Regressing as the Reincarnated Bastard of the Sword Clan

Translator: FenrirTL

Editor: Doodle

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< Chapter 159: The Mausoleum’s Keeper (4) >

"I love you, dear customer. This is High Theodor, providing you with beautiful clothes and style."

Theo entered the shop with his companions and immediately froze in surprise.

Contrary to the simple exterior, the interior was opulent, giving the illusion of stepping into another world.

And the clothes on display were breathtakingly stunning.

Even Theo, who had little interest or eye for fashion, was impressed.

"Wow."

"It’s far more impressive than I’d heard."

Ray and Wellington marveled but quickly browsed through the clothes with practiced familiarity.

As expected from a shop that prided itself on chic couture, professional consultants approached them with ease and engaged them effortlessly in conversation.

‘Ah, these two must be used to this.’

Wellington, who always kept himself neat, clearly had an interest in fashion. But Ray’s enthusiasm was unexpected. Usually dressed in casual attire, she seemed to have a particular fondness for clothes adorned with frills and lace, exuding a “fancy and frilly” charm.

"May I ask what style of clothing you’re looking for, dear customer?"

Theo flinched slightly as he met the round, curious eyes of the consultant who had approached him.

It was a gaze he had often encountered at Camellia Palace—one that seemed to scream, ‘I’m dying to dress you up like a doll.’

He broke into a cold sweat, unable to outright admit, ‘I’m not interested in clothes; I just wanted to see my mother’s store.’

What should he say?

As he wrestled with his thoughts, something caught his attention.

‘Hm…? Who’s that?’

On one side of the expansive shop, a young man, seemingly around Theo’s age, was browsing a suit with interest.

Behind him stood four attendants, each holding numerous paper shopping bags in both hands. It appeared that they had shopped not just at High Theodor but at several nearby boutiques as well.

Of course, Theo wasn’t interested in their shopping list.

‘He looks familiar somehow.’

The face was vaguely recognizable, but Theo couldn’t place him.

Could it be someone he had encountered in his past life? The thought tickled the back of his mind.

"Ah, does the style that the customer is holding appeal to you?" the consultant asked suddenly, bringing Theo back to the present.

"Huh? Oh, yes. If you have something similar, could you bring it over?" Theo replied absentmindedly.

The consultant quickly left, promising to fetch the requested style.

At that moment, the young man seemed to notice Theo’s gaze and lifted his head slightly.

For a brief moment, their eyes met.

The man grinned broadly.

The young man’s cheerful smile left a lively impression.

Should he say he looked like a carefree young master raised in a wealthy household without hardship?

Yet, this only made Theo feel more stifled.

‘He seems important… Well, I’ll remember later if it’s significant.’

As long as the person wasn’t someone who would hinder his immediate plans, it wasn’t worth worrying about.

Theo soon brushed it off.

*         *         *

"Wow! All this time, I thought I was the best-looking among my peers. But it turns out there’s someone even better? Which family is he from?"

The young man, Najariu, laughed heartily as he left High Theodor with his four attendants.

The long-haired, strikingly handsome man in the white suit he had briefly locked eyes with left quite the impression.

"The young man is Theo Ragnar," the head attendant, Jirima, replied.

"Huh? How does Jirima know that?" Najariu asked, his eyes widening in curiosity.

"Isn’t it only natural to gather at least this much information when venturing into the heart of what could be an enemy’s territory? It’s not just Theo Ragnar. The companions with him, Wellington Narcio and Ray Ragnar, are also prominent figures."

"Wellington Narcio? The same Wellington Narcio I know?"

"Yes, the evaluator of the Eight Lords."

"What?! He was there too? Ugh! Why didn’t you tell me? Come on, why didn’t you?"

"You didn’t ask, young master."

"Oh, do I have to ask for you to tell me? No sense at all! None!"

"I refrained because it was common sense not to tell. Do you think you wouldn’t have caused trouble if I had told you at that moment?"

"…I would’ve caused trouble, wouldn’t I?"

"Precisely why I didn’t say anything."

"Urgh."

