For a moment, joy and emotion flickered across Mev’s green eyes as she faced Ian.

"So this is what you meant back in Drenorov, when you said you’d fully equip Nasser and me," she said, her tone far more cautious than her expression suggested.

Pretending not to notice, Ian nodded.

"Yeah. And you know better that your armor’s been taking damage it can’t recover from."

After a brief pause, Mev admitted it easily. "Yeah. That’s true."

Ian’s smile deepened. "So don’t even think about refusing out of politeness."

Mev pressed her lips together.

He’d hit the mark exactly. She had clearly been about to say that she couldn’t accept this much.

Typical of a divine apostle.

That was why her reaction had been so predictable.

"As you’ve probably noticed by now, there’s no one who doesn’t know you’re part of my inner circle. Just like Philip."

Ian spoke in a calm, measured tone.

"From here on out, each of you represents me. My face, in a sense. And that also means—" He paused, meeting her gaze meaningfully.

"You never know when you’ll face unexpected dangers. So I’m going to equip everyone with artifacts. Starting with Nasser and right down to that fallen priest over there living out his dream."

At last, Mev’s eyes flickered.

Ian tilted his head slightly as her gaze drifted past him. "If you refuse, someone else will follow your lead. So don’t."

His voice softened, a faint smile returning. "I’ll be the one selecting everything—for now, at least. I think they’ll all understand that much."

"Honestly." Mev let out a small, defeated laugh and shook her head. "I can’t win against you in an argument. Fine, Ian."

"Good choice." Just as Ian smiled back, a familiar whisper slipped into his mind.

—Almost done, Friend. I’ll look around a bit more, just in case. This is more interesting than I expected.

Yog’s quiet snickering faded.

Mev glanced toward the golden lake. "I’ll go retrieve the artifacts Yog found first, then."

"I’ll go. You stay here and try those on." Ian shook his head. "You won’t know how well they fit until you wear them. It’s not perfect, but I’ve covered the critical areas."

"...Alright. I will."

After a brief hesitation, Mev nodded and immediately undid the fastening clasp of her gorget, clearly intending no delay.

Turning away, Ian smiled faintly as he added, "Take your time. That one will probably need a while to come back to reality anyway."

Miguel finally came into view, half-submerged in the golden lake. He was slowly pushing the gold aside with both arms as if swimming. His lower body had completely disappeared beneath the surface.

Clink, clatter—

Rings set with jewels and bracelets dangled heavily from his hands as they moved through the gold like water.

And that wasn’t all.

A golden crown sat crooked on his head, with multiple necklaces hanging from his neck.

"Yeah, heh... this is it...."

His face was still full of delight. Even after rolling around for so long, he hadn’t grown tired of it.

"The Platinum Dragon would be reminded of the old days if it saw this," Ian muttered as he walked forward at an easy pace.

Miguel paused, scratched his head, and turned toward him. "H-Ha... just give me a little more time, will you? I’m only just getting the hang of swimming."

"Enjoy yourself, but be careful. You might sink and not make it back out."

"No need to worry about that. If I really wanted to, I could get out right now— huh?" Speaking casually, Miguel lifted his upper body, just to blink.

"Wait, what? Huh?"

Miguel braced both hands against the ground and arched his back like a shrimp, struggling to push himself up.

Each time he did, gold ornaments slid off his upper body and scattered.

Clink! Clatter—

However, his lower body didn't budge; if anything, it seemed to sink deeper.

At last, Miguel stopped struggling and turned to Ian with an awkward smile. "My feet won’t come out."

Ian simply shrugged, his smile unconcealed. "If I leave you like this, you’ll meet a rather fitting end. Drowning in a swamp of gold."

"Hahaha. What a terrifying joke. Give me a hand, will you? If you pull me, I think I can get out." Miguel laughed and reached out as Ian approached.

However, Ian didn’t take his hand. He simply stood there, looking down at him.

Miguel’s smile slowly stiffened.

