More artifacts were introduced to Hiro having wondrous effects but Hiro did not select anything after the robes. It wasn't that only a few were left, in fact everything earlier wasn't even one third of what the treasury had but not all were actually valuable to Hiro as a person. Like the various rune craft pens and many others that are solely for rune practitioners.

  "This treasury definitely doesn't lose out to that of dragons. And coming here has given me an idea, would it possible to engrave some runes on my gear?"

  Asked Hiro as they stood amidst the countless treasures, ready to leave.

  "I don't doubt they can be engraved with dozens of runes but I fear no one on the continent is of high enough rank to engrave everlasting runes on it."

  Replied Aleus in somber tone, it was clear how he felt about their lack of skill.

  Hiro was silent he hadn't thought of such an outcome, it turns out that weak material wasn't the only thing that decided if something could be engraved or not. Ordinary material can be engraved by rune apprentices and experts but are too fragile to withstand the runes of rune master rank and higher, barely holding a single expert rank rune. And the opposite was true, the higher the quality of the material the less effective the runes of less quality are to it, for example an elder worm couldn't be engraved by rune apprentices while an expert would need hundreds to thousands to see a satisfactory effect but a rune master needs to only engrave a single one to equal this.

  (Disappointing but nothing can be done.)

  "What rune were you hoping to engrave?"

  Asked B One, as usual casually floating around Hiro like a haunting spirit.

  (I was thinking at least an ice rune to counter the fragment's lava attacks and maybe even to keep me cool while fighting it.)

  Hiro thought back while he finally said.

  "It can't be helped then but I think you'll still be able to help with something else."

  "Don't know what it is but when the time comes feel free to ask."

  Hiro nodded as they moved to the exit there was nothing more to do at this place.

  "It's fortunate we were done before time was up."

  Noted Aleus as he went to the gold doors activating several runes to close the treasury.

  "I take it the treasury automatically closes after some time and can't be opened from the inside."

  Aleus nodded confirming Hiro's guess, but there was more to it then this, like how it had sound proofing so acts of calling for help after being trapped wouldn't work. Unless there was someone outside who would open after a certain time following its closing. Of course unorthodox exiting methods also worked in cases of them being outside the treasury's security measures.

  "So dragons like to collect treasure."

  Said Aleus in wonder as they walked up the stairs leading to the surface.

  "They go crazy for it, you didn't know."

  "No, I did not. On the note of dragons, the fragment's subjugation. Are sure don't want to participate in the conference. Not being affiliated with any nations or having solid background isn't a problem we can reserve a seat for you. This way when it's revealed that you'll be taking the lead there'll be less blacklash."

  "There's no need. I'll just be listening without contributing anything myself."

  Hiro answered without hesitation or delay.

  (As for listening I can already do that without being present.)

  "There's no need to worry. In cases like this a simple show of force is enough to silence all opposition. More so when we'll be relying more on strength than the strategy itself."

  Hiro continued seeing Aleus's uncertain gaze. The subjugation's plan was already formulated and was as simple as it could be. Distracting the fragment while searching for the core, after being found the core becomes the focus of their strongest fighter/s.

  "A test of might. That actually gave me an idea that will smooth a lot of things over when the conference resumes tonight. The other kingdoms may not like it but will most certainly agree to it."

  Said Aleus as sharp light flashed in his eyes, stepping beyond the door at the top of the flight of stairs and entering a dark room within the palace. The room was plain, with multiple bookshelves filled with books, parchments and scrolls, its volume was quite average. Opposite from this door to the left, obscured from this spot was another door leading to the palace hallway. They left through this door entering the hallway, where they found a palace servant rushing to their side, or rather Aleus's side.

  The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

  As the servant explained the reason for seeking them out, Hiro who was standing at the side became aware of the matter. It was as concerning as it wasn't he understood it.

  (So Aleus's master has gone 'missing'. And from what I've been told she's currently the recognised number one rune finder on the continent. Though my assumption about the three paths of rune craft was wrong, rune finders do possess elements that fit a scout. This being the case she's our best bet at finding the core at favorable time during the fragments subjugation. Naturally her disappearance does influence how we'll approach the subjugation but how crucial she is, that I can't estimate.)

  In recent days Hiro had become more aware of a lot about rune practitioners, some of which was that rune finders though not scouts like Hiro had originally thought, they were excellent investigators, observers, good at deduction and more than half the time outstanding trackers as a result of their path requiring investigating and venturing into lost ruins from the Secluded Rune Era. In order to find forgotten runes within, not to mention the deductions and experiments for every new rune found or created to know its applications.