Najariu briefly pouted in dissatisfaction, but he knew well that outtalking Jirima was a lost cause, so he swallowed his frustration.

As Jirima had pointed out, this was the heart of Ragnar’s domain—potentially enemy territory. Their secret mission required the utmost caution.

Although, considering that, they had been far too casual, indulging in shopping.

"Anyway. While Wellington Narcio is well-known in many circles, Theo Ragnar is apparently even more famous in the North. There are rumors that he achieved the highest-ever score in the Blossoming Ceremony, marking him as a genius."

"The Blossoming Ceremony? Oh, so he’s a rival for Wellington Narcio, huh?"

Najariu rubbed his chin, his eyes gleaming with intrigue.

"I’d love to face him in a match someday."

Najariu himself was a rising star, recognized among the Three Lords and Eight Geniuses. Competing against others in his league always brought him excitement.

"The Magic Tower must maintain as neutral a stance as possible in this war. While we lean toward supporting Troyban, we cannot allow ourselves to be caught in Ragnar’s grasp. If anything goes wrong, not even you, Najariu-nim, will escape the Magic Tower Lord’s reprimand."

"I know, I know. Do you think I’d mess up when I know our elder’s temperament? So stop nagging me!"

Jirima sighed as he watched Najariu shake his head and cover his ears with both hands.

Though he had protected Najariu since the boy was in diapers, there were times he felt an overwhelming urge to knock some sense into him.

How could someone as reckless as this brat be hailed as the future leader of the Magic Tower?

"Anyway, we’ve bought all the souvenirs for the priests! Let’s get started!"

Najariu retrieved a long robe from his subspace and draped it over his shoulders.

In an instant, his mild demeanor shifted dramatically.

The robe, adorned with an intricate six-pointed star pattern, symbolized the Magic Tower’s pride—the elite group known as David’s Star.

The other attendants donned identical robes, causing the surrounding space to ripple faintly as waves of energy radiated outward.

Ziiing!

"Let’s go, then."

From beneath the hood pulled low over his face, Najariu’s lips curled into a faint smirk.

*         *         *

Theo’s group finished their shopping and left the shop.

‘I feel like my soul’s been drained…’

Dark shadows hung under Theo’s eyes.

He was exhausted from trying on every piece of clothing that the consultant enthusiastically brought over to recommend.

Toward the end, the other consultants had joined in, thinking it would be fun, and kept presenting him with outfit after outfit. It had been a grueling ordeal.

Still, as a result, Theo now held a mountain of clothes in both hands.

In his right hand were the outfits unanimously approved by the staff as the best fit for him, and in his left were paper bags containing clothes intended as gifts for Cassandra.

"Haha! It’s been a long time since I enjoyed shopping this much. I can’t wait to return to Winterer since today’s outfits will be delivered there as well. Doesn’t that make you want to go back already?"

Nod, nod!

Unlike Theo, Wellington and Ray’s faces were glowing with energy. Ray, uncharacteristically, nodded vigorously.

The two had chosen not only outfits for themselves but also gifts for their teachers—the Lord of Water Lily Palace and the Upsurging Dragon.

Theo watched the two with amused curiosity, marveling at how different their world seemed from his own, and gave a wry smile.

"I’m glad both of you are satisfied."

"Are you sure about this? If word gets out later that Young Lord Theo only came to look around and left without buying anything, the entire staff of the store might flip out."

"But wouldn’t it be even stranger if I revealed my identity there?"

"True, that would’ve been odd."

"I’m satisfied about knowing my mother’s business is doing well."

"You say that with such a straight face. Isn’t it actually because you’re happy that your shares are climbing steadily?"

"I can’t deny that’s part of it."

"Knew it! Hahaha!"

Wellington burst into hearty laughter at Theo’s smile.

"Now that we’re done touring the shop, didn’t you mention there was a place we needed to visit before we start shopping in earnest? Where do we go next?"

"…?"

"Hm?"

"…Surely you don’t plan on shopping more after this?"

"Of course! Do you think we’ve bought enough to call it a day?"

"…??"

"This much is just the appetizer."

"…???"