"If you want to wake up from the dream, start by throwing off everything you’re wearing," said Ian.

Miguel blinked, then hurriedly nodded. "D-Don’t worry! This was just for fun—I wasn’t trying to keep any of it! Really!"

He scrambled to strip everything off, starting with the crown on his head, then the necklaces and jewelry hanging all over him.

Meanwhile, Ian crossed his arms, his gaze surveying the golden lake instead.

He found far more than I expected.

Artifacts he hadn’t seen before were jutting up here and there, at least ten by rough count.

It was then that a faint golden ripple spread from the far corner.

Clink—

Along with a haze of black smoke, the gold shifted outward in concentric circles. Before long, something gray rose in the center. It seemed like leather armor, or a reinforced vest.

Yog’s quiet snickering brushed through his mind.

"D-Done! I took everything off, Brother!" Miguel’s urgent voice followed. His face had gone pale, likely because he’d sunk even deeper in the meantime.

Ian looked down at him and smiled. "Had your fill? If you’ve got any regrets, say it now."

"Not even a speck left!"

"Then that settles it." Ian finally reached out.

As Miguel grabbed it, Ian extended his Willful Grasp as well and pulled with force.

Shrrrk—

Miguel was yanked out like a radish from the soil. His eyes widened because even after Ian let go, he kept rising upward.

"Ugh?" Suspended midair by Ian’s Willful Grasp, Miguel shook awkwardly. Gold trinkets rained off him in clattering drops.

"Look around. You’ll see artifacts between the ripples," Ian said calmly.

Even while dangling, Miguel twisted his head, scanning the area.

"We just... collect those?"

"That’s exactly what we’re here for," Ian answered, then finally lowered him to the ground.

The force holding him dispersed instantly.

"Truly, thank you, Brother. I’ve fulfilled a lifelong dream. And in the nest of the great Platinum Dragon, no less." Miguel exhaled in relief, a grin already returning to his face.

He might actually be the first person to ever swim in here.

Ian let out a chuckle. "Then let’s get back to work."

"Got it!" Miguel hurried to Ian’s side.

Circling the golden lake and collecting the artifacts Yog had brought up turned out to be a simple task.

"Even with all this gold plastered over them, they’re not as heavy as they look."

"Most of these were made by master dwarven craftsmen. Supposedly, their techniques were even better back then."

After making a full round of the golden lake, Ian and Miguel returned, arms full of artifacts. They stopped on the opposite side from where the crates were stacked.

"I’ve heard that plenty of times. If dwarf craftsmen saw this place, they’d probably—" Miguel’s voice trailed off.

He’d just spotted something beyond the pile, something dazzling.

"Holy—Lu Entre..." He muttered, stunned.

Ian turned the same way—and let out a low sound of admiration.

Before them stood a figure clad head to toe in golden plate armor, crimson hair cascading down her back. It was Mev, now wearing the dragon’s artifacts.

Watching her roll her wrists and ankles, testing the fit, Ian said, "It suits you perfectly."

Mev paused, then turned slightly to the side.

Unable to meet either Ian’s or Miguel’s gaze, she let out a quiet cough and said, "Isn’t it a bit too extravagant for me?"

"I told you. It suits you," Ian replied as he dumped the artifacts in his arms onto the pile.

And it wasn’t just flattery; from now on, she wouldn’t be known as the Red Knight, but the Golden Knight.

Mev brushed her hair back awkwardly, glancing down at the armor.

"It’s dazzling, my lord. I’d believe it if someone said you were a heavenly envoy or another Agent of the Great Platinum Dragon," Miguel added, dusting off his hands after dropping his share.

There was even a hint of envy in his eyes.

"So, does it fit well?" Ian asked, stepping past the pile toward the crates.

Mev nodded. "I fastened it a bit loosely, but it doesn’t feel awkward at all. If anything, rather than heavy...

She slowly clenched and unclenched her fists, a faint smile forming. "It feels like strength is surging through my entire body."

