaving the overcome Anne behind, I called for John.
When John arrived, he too was astonished by the room full of gold.
"Carry it all out and deliver it to Anne's mansion. You understand, right?"
"Of course! This is an aftermath my Master undertook on his honor! There won't be a single mistake in ten thousand!"
"Good."
I nodded, and John turned around.
He barked at the soldiers he had brought along.
"Listen up, you bastards! I know you usually pocket a little something at times like this, but don't you dare touch a thing this time!"
I had known John for a long time, but this was the first time I had seen him bellow at his subordinates like this.
The soldiers under him must have felt the same; startled by the roar, they all snapped to attention and replied in unison, "Sir!!"
"I'll say it once more! If any bastard embezzles even a speck, I will hunt you to the ends of the earth and slaughter not just your entire clan, but every bug crawling under the floorboards of your family home!"
"Sir!"
"Alright, get to work!"
At John's command, the soldiers sprang into motion all at once.
They began carrying out the gold that was Jibu's legacy.
Watching them from the corner of my eye, I began to walk away. Seeing this, Anne wore a slightly surprised expression.
"Where are you going?"
"This is a mausoleum built by my father. I thought there might be some trace connecting to his life."
"Is that so? May I accompany you?"
"Are you sure? You're not going to watch over the gold?"
"Yes. Besides..."
Anne said with a faint smile:
"It's a father's legacy, so I'm curious."
"I see."
I chuckled.
Given how we had met, it was a bit unexpected.
I realized she was a woman capable of making jokes like this.
Or perhaps, I thought, this was who she truly was.
Taking Anne with me, we began to explore together.
We went up the stairs, exited the throne room, and walked around the complex.
Eventually, we entered a certain chamber.
Compared to the previous rooms, it was solemnly constructed; despite having no furnishings or extraneous items whatsoever, it exuded a distinct aura.
"This place is..."
"The room intended to enshrine the actual coffin."
"This is...?"
"Yeah. There's a space over there for those who follow their lord in death, so there's no mistake."
"Ah..."
Anne gasped as she looked at the unnatural space I pointed to.
Those who follow their lord in death.
As a general rule, in almost all cases, those who carried the coffin into an Emperor's mausoleum were forced to commit ritual suicide on the spot.
The reason was that an Emperor's mausoleum contained a vast hoard of grave goods.
While this place was never actually used, the ones that were held massive treasures.
Those grave goods were so immense they were the envy of every tomb raider.
Therefore, to ensure nothing was stolen, and to prevent even information from leaking out, the last people who entered were put to death.
To silence them, in other words.
Perhaps thoroughly spooked by the term, Anne stood at the entrance and hesitated to step inside.
I entered the room alone and looked around.
Then, I noticed a familiar crest carved into the center of the space where the coffin was meant to rest.
"This is..."
"Is something the matter?"
Puzzled by my reaction, Anne seemed to steel her resolve, stepping inside to stand beside me.
Following my gaze, she spotted the same crest.
"What crest... could this be?"
"It's the crest of Lutye."
"Lutye?"
Without answering Anne, I stood there perplexed.
Why was the crest of Lutye here?
"..."
I summoned Lutye, the ring that now went by the name of Bahamut.
When the ring radiating red light materialized, it left my hand, floated gently through the air, and hovered directly above the crest.
Then, resonating with the crest, it began to glow in tandem.
The light first overflowed, then gradually converged, taking on the silhouette of a human being.
"What is this!?"
"Father...!?"
"Eh?"
Anne was astonished, but I had no attention to spare for her.
The crest of Lutye and the Ring of Lutye.
Resonating together, something in the shape of my father appeared.
"You have done well to find this place, Noah."
"Father."
"The Ring of Lutye was the very first thing I bestowed upon you. Hence, I made it the key to the final gift I leave you."
"...!"
So that was it, I realized with a start.
Father's phantom continued:
"Noah, there is something I wish to pass on to you who have come here."
"Yes."
It was not an actual conversation; Father's phantom was merely speaking one-sidedly.
I was simply responding to it.
Paying no mind to my current situation, Father's phantom continued:
"Seek out a man named Jibu Locke, and tell him, 'the fish a cat passes by.'"
"What!? F-Father?"
"The fish a cat passes by... that passphrase?"
"Ah!?"
With a slight delay, Anne was startled a second time.
Father's phantom continued:
"I have instructed Jibu that should that passphrase come from your lips, he is to lend you his strength."
"..."
"Jibu and his power—the intelligence network that I built—I grant you the use of it."
"—!"
"Knowing you, you would manage money and technology on your own anyway. That is why I leave you this. Put it to good use."
"...Thank you, Father."
I bowed my head deeply.
To think... to think this would happen.
I had thought I was reaping the benefits of Father's legacy merely by selling the villa, but an inheritance incomparable to any villa had been prepared for me.
"I shall leave you with one final word, Noah."
"Yes."
Before I knew it, I was kneeling on the spot.
Before the father I respected most in this world, I knelt and bowed my head just as I had when he was alive.
"Entrusting everything to an irreplaceable individual is something that must be strictly avoided."
"—!!"
I took a sharp breath.
A shock ran through my entire body as if struck by lightning.
"Farewell."
Saying only that, Father's phantom vanished.
After bowing my head one last time, I slowly stood up.
"What was that just now...?"
Anne asked timidly.
I turned around and faced Anne directly.
"My father's legacy."
Anne's eyes widened.
Gradually, her gaze settled into composure, and she slowly sank to her knees before me.
"Though I am an untalented successor who has only just taken over, I shall serve you for the rest of my days in my father's stead."
"Good."
I nodded.
The one thing I had thought was far beyond my reach—Father's intelligence network.
Though only a part of it, I had inherited it as my father's legacy.
And in the corner of my vision:
―――――――――――― Name: Noah Ararat Governor-General of Enlil Province Gender: Male Level: 33 / ∞
HP: SSS+ Fire: SSS+ MP: SSS+ Water: SSS+ Strength: SSS+ Wind: SSS+ Stamina: SSS+ Earth: SSS+ Intelligence: SSS+ Light: SSS+ Spirit: SSS+ Darkness: SSS+ Speed: SSS+ Dexterity: SSS+ Luck: SSS+ ――――――――――――
Having gained the existence known as Anne Locke,
A sight I had never seen before on my status, yet something wholly familiar—a "+"—had been added.