Theo stopped himself from pointing out that Wellington and Ray were already each holding over ten large paper shopping bags.

‘Well, Ray’s a woman, so that’s understandable, but Wellington… What on earth?’

For a moment, Theo couldn’t help but think Wellington might get along surprisingly well with his mother and the maids at Camellia Palace.

"…Anyway, our next destination isn’t far from here. It’s near the City Hall building."

"Oh, not far from Main Street then? That’s convenient."

As he had pre-marked it on his map, Theo found the destination without much difficulty.

It was a bustling area where several trams intersected, and rickshaws busily roamed the tracks.

"I’ll be back shortly. Please wait for me here."

Theo handed his bags to Wellington and Ray before heading off on his own. He had already told them it was a personal errand.

Thankfully, neither of his friends insisted on accompanying him.

Perhaps they assumed he had been assigned a separate mission.

‘41 Piedmonte Road, the 7th building.’

Theo turned onto an alley behind the City Hall and stopped in front of a shabby-looking building.

It appeared to be a simple pub, closed during the bright daylight hours.

But in reality, it was a ‘door’ leading to a treasure vault deep beneath the large city.

Placing his palm against the wall, Theo channeled his magic into it.

- Beep. New user. Password required. Recognizing magic pattern. User identification confirmed.

Using the encryption system taught by the Sorceress Empress, which incorporated a sequence formula into the Venn Diagram model, Theo's body was sucked into the wall.

「Hoho! Impressive.」

His vision flipped.

And then, the sight before him unfolded.

At some point, Lodbrok’s spiritual form appeared beside Theo, letting out a light exclamation of awe.

The interior was so magnificent that even an ancient dragon with a deep love for treasures was left astonished.

The ceiling sparkled with chandeliers made of countless diamonds casting soft lights, while the walls were entirely gilded, their reflective glow nearly blinding.

"So the wealthiest entity in the world is truly the Imperial Family… It's no exaggeration," Theo murmured, overwhelmed by the vault's scale and sheer wealth that seemed on par with Lodbrok’s nest.

Even a cursory glance revealed over forty rooms, each significantly larger than a typical house with a yard.

Could this place even be called a "vault"?

「Hoho! And to think there are several more such warehouses!」

"Aside from the ones in the capital, there should be four more," Theo replied.

「It seems the world’s wealthiest being is my partner! I chose my companion well.」

Theo scratched his cheek awkwardly.

"That doesn’t mean I can just use these freely. Let’s first locate the elixir storage room."

Passing through the weapon storage, the armor depot, laboratories, libraries, personal chambers, and cold storage, Theo found the destination in the innermost room of the vault.

On the long, neatly arranged shelves were various elixirs, meticulously categorized.

Even a brief glance at the attached nameplates was enough to recognize that each one would stir chaos if taken outside.

「Hohoho. Though it doesn’t quite compare to my old nest's storage, this is still decent enough.」

Despite her words, a smile lingered on Lodbrok’s lips.

With three or four more elixir storages like this one, consuming them all would be of considerable help.

"While you’re enjoying your meal, I’ll visit the library."

「Looking for some worthwhile magic tomes?」

"Yes. I skimmed through earlier and noticed a few grimoires among them."

「Alright, alright. Off you go. If anything happens, contact me immediately.」

Completely engrossed in the elixirs, Lodbrok didn’t even think to see Theo off, fully preoccupied with deciding how to consume them.

Theo moved to the adjoining library.

The sheer volume of books—easily numbering in the tens of thousands—was overwhelming, but only a handful caught Theo's attention.

His [Spiritual Essence]-enhanced eyes glimmered faintly as he scanned the shelves, revealing a few books emitting a faint blue glow.

Pulling one out, a rough texture pricked his fingertips.

Simultaneously, his magic instinctively stirred, reacting warily to foreign energy.

It was a feeling similar to when he first encountered Amon.

A tome possessed by a demon—a grimoire.

Just as Theo reached for one of them, a notification interrupted him.

[Lodbrok has begun consuming the elixirs.]  

[Dragonblood enhancement has commenced.]