Given the attributes such artifacts carried, that was only natural. Though more than just strength and endurance had improved, Ian didn’t point that out.

Instead, he stopped in front of the crates and gave a small shrug. "For now, it’ll help with moving things. Let’s take our time finding the remaining pieces, including the helmet."

"Alright. But once we’re done, I think I’ll have to take this armor off for a while." Mev nodded and stepped beside Ian. "If I walk back into Drenorov like this, everyone will immediately know where we’ve been."

"Do whatever you want. It’s yours." Ian shrugged.

Beside them, Miguel let out a stunned exclamation. "So you really gave her all that... Lu Entre..."

"No need to be jealous." Ian let out a dry chuckle, picking up a bluish chain gauntlet from the ground. "You’ll be getting the same treatment."

Miguel’s eyes widened dramatically. "Are you serious?"

"Yeah. Not just you—all my people. So work hard until you find something you like." Dropping the artifact in his hand into a crate, Ian smiled. "First come, first served."

Miguel froze for a second, then turned sharply.

"I’ll do my best!"

His voice trembled with determination as he locked onto the artifact pile with burning eyes.

***

"Phew... cough!"

Near the entrance passage, Miguel dropped a crate with a thud and gasped for breath.

It was the only crate that didn’t have extra gold stuffed into it, yet even that alone was clearly far too heavy for him.

—He really is entertaining, in a pathetic sort of way.

Unaware of Yog’s mockery, Miguel groaned. "Damn it, and I have to keep doing this over and over."

"Looks like it’ll be too much for you to keep going back and forth, Miguel," Ian added as he set down his own crate near a recessed section of the inner wall.

Despite carrying something much heavier, his breathing was only slightly ragged.

As his left hand, etched with Mantra circuits, began to glow faintly, Miguel suddenly shot upright. "N-no, I can do it, my lord!" 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Ian let out a small laugh. "I’m not telling you to sit around. Let’s split the work. I’ll bring more crates. While we move them, you fill these with artifacts."

"Ah?" Miguel blinked.

Mev, standing calmly nearby, nodded. "That way we can focus on transport. We’ve got the stamina for it. It’s a good plan."

As the magic passage began to form, Ian glanced at her. "Think you can carry two crates at once?"

Mev smiled, lightly tapping the golden armor she wore. "For now, easily. Not sure how many trips I can keep that up, though."

"Good. Then could I borrow one of your elixir vials for a bit?" Ian reached into his pocket dimension.

As Mev unfastened the clasp of her gorget and tilted her head in curiosity, he added with a faint smile, "There are five crates total. It’ll be tough for him to fill them all on his own every time. I’ll bring Nasser in. I will return these right after."

"Ah, so two carry, two packs. Got it."

"Means a bit more hassle for me at the end, but I’ll deal with it." Ian glanced once at the fully formed magic passage, then turned, reaching into the pocket dimension now packed with crates.

A moment later, he pulled out a liquor bottle from a corner of it and sent it flying toward Miguel with his Willful Grasp.

"Catch your breath and wait. When Nasser comes in, you’ll have to guide him to the vault. And bring an empty crate with you."

"Yes, understood. My lord..." Miguel answered, reaching out weakly.

Mev held out two chain necklaces, each holding a vial of life elixir. "Go on, Ian. I’ll be waiting."

"If nothing happens, I’ll just swap the crates and come right back with Nasser." Ian tucked the elixir vials into his pocket dimension, picked up a crate, and turned.

"Let’s just hope Thesa doesn’t get stubborn," Mev added lightly.

Ian smiled faintly and stepped through the golden veil.

Whoosh—

Unlike when he entered, the sensation surged upward, and his vision flared brilliantly, though, just like before, it lasted only an instant.

Screech— Scree—

The moment he stepped out, piercing wails assaulted his ears.

However, that wasn’t what made Ian frown.

Before him, the veil of fog churned with ominous streaks of dark green, writhing in chaotic patterns.