  And in this case Aleus's master had separated from the rest of her team, to expanded their tracking range of a ruin they had found traces of. While doing their investigations the world changed and the rest of the team regrouped at an agreed upon location for when something of certain scale happens, but she wasn't there. They had no proof this but they believed Aleus's master had found the ruin, time past while they searched for her but they couldn't eventually returning to Akarn's capital when their time was up.

  "You are dismissed."

  Aleus told the palace servant as he turned to Hiro saying.

  "The subjugation party will move out in three days from now at most. I'm sure you agree with me that we can't wait for my master to surface. That's why I'm planning to talk with my father, get permission and all that then head out immediately to look for her."

  "I'll come with you."

  "What, you can't do that. We don't know how long it will be before she's found, it could very well be after three days. Time doesn't allow for you to come, as for me if I miss my chance to join the subjugation there won't be a difference."

  Hiro chuckled as he summoned Spiriton while saying.

  "You don't have to worry about that. With Spiriton in my hand coming and going isn't a matter of distance. And trust me I know time isn't on our side."

  Aleus's pupils slightly widened from the sudden appearance of a sword he assumed was invisible until now, and Hiro's words, he wasn't sure what it all led to. Hiro didn't miss this as he demonstrated, he slashed tearing space, the tear looked like a wide slash mark with cracks on its edges and within it the inside scenery of the treasury could be seen.

  Aleus felt nonexistent beads of sweat pouring down his forehead as he asked.

  "You're not gonna rob us are you?"

  "Heh, if I was I wouldn't be showing this to you. Though I do admit if I were to be a thief or an assassin, I would be quite successful. But that isn't my style, I was only trying to see if the treasury had measures against such methods."

  Aleus nodded as he watched the tear in space close. From the beginning his question was rhetorical but seeing what Hiro could do was still quite the shock even after all he had seen.

  (Is this how he managed to get to our world. To think he really had another one. With it a week's journey can be reduced to no more than five steps. He can return to the capital at anytime.)

  Aleus thought to himself while speculating.

  "Believe it or not it does, maybe it's because the treasury is so old that some of its functions no longer work."

  "Truthfully what I was primarily testing was whether the portal leading to the moon is your people's creation or the fragment's. In hindsight I should have just asked. And the treasury is more than likely to be alright, mine isn't a portal it's tear."

  Hiro still remembered the portal above the clouds, situated at the peak of the unimaginable long flight of stairs. If it belonged to the people then it wouldn't be unexpected that a rune grandmaster had ways to prevent entry into their treasury by using portals. By doing this he would know which of the two cases it likely was along with confirming if such protective measures worked against his space tears.

  (And doing this I'm also displaying a level of trust. If I use Spiriton against the fragment making use of space tears it's possible they may think I concealed it with ulterior motives. Though at that point it would not matter, by the time the subjugation ends I can leave this world at anytime going to the next one.)

  "With what you've shown I have no reason to refuse, besides it'll help us as well."

  Said Aleus before leaving to meet with the Rune king, while Hiro returned to his room. There Hiro sat patiently by the room's balcony, staring at the blue sky and dunes beyond the capital. He was within palace's shadow but he could feel the sun was hotter than he was used to, or rather how his world was. But it was no surprise, this was a desert after all.

  "What happened to going to the training quarters?"

  "My plans haven't changed, it may not be the training quarters but being a hero I'm bound to attract some trouble or have a fortuitous encounter."

  Even B One knew this but it was something out of Hiro's control. As hero, Hiro was like a luck magnet sometimes attracting bad luck and at other times attracting good luck. This could be seen from how heroes have difficulties and at times come across what they coincidentally need at that time or will need at some time in the future. Thinking about it, it was also the origin of the paradox of heroes, heroes follow after catastrophes and catastrophes follow after heroes. Evident in the fact that during peaceful times there are no heroes or simply retired heroes.

  This also encompassed the idea of every hero needs a villain and every villian needs a hero. Hiro being apprehensive of this and perhaps not considering how it would affect those around him, would at present gladly welcome either good luck or bad luck. Bad luck may result in him fighting against someone or something which he thought to be better than going to the training quarters, as for good luck, who wouldn't accept it with open arms.

  "Following this logic chancing upon Epsilon was actually my greatest luck, I wasn't a hero then and through it became one. Everything after may or not be due to me being a hero."

  Hiro already knew this with every fiber of his being, after all how many holy swords were there, publically only one, holy sword Spiriton.